#Tailgate trim removal 1968 el camino full
#Tailgate trim removal 1968 el camino free

#Tailgate trim removal 1968 el camino full

The diecast is just a little bigger, though I don't think it's a full 1/24. I think it actually looks and fits better than the kit part.Īnd here it is with my Motor Max '70 El Camino. The nonfactory solid blue imperfect paint looks like an Earl Scheib or high school/home shop job, and the aftermarket mags place it perfectly in my imaginary late '70s-early '80s car club, “The Retrobates.” This all took over an hour but my engineering was so precise that the piece snapped right into place on its first fitting, and I had to worry it out with the Xacto! I put a couple dots of Tacky Glue on it to make sure it stays in place, then snapped it back in.Īll told, between the masking and painting, the front and rear suspension repairs and modification, and the taillight fabrication, I had two or three times as much time in this as one of my typical “rescue jobs”-probably around 20 hours, maybe more. I measured it with a dial caliper, cut it with an Xacto, folded it, and “painted” it by coloring it on both sides with a red Sharpie. I fabricated this from a clear plastic blueberry container from Walmart that I literally dug out the trash. Final task was to make the right taillight. Didn't get it down quite as much as I'd have liked, but I did get a more reasonable ride height/rake on the thing. At the rear, I broke all the glue joints at the top of the rear axle (shocks), bent the rear suspension up as best I could, and re-glued it in place.

#Tailgate trim removal 1968 el camino free

What a pain! The right side had to be broken free and re-glued at the correct angle. I ended up razor-sawing the axle stub off, drilling it out of the wheel, and making a new axle stub out of Evergreen styrene rod. Original Builder must have used a quarter of a tube of glue on the front suspension, and it turned out to be impossible to remove the left front wheel from the spindle. I left the black interior alone, but the chassis was a mess. I polished the glass, and my beloved Silver Sharpie made (relatively) quick if very careful work of all the chrome trim.

The blue paint (probably Testor enamel) was fairly shiny and looked too thin to polish, so I just left it alone.

It just needed some trimwork, and to have the comically jacked rear end lowered a bit.įirst order of business (after disassembly) was to fill the sinkholes in the roof C-pillars (typical of this kit), then mask off the body to airbrush Model Master Black Chrome Trim on the vinyl top, tailgate panel and lower body sides. Something about it (possibly the American mags) spoke to me and I just had to have it! At first glance, it had “good bones”-complete (except for a missing right taillight), and the blue paint, while not perfect (nor a factory color), seemed to be workable. Got this one in a swap with Bill (GTX6970) a couple years ago.