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McNally's 1973 Ford Bronco Is Completed


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My latest build project and the return of McNally, Boston PI.  The story is called Bolton's Pride and is to show what is driving this build.  All persons in this story are not related to anyone living or deceased.  The story is called Bolton's Pride.

The Story

Bolton's Pride, NH, located north of Franconia Notch in Northern New Hampshire, is a small town harboring a secret that could cost McNally, Boston PI his life.

On occasion, McNally works in the State of New Hampshire for Browning, Cole Investigations of Manchester, NH.  This case assigned to him involves a missing 19 year old Jason Tate from the town of Bolton's Pride.  He stops at a fast food restaurant in Tilton, NH to meet up with Sgt. Alex Lockland of the NH State Police, hoping to get more information.  Sgt. Lockland gives McNally the most recent info accumulated from the Bolton's Pride Police, Coos County Sheriffs Dept., and the NH State Police.  Alex queries McNally about the '73 Bronco he is driving as he has never seen this vehicle before.  McNally cites the need for a 4-wheel drive truck was a requirement for his winter sleuthing and the price was right.

The Build

My kit is the new Revell Ford Bronco kit #85-7320.

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My paint will be Testors Gloss Bright Blue for the body and Model Master Classic White for the roof.  I am using the wheels and wheel covers from the Moebius 1972 Ford Sport Custom pickup along with information from the April, 2017 issue of Scale Auto article Build A Better Bronco by Bob Downing.

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McNally will return...

Edited by mrmike
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Thanks guys!  

The Story

Several hours after his meet with Sgt. Lockland, McNally arrives in Bolton's Pride.  The houses are spread apart with the neighbors not close to each other.  As he drives through the town center, he notices that the Bronco would fit in amoungst the other vehicles in this town which also consists of a grocer, auto and farm parts store, a clothing store, and the town hall with a Police Dept. on one side and the Fire Dept. on the other.  It was like stepping back in time.

The Build

I got the wheels and wheel covers from the '72 Ford Sport Custom kit.  Taking the kit wheels, I removed the hubs since they have the locking detail on them.

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I plan on using the '72 Sport Custom's wheel covers since I recall seeing them used on a 4-wheel drive F100 many years ago.  I figure that someone, somewhere may have put a set  on a Bronco at one point in the vehicle's life.  The mod for this was easy, just drill a hole in the center of the wheel cover large enough for the hub to stick through.

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The Moebius wheelcover with the hole drilled.

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The wheel cover with the hub inserted.

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The completed wheel covers.

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McNally will return...

Edited by mrmike
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I like the wheel cover upgrade. There were many dealer add on trim packages back then, and this looks very much like something that someone would do to add a little more upscale appearance. Glad you remembered the "hubs" for the four wheel drive engagement.  

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Thanks Lane and David!  I am correcting the small wheel issue of the Revell kit with the Moebius wheels.  I don't want to use the Revell wheel covers with the Moebius wheels since they are too small and the Moebius wheel covers fit the rims perfectly.  A little paint detailing and they will look great!  And, you've gotta have the detailed hubs to complete the entire package!

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Curtis, I've seen several of these Broncos built at a couple of shows that I have attended this year.  They are out there and are being built!  

The Story

McNally follows the main drag out of the town center on Route 35 and then takes a left turn onto Rollins Road.  2 miles down the road he pulls into the unpaved driveway of the Tate Farm.  The old homestead has been here since the early 1900s and is showing its age.  The front door has a boarded up window made of plywood and painted to match the door itself.  McNally gets out of the Bronco and notices several junk cars, a couple of pickups and an old tractor in the yard as he walks up to the front door and knocks on it.  The door opens with Robert Tate standing there and McNally introducing himself and holding his PI license for viewing.

The Build

I painted the wheels this morning and inserted them into the tires later this afternoon.  What a job getting those wheels into the kit tires!

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I paint detailed the wheel covers with Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black paint and my Molotow Liquid Chrome pen.  Then I inserted the 4-wheel drive hubs into the wheel covers.

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The completed wheels and tires.

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McNally will return...

Edited by mrmike
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Thanks Lane and David!  I am correcting the small wheel issue of the Revell kit with the Moebius wheels.  I don't want to use the Revell wheel covers with the Moebius wheels since they are too small and the Moebius wheel covers fit the rims perfectly.  A little paint detailing and they will look great!  And, you've gotta have the detailed hubs to complete the entire package!

In my opinion revell could have done us a solid, and made the tires and wheels a bit bigger, but I guess it can do..

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I don't mind doing this little bit of kit bashing if it corrects something like this.  As an experienced modeler, I like fixing the little errors that others may overlook or not want to bother with.  In this world, nobody's perfect.

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MrMike...

Just ran across this.. Diggin the new installment of McNally... and I'm gonna be watching the build. This is one of those kits that really doesn't interest me. But it wouldn't be the first time one of your builds changed my mind. Looking forward to more.

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Thanks Jeremy!  This Bronco is a great kit, even with the small wheels.  I highly recomend this kit to anyone...including you!  lol  Stay tuned, there will be more Bronco and McNally!

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The Story

Robert invites McNally into his home and is introduced to his wife Claire.  They sit in the living room and talk about the Tate's missing son, Jason.  Jason had walked down to the auto and farm store to pick up a couple of supplies like he usually does...he walks everywhere since Robert needs the truck on the farm.  When he didn't come back, Robert got into the old Chevy pickup and went looking for his missing son, only he couldn't find him anywhere.  That's when he called the Police to report him missing.  

After two days, he called Browning, Cole Investigations since he thought that the Bolton's Pride Police wasn't doing anything to find his missing son.  McNally concludes his visit by saying that he will do what he can to find their missing son and leaves the Tate's house.  He drives back towards the town center to inquire at the Police Station only to be followed by a Bolton's Pride Police Cruiser.  Driving at the speed limit, the cruisers lights come on and McNally is pulled over.  The cop demands to know why McNally is talking to the Tate's and he refuses since it is really none of the cop's business.  McNally is pulled out of his Ford Bronco, searched, and arrested for obstruction of justice.

The Build

I painted many parts and started assembly of the chassis and the engine.

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A mockup of the Bronco showed that the rear tires where cambered at the top by the fenders.  I started sanding the rear axle ends, but that didn't seem to be enough for the clearance needed.  I took the disc brakes and placed them in the kit wheel and the Moebius wheels and noticed a big different.  The disc brake sat higher on the Moebius wheel than the kit wheel.  I need to shorten the wheel hub on the inside of the Moebius wheels to get the wheel/tire assembly to fit within the front and rear fenders.  This can be accomplished with a Dremel tool and a ball grinding bit.

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McNally will return...

Edited by mrmike
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Hoorah... got a McNally fix this morning...

Mike, that's some nice looking work you got going on there. Good catch on the wheel. It always seems I find out about that sort of thing at the worst possible point in the build... Break out the Dremel and grind away my friend..

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The Story

When the cop and McNally arrive at the Police Station, he is roughly pulled from the cruiser and brought into the station to the front desk.  He is searched again, relieved of his wallet, keys, cellphone, change, and his belt.  When he asks about his phone call, he is punched in the stomach and thrown against the counter where he palms his cellphone and tucks it up his sleeve.  The jail seems reminiscent of a jail from an old western movie and McNally is placed in one of the jail cells.  When he is alone, he pulls out the cellphone and texts a message to his attorney Charlotte "Charlie" Rothmann telling her he is in trouble and for her to contact his friend Sgt. Alex Lockland of the NH State Police.

The Build

I used my Dremel and a grinding bit and reduced the height of the mounting boss for the brakes inside the Moebius wheels.

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The brake is where I want it.  This should give me the room I need under the front and rear fenders.

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McNally will return...

Edited by mrmike
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The Story

McNally slips his cellphone back up his sleeve and looks around the cell for a hiding spot when he hears footsteps coming.  The cop and another older cop unlock the door and walk in with the older cop saying, "He looks like he could take a beating," and hits him hard across the face with his fist.  In a voice reminiscent of James Cagney, McNally says, "I ain't tellin' you nuthin' coppa!"  The older cop is the Police Chief and he unloads a barrage of punches onto the Boston PI until he is knocked out and lying on the cell floor.  The chief and the other cop leave the cell, locking the door behind them.

The Build

My work on the wheels was a success!  A mockup shows that the wheels all fit within the fender lines of the body.

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McNally will return...

Edited by mrmike
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Thanks Jeremy!  I've seen many Broncos with the rear fenders cutout for bigger tires and I suppose that's ok for those who want a bigger wheel and tire.  I seem to prefer the stock fenders and i knew there had to be a way to keep the fenders stock and the wheel and tire under it.  I need to paint the body parts and since I am using enamel, I am a bit relunctant to move ahead since it does take enamel paint a very long time to dry.  I should ask my friend Paul if I could use his dehydrator.

Edited by mrmike
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The Story

McNally comes to lying on the cold jail cell floor.  He has no idea of what time it is, but he figures that it must be nighttime as there is no light coming in through the tiny window located at the top of the jail cell wall near the ceiling.  The light fixture is on, but the bulb must be about 40 watts and somewhat dim.  His left eye is swollen shut and his body and face is very much in pain from the beating he took from the Police Chief.  He pulls himself up off the cold cell floor and eases himself onto the cot that is anchored to the wall and lies down.  He soon passes out again from the pain.

The Build

I taped the roof to the body so I could attach the windshield frame and set the frame angle.

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I assembled the back seat and roll bar and mocked up the interior.

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McNally will return...

Edited by mrmike
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This Bronco is a nice kit inspite of its small flaws.  One of the things I noticed was the lack of a clamp bracket for the spare tire carrier.  Having owned a '83 Bronco II with the outside spare tire, the carrier was locked in position with a clamp that was mounted to the tailgate and this kit does not have one.  I guess I'll be making one with some sheet styrene and mounting it to the tailgate.

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