As requested by Tim Hoffman & Others....1931 Model A Closed Cab Pickup

[tim boyd]

Originally photographed in the back yard of my home (then) in East Cobb County (Marietta), Georgia, and presented as a "how to" article in the April, 1988 issue Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine, here's some fresh photography of the model....

The cab is from the Revell '31A Tudor and (faux) Sedan Delivery kits, cut behind the front door and joined to a new rear bulkhead fashioned from two sheets of styrene and then shaped with the same curves as the real 1/1.  The pickup bed is cut in from the Revell '29A kit, which also sources the "Champ 500" style wheels on period bigs'n'littles.  

The doors were built to open (per the kit provisions); I'm amazed that they still open, and smoothly at that, 30 years after the fact.  The "billet" style instrument cluster was from the Revell '27 T "Touring" kit/mid 1980's reissue.  

The Quick Change was from the mid 1970's MPC "Super Stock" oval track kit series.  Always liked how the street rod era pickup bodies create the visual space for Quick Change differentials to show off in a rear view.   The rear cab panel featured evergreen strip moldings shaped to continue the dual ridge character line from the door panels.  

The engine is a Ford Mustang II/Ford Europe &Mercury Capri V-6, sourced from the AMT 1974 and 1975 annual kits plus the Road Racer version (the same racing headers and Webers are in all three kits).  

The front suspension is the lowered axle from the AMT '27T Tub kit, with MPC Logghe funny car four bar radius rods, a tie rod from the Monogram ZZ Top '34 Ford kit, and disc brakes from the JDM "LS" brand accessory wheel/tire kits, with brake lines added.

  

Beyond the previously mentioned Quick Change, you can see the quarter elliptical springs, funny car style rear radius rods, and an exhaust system from the original AMT '49 Merc kit.  Note the ejection pin marks; such a faux pas would not be tolerated by the members of this forum today    

The basic frame is from the Revell Model A kit, but with new crossmembers (sourced from a parts box roll cage, according to the SAE story). 

An overhead view showing the roof panel and pickup bed detailing, along with another view of the engine.  Note the realistic appearance of the firewall on this Revell Model A tool.  The paint was Testors Model Masters Manganese Brown Metallic and Odds'n'Ends brand "Tangerine", with Testors Car Colors Clear over all. 

 Yep, it's a Model A OK.  The winged radiator element was from the Revell '27T Touring kit.  And the stock headlamps reside on a lowered headlight bar from metal wire.  Just noticed the strange reflection in the windshield; not sure what is going on there. 

Not too long after this article appeared, at least three aftermarket resin casters introduced their versions of this body style, making it a much more attainable modeling topic for those who did not want to get involved in the body alternations necessary to kitbash a styrene-based execution.  

Thanks for asking to see this; I have also photographed the pink '29A Model A Closed Cab kitbash that appeared in the 1990 Street Rodder "Model Car Features" issue as requested by a number of you; I'll present that here as well in the next couple of days...

TIM 

[Tom Geiger]

Very cool Tim!  That was the year I got back to modeling as an adult.  I remember the article!

[Hoffman]

Oh Man!! It's Awesome!!!     Tim, thank you so much for taking these fresh shots and sharing it with us. SO MUCH better than my cell phone pictures of the magazine. I probably still go back to that article two or three times a year, every year.  I had been searching online for more pictures, but I should have realized, you can't do better than going straight to the original photographer and author! Thank You! I'm putting this on my must-do list for 2019; build my own version of this cool, inspirational pickup. 

[Phildaupho]

A really excellent A Cab PU.

[1930fordpickup]

This is very nice. Thank you for sharing again. 

[ChrisR]

Awesome!

[Koellefornia Kid]

Beautiful!

[Jantrix]

  On 11/16/2018 at 3:07 AM, Tom Geiger said:

Very cool Tim!  That was the year I got back to modeling as an adult.  I remember the article!

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A similar story from me. I do remember the article. In '88 I was 20, and was just rediscovering the hobby as an adult. Seeing your work and others in the pages of SAE, showed me that it wasn't just a kids hobby and amazing things were possible. There was a '68/'69 Chevelle street freak in an issue that year, that really spoke to me and it pulled me back to the bench after leaving it behind as kids stuff at 17. 

[Mr. Metallic]

Very cool conversion work. Inspirational for sure. And the construction has held up well over the years, a testament to your workmanship. Thanks for sharing

[Dennis Lacy]

Wow, I've never seen this truck before but I love it! The truck is very telling of a time when billet parts were starting to find their way on to resto-rod type cars and there was a definite V6 craze happening. That you made the cab back from  sheet styrene is very impressive, it looks right-on! I would love to be able to see the steps of that from the how-to article. Aside from the conversion I really dig the the color scheme and the parts selection in-general. The stance is also perfect and the dropped headlights really accentuate that!

In '88 when your article was fresh I was only 8 years old, had just been introduced to models and hadn't discovered SAE or Modelers Corner yet. I never ended up with any back issues that far back. 

[Classicgas]

Very cool Tim. I remember that issue well.

[Dominik]

  On 11/16/2018 at 5:45 AM, Phildaupho said:

A really excellent A Cab PU.

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yes it is. Beautiful!

[vintagercr]

Very nicely done Tim

[Cpt Tuttle]

Very nice build. Now, I am no expert but to me the Champ 500 wheels feels very 80s while the build itself with things like the v6 and the paint scheme has a late 70s vibe? That's not a bad thing, I get something of a feeling that it could be a car finished in the 70s and after some years of driving updated with more modern wheels than whatever was there before. Anyway, I just love it.

[2NthreequarterSFPD022]

Cleveland Browns tailgater.

Love that old Testor's MM Manganese Metallic Brown!

I have a 30 year old can of that stuff and want to use it on my Motor City Replica 78 Ford LTD

[stavanzer]

Xow, I don't think I have ever seen this build. Cool Car. Tim.

[Snake45]

I remember this one very well. Thanks for the cool new pics. Glad I got to see it before it gets moved to the Truck section, which I never look at. 

[slusher]

Beautiful Truck!

[TransAmMike]

Very cool old truck Tim?

[carrucha]

Cool classic build.  Nice to see it again.  I have the issue of SAE where it appeared.

[Dave Darby]

I remember that build and article well. Very clean and near period neutral build style. It's a very well done conversion to a body style that is overdue (along with a 29 A Coupe, and a 30-31 A Roadster). Love it!

BTW, you have a PM from me.

Regards

Dave

[alan barton]

I remember the article well, Tim and have plans to refer to it later this year to build my own pickup. Looking back, would you see any advantage in cutting off a slice form the back of the sedan delivery kit or would you still do it the way you did back then?  I really admire the accuracy of your masking, as kill I am still l trying to master after all these years. Overall this is such a nice, balanced and totally believable pickup.

If I build a 27 T, 32, and 35, 37 and 38 to go with my 29, 34, and 40 I will have a nice little time line of early Ford pickups. Re-reading that, it looks ridiculous because only three are built and I need six more to achieve my goal - oh well, that is what retirement is for!

Cheers

Alan