Three more kits join the program.

The final kit in the 55 series, a Bel Air Hardtop. Just need to decide whether it will be old-school stock or a bit custom.


Into the 56 series comes the Del Ray. I've been hunting for this for a long time now.


A surprise addition to the 57 series, found in the bottom of a cabinet display in an Op-Shop a couple of hours from home. Great price tag and bags still sealed inside. Those 80's Corvette "HotWheels" rims need to go, but this has a custom engine bay and opening doors and boot lid. Well worth it.


Cheers, D

D,
I'm real old school. We grew up thinking that the King was the '57 Chevy Hardtop.
Joel

No argument here Joel, it's one of the absolute classics. I would love to have a 5-6-7 Nomad in the garage to take out on weekends.

As I get closer to completing the 55 El Camino, more little things start to crop up. I need to scratchbuild a towbar assembly so I did some googling and found one I like the look of.

Now before I start putting that together I need to get the wheels on the trailer to make sure it sits level when hitched up. I'm trying to find some axles to mount the wheels on the trailer even temporarily, but do you think I can find where I've put them ?

I might just MacGuyver something up with Q-tip sticks and see how we go.

Cheers, D

D., what point in restoring a car if not to OEM specs? It's like restoring a classical painting to resemble Andy Warhol's . That's my vision at least

Great scratch on the towing bar - it looks like the part!

Gabriel

D,
The tow bar looks darn right fantastic. Very well done my friend.

Joel

Thanks for the kudos guys, but I don't deserve it quite yet! The phot of the towbar assembly is from another modeler, I just like the look of it and will use the design as a basis for mine.

Cheers, D

Oups! You trickster!

Gabriel

D,
I'm sure that yours will be even better.
Joel

Another piece in the 56 series puzzle. A 56 Bel Air Hardtop which will be cut down to a convertible. I have been unable to find any evidence that a 56 Convertible was ever kitted up. It is an older boxing of the same kit I will be building as a Hardtop. The hardest part will be scratchbuilding a folded down soft top, but I will test fit the parts off the 55 and 57 Convertibles to see which one looks best, and use that as a template.



Cheers, D

Today I picked up the last kit in the 57 series, a Nomad.



Cheers, D

D,
Outstanding collecting for sure. Seems like you've got your build schedule filled for quite some time. I'll be following each build as they do bring back a lot of old memories I've long forgotten.

While I was never a hot rodder, but rather a British Sports car nut, I had plenty of friends that were, and often rode with them around town on Friday and Saturday night especially in the summer.

Joel

Thanks Joel, it has taken a while to gather the various kits, and as I said in the opening post, there is no time frame on this project. I can tinker with a couple of kits and make some progress in between other builds as I feel like it.

I'm glad to have brought back some fond memories, that is one of the great things about this hobby. I often look back at building kits with my dad and school mates 40 years ago, the thrill of going to the local newsagent or toy store to check out the latest kit stock and paints.

Cheers, D

Another jewel added to the crown!

That is going to be a very enviable collection for true, especially if you working without a deadline!

Gabriel

I have to say I'm a little envious of your collection here D! Takes me back to my youth: Summer; school holidays; a kit and some tubes of glue and tins of paint!

D, this collection will look great once your done. Any plans on how you'll display them all?

Must admit I do like the custom 57 with the de-chromed front end although hate the wheels on it.

You can see how long it has taken to collect this set, but I am very glad to have got to this point. All of the major models represented in their base forms plus a couple of modified versions. The last things that I will keep an eye out for at swap meets and such are the full custom versions (pro-strip drag cars, gassers etc), but I'm not going out of my way to hunt them down. Perhaps after I get all of these done, maybe




I have a couple of ideas for display in my cabinet, with all of the models for each year lined up together firstly, and secondly smaller displays with the 3 similar models (e.g. 55-56-57 Convertibles) together.




Totally agree, it has a mean look, but the Hot Wheels/Corvette rims just don't suit it. By the time I get to this one I will have plenty of spare wheel sets to select from.

Cheers, D

Umm, well, you know, things happen



Cheers, D

I just can't escape this project! I drove 3 hours today to an Easter family day at a winery in regional Victoria, and look what I found parked right outside the gates!







I spoke with the owner for a bit, he picked this up as an original Aussie assembled RHD daily driver a few years back with a decent paint job and a "Blue Flame" straight 6 with 3-on-the-tree manual shift. Obviously that didn't last long. He shoe-horned a 350ci small block and Turbo 400 Auto tranny in and put some bling in the paint. He said it owes him about $50k AUD at this point and still needs a few things done to be a show car, but it's looking pretty sweet and is still his daily driver.

Cheers, D

Tonight was clean-up night. I spent a good hour or so with an arsenal of sanding, filing and trimming accoutrements prepping the 55 Convertible body for primer. Lots of mould lines and flash to tidy up, and of course mostly on complex profiles and hard spots to attack easily, but I'm happy that I've got it to where I want it, so off to the spray booth.


Cheers, D

Back from the spray booth, first coat of primer is Mr Surfacer 1200 cut with about 60% MLT, a thin coat to show me what I have missed in the way of mould lines and defects.


The rear wheel skirts took a little bit of work, but they fit very nicely. Much easier and better than the '51!

Cheers, D

First colour coat is on.



Cheers, D

Over the last couple of days I have also been tinkering with the 55 El Camino. I resprayed the side chrome trim, touched up some chrome where it had worn off through handling, added the head light lenses, tail lights and front and rear bumper add-ons. For the moment it is done. I will come back to it to apply some weathering in the future but I need to work on my oil paint rendering technique on some paint mules first.
This is my third completion for 2019, very satisfying to get some solid progress.





As always, love to hear any comments. suggestions and critique.

Cheers, D

D,
1st and foremost, congrats on completing #3. I know just how good that feels.

The start of the two tone paint job looks perfect. The better the prep work, the better the finish. So you're well on your way to a concourse finish for sure.

I can't even come up with the odds of running into that Chevy custom. I'm sure it really made your day.

Joel

snort, 3 completes for the year? At this point in time I think I created 4 hanger queens and a garage queen for the year.

Nice one Damian!

Three builds finished already for the year!- I'll be chuffed when I complete my first! (and I think that will be a while yet...)

All the best

Rowan