Rdkingjay Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) This started out as the Johan Plymouth Police wagon. I bought as a built kit. with the intention of restoring it to its present form. Now, for those of you, not in the know, from the time the Mass Turnpike opened in 1955 until sometime around 1968, the Troopers patrolled in Kelly Green and white Chrysler wagons, that also doubled as ambulances. Clearly, this is not a Chrysler. But my objective was to take a glue bomb in dire need of restoration and make something of it. The chassis, suspension, entire drive train and engine compartment were all sourced from the '64 Dodge 330 kit. I disguised the 383 to resemble the 361/395 HP Golden Commando. The interior tub from the Johan kit was greatly modified. I removed the flat floor and transplanted the floor from the 330 kit, to get the transmission tunnel/hump. I also removed the third row, rear facing seat and "folded" down the rear seat for clearance for the gurney. I was able to save the original radio equipment, just detail it a bit. The rest of the emergency equipment came from the AMT rescue van, but some of the equipment appeared to be out of scale, so I had to modify them a bit, Most notably, the fire extinguisher. The wheels/tires, new front and rear bumpers, glass, rear view mirrors and tail lights all came from Modelhaus. PE'ed parts include the hood letters, window cranks and battery clamps. This was a difficult build, primarily because ref pics were very hard to find and all were B/W. I would like to recognize the following people for the their assistance in helping me give this car a new lease on life. When I post the "before" pics, you'll understand what that means. They are Tom Sheehy, Dan Danahy, Hervey Cote, Dave Mackay and from our MSP Museum and Learning Center Tom McNulty, Mike Slepetz and Bob Bricker. Edited March 13, 2017 by Rdkingjay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdkingjay Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 More pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdkingjay Posted December 22, 2015 Author Share Posted December 22, 2015 The before shots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hedotwo Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Wow! Super nice build! Love the subject... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
realgone58 Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Lots of work went into this. Great job turning it into a base model wagon. Very very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Hamilton Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Excellent!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Very cool! I can barely remember the Mass Staties in those colors as I just got my CT license in '65. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne swayze Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Extremely nice save ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedfreak Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Great job Jay, the engine bay shot looks like a 1:1 car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peekay Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 A fantastic job on one of my favourite kits! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Outstanding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent G Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 That is spectacular! Looks like something Danno drove up Pike's peak back in the day. G Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicknkim14 Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 That came out really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomsheehy Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Fantastic...amazing work Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helix Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Very impressive build Jay, well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Excellent model. Real clean and detailed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CometMan Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Very nice, always had an eye for the 60 Plymouth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Wow! Great job with that Plymouth. Nice to see these old kits built as well. New engine bay and chassis parts are definitely a great improvement compared to what they were when you started. Very nice paint and detail work as well, nice build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisR Posted December 25, 2015 Share Posted December 25, 2015 Awesome save! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rdkingjay Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 Thank you all for your comments This was a long build (almost two years) that I was very happy to complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbowser Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 That is really cool, well worth the effort you put into it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefropas Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH Jay that's nice! I also appreciate the history lesson, must've been a hoot to see in the day!Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DumpyDan Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Wow Jay, this is one of my favorite wagons. The picture of the engine bay looks so good I am still questioning weather it is real or a model Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mangodart Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 What a job !!! I like it that is gorgeous !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizard Racing Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 Great detailing!I remember an old TV show from the early '60s about a sheriff in Arizona with a car just like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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