AMT ‘66 Nova

[NOBLNG]

I like the look of these little cars so I grabbed this one at a flea market. The instructions that came with it are for the pro stock version.? So I am guessing on a few steps.

I’m not getting too carried away with it, just a bit of detailing and a two-tone paint job. For that I needed to add the chrome trim along the bottom of the side windows and the divider strip between the sail panel and rear fender. I also scribed the missing chrome trim on both sides of the rear window.

I have read on here about versions of this kit having a poor fitting hood and grill, but they seem to be ok on this one.?  The rear wheel tub on the drivers side may need a little trim so the body side can meet up with the floor pan. I don’t know what to make of those three tabs under the front fender. There are no corresponding slots on the inner fenders and the firewall prevents any more upward movement so I guess they just sit on top of the inners?

**Edit: Yes! There are clearance issues between the grill and the radiator support!? Also between the step on the interior tub under the rear seat and the floor pan. The glass fits poorly and could possibly interfere with the interior tub?***

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by NOBLNG

[NOBLNG]

I’ve made a bit of progress on this one. I had to make both rad hoses since the single chrome one supplied is too short to fit. The rear shocks are also too short to fit.? I don’t know if there were supposed to be instrument decals with it, but I printed some I downloaded. I couldn’t get any black faced ones to print legibly, so I went with some white “aftermarket” ones.?

I used some .020” beading wire for the chrome trim on the seats and on the door panels. For some reason the defrost vents on the dash were way off center?so I cast it with silly putty and bondic and moved it to where it belongs.

I also got some paint on it. It has a bit of orange peel, so I’ll have to try my hand at wet sanding once it’s dry enough. Thanks for lookin’.

Edited April 13, 2022 by NOBLNG

[Bainford]

That red looks good. I like the sheen on the seats, too. 

[slusher]

Really great looking black interior!

[Zippi]

Man Greg....this 66 Nova is looking pretty kewl.  Love that red and it goes well with the black interior.  I need to build another one of these kits.  

[espo]

On 3/16/2022 at 11:47 AM, NOBLNG said:

I like the look of these little cars so I grabbed this one at a flea market. The instructions that came with it are for the pro stock version.? So I am guessing on a few steps.

I’m not getting too carried away with it, just a bit of detailing and a two-tone paint job. For that I needed to add the chrome trim along the bottom of the side windows and the divider strip between the sail panel and rear fender. I also scribed the missing chrome trim on both sides of the rear window.

I have read on here about versions of this kit having a poor fitting hood and grill, but they seem to be ok on this one.?  The rear wheel tub on the drivers side may need a little trim so the body side can meet up with the floor pan. I don’t know what to make of those three tabs under the front fender. There are no corresponding slots on the inner fenders and the firewall prevents any more upward movement so I guess they just sit on top of the inners?

 

I just got done reviewing your build post. You had mentioned the tabs under the front fenders. I was wondering if you have found a reason for them being there. Something came to mind a possible reason for them. In the picture they appear as if they could be a guide for the inner fender/engine compartment part. I wonder if they might be there to keep the inner fender from spreading outward when they are mounted under the body?  

[NOBLNG]

2 hours ago, espo said:

I just got done reviewing your build post. You had mentioned the tabs under the front fenders. I was wondering if you have found a reason for them being there. Something came to mind a possible reason for them. In the picture they appear as if they could be a guide for the inner fender/engine compartment part. I wonder if they might be there to keep the inner fender from spreading outward when they are mounted under the body?  

That was my first thought too, and maybe they do perform a function with the pro street floor pan. With this floor pan and firewall though, the firewall is up tight against the cowl in the above photo so unless I’ve done something wrong….? It does look like the whole thing should go up a bit since the edge of the floor pan hangs a bit below the rocker panel at the front.?

[espo]

22 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

That was my first thought too, and maybe they do perform a function with the pro street floor pan. With this floor pan and firewall though, the firewall is up tight against the cowl in the above photo so unless I’ve done something wrong….? It does look like the whole thing should go up a bit since the edge of the floor pan hangs a bit below the rocker panel at the front.?

This was just something that I noticed and wasn't sure if had an effect with the fit. That being the case this may be an area to consider removing material to help with the fit.  

[NOBLNG]

I wet sanded most of the orange peel out of the paint. It’s not perfect but probably as good as any paint job I’ve done.? Also got the foil work done and the script painted. I should have foiled the script before paint….but too late.

[MADmodelDOCTOR]

Nice job on the grill ! Black on red looks pretty cool. Later

[slusher]

Loos so nice with black and red paint scheme..

[TransAmMike]

Looking cool Greg, the red with black 2-tone looks nice.

[Steve H]

Great looking build as usual Greg. The red black paint combo looks great. I agree with Trevor, the sheen on the seats looks just right.

Cheers, Steve

[Monty]

Gotta agree with the compliments posted above.  Also glad to hear you didn't have issues fitting the grille, as many other builders have listed that as one of the kit's major failings.  

My I ask what you used to paint the front turn signals?  From past experience I wanna guess Humbrol clear orange enamel, but whatever it is, it looks great.  

[NOBLNG]

Thanks Everyone for the nice comments!?

On 3/29/2022 at 7:05 PM, Bainford said:

That red looks good. I like the sheen on the seats, too. 

Thanks! I got lucky there. I painted them semi gloss and they looked way too shiny…so I shot some flat clear over them.?

On 4/5/2022 at 11:57 AM, Monty said:

Gotta agree with the compliments posted above.  Also glad to hear you didn't have issues fitting the grille, as many other builders have listed that as one of the kit's major failings.  

My I ask what you used to paint the front turn signals?  From past experience I wanna guess Humbrol clear orange enamel, but whatever it is, it looks great.  

Thanks! I hope the grill doesn’t give me trouble. (Edit: It did!) Apparently the rad cradle interferes with it which I didn’t check.? The turn signals are just a couple coats of Tamiya X-26 clear orange over the chrome. The tail lights are X-27 clear red and the backup lights are X-22 clear with just a touch of white added.

Edited April 13, 2022 by NOBLNG

[bisc63]

Nice details, going to be a sharp model!

[FLHCAHZ]

Very sharp.  Everything is looking great, I especially like the interior.

[BuilderX]

Sweet! looking good!

[NOBLNG]

Thanks Guys!?

The glass fit on this kit is terrible! I really should have taken the time to make some from clear sheet.?

I’ve had to wet sand the roof three times but finally got it looking good enough I think. Man…black paint is tough to get right!?

The seams on the rocker trim don’t line up with the door seams so I stripped the chrome and re-scribed one end of each of them and then foiled them.

I tried scuffing the center section of the rear chrome trim to get it to look like brushed aluminum, but the ejection pin marks on it foiled my plan.? After smoothing the pin marks, I made some brushed foil by sanding some of the ultra brite stuff that I have. It coverd the pin marks and worked out pretty good I think.?

[slusher]

Very sharp!

[Zippi]

Boy is that Nova looking pretty shape.  That black & red looks really nice.  

[NOBLNG]

Well I am finished with this one. There is no rear view mirror in the kit and in my haste I didn’t grab one from the parts box.? The side mirror was poorly cast and broke apart, but to quote a popular movie line….”what’s behind you is not important!”? I did encounter a few issues with final assembly. I earlier thought there was no interference between the grill and radiator support, but there is if the rear wheels are properly centred in the wheel wells.

Now, in order to slide the chassis far enough forward to center the wheels, I had to trim a bit of the interior tub under the rear seat.

There are no nice glue points for the grill and rear bumper, so I tacked them in place with CA and then dripped some 5 minute epoxy in behind them to hold them securely. ?‍♂️ The chrome trim for the hood needs the lip trimmed off so that it will sit properly.

And so I am done! See more pics here under glass:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/170459-amt-‘66-nova-resto-rod/

 

Edited April 13, 2022 by NOBLNG

[TransAmMike]

Very cool Nova Greg, looks great in red with the black top?

[slusher]

Beautifully done!

[espo]

Your problems mounting the bumpers and grill are fairly common. For whatever reason kit makers don't offer real positive mounting points for these parts, What I have done in the past is to add small strips of plastic to the inner body to give these parts a positive mounting point and a good glue joint. This way the part is held in place with the minimum of glue and little chance of getting glue on the exposed surfaces.