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1951 Chevy De Luxe Convertible


David G.

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14 hours ago, Rider said:

I really like that blue. The build is looking good. 

Thank you Curtis.

10 hours ago, espo said:

Great looking interior inserts. The one little spot might be the perfect place for either a pillow or one of those stuffed toys they used to have in some kits.  

Thanks David. I removed that one right after I snapped the photo, while it was still wet.  I laid on a much heavier layer of Tamiya flat clear on the rest of that first printing and had no more trouble with the ink adhesion. 

I think it came out fairly well. I'm going to try to post some photos later today.

Thanks,

David G.

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Plaid interior trim may not be correct as factory options But I had to come up with something to go with the non-factory paint color. Too bad the color on the camera wasn't a little better.

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As you might imagine, trimming out the door panels was a little tricky.

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Overall, I'm fairly pleased with the outcome.

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Thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

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I like how the seats turned out. While not correct for an OEM car, Sears used to sell a ton of seat covers and these look a lot like they did. While convertibles of this era usually had some type of vinyl seats most cars had cloth interiors that were not very durable and it was common for someone to buy a new car and then have Sears or some other upholstery shop put seat covers on. They often looked better than what the manufacture installed anyway.   

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6 hours ago, espo said:

I like how the seats turned out. While not correct for an OEM car, Sears used to sell a ton of seat covers and these look a lot like they did. While convertibles of this era usually had some type of vinyl seats most cars had cloth interiors that were not very durable and it was common for someone to buy a new car and then have Sears or some other upholstery shop put seat covers on. They often looked better than what the manufacture installed anyway.   

Back in the day, factory seat covers shredded themselves to death pretty quickly.   As you said, Sears and my favorite,  Rayco, sold tons of seat covers! 

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Oh man!  Awesome.  I like it just as it is with the blue hood and primer body.  And the interior rocks!   Ready to cruise til owner saves up some more money to keep fixing on his/her old heap!  

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 6/10/2019 at 5:29 AM, randyc said:

Oh man!  Awesome.  I like it just as it is with the blue hood and primer body.  And the interior rocks!   Ready to cruise til owner saves up some more money to keep fixing on his/her old heap!  

 

Thanks Randy, I think I came up with my story for this one. I'll share it with everyone when I put it in the "Under Glass" section. 

David G.

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On 6/9/2019 at 10:16 AM, Foxer said:

Interior is looking good.

Thanks Mike, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

On 6/9/2019 at 11:41 AM, espo said:

I like how the seats turned out. While not correct for an OEM car, Sears used to sell a ton of seat covers and these look a lot like they did. While convertibles of this era usually had some type of vinyl seats most cars had cloth interiors that were not very durable and it was common for someone to buy a new car and then have Sears or some other upholstery shop put seat covers on. They often looked better than what the manufacture installed anyway.   

I think I've come up with a good explanation for the stock looking custom options- a story for the car. I'll share it when I move it to the "Under Glass" section.

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This from the "There's always something" file. There seems to be a bit of a gap on one side of the radiator support. The inner fender wells glue to the firewall and have to align with the frame, radiator support and outer fenders. The car has to be pretty much assembled before the inner fenders can be glued in place properly. Due to their complex shapes and limited access there is no easy way to hold them in location while trying to apply adhesive to the area where they attach inside the fenders behind the front wheels. So, yeah, my alignment may be a little off, but not that much.

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Gluing a bit of styrene to build up the area then file it into shape.

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Checking the fit...

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Looks like that should work.

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A little fill and then off to the paint department to make it pretty.

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With the engine compartment knocked into shape, the chassis is mostly done. On to the body.

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As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

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I got some color put down over the weekend.

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I like the way this color looks on this car.

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I have a bit of orange peel and some other flaws to address. Since this is Testors enamel, I plan to give it at least a week to cure before I start cleaning it up.

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I think I hit on a good color combination with this one.

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As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

 

 

 

 

 

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17 hours ago, NothingAsFineAsaW9 said:

Very nice color combination the car is turning out really good. 

Thank you Vince, I'm glad you like it.

9 hours ago, espo said:

The body color and the seat covers match perfectly. Chevrolet had a color like this in the early '50's that was very popular on their higher end models. 

Thanks David, I'm pretty pleased with it's all coming together. All I need to do now is get the paint smoothed out and polished so I can finish this beast.

David G.

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2 hours ago, Cpt Tuttle said:

I agree, this looks pretty much like many aftermarket 50s seat covers I have seen.

Thank you Mattias. I thought the plaid would have a 50's feel to it, happily it seems that I was right.

On 6/26/2019 at 3:58 AM, Rider said:

This is coming together nicely David. 

Thanks Curtis.

David G.

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  • 4 weeks later...


I've been trying to post an update since Friday, July 19th only to get the dreaded "404 Error". I've tried posting both with and without photos. I've tried linking the images through Photo Bucket without success. So I'm trying a test to see if I can get anything at all to post and hopefully break through whatever is causing the hangup.

David G.

Edited by David G.
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I've been trying to post this update since Friday, July 19th only to get the dreaded "404 Error". I've tried posting both with and without photos. I've tried linking the images through Photo Bucket without success. Obviously, if you're reading this, that means it finally went through, but sheesh!

I know it's been a while since I posted an update on this one but I've been painting, polishing and foiling and well, there's just not that much to see during that process.

The front glass has a few issues. The wing vents are too short and don't meet the frame.

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Also, the thickness of the vent glass is preventing the interior from nesting properly into the body. I've since removed these and replaced them with thinner acetate pieces which should also allow the body and interior to mate properly.

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In the week since I started trying to post this update, I've brought this one to the verge of completion and should be posting it in the Under Glass section soon.

 As always, thanks for your support and encouragement.
David G.

Edited by David G.
404 Error
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9 hours ago, randyc said:

Just a note to let ya know this looks great and the FEEL of your build was part of my inspiration for my 53 BelAir in the Under Glass section.   

Thanks Randy. I went and scoped out you 53, it's pretty awesome. Excellent color choice, looks very well built.

David G.

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