´68 Buick Riviera Custom - John D'Agostino's Pantheon

[Koellefornia Kid]

Hi there,

got a new project on the bench. The idea is to turn this amt ´69 Riviera kit...

... into this:

John D'Agostino's beautiful custom Riviera Called Pantheon. I'll be using a ´69 kit while the Pantheon is a ´69 but I didn't recognised any significant differences between these two model years. If you are aware of any, please let me know.

Already started a few weeks ago to replicate the signature ´53 Cadillac wire wheels which couldn't find in any kit or at any aftermarket supplier.

Some years ago I found a set of wire wheels at a well known auction site and made resin copies of them without the knockoffs:

Then I drilled a hole in the center and used slices of Evergreen tubing and bearing balls to replicate  the beautiful bullet caps:

Afer testing them in amt parts pack skinny whitewalls the wheels were sent out of house to get chrome plated. Hope to get them back finished, soon.

In the meanwhile there is lot of work to do and I will begin to clean to body.

All handles, side markers and lettering will have to be shaved, so let's get out the sand paper...

 

Stay tuned and thanks for watching!

 

 

[espo]

Look forward to seeing your build on this. The slightly chopped top maybe the only really big challenge for the body. 

[Can-Con]

Oliver, as a former '69 Riv owner, I can say with confidence the only outward differences between the '68 and '69 are the grille and back bumper. The '69 has the backup lights as part of the main rail light assembly while the '68 has them separate, under the tail lights.

'68,,

 

'69,,

The headlights are an interesting problem if you have the hood open. I found that the headlights from an AMT '64 or '65 Thunderbird are the closest I've found to how the actual Riv light assembly looks when "closed". At least as far as 1/25 model parts goes.

 

 

,,And I'll definitely be following along to watch as you chop that top and apply that subtle fade paintjob.??

[bisc63]

Very cool project, can't wait to see where it leads...

[Koellefornia Kid]

On 7/28/2022 at 4:29 PM, espo said:

Look forward to seeing your build on this. The slightly chopped top maybe the only really big challenge for the body. 

Yeah I guess the chop will be tricky. According to an article in Traditional Rod & Culture magazine the original has a three inch chop, a widened roof and a laid back backlight. I think the most difficult part will be to get the c-pillars look right ?

[Koellefornia Kid]

On 7/28/2022 at 9:43 PM, Can-Con said:

the only outward differences between the '68 and '69 are the grille and back bumper. The '69 has the backup lights as part of the main rail light assembly while the '68 has them separate, under the tail lights.

On 7/28/2022 at 9:43 PM, Can-Con said:

The headlights are an interesting problem if you have the hood open. I found that the headlights from an AMT '64 or '65 Thunderbird are the closest I've found to how the actual Riv light assembly looks when "closed"

Thank for the infos, Steve. The grille and the headlights won't be a problem, as the original's headlights are fixed in the vertical position and will sit behind a custom tube grille (to be scratch built(. And for the back up lights : I think I can live a cleaner looking rear bumper, or maybe I find some suitable decals...

[Koellefornia Kid]

OK, the body has been cleaned now

Next up will be the heavy part. I'm a bit anxious  for I know I'll have to cut the roof in at least 5 pieces! The first cut is the deepest... ?

[Can-Con]

9 minutes ago, Koellefornia Kid said:

OK, the body has been cleaned now

Next up will be the heavy part. I'm a bit anxious  for I know I'll have to cut the roof in at least 5 pieces! The first cut is the deepest... ?

 Might be too late, but here's how I chopped mine. Might be of some help. I didn't bother widening the roof on mine though.

https://public.fotki.com/SteveMilberry/projects/66-riviera-custom/

[slusher]

I look forward to your project.  How do the headlights work on this year Buick??

[Can-Con]

48 minutes ago, slusher said:

I look forward to your project.  How do the headlights work on this year Buick??

They pivot down, Carl. Part of the grille is attached to them and swing down with them , out of the way.

 

[slusher]

11 hours ago, Can-Con said:

They pivot down, Carl. Part of the grille is attached to them and swing down with them , out of the way.

 

Thank you Steve,, I  was at a loss how they worked..

[NOBLNG]

Nice project…I like what you’re aiming for! I have a couple of Rivs, so I’ll watch this with interest.?

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

I'm always interested in any chopping going on! As we say, rev up the Sawzall!!! -RRR

[Perspect Scale Modelworks]

On 7/28/2022 at 10:22 AM, Koellefornia Kid said:

Already started a few weeks ago to replicate the signature ´53 Cadillac wire wheels which couldn't find in any kit or at any aftermarket supplier.

 

These look like Kelsey Hayes spokes. There is an aftermarket set available in 15". They are a bit pricey but would be closer to the look of the 1:1.

[Steve H]

Great looking project Oliver, I will be watching with interest. Love these old Rivs. 
Steve (Can Con), thanks for sharing your chop technique. It always amazes me how many different ways there are to get from “A” to “B” chopping tops. Great sharing on this forum.

Cheers, Steve

[Street Rod]

This is going to be cool! I’ll be following along.

[Koellefornia Kid]

On 7/31/2022 at 9:54 PM, Perspective Customs said:

These look like Kelsey Hayes spokes. There is an aftermarket set available in 15". They are a bit pricey but would be closer to the look of the 1:1.

Yes, a bit pricey plus shipping to Germany on top. But I´ll keep them as an opportunity in mind, just in case my replicas will fail. But I'm pretty confident they will work.I already used these wheels some years earlier on another D'Agostino build, The Golden Starfire:

Just used different hub caps back then.

@Can-Con: Thanks for sharing your your beautiful ´66 Riv and the work you invested in it. But I'm afraid the slanted A-pillars are not the right technique for the Pantheon. But we'll see, I didn't touch the roof yet...? still a bit anxious.

But I already opened the Grille...

...and will try make a custom tube grille these days.

[Mr. Metallic]

That inspiration car is stunning, but his cars usually are. I especially like the color.

Looking forward to watching yours progress.

[Koellefornia Kid]

Sorry for the slow progress, lots of work, lots of family events, very few bench time.. But a few things happened. First of all, I created a custom tube grille from thin metal rods...

And this morning in the mail: my chrome plated wheels:

wrapped in tires:

Under the body:

I'm really happy with how they turned out ? Just the way I wanted them to look like!

Further I had some tough hours thinking about how to chop the top (think I gained a few more ray hairs...). Here are I marked the cuts I want to make:

The roof will increase a bit of width and will move forward slightly. The backlight will be angled to meet the rest of the top and I guess I will have to angle the C-pillars, too.

Keep the fingers crossed, I will start to cut tomorrow...?

[Paul Payne]

Nice project, and great inspiration car! Will follow the roof chop and re-assembly with interest............

[Koellefornia Kid]

A quick update on what happened so far:

After changing my mind on where to cut the C-pillars...

...I cut around the backlight first:

Then I cut off the roof at the top of the A- and C-pillars

I also removed the front edges of the C-pillars for I might have to relocate and angle them

Next, the roof was cut in halves...

...and after shortening the pillars I widened it with the help of Evergreen strips

And finally with the roof back on the body I laid back the backlight:

Now a lot of putty and sanding work lies ahead of me...

Thanks for watching, see you...

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Koellefornia Kid

[Modlbldr]

I see what you did with the roof and it looks logical. I think it will work great! Did you figure out how much chop your method resulted in or are you just going by the look of it? Looking forward to more progress.

Later-

[Paul Payne]

Ingenious, intuitive, and brave! Try to use as much styrene to fill in as possible!

[slusher]

I really like you custom grill and wheels ?!

[beeRS]

Great work so far. I’m watching