Greg Pugh Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Well, I must be a glutton for punishment! I happened upon this poor '61 Ranchero in a recent vintage kit score I purchased. I took it to last Sunday's club meeting because I thought it was cool to see somebody's unfinished custom from back in the 60's, but I also wanted to offer it up to anyone in the club that wanted to take on the challenge of finishing this bad boy up! No one stepped up. And I can't blame them! Lmao! I was literally walking it to the trash can the next morning when the voice in my head ...said "Oh heck..." So in the tank it went and I'll be danged if it didn't clean up pretty good! The plan is to follow the original builder's vision but to do it up right this time and add a couple of things here and there. I'll post pictures as I bump along. Here are a couple before and afters: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 18, 2017 Author Share Posted May 18, 2017 The front grille piece is from AMT's '57 Chevy and the rear piece is from a '61 Thunderbird I believe. They're both wider than the Ranchero body by a good 1/4" on each side if that gives you any idea how much putty they used! They completely smoothed the sides out to where I didn't see any of the coves on the sides, door handles, scripts...nothing! There must've been a good quarter of a cup of mud-like putty at the bottom of my container when I pulled this poor thing out! In this picture, you can see how the front grille/bumper was married to the car. The sides protrude out from the fender. That's not going to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 18, 2017 Author Share Posted May 18, 2017 The first thing I did was remove the lower end of it so that it could set flush with the body. In place but too wide... ...I then cut it in the center to remove some material. Then attached my two sides. Now time for some automotive grade spot putty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68shortfleet Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Thats going to be a fun Kustom when you are done.So how many projects do you have on your bench right now? Or do they not count if you put them in a display case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draggon Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 Greg, I love these old Falcons. Yours is going to be pretty unique with those custom parts. I'm looking forward to seeing the build up on this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 18, 2017 Author Share Posted May 18, 2017 Thats going to be a fun Kustom when you are done.So how many projects do you have on your bench right now? Or do they not count if you put them in a display case?I've got 6 going and that's an all time high for me. I'm getting pretty close on a couple of them though and this one popped up out of nowhere. LolGreg, I love these old Falcons. Yours is going to be pretty unique with those custom parts. I'm looking forward to seeing the build up on this one. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Geiger Posted May 18, 2017 Share Posted May 18, 2017 That Ranchero was so ugly that it deserves to be restored! I'm amazed that it came up that clean. I'm always afraid of exactly what the putty may have been since early modelers used all kinds of interesting stuff. The last one I redid, I didn't dare soak it because I detected different materials, and even something that was still putty like on the underside of the rear area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 18, 2017 Author Share Posted May 18, 2017 That Ranchero was so ugly that it deserves to be restored! I'm amazed that it came up that clean. I'm always afraid of exactly what the putty may have been since early modelers used all kinds of interesting stuff. The last one I redid, I didn't dare soak it because I detected different materials, and even something that was still putty like on the underside of the rear area. Yeah, I was shocked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RancheroSteve Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Wow, challenging! Watching with interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Fabulous work! You are going to be a Glue Bomb Savior! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fast Floyd 2 Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 WOW !!! 1 Nice Save!! I was really surprised it came out that clean too. Cutting the custom Fascia down is a great idea, it looks so much better. I have never seen this Custom Fascia before. This is going to be a Awesome re-build!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell C Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 Paraphrasing from a classic '70s movie, "think ya used enough putty there, Butch?" I can see the direction of the '57 Chev front, but will be watching to see what can be done with the T-bird back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 20, 2017 Author Share Posted May 20, 2017 Thanks guys! I'll be working on it some this weekend so more to come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 20, 2017 Author Share Posted May 20, 2017 I started working on getting the front end smoothed out. You can also see that I filled in four of the holes that were in the tops of the front fenders. I can't believe this is the same car!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 20, 2017 Author Share Posted May 20, 2017 (edited) I think I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do out back so I moved back there. First, I started by smoothing out the tailgate and shaved it of it's emblems and the hinges. I also filled the gaps on the sides of the tailgate as it will be "welded shut". There were a couple of sink marks where the locating studs are to screw the body to the chassis plate. The black marks were to remind me where to put filler to fill those in. Edited May 20, 2017 by Greg Pugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 20, 2017 Author Share Posted May 20, 2017 (edited) This is how the taillights/rear bumper rested against the body where it was originally glued and then the original builder went crazy with the putty. I wanted to pull them closer into the body. And by grinding away at the backside, I was able to do just that. Just like the front, the rear will need to be narrowed to fit the body as well. So this is going to be my method. I will shorten it from the ends rather than section it in the center. More to come. Stay tuned... Edited May 20, 2017 by Greg Pugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted May 20, 2017 Share Posted May 20, 2017 This is already much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 This is going to be a cool project! Do keep us posted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spex84 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 This is rad. That the car emerged from the bath relatively unscathed is downright miraculous! I'm glad you were feeling equal to the challenge, because it's going to make a fantastic kustom. You're turning into what the original builder probably wanted in the first place, but didn't quite have the skills to achieve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 21, 2017 Author Share Posted May 21, 2017 Wow! Thank you for putting it that way! It's very flattering! If you look at the first couple of pictures after the car was stripped, you can see some blue paint on the roof. The layers of paint went: black, silver, blue, then black again. I believe the black to be primer, the silver the base, and blue must've been the desired color. When that didn't work out, the blue was then primed over again in black. Judging by the cracking in the black, I would guess that the primer was too hot for the blue and crazed which most likely ended up killing the progress of this car. Sorry to go all CSI on you but in keeping with the original builder's vision, I will be painting the car blue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Who would have thought this body would be lurking under there completely untouched by that putty. What were you using to strip it?I like your ideas on restoring it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted May 22, 2017 Author Share Posted May 22, 2017 What were you using to strip it?I use whitewall cleaner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake45 Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Sorry to go all CSI on you but in keeping with the original builder's vision, I will be painting the car blue. I'm finding that in resto/refurb work, I'm often trying to honor the OB's vision, at least insofar as it doesn't completely disagree with my own. Drive on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Laski Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 You're a brave man, Greg! I'm sure you'll make it look killer.-Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mustang1989 Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 Fabulous work! You are going to be a Glue Bomb Savior! Right you are Rich!! Ol' Greg's at it again!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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