buffalobill

The '50 Ford F1 pickup kit I referred to in post #25 above was initially released under the Monogram banner/not Revell, as I indicated. It's the Custom version of Monogram's kit has the incorrect Ardun set up, but Revell has thankfully corrected it in their most recent release(s). As for what was not right re: the Monogram parts - unfortunately I no longer have that particular kit to refer to, but I do recall that it had only 3 exhaust ports on each head, but the 1:1 Ardun heads had 4 equally spaced exhaust ports (and Revell's is correct). fyi - the original 3 exhaust ports on the flathead block had block off plates installed when an Ardun conversion was done. Also, the location of the plugs on Monogram's release were incorrect - but, I'm relying on my memory for that. The exhaust manifolds/headers in Monogram's release were also incorrect, as they only had 3 tubes per head. If I am able to find any photos of Monogram's Ardun I'll be able to comment further. . .But, for simplicity, Revell's latest release of the F1 has the Ardun-equipped Ford V8 that one should use. . . And, as an aside - Ardun also manufactured a very small quantity of Ardun ohv 'hemi' head conversion heads for the Ford V8-60 engine. I'm unaware of any Ardun heads for the V8-60, however, The V8-60 engine was much smaller externally than the V8-85 engine. A nice V8-60 is found in Revell's midget racer. And, the Offy in the other release of Revell's midget is equally well executed.

re: the Ardun cylinder heads for the flathead Ford V8 in Revell's '50 Ford F-1 pickup - the rocker-covers/heads in the first release of that kit are inaccurate, but were corrected in the later release(s) of the F-1. However, one would need to strip the chrome plating off of them, as Ardun rocker covers & heads were not plated. fyi - correct Ardun heads, etc are available in resin from Replicas & Miniatures of MD to convert other 1/25 Ford/Mercury flatheads.

Isn't the engine found in AMT's '62 Thunderbird a 390 FE series engine, and not a Y-block? (t's my understanding that the final use of a Y block in a passenger car was in 1960 - a 292 w/ a 2 barrel carb only in Fords, and a 2 barrel only 312 was in the '60 Mercurys; 292 Y blocks were available thru '64 in Ford trucks.. The largest Ford Y block was the 312 ( and not to be confused w/ Lincoln that did have their version of a Y block style V8, but it was an entirely different engine, and somewhat larger inside & out than the Ford/Mercury Y blocks, w/ the largest Lincoln Y block having 368 cu in - it was standard equipment in the '56 & '57 Lincolns, and optional on some '57 Mercurys)

All of the following are 1/25th scale - Monogram/Revell's '59 Cadillac (excellent 390 Cadillac V8 w/ tri-power intake and all engine accessories) Revell's '40 Ford - both Standard coupe & Deluxe convertible (flathead V8-85 engine & trans - and, street rod releases of both, incl speed parts for the flathead) Revell's '48 Ford station wagon, chopped coupe, and convertible (flathead V8-85 engines & trans - and, street rod releases of the convertible incl speed parts for the flathead, as does the chopped coupe, but the coupe only has speed parts, and cannot be built stock) Monogram Pro-Modeler labeled kits of the above '40 & '48 Ford kits (same tooling as Revell) AMT's '66 Buick Riviera (nice nailhead V8 w/ all engine accessories for a stock 425 cu in engine) AMT's newer-tooling version of their '57 Chevy Bel Air hardtop - the release w/ the opening trunk - (very accurate 283 cu in small block Chevy V8) AMT's '57 Chrysler 300 C (excellent early 392 cu in Hemi V8 w/ all engine accessories for a stock engine) Moebius' '55 Chrysler C300 (excellent early 331 cu in Hemi V8 w/ all engine accessories for a stock engine; expect their '56 300B will have the same parts to depict a 354 cu in engine) Moebius' '53 Hudson (excellent inline flathead 6 w/ dual carbs) Revell's '50 Olds coupe (excellent early 303 cu in Olds V8, and the just released custom version adds some speed parts for that engine Revell's '57 Ford Custom 2-door sedan (excellent 312 cu in Y-block V8; and, there's a supercharged F Code 312 engine in the Fireball Robert's stock car release of same basic kit) Monogram/Revell's '59 & '60 Impala coupes & convertibles (excellent 348 cu in 'W-motor' V8 w/ all engine accessories, incl tri-power intakes, for a stock engine) AMT's parts packs (small block 283 small block Chevy, 421 Pontiac, early Chrysler 392? hemi, and early model CorvaIr (incl most parts for Turbo'd version) - all are hot-rodded engines w/ multiple speed parts & trans, but the Corvair lacks some pieces like sheet metal shrouds, the air cleaner's housing for Turbo version, and does not include a trans) AMT's Allison V12 - excellent aircraft V12 engine that is found in their 'drag racing parts pack', as a much earlier Parts Pack for the engine only, and in their Allison-engined Thunderbird drag car) Revell's engine only Parts packs (Cadillac 331 V8, Ford 427 V8, Pontiac, 421 V8, and Chevy 283 small block V8 - all are completely chrome-plated and have multiple speed parts options)

Saw it @ NNL South this past weekend - really an excellent build!

very nice - impressed!

AMT's '66 Riviera has a very nicely executed 425 'nailhead', but it doesn't have any speed parts in the kit. It does have the optional dual 4 barrel intake & carbs. AMT also kitted a low rider/custom version of their '66, but I do not know if it had any engine dress-up pieces in it. . . The Hilborn injection found in Revell's "Tommy Ivo Showboat" 4-engined drag kit looks especially good - depending on your application, and that kit would also give you a finned 'valley cover' and finned valve covers - 4 sets of them! Also, the valve covers found in AMT's '40 Ford coupe could be used, as they're nice ribbed pieces. Buick nailheads really pop when the recesses in the valley cover & the valve covers are painted red, or perhaps a body color. For exhaust headers, the ones found in AMT's '40 ford could be modified, as can those found in AMT's '65 Riviera kit. (I don't recommend the '65 Riviera for it's engine, however, as it's detail is kind of soft, and if my memory serves me, it has the dreaded hole thru the block for a metal axle) But, it does have a Latham axial-flow type of supercharger w/ 4 sidedraft Carter YH-type single barrel carbs; the Latham blower was rare & expensive, but it fit under many production cars' low hood line - even GM used it on at least one concept car - an early '60s Pontiac, I think. re: the headers, Buick nailhead engines had unusual spacing for the exhaust ports, so there's probably not any non-nailhead headers that will work w/out respacing the header pipes where they attach to the engine.

Very nice! Is it 1/24th scale, and is it based off of Monogram's Model A coupe?

Nor can I get them to load - I want to see this, as it sounds awesome!

Any updates on this build? I'd like to see you finish this!

Since the lack of decent wheels in this kit have kept some from building it, perhaps one could consider fitting steel wheels, instead of wire wheels. The standard equipment wheels on 100-Six and earlier 3000 Healeys were steel disc wheels (and, as I recall, they had a row of rather small round holes in them, plus a rather basic center cap). They were bolted on, and did not employ knock offs like those on the optional wire wheels. btw - the wire wheels were painted silver, and not chromed; only the 2-ear knock offs were chromed. They were very similar to those found on Triumph TR3s and MGBs, both available as plastic kits. Perhaps a more knowledgeable modeler in the UK could suggest suitable wheels & center caps. . . Another alternative would be to use Minilte wheels, as quite a few Healeys used them, esp those that were rallied, as did some that were road raced. (Minilites were found on some Trans Am cars raced in the late '60s-'70, such as Bud Moore's '70 Mustangs & Penske's '69 Camaros. There are some aftermarket sources for Minilites. Herb Deaks offered them in white metal alloy that could be polished to a nice luster. I've seen them done in resin, but do not remember who the casters were. The more recent releases of Revell's '67 Corvette coupe (and possibly the convertible) includes an unplated set of Minilite type wheels. AMT's '53 Studebaker also has a set of plated Minilite-type wheels in every release of that kit. The wheels found in both the Vette and the Studebaker would need to be narrowed considerably for use on a Healey. When seen on Healeys, they were painted silver, and not polished nor chromed. btw - I'm quite partial to both Healeys and Minilite wheels, as I had a '60 Healey (w/ wire wheels) when in college, and had a set of Minilites that were polished on my '65 Corvair Corsa turbo coupe that I reluctantly parted with about 12 yrs aqo. I also had a set of polished big 'n little Western Superlites - a close copy of Miniltes - on my '34 Ford roadster that also went down the road to a new home about 20 yrs ago.

Nov 9, 2013 10AM-4PM @ the Smyrna Community Center, Smyrna, GA If on I-75, take the Windy Hill Rd. Exit (just north of the I-75 & I-285 interchange), and then go West on Windy Hill Rd. to S. Atlanta Rd. Turn Left on S. Atlanta Rd. and it'll be on the right side of S. Atlanta Rd.

Thanks - I'll check it out - after all, I have two unopened Shelby GT 500s in my stash! Uh - duh, it ain't easy being 68 yrs old! lol

Absolutely stunning work on your model of one of my favorite ever sports cars!

'52-'54 Mercury hardtop - Lindberg/AMT? '56 Lincoln Premiere 2 dr hardtop - Moebius? '56 Chevy Bel Air 2 dr hardtop - from Revel's other '56 Chevy's tooling? '56 Buick or Olds 2 dr hardtop - Moebius? '57 Desoto Adventurer hardtop - from MT's '57 Chrysler 300's tooling? '57 Cadillac Coupe de Ville - Moebius? '57 Studebaker Golden Hawk - AMT, Revell, or Moebius? '62-'64 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint 1600 Veloce - Tamiya, Hasagawa, or Fujimi - full detail only! '62 Pontiac Grand Prix - modified reissue from AMT? '65 Cobra Daytona coupe - Tamiya, Hasagawa, or Fujimi - full detal only! '65-'66 Corvair Corsa coupe - new tool needed - Revell? and, a 1/8th scale '28-'29 Ford Model A roadster to cross-kit w/ Revellogram's '32 Ford chassis - plus, some badly needed hot rod pieces that reflect today's building trends; not the way-out-of-date pieces found in even the lastest release of their '32 roadster, except retain the steelies, narrow Firestones, and the flat motor. oops! - I listed 12 - sorry

re: the comment about an auto trans being in Revell's 2013 Mustang kit, I was only making reference to an earlier post in this thread. I agree - it would be foolish for Revell to make such a blunder like that! As for Moebius' '65 Comet having an option for a SOHC Cammer - I have no idea if they'd ever do that, but suspect that they probably wouldn't, as an AFX Comet w/ either a 427 side-oiler, or a SOHC Cammer would require a considerable number of new parts, and probably would entail making irreversible alterations to a stock Comet body, chassis, & interior, essentially becoming an all-new tool. But, perhaps an enterprising resin caster might comsider doing a Cammer engine, plus also offer the other pieces needed do an accurate AFX car, using Moebius' Comet as a doner. . .

How difficult would it be to simply saw off the automatic trans from the 5.0's engine block and graft on any number of 4, 5, or 6 speed manual transmissions & bell housings from other kits or aftermarket sources, depending on one's application, whether it's a hot rod, street-machine, or a box-stock Mustang? As for Revell releasing a 2013 Mustang 5.0 w/ an auto trans, I guess we'll have to wait & see what's really in that kit. But, I'm glad to finally be able to get a Coyote engine as an alternative to small & big block Fords. Hopefully, we'll have a SOHC 427 Cammer soon - perhaps in Moebius' yet to-be-released Comet? Either the Coyote 5.0 or a 427 Cammer would be an awesome engine to swap into Revell's '57 Ford, or into AMT's old, but still very good '49 Ford. or for that matter, into their '56, '60, or '63 Fords, or their '66 Fairlane.

Hope that Revell (or someone else?) eventually does a '56 Bel Air 2 door hardtop and/or convertible one of these days! The '56 never seems to get the same respect as the '55 or '57s, but in my opinion, it's the best looking of the tri-five Chevys. That it's never been done in 1/25th scale, nor correctly in 1/24th scale, either, should make it a good seller. And, re: a new tool '55 Nomad, even though it's been done before, AMT's still decent selling '55 Nomad is in dire need of an update, as it has accuracy issues, and the drivetrain, chassis, wheels/tires, & interior are definitely examples of how kits used to be done (since the original release is now almost 50 yrs old!). I bet that if Revell did a new '55 Nomad, that AMT's kit would quietly fade away, as seems to be the case when Revell brought out their superior '32 & '40 Ford kits. Revell's '55 Bel Air 2 door hardtop has never looked quite correct to me, as that they had obviously used some of the tooling from their diecast model; and, the separate pieces for the side chrome that fit into recesses in the body sides, especially, looks clunky to me. (but, they handled that 'feature' much more accurately on their '59 Impalas). As for Revell doing a 150, 210, or Bel Air 2 door wagon, for any of the tri-five Chevy's, it would be terrific, but unlikely. . . And, although I've never been a fan of any '57 Chevys (except the '57 Vette), Revell should consider doing an accurate '57 Nomad, as they're old tool '57s were simply awful, but still not quite as bad as Monogram's cartoon-like 1/24th scale '56 Bel Air hardtop!

Assuming that you're referring to the early Chrysler-hemi in Revell's '32 five-window coupe, it already has a dual 4 barrel intake, carbs, & air cleaner in it. However, Replicas & Miniatures of MD sells an upgraded/more accurate resin set of carbs & intake for that engine (P-114). Also, AMT's '57 Chrysler 300C and Moebius' '55 Chysler C300 also have very accurate dual 4 barrel intakes & carbs that should fit the engine found in Revell's '32 five window. btw - R&M of MD also have other intakes/carbs for that Revell Chrysler-hemi: 4 carb intake Stomberg carbs arranged inline & curved stacks (P-114) 6 carb log intake w/ 6 Strombergs & curved stacks (P-112) 8 carb log intake w/ 8 Stromberg carbs & curved stacks, plus a set of modified heads to adapt to Revell's engine (P-111) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you're referring to the small block Ford engine in Revell's '32 five-window, R&M of MD also have a dual 4 barrel intake, carbs, & air cleaners (SRD 1403) designed for Revell's '32 kits w/ the small block Fords found in them.

Spectacular builds - both of them!

Very, very nice! Colors are terrific, too. Wish that Revell had chosen the more graceful 2 door sedan to kit, rather than the coupe, but, I'm still glad that we have that to work with. . .

Notice the absence of front brakes on the photo of the 1:1 car in Post #15.. Open-wheeled salt flat cars wouldn't use Buick type front brakes (like those shown in your pics); they stick way out in the slipstream, and they'd create a lot of drag, and loss of top speed. Just make some flat discs to attach as flush as possible to the backs of the front wheels. (you may intend to do that all along, but I thought I should comment, anyway). This is going to be an interesting project that I'm going to follow. Nice start, so far!

Harry P. wrote "huh ??? - explain, please" re: the clear plastic hood on '49/'50 Oldsmobiles - they were offered to Olds dealers (from GM) to showcase Olds' new ohv V8 engine. In 1949 - the first model year that the new Olds V8 was offered - the hood was mostly clear Plexiglass, and was a lift-off only type of hood that was intended to be only used on new Olds V8-equipped models in Oldsmobile dealers' showrooms as a promotional display. . . There's an original for sale on eBay as of today - it's offered @ $750 (ref: eBay item # 360287360995. Sorry - for some reason, I'm unable to post a direct link to that eBay auction -??) The one on eBay is supposed to fit on the Olds 98 series; and I'm not sure if it would also fit on the smaller 88 body series, or if there was a similar hood for '88s, too. In 1950, Olds dealers could display a new Olds w/ a metal hood that had two smaller Plexiglass 'window' panels that were on each side of the hood's centerline, as opposed to the type used on '49 models. The '50 model year hoods were hinged & latched like their all-steel counterparts. Some sources state that the general publc were able to purchase these hoods as an accessory from the Olds parts department. And, similar 2 window type hoods may have been available thru '53 on Oldsmobiles. And, for even more trivia - '33 Desoto had a promotional display of a car w/ a clear plastic hood to showcase it's engine - but, only for export markets. '40 Pontiac - actually was a re-bodied '39 that was displayed @ the NY World's Fair in 1939. It had clear plastic (Plexiglass ?) body panels; not just a clear hood. '53 Dodge had a hood w/ a clear Plexiglass insert - most likely the 2 window type as on the '50-'53 Olds hoods - it was a dealer promo item to showcase Dodge's mini-hemi Red Ram V8. '54 Ford had a promotional display type hood w/ a relatively large clear Plexiglass insert set in a steel hood. 1954 was the first model year for Ford's new ohv V8 (Y block) that replaced the venerable flathead V8. '60 Chevy Corvair - GM supplied Chevy dealers w/ an almost completely clear Plexiglass engine cover - complete w/ louvers - that was a showroom only, lift-off type of engine cover over it's aluminum air-cooled flat 6. all of the above info is courtesy of the H.A.M.B. forum.

'60 Buick taillights can be found in either in AMT's '50 Ford convertible kit, or possibly in their '57 Ford Fairlane 500 hardtop kit. If you want me to check further, please let me know. . .

I like this project a lot. I've been wondering what to do w/ the Tamiya Jag sedan kit that I have - now I know what direction to take it. . . My only suggestion - hope that you don't mind - is, that I'd considering lengthening the doors approx. 6 scale inches (@ their trailing edge) to lessen the length of the rear side windows. Do you intend to keep it as a pillarless hardtop? I'm really looking forward to watching you finishing this!