Your Guide To Building the AMT/ERTL 1963 Chevrolet Impala - Monster Hobbies Model Car Garage How-To

On today's Monster Hobbies Model Car Garage we will build the 1997 release of the 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS Model Kit By AMT/ERTL. This is a model car building video that we hope you'll enjoy!

This build is an "Out of the box" build with no super-detailing parts. That being said, I also added in some of the missing pieces from my parts box just to get the full kit that AMT/ERTL left out of the box.

The AMT 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS model car is an interesting model kit. Originally introduced in 1963 as part of the AMT Advanced Customizing Series model car kits and designed by Bill Cushenbury of Silhouette fame, it has basically remained unchanged since that time. Bill Cushenbury was a new talent in the custom car field and at AMT in those days.

Changes between the first issue of this kit and the 1997 version (This kit) include the removal of the original stock / custom engine with a more "simplified" stock only version and a simulated engine bay plug for a "Hood down" car. (It does look like the AMT 1964 Impala engine would fit in here though.) The optional steel wheels and Halibrand mag wheels with knock offs were traded for late 1960's era 5 spoke mag wheels. The interior lost the dash mounted rear view mirror, custom floor shift lever, and Cragar steering wheel. The roll bar and shoulder harness are still there, but any and all race car decals are gone, replaced with a tiny licence plate decal sheet. One of the most strangest "Why did they remove it" items are the missing Bill Cushenbury asymmetrical front nose and chrome pieces. The rear parts are still included...so why? The firewall was also mysteriously missing in this kit.

What I did to build and correct this model :

The first thing I needed to do was to clean up the axle holes for the factory stock wheels because, in the chrome plating process, AMT/ERTL uses a special shellac on the plastic parts to use in the chrome electroplating process and this filed the wheels so badly that the axle pins and rod would not fit inside. The axle holes had to be cleaned up with a 1/8" drill in the front wheels and a 1/16" drill in the back in order to remove the excess shellac and chrome plating.

Next off, I had to cut down the rear metal axle rod as it was far too long for the rear differential and rear wheel backs. However, I found it far easier to replace the axle with a shorter one from the AMT 1964 Impala kit.

The front axle pins had to be "Trued Up" using my electric drill and a file because the pins were cast so irregular that they had a hard time fitting in the wheels.

Holes also had to be drilled in engine parts in order to get items like the air cleaner and the belts and pulleys to fit on the engine block.

I needed to find all the AMT/ERTL missing parts for this kit from my parts box and I was lucky that I had a spare AMT 1964 Impala firewall I could use and a small radiator that looked factory stock. Both of these parts were modified by removing materials until they fit in the model. I also need to alter a battery to make the kit more accurate.

The chassis and running gear of the AMT 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS Model Kit consist of a one piece chassis pan with all the running gear and exhaust pipes molded in place. These were a bit tricky to paint as everything is molded in place, but a steady hand can be your friend.

The interior bucket was built using all the stock pieces and I also included the optional front lap belts.

On the body, I painted the hood and body with Tremclad Gloss Sand colored enamel spray paint I bought back in 2018. The grille was treated to a wash of Nuln Oil from Citadel (Games Workshop) and the turn signals were painted with Testors Turn Signal Amber paint. Rear tail lights are molded in place, so i painted the tail light panel with two coats of Testors Flat Aluminum and Model Master Chrome with the tail lights being Stop Light Red. The chrome trim was applied with Bare Metal Foil and Testors Model Master Chrome Paint.

To build this model, you need a lot of patience and understanding that this is an older kit. I know it's a lot of work, but the finished result will be worth it!

You may ask, "Where can I purchase the 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS Model Kit by AMT/ERTL?"

Please check out all the model car kits we have for sale online here: http://www.monster-hobbies.ca/Hobby_P...

Thank you for watching Your Guide To Building the AMT/ERTL 1963 Chevrolet Impala - Monster Hobbies Model Car Garage How-To. I hope you learned some techniques to help you build your model and correct the issues I found in mine.

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