Len Carsner Posted April 29, 2010 Posted April 29, 2010 (edited) It's been awhile since we told you that Bill and I were building the Revell 1962 Impala but that doesn't mean we've been idle. We've gotten started and we're heading in two different directions aiming for the same goal - two very different versions of the same kit. Once again I will be building the street version while Bill will be building the optional race version. Let's get into it: We've had plenty of discussion about the body, here it is again with primer. After a thorough washing and examination I can report no surprises when it comes to mold lines and sink marks. I'll be block sanding this car before painting, so I'll update you if there are any spots that need attention but so far this kit is as nice as you would expect from a new tool. Here are the color choices for my street car - the darker blue is for the exterior, the light blue is for the interior plus I'll use some of the exterior color for two tone accents. Here I've separated the small parts, sorted them as to the colors to be used, and attached them to some wooden paint stir sticks that I've wrapped with masking tape. The stick makes it easy to handle the parts and the masking tape keeps them in place while painting them. Here's a closer view of the interior panels. Lots of opportunity for detailing here. The engine is made up of two halves, two cylinder heads, an oil pan and water pump (not pictured here). Here I have mine primed and ready for paint. And just to tease a little, here's Bill's partially built engine for his race version. More on this in my next post. That's all for now. I'll be posting again on Friday, focusing on Bills' progress so far with his buildup. See you then, Bill and Len Edited June 6, 2010 by Len Carsner
charlie8575 Posted April 29, 2010 Posted April 29, 2010 I like the idea of the stirrers and tape to hold things by color. I may give that a try myself. Charlie Larkin
Guest Posted April 29, 2010 Posted April 29, 2010 Looing good, and looking forward to the progress, but why red oxide? Gray would be more factory correct for GM's of this vintage.
Len Carsner Posted April 29, 2010 Author Posted April 29, 2010 Looing good, and looking forward to the progress, but why red oxide? Gray would be more factory correct for GM's of this vintage. Because red oxide is all that I had on hand at the time!
Guest Posted April 29, 2010 Posted April 29, 2010 LOL, works for me. I guess it doesnt really matter, since it's not f/s anyway.
Duntov Posted April 30, 2010 Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) Looing good, and looking forward to the progress, but why red oxide? Gray would be more factory correct for GM's of this vintage. Yes you are correct for SOME GM's of that vintage ......but as the owner (original) of several GM "beasts" (and I still have three of 'em - two in original paint ) it's pretty clear that red tint primer among several other shades were common.....again .....depending on the car....the year....the material.....and in every case the sub-assembly you have under consideration......So ....the red oxide can be ....and in many case IS.....correct..... Regards Bill (Duntov) my point is as others stated.....the primer does not matter................ Edited April 30, 2010 by Duntov
Eshaver Posted April 30, 2010 Posted April 30, 2010 O K Rivet counters , someone tell me the all fired FLAWS in this body ........ Mabye I'm going blind at this point . Ive worked on a number of these cars . looks very nice to me an oh yes Revell, I'll buy one . Ed Shaver
Guest Posted April 30, 2010 Posted April 30, 2010 Can't see where the primer color really matters. Nothing in Len's photos is going to be left in primer, I don't think. I was just wondering. If he was doing f/s, and I know he's not, the only place it would matter is on the chassis, where you have mostly primer and body color overspray. Also, depending on the top color, the primer color can have a effect on how the top color looks.
Guest Posted April 30, 2010 Posted April 30, 2010 Yes you are correct for SOME GM's of that vintage ......but as the owner (original) of several GM "beasts" (and I still have three of 'em - two in original paint ) it's pretty clear that red tint primer among several other shades were common.....again .....depending on the car....the year....the material.....and in every case the sub-assembly you have under consideration......So ....the red oxide can be ....and in many case IS.....correct..... Regards Bill (Duntov) my point is as others stated.....the primer does not matter................ Thanks for the info Bill, I did not know this, I had never heard of GM using red primer, I knew Ford did. Any chance you could get more specific, into years and particular vehicles? I build largely f/s, and this would be good stuff to know. My main concern is the chassis, as that is where the primer is going to be most visible.
camaroman Posted April 30, 2010 Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) I think a good point can be made from Len comment "it's what I had on hand". The big three would have done the same thing. Nothing would have stopped production... "You are out of grey primer, sure send over the red primer". IMHO Edited April 30, 2010 by camaroman
oldscool Posted April 30, 2010 Posted April 30, 2010 GM did use red primer at least on the chassis for several years. I followed the buildup of the Muscle Car Review magazine 62 Chevy and it had factory red primer on the bottom. I know the tri - fives did also. oldscool
Duntov Posted April 30, 2010 Posted April 30, 2010 Thanks for the info Bill, I did not know this, I had never heard of GM using red primer, I knew Ford did. Any chance you could get more specific, into years and particular vehicles? I build largely f/s, and this would be good stuff to know. My main concern is the chassis, as that is where the primer is going to be most visible. OK....first an easy one......1966 Corvette.....A.O. SMith bodied coupe......uses dark red primer / eliminator under the paint......you can see this in the area around the inside of the grille surround......an additional big bone of contention are the seldom modeled seat retainer brackets that are clearly visible on the underside riveted to the fiberglass......they can be either semigloss black or raw zinc chromate (medium green).....frames are always semi-gloss black with no overspray. THere should also be no overspray on the underside fiberglass panels......at all........some years 63 to 66 will have black mitting very sloppily applied (with a mitt) to various components mufflers, sway bars front & rear spare tier carrier etc. Two original cars below....both unrestored originals.......have fun.....!!!! Regards Bill (Duntov) See the example of green zinc chromate peeking out under the seat plate: See the example of red primer eliminator in the area around the grill
Modlbldr Posted April 30, 2010 Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) Len- So this is a new Revell tool? Any chance of getting a box art shot and a kit #? Just out of curiosity, couldn't you get the same body from combining the 64 Impala top to the 62 Bel Air body? (Not that I'd want to go through all of that work if I had a kit of the 62 Impala available- just asking.) Looking good so far. Keep the posts coming. Later- Edited April 30, 2010 by Modlbldr
Len Carsner Posted May 1, 2010 Author Posted May 1, 2010 OK....first an easy one......1966 Corvette.....A.O. SMith bodied coupe......uses dark red primer / eliminator under the paint......you can see this in the area around the inside of the grille surround......an additional big bone of contention are the seldom modeled seat retainer brackets that are clearly visible on the underside riveted to the fiberglass......they can be either semigloss black or raw zinc chromate (medium green).....frames are always semi-gloss black with no overspray. THere should also be no overspray on the underside fiberglass panels......at all........some years 63 to 66 will have black mitting very sloppily applied (with a mitt) to various components mufflers, sway bars front & rear spare tier carrier etc. Two original cars below....both unrestored originals.......have fun.....!!!! Regards Bill (Duntov) See the example of green zinc chromate peeking out under the seat plate: See the example of red primer eliminator in the area around the grill And take a look at this picture: **Supposedly** this is an unmolested original 1962 Impala. It looks a little too fresh to me but if it was well kept maybe it is correct. I guess red or gray could be correct, maybe dependent on the color of the car or maybe what primer they had on hand (like my situation). In any event it shouldn't have any effect on the build. BTW - I'm packing for Indy (the Hoosier Model Car Show and Swap) show so I won't have time to post until I return tomorrow evening. Thanks, Len C.
Mike Chernecki Posted May 1, 2010 Posted May 1, 2010 When I striped the paint on my 1962 Nova convertible I found factory red oxide on all interior sides of the sheet metal; floors, top well, kick panel, inside firewall. The exterior body was medium/dark grey. Including the underside. Original colors are black exterior, red interior. A 1962 Nova parts car I had was light grey throughout. My moms. 1962 Pontiac was red oxide throughout. I also have a set of 1963 Nova doors that are also red oxide.
charlie8575 Posted May 1, 2010 Posted May 1, 2010 When I striped the paint on my 1962 Nova convertible I found factory red oxide on all interior sides of the sheet metal; floors, top well, kick panel, inside firewall. The exterior body was medium/dark grey. Including the underside. Original colors are black exterior, red interior. A 1962 Nova parts car I had was light grey throughout. My moms. 1962 Pontiac was red oxide throughout. I also have a set of 1963 Nova doors that are also red oxide. Nothing as consistent as being inconsistent! Charlie Larkin
Len Carsner Posted May 2, 2010 Author Posted May 2, 2010 Well, we've discussed "primer-gate" to death, let's get on with the build up. SInce the first post dealt mainly with my prep work, we'll let Bill take over and show the parts starting to get their colors. Though some say no, I continue to gang spray paint trees of small parts that all get painted the same color. It not only speeds things up, it keeps the number code system intact and helps me keep from loosing something in the process. Note this free-standing generator etc. which can be a bear to find on carpeted or marble floors etc. I've found that once the individual parts are separated from their tree and cleaned up, something as simple as a black Sharpie makes quick work of touching up any affected area on the part. Once parts are primered ( I use Plasti-Kote T-235 gray sanding primer), I recommend first painting the interior parts with a gloss color of you choice. I know that vinyl/leather interior surfaces are usually matte finish but remember we have a decals to apply and other detailing that always goes better on a gloss surface. I'll apply semi-gloss clear when that work is completed. While browsing in an office supply store the other day I came across a Sharpie metallic pen with a pen point tip. I found it is ideal for trimming out those itty-bitty buttons on the seat and side panel upholstery as shown here. Once the interior floor/front inner fender panels were painted red to match the other parts, I found that Sherwin-Williams Shurtape continues to be a good choice when masking where you need a clean separation line as shown here. Again, I use automotive flat black primer with a few coats of semi-gloss clear as a sealer. The legendary Chevrolet 409 V-8 engine is well replicated in this new-tool Revell 1962 Chevy Impala kit. Once the basic assembly was together and any clean-up accomplished, the block/transmission with cylinder heads, water pump and dual carb intake manifold were given a generous primer coat. That was followed up with a few coats of Testors Aluminum Plate Metalizer on the four-speed transmission and W valve covers. Testors Chevrolet Engine Red bottle paint was then applied to the engine block, pan and water pump with a suitable brush. The flywheel/clutch inspection plate was then painted with Black Chrome. Here the basic 409 engine is taking shape. The aluminum drag headers which replace the stock cast-iron units were also painted with Aluminum Plate Metalizer before test fitting in place on the engine block. The new Revell 62 Impala kit includes a drag version with two sets of mufflers/tailpipes. Here both are attached to card stock in preparation for coating with Testors Aluminum Plate Metalizer. I snuck the drag headers in here at this point for good measure. continued in next post....
chopper Posted May 2, 2010 Posted May 2, 2010 It's been awhile since we told you that Bill and I were building the Revell 1962 Impala but that doesn't mean we've been idle. We've gotten started and we're heading in two different directions aiming for the same goal - two very different versions of the same kit. Once again I will be building the street version while Bill will be building the optional race version. Let's get into it: We've had plenty of discussion about the body, here it is again with primer. After a thorough washing and examination I can report no surprises when it comes to mold lines and sink marks. I'll be block sanding this car before painting, so I'll update you if there are any spots that need attention but so far this kit is as nice as you would expect from a new tool. Here are the color choices for my street car - the darker blue is for the exterior, the light blue is for the interior plus I'll use some of the exterior color for two tone accents. Here I've separated the small parts, sorted them as to the colors to be used, and attached them to some wooden paint stir sticks that I've wrapped with masking tape. The stick makes it easy to handle the parts and the masking tape keeps them in place while painting them. Here's a closer view of the interior panels. Lots of opportunity for detailing here. The engine is made up of two halves, two cylinder heads, an oil pan and water pump (not pictured here). Here I have mine primed and ready for paint. And just to tease a little, here's Bill's partially built engine for his race version. More on this in my next post. That's all for now. I'll be posting again on Friday, focusing on Bills' progress so far with his buildup. See you then, Bill and Len man i can't wait to for this kit to come out!
Len Carsner Posted May 2, 2010 Author Posted May 2, 2010 (edited) post continued.. Once the AP Metalizer was thoroughly dry, the mufflers and resonators were masked in preparation for spraying the tail pipes with Metalizer Stainless Steel. I've also discovered that when you run out of SS, Testors Magnesium Metalizer works pretty well in a pinch. The stock or drag version of the new Revell 62 Impala features a fairly intricate rear suspension and axle assembly. Note here the trailing arms, coil spring (which were touched-up with the Sharpie silver pen so they would show up better in photos), the differential snout (painted with a mixture of flat red and Rust, the rear shocks (given a light flat black wash), the stabilizer bar and one strange looking part...the rear control arm (protruding from the rear axle housing). I was puzzled for a bit as to where the RCA was to be attached to the rear axle. Once I discovered the rectangular hole in the floorboard kick-up just ahead of the rear axle, it began to make sense. The instruction illustration doesn't address this assembly as well as it could. Since there's no locator pin for the RCA on the axle housing, you'll need to do some test fitting to get it in the right spot. From this angle the rectangular opening can be clearly seen located in the floorboard kick-up just ahead of the axle location. It's better to temporarily install the rear axle assembly and then determine where to attach the RCA once the end piece is inserted into the rectangular floorboard opening as shown here. Prior to test-fitting many of the suspension and drive line components to the chassis plate, that part was painted with white automotive primer since the drag car body color is white. Once dry, a mixture of Metalizer Aluminum Plate, Magnesium and gray automotive primer were intermittently sprayed down the chassis center line to represent the factory application. Then the X-frame was hand-painted with Black Chrome. The gas tank was painted with Aluminum Plate. The lower from suspension (which is molded as one assembly) was painted flat black and integral components like the stabilizer bar and steering assembly was painted with varying shades of metallic bottle paints. That will wrap up this update. Look for the next update toward the end of the week where we'll be showing some of the interior paint work and detailing. See you then, Bill and Len Edited May 2, 2010 by Len Carsner
Len Carsner Posted May 3, 2010 Author Posted May 3, 2010 very nice paint detailing on the chassis! i'm curious about the headers for the "race" version. they look to be short block hugger style like you typically see on more modern street rods. i don't know what the headers look like for a 409 Impala but i did have some for a small-block Impala that were pretty long and had the collectors pointing out towards the sides of the car. are the headers included prototypical of a certain manufacturer or were they made up by Revell and generic, not intended to replicate any one particular style/aftermarket manufacturer? Dave The headers are meant to replicate the factory manifolds used on the hi-po version of the 409. While they were still a cast item they were made to flow nearly as well as aftermarket headers. As for the way they hug the block, consider these images: These pictures are factory hi-po manifolds as used on the Z11 engine. The manifolds did hug the block much like the block hugger headers of today. Not sure why they made them like this, but in looking at both pictures and real cars the one thing that strikes me is that these are big cars on the outside but with a big block the engine compartment is TIGHT, so space may have been the prime consideration. Hope this answers your question. Len C.
Guest Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 Sweet. Is the frame seperate from the chassis in this kit as in the 63 and 64?
camaroman Posted May 4, 2010 Posted May 4, 2010 Lee, It is molded to the floorpan although you can tell it from the well detailed work going on here!
Len Carsner Posted May 11, 2010 Author Posted May 11, 2010 Well, I originally intended to post this on Friday, but three graduation parties plus Mothers day pretty much used up my free time over the past few days. Lets pickup with Bill continuing on with his drag car version of the 1962 Impala: I find that a very coarse sand paper works best when scuffing up model car tires to get that “well used†look. The generic slicks in this new Revell 62 Impala kit have a decided seam running around the circumference of the tread area and will require a bit more than a normal light sanding to achieve the right look when finished. Here we’ve brought together the major components for the rear tires on the drag version of this 62 Impala. From left to right: generic drag slick, rear outer wheel, wheel/drag slick needing a bit more sanding, the rear inner wheel (drum brake hub) and the metal axle pin. Follow the kit instructions and this series of parts goes together quickly. Depending on what type of competition application you decide on for your 62 Impala, raising the rear axle to increase grouind clearance and adjust ride height has been provided for in this new Revell kit. You have a choice between short jack-up blocks (foreground) or tall jack-up blocks (background) and not to be over looked Revell has included extended coil springs to fit the taller application. I’ve scraped away the black paint from the exterior of the coils to make them more visible in this photo. Once both the front and rear wheel/tire combos have been assembled following the kit instructions, simply insert the metal axle pins through each wheel center and carefully press them into the holes provided in the front suspension and the outside ends of the rear axle. Take your time, don’t apply too much pressure on delicate parts and the pins should register into place very nicely. Note also in this photo(s) the kit drag exhaust system has been test-fit to the floorboards. There are convenient pins on the back sides of the exhaust that simply snap into pre-drilled holes in the floorboards. Before starting to apply the various engine etc. decals, it would be a good idea to brush on some clear gloss bottle paint to the affected areas. Traditionally, water-slide decals always work best on a glossy surface. Here both valve covers received a generous coating of Testors bottle Clear Gloss. Decal markings for such varied engine parts as the fan belt, valve covers, generator and oil filter were applied carefully. It is recommended that Micro-Sol and Micro-Set be used to facilitate the task. The only “fly in the ointment†if you will is the call out in the instructions to paint the oil filter white. The problem comes when applying the OF markings…which also happen to be white. The simplest solution is to paint the filter another color. In the future Revell might want to add a second color choice for this particular decals application. Here the 409 V-8 engine is nearing completion built pretty much straight from the kit box with the exception of paint and some detailing. Note here that factory-supported Chevy Impala drag cars utilized both the stock dual snorkel air cleaner housing probably as many or more times than they did the Revell kits optional drag finned air cleaner. This unit goes together very smoothly with no surprises or ill-fitting parts or pieces. For the basic or out-of-the-box builders as can be seen here, some Testors Chevrolet Engine Red, Metalizer Aluminum Plate, Aluminum, Black Chrome and Gloss Black really brings this one to life. This kit engine will lend itself nicely to much additional detailing. Here, the finished out-of-the-box 409 V-8 engine is sporting the optional finned air cleaner for the drag racing version. Any additional detailing especially surrounding the dual carb set-up will be more clearly visible using this particular air cleaner arrangement. (continued in next post.....)
Len Carsner Posted May 11, 2010 Author Posted May 11, 2010 (edited) For some odd reason the Chinese die makers have the idea that period American cars used a 10V battery. We say that since this kit contains a battery with just five caps. Actually, all these batteries should have 6 caps representing a 12V system. Be assured that Revell is aware of the problem and it is being corrected. Until then, the fix is simple. First, drill a small diameter hole spaced properly in the battery as shown here. Once that done choose a diameter of plastic rod that matches the kit battery engraved caps. Next, insert a short length of plastic rod into the drilled hole and finally clip off and file the protruding rod to match the other five caps. At this point we’ll stop and take an accounting of the engine compartment accessories that should include steering shaft/steering gearbox, hood hinges, core support with battery (and detail painting), radiator/fan shroud ring, fire wall (with accessories), choice of two air cleaner housings and finally, the fully-assembled Chevrolet 409 dual-four barrel V-8 engine. That will wrap it up for now, next post we'll get into the interior parts and I'll have some pictures of the progress I've made on my street version. As you can see, Bill's really getting close to the end with his: I've got to get to work on my car, we'll see you again in a few days. Bill and Len Edited May 11, 2010 by Len Carsner
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