302 replies to this topic

[Art Anderson]

Guys, if there is one thing I can say about Moebius and model car/truck kits: They are NOT in the business of one-version-only "One Hit Wonder" model kits. This ride could get very interesting!!!

Art

[Aaronw]

The AMT '79 Ford is an F-350. Ford still used the solid front axle on the '67-'72s. I'm thinking the TTB didn't come along until '80 with the new design,but I could be wrong on that.

Thanks


Continuing on the what if thoughts, the bed from the 53, 55 or 56 kits could be used for a stepside with these kits correct? I understand there was little to no change in the bed from the 50s to the 70s.

[mikemodeler]

Thanks


Continuing on the what if thoughts, the bed from the 53, 55 or 56 kits could be used for a stepside with these kits correct? I understand there was little to no change in the bed from the 50s to the 70s.

Aaron,

If I am not mistaken, the stepside bed was the same from 1955 through 1979. When they went to the squared body in 1980 Ford redesigned the stepside to reflect the new body style.

[mikemodeler]

Guys, if there is one thing I can say about Moebius and model car/truck kits: They are NOT in the business of one-version-only "One Hit Wonder" model kits. This ride could get very interesting!!!

Art

Thanks Art, now I gotta tell my youngest that she won't be going to college because some model kit company is bringing out a bunch of different versions of a model kit that I have waited 40 years for!!!!!

Actually, that is great news as I , like many others, have multiple builds milling about in my head. I sure hope they do give us some variations of this kit and at some point a 4wd version!

I can see this truck with the Midnite Cowboy wrecker bed, a Modelhaus utility bed, a scratchbuilt flatbed, a step side bed, maybe even a scratchbuilt dump bed! If I can, I will even incorporate the snow plow from the new Revell GMC kit!

[Fat Brian]

Thanks


Continuing on the what if thoughts, the bed from the 53, 55 or 56 kits could be used for a stepside with these kits correct? I understand there was little to no change in the bed from the 50s to the 70s.

Aaron,

If I am not mistaken, the stepside bed was the same from 1955 through 1979. When they went to the squared body in 1980 Ford redesigned the stepside to reflect the new body style.

I think the only change from the fifties style bed was that the top rail was flattened out at some point instead of having the angled rail from the fifties model. But this article in Hemmings seems to suggest that the angled rails were still used in 1971.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/01/28/hemmings-find-of-the-day-1971-ford-f-250/

[kataranga]

For 1953-1979 the bed is essentially the same, with some actually rather important differences that probably won't show up in scale. Once into the '73 restyle, the bed started getting a little bit taller and a little bit wider. For instance, a tailgate from a 73+ bed won't fit on, say, a 56 bed. I believe that for the 1980 restyle, the rails were flattened and the fenders changed (finally). This bed was used from 80-87 (87 had one-year-only fenders). Stepside beds were dropped from 88-91, reappeared again for 92-09 and now here we are without them again...

[cwobeaman]

Awesome news!

[Aaronw]

Thanks for the info on the step side beds.

[N~8~Ball]

This is such great news!! I cant wait to get a few of these in my paws.. Special thanks to EVERYONE who had a hand in making this forward step in the hobby happen.. It's much appreciated..

[Michigan Madman]

Six pages... and the kit doesn't even exist in the real world yet. Don't tell me these things won't be a hit.

[charlie8575]

We have announced the first of Our Ford Pick-up truck releases at Toledo over the week end. That truck will be a 1971 8 ft bed Ranger XLT - Big Block automatic 2 wheel drive.
What we didn't show at Toledo is the second kit. This will be a Model King Exclusive. it will be a 1969 Custom Cab short Bed six cylinder stick 2 wheel drive.

Mock-ups for both kits are being done now. I hope to have them in my hands before Thanksgiving. Once we have reviewed mock-ups and made any corrections needed I'd like to hope that tooling will be under way by Christmas.
If all goes well we could have first test shots by mid February next year. Our hopes are to have kits on store shelves before the end of the second quarter of 2013

Wish I had a pile of great photos, but these kits are only 3d computer files at this time.
As soon as the Mock-ups get here I promise that I'll put photos up..

Thanks,
Dave

Sign me up for one each. It's nice to be working again, even if only part-time, so I can do that.

Believe me, I WILL find uses for each of those kits.

Charlie Larkin

[charlie8575]

Ref: TTB appeared in 1980 mentioned a couple of places on P. 5.

What is/a TTB?

Charlie Larkin

[Rob Hall]

Ref: TTB appeared in 1980 mentioned a couple of places on P. 5.

What is/a TTB?

Charlie Larkin

Some sort of Ford truck suspension, I presume...they had Twin I-Beam...TTB is probably Twin Torque Beam or Twin Truck Beam?

Edit 'TTB' is Twin Traction Beam according to the Wikipedia entry on the F-series.

Edited by Rob Hall, 28 October 2012 - 02:12 PM.

[kataranga]

Twin Traction Beam is correct, sir. Basically Ford took the Twin I-Beam suspension and integrated a drive axle into it. Improves ride quality and still offers off-road capability. Although most serious off-roaders replace it with a solid axle.

[Fat Brian]

The twin I beam suspension came out in 65 for the two wheel drive trucks but the 4x4 trucks still used a solid front axle until 80 when the Twin Traction Beam or TTB front end was designed. Basically they took a Dana 44 center section and stuck it one of the I beams and then ran a drive shaft out of each end to the front wheels.

[Longbox55]

Neither suspension was really very good. Poor handling, exessive camber loss through the suspension travel arc, exessive tire wear, pus premature wearout problems in the radius arm bushings, center pivots, and balljoint issues.. Putting wide tires on aggrivates the problems. About the only real positive about it was that it's dirt simple and very strong. But on the other hand, from a mechanics point of veiw, good money can be made servicing either one, but especially the TTB.

[Fat Brian]

I had an 89 F-150 4x4 with TTB and it was really bad. It was impossible to align and burned through tires every five to ten thousand miles. Everything on the front end needed to be replaced but by the time I owned it that would have pretty much totalled the truck.

[Rob Hall]

Neither suspension was really very good. Poor handling, exessive camber loss through the suspension travel arc, exessive tire wear, pus premature wearout problems in the radius arm bushings, center pivots, and balljoint issues.. Putting wide tires on aggrivates the problems. About the only real positive about it was that it's dirt simple and very strong. But on the other hand, from a mechanics point of veiw, good money can be made servicing either one, but especially the TTB.

I'm sure the Twin I-Beam will be adequate for 1:25th scale though...

[Michigan Madman]

Neither suspension was really very good. Poor handling, exessive camber loss through the suspension travel arc, exessive tire wear, pus premature wearout problems in the radius arm bushings, center pivots, and balljoint issues.. Putting wide tires on aggrivates the problems. About the only real positive about it was that it's dirt simple and very strong. But on the other hand, from a mechanics point of veiw, good money can be made servicing either one, but especially the TTB.

I guess the sales pitch for it was that it was a heavy duty design, and could carry more weight than a typical coil-spring or torsion bar IFS. As to why having a heavier duty front suspension on the FRONT of a 2WD truck would be needed, never sure on that...

I've never had any issues with the TIB setups I've had except for on my current truck- but then again it's a year shy of being eligible for an Antique Vehicle plate, so it's bound to need some work by now. I've always had worse luck with those rear shackles rusting out.

[lapazleo]

Bout time one of the most popular vehicles was modeled. Hard to believe so few F series pu's were put out in model form. For that matter pick ups in general and where are all the diesel pu's to haul car trailers. Another homerun for Moebius!