The Delaware Valley Scale Modelers'
2007 Favorite Five Contest
This BelAir hardtop started life as a Monogram Indy 500 Pace Car convertible
kit. Since I didn¹t like the way the manufacturer had modeled the
convertible windshield frame on the otherwise great kit, and (at the time)
there was no modern kit of the hardtop '55 BelAir, I grafted the roof from
AMT's old (tooled in 1962) '57 BelAir onto the '55 converible body to make
my own hardtop. It was a nearly perfect fit!
Selected parts from other kits were used to depict a clean,
Corvette-engined, street-driven mild custom as it might have appeared in
about 1957 or '58. The dual-carb equipped 283 engine and manual trans,
replacing the original 265 and Powerglide automatic, come from AMT's "new
tool" '57 Chevy, with valve covers from their fuel-injected '57 Corvette.
The air cleaners, which are virtually identical to those used on dual-carb
Corvette engines, come from AMT's '62 Pontiac Catalina. The '55 front engine
cover and engine mounts were retained, while the rear engine/trans mounts
had to be moved approximately 1/8th forward. The drive shaft was modified
accordingly and new header pipes had to be fabricated to mate the '57
exhaust manifolds to the '55 dual exhaust system.
The rear seat and interior side panels were modified as appropriate for the
hardtop. The interior is painted in stock '55 colors to represent a hardtop
which has had the original ivory seat fabric replaced with ivory "tuck On
roll" vinyl.
The exterior has been treated in typical '50s style, with removal of
nameplates, emblems, and the center peak from the hood. The door handles and
trunk lock have also been removed (which would've replaced by hidden
electric buttons on the 1/1). The Tamiya Gold lacquer with clear overcoat is
carried over to the lower dash and steering wheel. The car has been lowered
slightly and the stock wheel covers have been replaced with those from a '53
Corvette, with a center bullet added in the center.
The smooth front and rear bumpers, chosen because they don't have bumper
guards, come from AMT's '55 Chevy Nomad. The use of the station wagon bumper
was a common period swap because it moved the license plate from the decklid
to the bumper, for a cleaner look.
As the model was being built Revell/Monogram announced the upcoming release
of a hardtop kit based on the convertible kit I used here, providing
incentive to complete mine before the new hardtop kit appeared on the
shelves! It was finished in late April '07, while the new hardtop kit
finally appeared in November!
Regards,
John
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