I'm working on a 1/24 scale body shop auto repair garage. Haven't built a model since I was a kid, but it's coming back to me. Got the walls together and building pieces and parts. Got the Chief EZ Liner frame rack just about ready. Hired a tiny frame guy.
Next comes a Curbside Dioramics 1/24 air compressor kit that I've had for almost 20 years.

That is cool. Did you build the frame rack or is it a kit? I miss using a Chief. The shop I am currently at has a Car-O-Liner.

Thanks, Matt. I fixed a lot of cars on an EZ Liner. Enjoyed working with it.

I found a guy who builds stuff from scratch. Got it from him ready to paint.

That looks great Jim! If you would have said you were in a garage and took this cool picture, I don't think I would have noticed it was a model.

Is the mechanic going to hang some tiny porcelain signs on the wall?

Nice work,
Steve

Very cool!! I look forward to this sort of thing when/if I retire some day! I used to build a lot of models as a kid.
Nice job Jim. Have fun with it!! And yes, I hope to see some signs on the wall and a pump or two in there!
BTW, with a hammer that big, who needs a frame rack!!

Yes, we always used to kid around that we could fix anything with a big enough hammer and a torch.

I am definitely going to print scale-sized photos of individual signs from my collection and put them in the diorama. The graphics on the edge of the frame rack and the tool board on the other side of the rack came from scans of old Chief EZ Liner literature in my collection.

Best part is that this doesn't have to be done by Friday at quitting time like so many of the cars I worked on in the shop.

There's a lot of detail in that frame rack. The guy even captured the radius on what would be the heavier wall box tubing. Unless my old eyes are deceiving me

Hi Jim,
I'm a fellow model builder myself, though I mostly build WWII aircraft. I have built the occasional car model though. Here is a model I built for my dad back in 2015 before he got cancer. It's an exact replica of the '78 Chevy El Camino that was his daily driver for 33 years. I even painted it with real automotive paint of the same color code as the full-size car. I had to combine parts from 3 diferent releases of '78 El Camino kits to get everything just right. It was worth it though - he loved it as you can tell from the look on his face.










BrianH

Great job Jim, I have 2 of those Chief's in my shop!

Looks great so far, but would like more pictures.

Brian,
The El Camino looks very real. Nice job on detail. Love the idea of building it for your Dad.

I'll take more pics as I go. It will be a while before I make a properly finished display base.

Here is a shot of Bubba, with a rack of used bumpers and grilles outside the shop.

My arms would look like that too if I was curling small-blocks all day!

My back though, I'm not so sure....

BrianH

Thats cool Jim.

Very nice Jim.
You should hook a spray gun & hose up to one of that cars cylinders and have him painting the car.

The parts rack looks great. I can`t wait to see the completed project. I never done a diorama but have built a lot of cars and trucks. Some where custom and most where stock and detailed like the El Camino above. Here is one I did about 7 years ago. It started as a 55 Chevy 1/2 ton short bed. I made it into a 57 GMC 1 ton pickup with a 9 1/2 foot bed and Napco 4 wheel drive.

Nice truck Matt! If it were any color other than Shell yellow I wouldn't have believed you built it lol!

Rick, I love the idea of a diorama of a guy painting a car! That is so cool.

BrianH

Jim,

I've always been amazed by the detail that builders have put into cars but when the car is put in an extremely detailed shop that just takes it to the next level. Nice work! Your an artist in every sense.

Tom.

I put a few more faux tie-down slots on the front of the frame rack. The work bench is really wood and the vice and C-clamp are really metal. No gas in the welding tanks though.

Looks great!!

Looking good Jim!

When is the Grand Opening?

I got the air compressor done. Love the detail in a Curbside Dioramics kit. Wish they were still in business.

Working on a gas pump island/canopy for the front of the building next.

I scratch built a 1/24 scale body shop parts stand. It's not period correct for the 1953 Buick dealership in the background, but it will go later into the 1970 body shop diorama that I'm working on.

I took the photo and posted it in this message with my phone. Easy since the forum upgrade last week.

Your parts stand came out nice. I use the real deal daily. It will look great in the body shop.

Great diorama! I always enjoyed working on a chief unless the chain collar fell and pinched your hand, you only do that once! Car O Liners are the machines I use today. So does your shop have a down draft or a cross draft booth?

Thanks. Yes, you learn to respect certain parts that can bite you. I'm working on a scale 1970 Binks paint booth but it will be downdraft. Haven't decided whether I should have it be the stock Binks drab green on the outside and white on the inside like our old one, or go with white inside and out.

This past week, my wife bought a new kitchen product and it had several lengths of 1/8" plastic tubing that held some parts in their packaging slots. She brought them to me and asked, "Could you use these for something in your diorama?" The pieces might make some good air piping and conduit for the inside walls. Now I know she likes this project and wants to help.

Drab green is period. Seems like alot of the new booths are white. My work still uses a old binks booth that has been painted 95 % white but is still green where the controls for the heat are. If you need a picture or some measurements let me know.

That guy sure looks happy playing that retro synthesizer in front of the store...

LOL

On another note, the project looks great Jim. Lots of meticulous patience.

I have the base painted and walls attached. Just got done with a scratch-built lubester and a kit gas welder. I have the paint booth painted Binks green with a white interior. Now putting the booth together.

Looks awesome Jim !! Nice Zephyr branded pump too !!