mrmike

Not much to report. I've started polishing the body and got overspray onto the chassis, Spenser For Hire will return.....

The chassis has it's overspray. The front suspension is in need of lowering. I cut off the spindle from the suspension... and glue it on higher on the suspension. This should lower the nose of the car. I'll lower the rear of the Mustang by re-arching the rear springs or by shortening the mounting blocks. More to come.....

Thanks DW. I have done my research and I found that it is suppose to be red oxide primer and that is what I got, that is what I used, and it's good enough for me. This can will last me a very, very long time so I will not be running out anytime soon. I apologise if I came off sounding like I was mad!

Well Tony, it's primer, it's red oxide, and it's on the chassis! As I have previously state, if it's the wrong shade of red, that's just too bad! This is not a concours restoration or a contest car and I don't even know if Spenser's Mustang had red oxide on it's chassis. I am going by whatever information that is available and it's not much! I am making a lot of judgment calls on this Mustang and I can't justify spending a lot of money on many cans of whatever, just for the sake of a few model cars. I don't mean to come off sounding rude, but that is just the way it is. I appreciate your information and thanks.

Why? Lately, I have a tendency of doing things out of order. Also, I am not afraid to drill into a freshly painted body as long as I am controlling the instrument. I know that if I am careful and work cautiously, nothing bad will happen. The best thing about this Mustang is that the pilot hole was already there and that made the job half done. And to quote Col. Hannibal Smith..."I love it when a plan comes together!"

I wetsanded the body more than I should have and now it looks more like something from the movie Tron. Another coat of MCW #6531 Ivy Green Metallic. Someone, somewhere, gave me a bit of flack for not using red oxide primer on the chassis of a previous build. I finally broke down a spent $2.99 on a cheap can of primer. My luck, someone will now tell me that it is the wrong shade of red oxide! To that I say, Too bad!!!!!

I wanted to add the through the rear valance panel exhaust tips so I mockup the body, interior, chassis, and exhaust system. This looks good with the exhaust directly behind the mounting holes for the bumper guard pins. Using my pin vise and a drill bit, I enlarged the hole. The final hole size was obtained by holding a drill with my fingers since the bit wouldn't fit my pin vise. With a piece of aluminium tubing for the exhaust tip. Someone, somewhere, gave me a bit of flack over not using red oxide on the chassis of a previous build. I broke down a bought a cheap can of red oxide primer for $2.99 at Pep Boys. My luck, I'll be told that it's not the correct shade of red oxide. To that I say, Too Bad!!!!! More to come.....

Clay, I used Tamiya TS-21 Gold for the valve covers and air cleaner. Nick, yes, this is a good kit! A little cleanup is needed on some parts, but so far there are no fitment issues. After a light polishing, I cleared the body with Model Master Ultra Gloss Clear. I'll polish the clearcoat later. The motor on the right belongs to this Mustang. The motor on the left and the auto trans on the right, belong to my Spenser For Hire '65 Mustang. You are not seeing double! Since I am building two '65 Mustangs, I doubled up on parts prep and paint. More to come.....

Paint spraying was in order for this afternoon. More to come.....

This is one of the more recent additions to my stash and since I am building the Spenser For Hire '65 Mustang, I thought that I would build this one along side it as well. Yes, the box says it's a 1964 1/2 Mustang, but for all intents and purposes, this will be a 1965 Mustang convertible. My paint is Model Master Bright Calypso Metallic Lacquer. Not a 1965 color for the year, but one that I think will look good on this car and kinda close to Tropical Turquiose. I am planning on a white interior. I am using the wheels from the '65 Mustang 2+2 kit for this build. I want to add the exhaust tips through the rear valance panel which is something that is added to many rebuilt/restoration Mustangs. More to come.....

Thanks Charlie! I made Hawk's BMW 635 several years ago. At this time, I have no interest in doing any of the cars from the novels.

I am sorry for your loss, Wayne.

This afternoon I painted the wheel centers with Tamiya Semi Gloss Black paint. Using a chisel point hobby knife, I removed the cross bars from the Mustang grille and painted if flat black. The motor is ready for paint. Spenser For Hire will return.....

Thanks Tony, DW, Rick, and Rick! Rick, the wheels I have are not from the '86 Monte Carlo SS since I never had that kit. Rick R, I am going to leave the "F" on the hood since it was there in the early first season episodes. Re: Simon & Simon, about the only thing I liked about that show was the Dodge pickup and the theme song by Mike Post.

Bodywork is done and paint was spraying this afternoon. The carb, oil pan, master cylinder, and alternator are out of the purple pond. Spenser For Hire will return.....

Thanks Jared and Charlie! I guess I got lucky with this one. No swirls or defects in the plastic. Just polished it!

Thanks Andy! This is a project that I have wanting to do for over 5 years! And now, I can! The only thing that has been holding me back was the wheels! And, I found them in my parts box! I don't know what kit they came from, but there they were. Staring me in the face in all of their chrome plated glory! I had the trans from the Revell '64 Ford, the shifter from the AMT '66 Fairlane, and the steering wheel from the bottom of my parts box. I quickly ordered my paint from MCW and had it within two weeks. I am so excited about this project that I have to hold myself back. I don't want to rush it for I will make a mess of it, some how, some way. It's got to be done correctly, carefully, with pride and satisfaction. It's that important to me. Currently, the alternator (generator?), master cylinder, oil pan, and carb are in the purple pond and the body is in the midst of bodywork. I am thinking of a way to lower the suspension a little bit. I don't have any red oxide primer and I am thinking about mixing Model Master Insignia Red with Model Master Leather or gray to see if I can come up with something close to it. I may just break down and go to my LHS and see what they have. And, the motor is partially assembled. And then, there is the grille which will have to be modified as the cross bars have to be removed. For the longest time I thought that Spenser's Mustang was a '66 model because of the grille, but all references call it a '65, so that's what I call it. My goal here is to create the car as most people would see it on screen (long before hi-def!), all nice and shiny! Maybe I'll put a piece of black gaffers tape on the headliner like I had noticed in one episode. How about the broken antenna and the bullet hole on the right front fender? Or a little bit of snow and salt on the rocker panels and rear fenders, or smear a little wax on the door to hide the reflection of the camera and production crew. The stance of this Mustang is an important factor for me. In many of the first season episodes, the Mustang had the hunkered down stance that I want to create. I recreated the "nose-bleed" attitude on the third season version that I made 5 years ago. That was done by leaving the suspension out-of-box stock and just adding the MRC Keystone mags and tires. I remember that Robert Urich was a frequent visitor to WROR, a local Boston radio station and that Joe Martelle, one of the radio show hosts was offered a cameo shot in the series which ended up on the edit bay floor. I also remember watching a small segment on a Boston TV station (probably an ABC affiliate) about Bob Urich's home in, IIRC, Andover, Mass. And then, the complaints from property owners in Boston having to move their cars in the early morning for the film crew to set up street scenes where Spenser would drive up in his Mustang and park at the curb. I have just finished watching the first season VHS tapes and am about to start the second season set of tapes. I keep watching this series because it is my favorite and I am looking (in standard definition) for more details about the Mustang. I have high hopes for this project and my goals are obtainable.

Thanks guys! Yes, I think a plow would look good on this truck, but I don't have a plow. This is a 2-wheel drive truck and around here, a plow truck is 4-wheel drive. I use to work with a fellow who has a 1-ton 4-wheel drive Ram pickup and it sat higher than this one would if it was a 1:1.

I started bodywork by smoothing and filling mold lines and divots. I removed the manual trans from the engine block. Then I glued the engine block halves and the auto trans halves together. I squared the engine block and the auto trans, but I noticed the large mounting hole in the trans since the engine block didn't cover it. I decided to make an "adapter plate" to cover the mounting hole. Spenser For Hire will return.....

Thanks Nick, Blake, and Dr. Cranky! Nick, I didn't forget Charlie's Angels, Magnum, or the Simon boys. Or any other PI's for that matter as naming them really wasn't important to my story. I just needed a couple of other TV PI's to set the example and Joe Mannix and Jim Rockford were already on my mind . But, I do thank you for mentioning them and for the pictures which I have already found during my research. Dr. Cranky, there will be more as I am just getting started on body work. I need to remove mold lines, fill a small divot on the passenger B-pillar, and mount the valances and rear louvers.

Of all of the TV private eyes, he is the one I liked the best. And still do. His show didn't last as long as Mannix or The Rockford Files, but he did have 3 seasons of intriguing cases. Being from Wyoming, he wasn't a local boy, but he did settle in Boston after his hitch in the Army. He has friends in the Boston Police Department, a beautiful girlfriend, and a friend who could be just as much an enemy when they disagree on principal. He is only known by one name...Spenser. Spenser was the creation of the late author Robert B. Parker whose novels of Spenser's adventures have been thrilling readers since the mid '70's. In 1984, a TV movie pilot was made titled Spenser For Hire and was taken from the novel Promised Land. Filmed in and around Boston, the pilot featured Robert Urich as Spenser, Barbara Stock as Susan Silverman, and Avery Brooks as Hawk. Spenser drove a beat-up '65 Mustang in the pilot and for most of the series. My goal is to recreate in model form, Spenser's '65 Mustang as shown in the first season. The kit is Revell's 1965 Ford Mustang 2+2. The paint is MCW #6531 Ivy Green Metallic. The extra parts needed for this build. Auto trans and shifter, steering wheel, and the elusive unknown brand wheels. Spenser For Hire will return.....

DW, it is from a Johan '68 Fury police car. The Story McNally shows up at the shop and starts removing the 2-way radio and light bar while Vic preps the dually for the parts. When the new parts arrive, Vic and McNally start installing everything with the precision and efficiency that they have always had, knowing what the other needs instinctively. With the radio installed and tuned, light bar installed,and the other pieces on, McNally starts to button up the dually while Vic drives the old truck out front to the lot and puts a "For Sale" sign in the window. The old truck has served the shop very well over the years and now it's time at the shop has come to an end. The Build Vic's Dodge Ram Dually is complete! My thanks to all who took the time to viewed and to comment on this project.

This is my Ram Dually shop truck made for my McNally, Boston PI storyline. Polished plastic, push bar from Maisto 2002 Dodge QuadCab, light bar, 2-way radio, antenna, and other accessories from my parts box.

Thank you David and Brian!

That is one sharp Cobra, Raoul! Sharp!!!!!