{"id":657,"date":"2008-05-06T21:12:33","date_gmt":"2008-05-07T02:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/importnut.net\/models\/?p=657"},"modified":"2019-03-26T07:32:26","modified_gmt":"2019-03-26T12:32:26","slug":"1990s-chevy-ss454-pick-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/importnut.net\/models\/1990s-chevy-ss454-pick-up\/","title":{"rendered":"1990’s Chevy SS454 Pick-up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Assumed lost, this kit hid in the shadows for a number of years before I accidentally found it.  A friend of mine had started it and managed to leave it behind while working in my shop.  He had chopped the top and started shaving a few details and never got a chance to finish it.  I thought I would finish it up.<\/p>\n

This was a labor of frustration!  This kit weighs a lot!  There is an incredible amount of body filler in this kit.  I blended the cab into the bed.  I blended the tail gate into the bed.  I built up the area around the interior to make it look right.  I later added corvette tail lights.  They were sourced from a ’96 vette kit that I wasn’t going to build.  I also used chezoom wheels, along with ’73 trans am front and rear suspension.  I grafted in a transmission tunnel from a ’94 trans am kit.  I used the engine from the Corvette kit.  I also smoothed out quite a bit of the dash to give it a clean look.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are probably more details than I can remember right now.<\/span><\/p>\n

The red body filler was something I tried and used on a few projects.  I found out the hard way that it shrinks badly.  The normal stuff I use that requires a hardener works much better.  Lesson learned. <\/span><\/p>\n

I had finished this kit to the point where all I needed to do was glue in the battery under the hood, and I managed to knock it off of my bench.  It landed bottom side up, smashing the windshield pillars.  I was able to get it fixed and repainted, but it wasn’t as great as it was the first time around.<\/span><\/p>\n

If were to do it again, I would probably try to create a filler panel to fill the gap between the bed and cab.  Also, I would have probably tried to make the transmission tunnel differently.  I cut through both the chassis and the interior tub and made them all one piece.  I ended up permanently fixing the tub too far forward.  I had also started working towards grafting in the Corvette’s interior.  I really struggled with it so I gave up.  I feel confident that I could build it right today.  <\/span><\/p>\n

Setbacks aside, this kit turned out well.  Not too bad for a major custom!<\/p>\n

Completed:  May 2008<\/p>\n