Dennis Lacy

Thanks, Tim! I love it too. It's like a family member. I also love the 5.0 Mustang's. Quite possibly the best bang-for-the-buck cars ever produced. They were inexpensive to begin with, hauled butt stock (for the time) and have seen a seemingly endless performance parts aftermarket that's also generally very reasonably priced. I'd bet with your career at Ford you have plenty of interesting stories. I'd love to hear them some time if we're ever lucky enough to cross paths. Speaking of LX 5.0's... I had one of those, too! This '88 was my daily driver for 14 years. I bought it in March of 1999 for $1400 when I was 19 years old. It was a freshly painted roller (brand new color for '99 called Atlantic Blue) and by June I scrounged up an engine and trans for it and had it on the road. At it's evolution peak it was good for 320hp and 335tq to the wheels on a Dynojet and would run the 1/4 mile at 112mph. The ET's were terrible on regular 17" tires with the first 3 gears being a slip & slide. Dragstrip wasn't my thing much anyhow as the car was set up for corner carving. This car would absolutely murder those smug GM LS1 F-Body and Corvette owners. It was also good enough to take down a stock 2003 Terminator Cobra and the first year 2001 385hp ZO6 Vette's. Good times...

So I’ve had an Instagram account for over 3 years now and currently have over 3,100 followers. Most of what I share is shop work and hot rods but I also have been sharing models for most of that time. Mostly just the significant looking mock ups and finished work. The feedback on my model posts has been extremely positive and I get just as much comments/likes (in some cases more) as the full scale stuff. It seems there’s a whole bunch of hot rodders out there who enjoy seeing a nicely crafted traditional hot rod model as much as a full scale one. I’ve had a few tell me they look forward to and anticipate my “Sunday Models” posts (as Sundays are generally my workbench days and when I update my forum threads too) and a couple guys have told me that seeing my models has inspired them to start building again!

As much as I’m way past using those old out of proportion AMT ‘32 bodies I have to admit this has a really good look to it so far!

@Kit Karson Still so happy for you, brother! Seems like a great little truck that should bring you many miles of joy.

Thanks for the mention @tim boyd My Dad and I own and operate a 2-man shop in Southern California called Early V8 Garage. We specialize in 1930’s and 1940’s Ford’s, both stock and early style traditional hot rods. He created the shop in 1996 (but has been in our shop building since 1985, previously his hobby shop) and I have been there since 1999 (just after turning 19 and bailing on my job at PepBoys.) It’s always been just the 2 of us. In addition to working on and building cars we also have an exclusive line of products for converting 1932 to 1938 Ford’s from their original mechanical brakes to hydraulic (master cylinder bracket/linkage kits, pre-bent brake line kits, fittings, etc.) Between 2005-2007 I built this authentic to the 40’s ‘27 T Roadster on ‘32 rails. I put thousands of miles on this car and sadly sold it in 2013 and it now resides in Australia. But, it couldn’t have gone to a better person and we are now good friends. This is my ‘32 Pickup which most of the time is my daily driver (and it has Tim’s favorite motor!) My dad gave me this truck when I was 2 and it was completely stock. It’s now on its 3rd version. Outside of hot rods my other automotive love are late 80’s and early 90’s 5-liter Mustangs. They are the only “modern” car I’ve had since I was 15. Here’s my current original paint 1987 GT that is lightly modified at the moment but in a few months will get a full old school Ford Motorsport GT40 engine parts combo that I’ve been collecting for a proper “1992” build.

Cool! I have seen pictures of that little steak bed ‘29 somewhere before. It is the epitome of the 70’s! Your stance, wheel/tire selection and proportions look right. (I wish they got the stance right on those “A” kits.) I also like the color and that torquey Cleveland should have no trouble turning those fat slicks! What brand RPU cab did you use?

@BullysCustomModelParts Love the rendering! Can’t wait to see the model come together.

UPDATE! Finished up fabricating a lot of odds & ends today. I wasn't happy with the shape and scale thickness of the drag link arm I hung from the cowl last week. The offset in it meant the drag link rod would have to attach in from behind. It also wasn't long enough to make the drag link rod level so I would have had to put an offset bend in it. To remedy all of that I built a new pitman arm from .020" sheet and was then able to tape things together enough to make the drag link which was built from the rod ends cut away from the Revell '32 kit with a new rod made from .040". I also ditched the front 4-link suspension arms and replaced them with more traditional looking hairpin arms from Revell's '32 5-Window Coupe. I modified the ends by thinning, drilling and inserting pins which fit into matching holes on the frame rails. After some consideration to different options I decided to mount the new headlights (Revell '29 Roadster) through the side of the radiator shell. I cut away the radiator cap and inserted a small steel pin into it so that it can be painted and installed separately. I also added the 4 flathead hose connections to the radiator. I finally made some inner rim halves for the front wheels. They are from Revell's '32 HiBoy Roadster kit with the centers removed and the rims thinned down. I decided to change the rear tires as I felt that the narrow M&H slicks didn't suit the car as it now has a low-slung "sports rod" look. The tires come from Revell's '31 Sedan and have been turned inside out so the whitewall inserts are to the inside (and they will be painted.) You'll have to take my word for it but I did mock the car up with them and it looks a bunch better. Plus, these are ever so slightly taller and wider. Out back I mounted a modified Revell '37 Pickup taillight and license plate mount. I installed a piece of 3/32" tube to the back of the body and sanded it to correct the installed angle of the plate and light. The plate/light assembly pins into the tube. Lastly, I was looking at the frame and I felt like the center cross member needed a little more detail. I thought and thought and then it hit me. I was able to trim away the back face of the 1932-style cross member found in AMT's modern version of the Ala Kart show rod. This makes the back edge look a little more finished and structural. So that's about it for the fabrication work! The chassis, engine and wheel parts are heading into primer this week and I'll get the paint colors I need ordered. I have the color scheme all worked out!

Nice work tuning up the flaws of the ramp body. It's one thing that the compartments weren't fully boxed in but seriously, nobody realized the ramps wont fit in their storage area?! Way to go MPC!

Oh yeah, LOVE the color choice! I think the roof insert and running boards painted are what it needs. Flat white headers would tie into that nicely. Maybe a white grill insert, too?

This is absolutely BAD ASS! The conversion looks right-on from every angle and the stance/proportions are perfect. Someone needs to duplicate it full scale!!!

That works good. I stripped and painted my wheels because the plating was a little thin in spots and I didn’t want orange showing. Doesn’t really go with pink and purple! ?

I was 5 in ‘85 so I was there, too! I loved watching Miami Vice with my mom for the cars. I still have and listen to the soundtrack. ?

Thanks, Alan. Too kind of you! My fabrication wasn’t always so successful. I feel like only in the last few years I’m finally building models that I’m satisfied with.

Thanks! I think you’re right, the Flathead just looks right in there. Was the shot in the arm I needed to keep going.

Thank you for all of the kind words! Sometimes what a project needs is to sit for a while (or in this case 3 years!) and come back to it with some fresh perspective. I love a hot rodded ‘Banger but I think the Flathead makes the whole car better. And for the most part (except the block and trans) the ‘Banger lived on in another model that I finished last year.

You’re welcome!

UPDATE! A little bit more done. I had already made upper front shock mounts but the lowers needed some tweaking. I installed .040" rod into the existing mounts on the bottom of the axle and then made some spacer sleeves slightly narrower than 1/16" to slip over the rod. The lower shock eyes were then drilled to slip over the new studs in the axle. I made an upper steering hoop arm out of one of the front suspension a-arms in Revell's 1937 Ford kits and added a steering pitman arm (found in AMT's Double Dragster set) coming out of the side of the body implying that there is a sprint car style steering gear box up inside the cowl. A little spacer fairing was made out of 1/8" tubing. I will wait to make the steering drag link rod until after the body is permanently attached to the chassis so I can get the length perfect. Getting closer!

Thanks! I am so sick of masking. I had to do it so many times to get all these color. Like the cab. Had to mask the WHOLE inside, spray the outside. Mask the WHOLE outside, spray the underside flat black. Mask everything but the inside floor, spray that the darker gray. I'm over it! LOL With your extended cab you should have plenty of room for the seats as they come. Reworking them was a bit of a pain in the rear.

UPDATE! As of today I have all of the detail painting for the interior finished and even glued some sub-assemblies together. The lighter gray is simply Tamiya's fine gray primer while the darker is Tamiya's "Haze Gray". I wanted the steering wheel grip, hand brake lever handle and shift handle to look like pink leather so I sprayed them with the same Tamiya Pink followed with their flat clear. I mocked a few things together into the cab to get a look at how it will all come together.

Good progress @alan barton I had never given any thought to the inside edges of the rear Monogram fenders having that angle cut but it looks a lot better with them corrected. Neat approach to the floor, too! My wheel vote is Picture 4, the set on the LEFT.

Thanks. I like it a whole bunch better with the Flathead! For mock ups I hardly use any glue. I’m in the habit of installing mounting pins in as many parts as possible. Allows for repeated mock ups and everything goes back exactly every time. When I have to use glue I will use a dab of Elmers white craft glue which barely holds so parts can be pulled free effortlessly and any residue just rubs off.

Looking absolutely sinister! Love the detail painting.

That looks incredible, Tom! Like, perfect!! I created the body master for Ed and it makes me smile every time I see one get built. Especially when they turn out this killer!

This will be fun! But I think you need to downsize the front fender arches ?