Once again we see that even a cheapy diecast can look great with a little detailing attention. This one got a little more than detailing though since I've done some mods as well. I've always loved 1955-1957 Chevrolets and especially the Nomad. I mean, how cool is it to have a two-door sporty station wagon?! Very. Yat Ming does a very decent job of painting the chrome trim on their cars (other manufacturers could take note) but it still doesn't look as good as chrome foil. Up front I threw a little detailing on the turn signals, bumper points, the grill background and the head light bezels.

Mods include the Cragar mags, the forward rake and, well, check out what else below. The work involved in modifying these Ertl wheels to fit this car was ridiculous! I will NOT be doing such mods for any customers! I'd still like to have the nose a little lower, but enough is enough. I've already got way too much time in this car.

The great styling features on the Nomad are many. I really like the nine roof lines and the seven tail gate ribs. I sure wish I could afford a 1:1 Nomad. I like my muscle cars stock, but I really like moderately modified 50's cars. Mag wheels, a forward rake and bigger engines just seem right in these cars. I like them best when the body and body trim is kept stock. This model pretty much reflects how I would modify a Nomad if I had one.

Ah, now we're talking! It's kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but that's an LS6 454 planted in the Nomad's engine bay. I only wish the wheels would have been as easy to modify onto this car as the engine was. I was even able to reuse the original exhaust system from the model! I think this motor belonged in this car all along!

You can see how cleanly the exhaust system fits. I had to bend the drive shaft a bit to accommodate the lift at the rear but that was no big deal. One parting word for all modelers: Ertl wheels and Yat Ming hubs DO NOT MIX! LOL!