Jairus

Aaron, Ford in 1948 use mostly Maple, Ash and Basswood for the framing pieces. The darker panels are usually Birch or Mahogany ply, which was also used inside. Most of the time the plywood panels are stained and varnished to provide a uniform look... but many pre-war Fords were produced with all natural color bodies. The choice was purely esthetic and not based on options chosen by the buyer. But beginning 1946 nearly all wagons produced by Ford, including the "Sportsman" were constructed with the darker stained paneling. Ford's last real woody, although not purely structural, was in 1950 and all those were all constructed using the darker stained wood panels with lighter colored Maple framing. After that.... the dye was cast so to speak, as all woodies became "decal woodies" with Die-nok printed panels and fiberglass framing painted to look like wood. By the way, all wood used in construction was grown on Ford owned land at "Iron Mountain" in Michigan. The material was cut, milled and kiln dried prior to assembly all under Ford's watchful eye. Your suggestion about restorations being colored differently is spot on! Because if an owner didn't varnish the body every few years, moisture would seep in and cause rot and ruin. So when a car is restored it is generally stripped and bleached in order to clean up the surface. Then the joints are repaired, everything sanded and new varnish applied. It is up to the restorer as to what colors they return the wood to and different stains and varnishes vary in coloring, especially as they age. So it's not uncommon to see a wide variety of wood colors when the Woodies gather at shows.

Looks great V! I love the underside shots the best. You really got that rusted/dirty/burnt look down pat!

Wow, that looks greeeaaatttt!

I don't think Harry likes me anymore....

Please, please, PLEASE tell me that Ken Hamilton's article on the Shopping cart is in THIS ONE?

When replicating anything it is best to do your research before starting. Back in 1970 the United States had lighting restrictions regarding mounting height and covers over headlights. This is why all U.S. marketed Ferrari's had pop up lights rather than those sold in Europe which were mounted beneath a plex panel. As was stated earlier in the thread, the T.V. show car was a modified Corvette made to look like a Ferrari GTS. Revell simply did the same thing using Corvette underpinnings and a hybrid interior. If you are building a replica of the T.V. Show car... the kit is remarkably accurate. If you are building a replica of a correct 1970 Daytona GTS.... better start with something more accurate such as that by Fujimi. Just FYI.

While I am neither excited about it nor am I turned off.... it does contain some very cool bits if one takes the time to examine it. Won't go into too much details since I wrote an article about this very thing for MCM and it prob. won't be published till next year But... the front wheels are for me a bit too much. The exhaust pipes and engine plumbing are perfect but it is NOT a rat rod in my opinion. Too well assembled and too cleanly done. A lott'a thought went into it and it's a bit over the top... but cool none the less. More like a "theme rod" than anything else assembled in a nice traditional style.

While AMT does have a 65-66 coupe, I doubt that would have kept Monogram from producing their own later on. There are many examples where each manufacturer produced matching versions (1936 Ford coupe, 1957 Chevy's, 90's era pickup, etc) It is hard to second guess what Monogram was thinking back then. Truth is that a new mold for a body today ends up costing more to tool and build than the entire rest of the kit! The body is the most expensive part and therefore today is the reason various versions are planned around the body so as to amortize out the cost. (a multipiece body like the vintage 1959 Galaxie skyliner was very inexpensive to tool alternately) On the other hand a 65-66 convertible sheet-metal is SOOOOO close to that of a coupe minus the top, that the manufacturer could tool up a separate interior and roof for very low cost. The builder then has to glue the top on of course. But, this would definately get more mileage for that vintage tool. Frankly I think they should also tool up an 8" rear end and inline 6 while they are at it for us hobbyists.

NO! V, I note number things too and even posted on my facebook at exactly 10:10:10 at ten minutes after 10am.

... or ask for Tequila and salt. I like the looks too!

Yeah, it's a trick but it only works if the drive shaft is exposed. With the Ford "Banjo" rear end there is no way to access the shaft at that point. He just stuck the generator there. Other than that... the car looks GREAT! Stance, choice of parts and overall look are very good.

Could be... not sure. I just remember seeing someone's car painted like that back in '74 and liked the combination. The Ivory is a standard Model Master color but the Maroon I custom mixed. The separation line however is a standard break line for a two-tone paint on a 1946-48 Chevrolets.

All the photos I could find regarding that era of Chevrolet showed the entire engine compartment to be painted various shades of flat black. Only color present... the engine block and maybe a couple of decals. Google images can provide a wealth of info.

That is correct. The clutch however is still attached to the flywheel on the manual shift car. The automatic however could have the torque converter at either end of the propshaft. I am just not that sure... nor care that much to check it out. At any rate, Chevrolet engineers felt that moving the trans back to create a "transaxle", helped balance weight distribution. This is not a new concept, as many european manufacturers (Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari) have done this for years!

Write your request down on the back of a twenty dollar bill and send it to: Please change my name 3419A Hinahina St Honolulu, HI 96816

It was nice knowing both of you guys.....

No... you said "ever" and I happen to know that before you started there were quite a few articles written and featured by those who didn't use their real names!

Nothing in that era but how about this '68?

...that you know of..

Working lights, door latches, opening glove box door and gas filler door, oil dip stick, remote hood and truck latch, working dome light, lit dash lights and motorized to run on a track are about it for now. Not all on the same model of course.... not yet anyway. Oh... and a working rack and pinion steering too!

Alumilite! Have not yet had the need to make a two part mold. But it's simply a matter of careful preparation.

Not quite Junkman, I have done neither.... However hard liquor is another story. ("Where's the rum Gregg?", "What happened to the Rum?")

Besides Model Cars and contributing to MCM I like: Building and racing slot cars: Painting and illustrating automotive art: Collecting vintage "CARtoons" magazines: Collecting vintage 8-tracks and 8-track players: F.Y.I. The first two contain links to more pictures if you click on the image.

Do we want to start a voting thread? The response was lukewarm to begin with and the number of voters will be pretty much just us three based on those who even opened the thread. I don't even think anyone would bother to vote... but I defer to you two guys.