Wild custom show rod - Monogram Beachboys 32 coupe makeover

[alan barton]

According to the Scalemates website, the Beachboys Little Deuce Coupe version of Monogram's ancient 32 roadster kit was released in 1989.  That tells you how long it took me to finish this one! I ordered two kits on hearing that they were coming out but as soon as I collected them from my LHS I had my doubts.  To quote Scotty from Star Trek "It's a Deuce coupe, captain, but not as we know it!"

Yep, after modellers had waited almost four decades for a  usable 1/24th or 1/25th scale 3 window coupe, they came out with a botched up mess.  A coupe IS NOT a roadster with a roof - it is an entirely different body and the contours are very different to each other.  Reluctantly I built one almost box stock straight away - beggars can't be choosers - but then decided to chop the second one to try and correct the roof line if nothing else.

That was a bit beyond my skill set at the time so it went back in the box.  It came out again about five years ago but didn't inspire me.  It then occurred to me that seeing as how it was so ugly, why not go uglier?  A radical custom show rod from the early sixties could hide a multitude of sins, so that's what I did.

So, the recipe is as follows.

Fenders and running boards and fuel tank removed from stock Monogram fender unit.

Front frame rails Z' eed just behind grille.

AMT Ala Kart chromed coil sprung banjo rear end.

Chromed dropped front axle with spring in front of, not on top of axle - it may be a Black Widow item, I think.

AMT 409 Chevy from the 57 Chevy kit with six carbs and scoops from the exhaust tips from a Hot Wheels toy.

Custom front end from AMT 32 Tudor double kit, with expanded mesh insert instead of the Edsel grille.

Chopped roof with angled windshield posts

Deck lid filed as flat as I dared to remove some of the roadster hump

Rear rollpan made from the custom cowl from a Monogram Lil Coffin 

Monogram whitewalls and mags.

I did almost nothing inside the highly inaccurate interior because to be honest, you just cant see in there.  A bit of two tone paint and a right hand drive conversion and that's about it.

Thanks for looking.

Cheers

Alan

Edited September 1, 2023 by alan barton

[Flatout]

Dang Alan…that is Sweet!  Great looking 60s style Hot Rod made from a kit deemed unusable by most.  Very Creative ?

[Lobo2me]

Very well done...nice job! Great addition to your cool collection of good looking Hot Rods.

[Muncie]

Oh so cool!

Nice work! I have one of those kits that does the same thing - out of the box every five years and right back in.  It really can be saved.

[crazyjim]

Gorgeous build.

[Supernurd]

Very cool ?

[echo]

I like it, nice save, from something you weren't happy with to a nice custom '32 coupe, nice modeling. I liked the fact that you ultimately saw it through to the end, it's an inspiration to get back to some stalled projects.

[Karl LaFong]

WOW!!!!!  Nice job!

[Matt T.]

I love everything about it! Color, stance, pipes, blower, grille, chop…. ?

[Yeah Nah]

Glad you stuck with it. Sweet model! 

[karbuildr]

Radical! I love it. Looks very much like a 60's custom, all it needs is a car show and it'll win Best of Show. Very cool build.

[Danno]

Nice job, Alan.

[Kah puts]

Absolutely bang on build ?

[Dave Darby]

Looking good Alan! Hope to see it Faux-vivor Friday. 

[bondo bill]

kool!

[Rattlecan Dan]

Man, those are really nice-looking builds. Great job.

[ybsluos]

Really nice Alan!

[XYHARRY]

Nice custom street rod Alan. Your reworked front grill looks much better than the easel version. Well done. 

Cheers,

David. ??

[ChrisR]

Looks great!

[tim boyd]

Alan....man, you really nailed this!   Terrific paint, too.  Amazing transformation.....Congrats....TBf

[spencer1984]

Amazing work on this!

[alan barton]

Thank you everyone, so glad that you all can appreciate an ugly duckling!  Tim, the paint is Tamiya Metallic Red over grey primer with Tamiya gloss clear on top.  It was all done with spray cans and then polished out and yes, I'm very happy with it!

Cheers

Alan

[Bainford]

You got a great line on that body shell. Very cool, period show rod. That is wicked cool.

[Dan Hay]

That 3w body really sucks so you pretty much performed a miracle here! Killer!

[espo]

Great looking paint finish and color. The chassis is well detailed. Remember when the exhaust design was the thing to do along with the white painted under carriage.