1975 Bonneville

[Guest Mustang3.8]

Hey, y'all.

Does anyone know what kit I could use to build a '75 Bonneville? I do have a '75 Modelhaus Impala 4 door. Would that work? Here's a pic of the Bonneville.

[MrObsessive]

That would be your best bet Kevin. 1971-76 Pontiacs and Chevys were built on the same basic platform. You'd have your work cut out for you though as there are a lot of subtle changes between the kit and what you want. BTW, to make things easier, I'd try to seek out a junker MPC '71-'76 Impala kit since it's plastic......................and would be easier to work with for those changes.

IIRC, the wheelbase would need some stretching also, as the Pontiacs were always a bit longer than the Chevy.

Hope this helps..................Would love to see a project on this car! I remember this one very well from my high school days.

Edited May 11, 2010 by MrObsessive

[Guest Mustang3.8]

Thanks, Bill. I plan to build it as one of the fill in cars from Smokey And the Bandit 2. What changes besides the grill, headlights, and taillights would I need to make, Bill?

Edited May 12, 2010 by Mustang3.8

[Nick Winter]

Thanks, Bill. I plan to build it as one of the fill in cars from Smokey And the Bandit 2. What changes besides the grill, headlights, and taillights would I need to make, Bill?

That means I have to build Bandit's Turbo Trans am,

Bandit: Hi, Buford!

Buford T. Justice: Hello, you handsome somb***h!

[Guest Mustang3.8]

Cool, Nick. Maybe we can do a pic of Bandit's car jumping over Buford's car?

[Nick Winter]

Cool, Nick. Maybe we can do a pic of Bandit's car jumping over Buford's car?

ok, but first I'll need a hill, a ramp, a 1/25th Bandit with Trans Am jacket on and a 1/25th Carrie, not to mention a few hours praying I don't land it on it's roof, or, Harry or someone could phoyo shop it.

[Nick Winter]

Edited May 12, 2010 by Dukefan69'

[Guest Mustang3.8]

Not to argue, Steve but Buford's stand in car was a '75 Bonneville. I seen a guy on Ebay selling a '80 Bonneville he made from a '80 Chevy Caprice from Modelhaus.

[MrObsessive]

Steve's got it right Kevin. Just about every body panel would need to be changed. Pontiacs back in those days always seemed a bit "rounder" and not as square cut as the Chevys.

Even the '80 (and later the '85-'86 Parisienne) appeared a bit rounder to me in the rear quarters as opposed to the Caprice.

And yes, since that's a Bonneville you want to model, some chassis stretching is in order.

[Guest Mustang3.8]

Can you give me some ideas for the '75 Impala? Even the grill on the Impala is very similar to the Bonneville. The front wheel wells on the Impala are also very similar. I would need to scratch build rear fender skirts.

[Guest Mustang3.8]

I have started some work on the conversion. Another question, did these Bonnevilles have a post between the front and back doors?

[charlie8575]

I have started some work on the conversion. Another question, did these Bonnevilles have a post between the front and back doors?

Most of the Bonnevilles I've seen were 4-door hardtops. I'm not even sure a sedan was available in the mid-70s, although I do know one was offered in the late 1960s-about 1970.

One other thing, Kevin, Collectible Automobile did a very nice article on the 1971-76 full-size Pontiacs a few years ago. It might be worth your while to get a back-issue from them for photos, dimensions, and so forth.

Also, don't forget to use the brochure located at The Old Car Manual Project for some additional reference photos.

Charlie Larkin

[MrObsessive]

Kevin, one thing you'll have to start with is reshaping the fenders. All four of them on the Bonneville are rounder and "curvier" than the Impala. Also the rear fascia will need some reshaping as well.

SInce you're going from 2 door to 4 door, your going to have to scratch a new roof section------I can't think of any kit that comes close to that roof line, so break out the sheet plastic and putty. I don't know how far you want to go, but the dashboard for the Pontiac is quite different from the Chevy likewise.

EBay is a good place to look for reference pics also.............you're gonna need a LOT of 'em if you want to most accurately represent the car you want to do.

As far as being a four door sedan or hardtop........the car you have pictured is definitely a Bonneville. 1975 Catalinas IIRC, came as sedan only but I might be wrong. I do know that GM changed their full size sedan rooflines for '75, and most 1975 Pontiac sedans I can remember seeing back then were Catalinas.

GM killed all four door hardtops after 1976 , so what you're modeling is a real piece of a lost art in automotive styling.

Please be sure to show us some pics when you get going!

[Guest Mustang3.8]

Thanks, Bill. I am actually using the 4 door Impala. I am aware that the rear will need to be modified.