79 Nova

[Just Jim]

Thought I would share some of the issues I found and how I overcame them for any of you out there who plan to build this kit. Three things in the first picture. I put a small piece of sprue in the back of the body for the interior and undercarriage to rest on (see blue stripes), so they don't just fall through. Second, an illustration of how much the radiator needs to be trimmed for the undercarriage to actually touch the body in the front. In the photo I have trimmed the radiator but left the shroud so you can easily see the difference. Third, toothpicks show where I cut tabs off the hood. I could not get the hood to lay flat with them there. Of course, once I cut them out, I had to put some plastic sheeting in place to keep the hood from falling through the hole. Second picture (with the toothpicks) shows the area I am trying to get to touch by cutting the radiator. Third picture shows under the hood after radiator is trimmed. Notice how close the wheel wells are to the top of the fender. Fourth picture shows where I chose to mount the front bumper. If you are interested in a stance similar to that in the fifth picture, mount the bumper under the area just under the front grill instead of on top of it. Fifth picture just is a mock-up after I cut new holes in the undercarriage to rake and lower the car. Sixth picture is headers and side pipes. Headers wouldn't fit on the engine. Used white glue to connect any part I could get to touch the engine. Once dry, I used the same method to glue the side pipes on the under carriage and then used model glue where the headers and side pipes meet. Also, the side pipes shown in the instruction illustration are upside-down. Hopefully others out there can benefit from these lessons learned. All comments welcome.

[TopherMcGinnis]

Cool! Thank you for the tips!

[LennyB]

I used one of these for work years ago. I bought this kit to replicate it but have to make it a 4-dr. I will be watching for that reason.

[Can-Con]

Why did you mount the bumpers under thier skirts, Jim? Just for the look?

 

[Just Jim]

7 hours ago, LennyB said:

I used one of these for work years ago. I bought this kit to replicate it but have to make it a 4-dr. I will be watching for that reason.

Sounds good hopefully the information in the post will be helpful to you but I think you and I are building very different cars ?

[Just Jim]

1 hour ago, Can-Con said:

Why did you mount the bumpers under thier skirts, Jim? Just for the look?

 

Yes, pulled the bumpers in to try and achieve a cleaner look. Planning to paint them body color. Back bumper is a bit crooked in the photo will try to remedy that when I put it on permanently. Thought about notching out the body so the bumpers sat inside the bodywork (like an old Challenger) but the contour’s just wouldn’t work.

[espo]

Like the stance and your design ideas. 

[Just Jim]

One last mockup before final paint, trim detailing, and complete assembly for anyone interested. Everything seems to be going together like it should. The very front of the undercarriage is warped on the passenger side. If I force the body and undercarriage together, the passenger front tire just barely doesn't touch. Fortunately, this small flaw is hidden by the bumper so if I leave it be all 4 tires touch! Last 2 photos are just to see what each type of wheel looks like. I'm going with stock Chevy but the Mag Wheels would also look good. Thanks to everyone who commented / followed along. Should have photos in the under-glass section within the next couple weeks. All comments welcome.

[Ulf]

Nice build, yes I recognize much of what you have done. I have a sleeping project in the summer cottage that will start over with a new kit in the future (I like my concept). I took the headlights from AMT's 64 Mustang, I had it very spartan when I built the summer 2023. I will follow your build.