mrmike

This is my '65 Mustang Convertible painted in Model Master Bright Calypso Metallic, lowered suspension, wheels from the '65 Mustang 2+2, and through the valance panel exhaust trumpets.

Right now, the forum is running slower than molasses running uphill on a cold day! I sure hope that it gets better than this.

Last night I mocked up the chassis, interior bucket, motor, and trans. The tranny didn't fit under the trans tunnel! I pulled out the auto trans from the '67 Merc Cyclone kit I just bought and this trans fits better, still a tight fit though. Bodywork continues on the front and rear valances. Spenser For Hire will return.....

I took a big step forward last night by joining the body, interior, and chassis together. The lowered ride height makes a big difference! A shot with the convertible roof on. I had a short piece of tubing on the bench and I slipped it into the valance panel hole and onto the exhaust system. This is looking good! More to come.....

I have started doing bodywork on the front and rear valance panels. I wish I had thought of this before I painted the body! Spenser For Hire will return.....

What kind of upgrades are we getting? Will they be noticeable or is it just to make the forum run smoother?

When you consider all the equipment needed to move the production of the episode out of Boston and to the location were the episode is to be shot, there is only so much room for the equipment, including cars! Someone decided that the black Mustang would be sacrificed out of all the Mustangs available. The hero car (used for all primary shooting) is Ivy Green Metallic and was rebuilt for return to the series much later in the season. I must come clean about something.....the '65 Mustang Convertible that I am building is the basis for trying new things before I add them to this Mustang. I figured that if I do my trial and error builds on the '65 'vertible, I wouldn't mess up anything on Spenser's Mustang. See...I can use my brain sometimes! I started on modifying the suspensions on Spenser's Mustang. One mistake I made on the '65 'vertible was not adding any material to make up for the cutting of the spindle. I made sure I did this here. The front suspension now has been effectively lowered by moving the spindles up on the upright. On the rear suspension, I cut off part of the mounting blocks on the rear springs. I'll re-arch the springs slightly to lower the rear of the car. Spenser For Hire will return.....

Thank you Clay! It is coming along as I am hoping that it would. Well, I had to make a new starter relay since the original that I made was sacrificed to the carpet gremlins. It all started when I went to install the relay onto the engine bay side panel and the wires came off and then the relay went flying out of my tweezers. The new relay looks more realistic and when the glue dries, I'll add the wires to it. The good news is I have finished the interior. The engine bay is nearly done. I must admit that all of the work I have being doing on this convertible is so I can try certain things before adding them to my Spenser For Hire '65 Mustang, especially the suspension mods. So far, so good! More to come.....

It looks good. Might I suggest that you check your camera for a macro setting for taking closeups.

Since I am adding more underhood detail, I made a starter relay from 1/8th inch styrene rod and some red and black wires. I'll paint the relay semi-gloss black. The front springs have been paint detailed using a silver Sharpie. The chassis is completed and up on four wheels. More to come.....

Thank you Walther! Give yourself time and a great deal of patience and you can develop the skills to do great work! Even though I had been building models for a very long time, it has been the last 5 years that I have been able to really develop my skills and I am still learning. I've started in on the interior-dash, console, and front bucket seats. More to come.....

A little more progress for today. I got the motor installed into the chassis. I got the tires mounted and the wheels detailed. I'm undecided about these. These are the knockoffs for the kit wheelscovers and maybe I'll mockup one to see if I like it. More to come.....

Don't forget to add the Tornado air venturi device! That's worth an additional $60!

Thank you Clay, DW, and Charlie! Charlie, I make sure to order 2 sheets of BMF at a time. Last night I watched the episode The Long Hunt where Spenser's Mustang was destroyed and he gets the '87 Mustang GT. I noticed that the '65 Mustang was black in color and not Ivy Green Metallic. I have watched this episode several times before and had not noticed the different car.

Thank you Clay! The motor is 99% complete. More to come.....

That was the reason why I chose that color as it was close to Ford turquoise.

Thank you Clay and Jason! Happiness is a brand new sheet of Bare Metal Foil! Spenser For Hire will return.....

Thanks Clay! I'm glad that you find my build fascinating! Thanks Nick and you are welcome! I started on the motor this afternoon. When the glue has cured on the distributor, I'll run the plug wires and make a coil. Foiling is done. I attempted to make the bezels for the rear valance exhaust cutouts with BMF. It didn't turn too bad. More to come.....

I removed the bumper guards from the bumpers and I was originally going to use BMF over the cuts, but I changed my mind. I sanded them smooth and stripped the chrome plating. I painted them gloss black and coated them with Alclad II Chrome Paint. I started painting other parts until I ran out of semi-gloss black spray paint. I'll use jar paint until I can get to my LHS. Motor work has resumed with the wiring of the distributor. Spenser For Hire will return.....

I decided to strip and re-chrome the bumpers instead of foiling the cuts. I started painting other parts until I ran out of semi-gloss black spray paint. I'll use jar paint until I can get to my LHS. Motor work has resumed with the wiring of the kit distributor. More to come.....

Tony, I am probably a little sensitive to the red oxide comment that was made, not just by you but others here and elsewhere. For that, I do apologise for taking it any other way than what it was intended. Thank you for the info you have provided. Merry Christmas to all and have a Happy New Year!

I am not being swayed one bit! This build will progress, red oxide or not! For all I know, the complete undercarriage was undercoated and not one speck of red oxide could be seen anywhere.

Thanks Charlie! I once got called on because I painted the sub-frame rails on a Mustang semi-gloss black with a flat red floor pan. I guess my next build might be a Mopar since I know more about them! Or, on my next build, I'll follow the kit instructions and get all the paint call-outs wrong!

With the holes in the valance opened up for the exhaust tips, I had to remove the bumper guards from the bumpers. I covered the cuts with chrome Bare Metal Foil. Since I had the foil out, I went and started foiling. More to come.....

My question to you is, were the parts painted or primered? From what little I know about the assembly process, certain parts are painted before assembly to the body. But, for the most part, I believe that body and fenders were painted all at once. If I am wrong, then someone please correct me. Maybe the front clip (front fenders, front panel, and valance) was painted separate from the rest of the body. Steve, someone has already mentioned that the red oxide was too bright. And the truth be told, I just don't care! I heard that on a previous build which got me to purchasing the red oxide primer for this build. I've seen actual 1:1 Mustangs, unrestored with the red oxide primer just as red as the primer I used on this model. Come on guys, give me a break! Well, shame on me! I did my research and I looked for details and I overlooked the obvious. Spenser's Mustang did not have bumper guards! The front and rear valances have holes for the mounting pins behind the bumper guards and I didn't think about filling them in. Now, what am I going to do?!! I took a piece of round rod, sanded it down to the size I needed, and jammed it into the holes on the valances. While this fix is not the greatest, it is a lot better than yanking the valances off, filling the holes with putty, sanding and polishing them. I just dabbed some paint onto the styrene rod and built it up until it is flush with the surface and I'll polish it when it is dry. Spenser For Hire will return.....