The "rat rod" aesthetic seems to have taken off over the past 2 years and I really like the look. A few years ago I built a primered Chevy SSR model that turned out pretty cool so, I decided I would build another in the same style. I was looking through my kit collection for something appropriate to start with and then I remembered I had a die-cast Ertl '50 Olds coin bank that was ripe for a rebuild. A few years ago I stumbled across it at a discount store for only $5.00. Usually, these cars trade hands for around 20 bucks but this particular version had been painted in a truly ugly green and yellow New York Jets NFL paint scene. Sometimes, you can find a some great modeling material if you can loo beyound it's humble beginnings.

First, I carefully disassembled the car. Then the original paint was stripped by soaking the body in lacquer thinner. Afterward, the body was then given some mild customizing. The hood and trunk trim was removed and filled for a smoother look. Since this die-cast was originally a coin bank, there was a large coin slot in the trunk that was also filled in. A nice thing about this kit was that the chrome trim pieces were all separate plated plastic parts, but they were a little thick and stood out too far from the body. I carefully scraped the back side with an x-acto blade until they where thin enough to look more realistic.

After the bodywork was finished, I painted the body using Krylon flat black right from the spray can. An authentic "rat rod" touch! Next, I hand painted the "Von Dutch" style pinstripes on the hood and deck lid. The interior was painted testors gloss red that was then weathered with various paint washes and pastel chalk dust to make it look old and well used.

The model was then re-assembled and then chassis was modified so the car would sit with a "down in the weeds" look. The white walls and steel wheels came from my parts box. Other details include an "Autoholics" car club plaque on the front which I made from a picture I found on the web and a vintage California rear license plate which I made on the computer.