Ramfins59

Re the 37 Ford photo-etched grille, (back in 1996) I think I used a piece from Accu-Pro who is unfortunately no longer in business. I think that MCG makes a photo-etched set for the 37 Ford though.

I've been wanting to make a model of Christine using the 58 Plymouth Belvedere kit. When the weather here in Western PA was condusive to painting outside this past summer, I first sprayed the roof (after prepping and priming the entire boday and hood with Duplicolor gray primer/sealer) using Duplicolor Arctic White. I completely taped off the roof and then sprayed the body and hood with Duplicolor Flame Red. The same number of coats, at the same time. After the paint dried, I removed the tape, put the hood on the body to see how it all looked, before clearcoating and foiling. The darn hood came out DARKER than the rest of the body...!!! A couple of my modeling friends have also had this type of shade difference when painting their models at times. I hate like hell to have to strip it all and start over. Maybe I'll just strip the hood and try repriming and repainting it red again.

In case anyone is really interested, here are some pictures of other Street Rods that I've completed over the last 15 years. The 32 Ford Phaeton was a side build while I was working on anther car that was giving me fits at the time. It came out pretty good and gave me the inspiration to continue on with the troublesome one. The 32 Ford Full Fendered Roadster was a fun nostalgic build. I don't remember which flathead engine I put in it, but I had fun detailing it. The seats are flocked in a flame pattern, and the model is named "Hotseat". The 32 Ford Chopped Sedan is my version of Hell Rod. The body is from an old Orange Crate kit. The engine is a tunnel ram 426 Hemi that was also a lot of fun to detail. The theme was flames and skulls. The interior has scratchbuilt flocked, flame patterns on the dashboard, door panels and headliner. The 34 Ford Cabriolet was a Monogram kit that I put a Chevy 409 engine in with a photo-etched MCG grille. The 34 Ford Pickup was originally part of a before, after and after that theme. I buit a totally stock 34 Pickup, then built a completely abandoned and rusted out 34 Pickup that had been converted to a flatbed after years of work and abuse (a Junkyard Dog), and the 34 Pickup Street Rod was after the rusted up one had been rescued and then rebuilt. The 36 Ford Convertable was a sMonogram kit that was also a "quick build" while I was working on something else which was more involved. Lavender and Purple seem like perfect colors for a 36 Ford. The 37 Ford Cabriolet was the first "decent" Street Rod I finished back in 1996. It is basically what I call a Box Stock build with wiring, flocking and a photo-etched grille. The 39 Chevy Coupe is my attempt at building a Lowrider "Bomb". I used the chassis and engine from a Monogram 37 Ford Coupe kit. Lots of extra chrome doodads and trim. It was a fun build. The 40 Ford Convertable is again, what I call a Box Stock build, with engine detailing, flocking and photo-etched grille. The paint is metallic blue with a urethane clearcoat. The 40 Ford Pickup tested my flocking skills on the interior, with the yellow and green diamond pattern. The chassis and engine are from a Monogram 37 Ford kit. The pickup bed is scratchbuilt from balsa wood. It also has a photo-etched grille. The 48 Ford Woody has an Oldsmobile grille from the Modelhaus, chrome reversed wheels from a 59 Corvette kit and the interior is flocked in a 4 color plaid pattern. (My wife challenged me to flock an interior in a plaid pattern after I did the yellow and green diamond pattern on the 40 Ford Pickup, and the flames on the 32 Roadster. It took me awhile, but I did the plaid pattern.) The 34 Ford Junkyard Dog was my one decent attempt at making a rusted, worn out, abandoned vehicle. I used a lot of Rustall, and some Weatherall on the wood. I tried to weather, dent or ruin almost every part on this model. The dog on the flatbed was a resin, running German Shepherd from a train accessory pack. I cut off the legs and repositioned them, along with the ears. The bone that he has is a leg bone from a Little Coffin skeleton. This was a really fun build that I did about 12 years ago. I didn't have to worry about making it shiny. The worse everything looked, the better. As you probably noticed, I really love using photo-etched metal grilles. They look so much better than the kit grilles with blackwashes. I hope I haven't bored you all with my stuff, and I thank you for looking. I will also be posting some pictures of Customs that I have finished over the years. I really enjoy building traditional Rod and Customs.

Thanks for all the kind words guys. Your comments and suggestions are all welcomed and appreciated. I originally built model cars back in the 60's but quit once I discovered girls, cars and bars. Then came marriage and kids... well I'm sure a lot of you know the story... I rediscovered the hobby in the early 90's, joined the LIARS Club (I lived on Long Island at the time) and my building skills slowly improved due to all the positive influences from guys in the club and all the other great modelers I've met over the years while attending various model shows in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas. It got way too expensive to live in NY so we moved to western PA (just north of Pittsburgh) about 5 years ago. I used to have a 1:1 1959 Dodge Coronet for about 6 years and learned a little about real cars through keeping that beast on the road. I've always liked Street Rods and Customs from the 50's & 60's and have built some. Additional pictures of some of them will be posted here soon. Stay well all.

I know I should have used some white poster board but at the time all I had was a big white towel. Yes I will continue to share pics of my builds as time progresses. I have plenty of built models and a wall of unbuilt kits as I know everyone else does too... And the model companies just won't give us a break... They keep coming out with new stuff that we all JUST HAVE TO HAVE...!!!

Well hello everyone. I finally broke down and joined this site after looking at it for a couple of months. I haven't actually finished a model in pretty close to a year. One thing or another you know... Paint issues, bad weather for painting, lack of ambition, the modeling doldrums... whatever. My last finished model is a Revell 32 Ford Roadster HiBoy. The inspiration for it was the Tom McMullen Roadster HiBoy. I've always wanted to make a totally flamed HiBoy and this is it. The wheels & tires are from the Little Coffin kit. The cycle fenders are from the Green Hornet kit. The engine is from the Revell chopped 49 Merc kit, with Bob Dudek valve covers. MCG photo-etched spider web grille & steering wheel. Bob Dudek moon tank & Revell 32 Ford nerf bars and flame decals. I am currently working on and off on a 50 Ford Convertable Custom that is giving me fits with the paint. I will persevere and win the battle though. .