traditional Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) I'd picked up a cheap 1/24 Ford parts car to complete another project, but I felt kinda sorry for the remaining hulk now sitting in my parts bin. I figured that if I constructed a Semi-Custom (definition: more radical than a mild custom but not chopped, channeled, or sectioned) I wouldn't need the now missing parts, and I could save the poor car from its present fate. The project took a lot longer than I expected but, heck, this is winter and I needed a project to keep me busy, It now uses a detailed Cadillac motor, modified from a basic Revell parts pack and I've formed a complete new rear design as well as a custom grille area. The new side trim is fine jewelry wire, the hood has an indented scoop, headlights are 'frenched', and I fabricated a custom 'west coast style' Carson top from Renshape. There are handmade custom details throughout, including polished aluminum battery box, polished brass radiator, custom air filter (Renshape and brass mesh), and molded in side lake pipes. The suspension is lowered and the wheels are Pegasus on AMT wide-white tires from a parts pack. Paint is custom mixed basecoat/ clearcoat, and the interior is white roll-n-pleat with white felt carpet. The '55 Ford 'semi custom together with my previous customs Edited March 12, 2018 by traditional
peekay Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Well up to your usual standards - which means absolutely beautiful!
Geno Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Exceptional as always my friend. You're work always makes me drool.
89AKurt Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Dang..... love the color! Awesome craftsmanship!! Did you use clear red toothbrush handle for the taillights? Is Renshape like an epoxy putty?
Dave Darby Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 Super uber nice build. Even more impressive being a diecast body.
traditional Posted March 12, 2018 Author Posted March 12, 2018 1 hour ago, 89AKurt said: Dang..... love the color! Awesome craftsmanship!! Did you use clear red toothbrush handle for the taillights? Is Renshape like an epoxy putty? A really good guess. I actually used the transparent red housing from a 'dollar store' ball point pen. A toothbrush was going to be my next try if the pen didn't work out. Very observant of you. Renshape is a modelling resin block used by design firms to machine prototypes, etc. It carves or machines like wood but doesn't show any grain and is stable over time. it also takes paint easily. I, fortunately, have a bunch of small blocks left over from my old designer days.....saved for this type of ocasion.
89AKurt Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 Clifford: Thanks for the reply. We modelers scavenge what we can, the toothbrush idea came from someone in a model club, which I used for a cop light bar. Renshape sounds much like Corain, used for kitchen/bathroom countertops.
PARTSMARTY Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 13 hours ago, donb said: Super sharp car. Outstanding work! X2
Snake45 Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 Absolutely beautiful, and that comes from a guy who's not a huge custom fan. Great concept, expertly executed! Did you say what you used for the grille? It looks a bit like the splatter guard I bought at Walmart last week. I'm hoping that's exactly what it is.
BigTallDad Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 Absolutely dazzling! I think I'm a bit confused by the exhaust system(s)...the side pipes and the rear "bumper" treatment seem unusual to me.
traditional Posted March 13, 2018 Author Posted March 13, 2018 3 hours ago, Snake45 said: Absolutely beautiful, and that comes from a guy who's not a huge custom fan. Great concept, expertly executed! Did you say what you used for the grille? It looks a bit like the splatter guard I bought at Walmart last week. I'm hoping that's exactly what it is. Yup, that's exactly what it is. Not all splatter guards are expanded aluminum. If it's simply screening, it'll just fall apart. I've been using the expanded aluminum from mine for a few years, but soon I'll have to hunt up another.
traditional Posted March 13, 2018 Author Posted March 13, 2018 3 hours ago, BigTallDad said: Absolutely dazzling! I think I'm a bit confused by the exhaust system(s)...the side pipes and the rear "bumper" treatment seem unusual to me. Although they were totally impractical, they were a ubiquetous custom trend during the '50s and early '60s.
BigTallDad Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 44 minutes ago, traditional said: Although they were totally impractical, they were a ubiquetous custom trend during the '50s and early '60s. I graduated high school in '61, so I'm familiar with the era. What I'm confused about is the duality (side and rear pipes); would both pipes on each side be functional, making for four outlets?
traditional Posted March 13, 2018 Author Posted March 13, 2018 3 hours ago, BigTallDad said: I graduated high school in '61, so I'm familiar with the era. What I'm confused about is the duality (side and rear pipes); would both pipes on each side be functional, making for four outlets? On versions with functional side-pipes (often, they were for show only) they would often be capped (removeable) at the end, or else be operated with a mechanical cutout from inside the car. They were noisy (unmuffled). The dry-lakes racecars that inspired the custom 'lakes pipes' would typically use the removeable cap at the end of the side-pipes to plug them for getting home from the races or for normal street driving. When the late'50s and early '60s custom car trend of including bodywork from which the 'lakes-pipes exited, they were generally non functional to avoid the potential heat charring of the custom paint and bodywork. As muscle-cars replaced customs in popularity by the mid '60s, tuned headers completely superseded lakes-pipes. Nostalgia is the only reason they're seen on todays customs.
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