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All-new: 1974 Road Runner E58 360 Full Detail Replica of a real 1/1

tim boyd

By tim boyd
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tim boyd MCM Ohana

tim boyd

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This is my 1/25th scale replica of my own factory ordered 1/1 scale 1974 Road Runner code E58 360 Hi-Po V8.  It was built during the last two months, and completed a week ago today. 

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The model uses the original c/1974 MPC kit body, combined with the chassis/suspension/engine compartment of AMT/Ertl's 1971 Charger R/T, a kitbashed E58 engine based on the 340 Wedge in AMT/Ertl's 1971 Duster 340, and lots of other kit sourced parts along with Revell 1932 Ford Street Rod kits big/n/bigger tires with aftermarket "B.F.Goodrich" rwl decals, and 1971-74 Mopar B-Body "bazooka" exhaust tips from Missing Link. The engine compartment is fully detailed with major emissions plumbing, heater hoses, a Mopar Cruise Control servo, battery cables, throttle return spring, brake booster vacuum hoses, et al. The paint is two coats of Tamiya Gloss Black, rubbed out and waxed (no clearcoat to avoid issues with paint buildup and because factory single stage gloss black looks best, well, without a clear overcoat).

One disappointment is that the while the updated Round 2 decal sheet from their latest 2020 reissue included the graphics in red as well as white and black, apparently their vendor did not print a white backing on the outer edge pinstripes of the red "Up and Over' tape stripes, That meant just the center of the red graphics stripes show against the black paint; the outer border stripes are essentially invisible. While Round 2 did include the underlayment white on the matching hood stripes, the register was off making those unusable at all. Thus I returned to the way the car was ordered at the factory - I thought the hood stripes were standard on the Road Runner; they were not. So my car did not have them and it was delivered with just white "360" decals on the side of the hood bulge. So that's the way the model was completed. (I later ordered the hood stripes from the Plymouth Dealer parts department and added them to the real car, as you can see in the pictures of the real car below).

I also added the Mopar Accessories decklid rack (sourced from the AMT/Ertl 1972 Corvette, as supposedly the "Tier Two" vendor provided the exact same rack to both GM and Mopar for this application), and lower body rocker moldings (1974 Satellite Sebring Plus parts I ordered from the Plymouth Parts Department). The interior was slightly modified to represent the 1974 vintage Road Runner Interior Decor Group option, and I added to correct "Tuff" steering wheel and the MPC original issue Slap Shift (the Round 2 reissue kit was updated to the 1974 1/2 and later knob style shifter; my early 1974 production car still had the slapper). Also, I added power window switches to the door panels, as with that option all four windows rolled down (with my real car, I did not order power windows as they had been problematic on my Dad's Dodge wagons), and that meant the rear quarter windows were fixed - they did not roll down. Had I known that, I would have added this upgrade as I ordered my car without Air Conditioning and the "Upper Level Ventilation" (aka "Strato Vent") option I did order was essentially useless.

This is a model I've planned, well, since November of 1973 when I took delivery of the real car. I waited because until recently, there were no really accurate body graphics in scale in the correct shade of red along with fully correct "road runner" graphics in the C-pillar area. I wish the Round 2 decal sheet issue hadn't occurred (the red stripe would probably still work OK on a car painted white, but not so on other 1974 paint colors that could be ordered with the red stripe, including Silver Frost Metallic and Lucerne Blue Metallic. 

BTW, those (at the time) mega-buck G-60-15 and H-60-15 BGF's on the real car were the prize (....you just can't make this stuff up....) for my 2nd Place Nationwide finish in the 1976 MPC Customizing Contest series!)   There's no way I could have afforded to buy those on my own back then, what with also facing car/insurance payments and college expenses). 

Overall, I'm happy with the result and happy to share it with you now. And a big tip of the hat to several builders on the various model car boards and forums, including James Tester, for their ideas on how to pull of this conversion.  And to Dave Darby for his ideas on how to paint headlamp lenses that he shared with me a while back.  Seven more pictures below, and thanks for looking!  TIM 

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Edited by tim boyd
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espo MCM Ohana

espo

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Beautiful looking Road Runner. You really captured the look of the real car. Building a model of car you have owned and thought enough of the car to build a model  of it is very rewarding. All of the fond memories of the car and your life at that point in time all come back to you. You should display this with the pictures of your 1:1 together. 

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1972coronet MCM Ohana

1972coronet

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Outstanding RM21L4 , Tim !  It's too bad about the decals ; I was actually planning on a TB3 Basin Street Blue with red stripes version .

For whatever reason , 1973-1974 two door Satellite / Road Runners had fixed quarter glass ( body style '21' ) unless power windows were ordered . Cost-cutting move ? 

A former customer at the parts store where I worked has a 1974 Road Runner which he ordered new as well .  It's Silver Frost with black interior ; standard 318 (factory dual exhaust for '73 - '74 ) with a 4-speed . Non-assist disc brakes ( standard ) ; power steering ; AM/FM radio ; 3.21 Sure Grip .  Beautiful car which was lovingly restored .

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tim boyd MCM Ohana

tim boyd

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On 8/29/2020 at 8:25 AM, TarheelRick said:

Coming for a die-hard FORD fan, that is one beautiful MOPAR.   Do you still own it or is it one of those rear-end kicking got away's?

Ricky....no, sadly it rusted away in good old Michigan.  I kept it for 16 years, putting 140,000 miles on it.  Mechanically it was bulletproof, the only non-recurring maintenance item was that the intake had to be pulled and have the carbon deposits scraped/chipped out of  the heat riser crossover.   Body wise, it was BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH.  Visible rust on the rear quarters after three years, did a complete repair job, that lasted only another two years,  then started again.  Eventually the floorboard gave way.  Gave it to a Service Manager at one of my Lincoln Mercury dealers in St. Louis who was a closet Mopar enthusiast; he wanted it for his kids to drive around a makeshift racetrack he had at his farm!  

Before I started working for Ford in 1978, I was 100% a Mopar guy who hated the "railroad tie" bumpers on most Fords back then.  But Ford offered an excellent career path, and they made me a job offer (Chrysler chose not to).   Then came the 1979 Fox Mustang (I ordered a Ghia 2-door with a 5.oL 4 speed manual)...and then the 1983 1/2 T-Bird Turbo Coupe, then all the great stuff that came later.  So essentially  100% Ford since 1979....smile. 

And thanks for the comment on the build!  TIM .  

 

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