California Street 'Vette custom

[tatocorvette]

​
Hello,

  First of all: This is all Roger Hayes fault!   His drop dead gorgeous California Street 'Vette  hit me like a freight train! What a beauty! 

Check his version of this Vette in this link: www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/175154-california-street-vette/

I am mostly a factory stock (and documented replica in the case of race or historical vehicles) modeler.   I've done customs, but it is not usually my main subject.  Roger's California Street 'Vette inspired me to dig out mine. 

The back story is that I got this model (and a few others) already built from my High School Art teacher, well over 30 years ago. I graduated HS in '86 and it was shortly after that.  To this day, he is a very good friend and one of the main responsibles of me been a Corvette guy.  I learned more about Corvettes from him than drawing and painting 🤣   

I remember quickly tearing this model apart and with no plan I started fooling around with it. I destroyed the roof louvers by filling them with putty. No idea what I was thinking.  Longest shot: anybody has a spare roof louver for this car?

Eventually it went back into the box for decades until this week.



All major components are there. The original wheels, tires and mirrors are missing which is no big deal.  The engine is pretty crude and so is the hood underside. I'll most likely keep the engine in place but glue the hood shut.  I thought of adding a modern LS engine but those are 1/25 running on the smaller end and this car is 1/24 running on the larger end.  The LS looks really small in there.  Anyways, this car is all about the looks.



It will take some fixing but the plan is to keep the original look, except for the roof of course.  Door handles and key locks are lost. The body needs some massaging but this will be a slow fun project.





 

Color? It will be blue. What shade of blue?  I'll get back to you...

Thanks,
Ismael

[kyledehart5]

Heck it looks like a real life abandoned car. I’m here for this rebuilding project.

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  Had to do considerable bodywork to get it ready for that milestone of first coat of primer.  Multiple repairs, re-scribing, eliminating the ghost door handles and locks, etc.






Still a lot of work ahead. The hood will be next.

Thanks,
Ismael

[arcticwolf]

That's an improvement.

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

Working on the hood.
This was already mostly built when I got it. The hood fit showed that it may have been over-enthusiastically sanded. The top corners of the hood were considerably lower than the fenders and the overall hood gaps were bigger than I wanted.
Added material to the corners and carefully feathered it. You don't really notice it but it now sits level with the fenders.  You can see it is now a bit "thicker" at the corners.



For the gaps, I added a small strip of material to the perimeter


Which intentionally won't fit. So I can carefully sand it down until it fits properly.




Once satisfied with the fit, a little putty to blend the extensions,



Sanding and another coat of primer reveals we are moving in the right direction.




Thanks,
Ismael

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

Thanks to a fellow forum member on MCM I was able to get another louvered roof! Wohoo!
The original roof was filled with putty probably over 30 years ago.  I'll salvage it and make a solid roof so I'll have 2 roofs for the car.








Thanks,
Ismael

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  Bear with me for a second.  This model will have the hood glued shut. The reason is the hood is overly thick and lacks any details underside. The engine compartment on these models is very primitive.  
BUT! (There's always a but)  That doesn't mean it can't have an engine bottom. After all, this hobby is about deceptive lying.  From the beginning, I envisioned this build as a modern resto-mod. An LS swap is an obvious choice. However, the spare LS I have is from a C5 Corvette which has the transmission in the back.  
  You may not remember it, but about 20+ years ago I scratchbuilt a proper Borg Warner T56 manual transmission for a 2000 FRC (Fixed Roof Coupe) Corvette and casted it myself in resin. I even sold a few copies.  
 Fast forward almost 23 years later, I still have this reject that was not properly formed on the top. 
Out came the hacksaw. Separated the tranny from the differential, buthchred the diff and flipped it 90 degrees...



Then took the spare LS1 engine powertrain from a builtup I was given years ago. Same maniac hacksaw...


and you have the basis for a LS1 - T56 manual combo for a C3 Corvette!


Just like in a 1:1, I'm working on the engine mounts to fit to the chassis.  This is 1/25 and the car is 1/24 but should still look good from underneath. 

Thanks,
Ismael

[Chris K. Hale]

Lookin Good My Friend Lookin Good !!!

[sam]

I am pretty sure I have the louvered roof for this. I will check when I get home.

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  Wheel choice: Pegasus Hella 19" but the included tires are ridiculously thin.  Parts box Good Year tires, I think these are from a C5 or C6 Corvette. 
Knock off style 3 prong spinners will cover the centers.
I reserve the right to change wheel choice a gazillion times before the end of the project. 



Thanks,
Ismael

[kyledehart5]

Well I like how that looks. Even if you u do change your mind many more times going forward.

[Joel_W]

Ismael,
Just catching up with the sites goings on, and of course your newest Corvette build caught my attention. Love the back story as you by now can write a book with all of them. Outstanding work body work especially the hood. looking forward to seeing how the lower (wrong scale engine) end drive train looks once installed and viewed bottom up.

joel

[tatocorvette]

Thank you guys!

Joel, this is how it is looking.  While the engine may be a tad small, the beefy tranny makes up for it.  Also, the sidepipes headers will help conceal the engine a bit more. But that is another challenge I haven't tackled yet. Making the original headers work with this engine.  One more reason to keep the hood glued shut.  Also need to make a driveshaft which should not be a problem.



Thanks,
Ismael

[Joel_W]

Ismael,
I'd say that you've exceeded your original expectations by quite some margin.

joel

[tatocorvette]

Hello,

  Engine mounts installed and aligned.  Engine with first coat of aluminum.



Thanks,
Ismael