taaron76

Sweet! Tim

Love the detail and the look! Tim

Very cool, and very rare! Nice!!! Tim

Jim, I've got my pen and notebook ready. Looking forward to watching this build come to fruition. Tim

Thank, Carl! This one is coming along painfully slow, but there is just so much to do prior to paint and assembly. I haven't even touched the motor yet. Tim

Finished up the front grill body work and got the cab primed. That's much better compared to those nasty line and sloppiness. lol Tim

I'm just about done fitting everything into place, so I can start on the body work. This kit will have a lot of it. I hate the lines and gaps in the front grill, so I am filling them and cleaning them up a little. Here are the gaps filled with putty... just got to let them dry a little more and then hit them tomorrow with sanding and a file. Here are the rear springs. The mounting location didn't change from the NASCAR kit. Luckily, it lined up good with the frame and they will actually have a little bounce to them.

Thanks, Bill! Mocking up and test fitting everything is what is taking the longest. Front and rear suspension and the drivetrain come out of a different kit, so making sure everything lines up and is accounted for it taking lots of time... and tape! lol I have to get an electric fan since the new motor and radiator shroud don't line up. I am in the process of making the rear springs/mounts and the shock mounts to utilize the NASCAR suspension. The rear springs will be made out of wire like I did on my '62 Impala, but the shocks from the NASCAR kit will work, I just have to make some upper mounts to mount them to. I also want to use the side mount NASCAR exhaust, so some more custom fitting will be needed. Since the NASCAR engine is bigger than the stock engine, I had to move it up as far as possible in order to clear the firewall. I normally can finish a good build in 2-3 weeks, but this one is going to take a lot longer. It will be worth it in the end. Springs made for the '62 Impala... I'll never use plastic springs again. These thing are too easy to make and look so sweet on a chassis. Tim The Impala rear suspension is very similar to the NASCAR suspension, so the '53 Ford Truck will look very close to this.

Yep, just as Rich eluded to earlier. I've seen a few self-made door panels on this site if you want to search and take a look. I'm not overly impressed with this kit, but I am doing a ton of mods to it, so not a big deal I guess. Tim

I meant Model Car Roundup, not MCG (Model Car Garage). Tim

I'm looking for a good source for electric fans. I know MAD and MCG sell a resin and photo etch, but are there any other options? Any pics of ones you've purchased? Thanks, Tim

Joe, you could always throw a 1984 NASCAR front and rear suspension on it. Tim

Thanks Joe! I've had a lot of down time lately to put some good hours into it... too bad I'm back to work today. lol Tim

Thanks, it's a slow build. Since everything from the suspension to drivetrain is custom, I have to mockup every part of the build. Lots of tape! lol Tim

Thanks fellas! Some slight modifications, but nothing too bad. However, it did take me 4 hours to get the front and rear suspension to fit right with the wheels, etc. Here's the stance. These wheels were in the '62 Impala kit, but I wound up using Pegasus wheels for that one. I think they fit pretty good with this kit. I have to move the rear wheels up just a tad. Easy fix. Tim

... and the rear NASCAR suspension mocked up. On the left is the stock suspension. I have to make shock mounts and springs for rear, but everything fits good. Tim

Very nice! Tim

I wanted to upgrade the suspension on the '53 and matched up a front clip and suspension from the 1984 NASCAR Terry LaBonte Peidmont Chevy kit. Surprisingly, it fit perfectly. I had to do some measuring and a few things here and there, but this will work out nicely. I'll be looking at using the rear suspension from the NASCAR kit as well. I might even use the engine, but not sure yet. Here's the front clip that the front radiator support has to be trimmed, but I can't do that until it dried. I pinned it as well... Tim

Thanks for all the comments and tips. I can already see that I'm going to have to tub the rear just a little in order to get the wheels I plan on using to fit. I may use the tonneau cover that comes with it, so that would potentially hide that anyway. Decisions, decisions... Out of the box, there is an ample amount of flashing on the parts and pieces. Nothing a sanding stick can't take care of, but just a lot more than what I'm used to seeing. I do like the fact that you can build three different builds of your choosing, which makes for some nice options. I'll definitely go with the custom engine and bumpers. This is the color combo I was going to go with for my '62 Impala build, but went another direction. Here are more color options; Black top/Titanium silver bottom Metallic teal top/Titanium silver bottom I'll make my mind up, eventually. lol Tim

I have never built a truck before, so this one will be a little different for me. I am still working on wheel selection and color, but I should get started on this one on Monday. Any tips or pointers on building trucks is most welcomed. Tim

Such an awesome build, Joe! Amazing work and you should be proud!!! Tim

Thanks fellas! Tim

Steve, I tend to heat my acrylics up a little before I spray them with an airbrush. I usually put the glass bottles in the dehydrator and heat them up for a few minutes. Not sure if there is any advantage, but I usually have pretty good results with my technique(s). Tim

Very cool! Tim

Very clean! Nice build!!! Tim