1951 Chevy Bel Air

[ModelcarJR]

I've started this 1951 Chevy Bel Air that I haven't built before, although I did build a 1951 Chevy Fleetline about 25 years ago. It still looks pretty good, its a drab gray. Most of the 1951 Chevy colors are pretty drab so this one is going to be a nice Day 2 bright color. I'm thinking Nassau Blue Metallic with a dark blue and white interior. the top is white and I had a boo-boo on the first coat, so I sanded it out and will repaint today. I'll get the rest of the parts painted today and work on the color coat tomorrow. Thanks for looking! ?

[BlackSheep214]

Very cool kit. I wished I had picked this kit in my youth years. I honestly believe any 50s era automobile can be turn from a bland look to a hot muscle car. As the old saying goes, there’s beauty in the eye of the beholder.

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Thomas! I appreciate your comment!  I probably haven't built this one before because I think the 51 - 54 Chevys are pretty ugly. Kinda rolling bubbles. But I thought it would be fun to build!

The body is painted and other than a couple of bleed-throughs on the white that I have fixed, I think it turned out pretty well. Its a somber light blue that looks appropriate for 1951 considering the lack of bright colors for that year. Thanks for looking! ?

[thecrossguy]

Very nice color combo. 

[Tom Geiger]

Looks great! Moving forward, I understand there are challenges in getting the front chassis to sit right. Something about heater tubes along top of inner fenders.. others may be more specific 

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Terry and Tom! I appreciate your comments! I'll watch out for those air ducts in the fenders and leave them out, if necessary!

I've rubbed out the body and foiled most of the body but have run out of foil. I have an order in but haven't received it as yet, so I'll have to work on the engine and chassis until I receive my foil. Thanks for looking! ?

[slusher]

Looks really nice and wish you had not run out of foil...

[BlackSheep214]

I like the color combination. Well done!!

[Ramfins59]

Great work John.  I'm also working on one of these kits, but I'm making it into a 1952 Chevy using grille & bumper conversion pieces that I got from Modelhaus before they closed up.  I also have to modify the side trim on the rear quarters, and the taillights.

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Carl, Thomas and Rich! I appreciate your comments! 

Engine and chassis are done and there's not much to see there but I mocked up the body with the chassis and everything looks Ok. A few more missing pieces once I get the foil and this one will be completed. Thanks for looking! ?

[ModelcarJR]

I recieved my foil yesterday so I am able to finish the trim on this Bel Air. I did most of the interior though with chrome pen except for the dash and long strips on the door panels. The steering wheel plastic is way too big and I got the black circle (should be Chevy script, no decal)  in the steering wheel a little off. Its done. Thanks for looking! ?

[moparfarmer]

On 11/2/2020 at 8:50 AM, ModelcarJR said:

I've started this 1951 Chevy Bel Air that I haven't built before, although I did build a 1951 Chevy Fleetline about 25 years ago. It still looks pretty good, its a drab gray. Most of the 1951 Chevy colors are pretty drab so this one is going to be a nice Day 2 bright color. I'm thinking Nassau Blue Metallic with a dark blue and white interior. the top is white and I had a boo-boo on the first coat, so I sanded it out and will repaint today. I'll get the rest of the parts painted today and work on the color coat tomorrow. Thanks for looking! ?

Basically the same kit just different style body..Your drab grey sedan looks fantastic..Nice build and I'am sure you 2 dr ht will be the same..

[Sixties Sam]

That hardtop is looking great, and I like the fastback sedan a lot! Great work on both!

Sam

[charlie8575]

The colors of the early '50s cars were, in many cases, rather blah, but, with some work, can still look good. On the '51 Bel-Air, I'm rather partial to the Thistle Gray/Trophy Blue two-tone, which had an interior in grey cloth and painted surfaces accented with navy blue leather. The Nassau Blue on this is a pretty choice. There were similar colors available in the early '50s. Actually, I think Pontiac had a color that wasn't too far off from this, and GM would do special orders like that.

Charlie Larkin

[ModelcarJR]

Thanks, Wayne, Sam and Charlie! I appreciate your comments! 

After trying to mount the body onto the frame a couple of times there were some issues. The interior wouldn't seat well in the body. The dash and door panels didn't meet their appropriate place. So I took a different approach. I took the doghouse as a unit and glued it into the body. Then I broke one glue joint on the dash to push the interior into the body and only applied the glue to this joint just before mounting it into the body. The interior fit tightly and I was able to glue the interior sides to the body at the bottom which I hate to do, once I pushed it in place. Here are the photos:

[ModelcarJR]

And its finished!  I'm disappointed that I didn't get the wheel position right and the front sits a little high so maybe I didn't mount the inner fender liners right. I should have also pinned the engine and exhaust pipe so I wouldn't have knocked them loose a dozen times. But its done, thanks for looking! ?

[slusher]

Looks great!