70 1/2 Camaro WIP - this is where we find out how much patience I have.

[atomicholiday]

I’ve been working on this kit for a few months now.  It started life as practice for painting.  As such, it’s been stripped three times now.  I started with Rustolium (shot it too thick and had runs), switched to Dupli Color Perfect Match (first time using it and I got terrible orange peel), stripped and shot it again, only to burn through on the polishing stage.

This has become a great tool for learning the trade.  Each screw up has been my own fault and I think I’ve learned from my mistakes (boy I hope so…😂).
Originally I didn’t intend to do a wip on the Camaro, but I started thinking about what a journey it’s been already.  Many of you have seen the stages of this in other threads I started.  So now it’s time to get a little more serious about this kit and see what happens.

Here’s where it stands today.

I have a few versions of this kit, but I picked this one up most recently.  They sell pretty cheap now and I couldn’t resist.

Floor pan, suspension components, and wheels are painted.  There is still some detail painting to do, but it’ll wait for now.  I did some research, and it seems some of the Camaros had black floor pans and others had red oxide.  Depends on where they were built.  I’ll probably weather it very lightly, just to bring out some definition.

Interior is painted and awaiting details.

I actually just shot the engine Chevy engine orange just before I wrote this.  It’s still wet here.

And finally, the body…. Ah yes.  
I’ll keep the story short (too late!).  I plan to build this as more of a stripped version, sort of basic Camaro.  I’ll still be using the same engine, but just to be different from the crowd, this one won’t have stripes, and I’m leaving the rear spoiler off.  
The kit comes with indents for mounting the spoiler, that are filled here.  Also, there is a sink mark on the roof above the dome light.  That’s filled here too.  Not difficult, but this step has had to be repeated every time I stripped the body and restarted.

I think that’s it for now.  Love it or hate it, let me know what you think.

Thanks for following along!

Edited June 18, 2023 by atomicholiday

[KWT]

I'll follow along...

I built one of these recently. These look good when done, but man they're a pain to get to that point. I've got a couple more renditions to build, but don't think I'll ever do it.

Watch the windshield dash area. Clearance between the 2 will make the front end sit up like it's taking off... The easiest advise I ended up getting was to trim the back of the dash.

[atomicholiday]

22 minutes ago, KWT said:

 

Watch the windshield dash area. Clearance between the 2 will make the front end sit up like it's taking off... The easiest advise I ended up getting was to trim the back of the dash.

I think that’s the next thing I’ll tackle before I do anything else. 
You’re not kidding about this kit being a pain either!  Many molding issues.  I think I counted about seven separate areas just on the body that needed addressed due to poor molding process.  These weren’t related to the tool, just poor process settings on the press.  I work in the plastic molding business and see this kind of stuff all the time.  They clearly are just cranking them out as fast as possible with little regard to quality.

[Jonathan]

Really nice start - I think it'll look great if you stick with it.  I'd like to build a second one to go with mine - sort of a before and after restoration.  But, I have a hard time wanting to tackle the kit again.

 

[atomicholiday]

43 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

Really nice start - I think it'll look great if you stick with it.  I'd like to build a second one to go with mine - sort of a before and after restoration.  But, I have a hard time wanting to tackle the kit again.

 

That’ is awesome weathering.  Wow.  Very cool.

[cifenet]

Nothing is easy here, but I feel your efforts to make things proper!  I think this is how we get better as well!  Good job!

[KWT]

8 hours ago, atomicholiday said:

I think that’s the next thing I’ll tackle before I do anything else. 
You’re not kidding about this kit being a pain either!  Many molding issues.  I think I counted about seven separate areas just on the body that needed addressed due to poor molding process.  These weren’t related to the tool, just poor process settings on the press.  I work in the plastic molding business and see this kind of stuff all the time.  They clearly are just cranking them out as fast as possible with little regard to quality.

You're right. I can't remember how many times I primed and sanded over and over

 

Here's a thread that I asked about issues. Maybe something in it will help?

 

Edited June 18, 2023 by KWT
Added link

[atomicholiday]

14 minutes ago, KWT said:

You're right. I can't remember how many times I primed and sanded over and over

 

Here's a thread that I asked about issues. Maybe something in it will help?

 

Awesome.  Thanks much for the link.  I’ll check it out and hopefully head off any issues before they arise.👍

[atomicholiday]

Just finishing work on the firewall gap.  I referenced the thread mentioned above (thanks very much!) plus another one I found, for this fix.  I know it’s all been done and documented before but I’ll post it here to in case maybe it will be of use to someone down the road.

If you’re unaware of this problem, here’s what it looks like when you start.  Notice the huge gap where the firewall meets the floor pan.  

 

Here’s a shot of the root cause.  Interference between the windshield and dashboard.

The first thing I did was file the lower edge of the windshield even with the inside of the body.  It sticks down just enough to interfere with the door panels.  I think you could get away with just removing material at the corners, but I leveled the whole windshield in hopes of resolving the entire issue.  But that by itself didn’t do the trick.  The dashboard will still interfere.

Next, I filed off the offending edge of the dashboard.  Note the missing gas pedal and bent e-brake?   Looks like I have some repair work to do.

If you go this route, I recommend going slow and test fitting frequently.  I kept at it until the gap at the firewall/floor pan was closed.  Hardest part about it was the test fitting.  Squeezing that floor pan into the body repeatedly gets old quick.  I highly recommend doing this before you paint anything, especially the body.

Here is what it should look like when you finish this step.

Question for those that have built this kit before.  One thing I noticed after all this.  Looking through the windshield down at the back edge of the dashboard, there’s a visible gap now.  Not sure how I could have avoided this and still close the gap.  
Did you guys have that too?  
I don’t think it will be noticeable after some touch up, but still…🤔

 

As always, questions, comments, & criticism are welcome.

[KWT]

There wasn't enough of a gap to notice on mine, especially after everything was blacked out. I didn't trim any of the windshield cuz I was afraid I'd screw it up.

And like you said, test fitting is pain. That is a tight fit.

[atomicholiday]

My wife is working today, so I get to spend some time at the bench today.  Just a minor update on this one.  Got the first couple of primer coats shot.  Looks like I have about two or three small areas that need a little sanding, but nothing major.

[KWT]

Shaping up pretty good there

[NOBLNG]

On 6/21/2023 at 4:21 PM, atomicholiday said:

Question for those that have built this kit before.  One thing I noticed after all this.  Looking through the windshield down at the back edge of the dashboard, there’s a visible gap now.  Not sure how I could have avoided this and still close the gap.  
Did you guys have that too?  
I don’t think it will be noticeable after some touch up, but still…🤔

Good work so far.👍 There is no real gap on mine, but I ground down my windshield after it was glued in place. There is a slight gap on the passenger side, but I think that is from trimming the dash slightly.😕 Is your interior and floor pan far enough forward? 

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by NOBLNG

[slusher]

On 6/21/2023 at 4:21 PM, atomicholiday said:

Just finishing work on the firewall gap.  I referenced the thread mentioned above (thanks very much!) plus another one I found, for this fix.  I know it’s all been done and documented before but I’ll post it here to in case maybe it will be of use to someone down the road.

If you’re unaware of this problem, here’s what it looks like when you start.  Notice the huge gap where the firewall meets the floor pan.  

 

Here’s a shot of the root cause.  Interference between the windshield and dashboard.

The first thing I did was file the lower edge of the windshield even with the inside of the body.  It sticks down just enough to interfere with the door panels.  I think you could get away with just removing material at the corners, but I leveled the whole windshield in hopes of resolving the entire issue.  But that by itself didn’t do the trick.  The dashboard will still interfere.

Next, I filed off the offending edge of the dashboard.  Note the missing gas pedal and bent e-brake?   Looks like I have some repair work to do.

If you go this route, I recommend going slow and test fitting frequently.  I kept at it until the gap at the firewall/floor pan was closed.  Hardest part about it was the test fitting.  Squeezing that floor pan into the body repeatedly gets old quick.  I highly recommend doing this before you paint anything, especially the body.

Here is what it should look like when you finish this step.

Question for those that have built this kit before.  One thing I noticed after all this.  Looking through the windshield down at the back edge of the dashboard, there’s a visible gap now.  Not sure how I could have avoided this and still close the gap.  
Did you guys have that too?  
I don’t think it will be noticeable after some touch up, but still…🤔

 

As always, questions, comments, & criticism are welcome.

This is real helpful information,!

[atomicholiday]

On 7/3/2023 at 4:46 PM, NOBLNG said:

Is your interior and floor pan far enough forward? 

 

It's possibility out of position a little.   Test fitting was pretty difficult.   I'll be watching that very carefully during final assembly.   Thanks for the suggestion. 

[atomicholiday]

5 hours ago, slusher said:

This is real helpful information,!

Thanks Carl.  This thing has been a bit of a beast so far.   But I'm hopeful that it comes out nice in the end. 

It's just such a cool car!

[atomicholiday]

Fourth time is the charm?  I reshot this about a month ago and let it gas out until yesterday, when I wet-sanded it and rubbed it out.  Still isn’t perfect, but I can live with it now.  And maybe more importantly, I know what went wrong.  This summer has been a real learning experience with paint.

The paint and clear blushed pretty badly.  I’d never experienced that before, but thanks to a couple of our colleagues, I learned it wasn’t a big deal.  They were right.  It buffed out nicely.

[mustang1989]

Man that does look smooooooooooooooooooooooooth!! 

[bobthehobbyguy]

Coming a long nicely.  When you make mistakes you will a great deal from them by understanding what you did wrong. It's just a process you have to go through as you master a new skill. You've made some great progress. That paint looks great.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Paint looks great!   

One of the "secrets" to building really good models is just keep doing things over until you get them right.

Yes, it takes patience and perseverance, but your results prove the value of raising your own bar. 

And next time, you'll have a much better idea of what it takes to achieve excellence the first time...or second, anyway.

If I had a dollar for everything I've had to do over, I'd have a pretty big pile of dollars.  

[atomicholiday]

Thanks very much guys!  I really appreciate the encouragement and positive feedback.  It’s been an interesting summer, with lots of ups and downs.  Overall it’s been a great experience, and it’s starting to pay off.

21 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Paint looks great!   

One of the "secrets" to building really good models is just keep doing things over until you get them right.

Yes, it takes patience and perseverance, but your results prove the value of raising your own bar. 

And next time, you'll have a much better idea of what it takes to achieve excellence the first time...or second, anyway.

If I had a dollar for everything I've had to do over, I'd have a pretty big pile of dollars.  

You said it brother!  You can watch all the videos and read every related thread you can find (I have) but nothing beats just doing it again and again and again. 
Not too many years ago I would have put this one back in the box.  But I’m at a point in my life where I won’t accept workmanship that I’m not happy with from myself.  I’ll keep working until I get it right (with a little help from my internet friends).  
Anyway, thanks so much guys!  Appreciate you!

[atomicholiday]

I got back to this one for a while this afternoon.  Did a little work to the wheels.

 Like to use a drill on a very low speed to get clean circular lines when doing this type of stuff.

wheel backs before…

…and after.

 I used the same technique on the other side.

And while I was at it, I did the trim ring on this set for another project.  These didn’t come out as clean as I wanted.  I’ll think about it for a while, but I might redo them.

 

 

[Rattlecan Dan]

Wow, such diligence, perseverance and dedication. Gotta' equal great success! Great encouragement to us slackers.

[Zippi]

Those wheels look pretty good using the drill.  Pretty kewl.  

[bobss396]

Attention to detail shows on the contest tables. I see bad fits on otherwise well-built-ish models. I have learned the hard way to test fit it all... before paint. 

I'll have a model apart and together many times. I started to "pin" or otherwise positively locate the interior tub to the body, so it goes back together the same tome every time. I made a "nest" for the glass. 

I bond blocks inside the body where they will not be seen. Then I pin the body to the chassis. I have a Monte Carlo stock car (body not native to the chassis) and I epoxied in some machined aluminum brackets that were tapped for 0-80 allen head screws.