customline

This was the inspiration for it (below)...i love the old full customs/leadsleds....those old magazines and "rod and custom" shows back in the early 60s hooked me for life. The "purple people eater" is just the '50 vert using the kit parts.....well mostly. I wanted to do the '49 coupe but wouldn't pay the price due to the fact that I'm a cheapskate. I had 2 of the '50 kits....close enough! But I got carried away and added a roof cobbled together from various junk items. Oh, and I sectioned it ?The AMT '50 convertible is a really great kit for the spare parts alone. You can go a lot of different ways. The mods in the front of the '53 is from those parts (sort of.)

If he decides to use the inner fenders and "chin", the grill will be set correctly. Personally, I never liked the look of the '33/ '34 with the inner panels on board but that creates a mounting problem. I have struggled with this. Maybe you know a good way?

Thanks, Rusty, I should have done this from the start. I was already weeks into this build and had I had those corvette bumpers then, I could have saved a ton of work. I got the "Skips" '60 'Vette kit off ebay for cheap (it was started) but not with this in mind. I actually didn't make the connection till the other day when you pointed out my poor design. It just goes to show that sometimes you need another perspective to get it right. I wish I had your help on this one ( see below ); you could have talked me out of adding that roof and it would still be a convertible. ?

Up till 3 am on this. I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel. This will look much better than what I had and is a lot closer to my inspirational subject. the bumpers will be pinned on the ends as shown here. Over-riders will be glued to the plate mount. Still a ways to go to get it smoothed out. Thanks for looking

Mike, if this roadster turns out like that blue coupe you built, it's going to be awesome! These kits are not without some issues but if you have both of them, you have all kinds of mix & match possibilities. Throw in the '32 3 & 5 window kits and the sky's the limit. I just wish they'd give us a nice flathead with one of these kits.

it's a shame Revell gave us stupid decals instead of pad printed or insert tires ! And while I'm at it, why not a standard tranny? The gave us an automatic but a shifter that could only be for a manual transmission! Sorry, just venting.? Beautiful build, Mike. I love the idea of leaving the roof removable to show off that nice interior. Got mine yesterday, can't wait to get into it ?

Tips on sectioning? A picture is worth a thousand words.....

You'd still need to stretch it, the pillars are slanted. I suppose you could lean the A post's back like a lake car, a formidable task.?

That's how I do mine too but Greg has the advantage of not having to screw with the reveals, something that kills me on a 5W.

Count me in too, Greg, this thing looks like you gave it a lot of thought and planning. Stretching the roof like this can't be done on a body with integral roof unless you cut it off first. Every chop is different and you found a way to do this one that, I know, I wouldn't have thought of.

My 2 cents: if your registration plates are say, Arizona or Nevada, you may only want some light surface rust where the paint has gotten baked in 110 degree heat, but no rot. If, however your plates are from Rhode Island, you may want to show rust-through in the body to frame mount areas and the lower corners of the cab and where running boards touch fenders, etc...door bottoms are a good place too. The bed to fender mating area may show some and underneath you can be pretty liberal with rust unless it was an oil leaker like some of my past transportation. Inside the bed, the metal runners between the wood planks would be mostly bare metal with rust where things don't rub it off. Maybe you have this in mind...or this....

I love it! Uh oh, it's giving me ideas. ?

Yeah, true.....that's what I'm trying to do ?.....thanks for the encouragement.

Carl, I don't think they're ever coming back ?. Ebay! I found some there a few weeks ago. Greg, I think that could work. Basically, it's a compass when used to create a radius. Good thinking! Thanks, guys!

Thanks to all, your comments are greatly appreciated. I just wish I had rounded the top of the doors. Looking at some similar 1:1s, you'll see them both ways. Trying to straighten up door lines after a chop is hard enough but a radius, for me,, would not have been sucessful, I'm pretty sure. I just hope I can fix the paint and finish this puppy.

Thanks, Kid, that's really good info. I spent the last few hours between Cowboys - Giants and a total re- do of the rear end treatment. I do take the comments seriously and welcome them and that's why I'm changing this build. I'm shooting for a closer emulation of the 1:1. And I don't know where I'm gonna go from here but the Corvette bumpers will be there unless I just can't make it work. It's pretty rough now but it's my priority. Much work ahead.

Thanks Olskool, for both .

Thanks rusty, I agree. The whole rear treatment needs a rethink ?. There are changes ahead. I was about to do the "sunk in the trunk" thing but I wanted to try a different idea. I lost my focus and tried to do too much. Less is more! It's not too late, fortunately, for a re-do ?

Thanks, Trevor, it's not a great kit but it is a good one. There are not enough pre-war MoPars in 1:25 styrene. ? got a soft spot for 'em.

Thanks, Rusty, and that color is Boyd's (Model Master) orange pearl. I was able to find some on ebay. Luckily, I have enough to fix this mess. It was going so well......

Thanks, Bill, and yeah, not an easy one. Even a Model A can be trouble if it's the first attempt. It's the window reveals that kill you. I chopped the Revell 56 F100. Cut the roof in quarters to expand it both ways. That was scarey but not as difficult as making a Model A coupe look good. But it is addictive, I agree. It's the construction phase I love. I'll skip lunch when I'm cutting and filling. Zone right out. For this one I watched a bunch of you tube video of 1:1 forties types. Just did what they did. It's a lot easier in plastic ? . That '36 is a tough one. Just take your time around the windows. How far are you into your chop?

Here's my take on the AMT '41 Plymouth. I have made it my business to chop as many tops as possible ?. This one was somewhat of a challenge. This project is close to completion but for a paint issue. I tried to fix a blemish on the right door and it looked great in the sun....then I went inside. Out of the bright sun I saw that the new paint was a few shades darker. AAAAAUGHH!!! Anyway, here's the build from the beginning.

Thank you all for your comments, I appreciate the suggestions too! I thought about trying to do the Mercury side trim but I like the '53 trim. I tried to do too much on some other customs and found that I loose focus on the main idea. This is an experiment ( like most of my stuff) and I wanted to get some feedback on the build so far. I absolutely love that 1:1 above and I am leaning toward a similar color, but that's a ways off. I attached some evergreen strips to the corners with the intention of foiling them, the idea being closely fitted nerfs. I'm seriously considering removing them along with reshaping the the whole rear roll pan. I realized the 1:1 has what looks like old Corvette rear bumpers turned upside down. ?. I may be able to do that. I think I have those parts. We'll see.

Looks great, Miles, I also like the color choice. I just finished one of these and regret the color I chose. The look of a daily driver with slightly dulled paint is a good look for this subject. I wish I had gone that way. ?. Planning is everything. What did you use to install the quarter glass? The parts in my kit needed some "adjustment" to make them fit. I glued mine with the low odor CA. Love that stuff.

I was looking for inspiration for a custom build of a Lindberg '53 Ford when I was taken aback by the blue car below. I have seen roof swaps on other cars but not on one of these Fords. I absolutely love it and wanted to do something like it. The most compatible donor I could find in my limited inventory was a Revell '69 Z 28 coupe I had already stolen a few parts from. After taking a few quick measurements, I figured it could work. I'm not totally confident it will but it's happening. The roof on the blue 1:1 looks like mid-60s GM sheet metal to me. I dunno. The Camaro roof gives my 1:25 a business coupe look, not exactly what I wanted but it has its own look that I'm OK with I'm well beyond the point of no return. ? There are some things I did lately that I may reverse but this one is back burner for now.