AMT 1953 Corvette

[Justin Porter]

I love seeing all of the small thoughtful improvements. This is really going to add up to a nice '53 Corvette.

[NOBLNG]

I am going to use the tires from the Revell ‘62 Vette. The Revell ones have nicer tread and AMT molds were not perfectly aligned, so the tire halves are offset slightly.? The ‘53 rims will fit thankfully.

I did do a mockup, and as Garry said, the front is way too high. I do have a twist in the frame also that I will need to rectify.

I figure the easiest way to lower the front is a set of dropped spindles (kingpins actually) and rather than modifying the kit pieces I am just making some from Evergreen. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by NOBLNG

[mustang1989]

7 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

I am going to use the tires from the Revell ‘62 Vette. The Revell ones have nicer tread and AMT molds were not perfectly aligned, so the tire halves are offset slightly.? The ‘53 rims will fit thankfully.

I did do a mockup, and as Garry said, the front is way too high. I do have a twist in the frame also that I will need to rectify.
 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! Man......that left (OOB) tire looks like a dang front tractor tire!!! Glad you had the ones from the 62 Vette. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by mustang1989

[NOBLNG]

On 10/6/2023 at 7:38 AM, Justin Porter said:

I love seeing all of the small thoughtful improvements. This is really going to add up to a nice '53 Corvette.

Thanks Justin.?

On 10/6/2023 at 7:34 AM, mustang1989 said:

Yup....mine too. There aint nuthin worse than getting a build all finished up and seeing a baseball bat with a ball on top for a shifter and a baton for a turn signal lever. Nice thoughts to include them in the kit but hey.......they look like what they look like. 

Looking forward to more bud.

Yeah, well they did originally make these kits for kids I believe who are probably a little less obsessive.? My second attempt at a horn ring…

Edit: I actually wound up using my first attempt, which at first I thought was too large on the diameter.? Horn button is just printed off the internet.

Edited October 12, 2023 by NOBLNG

[mustang1989]

19 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

Thanks Justin.?

Yeah, well they did originally make these kits for kids I believe who are probably a little less obsessive.? My second attempt at a horn ring…

I know right??!! My how our hobby has changed. They catered to us kids way back when......and they're still catering to us kids now. lol  

Good call on the horn ring as well bud.

[Steve H]

Awesome work as always Greg. I see you are doing another OOB build ??. As the others have said, all of those “little” modifications will add up to beautiful finished product. At first glance I thought you were doing a flying car when I saw the fins above the taillights? That small detail alone made a big difference. 

[Kenmojr]

Will be watching this thread...Cool work...

[dino246gt]

Greg, this is the frame from the '55 kit I built, is that '53 kit frame the same?

The front sits too high and all wheels are too far outward.

I changed all that, but this is from the box:

 

Edited October 6, 2023 by dino246gt

[NOBLNG]

3 hours ago, mustang1989 said:

I know right??!! My how our hobby has changed. They catered to us kids way back when......and they're still catering to us kids now. lol  

Good call on the horn ring as well bud.

Yeah, talk about a loyal bunch of customers!?

2 hours ago, Steve H said:

Awesome work as always Greg. I see you are doing another OOB build ??. As the others have said, all of those “little” modifications will add up to beautiful finished product. At first glance I thought you were doing a flying car when I saw the fins above the taillights? That small detail alone made a big difference. 

Thanks. There are lots of little issues to fix on this one.?

1 hour ago, Kenmojr said:

Will be watching this thread...Cool work...

Thanks!?

7 minutes ago, dino246gt said:

Greg, this is the frame from the '55 kit I built, is that '53 kit frame the same?

The front sits too high and all wheels are too far outward.

I changed all that, but this is from the box:

 

Yes Dennis, it looks like the frames are identical. I definitely have some suspension issues to sort out.?

[Justin Porter]

I remember a "Strictly Stock" review of the '55 Corvette kit from the magazine that is no longer with us that commented that one of the biggest visual issues with the kit is that the side trim runs "uphill." Does it look that way to you on the '53 and if so do you figure you have a way to correct that?

[NOBLNG]

5 minutes ago, Justin Porter said:

I remember a "Strictly Stock" review of the '55 Corvette kit from the magazine that is no longer with us that commented that one of the biggest visual issues with the kit is that the side trim runs "uphill." Does it look that way to you on the '53 and if so do you figure you have a way to correct that?

Now that you mention it… I can’t un-see it.? Oh well, I will just have to live with that one. Maybe if I can drop the front end a bit more it won’t be as noticeable.

[NOBLNG]

I’ve been trying to get the twist out of the body by running it under hot (too hot for my ex-welder fingers to endure) and then cold water. It works for a bit but gradually goes back to being twisted.

I currently have it sitting in the dehydrator with an opposing twist. Anybody know how high I could safely crank this unit up to? 

 

[Yeah Nah]

On 10/7/2023 at 4:04 AM, NOBLNG said:

Now that you mention it… I can’t un-see it.? Oh well, I will just have to live with that one. Maybe if I can drop the front end a bit more it won’t be as noticeable.

I was thinking of tapering off the bottom edge between the wheel arches to match the side trim on mine but chickened out at the thought of maybe making things look worse. Like you say, some things you just have to live with.

Edited October 7, 2023 by Yeah Nah

[dino246gt]

I have the same dehydrator and I've never turned it up higher than that, so I wouldn't chance it.

If anyone has though, I'd like to hear about it!

 

[MeatMan]

On 10/7/2023 at 9:22 AM, NOBLNG said:

I’ve been trying to get the twist out of the body by running it under hot (too hot for my ex-welder fingers to endure) and then cold water. It works for a bit but gradually goes back to being twisted.

I currently have it sitting in the dehydrator with an opposing twist. Anybody know how high I could safely crank this unit up to? 
 

 

Test it on a scrap body if you have one.

[slusher]

A twist or warp can be so annoying to get out. Nice idea an touch on your windshield and seats Greg..

Edited October 9, 2023 by slusher
Spelling

[NOBLNG]

On 10/7/2023 at 5:27 PM, Yeah Nah said:

I was thinking of tapering off the bottom edge between the wheel arches to match the side trim on mine but chickened out at the thought of maybe making things look worse. Like you say, some things you just have to live with.

The thoughts been churning around in my brain too.? There is only about 1mm difference between the front and rear trim to bottom edge difference.  I haven’t decided whether to do it or not yet.

11 hours ago, MeatMan said:

Test it on a scrap body if you have one.

Good Idea! I have a Polar Lights GTO that I can put in there and crank it up.?

55 minutes ago, slusher said:

A twist or warp can be so annoying to get out. Nice idea an touch on your windshield and seats Greg..

Thanks Carl.

[NOBLNG]

I did a little work on the interior panels and dash today. I re-scribed the front seam to lengthen the door section approximately 10 scale inches? and added to the lower raised section accordingly. Also added a thin strip of styrene to the bottom half of the panel to act as a locating ledge and glue point.

I noticed on some of the pics I downloaded that there is a little chrome trim around the defroster vents. So I made a set and glued them onto the dash. I wasn’t happy with the first ones, so I re-did them.?

There are no positive locating points to connect the two piece dash together, so I added a lip at the firewall for the dash top to sit on. I will install the pieces separately when assembling the interior. I added a lower mounting point for the steering column at the firewall, filled and re-drilled the hole in the dash, and fabbed up a little brake warning light. That’s all for now!?

Edited October 9, 2023 by NOBLNG

[Yeah Nah]

Going all out on this one Greg. At least you don't have to decide on color with the 53! Looking forward to the finished product.

[espo]

Great attention to even the smallest trim details. 

[NOBLNG]

14 hours ago, Yeah Nah said:

Going all out on this one Greg. At least you don't have to decide on color with the 53! Looking forward to the finished product.

It won’t be any contest winner that’s for sure.? It won’t be the proper polo white either, just an off-white. Mr Color #69 actually…it’s got a bit of a greyish tone to it, but it’s good enough for me.?

5 hours ago, espo said:

Great attention to even the smallest trim details. 

Just fixing some (not all) of the defects, and there are plenty.?

Edited October 9, 2023 by NOBLNG

[NOBLNG]

Did a little more work on the dash. I foiled the entire lower section, then primed and painted over the foil. Then I painted the guage faces and speaker grill, and cleaned the paint off the foil where required. I also scribed in the dash pad on the upper section with my handy dandy trim scriber, and will coat the pad with flat clear once everything is dry enough to mask. I still have to add the speedo that I printed. The guages look good enough in my eye with just the black paint wiped off the raised areas…bonus!?

Hey…the brake light works!?

 

I will have to scratch build a rear view mirror, since the kit piece is clunky and has a nice ejector pin mark right on the mirror face.?

Edited October 9, 2023 by NOBLNG

[MeatMan]

20 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

I did a little work on the interior panels and dash today. I re-scribed the front seam to lengthen the door section approximately 10 scale inches? and added to the lower raised section accordingly. Also added a thin strip of styrene to the bottom half of the panel to act as a locating ledge and glue point.

Nice catch on the door panel! Don't think I would've noticed it, but looking at my kit its easy to see.

[NOBLNG]

I detailed the hubcaps this morning before brewing my second cup of coffee. The outer ring would actually be part of the wheel rim on a 1:1.

[dino246gt]

Fantastic!