SpeedShift

Thank you Tim !, Much appreciated. Took much longer than anticipated but was a good learning experience.

Revell 14553 '32 Ford Tudor Sedan 2'N1 1:25 scale model car kit | Revell (carrera-revell-toys.com)

Noticed in reference pictures the American Graffiti '58 Impala has a slight rake to the stance...the stock AMT kit has the body a bit low on all four wheels. Fabricated a lift kit for the rear suspension. Think this might get it where I want.

Finally on the last lap to finish this one. Fitted out the interior with steering wheel/dash, masked and painted the seat pleats black, added tear drop taillights, made a tiger tail for the gas cap location, attached firewall to body shell and added beehive oil filter and fuel block (need to wire up those). Need to add a drag link to steering arm ...waiting on aftermarket gas cap and license plates.

"are you a builder or an assembler?" "a kit is just the raw materials of a project." Totally agree. The availability of aftermarket parts and resin bodies has enabled the creative process more than ever - and allowed much more personal expression. I haven't built a kit "out of the box" as long as I can remember, but I understand why model builders gravitate to the OTB build, even in contests. For a project or two I've recently contemplated being an "assembler" again, going OTB to get a project done, or to refocus and hone my building and especially my painting skills. But every build to me is an opportunity to make a personal statement or recreate something that inspired me.

Beautiful color.

Found these looking on the net....more vintage 32 sedans....

Is that a resin 32 sedan body, ....unchopped roof ?

Thanks Michael. I've been working under a cloud since last November...but it's actually been a real incentive to getting some of my "ongoing" projects finished. Still have a bunch on the bench that were started years ago, two modified '25 T dry lakes racers, a post war '32 highboy roadster, a sixties Austin gasser, as well as five American Graffiti builds. And - I got a couple of belly tank bodies recently that are begging for a hopped-up flathead or Ardun/supercharged engine. So, what's the big deal adding another log on the fire?------ LOL Only thing really bothers me is a long recovery period where my doc doesn't want me around solvents. That would really suck.

Yep...I'd like to do a '32 Tudor like Dean Moon's '32 Tudor sedan lakes racer. That will depend on my health prognosis this month (cancer).

Thank you. Appreciate the input. One of the many things I derive benefit from on this Forum is the insight from both the model builders, and the occasional full size car builders.

I had been thinking the same thing when reading the kit reissue thread. Lots of possibilities with this one. "This is a fresh challenge. You can enter an already started project, but only if it is no more than 30% complete." Darn it. LOL

Checking out the rear view...exhaust tailpipes from 1/8" aluminum tube attached. Thinking where to mount taillights, a license plate, maybe a white pinstripe decal if I can find a good one. On the front, need to install the steering link after I attach the radius rods. Getting closer to finishing this, .......again. LOL

Fitting up rear shocks with the exhaust pipes, need to make some tube ends for exhaust pipes.

After some discussion on the suspension, I crafted two tubular shocks from aluminum tubing for the rear end, and I'm reworking the leaf spring on the front. I like polishing aluminum tubing with micro mesh 3600 and 12000, looks as good as the chrome paints, and much better than Alclad, which doesn't take handling very well.

Down under:

Thanks, looking forward to your build.

I see. I like the parallel to frame position much better. I'll see what I can rig up.

Ok...if I don't use the tubular shocks in front..it needs something like this. Thanks Michael...good insight.

You are correct, you got a good eye. I need to get the drag link installed, which needs to coordinate with the location of the radius rods. While there are leaf springs fore and aft, - I had some scratch built tubular shocks that probably went by the wayside when I had to deal with a difficult kit problem - the steering arms: (the kit location is at the top of the wheel backs - instead of the correct location with most real cars - on the bottom of the wheel back). I had a lengthy discussion on another forum as to why I had the steering arms on the top rather than the bottom of the front wheels. When I posted the instruction sheets, the response was: "instruction sheets are just an opinion". LOL. I don't know why these otherwise nice kits have the steering arms like this...while I love the detailed and articulated Revell front axles (29 Ford Rat Rod and the model A), this does create a problem on how to route the tie rod with steering arms like that. In my case I didn't want to put it through the engine compartment. Getting the very lowered front end for the desired stance resulted in a lot of back and forth on how to set the front axle. I ended up with the front leaf spring set behind the front axle as the solution. Anyway, I probably set aside the tubular shocks while getting those steering arms sorted out - along with getting all the other components figured out. FWIW: Saw some 1:1 cars (inc. a '32 sedan as shown here) with the leaf spring behind the front axle, and had no tubular shocks in the front, so I guess I stopped thinking about them at some point. I do think I should use those tubular shocks I made - in the rear and attach the front leaf spring to the front axle. Guess I'm not done yet : ) Thanks.

Was that the postage only?

Getting closer to finishing this. Pulled all the masking tape off after doing the last round of polishing (done as much as I can do with the paint job - at my skill level). I see a lot of dried polishing compound in the recessed panel lines and door joints. Need to clean those up - hopefully w/o messing up the paint finish. Got a set of headlights from Replicas and Miniatures that fit alongside the grill shell, and I found some old-fashioned hairpin radius rods in the parts stash that I'm putting AK chrome on. The fabricated exhaust pipes and mufflers were a real pain to route through the drive train and connect to the aftermarket Fenton headers on the flathead engine at this stage of the build ...I won't ever make that mistake again. Did a component mockup (with some background of a local cemetery) for a progress photo. What's left to do: Now that the grill shell is permanently installed to the chassis, I can attach the engine radiator hoses to the grill/radiator, and if I can get a good fit on the firewall and hood (fingers crossed) I can add the vintage beehive oil filter and the last of the wiring from the firewall. I chromed a set of body mounted teardrop taillights, but now I'm thinking I'd rather do a set that mounts on the rear frame rather than the body shell. Looking thru the parts stash. Need license plates and some scary club plaques. Maybe a classic pin stripe decal for the back end.

Love this build. Good subject.

Beautiful work on that tinted glass...how did you do that? What glue did you use?