Okay, as promised, here are some pictures of the two in-progress cars I mentioned.
First up is the '57 chevy 150. I was able to snag a cheap 1/18 Hotwheels 57 Chevy drag car off ebay, my idea was to turn it into an off-road monster with pushbars, rollcage and lifted suspension over big tires. The first thing I did after removing the body from the frame was to remove the drag wheels and modify the suspension to accept a big set of wheels and tires I took from a 1/43rd toy monster truck. Its rear axle was used as well. Next I took the ugly air cleaner cover off the engine and replaced it with a pair of cast resin air filters, one for each of the dual 4-barrel carbs. They stuck up above the hood, so I cut a hole and added a hoodscoop over it, which I really like the looks of. The interior was pretty much good to go, already having a rollcage and bucket racing seats. The bumpers got a pair of scratchbuilt pushbars made from styrene tube, one on front and one on the rear. I also added some little guards for the headlights, not exactly sure how well they'd protect, but they look cool. After sanding down the body and priming I airbrushed what was supposed to be a faded green, with darker green as the base with a lighter shade of the same color over that for the faded look. It turned out sort of gray, but I'm okay with it. The hood got a functional flat black treatment. I've done a bit of weathering on it, with more to go. Remaining work is mostly paint and weathering, with a possible revision on the front pushbar. I also have some chain I'd like to incorporate, but I don't yet have any good ideas (suggetions, anyone?
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The second car started off as a 1/18th Ertl 1971 Hemi Cuda. My idea for this one was for it to be stripped down and modified like one would do for racing as a stock car, only beefed up for survival in the post-apocalypse: light, fast, strong in the right places to take a beating. After the usual disassembly, I began by removing the go-wing from the decklid, the chrome rocker panel trim. On the front end, I removed the grille, stock bumper and lower fascia, but I did retain the headlights. Then I filled the open space with a bumper connected to the frame, with a grate to protect the radiator. The bumper I made out of styrene tube, with thin steel rod inside to hold the shape of the bends. I sort of wanted to add an agressive look, like that of the car's namesake, so I made some panels to resemble a barracuda's sharp, jagged teeth. The rear end got a heavy duty bumper as well, replacing the stock one. I filled the space for the rear passenger windows with metal grate, mostly because it looks neat. I yanked the exhaust off from the headers, chopped them apart and rebuilt them to exit from the sides by the rear tires. I also trimmed out the wheel wells for better clearance of the tires. While doing that I also dremeled out some dents and scrapes on the body. The bar on the roof you see in the pictures was the fog lights on the car, I just placed it up there as an idea for some extra lighting, an idea I've since abandoned. Some additional work I'll be doing includes adding a rollcage, detailing on the motor, and of course, paint and weathering. Still thinking up paint schemes for it.
I will of course post pictures of the completed product for both the Cuda and the Chevy.
