71 Olds 442 W30 (replica of my brother in law’s car)

[Bills72sj]

This is a cool project. It reminds me of my 74 Hurst/Olds I completed last year. Following.

[Speedpro]

Its always a pleasure watching your builds. Your lucky to have access to such a beautiful car. I am a retired classic car technician and had the opportunity to restore a couple of these W30's in my day. The engine is looking good so far. Will be following you on this one to see how it comes along.

Paul

[Steve H]

22 hours ago, TheBEAUMONTGURU said:

very cool project.  i always find it fun to replicate a real car,  then you can add all the exacting details of that specific car.  Always makes for a more realistic model in the end.  Keep it up!

Thank you Dave. I have only done a couple of replicas, this will be my most detailed so far. 

[Steve H]

17 hours ago, Bills72sj said:

This is a cool project. It reminds me of my 74 Hurst/Olds I completed last year. Following.

Hi Bill, I loved that build of yours! Thanks for checking in. 

 

5 hours ago, Speedpro said:

Its always a pleasure watching your builds. Your lucky to have access to such a beautiful car. I am a retired classic car technician and had the opportunity to restore a couple of these W30's in my day. The engine is looking good so far. Will be following you on this one to see how it comes along.

Paul

Hi Paul, yes, I “HAD” access to this beauty, but to try and keep this as a surprise for him, I can’t go look at specific details. Still, I have enough to get things close. I will see it again in the summer, and be able to see how close it looks. What a great job! Restoring classics cars would be an enjoyable career. Thanks for following along. I need to check back in on your awesome gasser project.

 

Cheers, Steve

[Steve H]

Added a few more details to the engine. Scratch built the box that fits over the passenger side exhaust manifold. I will add the hose from that to the air cleaner later.

Scratch built a bracket for the alternator. I have some photo etch ones but I wanted to try my best to replicate what is on the car. I’m trying to get away from alternators floating in mid air as they often do in 1:25 scale… Added the other heater hose which has a clamp made from a thin strip of BMF, and a piece of heat shrink tubing to replicate the protective sleeve on the car.

I also added the little metal hoop on the manifold. It’s a piece of photo-etch fret painted in the same blue as the engine. This is the first time I’ve used photo-etch bolt heads. I just got some and thought this is a good opportunity to try them out. I used them on the metal hoop, the alternator bracket, and I will likely use a few more before I’m done. I have decided not to do throttle linkage as it will be lost under the air cleaner. So, now the engine is getting really close to complete, and chassis is ready for assembly.

Thanks for looking and I truly appreciate the comments guys.

Cheers, Steve

[NOBLNG]

The engine is looking great Steve!👍 It’s nice having the actual vehicle to take references from.😎

[Moparman18064]

That engine looks too nice to put in a car, work of art.

[Steve H]

On 2/10/2024 at 4:56 PM, NOBLNG said:

The engine is looking great Steve!👍 It’s nice having the actual vehicle to take references from.😎

Thanks Greg! Yes, having photos has been super helpful. I’m trying to push myself a bit with added detail, hopefully it pays off. I’ll be doing a replica of my Beaumont some day so this is good practice 😜
 

 

22 hours ago, Moparman18064 said:

That engine looks too nice to put in a car, work of art.

Thanks Rich, I appreciate the kind words. 

[Steve H]

Progress…

So, one of the things I have tried to improve on recently, is hollow front frames. So I boxed in the frame, it’s not perfect, but much better than hollow, and once the engine bay is detailed, the flaws won’t be noticeable.

I thought it would be fun to add a little detail to the master cylinder. First time trying this, but it turned out ok I think.

The real car…

kit piece before…

 

After… 

I will add some brake lines later. The cap was painted gold, then I brushed on some clear yellow.

The chassis assembly has begun. Exhaust pipes are mica silver, mufflers are wrapped with matte aluminium BMF. Chrome BMF straps for the fuel tank. I still need to add the shocks. I’ve included a photo of Wayne’s car for reference. If you look close, you will see I added the small aluminum tag on the rear differential cover, just for fun. Smallest piece of BMF I have ever applied…

 

That’s it for now, thanks for having a look.

[Nacho Z]

Just read the entire thread.  A lot of great work going on here!

[CabDriver]

This is coming together great Steve!  Nice work on detailing that engine, and the brake master…nice touches!

[Bills72sj]

Superb detail work on that engine.

[Mattilacken]

Sweet build mate! that master culinder came out great! Will be folowing!

[Der Bugmeister]

Beautiful work, I'm loving the detail you're putting into that engine!  The 1:1 looks like a highly detailed restoration, I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for it this summer assuming he gets out in it once in a while!

I've got two of these kits on the shelf waiting for me to find the time but I'm getting too up close and personal with the frame and underbody of my '70 Cutlass 😄

Looking forward to seeing more of your work on this build.

[Spottedlaurel]

Wonderful work Steve. I could never do something with that level of detail, but I've picked up one or two tips there.

There are going to be so many things to look at and take pleasure from, that first moment he gets it is going to be very special.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

These are all lovely details you added Steve, it will make all the difference on what you call a "mostly box stock build", I love your enthusiasm and passion, the results speak for themselves! 👌

[Steve H]

23 hours ago, Nacho Z said:

Just read the entire thread.  A lot of great work going on here!

Hi John, thanks for taking a look, and I appreciate the compliment.

22 hours ago, CabDriver said:

This is coming together great Steve!  Nice work on detailing that engine, and the brake master…nice touches!

Thanks Jim, making progress slowly. The brake master was something I really wanted to try. There was a few swear words during the wire bending, but it was worth it.

 

22 hours ago, Bills72sj said:

Superb detail work on that engine.

Thank you Bill, almost done with engine…

19 hours ago, Mattilacken said:

Sweet build mate! that master culinder came out great! Will be folowing!

Good to hear from you my friend. Ya, that was a fun little detail.

17 hours ago, Der Bugmeister said:

Beautiful work, I'm loving the detail you're putting into that engine!  The 1:1 looks like a highly detailed restoration, I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for it this summer assuming he gets out in it once in a while!

I've got two of these kits on the shelf waiting for me to find the time but I'm getting too up close and personal with the frame and underbody of my '70 Cutlass 😄

Looking forward to seeing more of your work on this build.

The 1:1 was a FULL restoration, every nut, bolt, washer, everything… Are you on the island Clay? 

15 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Wonderful work Steve. I could never do something with that level of detail, but I've picked up one or two tips there.

There are going to be so many things to look at and take pleasure from, that first moment he gets it is going to be very special.

Hi Nigel, glad you found a useful snippet here, that’s what this forum is all about. My builds have improved considerably with all the tips I’ve got from watching all the talented builders here. I think he will definitely appreciate it. As I mentioned in the beginning, I will give him a link to this build thread so he can see how it came together. He has some diecast cars, but this is a little different.

9 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

These are all lovely details you added Steve, it will make all the difference on what you call a "mostly box stock build", I love your enthusiasm and passion, the results speak for themselves! 👌

Ya, I’m not great at “box stock”, but as you noted above, I did say “mostly”😉. I appreciate your kind words. I have been checking in on your masterpiece Francis, I really have no idea how you do it. A level of excellence that very few would ever achieve. 
 

As always, thank you all for taking the time to comment, it’s truly appreciated. 

[Der Bugmeister]

Yep, I'm up in Duncan and doing a frame off restoration on a 1970 Cutlass right now.  I'm enjoying seeing your photos of both the real deal and the great detail work you're doing on the kit.  Details like the alternator bracket and master cylinder bale are outstanding!

[Steve H]

On 2/12/2024 at 10:32 PM, Der Bugmeister said:

Yep, I'm up in Duncan and doing a frame off restoration on a 1970 Cutlass right now.  I'm enjoying seeing your photos of both the real deal and the great detail work you're doing on the kit.  Details like the alternator bracket and master cylinder bale are outstanding!

Excellent! Another islander, that’s awesome. There’s quite a few of us on here, at least 6. Welcome to the forum too Clay. With your avatar name and photo I would expect you were doing a frame off on an old VW Bug! Cool that you are working on a Cutlass. Wayne drives his car in the summer, so keep an eye out for it. Thanks for having a look.

[Steve H]

Time for another update.

Shocks are now installed, along with the front suspension. I included the photo I have of the rear end and tried to copy the photo with my model…

In this photo you can see how I tried to mimic the aluminum tag on the diff cover.

The engine is now pretty much done. I did however, forget to dust it before this photo…🧐 My intention is to replicate the foam seal on top of the air cleaner, but… I need to wait til final assembly and make sure I have clearance. First photo shows that the snorkel has been hollowed out. All the “plumbing” to the air cleaner is now done.

 

Today I started working on the interior. I initially thought that other than the 8 track player it would be straight out of the box… Nah

Not much to show yet, here’s the main parts before meddling…

I decided I should add the vent knobs below the dash.

reshaping some styrene should work to get the shape.

Looks a mess now, but I’ll blend those in, then drill some hole to receive pins which should look the part once complete. In the last picture you can also see I accidentally included a shot of the emergency brake release that will also be added. Hoping for another update soon.
Thanks for having a look!!

[Der Bugmeister]

1 hour ago, Steve H said:

Excellent! Another islander, that’s awesome. There’s quite a few of us on here, at least 6. Welcome to the forum too Clay. With your avatar name and photo I would expect you were doing a frame off on an old VW Bug! Cool that you are working on a Cutlass. Wayne drives his car in the summer, so keep an eye out for it. Thanks for having a look.

The more, the merrier 😉  I've been on the forum for years but haven't built anything since 2014ish...and I really need to change that.  I ordered this kit from BC Shaver and after I picked up the one they ordered in for me, they called and said they had the one I ordered in the store now.  Hmmm...ok, went down and bought the second one.  I have a '71 Cutlass that I'll base one of them off, and an old Testers/Johan 1970 Cutlass to build like my '70. 

I restored the '57 Beetle in my avatar back in the 90's and may redo it at some point but for now I'm up to my armpits in the Cutlass.

Your chassis is looking sharp.  Did you consider adding the green band around the rear axle?  That was a factory marking.

[Steve H]

1 hour ago, Der Bugmeister said:

The more, the merrier 😉  I've been on the forum for years but haven't built anything since 2014ish...and I really need to change that.  I ordered this kit from BC Shaver and after I picked up the one they ordered in for me, they called and said they had the one I ordered in the store now.  Hmmm...ok, went down and bought the second one.  I have a '71 Cutlass that I'll base one of them off, and an old Testers/Johan 1970 Cutlass to build like my '70. 

I restored the '57 Beetle in my avatar back in the 90's and may redo it at some point but for now I'm up to my armpits in the Cutlass.

Your chassis is looking sharp.  Did you consider adding the green band around the rear axle?  That was a factory marking.

Hi Clay, I did, and still am, considering doing the green axle tag, and a few of the other “obvious” tags. I was thinking maybe painted clear scotch tape.  
I hope you will do a WIP when you do a replica of your ‘70. 
Cheers, Steve

[Steve H]

A small update again, but progress…

Thought I’d share some of the small detail bits I’m working on. The door cards are cleaned up, still need a bit of fine tuning but close, and I cut some pins for the vent knobs. I will probably file the heads a touch smaller, and dial back the chrome finish with semi gloss clear. They won’t be all that visible once the car is assembled, but I will still refine them some. Here’s what I have now…

The 8 track player is getting close. I actually needed to take a picture so I could see what I have! So I can see I need to clean things up, and even out the knobs a bit. 
 Ext pic is what I’m trying to replicate…

And what I have so far…

yes, I am absolutely putting an 8 track tape in it!! Maybe a couple on the seats too, we’ll see.

Made some door lock knobs…

 

I often use pins for turn signal levers and such. Wayne’s car also has a tilt wheel so, I removed the molded turn signal. Drilled for pins, then made a knob for the tilt lever.

Now that I see it this big, I can see it needs a little refining too. That’s where these big photos are good, (and sometimes not so good) as they show flaws that look good to the naked eye. I started working on the seat belt retractors, but that will be part of the next update. 
As always, thanks for taking the time to look, and all comments welcome.

[Steve H]

Hi all, it’s been a few minutes since my last update. Not a lot to show but there has been some progress! 
MOST of the interior is now painted. I have started detailing the door cards and dash. Found a few rabbit holes… I have about gone cross eyed doing the foil work on the dash and doors…

For the dash, I used the “paint over foil” technique. Not the best photo, but added the “chrome” around the vents, dash pad etc. 

Still need to add the wood, trim around gauges, glove box button etc. , but thought I’d show progress to date. I’ll make sure I get better photos later, honestly, this photo doesn’t do it justice. 

Door cards so far…

I really like the Tamiya pointed swabs for foil work, they get into all those tight spots, perfect for burnishing. I initially thought this would be the hardest part, then I thought…wait… you still have to trim the wood grain decals and fit them! I will also flock the bottom of the doors.
 

Also started detailing the wheels. Centres are painted, and added valve stems. Still need centre cap, and tire decals. Not noticeable in the photos, but the tires are “flat spotted” to represent weight of the vehicle.

Before detailing..

After

That’s it for now, but interior is well under way so hopefully another decent update soon.

As always, thanks for having a look.

[deuces wild]

Beautiful!....😎👍