customline

One thing I found while "mocking up" is that my engine would not settle onto its front mount due to the crossover pipe landing on the splash pan first. I put it together just the way it shows in the instructions.....I think. In order to get the front mount to settle on its contact point I had to modify the crossover pipe. I didn't recall having this issue with previous builds so I looked at both. The ragtop has duals and the hardtop has the crossover, which appeared to have been modified also. I just don't remember it. You can't see it very well once it's in place anyway. I shortened it up to get the engine down on the mount where it belongs. I wanted to see if I could finish the chassis and still be able to get the body on with wheels in place. The clearance for tires is almost non-existent but it is possible to assemble it that way but it's tight. I found that the chassis can be slid into the body from the front and manipulated very carefully into its location. Once the backlight is in place, it gets a bit more difficult but I have my ways 🙂. Below is the left front wheel almost up against the splash pan. Very tight. The rears will get some relief after I do some Dremel work on the inside surfaces of the skirts in order to aid final assembly when the time comes. The rear inside wheel wells are what cause the difficulties with assembly. Trimming them may be a way to make it easier but I'll keep that as an option for now. They can be trimmed enough to get some slack and not show much. Thanks for checking in and feel free to comment.

Thanks, David. "Interesting" is one way to describe this awful color 😅. You may be right about clear coating it. I'll give it a week and then try the rub-out on the body. The hood should probably get painted again. We shall see.

Sounds like we have similar issues with our behinds, Rick. It's a common problem among us "seasoned folks" 😉

Hey, Jay, you probably totally forgot about this but you had the last word back in March so it's only fitting I answer your last question first. LAVENDER 🥴 Also you are welcome to post pix of your shoebox; I would like to see it and I'm sure they would too. I painted it yesterday afternoon. The temp was high 80s, RH was around 50%. The paint is Tamiya lacquer, color "Lavender". I thought it was appropriate for an early '50s sled. Not so sure now. This morning I polished out the hood but I'm not liking it. I'm going to wait on the body before attempting to polish it out. I think it may be still too soft. It feels like it's ready but maybe not. Anyway, here's the mock-ups 👇🥴

Oh.....that won't happen but it's worth trying 🤪

I started it, I think, on Tuesday. The body is pretty clean with faint parting lines in the usual places. I shouldn't have started it. I still have about eight builds in various states of neglect so I feel guilty about this but it just sorta happened. I ordered the paint from MCW last night and I hope to get primer on the body tomorrow.

I don't know how I ended up with so many. I like the body style, Alan. Couldn't help myself, I guess. I wanted to see if I could actually build it by the instructions. It's clear to me already that the instructions are at fault, not the kit. The kit is solid. The instructions writer needs a different line of work.

In keeping with my simplified assembly ideas, I thought it best to assemble the inner fenders to the radiator support and radiator since they all get a coat of semi-gloss black. The firewall will be body color but the inner panels are black (from what I've been able to determine.) Hopefully, the assembly will mate up with the firewall without a problem. It's about the paint. Here's the exhaust in place. 👇 And now the wheels. The white wall inserts have been sprayed with Tamiya white primer and, because of the way things fit, need to be glued to the outer wheels. My thought was to add my CA to the inside of the insert where it contacts the chrome outer wheel. I sanded the chrome plating off the wheel to ensure a good bond. The inserts fit the tire well enough to stay put. It should work. 🙂 The arrows show where I put CA and I kicked it before it leaked through. It didn't. 🤓 The decal sheet, which is probably over 20 years old, includes the Ford emblems for the "wheel covers" but my attempt to use them failed so I grabbed my 20/0 velvet touch detail brush and wasted no moe time with the stupid decals. Tires are sanded and ready for action. Thanks for your interest.

I like this kit. I've built the convertible version mostly stock and a fairly radical custom using the hardtop kit and I have three more on the shelf....well, two more now and I decided to just follow the instructions for a change, just to see if I can. I can't but I'm trying. The instructions in this version are, let's say.....not great. As you probably know, 1953 was the final year for Ford's fabulous flathead. The kit provides a fairly decent rendition of the engine but it's tied to a Slush-o-matic. I was tempted but no.....this one is OOB. Not even ignition wires. The instructions call for wheels that roll (wobble 🥴) so I glued together all three components ( inner wheel, brake drum and retainer) and painted as a unit. The chassis is nicely rendered with separate suspension, front and rear. The steering gear includes an idler arm (!) and tie rods that actually look in-scale and are faithfully detailed. Since I like things simple, I wanted to paint the chassis with the rear end in place as well as the front suspension and K member. The exhaust system consists of a muffler/exhaust pipe unit and a tail pipe. I was able to glue the K member in place and sneak the exhaust pipe through the hole in the K member afterward. I also made sure the tail pipe would find its way under the axle housing, which was also glued in place. You can't stick to the instructions. The mounting points for the rear springs are very small and I wanted to glue them without having to deal with paint. Thanks for stopping by.

Yeah. Me too. 😕

Yes, pricey but you can get a pretty good paint job most of the time. It's like paying for insurance.

It's a nice shade of blue, ain't it? Yes, Tamiya rattle cans are the cat's pajamas and I doubt you could squeeze two cars out of one can unless you also use a clear coat, maybe. Super cool build!

I was wondering about the fit in the windshield/dash area. I built this kit maybe 15-20 years ago and I recall that I had a problem with final assembly that caused some foul language to be broadcast 🥴. Looks great under the hood, lotsa stuff packed in there. Good repurposing of the chip-clip! 😉

So it's like five years later and here I am buried in the archives while on a bing search. No memory of this one? 🤣

Thanks, David, I love that Boyd's line. The official name is "BRIGHT GREEN" but it's a very soft metallic or a pearl type. It's quite stunning. I almost botched it up but there was divine assistance. Polishing it might be a big mistake. I never get a finish like this. The 1:1 mix? Leveler? The stars? I shall repeat the formula. Who knows? It's enamel. 🤔