I took this one apart the day it arrived. I knew a black car would detail well and I've got a certain affection for the L79 (350hp/327ci). But, as life goes sometimes, other things seemed more important for quite some time. When I started working on it again I decided to really shoot the works when detailing this one. I hope you like the results. I think the most important detailing done here was to detail the hubcaps. They were nicely cast, they were just too much chrome! I don't believe I just said that! There wasn't a lot I could do with the hood ornament so I simply added a strip of red to simulate the emblem which goes in the center which is mostly red. I black washed the rockers to add the black background to the rocker ribs. The chrome added is obvious but includes the front and rear window trim, the roof rail trim and the side window sill trim. I also blacked out the bumper brackets that show through the openings in the bumper.
The rear cove panel should be mostly satin aluminum but I couldn't find an acceptable way to make it appear satin while leaving the tiny "Chevy II" lettering chrome. I did paint the emblem red and added the SS emblem RC/Ertl so carelessly left out.
Here's a closer look at the rear fascia and that great looking SS emblem (thanks Ned). This is really one of RC/Ertl's better efforts, it is really too bad they missed and left out some obvious details.
Let's open up that trunk. RC/Ertl had included a spare, but it had a hubcap which looked all wrong. I added a bare black steel wheel, a jack base plate/spare tie down and I spatter painted the trunk. You don't want to know what it took to obtain this effect! But it sure turned out nice. There's that nice SS emblem again.
I typically don't do much with interiors because they are typically done pretty well from the start, they are usually black and dark and any added details will likely go unnoticed. Well, this interior is dark but they left out quite a bit of detailing which adds some brightness to the interior. I added the satin seat cover badges (not visible) to the front and rear seats, I added door panel trim to the top and bottom horizontally and the center vertically and chromed the armrest bases and ashtrays.
The front seats got chrome trim around the back panel edges, the SS emblem on the console was painted and the radio face plate was covered in satin foil. The SS emblem in the steering wheel is wrong so I didn't detail it which would bring more attention to the error. I blacked out the shifter boot and I would have liked to give a satin treatment to the console top but again, I couldn't find an acceptable way to do so without ruining the overall look.
The chassis detailing consists of added color to the front struts, steering link, driveshaft, shocks, rear springs and the gas tank straps. I touched a little black into the pipe hollows but the exhaust and tank silver detailing was already there. The engine was painted the correct color of orange and from here you can see that the bell housing, transmission, oil filter, starter and fuel pump have also been detailed.
Here's where I really got nuts. The L79 deserves much better than the wrong red color and lack of details RC/Ertl gave it. They had even painted the intake red! That was the first thing I did; change the intake manifold back into aluminum. I also painted the alternator, washer bottle cap, radiator cap, battery terminals & caps, shock tower upper bolts, water outlet, carburetor (not visible), hood latch and I added and detailed a master cylinder. I guess RC/Ertl didn't think this thing needed to ever stop! I added spark plug wires, battery cables, PCV hose, heater hoses, alternator wiring, a brake line and a fuel line.
Here's another angle to show off some the wiring and plumbing better. I wish I had a way to tool up some nice little gold and black valve cover decals because that's the only detail that seems to be missing at this point! Ned?!
Let's make the parting shot the detail that makes it all work. Adding all the correct details to the hubcaps was fairly straightforward but it was time consuming and I am pleased with the results. You can also see the black wash treatment of the rockers here.
