AMT's 1958 Edsel Pacer: WIP

[GeeBee]

Looking good David, I'll be starting on my Edsel as soon as I've got my bench cleared, I've just popped an order in with MCW, I'll be doing mine in Coral pink and metallic grey

 

[PappyD340]

Looks good so far!

[Bucky]

I really like the carpet treatment. Nice method, too. I may "borrow" that!

[David G.]

23 hours ago, GeeBee said:

Looking good David, I'll be starting on my Edsel as soon as I've got my bench cleared, I've just popped an order in with MCW, I'll be doing mine in Coral pink and metallic grey

 

Thank you Geoff. I can barely wait to see how yours comes out. Knowing the skills you have, I'm sure it will be exceptional.

22 hours ago, PappyD340 said:

Looks good so far!

Thank you Larry, I'm glad you like it.

18 hours ago, Bucky said:

I really like the carpet treatment. Nice method, too. I may "borrow" that!

Thanks Keith. The trick is to hit it and forget it. Spray the primer on thick and wet, then completely cover the intended area with a generous layer of embossing powder. I place the part on a paper plate to catch the overflow- and there should be overflow. Then let it rest for a day and gently shake the excess powder onto the plate for retrieval. 

Always keep in mind that the powder layer is very fragile until it's painted and clear coated. even after that it is still rather delicate.

Thanks again for the feedback.

David G.

Edited September 14, 2020 by David G.
typo

[David G.]

Hello Everybody! It's time for another update.

Here is the lightly weathered engine ready for installation.

 

 I'm happy with the results but I wish I had some decals for the valve cover lettering.

 

I'm still working on correcting the issues with the roof, it's better but there is still more work to do. Detail painting on the interior is progressing nicely.

Thank you all for your continued support.

David G.

[espo]

A thought on your lettering for the Valve Covers. There are dry transfer lettering and numbers available in various fonts that you could use.  These can be had in different colors as well. 

[oldscool]

Beautiful engine David. Engines are my favorite part of a model to build.

[David G.]

21 hours ago, espo said:

A thought on your lettering for the Valve Covers. There are dry transfer lettering and numbers available in various fonts that you could use.  These can be had in different colors as well. 

Thank you for your pointer David. Yes, I had considered that option along with a few others. I was actually leaning toward printing my own decals from photos like the example I posted. Then the paint issue with the roof happened and all of a sudden, I was satisfied with not having the lettering on the valve covers. Amazing how that happens, eh? 

10 hours ago, oldscool said:

Beautiful engine David. Engines are my favorite part of a model to build.

Thank you Gerald.

My favorite part of building, aside from finishing one, is detail painting followed closely by weathering.

I enjoy building engines because they usually tick all three boxes. There are a lot of details to paint. They're usually the dirtiest part of the car and will almost always require some type of weathering. And they're usually completed rather quickly.

I guess that makes them a favorite of mine too.

Thanks again to everyone for your support and comments.

David G.

[Plowboy]

You could do your valve cover letters with an ultra fine red sharpie. That's how I did the Chevrolet letters on this grille.

[slusher]

Looks terrific so far!

[David G.]

21 hours ago, Plowboy said:

You could do your valve cover letters with an ultra fine red sharpie. That's how I did the Chevrolet letters on this grille.

Thanks Roger. There is a time when I would have attempted that but there is no relief cast in the valve covers and my hands are not that steady right now. I painted the bumper markings on this Jeep a couple of years ago and though they came out okay, I don't believe that I could do as well today. Which is kind of a bummer since I used to calligraphy and hand lettering.

Great looking truck BTW. 

 

 

6 hours ago, slusher said:

Looks terrific so far!

Thanks Carl, I'm glad you like it.

 

I hope to have more pics to post either today or tomorrow.

Thanks again,

David G.

[Rockford]

Love Edsels, right car at the wrong time. Brave styling too, but as wild as it was it was tamer than a Mercury Turnpike Cruiser and that didn't get the same negative comments. Anything with a transmission selector called the Teletype Sensomatic is a winner in my book. This is a great kit, I have one in my stash so this is educational. You're doing a grand job, keep up the good work. 

[David G.]

3 hours ago, Rockford said:

Love Edsels, right car at the wrong time. Brave styling too, but as wild as it was it was tamer than a Mercury Turnpike Cruiser and that didn't get the same negative comments. Anything with a transmission selector called the Teletype Sensomatic is a winner in my book. This is a great kit, I have one in my stash so this is educational. You're doing a grand job, keep up the good work. 

Thank you Stephen.

I agree. It was a grand era for American car design. That time period created some of the most beautiful machines ever placed wheels.

Engineering on the other hand.... Let's just say that reality didn't always live up to ambition.

Thanks again for your comment. Be sure to post some pics when you get to building your Edsel, I'd love to see them.

David G.

[David G.]

As promised, here is the next update.

I finally have a roof finish I can accept. The casting flaw is still there but it's barely visible, I think a little polish and clear coat should blend it well enough. The casting flaws, this one and the one on the hood, are the only complaints I have about this kit. 

 

I wanted some subtle variations among the different surface materials of the interior. My original thought was to paint the pink seat cushions and parts of the door panels over black primer and sand away some of the pink to reveal the cast texture as a pattern in the upholstery material. The door panel turned out well enough but the seat just ended up looking like a bad paint job. The texture of the casting was just not consistent enough to achieve the look that I wanted.

 

I then decided to use the same paint technique on the upholstery as I had on the carpet and spray a light misting of oxide primer to get more of a coral pink. For comparison, the front seat base and upper door panels are the original bright pink. I think that all of that bright pink in one area would have just been too much. Now for some detail painting.

That's all for now.

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[doorsovdoon]

The seat looked good, like a ten year old car or there about's. I'd love to do this kit but the amount of BMF puts me off, lol.

[David G.]

21 hours ago, doorsovdoon said:

The seat looked good, like a ten year old car or there about's. I'd love to do this kit but the amount of BMF puts me off, lol.

Thanks Gareth. Yes, the way that seat looks does give the appearance of how some of the more brightly colored upholstery fabrics seem to wear. Though the thought of building a more distressed version had crossed my mind, I decided to stick with my original plan for this build and make it as if it were 1 to 2 years old. Broken but not broken down.

Thanks for your comment,

David G.

[Deuces ll]

On 9/6/2020 at 7:01 AM, David G. said:

This is my next project AMT's 1958 Edsel Pacer. I've wanted an Edsel as long as I can remember. Despite popular opinion, I always saw them as good looking cars. Besides, when have I ever cared about popular opinion anyway?
I plan on using my new Canon M50 camera (a birthday gift from my wife) for the entire photo spread. So please bear with me as I navigate the learning curve.

Of course, any photo taking tips are also appreciated.

 

The engine went together fairly quickly and is nicely detailed.

 

Of course, I still have to do a little more detail painting and add a little light weathering.

 

Test fitting the frame and engine assembly.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

 

 

Is this the same engine that comes in the AMT '60 Starliner kit???? Just curious, because it sure looks like it.... ? 

[David G.]

No, as I recall Guido, the 60 Starliner engine had embossed valve covers, a lot more detail and several build options. I also seem to remember something about a Thunderbird engine.

David G.

edit:

I actually found a photo of the Starliner I built about a decade ago. Here's a shot of the engine.

If you're interested in seeing more, here's a link to the build thread I posted in 2010

Hope this helps.

David G.

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by David G.
Added Photo and Link

[Super28]

Super build so far....will be watching!

[David G.]

9 hours ago, Super28 said:

Super build so far....will be watching!

Thanks Terry, I should have more to post in a day or two.

David G.

[David G.]

Hello Everybody! I'm back with another update.

Okay so I did a thing. I was having some difficulty fitting the frame to the floorboard due to some slight warpage of one or the other. I was focused on properly aligning and fitting those two pieces together and clamping them before the adhesive could set. Which takes about ninety seconds. Somewhere amidst my several assembly attempts, the exhaust pipe shifted from its proper location.

 

The exhaust pipe is supposed to pass below the cross member above the axle then between the frame and rear spring. Nothing that a little time and effort won't fix. I've already started cutting the pipe just ahead of the cross member.

 

After cutting the part loose, I drilled both ends and glued a wire into one of the ends. This will help in aligning the two pieces and holding them together for reassembly.

 

With the wire trimmed to an appropriate length and inserted into the other piece, final placement and assembly can begin. This also allows for a bit of wiggle room during assembly.

 

After properly routing and aligning the two parts, they were glued together and allowed to cure. Once that was done, the joint was smoothed out and the paint was touched up. On to the next activity!
 

Model builders, we're problem solvers who create our own problems to solve!

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.

[randyc]

Nice catch and fix.   Good thinking and photos to see what you did.  

[Superbird McMonte]

Excellent work! I especially love the motor in yellow! What yellow did you use?

[David G.]

15 hours ago, randyc said:

Nice catch and fix.   Good thinking and photos to see what you did.  

Thanks Randy. Maybe I should do tutorials, eh?

9 hours ago, Superbird McMonte said:

Excellent work! I especially love the motor in yellow! What yellow did you use?

Thank you Dominick, I'm glad you like it. The yellow I used for the engine is Tamiya TS-47 Chrome Yellow.

I should have more photos to post soon.

Thanks again.

David G.

Edited September 29, 2020 by David G.
typo

[David G.]

I've been working on solving some chassis alignment issues so here's the story on that.

No, I'm not building a hydro-hopper. The frame warp that I mentioned earlier seems to be creating more issues. I have to see what it will take to get all four wheels on the ground.

 

I noticed that there was a locator pin on the floorboard that was not seating properly (shown here after I pried the frame from the floorboard). I removed it and reassembled the frame. This improved the situation but didn't correct it completely.

This is an extension of the same issue I was dealing with earlier when mating the frame and floor. At that time, the locator pin would snap into place only after a bit of coaxing and at the loss of alignment on one or two of the other three pins. I didn't notice any obvious warp once the frame and floor were glued together but apparently it was there.

 

The next obvious step was to relocate the wheel mounting spindle. I sawed the spindle from steering knuckle and drilled it for a wire pin. I then set the chassis on a level surface and used the assembled wheel and spindle as a guide to locate and drill the hole for the wire in the steering knuckle. I then blobbed the whole assembly with CA and allowed it to cure.

This is probably how I should have done this in the first place but I like to work a problem from the root up.

 

Wheels Down! Now that the chassis is done, I can move on to finishing the interior.

 

As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment.

David G.