1953 Ford Country Squire

[Ben269]

I picked up this Jimmy Flintstone wagon after some helpful tips from members here on the forum.   Scored the donor kit for pretty cheap on eBay, and here we go.  Hood fits perfect, and the chassis will fit after a little sanding.  

Edited February 11, 2017 by Ben269

[Ben269]

[Ben269]

I'm not sure which engine to use.  The Lindberg engine has good detail, but the heads look too square and thin.  I also have a flathead from the AMT 53 pickup, and the 49 Ford coupe.  I may use the heads from the 53.  Not sure yet.  

Edited February 11, 2017 by Ben269

[Modlbldr]

That's going to look good. Gotta get one of those.

Later- 

[GaryR]

Keep posting.I'd use the Lindberg 53 motor myself. Cool car, good luck!

[Ben269]

Why will the website only let me upload 1.52mb?  I can't add any more pictures.  

I was able to load the first ones, but not any more.  

[Ben269]

[crazyrichard]

cool !

[Intmd8r]

I'll be watching this one. Looks like a cool project 

[espo]

I'll enjoy watching this one. I have threatened to buy one of these in the past but something else always comes up. The bottom edge of the casting looks a little thick and some small bubbles. This seems to be common on most castings I have used, but with a little sanding it would be good. You mentioned the chassis fit and this may help with that. This looks like a very well done body. How is the detail on the "wood" ??  

[Foxer]

That's a classic and body looks good.

[Ben269]

There isn't really any detail in the wood.  its pretty smooth.  

[GeeBee]

Very nice, looking forward to seeing more on this build

[John Goschke]

I've got the Flintstone '53 Ford Courier (sedan delivery) body so will be following this with interest!

[Ron Hamilton]

One of our club members started work on one of those, which prompted me to pull the trigger on one of those. I have not started on mine yet, as I have to make up the rear compartment, which does not seem to be too hard to do. I will be following this build very closely.

[Ben269]

I had a couple flathead options, and I decided to use the Lindberg engine, but use the heads from the 53 ford pickup.  I thought they look a little better.

[62rebel]

Excellent choice. LIndberg just didn't capture the shape of the heads correctly IMHO. They could be true to scale for all I know, they just don't "look" right. AMT seemed to get it "right", especially with the '53 F100 heads. Lindberg's block is excellent, though, especially if you had a plan to show an engine with a head off, and the separate exhaust is killer compared to the molded on blobs on the '49 and '50 Fords. Remember, though; that the '53 Fordomatic did NOT have oil cooler lines running to the radiator; it was air-cooled by fins welded on the torque converter and had air vents on the bellhousing.

[DrKerry]

Looking good so far!!!!!!!

[tedd60]

 How is the detail on the "wood" ??  

Did the 1953 1:1 have real wood on the sides, or were they steel panels painted (or decaled) to resemble wood?  The 1950's were  a long time ago but one of my Mom's brothers had one, and I seem to remember the "wood" panels being held on with coat-hanger wire in places. 

Edited March 8, 2017 by tedd60

[rust-n-dust]

The 1953 Squire were the last to have real wood trim, but just the borders and not structural. The inserts were "DiNoc", or vinyl decals. The next year they had fiberglass borders and the dinoc and became "wallpaper woodies"

[DumpyDan]

Very cool, I have built the delivery and have the woody.  The delivery went together like a dream.

[Mr. Metallic]

I'm interested to see how you handle the cargo area. I'll be following along

[espo]

Did the 1953 1:1 have real wood on the sides, or were they steel panels painted (or decaled) to resemble wood.  The 1950's were  a long time ago but one of my Mom's brothers had one, and I seem to remember the "wood" panels being held on with coat-hanger wire in places. 

I think Dave Lee may have the answer on the "wood":. The only ones I remember were the Fiber glass or some type of hard plastic for the boarders. The center section had a wood pattern that looked like several parallel pieces of wood running the length of the body. I never realized that the '53's had real wood. I had a '53 Ford Ranch Wagon I bought as a commuter car in the late '60's and it was a two door all steal V-8 with 3 speed and overdrive. I never had to change the oil. I just added a quart or two every time I got gas.

[Ben269]

I worked on the seats and cargo area.  Its surprisingly hard to find pictures of the interior of these cars.  The front is a bench, and the middle seat is split.  I cut out the split from the front seat and grafted it into the rear. 

[Vietnam Vet67]