THE '57/'67 CHEVY
AMT 1957 CHEVY & AMT
1967 IMPALA KITBASH
BUILT BY IRA DAHM (10/02)
"BEST IN CLASS"
WINNER IN THE AUTOMOTIVE STREET CLASS AT THE HOBBYTOWN PETALUMA CONTEST
(4/08)
2ND PLACE WINNER IN THE AUTOMOTIVE
STREET CLASS AT THE HOBBYTOWN PETALUMA CONTEST (4/08)
THE '57/'67 CHEVY PLACED
15TH IN THE 9TH ANNUAL CAR MODELER CUSTOM CLINIC PHOTO CONTEST!
MORE COLOR PHOTOS BELOW!
The '57/'67 Chevy is a select blend of my
favorite features from two Chevrolets a decade apart. It is a custom design
that is sporty and at the same time luxurious and comfortable. I designed
'57/'67 Chevy to represent a custom show car that could be driven on a daily
basis. Here are the details and how it was built.
The '57/'67 Chevy is based on the AMT 1967
Impala and the AMT 1957 Chevy kits. Note: AMT's 1957 Chevy (AMT# 8319) body
was used because it is larger than the other style AMT '57 Chevy (AMT #31543)
and it has an opening trunk. The trunk opening made the rear end modifications
much easier. The drive train and "427" engine are from the '67
Impala. The '67 Impala interior was modified to fit the four custom bucket
seats from the AMT 1957 Ford. Wheels, tires and disk brakes from the AMT
1997 Corvette. The front spoiler and side pipes are from the Revell/ Monogram
Street Fighter 2.
The center section of the '67 Impala body
was used for the main body section of the '57/'67 Chevy. The '57 Chevy grill
shell was de chromed and attached to the '67 Chevy front end. Then the '67
Impala front fenders were reshaped to blend in to the rounded '57 Chevy's
Grill shape. Sheet plastic and Zap-A Gap glue were used to fill and strengthen
the mounting points. (See the construction photo below.)
The '67 Impala hood was fit to the top of
the 57 Chevy grill shell and the hoods sharp edge was rounded off. The 2
side sections of the '57 Chevy hood were cut out. The sides of the '67 Impalas
hood were cut out to fit in the two side sections of the '57 hood. The three
hood sections were then glued together with Zap-A Gap glue.
The taillight frames, trim and rear bumper
were de chromed and attached with Zap-A Gap glue to the '57 Chevy. The rear
fins, 1/2" of the rear sides, and lower trunk lid opening of the '57
Chevy were carefully trimmed away. An 1/8" slice was removed from the
bottom edge of the rear bumper. The top of the rear sides, trunk, and back
of the '67 Impala were trimmed to fit the rear end section from the '57
Chevy. The top edge of the '57 fins were lined up with the '67's fenders
so that they blended together. They were then attached with Zap-A Gap glue.
The '57 Chevy trunk lid was sectioned 5/16" so that it lined up with
the angle set by the '67 trunk line. Then it was trimmed to fit up against
the '67 Impala trunk lid. Sheet plastic was used to fabricate the rear roll
pan, fill the gaps in the fins and strengthen the meeting point of the two
trunk lids. A rectangular opening was cut in the trunk lid and backed with
sheet plastic to form a recessed area for the license plate.
The wing windows and trim were removed. The
shape of the wheel wells was changed to create a smoother, flowing look.
I contour sanded all the modifications with sanding boards and then 320
grade sandpaper. Evercoat Glazing Putty was used to blend everything together.
Several coats of White and Gray Krylon Primer were applied, sanding with
400 grade sandpaper between each coat. When the finish was smooth, I applied
two coats of Testors Flat White to the body. Next I fogged the White from
below with Testors Gloss Yellow. This highlighted many of the contours in
yellow while leaving the top of the hood, roof and trunk White. Then I applied
three coats of Boyd's Roadstar Orange, followed by three coats of Testors
Glosscoat.
The undercarriage, firewall and engine were
painted with Boyd's Roadstar Orange over a gloss orange base. The frame
was painted with Testors Gloss Black. The front spoiler was also painted
Gloss Black and attached to the frame, below the radiator. The ends of the
side pipes were detailed with reshaped aluminum tubing and finished with
Bare Metal Foil. Aluminum tubing was cut to size and used to mount the Corvette
Wheels to the axles. The front grill was made with decorative brass mesh
painted with Krylon's Chrome Silver paint. Simulated hidden headlights keep
the grill area open. The interior was painted with Testors Flat White and
accented with silver and black. A five speaker sound system was simulated
with Zippatone Graphics Film.
The '57 Bel Air fin graphics are from the
AMT '57 Chevy (AMT # 31543). The new side trim was made with a length of
silver 3/32" wide stripping tape, this gave the new molding some shape
and definition. The stripping tape was trimmed to taper off to 1/16"
at the front. Then the tape molding was applied to the sides of the '57/'67
Chevy. Bare Metal Foil was then applied over the tape. Bare Metal Foil was
also applied to the front grill bullets and the center section of the rear
bumper.
