# 1960 SMP Corvair 700-Series 4-door Sedan Restoration



## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

This is a replica of a car I refurbished with my older daughter. The actual 1:1 car didn't come out looking as nice as the model; I built the model to show what the car could have been if we had the money (and the garage!) to do it right. As it was, we made a very presentable, very reliable car out of a beater that I paid about $100 for and had been parked for a decade before I got it. My daughter Becky was so into the car that I gave it to her as a surprise for her 16th birthday! Hey, it wouldn't have been nearly as nice a car without all the time and effort she put into it. I treasure the time we spent together on that project. She was the only kid in her high school to go to school with a car 20 years older than she was! Anyhow, on to the model pics:

Here's what I started with, after disassembly and stripping. I had already cut out a cracked and broken section of the left front fender - I thought it would be easier to patch in the whole area than to repair the rough break.










I decided to cut the sides off the interior bucket to make it easier to properly paint the 4-color door panels.










This shot shows that the surgery on the interior bucket paid off. There's no way I could have acheived the paint seperation I did if I had left it in one piece. At this point in the build, it's pretty much down to BMF work and final (re)construction.










Here's the finished product. I think the fender reconstruction came out pretty well. I had to re-do a small section of the roof overhang above the right corner of the rear window too, but that was a lot easier. The "CORVAIR" emblems on the fenders and the "CHEVROLET" emblem on the engine lid were done using the "BMF under the color coat" method, where you carefully polish the paint from the high areas of the lettering prior to clearcoating it and final polish.










... And from the other side:










The license plate is a computer-generated replica of a 1960 Pennsylvania tag with the correct colors and typefaces for the serial number and the "PA 58" at the top of the plate. The annual regestration sticker is in the correct colors for 1960, and it's even legible with a magnifying glass. I found the guy who made this plate for me along with many others I've bought on eBay. 










One last "Beauty Shot" from the rear 3/4. The color on the spray can looked a lot more like 1960 Chevrolet "Tasco Turquoise" than what actually came OUT of the can, but the end result still looks good to me.










As with my other posts, please feel free to comment on my build. These restorations are a lot of fun, and they're a great way to fill out holes in my collection of Corvair annual models that I've built myself. Let's face it, if I were to buy a new-in-the-box 1960 SMP Corvair annual kit, it would run me a lot more than the $20 or so this little guy cost me on eBay (including shipping!)


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## Schwinnster (Sep 5, 2011)

:thumbsup::thumbsup: *Really nice job Jim!* Cutting the door panels off the tub for painting really did the trick! _NO_ way you could've painted them with them attached. 

Could you explain the *"BMF under the color coat" method* a bit? Sounds to me like you BMF'd the emblems *before *applying that bright Chevy blue, and then very carefully _'polished'_ that paint off the BMF-- is that right? 

*Very nice shiny finish!* Looks like you and Becky spent a day Simonizing it!


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## Steve244 (Jul 22, 2001)

I've got a soft spot for 'vairs (I even keep a link to the current ebay crop).

Thanks for doing your bit to keep the old cars living in 1/25th!


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## 440 dakota (Feb 23, 2006)

wow theres something you don't see everyday very nice job saving it,also interested in the BMF under paint,I've heard of it before but have nevr tried it


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## CorvairJim (Dec 16, 2011)

You got it on the first try, Schwinnster! That's how it's done. This was the first time I'd tried it, and as you see, it worked out pretty well. I finished priming the body and let it dry completely, then scuffed the body prior to the color coat (so I wouldn't have to do that after the foil was on it). Then I just put BMF over the emblems, trimmed as closely as possible around them, cleaned the body as usual (being careful not to wash off the foil!), and sprayed color as usual. Once that had gassed out for a few days, I carefully polished the emblems with one of the finest sheets from my polishing kit until the chrome showed through the blue. You have to be V-E-R-Y careful at this point, because the BMF is probably thinner than the paint film! I foiled the rest of the trim at this point too, to seal it under the clearcoat. Then shoot your clearcoat over the whole deal and you're ready for the final polish. The foil on the emblems does seem lo lose some of it's "chrominess" in the deal, but it still looks more realistic to my eye than applying it over the paint and trying to trim it around each individual letter or dry-brushing it. The foil on the remainder of the trim came out bright and shiny, as you saw in the photos. Give it a shot some time. That's one of the things this hobby is all about to me: Trying new things!


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## Harold Sage (Apr 6, 2008)

*awesome job CovairJim*

Another awesome Job.


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## Marty (Oct 20, 1999)

Nice job!! It brings back a lot of memories! The High School I went to had a carnival/fund raiser every year and the local Chevy dealer donated a car to raffle off. The four years I went there they were all Corvairs.

Marty
Marysville, OH


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## Schwinnster (Sep 5, 2011)

> You got it on the first try, Schwinnster!


 Well, _that_ was easy! Now the hard part-- to actually do it......... *LOL!* Thanks Jim!  As soon as I thought I understood it, I could see the advantages of doing it that way. 

I, too, _totally_ enjoy the trying new things aspect of this hobby


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## steve123 (Feb 9, 2009)

My Dad had a Turbo Monza 2 dr that year....
You have done a great job on her!

Steve


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