I've been working on a few model car projects lately. One is finally starting to show some progress. It's a '57 Chevy Bel Aire "Chezoom". The Chezoom is a custom Bel Aire built by Boyd Coddington. A real work of art. If Chevrolet were to follow the retro trend and re-introduce the Bel Aire, I could see them take a lot of styling from this custom. (hint hint, come on GM!)
The model kit is a "quick builder" meaning it's basically just a body and wheels, no engine or interior or any detail parts.
But I'm not going to build it that way. So I bought 2 other model kits to supply the rest of the parts I needed. A stock '57 Bel Aire for the frame and floorpan and interior parts and a Corvette C5 for the drivetrain and suspension. That's called "kit-bashing", where you mix parts from different kits together. After a lot of planning, cutting, gluing, and re-doing, I've got the chassis and drivetrain built. It has front and rear independent suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes, the 'Vette's engine, AND the 'Vette's rear transmission. I still haven't done anything with the interior yet. I'm wanting to blend elements of the 'Vette's modern interior with the Bel Aire's '50's styling.
Anyways, here's some pics of the chassis.
I know, the details don't show up too good. My digital camera is on the fritz so I had to use my webcam.
I've got another couple of projects in the works. A '36 Ford Coupe that's going to get some custom body work and the engine, drivetrain, suspension, and interior components from a '98 Saleen Mustang. Also working very slowly on a Ferrari Enzo kit. That one's gonna be so awesome when I get done. All the Enzo's I've seen have been painted red. Not this one. I'm painting it black. And I mean BLACK. That body just screams for an intimidating coat of black. It's taking me a long time to paint it though. The body isn't one piece, it's several pieces that mount to the frame. So the pieces are getting painted one at a time. A few coats of primer, wet-sanded with 1000-grit sandpaper between coats, then a few coats of Tamiya Gloss Black wet-sanded with 1500-grit sandpaper in between coats, then finally a couple of coats of gloss clear-coat. The hardest part will be after the paint cures when I install the windows and head/tail/marker light lenses. The windows mount on the OUTSIDE and some of the lenses are so damn tiny. So wish me luck on that one.
Oh yeah, and I'm also going to do a '32 Ford Coupe kit-bashed with a '98 Saleen Mustang.
Mike.