1988 - 1991 Ford LTD Crown Victoria Scratchbuild

[DEL]

Hello folks,

I've been a member here a while but hardly ever post. I am a LEO in the south (La.) of many years but my main modeling interest has been mostly police cars most of my life.. Back in the late 90's I was the one who did the master for the 1978 Ford LTD that All American Models released, just before they went out.

Since then I have done a few others, one is the above 98-91 CV, another is the 1977 Pontiac LeMans Enforcer, or for those that may not know, the Buford T. Justice Sheriff Car. I have a few others in the pipeline, one being another release of the 78 LTD, a 75-76 Custom 500, and the various incarnations of the box panther 79-87 Ford LTD-S and Crown Vics.  My intention has always been to fill the holes in my collection that the 4dr police model world has never been addressed by the styrene kit builders. I am getting closer to my own retirement and to that end I hope to be able to spend more time on this particular hobby/subjects.

Now, while I do fairly well with masters, I am lousy at making molds and copies, but I may have found a reliable safe source for that part. I want a couple more copies of each of my builds for myself,  and I also thought I would try to gauge any interest that may exist in other police or civilian modelers for a copy here as well before I attempt to go forward with the replicas.

Each kit would consist of some 10-15 parts and has been engineered mostly to assemble much like a promo or curbside model of old. Hopefully the four screw method for ease of assembly and to cut down on superglues.

So that's it.  Please have a look at the pics I have submitted. (the pics were taken some time go when nearing completion but the final refinements had not been done.  Those have been done but I need fresher pics) Any feedback would be appreciated, and if anyone knows of any other mostly police modelers forums I would greatly appreciate the heads up on that so that I may check there as well.

Thanks!

[louie]

Absolutely love it. Talk about filing a void, more like filling a very big void. I really like this. Are you making these available to the public?  Thank you for sharing this with us.     Jeff 

[lizardlust]

Your prototype looks very well crafted - please keep us posted on any future developments. I think if you successfully bring it forward as a resin kit you will have a widespread market for them!!

[Crusader101]

Beautiful!

I would certainly purchase a resin copy.  And I love the promo style....that's how I build my kits nowadays.

I have a 'real' '87 LTD slicktop that I am slowly restoring, this would nicely complement it.

[gardnerpag44]

That's a really good looking prototype I would be interested in some if they ever become available for purchase 

[1930fordpickup]

I think that if you have some good castings made these will sell well. 

[av405]

I would definitely be interested in purchasing some if good casts are made.

Edited March 5, 2016 by av405

[spencer1984]

Add me to the list of interested builders as well. I've been hoping to see one of these and this prototype looks fantastic!

[Agent G]

I will require many!

I drove a Pontiac "Enforcer" when first assigned to the Traffic Division. I transferred in as a motorcycle officer and until I could be tested and certified, I was assigned to drive one as a "highway car".

I have driven every iteration of Ford CV or LTD since '77.

I'd love to build one of all.

G

Edited March 5, 2016 by Agent G

[vincen47]

Wonderful work. I'd pick up a resin copy.

You did an amazing job on the 78 LTD. Have you ever considered a 78 LTD wagon?

[av405]

Also, here is a thread I made last year on an ultimately failed attempt to commission a similar project. You can see how much interest was garnered just on this site:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/102274-1990-1991-ford-ltd-crown-vic1987-1989-chevy-caprice/

Edited March 5, 2016 by av405

[dimaxion]

I do not have a desire for these . I know many that are . Would you like me to spread the word to MANY buyers ?? PM me , I'll show you where to connect to consumers . These are excellent !  Thanx .. 

[66belair]

I'd be very interested in one of those! I've worked on many cv's of this body style when I first got in the automotive business.

[Maindrian Pace]

Very, very nice. I have a close affinity for box Panthers, as we had a new '79 LTD-S (two headlight, for those who aren't familiar) wagon, and that was my favorite family bus growing up.

[mk11]

Ah, yes... the two headlight crown vic, with the little park lights in the grill that struck terror in the heart of many a newly minted driver when spotted in the mirror back then

With a little finessing, that's going to be a great item, DEL.

 

mike

[DEL]

HI guys, and thank you to all for the good words on the build.   Sorry to be late in answering but I'm away from computer on weekends.

As I told another member here I've just been quietly working away on more than one master.  I wanted to get them closer to completion before I stirred the pot here, as it were.

av405, I did follow the link and read of your attempt to get this same project done a while back by sort of contracting it out.(?) I am sorry that fell through for you but I suppose it may be better for me overall in that there are good people here still waiting for what I may be able to offer. The 1991 CV I am building uses the Lindbergh chassis with a few refinements.  All in all with just a few modifications the 1979 through 2002 Crown Victoria are almost all the same frame and undercarriage with hardly any deviations in dimensions. They made some small upgrades to suspension and exhaust. But prior to the 2003 overhaul and the new modular aluminum engine cradle with the rack n pinion steering the sheet metal is all that really changed. Floor pans are the same from 1990-2002 at least and possibly right up to 2012.  It was on the way out and Ford made few mods.

Anyway the basic body from 1979-1991 is the exact same with some differences in hoods, trunks, header panels and taillight configurations.  Once I get a couple of copies made of the 91, it should not be too hard to do the other incarnations. The 79-82 LTD-S single big box headlights, as someone mentioned above that struck terror into their hearts (For me it was the 75 Ford Custom 500 and especially the 78 Ford LTD. I graduated high school in 78 and for us that was the headlight configuration you dreaded seeing in your rear-view at night! :-) Then the 79-82 LTD Crown Victoria, as well as the 83-87 LTD Crown Victoria.  All the same bodies on the non-S LTD's, just different grilles and taillights.

Right behind the 91 CV as I mentioned is the 77 LeMans Enforcer,  and also on the way is a 1979-81 Dodge St. Regis, Plymouth Gran Fury, Chrysler Newport. A 1972 and  1973 Dodge Polara, a 1986-1990 Chevy Caprice (both the 86 one year two headlight and the other composite headlight version) And a 1973 or 74 Chevy Bel Air or Impala.  All those preceding are started or almost done and each also uses a near cousin's frame chassis as a donor. Some of them were two doors in their former styrene life, but I just had to stretch each one to the proper wheelbase to get the proportions right. At any rate they will have detailed chassis, and not plain flat ones. Most will have removable hoods in case a builder wants to kitbash a engine into it. I may add an engine to each, We'll see as it goes. Right now I just want to build some models I never could, you know?

I also have already done a 1981-89 Dodge Diplomat but the die-cast folks beat me to that one because I had to build it twice. (My first one was, well, not returned lets say, by a caster.)  But I don't care too much for the die-cast version. Most of them are too toy-like in appearance. The hood ornament on the dodge is as big as a frying pan by scale and it's wrong for 81-89 Dips or GF's. It should be the chrome open pentastar.

After the above, these are the next ones I want to tackle: a 1975-76 Ford Custom 500, to go with my 78 LTD (which I will also re-do, 77-79 LTD II, 75-76 Torino,. 1971-1978 Mercury Grand Marquis, a 75 Dodge Monaco and Royal Monaco, 69 Dodge Polara, and a 76-77 Plymouth Gran Fury.  That would do it for me.  I have owned at least one of every kind of police car the big three built from 1971-2000. Since my first used police car purchase of a 1978 Ford LTD with 460PI formerly of the Louisiana State Police in 1983, I have kept a used police car as my daily driver ever since. Mostly a Ford, but I've had all the Chevies and Dodges too.  It's just a shame all those above were never done by the styrene builders. I cried for police car subjects most of my life. It's a lot better now, but not perfect.  There's a lot of holes in that last 40 years aren't there?

Well, as before I am open to any other suggestions, I will try to update frequently and often, and of course as I have been asked, yes, I hope to make these available to others that may want to purchase one. I am working with a caster who simply does projects for people like me and hands them over. They don't try to market them themselves. (I hope)

Before I go for now I thought I would post another couple of pics. The LeMans is almost completely done but the pic shows it as it was about halfway. As I keep saying I need newer and better pics, but my dog ate my camera. I got a newer one, I just gotta figure out all the nifty buttons.  Thanks guys!

[DEL]

Oh, and here is a 2000 Ford CVPI I did back in 2000 using the Linbergh 97 CV as a base. This of course was before the die casts came out but I had no way to replicate it myself.  It is completely scratchbuilt, I melted red tailight plastic and used it in a ceude mold to make my tailights.  The Whelen Edge Lighbar is also completely scratchbuilt using clear flat styreme and Tamiya clear blue paints.  Even got that weird siren speaker up there!

[av405]

It seems like you have quite the laundry list of items. Just based on what I see, the 1988-1991 Ford LTD is a good start for me personally. It's the police car I've wanted the most, followed up by the 1986-1990 Caprice. I know you addressed this, but any new pictures of the car as it looks now would be great. Especially at this stage where you're trying to garner interest. 

[louie]

Thanks DEL for letting us know more about what you have going on. I for one would like to say thank you for doing what you are doing for the hobby. You can put me on the list for a few of everything that you plan on casting and I'm sure that goes for quite a few more people too. Again, Thank you.       Jeff 

[DEL]

Thanks DEL for letting us know more about what you have going on. I for one would like to say thank you for doing what you are doing for the hobby. You can put me on the list for a few of everything that you plan on casting and I'm sure that goes for quite a few more people too. Again, Thank you.       Jeff 

Thanks Jeff, and thanks to all others who posted as well.

If you like building police cars anywhere near as much as I do, (and many here do it seems) the lack of representation in that field for the past several decades has been grinding.  I learned to do this by trial and error, and after seeing some really good model masters in SAE mag that were already doing it to get the kinds of cars they wanted that never saw light of day.  Back in the 80's one was a guy who took a 1980 Volare Roadrunner and made himself a green and wood paneled Chrysler LeBaron station wagon.  Light bulb time!

If you could see my first attempt at a 78 Ford LTD vs what I was finally able to do the first one you'd laugh yourself silly.  It was only about 15 years between the first and the final.  And I had the help of some of the greats of that day who gave me their tips and tricks to make better masters.  Terry Jessee was one. He was very helpful and encouraging.

Anyway, thanks again to all who expressed interest and I will get newer pics out soon and keep those interested informed where it all is as I go through this next leg of it all myself.

 

[DEL]

One more I mentioned I'm working on (I rotate them so I don't get burned out on one) is the 1972 Dodge Polara using the MPC T.J. Hooker Monaco.

They both use a lot of the same sheet metal with some variations at accent points or body lines. But at any rate it's a good starting point and will use the MPC chassis, wheels and hubcaps,& glass. Though I may substitute the Revell 70 Plymouth Roadrunner's wheels & caps. More accurate, I think.

Edited March 11, 2016 by DEL

[louie]

Oh Del, I am just absolutely loving what you are doing and I just had to tell you again. Wow! Just amazing.   Thanks.    Jeff 

[john sharisky]

 

 

Will you be doing scripts and emblems?

 

John

 

 

 

[DEL]

Thanks, Louie!

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Will you be doing scripts and emblems?

John

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

For me scripts are pretty important but I'm about 60/40 on getting them done to scale and making them look right. The 40% part that is.

I did scripts in the past by carving them out by hand with fresh X-Acto knives from appropriate size strip evergreen styrene, using a VERY powerful lighted work mirror.  I would like to be able to do scripts, but I'm in the dark on how to get them done to scale looking right. Photo-etching, maybe? I was able to do the scripts on my Diplomat model including the DODGE in the grille, and the scripts on the fenders and trunks but the ones by scale for the 91 CV are much smaller. So I put a piece of shaped strip styrene that emulates the basic silhouette of the scripts on the 91.  I'm open to suggestions on how to make it happen for the remaining projects.  It's a really important part in my book.

Thanks for the comments and questions, again.

[chunkypeanutbutter]

Write me down for a '91 CV and a Dodge Diplomat.