Project LS6 is complete! I met the owner of an outstanding low mile unrestored '70 LS6 Chevelle this summer at a show I was at with my Chevelle. We got talking and we struck a deal where I would make a scale replica of his very car. I started with the Street Heat Chevelle which was a far cry from the 1:1 I was modeling. Dean's car is a black on black LS6 with no stripes, no cowl hood, bucket seats and a four speed. Two large problems faced me in that Ertl has never made a non-cowl induction '70 Chevelle hood or air cleaner set up and they have never made a bucket seat 4-speed combination interior. The goal was also to add a great deal of detail to the car so I had my work cut out for me.
Along with all my typical detailing I have added a lot more to this particular car. Up front I have completed the body color paint on the grill and of course you can see the chrome trim I've added. The new hood has a nice sleek look especially in black. I ditched the Ertl wheels in favor of the GMP wheels. I also painted the spokes which were left chrome as they come from GMP.
I also added real metal exhaust tips and reproductions of the West Virginia plates the car had when it was new in 1970. The GMP tires look a lot better than the Ertl units as well. I also added some new detail to the tail lights which improve things back here.
I added a great deal of detail to the interior. I added chrome trim to the dash panel, glove box knob, door panel trim and I painted the shifter knob and shifter boot. I also painted in the door panel badges and I added a clutch pedal to the floor board as well as detailing the steering wheel trim and I painted the proper dash switches and knobs though most remained black as they should be. Of course the interior is now a bucket seat 4-speed combination. I had to greatly modify the interior molding to fill in the driveshaft hump that is missing that was originally found under the original bench seat. Technically the upper door panel trim should be two thin strips of chrome but this would be almost impossible to duplicate well so I just chromed the raised ridge to simulate where this line of chrome runs.
The undercarriage received the typical details to the gas tank, exhaust, anti-sway bar, drive shaft and engine parts that show down here. It just barely shows but maybe you can see the positive battery lead that routes to the starter solenoid. The gas tank straps add a little more detail.
I saved the best for last. I added a ton of detail in the engine compartment. First I painted the underside of the hood flat black and added a piece of brushed stainless to the windshield base. On the engine I added heater hoses, a lower radiator hose, battery cables, spark plug wires, a coil, coil wire, a correct non-cowl induction air cleaner, fuel line and a PCV hose. Different hoses have slightly different colors to simulate the look of the various 1:1 hoses. Painted details were added to the battery cable, battery terminals, master cylinder, brake booster, alternator and washer bottle. I also removed the original valve covers for a set that look more correct to the 1:1 valve covers.
Enjoy Dean!
