Studebaker Raceliner

Nigel Chapman
So hopefully these pictures indicate how the Studebaker will look.
I want keep as much of the original body lines as possible even with moving the rear wheels back a little. The Peugeot rear panel just looks good turned backwards purely from an aesthetic perspective.

Villiers de Vos
Very creative. I would like check in from time to time to see your progress.

Nigel Chapman
Of course your more Han welcome

Nigel Chapman
More planning this weekend with the body and chassis now drawn out to give accurate measurements for cutting/mounting the Peugeot panels onto the Studebaker body.
I found moving the rear deck back about 10 mm should enable the Peugeot engine/rear suspension/wheels to fit without too much altering of the Studebaker wheel base.
So back to using the Peugeot kit running gear over the Ferrari which fitted too well!

Villiers de Vos
Coming together nicely.

Christian W
Oh, there I'll pay attention to.

Kyle DeHart
This is very cool

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Guys. Dremel time is approaching

Nigel Chapman
So first go with the Dremel and it's getting there. I was hoping not remove the back end but that's the best solution for the next stage.

Jv
Very cool
im in on this one to

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Jv welcome aboard

Nigel Chapman
Another afternoon with the Dremel and I have a collection of cut up Peugeot body panels. First mock up photos show the look I'm going for with some extensive bodywork changes to do.
The Studebaker is starting to like a 1930's aero body.

Villiers de Vos
You are very good craftsman.

Nigel Chapman
Not really Villiers but thanks very much, I am still learning the craftsman bit! I'm definitely in the 'if it looks right' camp.

Nigel Chapman
Cut the remaining parts up with Dremel this afternoon to get the front suspension parts mocked up. I've moved I've moved them forward around 5 mm to give some more cockpit space.
Still working on front and rear spoilers and researching body panel designs.

Nigel Chapman
Further refinement to the front and rear wings using card and masking tape to determine shapes. Also looking to fill in the rear area with a diffuser.

Nigel Chapman
This is turning into a fascinating project that's starting to take over from my current builds!
Body position to floor pan now worked out with mods to suit including cut outs to achieve the profile I want.
My body panels are heavily influenced by Liberty Walk/LB performance body kit for the new MK5 Toyota GT and ant of the GT1 - 4 race spec cars from the last 30 years.
There's not much left of the original Studebaker body so I want to incorporate the rear section and lights with the the Peugeot air intake/engine panel oh and add a fin in the style of the 2017 season F1 cars. Still head scratching that one!

Julian Herrero aka Yuri
Amazing .... I want to see it finished

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Julian, slowly but surely

Nigel Chapman
Pleased with what I have done so far.
I have a second Peugeot kit that has has donated suspension parts (some missing and broken) and engine (not the best built).
Front suspension sub assembly built and modified to fit in new forward location.
Body sits well in the modified floor pan.

Bill Newcomer
That is looking like it is doing 100mph sitting still.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Bill, never thought about that.
It's mid build redesign time!
Not happy with the rear wheel arch position/interior space so I've moved the body forward another 5 mm.
Replaced all the removed body with more styrene sheet (should have left well alone in the beginning!).
This gives a better fit for the rear arches, more interior space ( without moving engine), retains the rear window surround and allows more development to the front end.
No wonder my builds take a long time to finish 🤪

Nigel Chapman
Building the paint booth has allowed me some research time for the Studebaker. Looking at Hill Climb race cars on Instagram, has giving me some inspiration for the rear wing and diffuser.

Nigel Chapman
Looking at the front spoiler this evening using the nose cone of the 2007 F1 Ferrari mated to the Peugeot front spoiler.
I'm thinking of shaping the spoiler to match the curve of the kit front valance.
The F1 nose works though I may shape it to match the hood lines.
I will investigate using more F1 bits.

Julian Herrero aka Yuri
It's taking shape ... keep on the good work ,, Congrats !

Robin (WhiteGlint)
Very interesting look 👀

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Guys. It's certainly keeping the old brain cells working. I've also been looking at various race car/concept renderings online so have loads of ideas.

Jv
Your ideas is out of the box mate
Always interesting
In the beginning of this build I was disappointed about that you try to make this better cos I love the shape of this car
But now you are getting to me lol looking better every time
I love your different builds
No one dares to do.what you do lol

Bill Newcomer
I like your efforts so far. I do not have the vision yet but, I am interested in how it turns out.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Bill

Nigel Chapman
Tried out a new technique for joining plastic by 'welding' Doug Whyte''s YouTube channel Model Car Muse showed the how to which I've adapted. The idea is to gently heat the plastic to melt it then move the iron side to side to meld the two surfaces together.
For my front wings, I had some gaps to fill so I used Dremel shavings and melted them to conform to the rough shape I needed. This gives a permanent bond which can be sanded and ground to shape and with a skim of filler no one would even know.
The pictures show the process.
It's just like real welding!

Bozzer
Nigel, that's a very interesting technique. I'm curious to know, if the joint feels like it's just one piece of plastic now? Obviously, they'll always be some kind of flex, but I can see possibilities for this method, in the future.

Nigel Chapman
Short answer yes. You are adding extra plastic to the the joint to create the piece. So with flat pieces your creating an almost 'factory' look.
In my case, I had to connect the the wing to the body and fill the irregular curves and gaps so this technique seemed best.

Bozzer
Appreciate your time, and your balls, for trying this out, mate. This is exactly the reason, why I love Scalemates! You learn new things, teach others new tricks and skills, and you make friends 🙂 I have a future truck build, that's going to need some serious surgery, and I believe, that this is the right way to go. Thanks for your information and testing, mate. I'll give you the correct recognition, when I get to this stage. Enjoy your weekend, mucca 👍

Nigel Chapman
Hey your welcome Bozzer hope your build goes ok. Try some practice pieces before starting on your kit.
Another set or Rear wings now attached having melted the first set on the soldering iron-always assume it's hot!!

Bill Newcomer
I remember seeing a video of the plastic welding technique. It sands at the same rate as styrene because it is styrene. It also does not shrink over long periods of time like filler putty does.

Nigel Chapman
Working on the front end with the F2000 Ferrari nose cone fitted - the width roughly matches the bonnet. I've added extra panels either side of the nose cone partly to fill the space and give a more uniform look to the front end when the bonnet is lifted.
The front wings will also acquire some extra bodywork along the top end behind the wheels.
I'm liking the welding technique, making full use of it for this build.

Zach Wilson
that's an interesting technique. Whyte's whole channel has a lot of good info, thanks for the tip.

Nigel Chapman
No problem, it's the best YouTube modelling channel I've found.

Nigel Chapman
The original idea was to use as much of the Studebaker kit that I could so having had a rummage, I am using the custom option front grills, lower grills/bumper and recessed headlights, all dechromed.
The lower grills have been cut in half and extended by about 7 mm using styrene scraps, which I welded then roughly shaped with the soldering iron. These will tie in the front wings to the body whilst covering the full width of the car.

Brandon H
Nigel, I hope you never run out of crazy. Lookin' sweet so far!

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Brandon. Loads more crazy ideas in the pipeline!

Jv
Looking forward to that
Your an inspiration
Pushing new techniques
A mile in front
I think I will have to look back on your work
In se time
For now it's beund my level
But a thank you for sharing
There is so much talent here on scalemates
You serenely are on the top level

Villiers de Vos
Really starting to take shape now.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Villiers, yes it is though I keep tweaking it as I go along.
JV - Thanks for the compliments, all I have done though is adapt other people's ideas and techniques and put my spin on it.
Your more than welcome to look at my other builds. Everything I have done is fairly straight forward - The rust technique I use is very effective and easy to do.
Why not have a go at something and see how you get on, you've got to start somewhere.

Jv
Thanks Nigel yes im not fare of playing now lol
I got a big box of parts at the last swap meet
And on some second hand deals I got
plenty of paints and a few tools
Just starting out there is always more things I need
I have used this time to learn many things of people like you
I bought many sets and a few tools of people that realised
Whed a par of scissors and a hot glue gun your model will not look good no matter how hard you try
I started 4 kits sofare
Put them on the shelf till I have what I need to build them
But don't worry
I'm not fare of and have plenty to play whed when I get starting again thanks for your reply
Now its almost a year sens I got back into it agen
I have learnt alot from all here
And the kits I started sometime ago
In hunt for bargains I also got a few glue bombs
I will try to save them or use them for practice

Nigel Chapman
Nose revised to get a better fit to front suspension.
Front wings remodelled to give a flowing side profile to the door.
Front end tidied up and filled to give a clean one piece look across the front grill/headlight area.

Villiers de Vos
You are very talented. Taking shape nicely.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Villiers

Bozzer
She's really coming together now, Nige. However, I'm curious to know, where you aquired that tube of Beatties glue from? I thought they were long gone???

Nigel Chapman
Bozzer, I worked out that glue is about 20yrs old (Beatties ceased trading 2001)
I think it came with a 65 Chevy Nova kit that I got for £1 off eBay about 12 yrs ago, along with some paint, all brand new and unopened. It still works fine!
A bit of experimenting with the inner wings using 0.5 mm styrene sheet cut to fit around the front suspension and bent into shape with a right hand side air deflector off the Ferrari F2000 mounted backwards on the left. I've achieved the look I wanted without obstructing the front wheels.

Nigel Chapman
Messing about filling the floor pan gap as determined by the curved inner wings and shaped to fit the Ferrari air deflectors. Managed to get it right on the third attempt!
Both sides welded to the floor pan and filler applied to get the correct angles.

Nigel Chapman
More experimenting with the Peugeot and Ferrari front spoilers and have gone with the Ferrari one which has been cut, extended and shaped to fit the front. All the parts have been welded together and just require shaping. Final fit will be determined by the fitment of the front grills and and lower front cowl. Further development of the end plates and additional spoiler is on going.

Dominik Weitzer
...what a work...a lot of putty and breath to go ahead. respect!

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Dominic.

Nigel Chapman
Front end coming on well. I ended up having to modify the bumper ends and front valance to fit the wheel arches.
I've changed direction towards a hill climb type racer so I can push the front spoiler forwards and retain the Ferrari end plates with [hopefully] minimal mods!

Greg Baker
You need to keep one hand on that thing to keep it on the bench. It looks so slick I bet it just slides off the table all on it's own.

nick arvanites
THAT THING IS CRAZY!,..SUCH GOOD WORK!

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Guys and that's only the front end!

Robin (WhiteGlint)
👀 It's taking shape. Exciting!

Kyle DeHart
It is indeed looking good! Outstanding work

Nigel Chapman
Thanks chaps. Yeah rather pleased with how it's going.
Still head-scratching on the rear.

Nigel Chapman
Side pods now finished after much cutting and shaping then glued / welded into place. A skim of filler then bodyworking.

Nigel Chapman
More work on the front end/wing to ensure a robust attaching point along with some aesthetics.
Custom building upper aerofoils using the remaining Ferrari parts as a basis to fill the gap.

Skyhiker
Not usually into cars but this build has to be watched. 👀

Nigel Chapman
Thanks

Brandon H
Planning any wind tunnel tests?? This thing looks like it will generate a scary amount of downforce! What's your Reynolds number?

Nigel Chapman
Brandon, that would be fun - a working 1/24 wind tunnel.
The hill climb cars I've been looking at are festooned in all sorts of aero aids from stock through to wild so I would guess they generate loads of down force. As for Reynolds number, I'm going for as low as possible.

Jv
Opend up a new model today and planning to do a few changes
But nothing like what you do
Hats of for your work
And thanks for all your info
Will be still following your build
Still looking interesting
You will have to lake it good cos I do love the studebaker look
Lol

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Jv, look forward to seeing your build. I have to say Studebaker did have some good look cars

Jv
From a time we're cars were also art

Jv
I do believe I have the same car in my stach
Its juts in collection for now like some others
To be built later

Nigel Chapman
Managed to get some decent modelling time with painting and building the engine & rear suspension.
Rather fiddly with some fragile parts but looks good.
Upper arms need some extra support to correctly position.
With the engine positioned, I can get on with completing the rear end and custom built interior.

Villiers de Vos
Phenomenal. Taking shape nicely.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Villiers.
Working on the front spoiler to get a better fit to the body.
The Ferrari ends plates ended up having modifications than I thought however with some 0.40 styrene strip, they look much better.

Bozzer
Bloody hell lad, that's come on, leaps and bounds!

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Bozzer.
Front spoiler refined for a better fit. The upper parts need a bit of reshaping to fit the curvature of the front valance

Nigel Chapman
Slow progress this week due to work commitments however chassis is now painted with Halfords satin black and Matt clear coat.
I tried out a spray can of filler prime which gave a much better finished surface to paint.

Nigel Chapman
Pictures uploaded of the progress so far.
Next job will be to remove a section from the rear of the roof to fit the air scoop. This one piece will in turn dictate placement of the rear deck lid, diffuser and spoiler and interior panels.
There are so many ideas I want to incorporate - It may need simplifying!

Kyle DeHart
Looking great Nigel. Really cool

Villiers de Vos
Nice progress.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks guys

Nigel Chapman
Section of roof removed for the modified air intake. I had to raise the engine to get it horizontal for a better fit to the intake.
I found the Studebaker rear section fitted pretty well after some major Dremel work. The Peugeot engine panel just had the wrong angle to fit.
I can still retain the rear kit window surround and fill the gap between the two pieces.
Amazing how it all suddenly works out!

Nigel Chapman
The two rear pieces have been welded together, then whole piece has been trimmed with the Dremel to ensure a good fit.
The boot lid and fuel cap have been filled

Villiers de Vos
I remain nailed to my chair. Very nice progress.

Bozzer
British engineering, at it's best!

Nigel Chapman
Definitely! 😁

Bill Newcomer
British engineering. Does that mean it is getting some Lucas electricals?

Jv
I hope not lol
Just use the electronics from the studebaker kit Nigel

Nigel Chapman
Technically the electrics will be French, is that better?

Jv
Thay sounds a bit complicated Nigel
You will have to modify your hands then and get alot of specal tools

Vincent
The moddeling skills here are amazing. I'm looking forward to the end result.

Nigel Chapman
JV nice one, my Dad's Renault Scenic has a gremlin which refuses to go away.
Vincent, I'm flattered, though I still have a lot to learn, especially with paint and bodywork finishing.

Bozzer
Bill. Lucas Electrics? That so takes me back, to my youth! I remember seeing my very first electronic ignition system, on display, in the Lucas shop, near where I live now. I must've been around 10ish? Wow, to think that we'd relied on points and condensers, until then? 40 something years later, and we're phasing out, the internal combustion engine? Scary shit, guys.

Jv
Nigel I think you are teaching plenty here
This has been a very interesting project sofare
Not sure what you will come up whed next in this build
I did tech for mecanicks many years ago
The French were the first to try making a car not to be repaired last for 5 years and though away
And recycle as much as possible as fast as possible

Nigel Chapman
Thanks JV. Still working on the rear end

Bill Newcomer
Bozzer, My 50 year old Grand Prix is still running the original engine with points and a Q-jet carb. I have not touched either of them in 10 years. Still running great. I can still get a set of points for less than $10 and a carb rebuild kit for less than $20. Fuel injection conversion for $2000+ no thanks. Not at only 1000 miles a year.

Bozzer
Bill, best tool I ever invested in, was my Dwell Meter. The points on all my car's, were set to perfection! Now, a computer does everything, and I just drive. Not much fun in that, these days

Nigel Chapman
Attaching the lower window frame to the rear deck solved all the angle issues I had. It now sits slightly higher than stock but no one will know.

Laurent VILLANUEVA "HELLER-forever"
amazing !

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Laurent

Villiers de Vos
Fantastic work so far.

Bill Newcomer
I am digging the intake scoop. Fits perfectly in the aero scheme.

Kyle DeHart
I agree. This has been a very cool build to follow along with.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks everyone

Dominik Weitzer
crazy. your progress is outstanding - i'm waiting for the finishline 🙂

Nigel Chapman
Started on the interior, which is scratch built. Only pieces used from the kits are the Peugeot dashboard controls, Ferrari steering wheel and the top of the Studebaker dashboard.

Nigel Chapman
Started on the roll cage this week. After much trial and error, I ended up repositioning the roof to enable a better fit for the glass although it now sits lower than expected.
However, there is now a better fit for the rear roll bar and cockpit panel when put together. I can also build the whole roll cage as a separate single unit.
There's not much room left so I'm going for a right drive with single seat.

Nigel Chapman
Right, back on with my modelling after around a month of night shifts with Christmas in the middle.
More progress with the roll cage. Not doing much detail as there will not be a lot to see with the low roof.
Modified the resin seat by filling in the original harness holes and creating new holes further down as looks more in scale within the cockpit.

Villiers de Vos
Still riveted to my chair.

Nigel Chapman
Roll cage completed using my preferred Evergreen 223 tube (2.4 mm diameter) with the shaped pieces reinforced with 1 mm wire.
Repositioned the roof for a third time (!) so it's slightly higher than before so the glass fits better along the sides, in line with the interior panels and has minimal mods for rear sections.

Bozzer
Bloody hell lad, I admire your commitment.
How you find the time, in-between work, amazes me! I'm lucky if I have the strength to eat, after work? And weekend, I seem to be catching up with everything else? I think I'm due a vacation, or semi retirement? Lol

Nigel Chapman
Ah Bozzer, I've never worked a 9-5 job in my life it's always been shift work which I use to my best advantage.
Subject to shift pattern, family and other commitments I can usually squeeze in the odd couple of hours here and there.
Of course it doesn't always work out like that! Just look at my completed projects and see how long some of my builds take.
At the moment I have annual leave to use up so have managed to get some dedicated build time hence the progress.

Bozzer
Much of my work now involves a lot of driving and paperwork too. I cover from up here, down to Cov and Leics, so I can be literally anywhere? Off to Derbyshire today, so that's pretty local, but I still have to put a shift in. By the time I get done tonight, I'll have enough energy to check out the builds on here, then pass out, lol. Aiming to get some progress on my various builds, at weekend. I need to clear the decks, for my upcoming builds.

Nigel Chapman
Bit of a morale boost for me with the progress so far photos.
Mocking it up and I was suprised to find i've actually done around 80% of the build with the rear aero foil, spolier and lower diffuser to complete.
There is light at the end of the tunnel!!

Nigel Chapman
So moving on, I've made a start on the rear fin and spoiler.
Plenty of parts from the Peugeot and Ferrari to choose from.
Still working on a final design.

Bozzer
Don't rush it now mate, get everything sorted first. We've all waited, and we can wait some more! Without saying it, primer reveals all sins, so take your time. Hell, I've already got your next Christmas card! 😉

Villiers de Vos
It is fascinating how your project developed. You are very talented.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks mates. Back to work today so not much will get done.
Still looking at rear spoilers/fins - I'm trying to go for a cross between an endurance racer (WEC/Lemans) and a hill climb racer.

Nigel Chapman
Rear spoiler decided on and relevant pieces modified.
I'm using the Peugeot top wing, extended by 8 mm, with the side pieces smoothed with some filler combined with one of the Ferrari wings which mount to the Ferrari rear spoiler sides turned upside down and smoothed out.

Nigel Chapman
Rear fin completed, based on a Praga R race car.
Bits of the second kit air scoop were used to elongate the scoop, thus filling the gap in the roof. After that it was filler and sanding to match both sides.

Kyle DeHart
This has been just wild to follow along with. Loving it Nigel

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Kyle

Vincent
The design gets more extreme by the minute. I love it!!!

Bozzer
It's definitely something that Gerry Anderson would be extremely proud of 100%

Nigel Chapman
Thanks guys

Nigel Chapman
Started on the rear body with some tweaks to the lower window surround by adding styrene and some filler to give a more defined edge that blends to the rear arches.
Also added some styrene to the ends of the arches with more filler, again to fill gaps and match up to 'boot' area.
Loads more sanding and shaping will be needed before I'm happy.

Nigel Chapman
After a 3 month hiatus, I'm back to building again.
Had a quick look at my work so far and found I've been bending the chassis to fit the body so I've now added extra lengths of styrene to the side pods which looks so much better and keeps the chassis flat.

Bill Newcomer
Glad to see you are back. Creative problem solving continues...

Bozzer
Yep, good to see you back in the saddle mate. Sometimes, approaching something, with a fresh mind, is the only way forward. I find that myself, as I picked up an old build, that I have, hanging in the wings.
Hopefully, we'll get to see some more progress now, on the Frankenbaker?

Villiers de Vos
I am still nailed to my chair. Great work so far.

Vincent
The sharkfin looks great. Nice to see that this project is still on!!!

Lawrence Landis
That is an interesting twist on a Starlinerw

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Lawrence, I try to be different.

Nigel Chapman
Started on the rear diffuser. This is the top plate that has been redesigned for a better fit at the rear and look overall.

Lawrence Landis
I think it's great that you incorporated the side scalloped character lines into your design. It was sort of a step forward in design in 1953. The 1953 Starliner was always a favorite of mine. I built a Starliner into a sedan delivery using a Jimmy Flintstone body. I still have 3 more Starliners to build someday. You are stretching your design and you are growing in the process. Congratulations.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Lawrence. Your sedan delivery sounds interesting.
Looking at it, the Starliner actually lends itself to that body style

Lawrence Landis
I will post an album of the build. I used a Revell Parts Pack 354 cubic inch engine with six carbeuretors. The wheels and tires came from a MRP wheel and tire kit. The engine compartment was covered in bare metal foil. The eight exhaust pipes were my idea.

Nigel Chapman
Further tweaks to the rear chassis so I can extend the diffuser blades through to the bumper without any awkward shapes.
The rear deck has extra strengthening and has been tidied up.

Bozzer
I gotta take my hat off, to you, on this one, brother!
This is definitely a long-term build, and you're still passionate about it.
Are you doing anything else, in between?

Nigel Chapman
I try hard not as I am easily distracted! However I have started on the chassis on the G Wagon gasser and the Dodge Ramcharger is awaiting paint. My projects page is always full of new ideas.

Bozzer
Lol, and I'm just collecting bargains! I can already see a new annexe, for the new cave 🙂

Nigel Chapman
Unusually for me I've hit the proverbial brick wall with the rear spoiler hence the lack of progress with this build.
I'm still poring over pictures of hill climb and time attack cars for ideas.
So far I've ditched some of the modified parts I made earlier and started again still using the Peugeot parts as a basis.
I'm just waiting for my eureka moment.

Lawrence Landis
Have you thought of letting the contour of the front end lead you in the design of the rear end. A pointed center sweeping back slightly to the sides. Just lay the car down on a piece of paper and trace the front contours and use that as a guide for your rear spoiler. It should look like a natural extension of the lines of the car. That is my suggestion. I hope it gives you some ideas.

Nigel Chapman
Fantastic idea Lawrence, I will give it a go 👍

Villiers de Vos
I am happy that you are back at your modelling desk.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Villers. These few months have hectic due to family issues

Lawrence Landis
Looking forward to see your solution to the problem. Good luck Nigel

Bozzer
C'mon Nige, you'll figure this out! The answer is staring you in the face. Think about beautiful women and their curves? 😉

Nigel Chapman
I've done it! Finalised the rear spoiler as shown in the mock ups, Using the Peugeot rear spoiler with the two larger wings and the Ferrari rear ends as supports.These fit through slits cut in the lower wing and extended grooves in top wing.

Lawrence Landis
Looks great. Congratulations

Villiers de Vos
A lot of perseverance. It will pay off in the end.

Lochsa River
what the heck....

Nigel Chapman
Thanks guys. Hi Lochsa River welcome to the party

Dieter Bihlmaier
This looks cool!

Jonathon Herring
It's Alive! Its Alive! Looks awesome, Nigel. Really interesting and imaginative.

Brandon H
Nicely executed, can't wait to see the finished product!

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Brandon

Nigel Chapman
Some time to myself at last and some progress with the rear spoiler.
The Ferrari end plates now secured to the lower Peugeot rear wing. Al the mounting holes not required have been filled in.
Slots opened up on rear deck to mount the whole assembly. The Ferrari parts are curved so the slots had to be made slightly larger for a perfect fit so will require some work to tidy them up.

Lawrence Landis
No one would ever mistake it for a Starliner. It is a beautiful piece of fabrication.

Nigel Chapman
Hey thanks Lawrence

Bill Newcomer
Thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing it in color.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Bill. Still wondering on the colour. So farI want to use fluorescent accents with something striking but simple.

Nigel Chapman
Slow and steady, working on rear diffuse. The hump in the middle is to accommodate the gear box.
Starting on the inner blades first as these are the most complex shape grafting them onto the chassis.

Bozzer
It's actually going to be a shame, hiding all this work, behind paint 🙁

Nigel Chapman
As always with modifications everything has to go in sequence so the rear deflector is on hold as it needs to be attached to the rear body to get a proper height. So it's back to finishing the front end front end, getting it painted then assembly from front to rear
with the deflector the last item to be attached.

Lawrence Landis
Sometimes establishing the proper order of events is the key to accomplishing your goals and objectives.

Dave Flitton
Cool looking! Excellent work. Keep going.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks guys

Nigel Chapman
So back to the front end with panels added to 'tidy' the front suspension area. Some body working then onto paint.
While I was at it, I have gone over the chassis again, smoothing out certain areas before repainting.

Brandon H
Wow, that's going to be a big step having the body ready for paint, definitely excited for you

Nigel Chapman
Absolutely, that's the one area I'm still learning

Nigel Chapman
Sanding, filling, paint, repeat. Two coats of filler primer with Sanding in between.
Some odd areas required a bit of filler. A lot of graft but it's getting there.

Christian W
You have to set ypur albums settings to "Teaser -> current picture" or what's written there. Picture #93 is still in the focus of your build. I thouoght, there is a lot of writing here and didn't notice the new pictures because I scroll through the "news"-list.
I'm looking forward for the first layer of paint 🙂

Nigel Chapman
Ah fair point thanks for that Christian will have a go

Lochsa River
Amazing scratch work...is this based on an actual auto? do you have a photo?

Lawrence Landis
You have done amazing fabrication. I guess that you are getting close to start throwing your first coats of initial color. Do you have a color scheme in mind yet?

Christian W
Supercool! Thank you!

Nigel Chapman
Thanks guys.
@Lochsa River no real car just inspiration from Stoke Models & Extremis Models on Instagram & YouTube- amazing builds and Russian concept artist Andrea Tkachenko - incredible Russian based custom vehicles. Have a look online.
@Lawrence colour scheme will be Ford Monzo/ Electric blue with generic satin white and fluorescent yellow highlights - I always seem to choose Ford colours!

Lawrence Landis
The electric blue should be a great colour with the white accents..
My SVT Cobra is in Performance Red. It was one of 226 cars painted that colour in 2001.

Nigel Chapman
Nice. My E class Merc is two-tone, gun metal grey and dirt!

Lawrence Landis
That sounds like a good combination.

Nigel Chapman
Thanks. Spent the afternoon cleaning my paint booth. Working night shift over the weekend so no painting until next week

Bill Newcomer
I do not know how you get all that stuff to fit together. I struggle when everything is straight line.

Nigel Chapman
More by luck than judgment! Part of the fun is the construction and as always it is a learning curve.
I am a visual person so looking and measuring and comparing parts works better for me than drawing up a set of blueprints though I did find the chassis plan I had drawn was a big help.
It's no where near perfectly aligned. There are a couple of areas to disguise so it looks right.
I do not use a jig though I have considered it.

Lawrence Landis
I, also, build things by my spacial awareness. There are times in my home that I will tell my wife that something she wants to do will not fit in the space available, but I end up having to prove it to her anyway.🙃🙃🙃 Such is life.

Nigel Chapman
Phew! Paint virtually complete having taken me around 2 weeks in between shifts. This is the first time I have tried a multi colour paint job.
I managed to buy some automotive masking tape off eBay in various widths which worked well with covering the painted areas.
Another learning curve with masking the body resulting in some areas getting overspray. I had to apply two coats of the Ford Monzo Blue, appliance white and fluorescent yellow which was well worth it for the overall finish. Interior panels were painted in Mazda Aluminium and Matt black for everything else.
Just some odd areas to retouch with hand painting then some Matt clear coat.

Lawrence Landis
That looks pretty wild. Congratulations on keeping it cool..

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Lawrence

Christian W
Uuh! Color joints the party! Cool.

Bozzer
Colour! Well, it's certainly gonna get noticed. Will you be adding decals to this masterpiece?

Nigel Chapman
Thanks guys
@Bozzer Oh yes decals are being sourced from the stash

Lawrence Landis
A Rat Fink decal would be different.

Nigel Chapman
No Ratfink I'm afraid. I am considering some more decoration but it will be racing decals in keeping with the overall look.

Lawrence Landis
Just kidding

Bozzer
Nigel, don't use Royal Mail, because it'll never start 😛

Christian W
Or "Deutsche Bahn" - it'll be toooo late 😄

Nigel Chapman
also no DHL, Evri or Yodel - It's all postal companies

Lawrence Landis
My son in law worked for Swiss Post as his first job after school.

Nigel Chapman
@Lawrence good first job?
Matt clear coat applied. Final construction can begin

Lawrence Landis
He did computer work for them. On his first assignment, they sent him to Belgium to set up some equipment for them. He had everything ready for the set up and when he landed, he set everything up and had it working within 20 minutes. They took him on a tour of the country for a week.

Nigel Chapman
Wow fair play to him.

Lawrence Landis
He is BLESSED

Bozzer
Some very nice beer in Belgium. Just sayin' 😉

Lawrence Landis
I'm sure that he tried some when he was there. On some trips he has been allowed to take my daughter along to England, and Singapore. The trip to Belgium was when he worked for Swiss Post. The ones to England and Singapore were when he worked for Blackstone.

Nigel Chapman
Starting with interior finishes, added a scratch built data screen to the Ferrari steering wheel and harness to the seat using 2 mm ribbon off eBay with Hiroboy photo etch seat belt fittings - one of the most fiddly jobs ever but always looks good when finished.

Brandon H
Looking good! I like the color choices

Nigel Chapman
Thanks Brandon

Bozzer
Them seatbelts, are the dogs danglies! Reminds me of when I did my MKII escort. Blinking fiddly, that's for sure! Keep going, Nigel, the light at the end of the tunnel, is getting bigger 🙂