1966 Chevy II Nova 1/25th scale

[micahrogers]

I just scored this at the local Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon.

I've been looking for one of these with the "stock" option for years, All the other kits of this car are racers or "Pro Street" but this one can be built as a custom, a Drag car, or "stock" This is important to me because I drove one of these in high school and first year of collage.

so here we go on a "real" model car build...

 

[zathros]

It's nice when they have a "normal" street version. You can hop it up with the tires, or just make it bone stock.

 

[micahrogers]

I had one of these in high school, and I'm gonna build this one and make itg as close to the one I drove as I can. Crager Mags and skinny front tires, Centerline wheels with Micky Thompson street slicks on the back... 327 with a single 4 barrel Dominator carb, Hooker fender wall headers. so far all this can be replicated with this kit easily... Mine had the 2 speed Powerglide Trans with a column shifter so I'll have to change the kit to make that...

 

[zathros]

You will be posting build pics, I'm hoping?

 

[micahrogers]

You will be posting build pics, I'm hoping?

Yes I will. Starting today as it were.
Starting my Chevy II build today, first photos are whats in the box,
Lots of bags of parts, 3 bags of whiteish polystyrene parts, a bag of chromed parts, a bag of clear parts, and a bag of vinyl tires.

The instructions, decals to make "Grumpy's Toy" and a card model of the box in miniature...
and three pics to show all of the instructions

And a Quick build of the "Mini" box that comes with the kit. Scored and cut out,

and folded and glued.

and more updates to come as I get the sprues unbaged and washed.

 

[zathros]

That is a lot of parts! The mold must have been tight too. I can't see any flashing. Looks like the basis of a great model.

 

[paper hollywood]

The mini box is a cute idea. I used to love AMT's 3-in-1 kits and built several, though I guess I haven't done it since Richard Nixon was president. You're inspiring me.

 

[micahrogers]

Hit a snag on my Chevy II but I shall endeavor to persevere. My 66 was not an SS car, but the kit has SS badges.

The Super Sport badge on the rear quarter panels is no biggie to get rid of, the SS badges on the chromed bumper / grill and rear trim piece would be easy to get rid of if I didn't care about the chrome...

The build starts with the engine block so here are the first construction pics.

More to come...

 

[micahrogers]

The mini box is a cute idea. I used to love AMT's 3-in-1 kits and built several, though I guess I haven't done it since Richard Nixon was president. You're inspiring me.

I took a 6 year from modeling after high-school, then started up again and built on and off until l 2002... after 2002 until I joined this forum I hardly even though of modeling... If I can inspire one person to try modeling again then I'm in the positive

 

[zathros]

If you were very careful, you could modify the grill, then use chrome paint to remove and rebuild that area. In a worse case scenario, you spray paint all the chrome surfaces with a chrome pain./ Or, cut the grill out of that piece, and remake the open grill assembly. You could cut pieces from the "trees" and end up with a more realistic looking grill, or by thin styrene sheets to make the grill and spray paint with Chrome paint, which works and looks really great.

 

[micahrogers]

I'll take pics as I go, but I've already got rid of the Super Sport logo on the rear quarter panels, the rear panel logo is gone, I'll remove all the chrome and then repaint... the grill well... I'll see.

 

[zathros]

Might be worth leaving that alone, or coating it with Vaseline, and use it as a plug. Stick it into two part epoxy, let the epoxy harden, the grill will pull right out, because of the Vaseline coating, then you could modify the mold, and repeat the process using two part epoxy, coating the epoxy mold with a release agent (after you have trimmed what you don't want, and repairing any spots needing repair, or modification), then spray paint it with Chrome paint. Lots of work though! Might not be worth it.

 

[micahrogers]

I'm still in the process of chrome stripping, I don't have anything terribly caustic to use so it's a long process with simple green... I'll either repaint with "chrome" paint or try my hand at "Bare Metal" foil.

 

[micahrogers]

a quick update today, I got the Super Sport logo off of the rear quarter panels, and the panels sanded and ready for paint

Work on the engine continues with the base Chevy Engine Orange laid down.

and the detail engine as it sits now waiting on plug wires.

the body shell got it's first coat of color and it bubbled ARGHHHH now to sand the bubbles away and recoat.
More pics to come.

 

[micahrogers]

Plug wire kit is $6.99 and $7.00 shipping and handling. one place will do that one transaction the other has a $25.00 minimum order..... so looks like I'm skippin the plug wires. Got the body shell sanded and repainted, and color on the interior parts.

Since my Old 66 didn't have the best paint on it, I'm not gonna worry to much with the paint... I could sand it out and polish it to a mirror shine, but mine never had a deep shine on it.

so here are the pics of the color on the body.

and the color on the interior parts

and the chassis painted black.

more to come later...

 

[zathros]

Engine looks great. Paint on car looks good too. Flakes are over exaggerated because of the flash. It looks great!

 

[micahrogers]

Engine looks great. Paint on car looks good too. Flakes are over exaggerated because of the flash. It looks great!

Thanks Z but there is no flash used in my pics... just my Ottlite workbench lamp with a Cree 60 Watt equivalent LED Daylight bulb, and Nikon CoolPix 16.1 MegaPixel camera.

I picked up some wire at Radio Shack and am gonna try wiring my engine after all.
My first time adding spark plug wires to a model engine... the wire I bought,
and starting by putting the wires to the heads... and yes I am working under a 3X magnifier.
More to come...

 

[zathros]

The difference is the same. The lighting is exaggerated in the pictures, digital cameras seem to do this more than film. It looks great either way. The engine wires really make these motors pop. If you do the radiator hoses and fuel lines, you might get it to start!!

 

[micahrogers]

The engine wires really make these motors pop. If you do the radiator hoses and fuel lines, you might get it to start!!

Thanks Z, If these plug wires work I'll try adding battery wires and fuel lines, maybe brake lines....

 

[zathros]

I have attached these wires by taking out the copper, and slipping them over the spark plugs, and it they did not stick, I would heat the plastic shielding, and roll it right over the tiny spark plug. On some models, I have made plugs from the trees, which allows you to really stretch out a long thing piece of plastic and shove it up the tube. Brakes lines, now that is something I have never done. That means you would have to mount it on a mirror!