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AMT Mustang-GT Funny Car Update 02/27/16 Livery Restored


Speedfreak

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I thought I was in the final stages of getting this one together until I put the tub/chassis up into the body, it doesn't sit square. One side of the tub won't go up all the way to meet the top of the door. It actually looks like that the drivers side of the tub, starting with that corner of the dash and running almost all the way back is higher. And this is after all the prep work I did on the tub initially. It looks like to me this will require more prepping, which means I might as well take the tub off and take all the interior stuff out, do the work and repaint the tub.  Any thoughts are welcome. :mellow:

mustang1.jpg

Edited by Speedfreak
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Gene, is the window glass tips at the edges causing this, possibly......or, as well as this, is the dash possibly sitting up a bit high and not sunk in the bosses in the interior tub.....your car sure looks great, by the way.....the ace.....:huh:..note...is the roll bar top hitting the glass runner bar on the drivers side......

Edited by AC Norton
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Gene, stay close for the next 20 minutes if ya can.....I am going to do some quick detective work on my unbuilt kit, taping this here, fitting that there....ya know what I mean,,,i want to check some measurements as well....back at ya soon.....the ace............;)

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....in doing some measuring and test fitting with all the components in place,,,,,,the area that appears the culprit here is the drivers side 'kick' ridge, beside/ atop the tub area. the drivers side measures taller, and as you know, that side WALKS around in the underside of the body. either that area of plastic needs to be shaved slightly,,or the passenger side shimmed up with sheet plastic a touch larger to compensate for this. I know the awb nova and falcon have fit issues as well, and in building 3 of them in the past, the can be fitted pretty well with some sizing and playing around. you may find a bit of strip plastic fitted in the right spot, or spots,,,may be the ticket here......the only other area in question is the fit of interior tub onto the chassis itself ,meaning that if you find any sizing issues of height there, that again will throw off the deal also..... I will be watching, and will try to help any way possible.,,the ace.....;)......note,,i would see if a bit of plastic strip shimming would get this done, before ruining any interior work, if possible, and, 5 minute epoxy is always your friend in a case like this, because movement of all concerned is possible as you usually can adjust up or down while that epoxy sets up....I have used this method on maybe 4 or 5 builds in the past, and sometimes the pure thickness of epoxy makes it possible to shift as you go....just a thought.....-_-

Edited by AC Norton
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I like the 'shift as you go' method. I did some work on the glass, (bottom of side vent window) , and snipped off that mounting ring from the back glass and those things helped. I worked the 'kick ridge' when I initially prepped things, there is however a little bit more I can take off the passenger side tab, (outside of tub/vent window area). It actually seems to be sliding from side to side on the edges of the bottom front glass, I'll try and sand some of that out as well. All these things should get us in the ball park of,............' still being able to see the edges of the rear chassis inside the rear wheel well of the body. I've seen that on at least one other build of this kit and couldn't understand why someone would leave it that way, now I know. I won't be addressing that issue on this round! :lol: It's a shelf model so I can live with it. Thanks Ace, you're the best.

 

mustang2.jpg

mustang3.jpg

Edited by Speedfreak
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.....well, its good to hear the ol' ace is good for something, because little fixes like this don't always fly on the same fix everytime....just happy  your on point, and not scrambling for a foxhole,,,,by the way, your paint and all else looks just killer on this 'stang. if you get bored with it ship it right up here, I know I can find space....lol.....keep in touch, buddy,,,,,i'm watching.......the ace..........:P

Edited by AC Norton
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I'm on point and have a bead on the culprit. The paint is just paint in the photos, no clear, or , polish yet, unreal, spray can too!  I'm gonna polish it with liquid LMG stuff I have.  There are some flaws but I'm just gonna leave them. I think I first saw this color on your Falcon, you do make a difference. 

I think I may have located the final frontier as far as the fitment goes for this thing, I mean 'Stang, :huh: It's the back of the tub, drivers side, top edge, that curves up over the rear wheel well under the rear window, all the way to the square edge at the very back on that side. I think if I can sand some off those places it may sit square inside the body, I'll know soon. I did take some off the bottom drivers side dash tabs where it sits down inside the notch located on the tub sides, that helped. I keep plugging along. :D Thanks.

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.....that area of the drivers side tub edge, kick upward is what I mentioned, as in measuring it out, its slightly taller, making fit a problem.....sounds like you are on point now, and that's the news we like. now, the ace has a question, Gene.....is that paint Tamiya bright red  spray, because that's what my awb falcon is,,,,but I shot it with pearlcoat clear Tamiya. I like your red even better, and if I was doing mine again, I would pass on the pearl,,,,makes the red go a bit pinky...:huh:.....anyhow, this car of yours is going to be a great one...dying to see it decaled and trimmed out....keep me posted,,i am fitting and fiddling with the awb mustang kit again as we speak, having my coffee, and checking to see if any other issues arise........the ace.........:D

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Hey Ace, thanks for the reply. Ya, it's Tamiya Bright Red, it's almost orange, certain lighting really brings out the orange aspect, it is most certainly bright. I've got it now to where I think it sits okay, a little worried about making a mess when I glue the tub in. My next dilemma concerns the rear body pan, I didn't remove the factory exhaust ports, 'cause at the time I thought brilliantly, " I'm not gonna worry about that now, I just wanna see if I can get a good paint job, so , they remain. It's really gonna look silly if I leave them right? I know, sand, fill, and , re-paint. Bummer. 

Oh ya, do you know what I should use for a wash with Alclad II Chrome? It's for the grill. 

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you know, I have never used alclad, and I don't own an airbrush..... when I build mine,,,,i am going to leave the chrome surround  as is, but paint the tooth section semi gloss black, or spray it flat black. if you have all the alclad paints, they would be better, I suppose.... as for the rear pan, that's a shame....to fill, strip, prime, paint at this point, not sure if I would want to .  however, the pan should be flat, without trim or ports,,,thats for a stock mustang gt, as you know. personally, I would leave it alone, its a shelf piece, why go thru all the work,,paint looks so good now.....as for epoxying that baby together,,,just use it at the contact points that you need to,,,and remember, epoxy will pull off plastic within an hour or so, usually without incident, if you have to fly again. you build a nice, sharp model, and with your skills banging this 'stang together will be a snap for you...have you thought of decals and such yet....the sheet with it has some great stuff....I will be watching, Gene......the ace..........B)...oh, also to consider....the front bumper, if you wish, could have the bottom 2 trim guards removed, and the bumper sprayed dull silver....most were 'glass and usually that way........

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Ace, ya I have got the decals in mind I'm going to use, they are from the kit sheet. You're right, I'm not gonna mess with those exhaust ports at this point, I'll leave them as is probably. I have Alclad chrome in the can. This car has not been a snap for me, but , I'm learning a bunch. I painted the front bumper red to match the body, rear bumper is dull silver, we'll see, I'm kind of winging it and having fun! 

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sounds like a plan to me.......because the fun factor is all that matters,,,wish I had the motivation and drive you have right now... I am working on a couple of cars, but seem to be dragging my feet these days.....I better snap out of it soon, lots to build here.....the ace........;)

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Just relax and have some fun, build a 50's early 60's custom! Thanks for checking in on this. I won't avoid dealing with an issue like the exhaust ports, and , bumpers and such, in my future builds. I knew I was making a mistake, but, I just didn't want to take the time, at the time, to fix it, so, it has now come back to bite me big time.

Edited by Speedfreak
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Or, I can go to my LHS in the morning and by this kit and do what I should have done in the first place. And here's the clincher, the rear lower body panel is too narrow thanks to some fine body work I did on the initial prep, so , it's gotta be replaced. 

Ace, maybe you can check to see how that panel fits in the kit you've been looking at? If I recall,.......that panel was 'just' wide enough to stay in place. 

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....that's correct, Gene, its JUST barely wide enough to fit across......so, no need to waste money on another kit for 1 part,,,, there is another fix here, a lot less work, but a bit tricky...lets walk thru it../////////  LEAVE the ports and all exactly as they are,,,fill the next one ya build,,,,,do not at all mess with your nice painted panel,,,,simply cut 2 identically sized narrow evergreen strips, not quite  the height of the rear panel at the ends that attach to the lower 1/4s......and, firstly using some white kids glue, or whatever tacky craft glue you have,,,,i want you to use this at first, just to TACK the strips in place as to prevent any paint damage to anything......glue those strips in place to the inner body , at the ends of the lower 1/4s, using them now as a STOPPER idea, meaning when the panel is in place, they meet, not allowing the panel to fall thru...once aligned to your liking, being certain that the panel lines up at the tab above the licence plate, your panel now has a STOPPER or GAP FILLER at each end, that the panel can rest on, and be attached to later. once the 2 strips have been positioned and the tacky glue sets up a bit, take your zap a gap glue, and run a tad of it BEHIND the strips, making them strong and permanent. all you do now, is shake up your Tamiya red, blow a bit into the cap, or a cup....let it set up for a minute,,,,then take your best detail brush and skillfully paint those strips on all sides...that paint does touch up like a dream, so you won't ruin anything...once dry in an hour or so, your panel can be fitted in, and the edges in question will now be filled in , all red, and you and I are the only ones that will ever know. I bet that done skillfully, it will be great.....I know this seems a long winded deal here, but it really isn't....if you prefer, send me the panel as it is, I will do all of it for you, fill the ports, everything,,,,get back to me anytime with any questions....its 10.17 here, your 1 hour behind us....the ace...B)

Edited by AC Norton
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Okay Ace, I'm gonna do what you suggest, sounds doable. I have a guru at my LHS who started to suggest something to this effect (using styrene strips) but I didn't really listen as I thought the new panel in the new kit would fit properly, duh. Okay, you guys are both right! I know I'll build another one of these cars because I love the body style, and , I know many of the kits pitfalls now, and , I have the color of the next one in my head, sort of, and, I now have one to build. It might even be more fun than the first one.

Edited by Speedfreak
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Gene, this is not a difficult fix here, just take your time,,;),and that white glue trip is your best friend here, as if you need to go again, no damage to the paint....I am home now all eve,,,so keep in touch, if you get into a bit of a jam,,,,just email, or take a photo if necessary, and we will get this done......best, the ace............:P

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Thanks Ace, I'm hanging in there, I'm gonna do the rear panel next I guess. I got the headers pinned and painted, and , I took the nurf bars off the front bumper and painted both bumpers with Tamiya Silver Leaf, looks better. The engine should be ready for assembly now as well. Oh ya, I de-chromed the grill and tail lights, gonna Alclad them I hope.

What should i do about the front turn signal lights? Put a drop of silver in there to look like an aluminum cover? 

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Here's some pics: 

The grill looks better 1:1 'cause you can't see all the imperfections unless you get 'really' close. The imperfections are places where I did not spray enough paint, so , there are little specks of black that show through. It turned out the way it did completely by accident, I was just spraying at an angle across the side of the grill and just enough paint was hitting the top of the grill insert. The white spot on the oil pan is where one of the drain plugs was, it interferes with the way the engine sits on the cross member. I love those fat black headers! Which I had to pin. I Alcladed the 'Injection Horns, (that's what the instructions call them!) and the alternator too. 

 

 

 

grill01.jpg

engine01.jpg

everything01.jpg

frontpanel01.jpg

panels01.jpg

trumpets.jpg

Edited by Speedfreak
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Here's the valve covers and some stuff attached to the engine. The fuel filter is actually brass, my camera makes it look orange. The green stick is a thing for attaching small parts called 'Micro-Stix, not sure if I think they are worth the price, or , not, they stick too well. 

stuff01.jpg

 

Edited by Speedfreak
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