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Several Simulaneous Moebius Ford F-100 Projects... because I have the attention span of a four-year-old who just washed down a bag of gummy bears with a gallon of Mountain Dew


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This thread will start focusing on the '69. As you probably know by now, the '69 has the 240 inline six, three-speed manual, and the short bed, not counting the model-year and trim-level specific differences with the '71, which has a 360, C6, and a long bed.

 

Here's the idea... I will use the V8 from the '71, and use it in the '69, which will then be built as something of a "what-if" factory muscle truck... oh, let's just call it an F100 GT. The six will then be swapped into the '71, which will also be downgraded to a base-model and done up as a rundown old work truck.

 

As you might expect, a kitbash between the two kits is mostly drama free. The only real difference so far is in the frames. Not so much the length, bt the mounting pin locators for the transmission...

 

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On top you will see the '71 chassis, with the '69 below it. The 360/C6 combo uses a locator hole on the #3 crossmember, which accepts a corresponding pin on the transmission's tailshaft. You can either cut away the locator pin on the tailshaft, or drill a hole for it with a 5/64" bit.

 

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Other than that, the chassis and engine/trans were assembled out of the box for the most part. I will be adding a few engine parts from the Revell '68 Mustang GT 2-in-1- the plated "Power By Ford" valve covers for one, and possibly the air cleaner. I still need to dress a few mold parting lines, but the entire chassis will be done in semigloss black. The shocks will be painted a different color and installed later.

 

Moebius has you install the radiator to the inside of the body, but I opted instead to install it to the chassis. By the way- the radiator is different in the two kits, so I also nabbed the V8 radiator to use in the '69. I also installed the rear cab mount crossmember to the chassis, rather than to the floor, as the instructions suggest.

 

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The Revell Mustang also barfed up its styled steel wheels. IIRC, these are 14" wheels and had a smaller bolt pattern than the F-100, but since we're in fantasy land, why not use them? They are wrapped in the Moebius tires, which have had the scuff bands painted red with Tamiya acrylic paint. The red "GT" lettering on the hubcaps is from the Mustang's decal sheet. That's also the Mustang's hood scoop- it will need a little tweaking and I may end up not even using it.

 

More to come.

Edited by Chuck Most
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A long time ago, I had a friend with a Shelby '68 F100. I don't know if it was a clone, one off, or just some guy's, as you call it, what if project. Any way you put it, it was the metallic green with the GT stripes (without the GT script) bucket seats, 4-on-the-floor, 427 FE and a few other non F-series options. I had some pictures from when film was still being used, but I have no clue where they are now. So, your "what if" may actually be a somewhat legit build.

I like where you're going with it. I'll be watching and impatiently awaiting the arrival of mine!

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A long time ago, I had a friend with a Shelby '68 F100. I don't know if it was a clone, one off, or just some guy's, as you call it, what if project. Any way you put it, it was the metallic green with the GT stripes (without the GT script) bucket seats, 4-on-the-floor, 427 FE and a few other non F-series options. I had some pictures from when film was still being used, but I have no clue where they are now. So, your "what if" may actually be a somewhat legit build.

I like where you're going with it. I'll be watching and impatiently awaiting the arrival of mine!

Ideas developing from this post, like what if Ford had a COPO department, and someone came along with more money than sense...just thinkin' B)

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Ideas developing from this post, like what if Ford had a COPO department, and someone came along with more money than sense...just thinkin' B)

Ford had (still has) a fleet-order system in place. Every manufacturer did. But Ford didn't have as many restrictions with engine/chassis choices, so they never needed a way to get around corporate restrictions, like Chevrolet did with the COPO vehicles. If, say, you wanted an F-100 with a dual-quad 427, they'd just approve it and build it on the assembly line, send it off to an outside entity (say, Dearborn Steel Tubing or Kar Kraft), or have it built at the engineering center. It would depend on the number of units you wanted and how much the vehicle needed to be modified from 100% factory stock to suit the customer's wishes. So... almost anything you can imagine would be at least plausible, if not possible.

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Very Nice. I am also working on a '69. I am doing a nicely equipped '69, with all of the chrome on it. I have not decided on the drive train, as while I love that 6-banger, it is not the way I would own one, even it would not be a bad daily driver.

A friend of mine had a base '77 Chevy Fleetside with a 6-Cylinder/3 on-the-tree, and it was a decent truck.

I am considering a small block/4-speed, which will be much more of a hoot to drive. I can scrap an old Mustang build for the engine, so I do not have to invest any more money, and I have an engine already built and painted. All I have to do is fit it into the chassis. I'm also going to put a Class III hitch on it.

Like Chuck's truck, it will be a truck that has come from the factory, with some Ford "Dealer Installed" Accessories.

I'll start my own thread when I lay some primer on it.

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Did a little work on the '71 tonight. Well, I started last night, but got quite a bit accomplished tonight as well.

The Type 4 hubcap Moebius provides isn't right for a 15" F100 wheel. But I had some old MPB Detail Products hubcaps that looked to be about as close to a match to the Effie dog dishes I'd ever hope to find. I tried them on the Moebius wheel and found that, without modification, they'd have that "knobby knee" look... they'd jut out way too far past the edge of the rim. I didn't want to file down the caps, as they look to be about the right depth, so I did a little surgery on the wheels.

I cut down the hubcap rings on each wheel, and then sanded until they were nearly flush.

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The front wheels needed to have the grease caps dealt with in a similar manner. It's a bit of a butch job, but since the whole point here is to accommodate the hubcaps, it's no big deal to me.

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I had hoped to just cut away the crossover pipe from the V8 exhaust... no go. So, I spliced in the downpipe for the inline six exhaust. The engine has the starter mount up to the driver's side for some reason- I cut away the mounting tab on the back and glued it to its proper home on the opposite side, where there's a proper bumpout for the gear. Note that the engine mounts which attach to the block are not in place- this was just a test fit. I actually cut away the mounting pin for the oil pan and just glued the engine to the mounts, just like the 1:1... minus the glue, of course. I also modified an extra rear wheel to serve as a spare- it will either be mounted up front or in the bed.

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The basic chassis is pretty much done, other than a few needed touch-ups, some rust effects, and washes. I drilled out the tailpipe and removed the mounting pins for the spare tire carrier.

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Exhaust is figured out on the '69- solder for the pipes, with glasspack mufflers and tips from Arrowhead. I'd planned to run them straight out the back, but I settled on having them dump behind each rear tire after taking the pic.

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Cool.
What is a good method of making the grill look more like the aluminum? I was thinking of trying to clear coat it with a satin clear.

A couple light blasts of satin clear should be all it takes. Go with flat if you're after a more aged, oxidized look.

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