1965 Pontiac Grand Prix

[doorsovdoon]

On the kitchen table this week is the AMT '65 Pontiac Grand Prix. This is the low rider by Barris, released in 1980 I think! Having already done the custom version of this I wanted to do a stock build and saw this going cheap on ebay, but this kit only has the custom option available. No problem, I had enough parts left over from the custom Grand Slam build I did recently to build a stock version, basically the only parts from this kit I'm using is the body, chassis base, engine block and hood, everything else was left over from the Grand Slam kit! Haven't decided what colour to go with yet, I'm leaning toward white as the interior is already painted black, and I think this one is crying out for a vinyl roof.

[cruiser66]

looks great so far. looking forward to the build.

[espo]

I enjoyed watching your Grand Slam build so you know I'll be watching this one as well. You mentioned being unsure about a color. GM offered a one year only color and for Pontiac it was called Iris Mist. With the chrome trim on this body it would really be a standout. Just a thought. 

[doorsovdoon]

Funny you should mention that, Dave. Iris Mist was the colour I wanted to do and I looked everywhere for that shade but just couldn't find anything close enough at my local store. It was either too purple or non metallic. I'm in the process of doing the vinyl roof tonight and I've narrowed my options down to two colour combos, Arctic White with black roof or Aztec Bronze with white roof.

[doorsovdoon]

The front grill is a little hard to detail, the black wash doesn't like settling in the recesses and collects around the edges. I'v made a start on the vinyl roof and got the engine in paint but will have to leave it for tonight as it's raining so bad I can feel the moisture getting into my shed and that's no good for paint.

[doorsovdoon]

The seam lines for the vinyl roof are done. I've now masked off around the window frames, roof gutters etc, so to keep them smooth for foiling later. I like to do the roof first cos sometimes the masking tape can leave marks on the body paint and I have to spend ages then polishing it out. The tape doesn't seem to mark anything that's textured.

Edited October 25, 2020 by doorsovdoon

[doorsovdoon]

Question, did the '65 Grand Prix have stainless chrome below the trim line or was it body colour? I see two different versions looking through images.

[Carmak]

45 minutes ago, doorsovdoon said:

Question, did the '65 Grand Prix have stainless chrome below the trim line or was it body colour? I see two different versions looking through images.

The red 65 is correct. The cream 65 has 66 GP lower trim on it. The 65 lower trim was Bonneville only and it was flat stainless with the ribs etched on the outside surface. The 66 lower trim was Bonneville and GP and it is chromed pot metal (similar in concept to the 65 full size tail light panels). You can see the depth of the ribs on the cream 65. 

Also interesting on the cream 65 is the lack of front (or rear) wheel lip trim. The 65 GP came standard with fender skirts but the could be ordered without skirts. If a GP was ordered without skirts it would have rear wheel lip trim.

Carmak

[doorsovdoon]

Great stuff, thanks for the info, I was hoping the red '65 was correct. I wouldn't know how to recreate those ribs on the lower portion of the car if I were to do them chrome. I'll definitely be using the rear fender skirts, although I'm not a big fan of them, the lines on this car look amazing and it's one of few cars that look better with them on, to me anyway:D

[Carmak]

10 minutes ago, doorsovdoon said:

Great stuff, thanks for the info, I was hoping the red '65 was correct. I wouldn't know how to recreate those ribs on the lower portion of the car if I were to do them chrome. I'll definitely be using the rear fender skirts, although I'm not a big fan of them, the lines on this car look amazing and it's one of few cars that look better with them on, to me anyway:D

The skirts in the kit should have the extensions cut off of them. The 1:1 skirts are essentially flat across the bottom. The kit skirts make the wheel opening smaller than it should be. The kit skirts are attempting to represent the stainless trim attached to the bottom of the wheel opening below the skirt. In reality the trim does extend into the wheel opening and make the opening smaller as it is nearly flush with the body.

Carmak

[doorsovdoon]

I never noticed that! Thanks, Craig.

[doorsovdoon]

Vinyl roof just now finished, next will be to remove the masking tape than mask off the roof and it's on with the colour. I'll give the roof a day to dry properly before sticking tape to it, in the meantime I'll start detailing the interior.

Edited October 25, 2020 by doorsovdoon

[Anglia105E]

Very nice job on the vinyl roof, Gareth...... and I really like these Pontiacs from around the 1965 - 1968 period. Many years ago I used to own a Canadian 1968 Pontiac Parisienne as a 1:1 car, and during this past year I built a 1:25 scale version of the car, which also had a vinyl roof. The Parisienne was 4-door and had a brown vinyl roof over a pale yellow body colour. Did you use Halfords Rubberised Black aerosol to do your roof, may I ask?

I had to use a resin cast Pontiac Bonneville 4-door kit from United States, because there was never a kit produced for the Parisienne version of this car.

David

[doorsovdoon]

Thanks, David. I love Pontiacs of the 60's and 70's, my favourite brand of that time, although my preference is purely based on looks, I've never been lucky enough to actually drive one:(

I did the vinyl roof with regular satin black from Halfords. I hold the can about three or four foot away to let the mist land on it. I do this about four maybe five times letting each layer set before the next coat. It dries almost straight away but I give it twenty minutes before I spray another mist coat on. It's basically no different to painting the body, you just hold the can further away.

[Spottedlaurel]

I'm going to have to try your vinyl roof method, it looks very effective.

I think these look great at 1:1, look forward to seeing this one come together.

[doorsovdoon]

Just pulled the masking tape off, looking good. I'll mask off the roof tomorrow ready for body paint.

[doorsovdoon]

1 minute ago, Spottedlaurel said:

I'm going to have to try your vinyl roof method, it looks very effective.

I think these look great at 1:1, look forward to seeing this one come together.

Yeah, give it a go, no harm in trying. Everyone has a favourite method, this one works for me. I've tried the masking tape method and found it don't look right, the grain looks more like a kind of snake skin.

[espo]

22 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

Funny you should mention that, Dave. Iris Mist was the colour I wanted to do and I looked everywhere for that shade but just couldn't find anything close enough at my local store. It was either too purple or non metallic. I'm in the process of doing the vinyl roof tonight and I've narrowed my options down to two colour combos, Arctic White with black roof or Aztec Bronze with white roof.

The Iris Mist as also called Evening Orchid on Chevrolet models. I got mine from Model Car World Automotive Finishes. The paint division of MCW was sold off a  while ago but they're still in business. The problem maybe getting the paint over there. I really like how your build is going. You mentioned the Aztec Bronze color, there was a '66 Chevrolet color by that name by the way, and from what I could see on the underside of one of your interior panels that would also look good. 

[doorsovdoon]

Yes, getting an American spec colour over here would be an issue in itself. Good to know Aztec Bronze was a GM colour. I can get paint mixed up in a tin at any auto finishing shop here but I wouldn't have a way of applying it to the model. I could phone one of them up and say I have a '65 Pontiac I want painting! To see there faces when I turn up with a 1/25 would be worth the cost! xD

I have some colours here I'm looking at, I like them all! Aztec Bronze might be a little too dark with the black roof, and the Kingfisher Blue on the end is a bit darker than the picture shows. The "Satin Black" in the picture just has the wrong lid, it's Arctic White.

Edited October 25, 2020 by doorsovdoon

[Can-Con]

10 minutes ago, doorsovdoon said:

Yes, getting an American spec colour over here would be an issue in itself. Good to know Aztec Bronze was a GM colour. I can get paint mixed up in a tin at any auto finishing shop here but I wouldn't have a way of applying it to the model. I could phone one of them up and say I have a '65 Pontiac I want painting! To see there faces when I turn up with a 1/25 would be worth the cost! xD

I have some colours here I'm looking at, I like them all! Aztec Bronze might be a little too dark with the black roof, and the Kingfisher Blue on the end is a bit darker than the picture shows. The "Satin Black" in the picture just has the wrong lid, it's Arctic White.

Gareth, does the can of Ford Champagne Gold have as much pink in it as it looks in the pic? If so, it's actually pretty close to GM Evening Orchid. 

And, on the grille subject.  If you check the pics you posted, you'll see the actual grilles are black with the wide surrounds painted silver. I made the same mistake when I built the kit. But to my defense, I built mine over 30 years ago. 

 

Man, where do the years go ?? LOL ?

[doorsovdoon]

I think it does, I'll do some test spots tomorrow and see what they look like out of the cans. The Champagne Gold, going by the lid colour, looks pretty close but I have a feeling it'll be too far off to pass for that, but it's still a nice colour so may still end up using it.

I did a Ford Torino in Champagne Gold, though that was a different brand. It looks nothing like Evening Orchid or even the Halfords Champagne Gold in the pic above, yet they're both Champagne Gold!

Edited October 25, 2020 by doorsovdoon

[Spottedlaurel]

9 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

Yes, getting an American spec colour over here would be an issue in itself. Good to know Aztec Bronze was a GM colour. I can get paint mixed up in a tin at any auto finishing shop here but I wouldn't have a way of applying it to the model...............

 

Do you have anywhere near you that mixes them up in aerosols? I've had several made up at a couple of different local car parts shops, neither of them big or specialists in paintwork.

[doorsovdoon]

6 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Do you have anywhere near you that mixes them up in aerosols? I've had several made up at a couple of different local car parts shops, neither of them big or specialists in paintwork.

I haven't really checked to be honest, I doubt there is anywhere local in my area that does it. I did have an aerosol can mixed by someone online a few years back when I made a batch of resin trim for 1-1 cars but I can't remember who did it, I'd imagine they would only have British paint codes anyway. It's no bother, unless I'm doing a 100% accurate build I'm ok with what I can get at the store.

[slusher]

21 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

Just pulled the masking tape off, looking good. I'll mask off the roof tomorrow ready for body paint.

Vinyl top looks great!

[doorsovdoon]

Thanks, Carl. I've used the same method for years when painting 1-1 car parts that have that kind of texture, like radio fascia plates and clock bezels.