mrmike

There are several Jeep CJ-7 kits on ebay right now for various prices. I knew they were out there, just not a factory fresh tooling.

I have finished my '69 Dart GTS 340 and it is posted in "Under Glass". I would like to thank all those who have taken the time to view and to comment on my WIP.

This is my '69 Dart GTS 340, painted with Tamiya TS-54 Light Metallic Blue with a white and black interior, white "bumblebee stripe, AMT '71 340 4-Bbl. engine, MAD resin TorqueFlite transmission, and Kelsey-Hayes "Recall" mags.

The Dart is almost finished. I think the engine compartment is done, save for a touchup or two. I lost the driver's side windshield wiper and the passenger door handle earlier. I did find the door handle fairly quickly on the bench, but I searched high and low for the wiper and couldn't find it. I took a break to go let the dogs out and turned around and saw the wiper on the floor, in a spot that I had already looked at! Since the 340 is a small block engine, I need to make a longer drive shaft. More to come...

Both look great! Back in the day, my father had a '53 Ford convertible and my uncle had a '53 Chevy convertible and both were the same color combo. Red body with a red interior and a black top.

Thank you Dirk! The air cleaner looks a mess. I'll have to clean that up a bit.

Thank you Lloyd!

Nice Fords everyone! Thank you for the offer of pictures of your '56 Ford, slicks56! That is one sharp looking '56 Ford! I also owned a '56 Customline as my first car and I have those pictures to fall back on if I have too. Based on the original picture I had posted, I have been able to extrapolate the visual details that I'll need. But, I also have an insatiable need for information about this particular '56 Ford Victoria. The picture originally came from Pinterest and that means that it could have come from anywhere and while I have been trying to find it's origin, I have a feeling that the extra effort will not pay off.

I got the body joined together with the interior and the chassis. I added the front grille. The hood striker plate didn't want to fit without pushing the grille out. I'm in the process of shaving it down for a better fit. I still need to add the radiator and heater hoses. More to come...

I have masked off the body and painted the hood, trunk lid, and fenders with Tamiya TS-14 Black. Now for some wetsanding. More to come...

Well now, it appears that you have done a lot of homework on this and you should be congratulated for it. But, for me, I just want to build a good looking model and I will. That's all. All the things you point out may be good if someone is building a 100% accurate model, but I don't build that type of model...cars or otherwise. The things you have pointed out don't bother me at all. If I wanted to correct them all, I might give it a go, but I don't think so. I have other details that I would like to try and to add. I do thank you for pointing these things out to me! I once said that I don't care if a panel line or some detail of a model car body is not correct as I am only interested in making a good looking model. I have said this for a couple of decades and it reminds me of the hoopla surrounding the re-issued Revell '70 AAR 'Cuda. I built one my way and I was very satisfied with the job I did on it. Anyone else could only see the flaws in the body itself. I am not perfect and neither are my models. Sorry!

Sorry, but one picture is not going to cut it. We need more pictures of that nice looking build!

What's wrong with the Del Rio Wagon? They look fine to me especially when lowered and have a good tire and wheel set under them. Thanks Carl! I hope the '56 comes out great...

Well, let me tell you a little story, The Daisy Duke Jeep you are converting is a CJ-7 model. The CJ-7 is a completely different beast compared to the M38A-1 as it is too new of a model. The kit I have is a rare kit that has never been re-issued as the Korean Conflict Jeep CJ-5 and Trailer. It has been re-issued as several different types of off-road CJ-5 with roll bars, big lights, a CB radio and antenna minus the trailer. I didn't want the Hogan's Heros Jeep as that was too old of a Jeep for my intended purpose due to its flat front fenders. I do understand the irony between yours and mine though. Thanks! After watching the opening credits again, I noticed that the windshield has wiper marks on it. I grabbed a sheet of Post-It Notes, measured my spacing and with a compass, I made these. Unfortunately, the wiper motors are at the top of the windshield and Sam Cade's Jeep has them at the bottom. Oh well...I told you I was going to take some dramatic license with this build! Last night, I got out the Tamiya X-18 Semi-Gloss Black and the Tamiya XF-10 Flat Brown and painted up the M-1 Carbine and the Thompson Sub-Machine Gun. A mockup to see how this CJ-5 is coming along. Much to be done-flat clear coat the hood and weather it, weather the Jery can and the spare tire, and finish assembly. More to come...

Thank you Jeremy!

I have a '57 Del Rio Wagon in the stash and this '56 Fairlane Victoria that I am working on. The '57 looks long and low while the '56 looks shorter and more upright. I prefer the '56 over the '57. I'm looking forward to spraying the GoMango and Pearl White soon!

Thanks guys! I've had this kit in the stash for several years and my first intention was to build it mostly stock, slightly lowered, with a resin continental kit for a '57 Ford that I had acquired. I went looking for pictures on Google Images of a similar car with paint colors that I had in my stash. That all changed when I found this picture with orange and white paint and Cragar SS mags and I knew I just had to build it. I will attempt to have opening doors with a rare earth magnet and a sliver of metal in the door jambs to keep them closed. This should be fun!

I airbrushed some Model Master Acryl Flat Gull Gray onto the body for a dusty looking body. I'll dry brush more paint on later. I found two blank star decals in the decal stash and applied them to the hood. I placed the hood in the dehydrator to dry for an hour. I had heard of someone doing this and they had good luck with it, so why not? And, again I have to make seat backs for the bucket seats in the Jeep. Why do they do this especially when the seats are plainly visible? Time to get out the sheet styrene again... More to come...

I must have ADD because I am starting another project. This time it is a '56 Ford Fairlane Victoria. I have seen more than my fair share of Tri-Five Hot Rod Chevys, but rarely do you ever see a Hot Rod '56 Ford since most of them are stock. They are out there, just not as common as a Chevy. My first car was a '56 Ford Customline 4-Door Sedan and I truly enjoyed owning it for 4+ months so I have an affinity towards a '56 Ford. I sold it so I could buy a '63 Ford Galaxie 500, but I can never forget that '56. This is the only picture of this car that I could find and I found it on Yahoo Images. I'll be replicating this car, but with a few minor changes. This is the kit that I am using, the AMT/Model King '56 Ford. The body has been assembled, but I think I'll add a small rare earth magnet and a sliver of metal into the door jambs to help keep the doors closed. The 292 CI Thunderbird Dual Quad engine is mostly assembled and in the process of being wired and the transmission has been replaced with a Ford C4 Automatic trans. The body will be painted in a two-tone of Model Master Go-Mango roof and lower body with a Tamiya TS-45 Pearl White hood, trunk, and upper doors and a Tamiya TS-65 Pearl Clearcoat. More to come...

I painted the CJ5 this morning with Tamiya TS-48 German Gray which is a flat color. I may add a coat Tamiya Semi-Gloss Clear to the body and hood after they have had sufficient time to dry. I may just skip the Semi Gloss Clear and weather everything since this Jeep has spent most of it's life out in the open desert and the body and hood are not glossy. More to come...

I added another coat of Tamiya TS-26 Pure White to the roof and doors. When this has had sufficient time to dry, I'll mask off the doors and roof and paint the fenders, hood, and trunk lid with Tamiya TS-14 Black. More to come...

Well, after sitting on my hands for a week or two, I decided to clear coat the Dart GTS this morning. Two mist coats and two medium coats of Tamiya TS-13 Gloss Clear. I may do one more coat of clear and then wet-sand the body and hood. More to come...

I did a little work on the Jeep this morning. I sanded the Bondo spots smooth. Next up is primer. There were two holes in the back of the Jeep and I filled them with a couple of plugs made with styrene rod. I used a black wash on the lug nuts and the wheel slots. More to come...

Sorry Randy! You have been doing so many restos lately, I thought this was one of them. I like it!

That is a sharp looking 'Vette Randy! Good job on the restoration!