MrObsessive Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 (edited) Hi Folks! I was told about this board at a club meeting yesterday..........and it's very impressive! My latest project is a bit of a cliffhanger-------a 1955 Ford Fairlane. It's a cliffhanger as there was not plastic kit ever done of this car except for the annual promo done.............in 1955. I started with a forlorn kit I won on eBay.......an even when I won it I new it would need some MAJOR correction. The fellow who originally had it already attached the roof in which he used the roof from the '53 Lindberg kit. The roof was attached too far forward, and was not widened at all to accomodate the larger AMT '56 Ford lower body. A little bit of history of Ford Fairlanes in the 50's..............Ford was desperately trying to outdo Chevy in the production race in the early to mid '50's. Chevy was to have an all new body style for 1955 and with this new body was to come an all new small block V8. Ford not wanting to cede leadership to Chevy, had all new body styling done for their lineup for 1955. While the cars looked new to the casual observer, they were really nothing more than restyled '54 models......a body style that was introduced in 1952. Some clever reshaping of the windshield pillars and rear fenders gave the cars a fresh look which would tide Ford over until the really all new models would debut for 1957. The hardtop roof stampings were essentially the same from the '52 models up through the '56 save for the Crown Victoria's Ford would introduce a "Crown Victoria" model as a sort of a flagship to the Fairlane line which had a completely different roofline and "Tiara" or crown which was the centerpiece of the styling theme. In model form this turned out to be a very popular version to build........but what of the more mainstream "Victoria"? I wanted to do something that was more out of the mainstream of builders..........and so I chose to build the more common (in the '50's) Victoria 2 dr hardtop version. I had to whack the roof totally off the body and split it in half, also move the roof rearward to eliminate the "cab forward" look it had. This was then rejoined onto the beltline of the body and connected with sheet plastic. There's a lot more to the story..........so if you mosey on over to this link.........you'll see what else I've done to this baby http://public.fotki.com/MrObsessive/1955_ford_fairlane/ Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy! Bill Geary Edited August 6, 2008 by MrObsessive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mannyclub Posted March 5, 2006 Share Posted March 5, 2006 Very cool! I will be watching this one. Awesome work and mods on the body as well!!! Manny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigphoto Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 great project coming Bill, I thought I saw a 55 in resin in my local hobby shop though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Bill, you going to be at NNL East? If so, make sure the car gets shot by our guys :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S10man Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Outstanding work Bill. The step-by-step photos in your album are amazing and inspirational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 Bill, you going to be at NNL East? If so, make sure the car gets shot by our guys :-) Hi Gregg! Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll definitely be there next week! I wasn't sure I was gonna go at first due to some car trouble........sooooooooo I went and just bought a new one! Actually she's a 2004 Saturn ION Quad Coupe with 40,000 miles. I was pleasantly surprised to have some play money left over, so I can travel in comfort (and safety!) Here's a few pics of my new toy........ Thanks for the offer about the pics! I hope to have at least one of the windows working on the '55 by showtime. Like the '58 Impala I did, I hope to have all four windows on this one working without any drama. See ya! BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted March 17, 2006 Author Share Posted March 17, 2006 Outstanding work Bill. The step-by-step photos in your album are amazing and inspirational. Thanks for the compliment S10Man! I thought since I have Fotki, it would be a good idea to use them as some sort of online diary. I wish I could have done this with the GTO..........but I didn't get a digital camera until I was more than halfway through with that one. Stay tuned........as time goes on you'll see pics of the window mechanism (front and rear) I may also scratchbuild the front and rear suspension as I want them to work also. BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weasel Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 hey Bill!! nice ION, since i run a Saturn parts dept i'm kinda partial, but, i think you'll reallly like it, the weirdest thing for me was the gage cluster in the middle, i had a '63 Mini so i was used to it, except at nite there's no light behind the steering wheel!!lololo it's a good thing you don't build racecars or i'd have to give up...lolol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonoPed Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Oh boy, he's at it again! Wondered where you wandered off to, looks like it's gonna be another killer build! Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg Posted March 18, 2006 Share Posted March 18, 2006 So, that mean you treating everyone who shows up at NNL East for Dinner? Heh, that Saturn would be a perfect chair car. I mean, it would have or could have. The way that back door opens, you could stuff a chair behind you with no problem. I was thinking about the Mazda RX8 for that reason, but don't need a chair anymore. :-) Enjoy NNL Make sure about getting that model shot. Even if you have to knock someone on the head to get it done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted March 24, 2006 Author Share Posted March 24, 2006 (edited) Okay guys! Here's the latest on the loooooooong buildup of the '55 Ford. I'm now starting on the working windows.............I've only got the basics of the left side window done so far. I'm starting to get things together for NNL East Saturday..............I'm leaving work early to get a jump on the traffic and should be in Jersey around 5PM or so tomorrow afternoon. I'll be able to meet some of you guys at the hospitality get-together at the Holiday Inn. 8) OK! Here's a few pics.............. Yes, that's a dime next to those tiny parts! I soldered a watch gear onto a sewing pin bent to represent a crank. this will mesh with the larger gear shown. This is the beginning of the working window mechanism. It's in its most basic state.......I want to make sure the gears are meshing together smoothly before adding anything else. The smaller gear that was shown in the upper pic is under the "cover" and it's meshing with the larger gear with an arm soldered on it. This arm is what will move the window up and down in its track. Here's the other side of the panel. Actually this panel is what supports the mechanism, and a scratchbuilt panel will go over it. The crank is a bent sewing pin.................since it is plated metal, this makes for nice "chromed' cranks, and makes soldering a gear onto it much easier. This is how the structure will fit onto the door. The inner door panel will slip over the handle and be glued onto this panel. Well, that's all for now folks! See y'all at the NNL! BILL Edited August 6, 2008 by MrObsessive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jairus Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Bill, I know that your at NNL East (Hope you had fun while the rest of us worked) but I was wondering what your doing for a grille? Also could you please post pictures of the decklid trim....? :-) Jairus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted March 26, 2006 Author Share Posted March 26, 2006 Hi Jairus! Sorry you couldn't make it to the show...................I had a really great time and it was good to see Gregg up and about again! I'm going to try to "modify" the grill from the "Orange Crisp" diecast which is perfect for the car. It's a little wide though as I think it's actually 1/24 scale instead of 1/25. The jury's still out on the decklid trim as I'll either have to scratchbuild this out of plastic and PE grillwork, or use my CAD/CAM program on the computer and do the artwork and make one out of PE. That'll remain to be seen................I have seen '55 Fairlane Victoria's without the trim however...... :wink: BILL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jairus Posted March 26, 2006 Share Posted March 26, 2006 Well, how-ever you do it I would love to see the details. I am building a Sunliner...going on many years now. I sourced the grille from Revell's '55 Juke Box Ford. The width is right on but the grille detail is a little shallow... Most everything else is simply a matter of basic modeling, except the rear trunk trim. That piece has got me pretty much stopped. So it sits up there on the shelve with the 25 or so other projects.... :oops: And... that trunk mounted trim piece was on ALL Fairlane series cars including the Sunliner and Victoria! The only Fords that didn't have it were the Mainline and Customline. You don't want to leave it off unless your building a street machine or hot rod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted May 14, 2006 Author Share Posted May 14, 2006 (edited) Since I'm back to building on a regular basis (I hope) I thought it would be good to get back to the '55 Ford. I'm trying to get this done by next years GSL......but I still have a ways to go yet! 8) Here some pics I did of some recent work on the chassis.......... I've decided to get rid of the molded in exhausts and try to separate part of the floor from the chassis rails. I have yet to get the dremel out and grind away the rest of the exhausts from the rear part of the chassis. The top of the chassis floor will serve as the "floor" of the interior. In detailed models such as this, I like to use the flip side of the chassis as the interior. I think it looks more realistic and 1:1 cars in reality don't use "tubs" when they're constructed. Here's the floor that was cut away..............the smaller piece is where the shock absorbers would go. This will also be modified to fit in the chassis as well. I'm going to replace all the ribbing and depressions that were grinded away, as well as putty some areas that plastic can't fill too well. Top view of the chassis floor. Here are the mufflers that were cut out. I was going to swipe some mufflers out of another kit............but couldn't find anything similar, (the '53 Lindberg kit has but one exhaust). These will be detailed a bit more with flanges on both ends and holes drilled to accept exhaust pipes. Thanks for lookin' and stay tuned! :wink: Edited August 6, 2008 by MrObsessive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildrice Posted May 14, 2006 Share Posted May 14, 2006 Looking great. Your attention to detail is awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted May 29, 2006 Author Share Posted May 29, 2006 (edited) Ok Folks, Here's yet some more progress albeit slow on the Ford. I figured with the pace I build this type of model, it will take me through to the end of the year. :wink: Finally! I got the chassis to where I want it..........I had to "deepen" the spare tire well simply because a regular model tire wouldn't fit as it was. I took some five minute epoxy and filled in the areas where sanding was hard to reach. The main thing is getting rid of the molded in exhausts! Once the exhausts, rear end, etc, are put in place this will be difficult to see just the same. At first I was gonna save myself the trouble and try to tweak the chassis out of the '53 Lindberg kit..........but the chassis rails were too "blocky/bulky" and to me just didn't look right. Here's the top side of the trunk..............you can see some of the work that went into deepening the spare tire well. Before I lay down a trunk floor, I'll grind down the excess putty to make it easier. The body can soon be set aside for total primering..........but I got these really nice resin fender skirts from Jim Weir from the CPMCC. I had originally made my own skirts, but they are a bit "flimsy" from the plastic I used and may not hold up to painting/polishing. A closer shot of the fender skirts..............I had to tweak them somewhat to get them to fit in the wheelwells properly, It's nice that they also have the stone guards molded in..........a detail I forgot in my scratchbuilt ones. WHOOPS! One detail I nearly forgot is the "eyelashes" that all Fairlanes had for 1955. Well as you can see here, I'll have to start scratchbuilding these......................this'll take a while. Also. according to my photos there should be some chrome trim around the grille opening. That's easy enough to add. The grille itself will also be a bit of a challenge, but I have written down how to accomplish that down the road. P.S. to Jairus...... No I didn't forget about the trunk panel trim..........I have an idea of how to make it......... Stay tuned! Thanks for lookin'! Edited August 6, 2008 by MrObsessive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Kingsley Posted May 29, 2006 Share Posted May 29, 2006 So..........................................Who wants to start placing bets on how many awards this one will win? In reality, that is looking fine Bill...Not like anything else could ever happen.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Bump..........Geez!! I thought this thread had gone to cyber heaven! At least some of the original pics did, but they've been "resurrected". Hard to believe I've been fooling with this model off and on for over TWO YEARS! Well it's not part of the other thread so don't get confused! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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