CabDriver Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 (edited) I got inspired by that recent thread on this kit and really wanted to try one for myself, trying to keep it loosely box-stock without building a new frame and swapping the motor and chopping the top and scratchbuilding half of it...trying to mostly use what’s in the box as best I can. You know how that usually goes tho... This particular issue of this kit only really comes with the stock parts, so that should keep me relatively focused and resisting the temptation to use anything major that DIDN’T come in the box should be a fun challenge. I’ve never done a 57 so I looked at a BUNCH of different ones to decide what I’d do if I built one. I think they’re cool stock, but then you can clean up some of the chrome doodads and tidy the design up a little too maybe... And I like the idea of having it LOW, like this... Or less lowrider and more custom-influenced like this... But also this kinda floats my boat too: So, I guess I’ll be doing something along the lines of those, taking the bits I like most from each of them and see where I end up... First up, plug the hole in the firewall: The firewall isn’t accurate for a stock build, if you’re worried about that kind of thing but I think I’m going to go for a super-clean but still traditional look and feel for this one so that’ll work great for what I’m doing anyway. I kind of imagine like how street rodders like smoothing out all the lumps and bumps and clean everything up...but without the billet and LS motor. I think I’ll probably fill that recess in the firewall somewhat to make it connect to the sides nicely, but I need to get the engine figured out and make sure nothing will interfere before I get too crazy here... This being an older tool, the body needs some attention so I’ve been picking a panel every night this past few days and just getting it levelled out and perfect ready for paint. Started off with the driver’s side front fenders - I removed the three vents from there and shrunk the crease that runs along the top of them: I like the smoothed-out-hood on 57s too, so I did the same as Dennis Lacy just did on his excellent 57 build too and plugged the holes with some round bar... ...then shaped them into something like what I’d imagined: I think the real challenge with this build is getting the suspension as low as I’d like - I need to do some research to see just how low people managed to get stock-framed 57s back in the day and how they accomplished it. I guess blocks between the rear leafs and the axle and heating the front coils were the order of the day but I’d really like to get it as low as would be FEASIBLE without using anything modern like airbags on there...guess I need to do some more researchin’! More soon! Edited May 17, 2021 by CabDriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisc63 Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 Fun stuff! I like your taste in '57s; isn't that bluish silver PERFECT on that mild custom?! Tube grilles work well in these front ends, and I've always thought the Buick grille (included in the other boxings) is a handsome addition and just the sort of thing any DIY customizer would have done way back. As for lowering, don't make the same mistake the guy with the black car pictured above did; see how his rear bumper is twisted upward?! Riding too low, turn from level ground onto an uphill slope, and... These mild customs remind me of one of my favorite magazine builds from back in the 80s, the Hot Rod Magazine Flashback 57. Painted orange with a black belly and an orange frame, dressed up with plenty of chrome and polished aluminum, and they did the same exact modification to the hood "bullets" as you guys did here. It was too cool, and they gave it away! Looking forward to seeing what you make of this. It's off to a good start! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted May 17, 2021 Share Posted May 17, 2021 The lowering of the front suspension for the kit can be done by making new spindles for the front and the blocks between the rear axle and the leaf springs in the rear. Since the differential and leaf springs a one part on this kit you'll need to cut them apart and create new spring mounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doorsovdoon Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 I like where this one is going. Really looking forward to seeing the customising work you do with it. Love this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledsel Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 Lowering the rear on this kit is as easy as blocks made similar to a 1:1, but the frame will limit how low you can go without surgery. The metal axle front will drop pretty low but the suspension is almost touching the ground. FYI's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TransAmMike Posted May 18, 2021 Share Posted May 18, 2021 As a bit of a '57 Chevy purist, I'm not fan of extreme mods but with that being said, I'm sure the direction you are going will come out pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 8, 2021 Author Share Posted June 8, 2021 On 5/17/2021 at 1:21 AM, bisc63 said: Fun stuff! I like your taste in '57s; isn't that bluish silver PERFECT on that mild custom?! Tube grilles work well in these front ends, and I've always thought the Buick grille (included in the other boxings) is a handsome addition and just the sort of thing any DIY customizer would have done way back. As for lowering, don't make the same mistake the guy with the black car pictured above did; see how his rear bumper is twisted upward?! Riding too low, turn from level ground onto an uphill slope, and... These mild customs remind me of one of my favorite magazine builds from back in the 80s, the Hot Rod Magazine Flashback 57. Painted orange with a black belly and an orange frame, dressed up with plenty of chrome and polished aluminum, and they did the same exact modification to the hood "bullets" as you guys did here. It was too cool, and they gave it away! Looking forward to seeing what you make of this. It's off to a good start! Thank you sir! Yeah, I love that blue one too - I want to incorporate some tasteful Pearl into my build too. As for the black one, seems like you CAN go lower with a 57, but I’m not sure how good it is for the car… On 5/17/2021 at 4:55 PM, espo said: The lowering of the front suspension for the kit can be done by making new spindles for the front and the blocks between the rear axle and the leaf springs in the rear. Since the differential and leaf springs a one part on this kit you'll need to cut them apart and create new spring mounts. That’s about what I figured, yeah - good tips, thank you! On 5/18/2021 at 11:35 AM, doorsovdoon said: I like where this one is going. Really looking forward to seeing the customising work you do with it. Love this stuff. Thank you! I’m not going wild with this one, just tidying up what’s already there a little… On 5/18/2021 at 11:54 AM, Sledsel said: Lowering the rear on this kit is as easy as blocks made similar to a 1:1, but the frame will limit how low you can go without surgery. The metal axle front will drop pretty low but the suspension is almost touching the ground. FYI's Thank you for your tips too! I think I’ll need a little C out of the frame to get the back down as low as I’d like (and still have it be plausible)… On 5/18/2021 at 12:11 PM, TransAmMike said: As a bit of a '57 Chevy purist, I'm not fan of extreme mods but with that being said, I'm sure the direction you are going will come out pretty cool. Ill try and act respectfully and mod wisely! Made a little progress on this one, and seeing as @crazyjim and @Dragonhawk1066 had asked to see how some Pearl powders I’d picked up worked out I figured time for a little update on this one… Got the body straight and into primer: And after a couple more rounds of sanding and re-coating I got it into factory-correct GM aqua this weekend: I wanted to go with a recognizable 57 Chevy color but with a twist, so I picked up a set of mica powders that had an aqua green powder in that matched the base color closely… And mixed some in with some Future: A few light mist coats gave me this: Looks ok, but I wanted to bring the tone down a little and make it a bit less bright, so I mixed a little gold from the same set and gave it a couple of coats of that too: Much more like what I was thinking! The green Pearl gives a nice flip to a lighter shade when the light hits it, and the gold gives a nice highlight in the shadows and over those curves. Should really pop in the sunlight, and even more so under some nice glossy clear! Plenty more to do on the body of this one, but I promised a little quick demo of how the pearls work to those coupla guys so here it is…more soon! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 8, 2021 Author Share Posted June 8, 2021 Oh, I forgot - a little vid so you can see the Pearl a little better… FullSizeRender.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippi Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 That color looks great man. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Pol Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 45 minutes ago, CabDriver said: Thank you sir! Yeah, I love that blue one too - I want to incorporate some tasteful Pearl into my build too. As for the black one, seems like you CAN go lower with a 57, but I’m not sure how good it is for the car… That’s about what I figured, yeah - good tips, thank you! Thank you! I’m not going wild with this one, just tidying up what’s already there a little… Thank you for your tips too! I think I’ll need a little C out of the frame to get the back down as low as I’d like (and still have it be plausible)… Ill try and act respectfully and mod wisely! Made a little progress on this one, and seeing as @crazyjim and @Dragonhawk1066 had asked to see how some Pearl powders I’d picked up worked out I figured time for a little update on this one… Got the body straight and into primer: And after a couple more rounds of sanding and re-coating I got it into factory-correct GM aqua this weekend: I wanted to go with a recognizable 57 Chevy color but with a twist, so I picked up a set of mica powders that had an aqua green powder in that matched the base color closely… And mixed some in with some Future: A few light mist coats gave me this: Looks ok, but I wanted to bring the tone down a little and make it a bit less bright, so I mixed a little gold from the same set and gave it a couple of coats of that too: Much more like what I was thinking! The green Pearl gives a nice flip to a lighter shade when the light hits it, and the gold gives a nice highlight in the shadows and over those curves. Should really pop in the sunlight, and even more so under some nice glossy clear! Plenty more to do on the body of this one, but I promised a little quick demo of how the pearls work to those coupla guys so here it is…more soon! where do you get that stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 8, 2021 Author Share Posted June 8, 2021 9 minutes ago, John Pol said: where do you get that stuff This is the set I got (but there’s a bunch of different ones available): Mica Powder- Natural Powder Pigments- Epoxy Resin Dye- for DIY Slime, Adhesive Pigments, Bath Bomb Dyes, Soap Making, Etc. (15 Colors 10g/0.35oz Each) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JF89516/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_SSYYVWTZT12PNPMJM8A0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Great color Jim, I really like how you did the hood. I like where your going and looking forward to more of this build… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooOld Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 That Aqua really pops with the mica powders sprayed on top ! I like the smoothed look and agree the plain firewall is a plus . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Looks like it works good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksnow Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 That looks great. I just picked up this kit myself, so I will be taking notes on your build. I believe I want to try lowering the suspension on mine also, this would be a first for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ewetwo Posted June 8, 2021 Share Posted June 8, 2021 Oh this is going to be really nice. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilleish Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 (edited) I have two of this kit now (late 80s/early 90s with all of the custom parts) and one is getting a custom treatment. I have reshaped the fins into something more pleasing to my eye and shaved the hood completely smooth (flat) among other things. Right now I'm dealing with removing the factory "pinch" at the rear of the quarter panels to help the new fin shape flow better. Lowering blocks on this kit push the driveshaft into the tunnel... I have to rebuild the tunnel on mine to accommodate the driveshaft with my preferred stance. I like the '57 Chevy well enough stock but always felt that it was a bit busy, although the 150 and wagons made the fins look right. I'll be following this also. Edited June 9, 2021 by Devilleish Clarified a modification Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOBLNG Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 (edited) I too think the ‘55-‘57 Chevys all have near perfect styling from the factory. I love that paint job! Can’t wait to see it with the foil on. Looks great so far. 👍 Edited June 9, 2021 by NOBLNG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisc63 Posted June 9, 2021 Share Posted June 9, 2021 Loving this build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 27, 2021 Author Share Posted June 27, 2021 (edited) Thanks everybody! Been plugging away at this one slowly, but not on anything interesting enough to justify an update 🤪. Last couple of weeks casual progress…sanding off the flat ol’ window cranks and door cranks and scratchbuilt new ones: They could probably use some more shaping and messing around but they’re a world better than the almost non-existent ones in the kit as it comes: Shot them with black lacquer and some Spazstix and they’re drying overnight awaiting installation: Meanwhile, shot the interior with Createx pure white and some minty green acrylic artists paint for a reverse-two-tone take on the standard white and green 57 interior: Then added a slightly off-white carpet with embossing powder: And then started adding some of the chrome trim with silver wire I picked up at Hobby Lobby: Im still putzing with that to get it perfect, and cleanly installed - I need some kind of wire-straightening tool to make it easier! I’ve been getting the ends stuck down on each piece and then feeding in a little drop of glue and working along the middles gradually…need to keep practicing at that… The rest of the interior and also the motor are going to be a nice pearl white, in keeping with the fairly simple color scheme but without having it look too boring…prepped those parts and got them in pure white ready for pearl coats tomorrow: And finally, the I’m not really focusing on the underside of this one too much - but the bits that will be visible are going to be another shade of minty green: Plenty still to do, but I’m havin’ fun doing it! More soon! Edited June 27, 2021 by CabDriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Sweet looking interior colors! Coming along nicely . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandboarder Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Really enjoying this build. Great colour choices and that gold pearl looks amazing as it show of the body cures and highlights edge as it catches the light Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Cool paint technique and nice color contrast on the upholstery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted June 27, 2021 Share Posted June 27, 2021 Great looking Kustom designs and paint colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted June 27, 2021 Author Share Posted June 27, 2021 Thanks everyone! Still messing with the interior - made floor mats (so that white carpet doesn’t get ruined immediately 🤪) and fitted the window cranks and seat: And got the body in clear ready for the next step - it occurred to me today that my mother in law is visiting for two weeks and I figure she might not enjoy enamel fumes…so it was now or later on that… The sparkles really pop in the sun, even before clear, but even better after! And a little vid to show off that pearl flake - more soon! IMG_8565.MOV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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