Dennis Lacy

Wow, that turned out so awesome! The color is very nice and the stance is killer. NICE!

Hey Lyle, the conversion you did looks really good and I'm glad to see you going with full fenders. Is this one slated to be another traditional hot rod or more of a street rod?

Thanks for the nice words guys! Been working steadilly since yesterday morning to get this project wrapped and it's moving forward at a good pace and so far with no problems or surprises. I guess all that time fitting and fitting and fitting payed off. All that's left to do is make some upper radiator hoses, attach the hood sides, make a windshield "glass" and install the tail lights. I think I can handle it by tonight. Gonna try. Hopefully I'll have some finished pictures posted tomorrow night!

I say that's a nice improvement! Go with those.

I brush painted by default! I don't own an airbrush so I have no choice. This paint goes on well and with a good quality brush you don't really see any brush stroked. I found practicing before hand and on the actual parts that it's best not to try and get to much coverage to soon, rather be patient and build it up. It's kiind of like staining wood. The cool thing is the paint dries fast so if you have a handful of parts to do like I did, by the time you put a coat on the last one the first one is ready for another. I just kept going around until I was happy. I will also say primer is a must so it has something to grab. I made some swatches on bare, white plastic and it was a PIA.

No! I will not start another project until at least the roadster is done! Hahaha. But, luckilly this weekend is final assembly time so next week I might drag that '30 kit out. I've already been planning it in my head and have even played with it some. Thanks for the run down on the Buick engine options. The reason I asked is because I couldn't imagine you would use the one from the AMT '40 coupe / sedan delivery. Saying it's "soft" is being generous. I think it has it's place in a basic build up like those old AMT kits, but not in what you're doing. And I'm not anti-aftermarket but, if I can build it or make it I will! That Parts Box Buick is frickin' awesome tho. I've looked at their site a few times and I think at some point an order is, um, in order.

UPDATE 7-18-09 - INTERIOR FINISHED! I am happy to report that the interior components for this project are now done. (Yay!) Here is sample picture of the paint Bernard (GBK1) suggested and the two shades I used: I used Dupli-Color white primer then followed up with 8 layers of the above paint brushed on. By the 6th coat I had attained full coverage and followed with 2 more coats to richen it up. Using this paint requires a bit of patience but I think the end result is worth the effort. Here is a couple photos showing all of the finished interior pieces: To re-cap what I used: - Floor cut out of interior tub from Revell ‘37 Ford Pickup. The pedals also came from this kit. Shifter and handbrake handle from parts bin. - Side panels / kick panels from Revell ‘32 Ford Roadster. - Seat from AMT ‘32 Ford Phaeton. - Dashboard from Monogram ‘32 Ford Roadster. - Hot water heater box from Revell ‘50 Ford Pickup. - Steering wheel from Revell ‘37 Ford Pickup. I also finished the wheels by adding the hubcaps from Revell’s ‘48 Ford Convertible. I carefully flowed thinned black paint into the FORD letters on the caps. This will be the last update for this project because the next step is final assembly then onto the display case! I’m really excited to see it come together and will post finished pictures “Under Glass†as soon as I can. Thank you to all who have followed and commented on this project, it’s been a lot of fun!

Mike: I didn't mean to blow off your suggestion as it was a good one. Next time I'm at the hobby store I'll get some semi-gloss and flat clear coat for future use. Thanks! Shane: Thank you for the nice compliments. This project has been a bit of an undertaking for me - a person trying to get their skills back up to speed after such a long break - and I dove in head first with all the fabrication that's been required. Luckilly, I have a lot more patience and maturity now that has enabled me to work on my projects in a totally new light and have results that satisfy me.

Another cool build you have going, Bernard! I've always thought '30/'31 Ford coupes are one of the most versatile hot rod bodies ever made. You can do just about anything with them. Your chop and channel proportions look good and that sectioned radiator shell is a nice touch. Gotta do it to get those proportions right. Where are you sourcing the Buick engine? Are those the rear tires you're going to use? The rears look a little modern/small in comparison with the fronts. Seeing all these '30 coupes pop up (you, Dave, Lyle) now I'm starting to get the itch. Meanwhile, my poor roadster and '40 coupe aren't done yet. Isn't this hobby great?

Bernard: Thank you for the tip on paint! I took my anti-anxiety pills and went to Michaels this morning and found the exact paint you were speaking of, "Craft Smart". They do have an excellent selection and at only .59C a bottle if I hated it I could throw it away with no regrets. I ended getting a few shades and found that "Espresso" was the shade of brown I had in mind for the seat and side panels while "Golden Brown" was a great contrast for the floor. I tested them side by side on a piece of scrap of white plastic and held it up to the Maroon body and perfect! They do dry very flat, which is great for the "carpet" but could you please explain how to polish with tissue including the kind of tissue you use? Also do you think gray primer is the best base, or would white or red oxide be better? Geez, with any luck this poor car will be finished soon!

The colors I had in mind for the upholstery were a brown vinyl look for the seat and side panels and a light tan for the floor to give it some contrast. Thing is, I don't know where to find the right. I looked at everything the hobby shop has that I go to and didn't see anything I liked. All they had was glossy browns and tans. I need more of a semi-gloss for the brown and flat for the carpet. I'm gonna try out Michaels figuring they would have something. Any ideas? They'd be greatly appreciated!

UPDATE 7-5-09! I know it's been a while since I've posted any progress for this build and that's because, well, there hasn't been any. But, I finally found the time to paint the body and related parts. The color is Tamiya Maroon over Duplicolor gray sandable primer. The finish turned out decent, good enough that I'll be happy with the finished product. After all, this is only the 3rd model that I'm on my way to finishing after a 10 year break and only 2 of which I've shot shiney paint on. I think I'm gonna try using filler primer on the next paint job cause the sandable is sooo thin, it's doesn't help fill in anything. Anyways, here's some sneak peaks of the painted body including a loose (so don't hate on the hood gaps and allignment) mockup on the chassis. This was also my first time using BMF to do anything significant. It was a bit stressful, but the windshield turned out nice - on the first try too! Next up is to find some interior colors I like, spray the parts and final assembly.

Hey Mike, your A-bone is really comming together great! In the begining it had all the makings of one of those Kulture lifestyle rat rods, but in all it's painted glory all that goes away - and that's a good thing! Looking forward to seeing it finished. Awesome color combo, btw.

Hey Dave, thanks for the detailed info on the SD conversion. The proportions just looks spot-on, I can't get over it! Are you actually adding fuel injectors to that set-up? I have one of those '41 Woody kits with that engine and it just looks funny with the fuel rail hanging in the breeze. I'd think it would be real easy to whip out some Bosch-style injectors out of a couple diameters of tubing. As for Sedan #3: It's my opinion that it would look cool with the roof insert opened up but only if you could add the wood bows, maybe even some chicken wire... I would not move the axle in front of the grill on a suicide perch. I think the extra wheelbase would look too cartoon-ish (rat rod junk). If you want to get a little more concieved length out of it chop the top another scale inch. Will make it look lower and longer.

I have to admit I rarely look at threads about '60s and '70s cars cuz I'm not really into them, but was drawn in by the title. THIS is an AWESOME project. The engine and turbo set-up is very convincing. I know that those intercoolers exist because I've held one in my hand. The exhaust system came out great. The tails are positioned just right. I also think you should leave the rear wheels/tires tucked like they are, it's a little more discrete which goes with your low-key, home-built theme. Can't wait to see more!

Nice! I wouldn't have thought there was a kit of this car. Your build brings back memories of when my Dad bought one of those for my Mom brand new, only it was the turbocharged version called the "Turbo Z" and was dark red and silver tutone. Had a turbo 4cyl and 5spd manual. I think it took my Mom about a month to hate it so it was sold to one of my cousins. This must have been in '86 or '87.

Hey Dave, that Sedan Delivery is looking awesome! The pinstripe really sets it off. About the only thing I'd change is the whitewalls simply because I don't care for them. So, in addition to making the filler panels for the rear windows you also had to scribe the rear door line as well as add hinge detail and the drip rail. You did a killer job of it that's for sure! I'd swear you just used a resin body.

Hey Dave, awesome looking Tudor! It's amazing how a few simple, thought-out changes can have such an impact on that kit. You're so right about the supercharger, the detail on it is phenominal. Can't wait to see the other two sedans.

Converting an early Ford front end to 1/4 eliptic springs still requires the use of radius rods. The springs job is to dampen the impact of bumps and other road irregularities. The radius rods job is to locate the axle and allow it move up and down through an arch while controlling caster at the same time.

What a great project you have here! The stance and the look are just right and lend themselves nicely to the rat rod scene, if not a little better because the workmanship is too nice, haha. Neat idea sanding down then cutting out the door panels and bulkhead to look like the inner body structure. While it is nothing like what the real inner structure of a '32 roadster looks like, it really works. And lets face it, most of the people that would see it probably don't know the difference. Those seats are cool too but I'm especially digging the wood floor. Can't wait to see more!

UPDATE 5-24-09 Well, I finally have an update for my Tribute ‘40. I turned the screws on this project in the last week and a half and got the chassis done. Did up the frame in Tamiya Bright Silver then went back and hand painted the floor areas flat black (what a PITA!). Also sprayed the front and rear axles in silver then hand painted the springs and brake plates flat black. Since I didn’t have any old Parts Pack wheels and tires at my disposal like my Dad used, I deviated on my version with the chrome reverse rear wheels and Goodyear slicks from AMT’s ‘57 Belair. Up front I used the ‘40 kits stock wheels, tires, trim rings, hubcaps and painted the wheels black for the tough look. In keeping with the original, the body is going to be orange so to add some contrast I flowed a 50/50 mix of Testors orange and thinner into the “Ford Deluxe†letters on the hubcaps. The Chrysler is from AMT’s ‘32 roadster. It’s painted with Model Master Blue-Gray Metallic. I detailed the supercharger and valve covers with some flat black and used the injector scoop from the ‘40 kits Buick engine. The headers come from AMT’s ‘25 roadster and with some creative tweaking I managed to get them mated up to the Chrysler. Like my Dad’s, they have long, tapered tubes which will stick out from under the fenders although mine are aimed more towards the ground. If you look back in the thread you can see how I was originally going to adapt the headers to the engine but the more I looked at it the more it looked hokey, so I figured out how to get them to attach directly to the heads. I have a little more body work to finish up but I’m hoping to get the orange laid down by the end of the week as well as get the interior painted so after some drying time I can get this project under wraps.

Hahaha, I know exactly what you mean. My girlfriends 5yo boy does the same thing to me with the couple of Transformers he has. Also, with Lego's. Whenever he gets a new kit he asks me to help build it and within minutes it's crashd into pieces. One of these times I'm going to mess with him and put one together with some Zap-A-Gap. That'll show him!

Hey Dave, thanks for those links! It looks like both of the Ford bodies are the same part. Maybe Mason City picked up the production from all American. That Mercury body is kinda sad looking. Looks like one would have to spend a lot of time detailing it to make it presentable.

Hey Dave, your F-1 pickup turned out so awesome! I think the proportions are just right and the customizing isn't over done. It's also sweet you chose a T-Bird engine, definately the road less traveled. I'm quite partial to these trucks since my Dad owned two '50s. The first one had been kinda butchered as the previous person had installed a 302/C4 and you could say they lacked finess. In the end the truck wasn't "good enough" so he sold it and found a completely original, low miles, never wrecked truck to replace it. It's only downfall was that it had an I-6. He acquired a good 302/C4 that he wanted to install but never could bring himself to because the truck was too nice to mess with, which is ultimately why he sold it. Both his '50s were early production that still had the character buldges in the bed sides like '48/'49, which I think looks better than the later flat sides like the bed in the Revell kit. I wonder if one of the resin companies makes a panel truck body to fit the Revell kit? Those are sweet too. He had a '48 but it was just passing through as he bought it right and flipped it a couple months later for a good profit.

To break up all te blonde jokes: A bear and a rabbit are pooping next to eachother in the woods. The bear turns to the rabbit and asks, "excuse me, do you ever have a problem with poop sticking to your fur?" The rabbit replies, "No." So the bear wiped his butt with the rabbit.