Foose Impostor

[ea0863]

I saw pictures of Chip Foose's Impostor for the first time in 2016, and waited with bated breath for it to be released as a model or a diecast. When nothing materialized, in 2017 I bought a 1:25 scale Revell 2005 Corvette C6 kit, as well as a Foose Design 1965 Chevy Impala.

 

I began my build that year, knowing full well this was beyond my capabilities. Starting with the Impala body, I followed the recipe that Foose used to shorten the body, move the rear axle forward, chop the roof, and tilt the A pillars back.

 

What I came up with was a fair simulation of the 1:1 car, although the rear end still doesn't look just quite right, probably because I cheated the lines a little:

 

Since the Impala body sits on a Corvette chassis, next up was lengthening that by 5mm and narrowing the width. The undercarriage is also smoothed and painted, so the same had to happen to my build:

 

In 2018, I worked on the engine and drivetrain, which is pretty much stock C6, except for lengthening the torque tube and adding a supercharger. In my case, I couldn't find just the right blower, so I made one out of a spare muffler and some drywall tape:

 

After a five year hiatus where I have been honing my skills a bit, I have gotten back to this build. The interior is coming together pretty well, although the virtually stock C6 dash is presenting some real challenges mating to the Impala body:

 

I will be working on adapting the dash to the wider body, and integrating the door cards to follow the dash lines. Stay tuned and please provide feedback as you see fit. 

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by ea0863

[stitchdup]

Nice work man, would a second dash help with your fit problems? I have a spare if it will help you

[MeatMan]

Awesome stuff!

[dino246gt]

Major project coming along nicely, good on ya for doing this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[espo]

I'm very impressed with the work you have done on this. Like you, I dreamed of building the same type of conversion and even thought that Revell would offer the body already done. I look forward to watching your build. 

[mrm]

On my recent visit to the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, KY, I was really surprised to see The Impostor on display at the end of the tour. A truly spectacular machine built to a different level of quality, which I guess is the standard for Foose. Pictures don't do it justice. 

 

 

Your project is a big undertaking and it is impressive how well it is going so far. It's really cool how you built the blower. It's one of those "I can't believe I had never thought of that" moments. I will be following this build for sure and I hope you see it through this time. 

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by mrm

[ea0863]

10 hours ago, stitchdup said:

Nice work man, would a second dash help with your fit problems? I have a spare if it will help you

You are very kind for the offer. I think one dash will suffice, but will keep you in mind. Thank you!

[ea0863]

5 hours ago, MeatMan said:

Awesome stuff!

Thank you much Sir!

[ea0863]

3 hours ago, dino246gt said:

Major project coming along nicely, good on ya for doing this!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you Dennis. This one is testing my amateurish abilities to the limit, that's for sure  

[ea0863]

2 hours ago, espo said:

I'm very impressed with the work you have done on this. Like you, I dreamed of building the same type of conversion and even thought that Revell would offer the body already done. I look forward to watching your build. 

Thank you David. I got to see the actual car at last year's SEMA show (along with about ten other Foose creations), and fell in love with Impostor all over again. To me, it is the perfect custom car, although some don't care for the relatively stock Corvette interior. From what I understand, the owner wanted it that way so the vehicle could be serviced at any Chevy dealership just like a Corvette.

[ea0863]

2 hours ago, mrm said:

On my recent visit to the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, KY, I was really surprised to see The Impostor on display at the end of the tour. A truly spectacular machine built to a different level of quality, which I guess is the standard for Foose. Pictures don't do it justice. 

 

 

Your project is a big undertaking and it is impressive how well it is going so far. It's really cool how you built the blower. It's one of those "I can't believe I had never thought of that" moments. I will be following this build for sure and I hope you see it through this time. 

 

Thank you Michael for the encouragement. I have been to the Bowling Green museum a number of times - most recently after the sinkhole incident. Such a cool place! I also got to see Impostor at last year's SEMA show - it's incredible how low, wide, and beautiful the actual car is. I will do my best to do the car justice with my model build.

[Koellefornia Kid]

I will follow that build for sure! I think the Impostor is much better looking than the Foose kit Revell offered! Didn't know it was modified that much but it definitely looks great and I really like your approach to it!

[ea0863]

8 hours ago, Koellefornia Kid said:

I will follow that build for sure! I think the Impostor is much better looking than the Foose kit Revell offered! Didn't know it was modified that much but it definitely looks great and I really like your approach to it!

Thank you Oliver, it is a beautiful car and I hope my build does it some level of justice.

[gotnitro?]

Fantastic work so far , looking forward to your progress 

[espo]

21 hours ago, ea0863 said:

Thank you David. I got to see the actual car at last year's SEMA show (along with about ten other Foose creations), and fell in love with Impostor all over again. To me, it is the perfect custom car, although some don't care for the relatively stock Corvette interior. From what I understand, the owner wanted it that way so the vehicle could be serviced at any Chevy dealership just like a Corvette.

I have only seen a few TV specials covering both the Imposter and a few of Fooses other cars. The Impala was very interesting to me because of the basic concept, but also having owned a '66 Impala SS I had always wan ted to try and build something along the same lines but using a '66-year model instead. Your body work so far looks correct as does the interior. I'll enjoy following your build here. 

[Street Rod]

Looks great so far! 

[John B.]

Awesome undertaking - nice work so far!

[JollySipper]

I can't help but think that the color I painted this Impala is very close to what's on the Imposter! It's DupliColor Bronze Wheel Coating. I bet you could test it over different bases and get the color spot-on!

 

[ea0863]

1 hour ago, JollySipper said:

I can't help but think that the color I painted this Impala is very close to what's on the Imposter! It's DupliColor Bronze Wheel Coating. I bet you could test it over different bases and get the color spot-on!

 

Thank you for the suggestion TJ, I will definitely look into it. BTW, yours is a beauty in its own right!