1955 Suburban: Body and finishing touches (#16 for 2018)

The blue went on OK, with some minor issues I won't address. The drip rails were painted with an enamel pen, which also went on relatively well. Using enamel on top of Tamiya spray paints means that paint thinner can be used to quickly clean up a mistake with the enamel without damaging the underlying paint.



Stance looks good, and the 8-lug, 18" 4X4 rims from Scenes Unlimited look better in the context of a '55 Suburban than the chromed items from the Hilux.



The grille from the Cameo is pretty substantial. The choice was trying to put black paint in the gaps, or slicing off the back. I did the latter, using a jeweller's saw, and put in a piece of mesh from the parts bin.



This is much better.



Next I put on fender flares from the Toyota, and the visor from the Cameo. These, along with the wheels, grille and bumper, are all painted Tamiya TS-7 Racing White, which is a bit creamy.



Decals include the coat of arms of Seyðisfjörður, on the east coast of Iceland, and period-correct license plates for a vehicle registered in Keflavik. 



The engine compartment is fair. The engine should have been set further back, which would have entailed moving the transmission rearwards and playing with driveshaft lengths; there is a lot of room between the engine and firewall, but no room ahead of the engine for a radiator, a fact I have cleverly obscured by my choice of photographs.



Overall this was a fun build requiring lots of creativity. I will look for a spare tire to mount on the right rear door, and may one day get around to finishing off the exhaust system; meanwhile I am calling this one done.