1974 Corvette 454 Convertible

[Duddly01]

Doh! I almost forgot to cut in the side vents. Made the first pass of body work and put on second coat of primer.

Edited April 15, 2024 by Duddly01

[Duddly01]

Started getting all of the major components in their base colors. I really like the 73-74 Corvette orange. 

[Duddly01]

Molotow through airbrush for windshield frame and rockers. Made the mistake of touching one side rocker so now I have to wait to sand it smooth, mask and respray it.  

assembled and wired the engine and started assembling the chassis. Have to wait till I run the LED wiring before I can install the rear sway bar and spare tire cover, the switch is going to run through that hole into the spare.

question for someone more knowledgeable about the 74 corvette, why are the big  block plug wires braided? Radio suppression? 

Edited April 19, 2024 by Duddly01

[drodg]

Looking very good.  I think I built this kit back in 1974.  I think it might have been the coupe.  

[Duddly01]

9 hours ago, drodg said:

Looking very good.  I think I built this kit back in 1974.  I think it might have been the coupe.  

Thank you!

[Duddly01]

Sanded and resprayed the rocker panel chrome I messed up by touching yesterday. Installed the engine in the chassis and added upper and lower radiator hoses and heater hoses. Have to wait more than 48 hours to 2K clear the body to let the Molotow dry enough. 

[Duddly01]

Painted, flocked and assembled the interior tub. Tested the lighting for the gauges, it will not light up under the dash after assembly, just the gauges themselves. The chassis and interior are now waiting for the body to be ready, but that is going to be awhile. I am semi-patiently waiting for the molotow chrome trim to cure enough to spray the 2K without ruining the shine. Then I will have to wait to wet sand and polish. 

[Duddly01]

I just got the body into 2K clear. Now I have to wait till Wednesday or Thursday to wet sand and polish. Getting closer and closer.

 

[Curvette1]

You asked why the big block corvettes had the braided plug wires. I think it’s because there was not enough room to run the side chrome ignition shielding behind the back of the block and heads like they did with the small blocks. Instead they just shielded the wires themselves. The first pic is of my 73 big block which has the same engine compartment as a 74. The second is of a 72 small block I had a while ago. You can see the difference in the shielding. I love your color choices and all the extra working features and detailing. 

 

Edited April 22, 2024 by Curvette1

[Musclecarbuilder]

On 4/21/2024 at 4:42 PM, Duddly01 said:

I just got the body into 2K clear. Now I have to wait till Wednesday or Thursday to wet sand and polish. Getting closer and closer.

 

Wow thats looking amazing! I love the color.

[Duddly01]

On 4/22/2024 at 10:53 AM, Curvette1 said:

You asked why the big block corvettes had the braided plug wires. I think it’s because there was not enough room to run the side chrome ignition shielding behind the back of the block and heads like they did with the small blocks. Instead they just shielded the wires themselves. The first pic is of my 73 big block which has the same engine compartment as a 74. The second is of a 72 small block I had a while ago. You can see the difference in the shielding. I love your color choices and all the extra working features and detailing. 

 

 

Thanks. I figured it something to do with radio shielding and the fiberglass body.

[Duddly01]

7 hours ago, Musclecarbuilder said:

Wow thats looking amazing! I love the color.

Thanks. I do like the Corvette Orange color.

[Duddly01]

Wet sanded, polished, detail painted the body and started installing the LED wiring wiring harness. Also started making a scratch built outside rear view mirror.

[Duddly01]

Started final assembly. The joining of the interior, chassis and body are always stressful to me for some reason.

[Duddly01]

Pretty close to finishing, will take some pictures and post in showcase shortly. I am considering entering this one and a couple of the Mustang builds in the So Cal Open scale model car show next weekend. Last year I went to a couple scale model shows as a spectator, never entered one before.

[Duddly01]

Finished and posted images in the under glass section.