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

[Trendsetta68]

Love it, love it, love it !!! ??

[NOBLNG]

That is a real looker Steve! I like how the white letter tires accent the paint job.?

[Steve H]

On 6/21/2024 at 7:35 PM, Trendsetta68 said:

Love it, love it, love it !!! ??

Thanks Tony, that’s a lot of love!! It was a busy week, so no new progress to show.
 

 

On 6/21/2024 at 7:44 PM, NOBLNG said:

That is a real looker Steve! I like how the white letter tires accent the paint job.?

Hello Greg! It is finally starting to come together. I don’t get much desk time at this time of year, but I am trying to squeeze in a few minutes here and there. Thanks for your interest.

[Steve H]

Time for another small update. Started tinkering with the engine bay. Spent a fair bit of time looking at the photos Wayne sent me, and deciding what, and how much detail to add. Then started drilling holes, and planning the routing of the wires etc. I also somewhere along the way lost the wiper motor.??‍♂️Not sure when, where or how. So I found what looks to be a fairly accurate replacement that was molded to a firewall, not sure what kit it was from as it was in the parts stash. So it took a fair bit of time to liberate it, and sand it to shape. I’ve added wires to the wiper motor, and the tube from the washer fluid reservoir. The ground cable has a robust connection to the battery, so I spent some time fabricating that piece. Not perfect, but it looks the part I think. I have other detail parts made, the next update will include those, and the washer fluid jug is also ready to install. 

First a couple photos of the real car…

And some of the progress from today…

In the photos it looks like the ground cable is attached to the master cylinder, I promise you it’s not… all the wire are floating around for now.

That’s it, hope for another update soon. As always thanks for having a look, all comments welcome.

[STU111]

Recently joined the forum, so I’m playing catch up, but what I’ve seen of this build has blown me away. Will be watching the progress eagerly.

Cheers, Stu.

[Steve H]

On 7/7/2024 at 3:06 AM, STU111 said:

Recently joined the forum, so I’m playing catch up, but what I’ve seen of this build has blown me away. Will be watching the progress eagerly.

Cheers, Stu.

Hi Stuart, welcome to the forum. I appreciate your kind words. I’m getting close on this one. I’ve got another build waiting impatiently on the sidelines, so I need to get this done!

Cheers, Steve

[Steve H]

Ok, moving along…

I have the preliminary engine bay wiring mostly done. I had a heck of a time trying to get the colour of the pink washer fluid right. It’s certainly not perfect, but close enough. You can see the washer fluid jug has been modified , and is now on the driver side fenderwell. The interior has been dusted in preparation for assembly to the body.

I “might” change the brake lines. I need to sit with it for a night or two. I was trying to mimic the texture of the cars lines, as shown below, but I might remove them and go with smooth wire. I’m open to your thoughts and comments around that.

Tonight was a big night! I got the three sub assembly’s together. Everything fit! ??? I will run all the wires, and do some touch ups in the next couple of days. Here’s where we’re at now…

 

That’s it for this addition. Thanks for having a look.

Cheers, Steve

[Rattlecan Dan]

Man, that's a whole lot of nice detailing so far. Great looking build. Very realistic stance. That big engine seems to be projecting some real weight.

[Steve H]

16 hours ago, Rattlecan Dan said:

Man, that's a whole lot of nice detailing so far. Great looking build. Very realistic stance. That big engine seems to be projecting some real weight.

Thanks Donato. I’m looking forward to connecting all the wires and hoses, then finishing this one up. I have a few more ideas I’m pondering but it’s getting close to done. 

[NOBLNG]

Beautiful work as always Steve!? Your full detail builds and your attention to detail always impresses me.?

[STU111]

The level of detail is incredible. The engine bay looks awesome and you haven’t connected all the wiring yet. I have this kit in my stash and when l get to build it I’d like to use this thread as part of my reference material it’s that detailed and faithful to original.

Cheers, Stu.

[Steve H]

On 7/19/2024 at 4:11 PM, NOBLNG said:

Beautiful work as always Steve!? Your full detail builds and your attention to detail always impresses me.?

Thanks Greg, that is quite a compliment coming from you. 

 

17 hours ago, STU111 said:

The level of detail is incredible. The engine bay looks awesome and you haven’t connected all the wiring yet. I have this kit in my stash and when l get to build it I’d like to use this thread as part of my reference material it’s that detailed and faithful to original.

Cheers, Stu.

Hi Stu, I appreciate your kind words. It’s not my most complicated build by any means, but it may be one of my most detailed. Happy that it may be some useful reference material for you. I do have all the wires connected now, and it does look better. Just need to do few touch ups, and add the rad hoses and the engine  compartment is done. I did create a problem for myself regarding the hood hinges and their fitment. Still working on a solution for that…

 

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment guys.

Cheers, Steve

[Steve H]

Yet another SMALL update. 

I wasn’t happy with the brake lines, just a bit off of scale and didn’t look right. So those have been redone. All the spaghetti has been attached at both ends now. Decals have been added, and upper and lower rad hoses installed. Rad cap is 2 pieces of photo etch from a door handle kit. You will also notice a prop rod for the hood…. I know, there is not one on the real car. I initially planned on magnets to hold the hood open, but I could not get it engineered to my liking. The long cowl created geometry issues for me. So in the end, I had to add a prop. I’m a little disappointed, but it is what it is now. 
A refresher on the real car engine….

And where we are now with my replica…

 

I’m getting close!! Still a few as all touch ups to do here and there. Tail lights are installed on the bumper, and I’m partially done on the front bumper/grill. Probably one more update, then a pause before completion as I have dragged my heels on ordering some custom decals. 
Thanks for having a look.

Cheers, Steve

[kelson]

Fantastic detail everywhere!,it's been a real joy to follow along!!?

[customline]

Outstanding ! ?  detail this thorough is pretty rare. 

[Moparman18064]

Wowzers Steve! Beautifully executed

[Steve H]

On 7/28/2024 at 11:17 AM, kelson said:

Fantastic detail everywhere!,it's been a real joy to follow along!!?

Thank you Curtis! I appreciate you following along, sorry it took so long…

 

On 7/29/2024 at 5:59 AM, customline said:

Outstanding ! ?  detail this thorough is pretty rare. 

Hello Jim! It’s been an interesting journey for me. Building a kit “box stock”, is extremely rare for me. Actually… probably only a handful of kits when I was young, then it was stance adjustments, swapping wheels and tires etc., then kit bashing. So, building this “out of the box” provided an opportunity to dive a little deeper into the detail, rather than the usual kit bashing surgery. Also, I really wanted to try and step up my game a bit, for me, and also for Wayne. I’m hoping that this thing puts a smile on his face. I have really appreciated you following along Jim.

On 7/29/2024 at 11:45 AM, Moparman18064 said:

Wowzers Steve! Beautifully executed

Hi Rich, thanks for taking the time to comment. It has finally come together, and for the most part, I’m pleased with how it turned out.

 

[customline]

31 minutes ago, Steve H said:

 

Hello Jim! It’s been an interesting journey for me. Building a kit “box stock”, is extremely rare for me. Actually… probably only a handful of kits when I was young, then it was stance adjustments, swapping wheels and tires etc., then kit bashing. So, building this “out of the box” provided an opportunity to dive a little deeper into the detail, rather than the usual kit bashing surgery. Also, I really wanted to try and step up my game a bit, for me, and also for Wayne. I’m hoping that this thing puts a smile on his face. I have really appreciated you following along 

 

Oh he's gonna love it, Steve.  He may even let you take his 1:1 W30 for a drive! Now that would be pretty cool ?.   I will be using your thread for a guide when I build mine. I have it bookmarked. Congrats!

[Steve H]

Hi guys, this will be the second to last update. Time to wrap this thing up!!

The front grill recessed areas on the real car are not chrome, they are silver. These areas were brush painted with AK aluminum, same for the headlight bezels. This could also be done using matte clear instead of the aluminum paint. The result is subtle,  but it does make a difference to the overall look. The grills themselves were painted with 3 light coats of Tamiya flat black. The turn signals have a dot of clear orange in the centre to represent the orange bulb. 
Real car…

Before adding silver…

After…. 

For the rear bumper, the recessed areas around the taillights is also silver not chrome. I used the same AK aluminum for that, again subtle, but makes a difference to the look. The back up lenses were also painted Ak aluminum, then I added .005” clear styrene for lenses.  As a side note, I am aware that the car has bumperettes. I am considering making some, but I may leave as is…

With that done it’s time to assemble!

Door handles installed, photo etch locks. I used bootlace ferrules for the exhaust trumpets. Not 100% accurate as the real car has tapered outlet, but very close. So….. without further ado here she is…

 

First, my apologies again for the poor photos. My phone has taken on a life of its own. New phone coming this week!  I will be ordering custom decals in the next day or 2 for the license plates, and a decal for the back window. The decal order kept getting delayed , as I keep thinking of more ideas for future projects. So my decal order keeps growing. 
Once I get the last details added, I’ll post one more update here then it will go under glass! Probably few weeks…

 

It has been an enjoyable project, and fun to push myself a bit on the details. You know, just a simple “box stock” build.? It is also very rewarding to do something like this for someone who has done a lot for me. I’m looking forward to the handoff and seeing his reaction. I also think Wayne will enjoy reading through this thread and seeing the process. There are a handful of “oops” here and there on the build, but most of them, you have to really look for. I did put a nasty little scratch on the top of driver side quarter panel right at the bottom of the A pillar. There was some very colourful language that followed…  

Thank you to all of you who followed along on the journey, sorry it took so long!! All of your comments were very much appreciated, thanks for taking the time to add your thoughts. Now, with this one in the rear view mirror, time to get back to some serious kit-bashing!! 

Thanks so much!  Cheers, Steve

[customline]

A Masterpiece! 

It's pretty hard to tell it's a model, Steve. It looks like a 1:1 to me ?

Edited August 2, 2024 by customline

[Phildaupho]

You have done an absolutely fantastic job and I am sure looking forward to seeing it in person.

[Phildaupho]

Hi Steve - I saw the real car at the Sidney Car Show today. It is certainly a beauty as is your model. Wayne is going to be very impressed.

[Steve H]

On 8/2/2024 at 8:55 AM, customline said:

A Masterpiece! 

It's pretty hard to tell it's a model, Steve. It looks like a 1:1 to me ?

Thanks Jim, I think it looks pretty decent. 

 

On 8/3/2024 at 7:51 AM, Phildaupho said:

You have done an absolutely fantastic job and I am sure looking forward to seeing it in person.

 

3 hours ago, Phildaupho said:

Hi Steve - I saw the real car at the Sidney Car Show today. It is certainly a beauty as is your model. Wayne is going to be very impressed.

Hi Phil! I’m glad you got to see it in person, it is indeed a beauty. I was supposed to be there too, just couldn’t quite get there. Thanks for your comments Phil, I hope you get to see the model in person as well. Once I hand it off I may not be able to borrow it again tho…. I hear it was a big turnout for the show, and weather was perfect.

Talk soon.

[slusher]

Beautiful work Steve!

[Moparman18064]

Bellissimo!! An absolute beauty. You should be proud of this one, for sure. Your BIL should love it!