ismaelg Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Hello, First of all: This is all #Plowboy's (Roger Hayes) fault! His drop dead gorgeous California Street 'Vette hit me like a freight train! What a beauty! Check his Vette in this link: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/175154-california-street-vette/ I am mostly a factory stock (and documented replica in the case of race or historical vehicles) modeler. I've done customs, but it is not usually my main subject. Roger's California Street 'Vette inspired me to dig out mine. The back story is that I got this model (and a few others) already built from my High School Art teacher, well over 30 years ago. I graduated HS in '86 and it was shortly after that. To this day, he is a very good friend and one of the main responsibles of me been a Corvette guy. I learned more about Corvettes from him than drawing and painting 🤣 I remember quickly tearing this model apart and with no plan I started fooling around with it. I destroyed the roof louvers by filling them with putty. No idea what I was thinking. Longest shot: anybody has a spare roof louver for this car? Eventually it went back into the box until this week. All major components are there. The original wheels, tires and mirrors are missing which is no big deal. The engine is pretty crude and so is the hood underside. I'll most likely keep the engine in place but glue the hood shut. I thought of adding a modern LS engine but those are 1/25 running on the smaller end and this car is 1/24 running on the larger end. The LS looks really small in there. Anyways, this car is all about the looks. It will take some fixing but the plan is to keep the original look, except for the roof of course. Door handles and key locks are lost. The body needs some massaging but this will be a slow fun project. Color? It will be blue. What shade of blue? I'll get back to you... Thanks, Ismael 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 This will be fun to watch Ismael. That Roger guy is nothing but trouble! Pretty much every one of his builds inspires me. Looks like you have challenge ahead of you, but I’m sure it will come together beautifully. Maybe Tamiya light pearl blue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippi Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Pretty kewl looking Vette project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James2 Posted January 15, 2023 Share Posted January 15, 2023 Absolutely love this kit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ismaelg Posted January 16, 2023 Author Share Posted January 16, 2023 Hello, Had to do considerable bodywork to get it ready for that milestone of first coat of primer. Multiple repairs, re-scribing, eliminating the ghost door handle and lock, etc. Still a lot of work ahead. The hood will be next. Thanks, Ismael 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ismaelg Posted January 17, 2023 Author Share Posted January 17, 2023 Hello, Working on the hood. This was already mostly built when I got it. The hood fit showed that it may have been over-enthusiastically sanded. The top corners of the hood were considerably lower than the fenders and the overall hood gaps were bigger than I wanted. Added material to the corners and carefully feathered it. You don't really notice it but it now sits level with the fenders. You can see it is now a bit "thicker" at the corners. For the gaps, I added a small strip of material to the perimeter Which intentionally won't fit. So I can carefully sand it down until it fits properly. Once satisfied with the fit, a little putty to blend the extensions, Sanding and another coat of primer reveal we are moving in the right direction. Thanks, Ismael 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James2 Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 Yes you are, it's the little things that make it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted January 17, 2023 Share Posted January 17, 2023 It looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you but you're off to a great start. David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ismaelg Posted February 4, 2023 Author Share Posted February 4, 2023 Hello, Thanks to a fellow forum member I was able to get another louvered roof! Wohoo! THANK YOU! The original roof was filled with putty probably over 30 years ago. I salvaged it and made a solid roof so I'll have 2 roofs for the car. Thanks, Ismael 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullybeef Posted February 4, 2023 Share Posted February 4, 2023 Looks great just in primer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dino246gt Posted February 5, 2023 Share Posted February 5, 2023 Nice work! I love these kinds of projects! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 I'm enjoying this thread! I have a very clean, unpainted built-up I want to redo. Nice work, Ismael!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 A lucky break on the roof! We have a great community here. Nice progress on the build, can't wait to see more. David G. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Woodruff Posted February 6, 2023 Share Posted February 6, 2023 Luv it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ismaelg Posted February 14, 2023 Author Share Posted February 14, 2023 Hello, Bear with me for a second. This model will have the hood glued shut. The reason is the hood is overly thick and lacks any details underside. The engine compartment on these models is very primitive. BUT! (There's always a but) That doesn't mean it can't have an engine bottom. After all, this hobby is about deceptive lying. From the beginning, I envisioned this build as a modern resto-mod. An LS swap is an obvious choice. However, the spare LS I have is from a C5 Corvette which has the transmission in the back. You may not remember it, but about 20+ years ago I scratchbuilt a proper Borg Warner T56 manual transmission for a 2000 FRC (Fixed Roof Coupe) Corvette and casted it myself in resin. I even sold a few copies. Fast forward almost 23 years later, I still have this reject that was not properly formed on the top. Out came the hacksaw. Separated the tranny from the differential, buthchred the diff and flipped it 90 degrees... Then took the spare LS1 engine powertrain from a builtup I was given years ago. Same maniac hacksaw... and you have the basis for a LS1 - T56 manual combo for a C3 Corvette! Just like in a 1:1, I'm working on engine mounts to fit to the chassis. This is 1/25 and the car is 1/24 but should still look good from underneath. Thanks, Ismael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bainford Posted February 14, 2023 Share Posted February 14, 2023 The Vette is coming along very nicely, Ismael. Nice work sorting out those panel lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted February 15, 2023 Share Posted February 15, 2023 Great use of an otherwise castoff part! David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ismaelg Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 Hello, Wheel choice: Pegasus Hella but the included tires are ridiculously thin. Parts box Good Year tires, I think these are from a C5 or C6 Corvette. Knock off style 3 prong spinners will cover the centers. I reserve the right to change wheel choice a gazillion times before the end of the project. Thanks, Ismael 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G. Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Those are good looking wheels. Maybe it's just the camera angle, but the wheels look a little too large for the front wheel arcs and a little too small for the rear arcs. Or possibly, is this car customized to have different sized wheels front to rear? David G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ea0863 Posted March 19, 2023 Share Posted March 19, 2023 Watching with great anticipation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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