This section is dedicated to displaying my latest work for my customers.
One reason I haven't had much time for diecast this summer (2001) is because I've been playing in the world of 1:1s. Last summer I completed a very long term (2nd) restoration of my own Chevelle and I have been attending numerous Chevelle and general car shows around the country and locally. This summer through my Chevelle club I met my new friend Bob. Bob had been looking for a '70 SS396 Chevelle like he had when he was in college. He and his wife dated in the car, etc., etc., so this particular car held a great deal of meaning for him. Early this year Bob found a decent copy of the car and brought it home and we've been cruising and going to shows together much of the summer. Years ago Bob's wife had found him a copy of the original issue Ertl red '70 Chevelle and he kept it at work to keep him going until he could find the real thing.
While I was at a show in Tinley Park, IL (Chicago) I met a guy with an awesome '70 LS6. We got to talking and I agreed to make a 1:18 scale copy of his LS6 car. His car was all black. I figured finding a Nutmeg car would be too costly so I got the Street Heat car. Since this car has a red interior I figured I could swap interiors with Bob if he was willing so his red model would more closely match his real car which also has a red interior.
Well, there I was disassembling Bob's rare and cherished red Ertl Chevelle and somehow I managed to bust the body shell into three pieces trying to remove the chassis screws! It was a total loss. I felt horrible. I have NEVER broken a customer's car (and hope I never do again!). It broke like it was made out of brittle, thin plastic. Anyway, I found a nice replacement on eBay and to make it up to Bob I decided to really detail the replacement well at no cost. Below are the results.
Bob's car is a non-cowl hood SS396. As always with Ertl Chevelles I painted the grill more completely and I also removed the cowl induction badges. I added a set of vintage Nebraska plates in the process.
Since the Ertl car starts life as an SS454 I had to make some changes. The first to go were the 454 badges replaced with the proper looking 396 tags. I also added extra detail to the wheels. Bob runs the stock SS wheels on his car so this is a nice detail to match his car.
Of course the engine itself looks like a 396 and that can be rectified with an air cleaner badge, but Bob's car is a non-cowl induction car so I also had to swap the air cleaner itself to match the open element non-cowl air cleaner. It adds a nice distinctive look since all Ertl '70's look pretty much the same under the hood. Bob's car runs red wires but I can't yet get red wires from my supplier so I used the yellow ones to add some color under the hood. I detailed the underside of the hood, the cowl area & windshield base, master cylinder, battery, alternator and washer bottle too.
Of course one of the more distinctive features of Bob's car is the red interior. The interior was a direct swap but I found that real red interiors use a black dash insert and a black steering wheel. Once I got those taken care of I chromed the door panels, dash trim, radio trim and I detailed the steering wheel, floor pedals and glove box lock. It was very fortunate that the Street Heat car's interior was also an automatic, bucket seat interior since that is exactly how Bob's car is set up.
The undercarriage got the typical detailing to the exhaust, gas tank, anti sway bar, driveshaft, starter and oil filter. I wish Ertl would do different transmission/interior details more often. It also still bugs me that the 2nd generation Firebird models run an automatic transmission with a four-speed shifter, what a goof on their part. On the '70 Chevelles, the varied interiors and drive trains help keep the cars from all looking exactly the same.
This is just one of Chevrolet's best looking cars to date. I love those fender bulges, it just screams MUSCLE!
And what would a nicely detailed Ertl Chevelle be without correct looking tail pipe tips. This pair turned out very well I think. You can see the plates better here as well. They are '69 Nebraska plates with a '72 licensing sticker.
Enjoy Bob!