The Classic 1950's Automobile Group Build Starts 4-16-07

I have been a bad, bad boy. I haven't touched styrene in weeks, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy building!

Three weekends I go I built a chin up bar for my kids. Multiple heights (in fact I've added more!):

Then two weekends ago I built a new desk for my office space: 

And finally today we bought and assembled a trampoline:

Man, styrene is a lot easier on the pocket book and back!

I promise to get back into the swing real soon now! 

Good choice painklr, I added you to the list.

Finally found my kit I wanted to build in my stash.  I will be entering my AMT/ERTL 1950 Chevy Pickup Truck.  It's an old kit I bought back in 97 at a garage sell for $2.  I built one  years before with a lifted bed and droped with spoke rims. 

For this one I plan to still drop it, but bust out with a kick butt paint scheme.  I will keep that a suprise.  I am excited to build this one since I have been building planes lately.  It should be a nice change to build something different.

Hi Basic,         I just said the same thing about my car the other night. Check out my thread above yours. First I tried to use a '54 Chevy frame and no mater what I did, it didn't seem to want to work. Then I tried to use the front and rear clips from a vette on the '53 frame and . So, I finally just added pieces to the clips and stretched the vette frame.          

 How about piecing it together with styrene strips on the inside then only having the drivers door open? This is my first car in a very long time so I'm only going to have the drivers door open. I'm sure some of the other guys could come up with a bunch of ideas. Hang in there.

Jim

I am sorry for not being involved in this group build, but when I started cutting the doors open I came to the conclusion that trying to open up doors on the impala is not as easy as it seems, definitely for my first try. Long story short, the car body is now in 5 different pieces, and is beyond repair. It looks like my first attempt at a group build failed miserably.

I am again sorry for having to drop out of this group build, but the good news from all of this is that I learned that the saying "haste makes waste" really is true.

Hi Ron, Thanks for the info. Guess I've just been away from the cars for too long. Spent the last 30 or so years working on fibreglass sailboats and wooden sailing ships. The glass boats were 4 to 8 feet long and you worked on them like you would a real car (lots of muscle). The other ships you made your own parts so if one was no good you made another one.   I'll keep sanding away keeping your info in mind plus all the other great tips I've gotten from the guys on this forum.

I finally got the chassis together today. Was trying to graft the front and rear clips from a corvette stingray to the '53 chassis. That would give me independent suspension. Gave me so much trouble I finally decided to just take the two clips and make my own frame. Ended up with a stretched corvette chassis. Looks like it will do the job. Only get a couple of hours a week to work on it so progress is slow. Will get pics as soon as it looks like something.

Jim 

fox wrote:

Ron, the car in your pic is really great. Having trouble figuring out what car you started with. Looks somewhat like a '50 or '51 Chevy? Great job. Love the subtle flames in the paint job. Do you give lessons?????? Jim

Thanks Jim. I started with an AMT '51 Chevy Fleetline. The body's been sectioned about 3/16" and the top's been chopped about 3/16" too. When I chopped the top instead of lowering it straight down I cut it so I could push the roof forward. That way it made the roofline sleeker and I was able to keep the stock rear window.

Ron.

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been around lately, computer problems. Jim, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but in my experience all the Revell /Monogram kits from that time span with the coloured plastic are the most aggravating to work with. The plastic is so brittle I once snapped the body of a genuine 'Lil John Buttera '26 Ford sedan in half just pulling it out of the box. And if you try to paint them without primering first the body colour shows through on all the high spots. About the best suggestion I can make is to try to do all your bodywork with strip styrene or stretched sprue and super glue.

Ron. 

Hi Dan,   I would like to make a little statement then ask you a question. Here's the statement. Almost all of the parts of the '53 that I am building have sink marks, ejection pin marks, lots of flash, and parts that didn't line up in the mold giving you parts that don't match side to side. In almost all of the kits that I have in my stash (all bought in the 60's and early 70's) the situation is the same. As I said in my thread of 5/3, I am telling the truth when I say I need a 5 lb. can of bondo per car. I have not bought any new ones since the early 70's. My question is this; Are the newer kits in the same shape or have they refined their processes to cure these problems?    I also have this problem with the planes and ships in my stash. 

Been working on the '53 since tax day and I'm still filling and sanding, filling and sanding, filling and sanding. The only parts that are together are the skirts in the rear fenders, the hood scoop, and part of the engine. The rest look like refugees from the green putty factory. I've made up my mind not to quit, no matter how much putty it takes.

Jim

Hi guys everthing looks great.  Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, my computer crashed.  Finallly back up and running here are some picts of the Futura:

I still have to fill slight gap in body and spray body one more time and finish assembly

hey guys only another couple of weeks and my move will be completed and off to the races to catch up on all the GB's i am behind on .

all the work here looks really great guys

Can I still Join this group build.  I have not done a automobile in a while, sounds like fun.  Also can I add hydaulics.  I was planning on doing a lowrider truck or car with hydraulics.  The only thing is that the motors take the space of the interior.  If not no big deal, I can just drop it and try some new paint colors that I bought from an AVON catalog.

Thanks 

Hey, guys...just surfing through some GB pages and I felt compelled to give you all a

There are some great looking cars in here!

Wow...you guys are off to a great start.  Aaron your rig looks like it coming along nicely.  Keep up the good work everyone...and hopefully the GB fearless leader can get started soon.

Got it primed but its been raining the past couple of days so I'm kind of stuck until the weather improves. I'm thinking about painting it red overall with white doors.

Ron, the car in your pic is really great. Having trouble figuring out what car you started with. Looks somewhat like a '50 or '51 Chevy? Great job. Love the subtle flames in the paint job. Do you give lessons??????

Jim

Hey Bill, the blood on the belt looks realistic. I'd leave it in. But, the sterling silver fan belts is stretching it a bit.

Jim

Thanks, Jim!

I see a couple of spots that need to be touched up. The camera eye does not lie! I'll be adding a wash to the filter to knock the white back a bit more, and whoever put the fan belt on must have cut themselves as there is some blood on the belt!

Bill 

Been filling and sanding, filling and sanding, filling and sanding, and the body of the '53 Chevy still looks bad. The frame is even worse. It looks like they tried to put the plastic in the mold when it was almost cold. The only thing glued together is the skirts to the body and the scoop to the hood. I'm molding them into the body. Anyone out there know where I can get green putty by the 5 gallon bucket? Oh, oh, oh, just got an idea. I still have a can of Bondo that's still in good shape. That should work. 

Bgrigg, glad the cold is done and you are back to the build.

Jim

Okay, cold is mostly done and I've started work on the engine. I'm not going to wire or plumb, as the AMT kit is, well an AMT kit, so the hood will remain closed for the most part. Here's what is glued and painted so far:

The method I use is to first glue some mounts inside the edges of the fenders so the skirts have something to keep them flush with the fenders. Then use some Evergreen sheet styrene the same thickness as the fender to cut the shape you need, file the edges until it fits. Don't bend the part because it has a memory and will try to return to it's original flatness, instead, if a curve is needed, laminate the sheets together where the curve is needed and file it to shape. I'll see if I can find some pictures to make myself a little clearer and post them later if you like.

Ron.

I have a few reference shots for the kit I am building.  I just have to figure out how to do the fender skirts.  Anybody have suggestions?

I am in the process of building a Futura, it is abot 80% complete.  If I knew earlier about this GB I would have waited. Unfortunately, I already have other several other projects I getting ready to start which won't fit this build.  I would have liked to have joined this.

Builds are looking good so far.  Back from my trip to Nevada and hope to get started on my '58 soon.

Sorry to hear about your injury Ron, hope you recover quickly.

Hi guys! I'm still in but haven't got much done. Been laid up for about a week and a half, I had a bad fall at work and wound up with my leg messed up a bit. Problem is my workbench is in the basement and I can't do stairs too good. I managed to get down there yesterday and did a little messing around. I started fixing all the little casting uglies and since it's going to be a custom the chrome trim was removed and will be replaced later with something else.

Ron.