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Post by mrmike on Mar 20, 2022 9:25:34 GMT -7
Since I am on a sports car fling, my new project is one that I had started on about 3-4 years ago. The '68 Corvette ragtop roadster! I don't remember how I ended up with the kit, but I really wasn't a fan of the large hood bulge. Years ago, I was talking to the late Barry Fadden about this kit and how I didn't like the hood and he offered me a regular performance hood from an AMT '71 454 Corvette and I tried it on the body when I got home and it did fit, but it was a little short. I have been working on this hood for a while and I may have it were I want it to be. I was originally going to paint this '68 Vette with Model Master Nassau Blue Metallic Lacquer, but I kept imagining a dark green and I settled on Model Master British Racing Green Enamel. Now, my luck with old Testors/Model Master enamel spray paint is not very good, so I will try my best with what I have and if this doesn't work, I will have to find an alternative. This Vette will be built kind of stock. The tires I might use are from the Monogram '55 Chevy Street Machine or the AMT Pad Printed Goodyear tires.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by transammike on Mar 21, 2022 14:19:33 GMT -7
And Mike, I'll be watching. Best looking C-3's are the chrome bumper cars.
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Post by mrmike on Mar 22, 2022 6:56:09 GMT -7
Thanks Mike! I assembled the basic engine and went to paint it. The Model Master Acrylic Enamel paint I had picked up was old and needed to be thinned. I thinned the paint with Acryl Thinner and now I will strip the paint from the engine and repaint it. When I wire an engine, I usually drill out the distributor and add my wires. This distributor has a mounting pin just under the distributor capand I drilled it out, added a short piece of 1/8th inch styrene tube and then I glued in the pin. Now I can add my wires.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by DeeCee on Mar 23, 2022 1:13:27 GMT -7
Love the shape of these Vette's.
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Post by mrmike on Mar 23, 2022 6:21:03 GMT -7
The C3 Corvettes had a unique style to it. They stuck around for years and GM produced about 500,000 of them. This explains why they are so inexpensive to buy. I like the C3 'Vettes better than the new C8 'Vettes.
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Post by mrmike on Mar 24, 2022 9:55:31 GMT -7
I left the engine covered in Easy-Off Oven Cleaner for a couple of days since I had to do other things. In other words, life got in the way. I washed the engine this morning and I got 99% of the paint off and I have been scraping any other loose particules off. Now to repaint the engine after I drill for plug wires.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Mar 26, 2022 6:47:03 GMT -7
The 427 CI engine is wired and assembled. I ran some wires through the ignition shield and ran them to the cylinder heads. All that work done on the distributor and I didn't use it, but I did add a piece of 1/16 inch styrene rod to under the distributor shield to the back of the intake manifold. That sparked the question, is the shield a part of the 1:1 air cleaner or is it a separate item? The air cleaner I found was on the part sprue, but not listed in the instructions. This air cleaner is for a "lesser" 427 engine which I have created.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by sharp on Mar 26, 2022 18:17:07 GMT -7
Nice job on the engine!
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Post by mrmike on Mar 26, 2022 19:14:27 GMT -7
Thanks Mike! Just tarted thinking about a arm for the alternator. Something to research!
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Post by DeeCee on Mar 26, 2022 21:24:45 GMT -7
Engine has come up well Mike, looks good.
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Post by mustang1989 on Mar 27, 2022 3:15:22 GMT -7
Good looking engine build so far Mike. The distributor chrome housing and air cleaner are two separate pieces......thankfully. I'd hate to be the one trying to gain access to the carburetor and have to remove that chrome housing on the distributor too. lol In the pic below you can see the one wing nut for the air cleaner which is clearly a separate piece from the dist housing. 3 wingnuts secure the chrome top cover to the distributor. Honestly that was kind of a wierd design as it's really easy for spark to arc against that metal housing.  |
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Post by mrmike on Mar 27, 2022 6:37:03 GMT -7
Thanks Dale and Joe!
Joe, this is a better picture than any I have found. All the pictures I have found show the shield much closer to the air cleaner making it look as part of the air cleaner itself.
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Post by mrmike on Mar 27, 2022 6:52:26 GMT -7
I have never liked the alternator/generator hanging in the air and I tried to make a bracket for that. It's not bad and probably a bit larger than it should be, but I did make a bracket for the alternator. Now to clean it up, finalize the shape and paint it!    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Mar 27, 2022 13:39:34 GMT -7
Earlier this week I took a chance and painted the hardtop roof and it didn't come out too badly. I painted the body this afternoon and I am not too happy as the body door lines and vent lines showed through the paint. Maybe another coat or two after this coat has had a chance to dry. I painted the underside of the hood and when this has had chance to dry, I'll paint the top of the hood.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by Deano on Mar 29, 2022 0:00:40 GMT -7
So far so good Mike. Like the colour.
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Post by mrmike on Mar 29, 2022 7:31:31 GMT -7
Thanks Deano! I liked the color as well, but it was old enamel and it didn't spray well. The Corvette is taking an Easy-Off bath as we speak. The body, hood and roof will be repainted with Tamiya British Green with a Tamiya Pearl Clear. I decided on assembling the chassis. I replaced the kit tires with a set of white letter tires from AMT. The engine is wired with a triangular air cleaner over the single 4-barrel carburator. I replaced the kit front springs with a set I had found in my parts box and I painted them blue. I glue the front wheels on so the model wouldn't roll off the table.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Mar 30, 2022 13:38:14 GMT -7
After sitting for a couple of days in Easy-Off Oven Cleaner, I washed the Corvette body, hood and roof and the old paint just came off with some Dawn Dish Detergent and a scrub brush. Now to pick and sand to remove any unwanted paint and then a new coat of primer.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Mar 31, 2022 7:34:24 GMT -7
I started off this morning with several pieces of sanding film and I removed any remaining primer and paint. I traced all the door groves and vents with a pick and the backside of my No. 11 X-acto blade. I applied more Bondo to the hood edge that I had added previously. More sanding to follow and then primer and paint.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by poet on Apr 1, 2022 4:53:07 GMT -7
Looking good!
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Post by mrmike on Apr 1, 2022 6:16:21 GMT -7
Thanks Dennis! Now for some primer and paint!
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Post by mrmike on Apr 1, 2022 12:32:28 GMT -7
I added primer to my Corvette L89 this afternoon. Dupi-Color Scratch Filler & Primer.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by sharp on Apr 1, 2022 19:02:15 GMT -7
Looks good Mike! That primer looks like it lay down nice.
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Post by mrmike on Apr 1, 2022 19:22:21 GMT -7
Thanks Mike! It did lay down nicely, especially for an old can of primer.
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Post by mrmike on Apr 3, 2022 14:43:29 GMT -7
I don't like the instructions on this model! Parts are included, but there is no mention of that part being used anywhere. There is a fan shroud on the parts tree, but no where in the instructions is it called for. I included it on my Corvette! I have started sanding the primer coat on the 'Vette hood and in some spots, the primer ran so I made sure it was flush before I add another coat, a little more sanding and paint.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Apr 4, 2022 11:09:50 GMT -7
I have finished the interior of my '68 Corvette. Since this is a L89 car and not an L88, I tried to create a radio in place of the block off plate that L88s have since they have no radios.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Apr 6, 2022 10:52:22 GMT -7
I painted the Corvette this afternoon with Dupli-Color Forest Green Pearl over Dupli-Color Scratch Filler & Primer. Came out rather well. Just a little blushing on the roof which will polish out. A good paint job! Now to let this dry for a couple of days and then polishing and clearcoat.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Apr 6, 2022 12:33:38 GMT -7
I started looking at the instructions again and then I Googled Corvette engine compartments and then I Googled expansion tanks and windshield washer tanks. With the help of my Revell '69 Corvette Yenko instructions, I figured the location of the expansion tank and the washer bottle and I installed them on the passenger side inner fender of my '68 Corvette. The expansion tank is not listed in the '68 Corvette instructions and the windshield washer bottle is not listed on the '69 Corvette Yenko instructions. This is a case of both maybe correct, but both are wrong for their exclusions.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Apr 9, 2022 6:57:32 GMT -7
I started polishing the Forest Green Pearl paint this morning. So far, I have the roof and the hood polished and the body is next. I burnt through in a couple of places on the hood and I tried to touch up those spots, but they stand out like a sore thumb! After repeated polishings, they still stand out, so the alternative is to repaint the hood again.    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Apr 16, 2022 6:38:04 GMT -7
After much preparation, I added another coat of paint to the hood only to have fogging and pin holes in the paint! I knew I should have washed the hood first! But, then I discovered a crack in the paint. Now, this is not on the edge where I have added some styrene to extend the hood, but inboard about 1/4 inch from the edge. Ihave decided to toss the hood into a tub with some Easy-Off Oven Cleaner, remove the paint and start all over again!    More Corvette to come... |
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Post by mrmike on Apr 17, 2022 13:00:57 GMT -7
The hood has had the paint removed, been washed and now for it is ready for more bodywork! Oh joy! Have I ever mentioned that I hate bodywork? I do! The crack goes all the way through the hood and I am figuring a way to repair it. I also have to add a coating of filler over the top of the hood and sand it all smooth.    More Corvette to come... |
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