Batch build: "Big Girls Need Love Too"

[Bills72sj]

Time for this season's batch build... Four 1965-'66 Pontiac full sized beauties. My original idea for getting these kits was to replicate a 66 Pontiac 2+2 that parked next to me at a car show I was entered in years ago. To my knowledge, no kit of this particular model was ever produced. I was going to kit bash my way into one but I no longer can bring myself to hack these four up to do so. Since my intended replica cannot be faithfully reproduced, I am going to enjoy building them as they are.

Here is what I know:

The AMT 65 2+2 is the wrong wheelbase. However, due to the curvaceous body lines, I am not going to attempt to shorten/correct it.

The Hasewaga 66 Bonneville is a curbside. This will not do. I will cut the hood open and use a Parts Pack Pontiac 421 Tr-Power to fill the engine bay. The dashboard is generic and uses a flat decal to represent all the dodads and baubles in the dash. I am not sure how I will tackle that.

These cars look perfect with Pontiac's 8-lug drum/wheels. At this time, I only have the 3 sets from the AMT kits. The plan is to use the centers but modernize the tires. I will machine aluminum hoops for all of them. See the inspiration example below.

I am hoping the community can help guide me towards the best results I can muster.

If any of you have successfully built one or any of these, please feel free to share with me any corrections or fitment issues I need to correct prior to paint. I have colors picked out for 3 of them I am open for suggestions on the last one.

Comments and suggestions welcome.

[Mattilacken]

Sweet! Will be following! 

[Plowboy]

How much too long is the wheelbase on the 2+2? I think I have one in the stash. Or it may be the Grand Prix.

[Bronzekeg]

following, love the big pontiacs.

[Slotto]

That's beautiful! Great wheels. Cant wait for your build 

[catpack68]

Looking forward to seeing more progress on it.Zforcemodelworx printed these sets a few months that would look good on it.Not sure if he will print them again.

Edited October 28, 2022 by catpack68

[drodg]

Be anxious to follow this.  I have the 65 Pontiac 2+2 kit and I also have a resin convertible body and interior that is the correct WB from I think Sean Carpenter.  The one thing that I never could figure out how to correct is the tail lights from the kit.  They are a Bonneville tail light  and not a Catalina or a 2+2.  Two many lenses on the Bonneville.  Anyhow good luck with this!   

[espo]

Look forward to your builds. These had beautiful body lines and shapes. While not the same, I owned a '66 Chevrolet Impala SS and the share the same roof line.  

[Ace-Garageguy]

Man damm...your inspiration car is a real knockout.  

[TransAmMike]

Wow Bill, you sure are ambitious...four builds at one time??   I'm going crazy with my 2 '66 SS's at once.

And oh yeah, that 2+2 is awesome!!

[Pierre Rivard]

These should keep you busy for awhile!

That big Pontiac 2+2 looks really nice, but then again just about every GM car from that era. I miss Bill Mitchell.

[Bills72sj]

15 hours ago, Plowboy said:

How much too long is the wheelbase on the 2+2? I think I have one in the stash. Or it may be the Grand Prix.

The Grand Prix and the 2+2 should be the same. (1:1 is 121")

The 1:1 Bonneville is 124".

The kit bodies side by side show the differences. I can take pics if you are interested.

[Bills72sj]

16 hours ago, Mattilacken said:

Sweet! Will be following! 

 

14 hours ago, Bronzekeg said:

following, love the big pontiacs.

 

12 hours ago, Slotto said:

That's beautiful! Great wheels. Cant wait for your build 

 

9 hours ago, drodg said:

Be anxious to follow this.  I have the 65 Pontiac 2+2 kit and I also have a resin convertible body and interior that is the correct WB from I think Sean Carpenter.  The one thing that I never could figure out how to correct is the tail lights from the kit.  They are a Bonneville tail light  and not a Catalina or a 2+2.  Two many lenses on the Bonneville.  Anyhow good luck with this!   

 

7 hours ago, espo said:

Look forward to your builds. These had beautiful body lines and shapes. While not the same, I owned a '66 Chevrolet Impala SS and the share the same roof line.  

Thanks guys for the encouragement. ?

[Bills72sj]

9 hours ago, drodg said:

Be anxious to follow this.  I have the 65 Pontiac 2+2 kit and I also have a resin convertible body and interior that is the correct WB from I think Sean Carpenter.  The one thing that I never could figure out how to correct is the tail lights from the kit.  They are a Bonneville tail light  and not a Catalina or a 2+2.  Two many lenses on the Bonneville.  Anyhow good luck with this!   

There is a custom tail panel in the AMT Grand Prix kit that has no tail light lenses similar to the Grand Prix.

Below is a pic of the stock bumper (top) and the custom insert (below). There is some potential there to shorten the tail lamps. Then there is still the issue on the "Pontiac" letters MIA.

[Bills72sj]

12 hours ago, catpack68 said:

Looking forward to seeing more progress on it.Zforcemodelworx printed these sets a few months that would look good on it.Not sure if he will print them again.

Those look pretty cool but the rears look a little too concave. I like the lettering on the center caps.

[Bills72sj]

7 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Man damm...your inspiration car is a real knockout.  

I agree. I recently read an article on it. That is what motivated me to pull these out of the stash.

[Can-Con]

If I were ever to tackle a '65 2+2, I'd start with a '65 Grand Prix kit. Swap on the roof from the 2+2 [OR the '65 Buick Wildcat]  . Then cut the emblems and "gills" from the 2+2 body and graft them into the GP body.  

I understand the Bonneville/2+2 front and rear bumpers ate not a good fit to the Grand Prix body but I'm sure they could be made to fit well with a little work.

 

BTW, Model Car Garage has some photoetch sheets for GTOs that can supply "PONTIAC" lettering. 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Can-Con

[Bills72sj]

2 hours ago, Can-Con said:

If I were ever to tackle a '65 2+2, I'd start with a '65 Grand Prix kit. Swap on the roof from the 2+2 [OR the '65 Buick Wildcat]  . Then cut the emblems and "gills" from the 2+2 body and graft them into the GP body.  

I understand the Bonneville/2+2 front and rear bumpers ate not a good fit to the Grand Prix body but I'm sure they could be made to fit well with a little work.

 

BTW, Model Car Garage has some photoetch sheets for GTOs that can supply "PONTIAC" lettering. 

I originally was going to go the route you have suggested. The wheelbase would be correct and if all the photoetch emblems were available that would help. I am not so sure roof/trunk grafting is in my skillset. I would hate to screw up two kits to create a Frankinstein mess. I will look for the GTO photoetch.

[Kah puts]

I'm a big fan of the 65,66 Pontiacs and I'll keep an keen interest in your project, don't forget to paint the little center bar in the grill, I did?

[Bills72sj]

11 minutes ago, Kah puts said:

I'm a big fan of the 65,66 Pontiacs and I'll keep an keen interest in your project, don't forget to paint the little center bar in the grill, I did?

Thanks, I noticed it was separate in the instructions.

[Modlbldr]

Looking forward to what you do with these projects. Love the 60's Pontiacs.

Later-

[Bills72sj]

Made some progress last evening and today:

All four bodies deflashed and sharp edges rounded a bit.

Deeply scribed all the doors and trunk lids. Increased the definition of all the window trim. Removed the tiny molding seams at the base of the C-pillars.

My new Tamiya Plastic Scriber II tool made an off line gouge on the 3rd stroke. I set it aside and went back to my #11 blade with just a smidgeon of the tip missing.

Cut out the hood from the Hasewaga 66 Bonneville. It came out flawless.

Both Bonnevilles will get fender skirts. The 2+2 will not. I am on the fence about the Grand Prix.

Any thoughts?

[rrb124@sbcglobal.net]

I grew up around the big Pontiac's as a teen and we had a few neighbors with the 421 engine. Love the 421 powered big Poncho's.

Too bad that to my knowledge there are no  421 engine emblems available out there for the 1965 and 1966 full size Pontiac's for our hobby. You can see them correctly rendered on the 2+2 kit.

For the 66 Bonneville, they will look like that but need to be mounted low on the rocker panel just a bit back from the front wheel.

For the 65 Grand Prix, if you wanted it to be a 421, the emblems would need to located in the same spot as the 2+2.

Hope this is a little bit of help.

[Bills72sj]

8 minutes ago, rrb124@sbcglobal.net said:

I grew up around the big Pontiac's as a teen and we had a few neighbors with the 421 engine. Love the 421 powered big Poncho's.

Too bad that to my knowledge there are no  421 engine emblems available out there for the 1965 and 1966 full size Pontiac's for our hobby. You can see them correctly rendered on the 2+2 kit.

For the 66 Bonneville, they will look like that but need to be mounted low on the rocker panel just a bit back from the front wheel.

For the 65 Grand Prix, if you wanted it to be a 421, the emblems would need to located in the same spot as the 2+2.

Hope this is a little bit of help.

Thanks. This is the kind of info I need.?

[rrb124@sbcglobal.net]

Thumbs up!