Jump to content

1967 Corvette L-88


Oddball

Recommended Posts

Hello folks, allow me to present my entry. And also allow me to say how much I'm looking forward to participating in my first GB. It'll be great to see what you're all getting up to, and I hope you enjoy my humble efforts.

So I intend to turn this...

DSCF2060.jpg

..into this. The sole Corvette to enter the 1967 24H, indeed the only C2 Corvette ever to compete at Le Mans.

opz6sg.jpg

Driven by Dick Guldstrand and Bob Bondurant, it was leading the GT class when a wrist pin broke in the 13th hour, punching a hole through the side of the block and ending the team's participation.

A couple of inspirational photos.

67_vette_lemans.jpg

4083225186_e3bf8f9d23_o-1.jpg

vemp_1103_15dick_guldstrand.jpg

A set of decals from Vintage Racing Miniatures plus a set of Firestone racing tires are on the way from the states as we speak, and I'll also have to pick up some Torque-Thrusts as well.

Enjoy.

Odd.

Edited by Oddball
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks fellas, hope you enjoy it. Warren, nope, no cutting to be done and modifications will be minimal, as the car was essentially a stock L-88 engined coupe. Although the engine was worked on, Chevrolet wanted everything kept stock except for safety equipment. Most of the work will be under the bonnet, detailing the engine, building the special headers and sidepipes.

I'm not sure about the origins, but I'd suppose it would be more likely a Monogram kit.

Odd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, humble beginnings indeed for this kit. I've been trolling the interweb for the past couple of days, trying to build up a fair reference file for this car. It helps that it was a mostly stock machine, plenty of pics abound of other L-88s.

So, my evening has consisted of deepening the door shut lines, getting rid of mold lines (kept fairly to a minimum thankfully) and opening up the front of the cold air induction cowl on the bonnet, as this was molded blank. Apart from this I've started putting the block together, but I'm not going crazy at the moment until I print off some of the engine reference pics I've collected.

Not the best colour to photograph I must admit, but you have to admire the Vette's lithe beauty. The best looking generation by far IMHO, almost as pretty as a Cobra in fact!

DSCF2062.jpg

DSCF2063.jpg

Odd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've managed to make a little more progress on the 'Vette. I've started putting the interior, chassis and block together. I've cut out the flip lights and added the headlight boxes, and the body has received it's first proper coat of primer and has been given a rub down. Another coat of grey and I'll start putting on the white.

I've also made a start on the headers, as the kit only includes the stock cast iron manifolds. They're going to be a real nightmare to put together, but I'll get there.

I also received a nice set of racing tires from the US today, hopefully the decals won't be far behind.

DSCF2066.jpg

DSCF2065.jpg

DSCF2064.jpg

Keep watching.

Odd

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers lads, the next coat of primer is curing as we speak. I really must make myself a proper spray booth instead of fumigating myself on a regular basis. :hypnotised:

So today my decals arrived in the post, deep joy! They came from Vintage Racing Miniatures, and the sheet is jam packed with options for three 67 coupes and two 68's and comes with an A4 sheet of full colour placement instructions.

Decals are by cartograf and the register is spot on, the only minus is that the red is a little on the bright side, but I reckon it should look fine once they're placed on the car.

DSCF2067.jpg

DSCF2068.jpg

Must say I'm pretty impressed overall.

Odd

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those decals do look nice, though as you say the red is a bit orange looking.

Looking at the placement diagrams did it run at LM without the big side exhausts?

Cheers,

Warren

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The decals do look quite a bit more orange than I had expected. But that's just what it is, an expectation. The very few colour photos I remember seeing over the years of this car from the race are certainly not easy to judge colour from, just look at the photo on the top of this thread. BTW, I always tend to disregard photos of restored race cars years after the event, too many are sadly not accurately restored. Maybe the red should be quite bright after all? Also it may tone down once on the painted body.

And indeed it was a big difference that coat of primer did.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah the photo's are rough at best, and looking at them now, it's quite difficult to tell if the car even had the red strip separating the white and blue, as per the placement instructions. Colour wise I guess it's open to interpretation, and I also recently watched an interview with Guldstrand himself, where he mentioned the French officials telling them to remove the sponsorship logos as well. It seems then that the car could be built pre race or as it actually ran.

Warren, they did indeed run the massive side exits, I'll post the interview later on, listening to Guldstrand talking about blasting through the French countryside at 70mph in first gear (high ratio gears for the race) blowing people over is fascinating.

Odd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Hi folks, I'm back into the fray once more. It's been an utterly hectic month, and progress has been slow and fitful. If you can call it progress. I've been trying to make the custom exhaust headers for ages now, first I tried it with plastruct tubing, but some of the curves were just too much for it. I've now moved on to Albion Alloys brass tube, annealed of course. It's been going ok, but a change of tactics is required. I had the engine blue-tacked to the chassis, but every time I put one of the pipes up for test fitting, it moves or falls out. Methinks I'll have to glue it in temporarily until I've got them worked correctly. I think I may also have to invest in a soldering iron to keep them together once they're done.

However, the car has now been white primered and sprayed with Tamiya gloss white. The paint has been cut back and given extra wet coats a couple of times now, so it's time for the royal blue. She's all masked up and ready to go.

DSCF2070.jpg

DSCF2071.jpg

Odd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really great seeing the first coats of paint on the bodywork!

I might be teaching you to suck eggs here, but I was told a great tip recently to get get neat edges when spraying a second colour and that is to go over the masked area with the same colour (white) again as this then seals the tape edges. Then when the blue is sprayed it will give a razor sharp edge! But then you probably knew all of that already!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Since I've got the weekend to myself progress has been a little more steady. Apart from those bloody exhaust headers! They're getting left until all the bits are mounted on the chassis, otherwise I may end up having a stroke.

Looking at what I've gotten done so far, this may very well be the first car I've built where the body is ready before all the other bits. Usually everything else is ready, and I'm left waiting for paint to dry, clear to cure etc.

Paint has been given a good rub down and after an almost catastrophe with klear (no idea, the stuff just wasn't playing this time) a couple of coats of newly acquired Alclad clear, which is outstanding stuff I must say. Decals have now been added and are drying off now. Then it's a final clear coat and some detailing to do.

DSCF2074.jpg

DSCF2077.jpg

DSCF2076.jpg

On a side note, any ideas what I could use for the light bowls? I have a set of lenses in the spares box, but nothing to use for the rest of them.

Odd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice one mate. :thumbsup2: I may get a pack of the lenses, though I've had a stroke of genius for the bowls. Mingling in Airsoft every so often has left me with a large surplus of 6mm BB's. Cut two in half, hollowed them out and voila! A complete set of headlamp units.

I was originally going to use some clear sheet styrene for the covers, but even the thinnest sheets will be totally out of scale thickness. As I'm sitting writing this, the thought comes to mind that good old sellotape might be the way forward.

Also busy trying to get the right shape for the carb cover. As you can see the shape is quite a tricky one, but I've taken a similar shaped one (from a '69 corvette I believe) and I'm currently hacking away at it.

1967_Chevrolet_CorvetteStingRayL88Coupe2

Odd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good suggestions on the lights Odd.

My thought, looking at the shape, would be to use clear blister packaging. If you can find a piece with a 90 degree corner, you could cut the shape from it using the angled edge as the sharp 'point' in the lens cover. Some tiny dabs of super glue on the top edge and then glue the lower edge once the top is dry, holding cover in place with tape.

Just a suggestion.

Steve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Warren, unfortunately I'm not going to be able to finish the 'Vette. I figured I had a good 10 days or so to finish it off, as it's really down to the last assembling/painting/detailing phase. Most of the bits are ready to be put together, but the devil vomits in my kettle once more. The wee one caught chicken pox last week, but also caught a bacterial infection with it, and has spent the last week in the hospital. She's fine now, thank goodness, but it means I am now hopelessly behind.

Looks like this one is doomed to failure, just like her real counterpart. Unless of course there's an extension. :waiting:

Ah well.

Odd.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...