Maindrian Pace

That series of Revell kits from the mid '50s were somewhat primitive; well engineered for the day especially in the all-new medium of styrene plastic, but they were not known for fitting together very well or being particularly easy to build. Given that, this car looks great and presents very well in the factory three tone paint scheme. Nice job on a challenging kit.

It even looks good in its bad luck form, no real damage. Very nice looking car.

That must have been a lot of fun. I had a Hipo 289 in a '63 Falcon once, and it was a handful with the 4 speed and 3.89 gears. Surprised a lot of new muscle cars back in the '80s. Thanks Bob, it always seems to be the fun projects that get done quickly and never fight you. It's like they want to become something, so they cooperate. Thanks Roger. Not very often that I do a mainstreamer like a Mustang, but the lines on the early fastbacks are just so nice... High praise indeed, Steve. I too prefer the colors less traveled, and with your builds, you always deliver in that area. And pretty much every other area too. Thanks again everyone, two more build threads are on the way. Summertime is model season here in the desert.

The short bed conversion gets a little involved.

Thanks Rich. One thing I noticed about this color, the camera loves it - I can't seem to take a bad picture. I'm no photographer, and the iPhone isn't the best either; but with other color cars , especially darker colors, it can be a struggle to come up with something clear. Thanks Rex. yours turned out really nicely, and your color choice just may have had an influence on mine. Thanks again Gentlemen.

Just got one in. Slightly warped body (I can fix that with the hot water/cold water treatment) circular mark on one of the green decals (don't care) one of the unchromed wheels has a melted looking center cap (bummer) Overall not bad but it could have been better. Still, I'm happy to have one.

Rich, you're not too happy with that build? I can't see why, it looks fantastic to the detail, and the kit captures well the eccentric Exner-era styling of the Imperial; right down to the sparrow strainer taillights. A+.

Beautiful, the stance is unimprovable.

John, they were optional on '65 and very early '66 Mustangs, I believe up to Sept. '65 production. Then the feds made backup lights a requirement for all 1966 cars across the board. AMT probably got the '66 blueprints before the mandate, so no backups in this kit. The new kit looks like it's going to have a new valance that includes the backup lights.

Thanks very much Gentlemen.

The story of this car is in the build thread, basically a restored glue bomb that I bought a year ago and started working on after the new issue was announced by Round 2. It's basically a stock rebuild with a few exceptions, like the resin engine bay insert and a few other kitbashed details. It's meant to represent a 3 year old car that was looked after pretty well, the owner deciding to spruce it up with Cobra valve covers from the Ford dealer and a set of all-new 60 series Polyglas tires, because those were all the rage back in '69. These are from an AMT parts pack, the smaller of the two sizes. Paint is Scalefinishes Emberglo base/clear, with a matching interior. Side stripes are reproduction decals sold on ebay by Mustang 2+2 Toy Supply. He makes these primarily for the promos and the Philco radios, but they are the same as what was included in the original kits. I printed the license plates and the Hipo 289 air cleaner decal. The expiration sticker on the rear plate was cut from another decal plate. All trim and emblems are Bare Metal foil, windshield wiper blades are slivers of automotive pinstripe tape. Under the hood, the final details were photo etched radiator hose clamps and the center of the radiator cap, and the washer bag from a Monogram '65 kit. I added the two horns on each side of the radiator from the Monogram kit, cut from the core support. They were a little too large, so I filed them down to exactly approximately more or less roughly in the neighborhood of 1/25 scale. It will be interesting to see how the new Fastback kit compares to the original, and what new parts are in the box.

Major parts married, engine bay mostly detailed. I gave it a level 2 - ignition wires and heater hoses. Shock tower braces from the AMT '67 Mustang, master cylinder from the Monogram '65-'66 kits, made a heater blower motor from Evergreen tube, battery and radiator original AMT '66 kit. After a few false starts with the radiator hose, I made one from 10 AWG wire. I removed the copper strands and replaced them with K&S brass rod. This allows you to bend the hose in any direction and have it stay that way. Still have a few engine bay details left. Printed a few 1966 AZ vanity plates. It's not clear if AZ had personalized plates in 1966, but many states did starting in '65. Also seen are the reproduction original side stripes. Front and back nearly finished. Headlights are the Monogram '65 reflectors with parts box lenses. I made license plate brackets to mount the plates at the proper angle. I wanted fresh chrome bumpers, so the '66 coupe bumpers were used. Minor trimming to the backs of the front bumper guards (fangs) to clear the original valance. The rear bumper from the coupe also had the fangs, but the GTs don't have them because they don't fit with the exhaust tips. I tried trimming the fangs off and touching up the chrome with Molotow, but wasn't happy with the result. The solution was in the same box - the "custom" rear bumper with the coupe kits. It's fang-free, but it doesn't have the mounting tabs like the stock bumper because it is intended to be used with the custom rear valance. So I cut the tabs from the stock bumper and glued them to the custom bumper at the proper angle, and that did the job. Exhaust tips are painted with Alclad chrome. Side view mirror is from the Monogram '65 convertible kit, I always drill and pin these so they don't get easily knocked off somewhere where there is no glue available and you forgot to bring your old man glasses so you can't see what you're doing anyway. Not that that's ever happened... This car is finished, I will post pictured in the Under Glass section tomorrow.

Fabulous pair of Fords, the 4 door sedan conversion on the Galaxie is spot-on, very clean work there.

First mock-up. Have to address some clearance issues between the interior tub and the chassis, but it's close. Had to trim the back of the chassis flush to the tank to clear the rear valance. Looking at the bottom of the car all together, there was a large void in the chassis above the bell housing that went up to the inside of the cowl, so I trimmed a parts box firewall and glued it in place; this fits behind the new resin firewall and fills the hole. Problem solved. Installed the taillights with clear enamel paint for glue. My favorite stuff for lenses, photo etched parts, and other small bits that show and can't leave a trace of glue.

Dave, thanks for letting me know where those headers on the green Mustang came from. I have another gasser planned, and now I have two more sets that I didn't know I had. The walnut decals for the dash went a bit easier than I thought they might, I used a leather hole punch set to cut the circles and semi-circle shapes out. But this did require several attempts. After some detailing with various paints and Molotow ink: And now we have our first complete sub-assembly. I put a strip of BMF on the door panels between the two colors (big pain, had to walk away a few times) cut the decal for the console, and used the shifter from the AMT '67 Mustang and the Rally Pack from an MPC '66 Mustang GT. I used a silver pencil to detail the gauges in the dash, decal faces for the Rally Pack gauges. This interior represents the optional Interior Decor Group, more commonly known as the Pony interior, and those came with the Deluxe Wood grain wheel; but AMT supplied the Falcon Sprint-derived standard wheel. Since this was a part of the original kit, I used it because I want to retain (most of) the character of the original. But if you want to use a wood grain wheel, a decent one comes in the Monogram '65 Pace Car convertible kit. I didn't want to get too carried away with details here, but I'm pleased with how it came out.

This is turning out very nicely. Is there anyone who doesn't like a Starliner? They are just so cool.

Did some paint detailing on the chassis. You can mix flocking just like paint. These two colors combine to make a convincing Emberglo carpet, installed as much for realism as to conceal the glue burns courtesy the previous builder. Brushed Mylar sticker was used for the console insert. Shot the engine bay in Tamiya semi gloss black, and printed some walnut wood decals for the console and dash inserts. I figured this might be easier than painting them, we'll see. And started on the Bare Metal Foil. Happily, this car doesn't have very much trim.

The self-made 3D parts really bring this build to the next level, and it's something I need to ponder making the move on.

Second color on. These are the two paints used, Scalefinishes Chrysler Turbine Bronze - as in the color of the Turbine car - a near perfect match for the Emberglo vinyl. The Parchment is Rustoleum, decanted and airbrushed so as not to overwhelm the masking tape. I wouldn't recommend airbrushing this stuff, it doesn't clean up well with lacquer thinner, and necessitated a total disassembly of the air brush to clean it all out. But on the plus side, it sprayed well and dries very quickly. On to the chassis. I decided to use a later issue chassis for the dual exhaust, as the original has only a single system. That is not correct, as the GT had a minimum option A code 4V 289 engine with dual exhaust. Just about all later coupe issues have the right chassis, as well as the chopped '68 Fastback Mach 1 show car and related versions of that kit. This chassis is molded in metallic blue, so it's from the Autolite Special kit. Those kits are real tail draggers, so the rear axle holes needed to be lowered to raise the car to stock ride height. I painted the chassis in ruddy red/brown primer, then fogged some Emberglo in from the sides. Then I fitted the wheels and axles to adjust the wheelbase, stance, ride height, and in/out wheel placement. I did this on a coupe body to avoid handling the painted Fastback body.

Thanks Gentlemen. I used the polishing kit on the roof, took it to 12,000 grit and finished it off with The Treatment model wax in a slightly damp soft tissue. The rest is mostly finished. Painted the main color on the interior bits, masked off for the second color. 2.5 hours to mask these parts. Did I mention that I wasn't a fan of masking?

I think Jameston nailed it this time. Two coats of Tamiya TS-13 clear, decanted and airbrushed. Really brings out the color. I'll let it sit for a day or so, then cut and buff it. Won't need much though, that clear laid down smooth. In the mean time, I'll get the main color on the interior parts, and then it's on to a part that I don't much care for - masking for two tone. Here is the interior I am going for, Emberglo and Parchment.

Thanks Snake. I saw your thread on the '66 Fastbacks you rehabbed, nice work, and that coupe looks great. I used the MM Kiln red on a few cars back in the day, always liked that color and it always sprayed well from the can too. This project started out as a basic box style restoration, but I can already sense the mission creep. Got a late delivery yesterday: And did a spoon to test color and primer compatibility. Looks bang-on, the camera makes the flake appear bigger than it actually is, Scalefinishes uses scale flake, always a plus. Getting ready to douse the body...

While waiting for the paint, how about some historical Fastback rebuild content? Around the same time that I got this car, Dan and another club member, Greg, did a little horse trading and Dan brought home this way cool AMT '65 Fastback that Greg built in 1965. It consisted of the body, hood, clear yellow painted glass, and a bare interior tub. Everything else was missing or used on something else. The candy green/white paint and decals were way cool, so I told Dan that I think it should be rebuilt, and shouldn't spend another 40 years in a closet. He agreed. His working schedule meant that time was at a premium, so I told him to leave it here, ask Greg what it looked like back in the day, and I'll see what I can do. Greg told him that it had a straight axle, a 427 from a Galaxie kit, Halibrand Sprint wheels, and racing seats with a roll bar. Good enough! I forgot to take pictures of the bare body, but the front and rear custom valances were used with no bumpers, and the grille and taillights were lost along with the chassis. There was no dash, so I found one in my parts stash from a '65 Mustang promo that was partially burned - the cluster section was melted - so I cut down a racing gauge panel and glued it over the cluster. Found an appropriate Superior 500 style wheel, did the rim in wood tone, found a parts box roll bar, gasser seats, fire extinguisher, and shifter, and painted it all green, black, and white. For the chassis, I chose an MPC '69 Mach 1 unit for the separate exhaust and rear axle, and used the optional chrome front leaf springs with a chrome dropped straight axle and drum brakes from a Revell Woodstock Model A woody kit. I built a '65 Galaxie 427 with a cross ram intake from the parts box, and found those headers in the stash - already painted that color and they fit the engine, chassis, and even the steering perfectly; quite a lucky find. Launch bars from the '66 Mustang AWB kit rounded out the chassis. Dan brought over the wheels from an AMT '63 Corvette, and I dull coated them and added appropriate slicks and skinnies. I found a parts box grille, used the included custom rear taillight panel, and Monogram taillights to finish the rear. Adjusted the stance a few times to get the attitude right, cleaned up the body and buffed the paint a bit, avoided the strong temptation to detail the chrome and trim, and It was done. This was a 3 day rehab with all spare parts and all painting in rattle can, trying to use nothing newer than the day it was originally built. The last picture is on the table at a recent club meeting, where it got a lot of interest for the story and nostalgia.

Very nice work, convincing conversion to the Cobra body. Nostalgic too, so many of them had a Saleen wing and a cowl hood back in the day.

55 minutes ago on David Freiburger's FB page. "The worst. Pat Ganahl died today in an incident of unknown cause at Riverdale Raceway in his Ike Iacono dragster that he restored years ago. With Pat went an irreplaceable mind loaded with facts and contacts from the history of rods and customs. In the magazine world, Pat was on the first staff of Street Rodder and became the editor, he worked for Sunset mag, then was hired onto Hot Rod where he eventually became the editor with the second-shortest tenure, and he later revived Rod & Custom magazine before leading Rodders Journal. He wrote many books and freelance stories about our hobby, and he maintained a huge inventory of vintage photos. Pat can be credited with popularizing the nostalgia drag racing movement in the ‘80s. He was the first person I knew personally who painted his own cars—well. He restored the dragster and built a number of VWs, fat Chevys, drag cars, and hot rods including the Nitti-inspired roadster in the first pic. He drove the yellow F1 everywhere. As far as I last knew, he only drove old cars. He inspired me before I ever knew him, but now I have more Ganahl publishing stories than will fit in this space. Here’s the one that most affected my life. In 1991 I had a job interview with Jeff Smith and Pat Ganahl simultaneously, Jeff for Hot Rod and Pat for Rod & Custom. Pat later said that he told Jeff, “if you don’t hire him, I will.” Jeff did, and hence my whole career. Ganahl mentored me along the way and enjoyed causing me just a bit of trouble. I’m one of many 100s of thousands of people who gathered knowledge, entertainment, and inspiration from Pat Ganahl. Godspeed, and much sadness for his wife Anna and son Bill." https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=david freiburger