California Sheriff 1999 Chevy Tahoe PPV

[av405]

In the late 1990's, Chevrolet introduced the Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle (PPV). It was offered for the 1997-1999 model years and was one of the replacements for the popular Caprice 9C1. To my knowledge, it was the first pursuit-rated police package SUV designed specifically for everyday patrol use. You can say that this model was the OG police package SUV and in retrospect, was a sign of things to come in the 2000s. I remember it being used by many agencies, but mostly in specialized roles and not as fleet-wide replacements. Perhaps it was a bit ahead of its time as the Crown Victoria, and police package sedans in general, still reigned supreme. Chevy didn't re-introduce the Tahoe PPV until the 2005 model year, which slowly brought us to the era of police vehicles we're in now.

With the history lesson out of the way, my next build is going to be a 1999 Tahoe in the markings of the biggest Sheriff's department in the world. I won't mention names due to long-standing copyright issues. This agency was an early user of the Tahoe and it was mainly issued to patrol sergeants. This thread will serve as a WIP for the build and as a tutorial for how to convert the AMT 1996 Chevy Tahoe LT kit into a Tahoe PPV.

This is what I'm starting with:

This is the goal:

This is going to be a long-term build as my wife is expecting any day now, so don't expect this one to be done soon. 

Edited August 24 by av405

[av405]

Let's get things started. One of the first steps to take is to remove the running boards and side door molding. The side molding was optional on PPVs and many agencies opted to keep it, but I will not as the agency I'm replicating did not have it on their Tahoes. 

I spent last night and this morning removing the boards and side trim. For those of you that followed my 1992 F-150 XL WIP thread, I spoke of how I did this, but I'll mention it again. I used a saw attachment for my xacto knife to remove the boards and xacto blades, files, and 400 grit sanding boards to remove the side molding. Placing painter's tape around helped prevent damage from a blade running askew. 

Here is the body after this work was done and a 600 grit sand was applied to the entire body to smooth things out. It's very easy to see the side molding outlines/ghosting left even after removing the actual molding. 

I brushed Plastruct liquid cement onto the areas that formerly had the side molding trim. The liquid glue will get rid of the ghosting left behind by removing the side trim. This is a method I learned from Bill Guery and I've applied it successfully mutliple times. 

I'll let the glue dry before sanding the body again and working on various other imperfections. 

Edited August 24 by av405

[maxwell48098]

I did the same conversion to make this MI SP cruiser backs in the '90's.

 Looking forward to seeing this one done.

 

A.J.

[DJMar]

Interesting project. I'll be following along as I have a similar build in the stash.

I'm digging the LASD version. What are you going to use for markings? I remember a few years back the LASD got pretty aggressive with licensing, and there were a bunch of diescasts, decals sets, etc. that were pulled off the market due to "cease & desist" type legal stuff.

Edited August 20 by DJMar

[av405]

5 hours ago, maxwell48098 said:

I did the same conversion to make this MI SP cruiser backs in the '90's.

I remember your build and just ran into it again yesterday when I was searching the forum for similar builds. You did a great job on yours. I think yours is one of the few conversions I've seen with the side molding removed.

5 hours ago, DJMar said:

Interesting project. I'll be following along as I have a similar build in the stash.

I'm digging the LASD version. What are you going to use for markings? I remember a few years back the LASD got pretty aggressive with licensing, and there were a bunch of diescasts, decals sets, etc. that were pulled off the market due to "cease & desist" type legal stuff.

I have markings from 3 different decal makers (2 of them defunct) that I've acquired over the years. I'll make the decision on what sheet to use when the time comes. Are you looking for LASD decals?

[DJMar]

34 minutes ago, av405 said:

I have markings from 3 different decal makers (2 of them defunct) that I've acquired over the years. I'll make the decision on what sheet to use when the time comes. Are you looking for LASD decals?

We're in the same boat, as I've squirreled away a few different agency sets over the decades. I was curious if you had the specific markings planned already, as I know they can be VERY hard to find. I've got at least one LASD in 1:25, I believe from Code 3.

I appreciate the offer, though.

[av405]

1 hour ago, DJMar said:

We're in the same boat, as I've squirreled away a few different agency sets over the decades. I was curious if you had the specific markings planned already, as I know they can be VERY hard to find. I've got at least one LASD in 1:25, I believe from Code 3.

I appreciate the offer, though.

I'm leaning toward one of the Accuscale/Code 7 sets that I have. The one that came with Santa Monica PD markings. It looks to be the most accurate. Chimneyville's take on LASD was pretty bad, so I sold those a long time ago. There's a decal maker on ebay that makes LASD decals labeled generically as "California Sheriff Decals" or something of that sort. Those aren't too good either. I've sent you a PM.

[slusher]

I will follow along I hope everything goes smooth with baby on the way God bless your family…

[av405]

4 hours ago, slusher said:

I will follow along I hope everything goes smooth with baby on the way God bless your family…

Thank you Carl, very kind of you to say that.

[av405]

After applying the liquid cement and letting it dry for a day, I re-sanded with 600 grit and sprayed primer to highlight any imperfections. I only found a few, so I'll re-sand again until they disappear.

When I was removing the running boards from the passenger side, I cut a bit too much into the body. It's not extremely noticeable, but I'll lay down some putty to fill it in and reshape. 

I'm also going to have to deal with this flaw on the front driver's side. I'll have to cut down the excess block of plastic and fill along the bottom.

[stavanzer]

Wow, these pictures show exactly how you get some of your realistic results. Thank you for taking the time not only to take the photos, but to circle the flaws you find and mention the fix.

Doing so shows you are a True Modeler, and Gentleman as well.

Thanks for Sharing.

I hope all goes well with the Baby too. It can be nerve wracking. I remember my first, 30 years ago.

Edited August 22 by stavanzer
Spelling Errors

[av405]

1 hour ago, stavanzer said:

Wow, these pictures show exactly how you get some of your realistic results. Thank you for taking the time not only to take the photos, but to circle the flaws you find and mention the fix.

Doing so shows you are a True Modeler, and Gentleman as well.

Thanks for Sharing.

I hope all goes well with the Baby too. It can be nerve wracking. I remember my first, 30 years ago.

You're far too kind. Apart from enjoying sharing tips with my fellow modelers, I use these WIPs as a future archive for myself so I can remember what I did when I want to build these kits again.

Thank you! Yes, I'm definitely in the nerve wracking stage right now, but very excited. 

[stavanzer]

9 minutes ago, av405 said:

Thank you! Yes, I'm definitely in the nerve wracking stage right now, but very excited. 

Oh, it's a Roller coaster ride alright. Mine are 40,38 & 30. All are married, employed and pleasant to be around. You cannot ask for more than that. But, it took a lot of work to get there. Wanting to do you best is the key. There are no perfect answers, and baby books and online experts are never there at 3am when the Baby does something that the book says nothing about. My Advice? Trust your instincts. You will get to know 'your' baby pretty quickly. If you think something is wrong, don't spend hours second-guessing your self. Get the baby looked at. And remember. Our Grandmothers, had few of today's resources, yet they raised your parents. Lastly, You'll do fine! It is both the Hardest & Easiest thing you'll ever do. Only thing Harder?

IMHO, staying married.

[av405]

Thank you, Alan. Very wise words that I'll be sure to remember. 

[av405]

The work on the main body is done. Once I was finished with the body work, I wet sanded the body with 600 grit and washed it in warm water and Dawn dish soap. I let it air dry overnight and then wiped it down this morning with a microfiber towel. I followed this up with Mr. Surfacer 1500 Grey Primer. Everything looks pretty good and I didn't find any imperfections or scratches. I'm starting to get more comfortable with doing this type of body work. 

Some Tamiya Putty and sanding took care of the damage I did to the lower body near the front wheel well when I was removing the running boards:

I did the best I could to address the molding issue up front. Some putty and careful sanding made it look much better, but not perfect. I'll probably leave it as-is. This part will be painted black, so it shouldn't be too noticeable. In case anybody's wondering, I drilled the holes on the A-pillar for spotlights. The spotlights on this generation of Tahoes sat up pretty high.

I also sanded, cleaned and primed the hood. This will be a curbside build, so I'll be gluing the hood shut and painting everything together from here on out. I just wanted to prime it separately for now in case any issues came up that needed fixing. 

Overall, I'm happy with the progress so far. I don't plan on painting the body anytime soon, so I'll keep an eye on it to see if any ghosting shows through from the body work. I'll be doing some chassis work next. 

[DJMar]

I bought a bunch of these from the LHS way back when they were first released, mainly because they were $8 or $9, and I have poor impulse control.

FWIW, the plastic on the original issues seems to be pretty resistant to ghosting. I've removed the lower body trim and running boards on a few different builds using the original kits. I didn't have a problem with anything showing through, even with lacquer paints.

[av405]

46 minutes ago, DJMar said:

FWIW, the plastic on the original issues seems to be pretty resistant to ghosting. I've removed the lower body trim and running boards on a few different builds using the original kits. I didn't have a problem with anything showing through, even with lacquer paints.

That's good to hear. I recall reading somewhere that the AMT Tahoe kits were all disassembled promos that were packed up as kits once AMT realized how many they had. Which would explain the blue bodies. Also, promo plastic has always felt a little different to me.

[rv1963]

Well done that body work looks really clean.

[av405]

6 hours ago, rv1963 said:

Well done that body work looks really clean.

Thanks, Robert!

The first-gen Tahoe PPVs used what Chevy called the "Optional chrome-plated' wheels, painted black. They could be ordered all chrome as an option, but most agencies opted for the utilitarian-looking black wheels. These wheels are best known for being equipped on the C-1500 454SS. A few years ago, I picked up a spare set of AMT 454SS wheels on ebay just with this project in mind. The recently released AMT 1992 Silverado truck kit also comes with these wheels, albeit re-designed. I haven't compared the wheels from the 454SS kit to the equivalent wheels on the new kit to see if there's any major differences. 

I initially tried to mask the center caps with blue tack and then painted the wheels black. I didn't like the uneven mask the tack gave me, so I stripped the wheels bare with Super Clean. This is my go-to for stripping kit chrome:

I then primed the wheels and painted them with Tamiya TS-29 Semi Gloss Black. I used bare metal foil on the center caps. It's a hassle to apply BMF on such uneven surfaces, but I'd say it came out okay:

I then went to work on the light bar. Lindberg made a great MX7000 light bar, so I robbed one from one of my Crown Victoria police car kits. 

I used 91% isopropyl alcohol to remove the clear blue paint from the light bar. It works quickly and I highly recommend it for these applications. I used Tamiya Clear Red, Clear Blue, and Clear Yellow to get my light bar up to LASD-specs:

I grabbed some spot lights from the Crown Victoria kit and used extra fine pins to make the shafts:

Here's the kit so far after converting it from a 4x4 to 2WD. I took a set of Goodyear GT Radial tires from the Revell Caprice police car kit as they are beefier than the tires that came with the 454SS wheels. 

Edited August 27 by av405

[stavanzer]

Awesome Work!

[slusher]

I will tell you a stripping trick, I keep an airbrush bottle on my table. I keep super clean in it for small parts. I have dippe the paint brush in the super clean and brushed the pare of the wheel or other parts and it will step it.  Leaving the center cap chrome.  I wash in a sink full of water"..

 

[mikemodeler]

Great work on converting that body, very clean!

 

Best wishes for a happy, healthy baby and that Mom and Dad are doing well also!

[av405]

On 8/26/2024 at 6:37 PM, stavanzer said:

Awesome Work!

Thanks!

23 hours ago, slusher said:

I will tell you a stripping trick, I keep an airbrush bottle on my table. I keep super clean in it for small parts. I have dippe the paint brush in the super clean and brushed the pare of the wheel or other parts and it will step it.  Leaving the center cap chrome.  I wash in a sink full of water"..

 

Good trick, thank you.

15 hours ago, mikemodeler said:

Great work on converting that body, very clean!

Best wishes for a happy, healthy baby and that Mom and Dad are doing well also!

Thank you on both counts! Much appreciated 

[DJMar]

This is looking really good. As usual, it's a super clean and neat build. Have you lowered it? It seems to be at a good 2wd ride height.

Also, I was wondering what you were going to do with the lightbar, and that's an excellent choice.??I should have stocked up on more of those Lindberg kits when they were still available!

 

On 8/26/2024 at 5:20 PM, av405 said:

These wheels are best known for being equipped on the C-1500 454SS. A few years ago, I picked up a spare set of AMT 454SS wheels on ebay just with this project in mind. The recently released AMT 1992 Silverado truck kit also comes with these wheels, albeit re-designed. I haven't compared the wheels from the 454SS kit to the equivalent wheels on the new kit to see if there's any major differences.

The newer, retooled release of the Silverado does have these wheels, but the design is changed. They are molded open, which is a bonus. However, they have a mounting boss on the back for metal axles, as well as ribs around the circumference to hold them in the hollow vinyl tires. They are smaller than the AMT standard, which means fitting them in the majority of tires out there will be a challenge.

 

[mikemodeler]

I have had great success with the quality of the product and service from this online seller. They have a ton of stuff for police/fire/EMT builds.

 

http://www.customsquads.com/products.html