Sportabout

I re-fitted the inner fenders after shortening the chassis and noticed that the battery tray is too front and needs to be moved to the right place. Pretty rough work, but filling and sanding will help.

Thanks Rusty and Bill. Nice to hear that there are other weird builders here who are buying repair guides for their projects.

I removed the original casted frame from the chassis. The new frame will are built with 0.08 x 0.125 styrene strip. It bends nicely even above rear axle. In fact Rambler has an unibody and the "frame" is welded to the body. The chassis is mostly ready now and the fuel tank in its place but not yet glued. The primer will show which places still need to be repaired.

Looks really good! I love your engine choice. I built a similar one years ago but with a slant 6 engine. Too bad these are no longer available. I remember '64 D200 from the movie Fire in the Sky https://www.imcdb.org/v211527.html

Looking good.

The chassis was shortened by 6 mm too. I removed the wrong type of fuel tank before gluing the chassis. There must be a jig in this job, but it does not guarantee a good result though. The glue joint did not become very straight, but the chassis is straight and flat. Styrene flour and glue are applied in the gap of the seam to make it strong enough. Putty is applied last.

This is again on the workbench. The fenders are sawn off and one is trimmed with the shortened hood. Second is waiting its turn. The gluing of the fenders with the help of tape and clamps. The glue has dried and the tapes have been removed. This needs some putty and sanding but parts fit together pretty well.

It is still possible to collect all Juha's articles from the magazines but gathering them would take a lot of time and money. Copyright would also be an issue. Ok, back to Rambler. There are a few detailed pictures of the car so I bought the Rebel technical service manual CDs if that would help. Rebel should have a 3-speed manual B&W T-85 and a Dana / Spicer 53 rear end. If anyone knows where to find one then I would be grateful for the information. It has also been used in 56-57 Mercury and Lincoln.

I have never seen Miller wagon for sale. Juha Airio wrote about it in a six-page article on how he built his fantastic Rambler Rebel sedan ’56. It’s been an inspiration when I started building my Rebel. His Rebel is also based on the X-El '59 wagon promo.

This is what I'm going to do. The front fenders will be shortened by 6 mm in front of the front doors and the chassis by the same amount from the middle.

You're right, Bill, the wheelbase of Ambassador is longer than Rebel as we can see from the pictures. Below is the kit, Ambassador and Rebel pictures. The kit has parts for Rebel and Ambassador version needs new side trims, modified grille and tailgate. The wheelbase of the Comet chassis is too short for Ambassador too. I think it is easier to shorten front fenders and chassis than build accurate side trims.

My near next project is Rebel Wagon V8. I have for years planned to start this. The kit is Jo-Han Rambler curbside Cross Country '59. I have not seen full detail builds of this model but only some curbsides. The original chassis is quite simple promo style and donor kit will be Moebius Comet Cyclone '65 with modifications. AMT Chevy '57 gives fuel tank. The engine will be AMC 327 V8 from Jo-Han Marlin and I have one in my parts box. Color will be AMC Carmel Copper and the interior will be some kind of custom version and benches comes from AMT Edsel Pacer. The hood has been sawn off. I have never seen such a thick hood, but sawing was successful with a PE blade and old engine paint has removed.

Yes, I couldn't find suitable tires so I made my own tires. I wanted same size white wall and tread pattern to front and rear tires.

Yes, it is Revell ZZ Top Eliminator kit. Real Eliminator has Chevy SB 350 + TH350 + Ford 9" rear but the kit has flathead manual transmission, torque tube rear end and Pontiac small block.

After a year and a half of modelling, Bad Girl is finally ready. This is my vision of a Hot Rod. Sinister, fast and loud but not a rat rod. On The Workbench: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/147025-ford-3-window-coupe-1933/

Little progress on this project. To get the wheels straight I made a jig with my calipers. 5 minute epoxy is best glue to this. I build a rack with plastic bars to hold the front end part in place. It had to be glued as a separate part to the frame. The front end must be in place before I can install the radiator. There is not much space in the front of the engine. The exhaust system is from Eliminator but parted to two pieces and painted with TS-83. Front pipe is made from soldering wire. The rear suspension is made of Pro Spotsman's front springs. Test fitting parts again. Grille, headlights and air cleaner are not glued yet. Designing the license plate.

Installing the interior was pretty easy from below, even though the roof was glued to the body. However, the door panels required some adjustments before they fit into place. The rear window was a bit tricky to add because the parcel shelf hindered the installation. The steering wheel required an aluminum tube to stay in place.

Most parts are painted now. A fast mock-up to test the stance. Steering and rear suspension have caused problems but I have found solutions to them.

Big engine requires powerful brakes ?. Drums are for small blocks. I would like to buy a big block '33-'34 rod but in Finland you can only put a standard chevy small block on an old rod. Big block or Hemi engines can't get street legal. Stupid law.

This is my first rod. I like most '33 models and Revell ZZ Top Eliminator was a good starting point. The kit is quite simple so I used only body, interior and front suspension. Engine, transmission and rear suspension are unusable. I wanted same size white wall and tread to front and rear tires. AMT tire pack has nice narrow tires with medium size white wall. My friend said that vinyl tires can't be cut accurately so I sanded them and glued parts together. Rear tires needed wider rims. Front tires got narrow rims. Stock rear end was too weak and Dana 60 replaced it. 392 Hemi is from Revell '41 Willys Street Rod. Engine didn't fit to the chassis and interior and some modifications had to be made. The cab roof required a lot of work before it fit into place but this is situation now.

R&R Rambler 4D sedan 1959. Much better casting than my other R&R kits. This is based on Jo-Han '59 wagon but chassis is from old chevy. Actually I bought this some years ago.

This is one of the finest Jeepster I've ever seen. Beautiful color and excellent painting, nice clean detailing.

Very nice weathering. It looks like a real car.

Yes, you are right. It has too much toe-out ?

I haven't remembered to put the Hudson here even though it's been ready for years. This is Flintstone Hudson resin body with Moebius '53 hornet donor kit. WIP topic is here: