tim boyd Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 (edited) Project inspired by a 1/1 scale Ford 1929 Model A Roadster Pickup pictured in the 1974 Hot Rod Pictorial Annual and in the Challenge Publications (i.e. Rod Action) one-off Ford Street Rods in 1975. While the real car ran a W-Block Chevy, as you all know, I no longer do SBC's (or any Chevy V8) in my Ford Hot Rod models, so an aftermarket scale 351 Cleveland V8 (yes, they were run in rods back then, and more often than the SBC mafia would ever have you believe) found its way into a Revell 1929 Model A Roadster Hot Rod kit 1932 Ford Highboy frame (thoroughly massaged up front for a lower stance). The interior was pieced together from the Revell 1932 Ford Roadster Highboy kit with heavily modified parts box instrument panel. The front and rear wheels are from the old MPC Switchers kits (with a coat of Tamiya Semi-Gloss Clear for the polished aluminum (i/l/o plated chrome) appearance of 1970's Appliance Slot Mags). The front tires are Revell Gasser Pirellis (Anglia kit et al) while the rears are Monogram Slicks (Beer Wagon et al). The stake bed is shortened and adapted from the AMT/Lindberg 1934 Ford Pickup kit. The white bits are styrene left over after tweaking the fit of the bed. While I've wanted to build a model inspired by the real car ever since, well, 1974, the 1/25th scale project started around 2014 or so when I painted a Revell 1929 Model A Roadster Pickup body with MCW Automotive Finishes 1956 Ford Pine Ridge Green Metallic for an article in Model Cars Magazine on historically accurate paint colors for traditional hot rod models. (Famous hot rod/custom photographer Andy Southard used this exact color on his Model A Roadster pickup in the late 1950's). But most of the work (beyond the initial body prep and painting) has occurred over the last month. First pix are the main parts mockup, next pix are the body and engine glued to the frame, lead and final image show the project as of two days ago with the stake bed mocked up in back. Onward! Thanks for your interest....TIM Edited March 17, 2021 by tim boyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Lacy Posted March 17, 2021 Share Posted March 17, 2021 Cool! I have seen pictures of that little steak bed ‘29 somewhere before. It is the epitome of the 70’s! Your stance, wheel/tire selection and proportions look right. (I wish they got the stance right on those “A” kits.) I also like the color and that torquey Cleveland should have no trouble turning those fat slicks! What brand RPU cab did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted March 17, 2021 Author Share Posted March 17, 2021 40 minutes ago, Dennis Lacy said: Cool! I have seen pictures of that little steak bed ‘29 somewhere before. It is the epitome of the 70’s! Your stance, wheel/tire selection and proportions look right. (I wish they got the stance right on those “A” kits.) I also like the color and that torquey Cleveland should have no trouble turning those fat slicks! What brand RPU cab did you use? Thx Dennis. The cab was from the .c1965 (and reissues) Revell '29A Roadster/Closed Cab pickup (probably one of the Rat Rod themed reissues). Yes, I glued the doors shut and massaged the body accordingly, having built several in the past with opening doors and always being a little disappointed at how the body panels aligned.... TIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 Looking cool! The stance is to die for! I still have that magazine and remember the car well. Before my real Model A became a roadster, I briefly considered doing a stakebed. I actually went with my Dad to buy some timber for it. I especially like what you did with the Switchers wheels. I was just looking at a set the other day and thinking they weren't a bad shape but the chrome was so-so. Will be buying some Tamiya semi gloss clear this weekend! Cheers Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 "SBC mafia"...gotta keep an eye peeled for those guys. Those Switcher mags are some of the best ever tooled and that Tamiya semi-gloss looks good on them... -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 I'm part of the SBC mafia - just keep an eye out for horse's heads on your pillow, know what I'm sayin'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 Looks awesome Tim, could you share the interior colours with us? I like that combo, especially the darker colour. I agree with the others, the semi gloss on the wheels is just right. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 11 hours ago, Steve H said: Looks awesome Tim, could you share the interior colours with us? I like that combo, especially the darker colour. I agree with the others, the semi gloss on the wheels is just right. Cheers, Steve Steve....happy to. Neither of these were my first choice, but given how it worked out I am happy with the result. Tamiya TS-68 Wooden Deck Tan and TS-69 Linoleum Deck Tan were the final colors used. No flat or semi-gloss clearcoat this time. Carpet was old stretchy brown fabric cut to shape. Best....TIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 11 hours ago, alan barton said: I'm part of the SBC mafia - just keep an eye out for horse's heads on your pillow, know what I'm sayin'? Hah----they (but not you) have been after me for 25 years---- we have an agreement, right? (smile) Cheers Alan....TIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted March 18, 2021 Author Share Posted March 18, 2021 (edited) 12 hours ago, Rocking Rodney Rat said: "SBC mafia"...gotta keep an eye peeled for those guys. Those Switcher mags are some of the best ever tooled and that Tamiya semi-gloss looks good on them... -RRR Rodney....really appreciate hearing your thoughts on those Switchers mags....(Alan too)....good to know I:m not the only one who sees their potential....Cheers...TIM Edited March 18, 2021 by tim boyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painted Black Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 (edited) nc Edited March 19, 2021 by Painted Black Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sledsel Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 Cool build. Love the old Model A's. Stance is great, wheels look great, and the Cleveland is icing on the cake. I do the same with my Ford Hot Rods therefore have an entire box of SBC engines. Small side story, a friend used to street race in California in the mid 80's. Told me when someone showed up with something Cleveland powered, the SBC guys usually wouldn't run against them. The Pontiac and BB Mopar guys were the ones to step up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted March 18, 2021 Share Posted March 18, 2021 Another nice truck Tim. Color, wheels and the best part, Great Engine choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam I Am Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 22 hours ago, alan barton said: I'm part of the SBC mafia - just keep an eye out for horse's heads on your pillow, know what I'm sayin'? Ha! I know a family of ranchers in eastern Wyoming. Really nice people who bleed Ford blue. They will put a ford in anything. The grandfather is 6'4, skinny as a bean pole, wears a 20 gallon cowboy hat, and drives a 5.0 ford powered Jaguar e-type. I have pics. The son has a 64 Falcon, flathead powered flamed 40 ford coupe and 32 roadster. The grandson has a 67 mustang and a 57 Belair four door sedan. His grandfather gave it to him when he turned 15. He proceeded to put a 351 Cleveland in it. They quit opening the hood at car shows when a member of the bow tie brigade took some serious offense and started a knockdown drag out. 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) For those following this thread who are not that familiar with the 351 Cleveland, in more recent years it has come to be revered as one of the most consequential muscle car engines of the entire era. The ultimate production iteration was the Boss 351 version in the 1971 Mustang of the same name...unfortunately the first gen muscle car era ended just as the engine was starting to build its street and racing cred. It is a bit of a "cult" favorite today....but if you went through the street rodding pubs of the 1970s, you would be surprised to see how often the upper end, leading edge builders used the engine back then. Of course as modelers, we've faced a lack of accurate factory stock and hot rodding 351Cs for decades, interrupted only by the mostly stock engine in the Revell 1970 Mustang Mach 1 kit about ten years ago. I do know that Revell is putting a real effort into accuracy of the 351C that they are putting into their upcoming 1971 Boss 351 Mustang kit...TIM Edited March 19, 2021 by tim boyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 I picked up a bunch of old 80s and 90s Scale Auto Enthusiast magazines this week, and honed right in on an old Tim Boyd article on building a Model A woody street rod. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw a Chebby engine behind the front grille Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted March 19, 2021 Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) 6 hours ago, tim boyd said: For those following this thread who are not that familiar with the 351 Cleveland, in more recent years it has come to be revered as one of the most consequential muscle car engines of the entire era. The ultimate production iteration was the Boss 351 version in the 1971 Mustang of the same name...unfortunately the first gen muscle car era ended just as the engine was starting to build its street and racing cred. It is a bit of a "cult" favorite today....but if you went through the street rodding pubs of the 1970s, you would be surprised to see how often the upper end, leading edge builders used the engine back then. Of course as modelers, we've faced a lack of accurate factory stock and hot rodding 351Cs for decades, interrupted only by the mostly stock engine in the Revell 1970 Mustang Mach 1 kit about ten years ago. I do know that Revell is putting a real effort into accuracy of the 351C that they are putting into their upcoming 1971 Boss 351 Mustang kit...TIM Were there bets as to how long before I chimed in? 😄 I guess I am a little biased. Is that perhaps the SMBC resin 351 engine or something else? Sad story about Chris so I’ll leave it at that. Yes, a Ford engine belongs in a Ford no matter what decade and even Detomaso realized a nice 351 Cleveland would be at home in the Pantera. Rouse and, Ford of Australia also saw the great potential of this potent SBC killer. The 351C’s (R code Boss and, HO and Q CJ) in 71-72 were the pinnacle of Blue Oval street muscle cars (comparable 1/4 mile times than a stock Boss 429 or 68 1/2 CJ) but high insurance and gasoline prices, emissions requirements and Ford bailing out of the TransAm series put a damper on racing and perhapsit’s a good thing as we did not have to watch Mustang II”s battle against Vega’s and Monza’s on road courses. 😉 Anyway, thanks for putting a Cleveland in you Hot Rod and hopefully we will see a plentiful supply of correct 1/25 engines in the future. Edited March 20, 2021 by vamach1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted March 19, 2021 Author Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, vamach1 said: Were there bets as to how long before I chimed in? 😄 I guess I am a little biased. Anyway, thanks for putting a Cleveland in you Hot Rod and hopefully we will see a plentiful supply of correct 1/25 engines in the future. Hi Rex....I've been well aware of your long time passion for Mustangs....particularly '71's/72's (also my favorites of the first gen Mustang range); but not so much specifically of your advocacy for the 351 Cleveland. Glad to know we are in the same camp on these subjects. Yes, mine is the SMBC engine. Really, really well detailed individual components, but didn't realize that I would need to be tweaking the fits of the individual parts together, to the degree that I actually experienced. Still, a fine replica and I actually chose it over the Revell '70 Mustang 351 C (I had both of them built up and painted, and then made the final choice.) Best...TIM PS - a '72 Mach 1 with one of the two high output 4bbl 351C's along with Bright Lime paint has been on my 1/1 scale wish list for many years. There was one exactly like this that used to show up for the Woodward Dream Cruise every year back in the 2000's IIRC. TB Edited March 19, 2021 by tim boyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vamach1 Posted March 20, 2021 Share Posted March 20, 2021 1 hour ago, tim boyd said: Hi Rex....I've been well aware of your long time passion for Mustangs....particularly '71's/72's (also my favorites of the first gen Mustang range); but not so much specifically of your advocacy for the 351 Cleveland. Glad to know we are in the same camp on these subjects. Yes, mine is the SMBC engine. Really, really well detailed individual components, but didn't realize that I would need to be tweaking the fits of the individual parts together, to the degree that I actually experienced. Still, a fine replica and I actually chose it over the Revell '70 Mustang 351 C (I had both of them built up and painted, and then made the final choice.) Best...TIM PS - a '72 Mach 1 with one of the two high output 4bbl 351C's along with Bright Lime paint has been on my 1/1 scale wish list for many years. There was one exactly like this that used to show up for the Woodward Dream Cruise every year back in the 2000's IIRC. TB Thanks for the update. Yes a 351 R code HO or Q code in Bright Lime would be a nice build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted March 27, 2021 Author Share Posted March 27, 2021 OK, here is the status of the model as yesterday (25 March 2020)....getting close! The stake bed is completed, painted, and installed; the headers are installed, the radiator shell is in place, the windshield frame installed, an up top mocked up, et al.... And here is the list of items that needed to be completed as of this morning. As you can see, they are all crossed off, meaning the model is done! Will post finished pictures in the completed light commercial model section of the Forum tomorrow or Sunday.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted March 27, 2021 Share Posted March 27, 2021 Build looks great! I make those lists too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim boyd Posted March 28, 2021 Author Share Posted March 28, 2021 The finished model is now in the "Under Glass" section at this link...again, thanks for your interest. TIM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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