´58 Chevrolet Impala

[Andy Oldenburg]

I was actually looking for the ´59 Impala but instead stumbled over the "original" Impala from ´58. (If anyone could give me a hint for the ´59 I would deeply appreciate it!) This kit was totally unfamiliar to me and it really looks old, though I bought it just recently from a model car vendor.

The quality is very good and there are lots of nice details (somehow a second body sneaked into the box, see what I can do with that one day?). I was in the mood for making opening doors and hinges again and to my relief this kit got em. So I can at least open the trunk and add that. Also, the hood needed hinges.

Cutting out the trunk lid was a bit of work because the body is quite thick and heavy. I make it a habit to add another layer of 0.5mm styrene under the lips. The paint layers do add up later and I want the lids to close tight and snug. Then I cut the extra layer clean and have sharp edges to apply the putty.

The trunk lid did turn out a bit messy after cutting. For a clean edge I applied a thin styrene layer to the edges before I fill the cracks with putty.

After the first sanding the fit is quite good.

Now its time for the lips. First the raw stage:

And now after cutting and sanding to shape:

Although this will be more a stock build, it will include some fancy things like fender skirts and the custom front. Some putty work is also necessary for the front fenders because the body has some serious dents around the headlights.

To avoid the gap at the vent window I attached small strips of styrene.

The hinges are attached to the bonnet and the trunk lid. 0.75 mm brass wire in styrene tubes.

Next step will be the first primer coat and then see whats left to do to the body before painting. Color will must probably be the very common eggshell white.

 

[TarheelRick]

Going to be a nice one when finished. You got a whole lot of chrome work to do on this one. Your selection of eggshell white is a good choice, although I am partial to their baby blue. Keep the updates coming.

[Andy Oldenburg]

Your right, there was a ton of chrome plated steel on this Chevy, as on just about every automobile back then. Just received a new sheet of BMF recently and the quality is much better than the Corona age delivery. I do want the chrome to be as smooth as possible.

[Force]

Revell/monogram did 59's both as a Convertible first issued 1993 and a Hard Top first issued in 1996, both are reissued several times and I believe the last issue of the Convertible was in 2011 and the last issue of the HT was in 2014.

This ESCI/ERTL 58 is the old AMT kit wich first came in 1964, it's not that bad for a kit with almost 60 years history, and it has been reissued many many times.

Edited September 18, 2023 by Force

[Hoffman]

9 hours ago, Andy Oldenburg said:

Your right, there was a ton of chrome plated steel on this Chevy, as on just about every automobile back then. Just received a new sheet of BMF recently and the quality is much better than the Corona age delivery. I do want the chrome to be as smooth as possible.

Great work, Andy! The hinges and bodywork look really good. Too much chrome? Well, in 1985 we would have taken a cue from Mercedes and Porsche and just blacked it out, painted it body color, or removed it altogether, right?

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/136348-58-chevy-impala-street-machine/

[Andy Oldenburg]

As I had expected, the first paint coat revealed where I had to tidy up my work. But then again, it isn´t that much save that I didn´t do much chopping on the body.

I was a bit messy with the trunk lid though. I am not that happy with the width of the gaps, so I decided to add some styrene where the gaps are too wide.  

Next step will be sanding them down until it fits fine. After gluing the door panels I discovered that both doors wouldn´t close correctly any more. So I did have to remove about 1mm to make them fit and close again.

While waiting for the paint and putty to dry I started building the engine. I´m choosing the revved up option, although the overall looks will be stock. And because it´s an old car in a "now" world, it does need a bit of grime.

 

Building carbs are the fun part for me. I like bending wires to make lines and cables. This is a first mock up of the carb before I do the paint work and patina. Got to get away from that chromium look.

This looks much better.

And attached to the manifold.

I build my distributors from: 6mm aluminum tube, 2mm brass rod and the ignition cables are 0.4mm from Scale Production. They fit smug between the rod and the tube and after a few drops of super glue they an take a hefty pull.

On top comes the lead to the coil and the after painting black I add the line to the carb.

Now I´m working on the pulleys. I deconstructed the pulley wheels from the kit part and sanded them thin, added 1mm discs and a .3mm back. The wheels will be looped with a thin rubber belt.

Back to the shop now.

[Andy Oldenburg]

I´m finished with the engine. The alternator is attached to the block with a .8mm brass rod. This is necessary because the rubber belt has too much tension and pull. I covered the rod with a strip of styrene and added the top attachment. Both are enhanced with photo-etched hex nuts. The ait filter isn´t Chevy, but I believe it fits well to the triple carburetors.

I´m finally at ease with the gaps at the trunk lid. Had to fill a corner after the filler primer and now the body is sprayed in an off white. The surface is sanded with grit 6000 and ready for the bar metal work. A lot of chrome work ahead....

[Slotto]

Great looking engine

[RocketFoot]

Man, the level of detail presented in many of the builds with in this forum are insane!  I love it!  Definitely sets the bar high for a beginner like me, LOL!

[Andy Oldenburg]

I spent a whole afternoon applying the bare metal. This baby has a lot of chrome and I didn´t want to mess it up, many curves and long trim. The decal sheet is a big disappointment. You get a load of logos for oils, spark plugs and hot rod accessories, but not a single emblem. I surfed the web and copied the emblems I needed and reduced the size until it fit. Printed it on high gloss photo paper and was very happy with the results! Next step for the body is the clear coat with AK Gloss Varnish.

On the side I finished the dashboard and interior. Of course the decal sheet didn´t contain any dash images either. So I found and copied images of the original dashboard and reduced the size to fit. I was surprised that enough details are still noticeable. The speedometer and a few gauges bring life to the dash and even the tiny logo on the steering hub looks fine. I enhanced  the radio and gauges with 0.4mm silver plated wire. The ashtray with the cigarette and the key chain were some extra fun.

The metal work on the dash and the doors are bare metal and a dip of Molotow pen here and there. Seeing these images magnified so much I guess I will have to take care of a few corners where the red and white collide.....

The seats received a bit of patina.

Thanks for watching so far!

[NOBLNG]

Nice work. I really like the engine detailing.?

[Slotto]

Super nice Andy. I really dig what you did with the emblems

[dino246gt]

You foiled that in an afternoon? Wow, I thought it'd take a week!  LOL

Looks great and I love that engine!

 

[Andy Oldenburg]

About time I showed some more images of my progress. The body is coated and sealed with AK clear varnish (rattle can). I´ve tried a few products but made the best experiences with AK. It flows into a great shine (if you warm the can before using) and is very mild to any other paint that might be underneath. No cracking or orange peel. The emblems on the hood and sides are printed images on glossy photo paper and the AK spray didn´t bother them either. One shot did the job this time.

To contrast the white body the interior and the undercarriage will be in a bright red. The bottom will see some weathering and a bit of rust (not much).

Then come the additional details to the drive and suspension. I started with the parking brake lines and the gas line.

The transmission and suspension parts all received some smudge.

I replaced the plastic springs with home made coils made of 1mm aluminum wire. Also added etched hex nuts and tiny beads for details. The brake line is 0.4mm silver plated wire.

The exhaust system needed hook ups and some patina.

The front suspension got wire springs too. The king pins are still steering!

The wheels are mounted and all touch the ground?. I wasn´t happy with the kit tires and replaced them with spares out of my rumble box. The white walls are painted with a white gel pen.

As always, fitting the engine was a pain. Something gets in the way; exhaust manifold, cooling hoses.... I still have to make and attach the missing part from manifold to muffler.

This kit comes without any mirrors. With the rear view I built a pair of sun visors and attached them after gluing the windows. In the meantime I gave the clear coat a week to harden and then did a mild polishing.

Since I opened the trunk the interior tub is a bit too long. I must shorten it very carefully to fit, not leave a gap under the rear window and leave some room for the trunk hinges. tricky....

I´m working on a trunk tub next, but for the moment I can already present my spare wheel.

Thanks for watching!

 

[NOBLNG]

That paint and foil work came out looking awesome Andreas!? And I am really loving all the chassis detailing too.?

[H.A.K]

Thats looking good.

[Zippi]

This 58 Chevy Impala brings back memories as a friend of mine had a white one back in the day.  Really nice looking.  

[Trendsetta68]

Awesome !!! ??

[Andy Oldenburg]

Thanks guys for your response! Bob, anecdotes about some of us knowing someone "back then" does make me realize how old we must have gotten... If we hadn´t found the fountain of youth called model building!??

[David G.]

Fabulous looking work so far!

You have a great idea for making distributors, I may have to try it sometime. thanks for sharing it.

David G.

[Steamboat]

Amazing work.  That's a thing of beauty!

[papajohn97]

Amazing job so far Andy on super-detailing this ancient AMT kit. Question on your emblem comment:

On 10/15/2023 at 3:16 AM, Andy Oldenburg said:

The emblems on the hood and sides are printed images on glossy photo paper and the AK spray didn´t bother them either.

Did you print these downloaded emblem images onto decal paper or bond cut-out printed images from white photo paper print-outs? If they’re from photo paper, I’d love to learn more details about this technique. I’ve been able to get some Chevy emblem decals from Keith Marks in Canada but when I last checked, he doesn’t offer emblems for the ‘58 Impala.

[Andy Oldenburg]

Hello John,

I have just learned that something like decal paper exists? I will check out, if I can source that here in Germany.

It took a bit of web research to find Chevy emblems and logos of different eras. I this case even on a single sheet, but way to big for a 1/25 scale model. I just copied the image and reduced it continuously to various sizes in a A4 word document. Printed on stationary paper looks quite dull, but I happened to have gloss photo paper, bright colors and sharp printed images. Cut them out with a small silhouette scissors and attached them to the body with white glue. I did the same with the speedometer on the dashboard and in the meantime found era conform images of a vintage radios. So there is a cheap and fast way to get more detail into a model.

I hope this was of help to you. Good luck!

[slusher]

Great work on your 58 Chevy!  Fantastic detailing!

[Andy Oldenburg]

So the interior tub is cut at the back end to fit, and it really did fit well. I didn´t have to do any filing on the dash or the sides, just cut a neat curve to match the rear window. The hinges for the trunk lid and the bonnet are working too? Starting to look like a car...

I had to fabricate a door mirror because the kit didn´t have one. Fortunately I had a searchlight that does the job well after some mild working.

The battery is finished also. Parts left to make from scratch for the engine bay are a coil and a brake booster, which I am currently working on.

The engine bay itself has received a bit of grime.

The missing parts from the exhaust manifold to the mufflers are really missing... I finger bended new ones from 3mm styrene. Looks like I will have to touch up the transmission a bit, paint has gotten chipped off during construction.

Now comes the exiting part! Connecting body and chassis. I will show that asap!