# Steve 65 Vette "Build" **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [January 2, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476 "2012-01-02T15:45:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LUKE\_L](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/luke_l/32/7462_2.png) [@LUKE\_L](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LUKE_L)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/1 "2012-01-02T15:45:46Z")
This idea began after a discussion with my girlfriend’s father, Steve, late last summer. We got on the topic of what car he would like when he retired. Without skipping a beat he said he wanted a “1965 Corvette Convertible. British Racing Green with a Tan leather interior.” It was a car he could have owned when he was younger but he was talked out of it. With Christmas approaching I thought it would be nice to “build” him his dream car. First, I did some research to find out exactly what was available on the '65 Vette. Turns out that the “British Racing Green” he mentioned was actually Glen Green and the “Tan” was called Saddle. GM produced approximately 3,782 Glen Green Corvettes in 1965 with various options. This is an example of a MINT one that is for sale for $50k. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/OEM_Exterior.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/OEM_Exterior.jpg) I was more interested in the interior, more on that in a minute. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/OEM_Interior.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/OEM_Interior.jpg) Once I knew what it needed to look like I attempt to locate a replica…this is what I found. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Before01.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Before01.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Before02.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Before02.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Before03.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Before03.jpg) It is a Limited Edition 1:24 Die Cast from Franklin Mint. Any diehard Corvette fan will notice right away that this replica is in fact a L88 and is therefore NOT a 1965. It is in fact the 1967 L88, the first year for the 427. But, it is still a convertible C2. It is also NOT Glen Green with a Saddle interior. Seeing as how it was the closest I could get I decided to modify it just a little… First I disassembled the chassis from the body. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/ChassisStripped.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/ChassisStripped.jpg) Next, I removed everything off of the body so that it could be blasted. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/BodyStripped.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/BodyStripped.jpg) With the body cleaned up there were some minor imperfections in the die cast that needed to be addressed. But, rather than deal with filler on the die cast itself I decided to build up the paint. This was done using light coats applied at half the cure time. This allows the paint to tack up enough to build texture between each coat. Even though it orange peels like crazy it makes wet sanding much easier so you do not break through the color. The GM color available in 1965 was Glen Green. But, after a few discrete discussions with Steve it was clear he preferred British Racing Green over the drab GM color. So, I painted it with British Green _Metallic_ to give it that extra pop… ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/BodyPainted01.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/BodyPainted01.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/BodyPainted02.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/BodyPainted02.jpg) Once the paint was wet sanded the clear needed to be applied to give it that perfect finish. All told this process had two coats or primer, six coats of color, and four coats of clear (two coats applied, cured, wet sanded again, and then two finishing coats). Was it overboard? Hell yes. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/PaintedBodyClear.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/PaintedBodyClear.jpg) With the Body finished I turned to the interior. I wanted to mimic the OEM Saddle interior styling exactly how it was done. But, all the interior surfaces were vinyl and fabric, something that cannot be easily duplicated with just a paint selection. The solution, dry brushing. Enamel paints are great for creating textures and faux finishes. The nature of the paint allows you to work with it in endless combinations. Dry brushing is a technique I used to simulate the leather texture on the seats and door panels as well as creating a fabric texture on the transmission tunnel and floor boards. Same paint used but different application methods. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/ChassisAssy.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/ChassisAssy.jpg) One thing I have always been a fan of is details. There are a few things I did to this to make it stand out even more than it already did. My favorite modification to this besides the color matched E-Brake Handle is the Vanity Plate. Not only does it personalize the project but I even took it a step further to match the exact plate design that was issued by NYS in 1965. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/PlateImage.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/PlateImage.jpg) This entire project started in late October. After quite a few late nights and having to custom order the paint it proved challenging to meet the December 25th deadline. A mere two days before Christmas the project came to an end with the last piece being attached. Christmas morning came and the reaction was well worth the hours that went into it. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Finished01.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Finished01.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Done01.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Done01.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Done02.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Done02.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Done03.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Done03.jpg) Close up of the Metallic paint: ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Flake.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Flake.jpg) Finished Plate: ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DonePlate.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DonePlate.jpg) Finished Interior: ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior01.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior01.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior02.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior02.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior03.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior03.jpg) Here are better shots of the textured Tan. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior04.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior04.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior05.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/Interior05.jpg) Complete with hardtop. With the wheels and the accent of the scoop I decided to leave it black. I’m glad I did. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneTop01.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneTop01.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneTop02.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneTop02.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneTop03.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneTop03.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneShow.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneShow.jpg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneMotor-1.jpg](http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/StevesVette/DoneMotor-1.jpg) Merry Christmas Steve!!! ---
**Author:** ![91MR2](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/91mr2/32/7217_2.png) [@91MR2](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/91MR2)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/2 "2012-01-02T16:06:48Z")
Luke, you’re unreal…top notch work, as ALWAYS… ---
**Author:** ![Slaw](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/slaw/32/5313_2.png) [@Slaw](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Slaw)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/3 "2012-01-02T17:25:45Z")
WOW, thats some amazing attention to detail. ---
**Author:** ![1QIKZ](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/1qikz/32/6112_2.png) [@1QIKZ](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/1QIKZ)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/4 "2012-01-02T18:09:43Z")
Cheapskate. ---
**Author:** ![9c1ny](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/9c1ny/32/5050_2.png) [@9c1ny](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/9c1ny)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/5 "2012-01-02T18:13:46Z")
So how did Steve like it?? ---
**Author:** ![97FormulaWS-6](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/97formulaws-6/32/7384_2.png) [@97FormulaWS-6](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/97FormulaWS-6)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/6 "2012-01-02T18:58:56Z")
Fuckin’ Eh dude… Makes the Blu-Ray player I got Steve seem like shit, thanks for showing me up! 😛 LOL! ---
**Author:** ![MrSmith](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/mrsmith/32/5254_2.png) [@MrSmith](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/MrSmith)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/7 "2012-01-02T19:28:34Z")
Very nice. :tup: ---
**Author:** ![ultradriver10000](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ultradriver10000/32/7397_2.png) [@ultradriver10000](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ultradriver10000)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/8 "2012-01-02T20:56:07Z")
Nice!! Can you do this for me 24x larger? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![TurboTSi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@TurboTSi](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TurboTSi)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/9 "2012-01-02T21:07:30Z")
Killer work, great idea also. ---
**Author:** ![LUKE\_L](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/luke_l/32/7462_2.png) [@LUKE\_L](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LUKE_L)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 5:16am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/10 "2012-01-03T05:16:34Z")
> [@9c1ny](#): > > So how did Steve like it?? He really liked it. It is sitting on a shelf in the living room. > [@97FormulaWS-6](#): > > Makes the Blu-Ray player I got Steve seem like shit, thanks for showing me up! 😛 LOL! Haha. Well, “Santa” got him a iPad 2. That pretty much put everyone to shame. Looking forward to you and the family coming up! Thanks for the compliments everyone! ---
**Author:** ![jeffthespasm](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jeffthespasm/32/3153_2.png) [@jeffthespasm](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jeffthespasm)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 7:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/11 "2012-01-03T07:50:02Z")
This is unreal! I don’t think I could ever gather the patience or precision to finish a project like this, so kudos. ---
**Author:** ![LUKE\_L](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/luke_l/32/7462_2.png) [@LUKE\_L](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LUKE_L)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/12 "2012-01-03T13:51:19Z")
Thanks. This was another one I did years ago…(Mike, you’ll appreciate this one…) > [@LUKE\_L](#): > > snip…The point of the story was that for a Christmas present last year I bought a 1/18 scale 02 TransAm model and with some time I made a “Replica” of his 97 Firebird. I don’t have a pic of the car but you get the idea of how much work I put into this thing. > > Yes, the Stripes are painted on along with the color that MATCHED his car. This car had 2 coats Black, Masked stripes, then 4 coats Pewter, unmasked, and finally 4 coats Clear. All Automotive paint and Auto clear. I had extra Black and Clear laying around. > > Also, note the liscense plate (Custom to match), and the Middle Piece between the lights says “Firebird” not “Trans Am” along with the interior (Door panels too. The Model was All Black.), smoothed out the front bumper (tried to get it to look more like a 97), fender near the door hinges smoothed out, and smoothed out the “Hawk” off the front as well as the center caps too. I probably had 60 hours into the body work. It’s all about the details. ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/92387yfnt.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/c/d/cd8df4cc88bad970423120d8b97e6a9a09f0bdee.jpeg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/001_0284.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/7/2/7296889c5e9c2e345972e9a4397389c3c1d468af.jpeg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/92387ysdtir.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/8/4/8448676ca1c503b4ec03f7a06679bbb1bc4e656e.jpeg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/001_0288.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/0/5/05c7a6592928b1f650a9e97de6b5fb5b58c73bea.jpeg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/92387ysdtir.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/8/4/8448676ca1c503b4ec03f7a06679bbb1bc4e656e.jpeg) ![http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t167/llorentz/001_0291.jpg](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/c/9/c99ab65664081d890885217fd9e9b6f06fa55d0d.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![drvnkd](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/drvnkd/32/109615_2.png) [@drvnkd](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/drvnkd)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/13 "2012-01-03T13:54:53Z")
Nice work … If you want a challenge, find a cavalier… It would probably be easier and cheaper to buy a used, real one 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LUKE\_L](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/luke_l/32/7462_2.png) [@LUKE\_L](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LUKE_L)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/14 "2012-01-03T14:03:27Z")
They have a 1982 model…LOL [![](https://s.yimg.com/pw/images/en-us/photo_unavailable_z.png) ](https://s.yimg.com/pw/images/en-us/photo_unavailable_z.png) ---
**Author:** ![1QIKZ](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/1qikz/32/6112_2.png) [@1QIKZ](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/1QIKZ)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/15 "2012-01-03T15:24:53Z")
[quote=“drvnkd,post:13,topic:219476"”] Nice work … If you want a challenge, find a cavalier… It would probably be easier and cheaper to buy a used, real one 😃 [/quote] Make it a pink cavalier, then find a Barbie doll and run about 10-15 psi in her and place her atop the car. Your metal flake is not to scale. Fail. ---
**Author:** ![95dime](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/95dime/32/7514_2.png) [@95dime](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/95dime)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/16 "2012-01-03T20:20:08Z")
thats pretty damn cool ---
**Author:** ![juicedz4](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/juicedz4/32/5051_2.png) [@juicedz4](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/juicedz4)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:06am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/17 "2012-01-04T06:06:40Z")
Very awesome Luke. :tup: So THIS was the project you mentioned. Dan ---
**Author:** ![FadetoBlack](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/fadetoblack/32/6118_2.png) [@FadetoBlack](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/FadetoBlack)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:16am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/18 "2012-01-04T06:16:34Z")
Thanks for the LOL. ---
**Author:** ![91MR2](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/91mr2/32/7217_2.png) [@91MR2](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/91MR2)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:21am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/19 "2012-01-04T06:21:06Z")
[quote=“drvnkd,post:13,topic:219476"”] Nice work … If you want a challenge, find a cavalier… It would probably be easier and cheaper to buy a used, real one 😃 [/quote] I know a guy with a silver one…z24 edition…thing’s a cremepuff… ---
**Author:** ![LUKE\_L](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/luke_l/32/7462_2.png) [@LUKE\_L](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LUKE_L)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 6:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476/20 "2012-01-04T06:47:57Z")
> [@juicedz4](#): > > So THIS was the project you mentioned. Yep. Your reminder popped up on my calendar yesterday. 🙂 > [@91MR2](#): > > I know a guy with a silver one…z24 edition…thing’s a cremepuff… It takes a cremepuff to drive a cremepuff… [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/steve-65-vette-build/219476.md?page=2)