WIP: 2004 Corvette Pro Mod

OK. since my mustang is about done, all it lacks is the finishing touches on the hood, i decided to start another pro mod build. this will more than likely be entered in two contests, given the body is of good enough quality when im finished. one is the Top End Miniatures (http://www.topendminiatures.com) pro mod body contest, the other is the automotiveforums drag car contest (there is a link in my sig, check it out) I learned a lot with my mustang, and with the arrival of my reference disk from TEM (thanks chris) in the next couple days, this will be more spot on the subject of pro mod. now on to the kit and my expected modifications

this kit started out as a 2004 revell z06 special edition. (dont worry, i've got another z06 i picked up on e-bay for .99 lol) after mocking up the rear drive line, i noticed that the rear-end/top fuel tire combo was WAY too narrow. Well my reference disk hadn't arrived yet so i contacted chris at TEM ([email protected]) give him a shout he's a great guy. and he gave some advice on the body work. This led me to my most extensive body mods to date. step number one was to narrow the body 8 scale inches (about 5/16ths) this is where i am at so far. The rear deck needs to be moved upward so that it will have plenty of room for those massive rear meats. nose in the weeds tail in the air, right chris? lol. i've got the turbo inlets cut in the front fascia. that gave me fits when narrowing the body, i had to take approx 2.5/16ths out on each side of those inlets. talk about fun........ :cwm27: i will probably add a lip or chin spoiler to the front of hte car to bring the nose down some, as well as some ground effects to the side of the car to lower it as well, got to make it look wicked fast. finally will be the rear wing. pro mod hugeness!!!

Engine plans. as mentioned before this will be a twin turbo car :naughty: . I love twin turbos. I've got a blower car. i need a twin turbo and an NOS car. when i finally get the TEM 68 camaro it will be my nitrous car. as soon as their 3 stage nitrous engine kit comes out....can't wait for that one!!!! there will be tons of scratchbuilding on this one. the intake will have to be custom, all of the piping, and plumbing.

chassis/interior. the chassis will be one of my brass rod creations (hobby lobby here we come!!) the interior tub will be built out of styrene sheet just like the one on my mustang. i will make sure that the chassis resembles the dual rail style as much as possible.

that is it so far. i've got another long painful build ahead of me. i have learned a lot with my mustang....dont paint anything until you have it ALL finished and ready for final assembly. lol :icon16: so i will leave you with a few pictures. first of a real c5 vette pro mod, then of what i started with, and then where i am at now. enjoy

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/tn_IMG_1979.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/0251475-R1-038-17A.jpg

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sweet

Koolness in 6.143 sec .........................................@ 236mph....

Sweet, wondered when this beast would get rolled out of the shed.

Lookin reak good white97ex :evillol: :evillol:

Best part of these projects, is all the scratchbuilding, hey....

cheers stump :aus:

anyone have experience with some real light guage metal in this scale? im thinking that shaping the sides on the rear deck will be easier with some thin guage metal. not sure yet tho...

for metal , you could use embossing metal, its perfect for that sorta stuff. you should be able to find it at a craft store..

thanks James. i've seen it at hobby lobby and michaels. couldn't remember the name tho....we will se how it goes with the styrene first

No Oliver the darkside turbos... eww...Oh well great start good luck with it..

just wanted to keep this one around the top. havn't gotten a whole lot done on this, or anything for that matter. my girlfriend has been spending a lot of time at my house, and so she has taken a lot of my time, not like that is a bad thing though. i did get some work done this morning. got the risers for the rear wing done, and started filling in the gaps from where i hacked the body up and it will have to be reshaped. I am going to spend a LOT of time on the body, as i hope to enter it in the TEM body contest as well. that will push the boundaries of this build, as the close for that contest is the first of october, and our deadline is the first of november. maybe i can get someone to cast the body for me? if i pay for the supplies. anyway, just a quick update, i might have some pictures up later. just wanted to keep this around the top

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/100_0271.jpg

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comments and criticism welcome

Wow it looks like it's going to be SOOOO long. Sweet. Keep it up.

here are some updated pics. getting some good progress on the rear portion of the body let me know what you think. the pics are a little blurry. but hopefully im getting a new one for my birthday..my b-day is next wednesday, but i'll probably get the camera a week from sunday. fuji finepix 5100!!!!! anyway. comments and criticism welcome

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/100_0279.jpg

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Didn't you get a new camera yet?!

should be getting it on wednesday

i dug this out and did a little more work on it. got started on the frame and cage. The pics are a little blurry but they will have to do for tonight. C&C welcome.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0814Image001.jpg

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I've been quite busy the last couple days. Havn't accomplished as much as I had hoped, but do we ever? I got a lot of the front half of the cage done. I redid what I had posted earlier. After consulting some reference pictures, I needed a clean slate. Not sure if you can see it, but my top rail now has the dog leg bend in it to make room for the driver, and the passenger rail tapers in toward the center of the car more. I got my rocker extensions mocked up, I might have to add a little material to the bottom of them, as it was a mock up with the body resting on my bench, not with it at ride height, you can also see the beginnings of the hood forming. This will have a solid front clip, that I will remove once all of the body work is complete. I've also reduced the size of the front wheel openings. The body still lacks reshaping of the rear wheel wells, extending the bottom of the rear quarters, reworking the rear end of the vehicle, and adding the wing. I also started work on the intake manifold too, I changed from my original, simple box design, to a slightly more complicated one, I forgot to photograph it however. Imagine a peice like this

http://www.skinnykidracecars.com/db_EAKINS0101.jpg

I have yet to begin on the bottom half of the intake, with the runners, but the top half is nearing completion. comments and criticism are welcomed

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0817Image0004.jpg

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Looking great man.

I've been quite busy, with body work, and working on the roll cage. I've pretty well got all of the front of the cage done. There is still a little bit to do with the struts and the bars that go from the firewall forward. All of the back half is still needed as well. On the body, I've got it in putty right now. The extensions on the rear quarters are done, still needs some finish work in some areas, And I need to reshape the front of the rear wheel arches, they need to curve back instead of coming straight down. I want to enter this in the pro mod body contest that TEM is having, if anyone can give some pointers, that would be awesome. Not sure how that will play out, I beleive that contest is first of october, with winner announced first of november. If that is the case that throws either the TEM contest out, or the Automotive Forums contest out. Anyway. On to the pictures. Let me know what you think

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0820Image0003.jpg

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http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0820Image0007.jpg

oh, before I can finish the hood, I've got to get all of the intake done and mocked up that way I know how high the hood has to raise in the center

not much to post. No pictures. just a verbal update. Started working on the front suspension area. Also got quite a bit of body work done, It is nearing completion. Still need to clean up the inside of the body, but it is getting there. Started mocking up the hood. I'll get a picture in the morning. I want some feed back on it before I take it any further. I hope that everyone else is making nice strides on their projects. Havn't seen much progress in any of them recently. only 2 1/2 months to go. Lets light the fires and kick the tires and get those things moving

a little more progress. This is crunch week for me. I start back to class next tuesday so I've got to get as much done as I possibly can this week. I've got the hood mocked up. What you see is The height that it has to be to clear the turbo intake that I have made. You can also see the bars that come off of the front frame rails and create the upper mount for the strut. There is also a picture of the beginnings of the intake. comments and criticism welcome, and encouraged. You will notice that I have separated the engine and the bellhousing. I did this so that i could create the firewall, and mount them separately to the fire wall. In the reference pictures it appears as though there is a thick aluminum plate in this area and this is how they are mounted. Please, give some feed back on the hood. thanks for looking

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0822Image0011.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0822Image0012.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0822Image0014.jpg

another note. The hood will come all the way back to meet the windshield.

managed some more work done. After paint. I mocked up the engine in the chassis, and the upper bar for my strut, interferes with the headers. Not sure if i can work around it yet or not, Might have to re work it and mask and repaint the front portion of the chassis. The firewall is in place. It will need fitted to the body when that time comes. I went ahead and Put the CF decal on to see what it would look like. i think that it is coming along quite nicely. I hope to have the majority of the scratchbuilding done by the end of the week.......HOPEFULLY. this is my last week before class starts. enjoy the pics.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0823Image0001.jpg

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Awsome Russel the chassis looks right on and what a nice body!

great work so far!

the cowl is off center. so i've got to pull it and realign it. thanks for the comments

more updates. With today being my last FULL day of working on this before I go back to school, I did as much on the body as possible. The hood scoop is pretty well done. spent 30 or 45 min working on cleaning up the inside of the body with my dremel. got to love the flex attatchment, made that work a lot easier. Im having some trouble with the hood and roof staying attached. removing so much material from the inside of the body has weakend these areas. Im almost tempted to offer this body to TEM, just to see what kind of response I get. I know it is high hopes but I try to plan for everything. In the event that this were to win the TEM contest, I would be out of a body for my Drag Car contest on AF. But we will see how that goes. Anyway, here are the most recent pics. there is a little work needed on the hood, to make it meet the window. but I like how it looks for now. Oh, I think I've got the front window sorted out. I mocked one up by hacking up the front window and glueing it in place. I've got some clear resin and I'm going to try and make a mold and pour my own window. We'll see how that turns out. Anywho enjoy the pictures and give me some comments and criticism.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0824Image003.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0824Image004.jpg

side bar. I'm not really happy with the 1:24 SMS high definition CF decal. I would try the 1:20th if you are in the market. It is really hard to see the pattern on this stuff, I'm thinking the 1:20th might be a little more visible.

looking real good!!!

thanks James, I'm having tons of trouble with this can of primer. First faulty can I've had from duplicolor. It seems to intermittently spray THICK

thanks James, I'm having tons of trouble with this can of primer. First faulty can I've had from duplicolor. It seems to intermittently spray THICK


try using a nozzel from another can.
also let the can sit in some warm water for a while before you use it.

well, the body is getting there. got the rear wing in place. It still needs some clean up tho. Minimal work on the exterior, Though I still need to do something about the front of the rear wheel opening, I might just leave it however. It should be more slab sided than it is, and that hurt my rear track, as the curve in the body interfered with the rear axle set up. we will see how it pans out. still need some clean up on the interior of the body. that is painstaking but worth it. havn't done much to the interior, cage, suspension, or drivetrain. I constructed a front windsheild out of hte old one, it looks pretty good, now all I have to do is make a mold and see how this clear resin works out. Still waiting on some miscellaneous peices from best resin, once those come in I will get to work on the front wheels and the engine hopefully. well enjoy the pics, comments and criticism welcome.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2005_0826Image0001.jpg

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that looks pretty crazy

Great job so far.

Thats a sick looking pro-mod. Wouldnt want to see that in your rear vision mirrors at the lights! keep up the awesome work!

Regards
WRCfan

thanks guys. wait till you see what I have in store for the paint.

Good News!!!! I just got an E-mail from Chris at TEM and they would like to have my vette body added to their stable. Hopefully I can get this thing done and out to them by the end of the wee

Awesome news there. I bet you're in a real rush to get it done now. Everything looks so awesome and I can't wait to see what you have instore for paint.

Well, I've got the beginnings of an intercooler. The picture isn't the best, but its early, and im in a hurry. lol. The pipes on the front are the inlet and outlet for the turbo piping, and the hole at the top is to fill it with ice!! I'd Imagine I'll need a drain at the bottom. I plan on using a/n fittings in the bottom of the tank, plumbed to a fitting to the bottom of the floor pan. maybe work out some type of open/close lever. comments welcome

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0829Image0002.jpg

I am also changing the engine set up. Going from a Hemi style Donovan, to a BBC.

Looking good there Russel!

Thanks for all of the comments on the body guys. It means a Lot. look for it to be released by TEM in the next couple months.....I'm trying to get all of the suspension mocked up and in place before the body leaves the work bench. It still needs a little work yet as well. I got the rear suspension in place last night. Let me know what you think. The coil overs are constructed from a combination of brass and aluminum rod, and the springs are craft wire. The 4 Link is constructed of Silver Solder. Im expecting the coil overs to bear the weight of the chassis and not affect the 4 Link, since the solder is kind of flimsy. This was the best way I came up with at the time, without going overboard with RB motion stuff. I would love to try the stuff out and I'm sure that it is top notch, but I just dont have the extra funds for it now. well on to the pictures. Comments and Criticism welcome

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0830Image0002.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0830Image0001.jpg

Awsome looking. Great job there on the suspension!

STRUT YOUR STUFF!!!!!

Got some more work done. I got the front suspension in place. the strut is the best representation of a real peice that I have reference for. I'll post that up and show you as well. the picture with the post sticking out of the strut is the peice I made to mock up the wheels to see what this thing is going to look like. enjoy, comments and criticism welcome

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2005_0830Image002.jpg

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http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/GAStrut.jpg

no photo updates. With the new top end for the motor, came a new intake set up. The second go 'round is turning out much better than the first. The intercooler I beleive is just about complete. Hit it with some primer to check for smoothness, then with the aluminum, and then figure out how to make the cap for the fill hole for the ice. the body is nearing completion. Just cleaning up some dips and where I scribed the door lines. Hope to have that out by Monday at the Latest. Tomorrow brings the second day of classes, with that means more homework. But I've got quite a bit of time in between most of my classes, so that gives me time to take care of my homework and saves time at home for this thing. I hope to have the motor set, the intercooler in place, the turbos done, and the trans all hooked up, and everything plumbed by the end of august. Leaving only the body work to finish when the shell comes back from TEM. The doors will need to be cut out. the firewall fabricated, the front clip removed, and the shell painted. This will be my first attempt at opening doors, and creating the jambs and everything. Hopefully I will have enough time to get everything sorted out when the body comes back to make the contest over on AF. There is also a NNL coming up in Fort Worth that I hope I can make with this thing. Lots to do yet, but it is coming together much nicer than I had anticipated. These builds are quickly becoming my favorite ones. All of the work put into the final product is so rewarding.

Looking great. This weekend is going to be awesome for modeling. I have only one class friday since math was cancelled, and then monday off. So, Pro Street Bel Air, here I come!

more updates. The intercooler is pretty well done. The cap for the ice inlet is made from clay and a peice of styrene for a handle. I also plumbed a drain spout in the bottom. I got the intake done, it is complete with fuel rails and injectors. It too is also plumbed. I need to do the cross over lines for the back of the fuel rails still, but it is getting there!!! Enjoy the pics.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2005_0901Image0001.jpg

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one more update for today. how about some turbo headers for your viewing pleasure. They still need some clean up, and some work in the collector area. but I think they've come out nicely thus far! let me know what you think!!

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0902Image0002.jpg

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http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0902Image0005.jpg

Very smooth car. :) What colour you paint it ?

WOW! That is looking good. I like all of the small details.
Great job so far.

the paint will be a surprise. if it comes out like I'm planning, it will blow you guys away

damn dude, thats like crazy amazing. ur really doing a nice job

Im looking forward to the final product. Looking great.

Finally got the turbo's mocked up. the reduced for the headers is made from resin air cleaners that i sanded smooth. let me know what you think!!

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0903Image0001.jpg

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looking great! sweet headers

thanks james. they still need a little work. I just wanted to get it all mocked up to see what it would look like!

I got the valve covers done. Also redid the intake.....again. The valve covers and the intake are all done in the new SMS hi definition Carbon Fiber Decal. I wanted to give this a touch of something different. the decals have been cleared with model master enamel clear. just to help protect them while I'm working with them.


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a218/black2002ls/2004%20vette%20pro%20mod/2005_0905Image0003.jpg

I still fight with my new camera from time to time. and it really shows in this picture........sometimes I just absolutely cannot get this thing to focus.

nice work!

do u take your pics outside in the sun? nice sunny weather really makes pics turn out good

for the most part I take mine inside. during progress threads. lol. I'm usually pressed for time.

Pull back from the piece. I know my camera sometimes has trouble focusing at close range.

well, the body is officially packaged and ready to be sent to TEM. Barring some kind of mis hap, or the need to fix something I might have overlooked!!!!!