Search the Community

After I finished my '40 Ford Roadster Pickup based on a Tim Boyd article, I was drawn to one of Tim's Street Rodder articles and making a then modern Street Rod out of the '70's vintage Revell Buttera kit. I built the inaccurate '34 3 Window by Revell and I loved the chassis. I completed this model during my summer break between May and June before I started summer classes. This model was not as heavily modified as my '40 Ford Roadster Pickup but I did do far more plumbing on this model than I ever did before. The colors I used were Krylon Popsicle Orange (OSHA Safety Orange), Model Master Ivory, Tamiya transparent Orange, Pactra Gold and Revell Metal colors in Humbrol pots and a few other odds and ends colors. The theme I chose was to make the car an Orange Creamsicle, a cool car, with a tangy orange outside and a creamy cool interior. Ah, the early '90's with all of the bright colors drilled into a young impressionable mind... I chopped the top, but unlike the article I retained the reverse angle to the sides - Tim made more of a vertical formal side panel to the roof. I stole the intake from an MPC Camaro with injectors, '36 Ford Headlights, front tires from some o;d gasser or dragster from my parts box, the turn signals and the rear taillights are from a sprue of Big Rig Trailer lights trimmed down. I used Detail Master flexible fan and used a Detail Master interior detailing kit for the speakers and the door handles. The dash was scratch built and an epoxy casting was made off of another Rod kit for the cluster. I wired the engine, added break and fuel lines to the chassis, hoses for the air conditioner and radiator. My challenges was the chopped top and molded windshield, wiring and photo-etch. I broke with the instructions flow and built the motor and wired it up and set it into the chassis to later find out how hard it is to get the fenders over the engine. The instructions show that you put the heads on after the fenders are installed, Doh! I did a lot of cussing that afternoon in the basement and my Mom yelling at me for swearing so much. I got it together and I was pleased with it and I got a shinier body after I had polished the Krylon with Automotive buffing compound (the days before Micro Mesh polishing systems). Looking back and trying to keep it together has been quite a challenge as well. The Buttera chassis is beautiful and has pose-able front wheels. The A arms keep on opening up and the front wheels pop out, various phot etch bits fall off and the rear wheels fall off and break off of the mounts. The kit was designed to originally have 2 part plastic tires and small rimmed wire wheels. By the late '80's new vinyl tires and bigger rims were a part of the kit and were heavier and then break I think I will finally have to pin the rear wheels on and glue the wheels in place. Once again thank you Tim for making interesting projects to inspire builders. After I did this model I was brow beated by a modeling friend to quit following model magazine articles and make my own rods and customs. My friend Jeff had built many models kit bashed his own way but my technique was still more advanced than his. My confidence was bolster by doing these two conversions and I took up his challenge. The model I built the following year tested by kit bashing skills and I used my first resin body as well. P.S. Yes, I was trying to get a little artsy with the composition of the photos...