W-409 Posted March 25, 2016 Author Share Posted March 25, 2016 Thanks Jason, Gene and Dave! Gene, yep I wanted to install a good set of decals for this one but sometimes I just felt like I should clear coat it as is and finish it. But now when the decals are placed I have to be happy that I stayed with the idea to wait until proper decals are found. Now it feels like I want to finish this thing again, so hopefully I can shoot some clear over the body this weekend. I wasn't originally planning on installing those pinstripes to the trunk, but as I found a set that was pretty close to the color of this '55 I thought I should give it a go....And I like it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedfreak Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Good work Niko, you've got a winner there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belugawrx Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 I like it Nik ..What are those front wheels from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted March 28, 2016 Author Share Posted March 28, 2016 Thanks guys!Bruce: Those wheels were bought from Model Express a few years ago when they were still in business. I think they are from some of the old AMT or MPC kits but I'm not completely sure. However, they were sold in pairs back then so I bought a few sets of them. But yeah, unfortunately I can't tell you an exact kit where those wheels were included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Real nice decals on your Chevy Niko. The paint and decals really make it look like a different kit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jantrix Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Very nice! I like this a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted April 11, 2016 Share Posted April 11, 2016 Any updates? Always wanted to do one of these '55's! Just bought one off the 'bay! Love your build! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted April 11, 2016 Author Share Posted April 11, 2016 Thanks guys, I appreciate your kind words!Grant: Unfortunately I have no updates yet as right now I have time to build only on weekends. I'm planning to shoot some clear over the body next weekend though so I should have an update then. At the same time I can clear coat the dashboard so I can continue the progress with the interior as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted May 5, 2016 Author Share Posted May 5, 2016 Well I finally got around clear coating this one. As it was a very nice weather today I decided to paint it outside. I started with very light coats so the Tamiya clear wouldn't react with those decals and after several light coats, I shot a couple of heavier coats of clear to the body. It looks pretty good right now, but I'm bit unsure if there is enough clear to be polished or not, so probably I will be spraying another coat or two of clear on top of that. The dashboard was also clear coated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grant Posted May 5, 2016 Share Posted May 5, 2016 Looks great! Thanks for the update! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedfreak Posted June 20, 2016 Share Posted June 20, 2016 I'd say it's about time to get this one finished, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Thanks Grant and Gene! I agree that I should have this one done as soon as possible. My goal is to have this one done by the end of the year. It should be possible, but there's a lot of work to do and I know I'll be very busy during the summer and during the winter too as I'll be building my 1:1 '62 Chevy II 'Street/Race' car. So yeah it's been a while since the latest update. I've been really busy with other stuff that's going on, but I've been able to do a little work with this thing anyway. Body is still waiting for another coat of clear, and if the weather permits, I'll try to shoot that clear coat on this week. Anyway yesterday and today I added some BMF to the dashboard. It's definitely not my best work, but it's the best I could do for now, cutting the extra foil away was really tricky as there were no proper edges/trim etc to use as a "guide". But I guess it will do while it can't be seen that well from inside of the car anyway. Today I painted some black on top of the foil as well. Cauges, radio and that little area with chromed Bel Air text on it were painted with small brush and then I wiped paint off from the details. That brought out the Bel Air text, for example. Not perfect, but I guess I can live with it. Â Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davewilly Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 looks really nice!  I like the colors Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedfreak Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Niko, you've got a Chevy II? what year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted July 18, 2016 Author Share Posted July 18, 2016 Dave: Thanks! (And sorry for the late reply!) That color choice was an easy choice for this '55 as I've always liked how those two colors fit together on this body style. Gene: Yep, I bought this 1962 Chevy II from a friend last winter. It's rough and missing lots of parts, but so far I've found only one little rust spot on it. It's a four door, but I'll be converting it into 2 door sedan. The plan is to have it driveable, as a 2D Sedan next summer, so I think I know where I'll be spending most of the winter! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedfreak Posted July 18, 2016 Share Posted July 18, 2016 Very cool Niko, any engine ideas yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 Well it's going to have a 383 SBC with a Tunnel Ram intake, but that's probably not happening quite yet. I'm happy if I can install any V8 engine under the hood for the next summer, as I'm pretty sure I can't afford building that 383 stroker yet since the car needs a lot money otherwise, too. But in the long run, the 383 is my plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted December 11, 2016 Author Share Posted December 11, 2016 Today while my Ford Thunderbolt was drying I had to do something on this '55 as well. One of the reasons why it has been sitting long time collecting dust is that I couldn't install the engine on correct position, it was too far in front. So the problem was solved easily with a couple of cuts to the chassis and now those headers are not hitting anywhere anymore. Now the scoop is right in the middle in that hole on the hood too. Oh well, looks like the chassis is a bit dusty... Gotta clean it up! Here the chassis has been cut from the bottom, but upper side is still as it was before. And as the scoop and hood hole lined up properly, I did one more mock up to see that everything fits on place. Now next steps will be clear coating the body again and painting the hood... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt Tuttle Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Wow, great work as usual Niko, I can honestly say that this is the best build of the old Monogram 55 chevy I've seen this far!I also had my doubts about this colour combo on a race car, but it actually works very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 Thanks Mattias! When I started this build, the plan was to build a fairly simple Nostalgia Drag Car with only some minor modifications and plan was not to try to build it to match any class rules. But looks like my plan failed completely... Though that's not a bad thing, I've had a lot of fun modifying this old kit trying to make it more presentable. The color combo came to my mind when I remembered a '57 Chevy I saw at a Drag Strip here in Finland a few years ago. That looked really good, so I thought I'd try it on mine too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 A very nice Wicked 55! Love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted January 22, 2017 Author Share Posted January 22, 2017 Thanks Rodney! I appreciate the kind words (Even though I'm a bit late with the thanks)! Well finally I was able to shoot another clear coat on the '55! At least so far it looks really good, but now all I can is hope it looks good when it's completely dry. Now I'll let it dry properly before polishing, but while the body dries, I can work on the interior, chassis and engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belugawrx Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 Good stuff Niko,..I just noticed the age of this build,...Congrats on persevering sirCheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 Thanks Bruce, I appreciate it! Actually this has taken a lot longer than I originally wanted to, but of course the main thing is that I'm happy how it looks. Hopefully it will get finished this year ! Here's a small update. I painted the hood from both sides with that body color. Hopefully it will look good when dry so that I can clear coat it next week. In this picture you can also see the steering wheel painted white. I sprayed it with Tamiya white and next step will be painting those spokes with silver and then shoot a clear coat on top of everything. I also started polishing the body. As usual, I started from the roof and actually I'm really happy how it turned out. If the rest of the body turns out as good, I'm very happy. I'll continue from here tomorrow I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooneyzs Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Niko... I am totally digging this one. That Paint is looking great!!! and love the color combo. Glad to see you getting some bench time in my friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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