GSL-XXVIII COMMON KIT BUILD '29 FORD XPU MOCKUP

[Kit Karson]

On 1/23/2022 at 10:15 PM, tim boyd said:

Oh YEEAAAHHHH!!!!   TB

'28 XPU Frame Mods being considered...

This is intended to lengthen the frame... then the Z height will have to be determined... -KK

 

[iBorg]

I absolutely love the detail pictures of the body mods. I always use tape and can't say I'm typically happy. I'll have to try your method.

 

Mike

[Steve H]

Hi Kit, this is just fantastic stuff. Your thought process and layout for what/where to cut is perfection. I will definitely be looking back on this when doing chop jobs in the future. Thanks for detailing the procedure. That mock up tease is killer. 
 

Cheers, Steve

[Kit Karson]

15 hours ago, Steve H said:

Hi Kit, this is just fantastic stuff. Your thought process and layout for what/where to cut is perfection. I will definitely be looking back on this when doing chop jobs in the future. Thanks for detailing the procedure. That mock up tease is killer. 
 

Cheers, Steve

Steve,

RRR & I Have chopped a number of tops and kinda documented each of them, here's the Revell '32 Ford 5 Window Coupe:

K&R Kustom+Rods '32 5ive Window Rolling Bones Chopped Coupe

Third Cut the C Pillar to the Back Lite but not all the way through untilthe otherside has been cut to the same point

Blacken the C Pillar Cuts for Sanding to Create a Flat Even Surface

Check your progress to make sure you do not remove too much material

Sand the Surfaces to Make Them Flat Even

Test Fitting again took out one more inch...

'32 5W Chop Job - Step Cut the A Pillars Right & Left

'32 5W Chop Job - Step Cut the A Pillars

'32 5W Chop Job - Step Seven Set Alignment Blocks to the inside of the Pillars

'32 5W Chop Job - Step Seven Back Lite Opening

'32 5W Chop Job - Step Seven Left Inside

'32 5W Chop Job - Step Seven Right Side

'32 5W Chop Job - Step Seven Left Side

https://public.fotki.com/jferren/rolling-bones-style/

Here the AMT '34 Ford 5 Window Coupe:

https://public.fotki.com/jferren/34-5ive-window-heav/

[Kit Karson]

Quick aside... several of you know that I'm building a '29 Track Nose Roadster:

I have to thank RRR for sending a vintage single axle trailer to go under the roadster behind the '28 XPU all with open wheels! -KK

[Mr. Metallic]

I love those wheels from the Revell snap 57, but always struggled with putting them on a hot rod because of the sheer size of the fronts. but pairing them with the fronts from the revell model A's solves that problem elegantly. Well done

[misterNNL]

Great planning and work here. I'm sure this will inspire more than a few will be inspired by this.

[Kit Karson]

6 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

I love those wheels from the Revell snap 57, but always struggled with putting them on a hot rod because of the sheer size of the fronts. but pairing them with the fronts from the Revell Model A solves that problem elegantly. Well done

Wait 'til they're toned down a bit...

[Kit Karson]

'28 XPU & Vintage Trailer

[tim boyd]

3 hours ago, Kit Karson said:

'28 XPU & Vintage Trailer

Oh Yes!!!!!   TB

[Kit Karson]

12 hours ago, tim boyd said:

Oh Yes!!!!!   TB

Here's an opportune moment, do you recall the era &/ kit that the trailer was issued?

[foghorn62]

3 hours ago, Kit Karson said:

Here's an opportune moment, do you recall the era &/ kit that the trailer was issued?

That same trailer came in a lot of different AMT kits.  I don’t know when it was first issued, but I know that it also came by itself in one of the plain box kits.  I’m guessing that it was first issued sometime in the late 60s.  It currently shows up in the various race team kits, and also in the Fireball 500 kit, which is where I got the one in these pics.  It came as a tandem axle setup, but it is simple to convert to a single axle.  I also moved the axle back to improve balance, and added a couple of fenders scratch built out of a cap from a shampoo bottle that my wife gave me.  The Fireball kit didn’t include ramps, so I scratch made those too.

[tim boyd]

13 hours ago, Kit Karson said:

Here's an opportune moment, do you recall the era &/ kit that the trailer was issued?

Without having access to verify this from my box art stash, my best recollection is that the trailer first came as a bonus in the AMT 1964 Corvette Roadster annual kit.  I built a "restored" version from a glue bomb original about 10 years ago or so.  I'm sure Mark will jump in here with additional details and/or a correction, but the only reissue application I am aware of was the Firebird 500 kit.  The original version had a single axle and was a "tail sitter" (as the aircraft modelers say) because the axle was located too far forward to balance the load on a trailer hitch. 

The far more common AMT trailer that has been reissued numerous times as a companion kit and as the Blueprinter box version was derived from tooling first seen in AMT's very early 1960's pickup annual kits.  It was updated with dual rear axles early on and should be easy to locate and buy on the kit resale market.   It is entirely different (a different tool) than the trailer shown in Kit's markup and my build below...

Here's a photo of my kitbashed and restored "glue bomb" version....

While here is a photo of a heavily kitbashed version of the far more common AMT Trailer seen in many combo kits and the Ertl Blueprinter box....in this case it was extended in length and a third axle added....but still clearly an entirely different design and execution that the one above.....TIM

Edited February 4, 2022 by tim boyd

[foghorn62]

The trailer that I show in my pics above is identical to Kits trailer, as well as Tim Boyds restored “glue bomb”.  It came from the Fireball 500 kit, and the only difference is that it came as a tandem axle, and included no ramps.  They converted the single axle to tandem by adding a pair of “duel wheel brackets” as seen on the instruction sheet above.  It can easily be converted back to single axle by simply eliminating those brackets. The same trailer can be found in the much more recent issue Piranha Street N Strip Drag Team, and the Grand Prix D’Amerique Cobra Racing team combo kits.  

[Kit Karson]

Boys are spot on!  Tail Sitter or Tail Dragger either way it needs a little more weight on the tongue.  Gotta move the shackles and spring mounts aft just a skosh. Thanks for the follow up on my question! Now back to our regularly scheduled program...

[tim boyd]

12 hours ago, foghorn62 said:

The trailer that I show in my pics above is identical to Kits trailer, as well as Tim Boyds restored “glue bomb”.  It came from the Fireball 500 kit, and the only difference is that it came as a tandem axle, and included no ramps.  They converted the single axle to tandem by adding a pair of “duel wheel brackets” as seen on the instruction sheet above.  It can easily be converted back to single axle by simply eliminating those brackets. The same trailer can be found in the much more recent issue Piranha Street N Strip Drag Team, and the Grand Prix D’Amerique Cobra Racing team combo kits.  

Thanks Tim for the added insight on the Cobra and Piranha Combo sets.....TIM 

[Mr. Metallic]

On 2/3/2022 at 11:22 PM, foghorn62 said:

The trailer that I show in my pics above is identical to Kits trailer, as well as Tim Boyds restored “glue bomb”.  It came from the Fireball 500 kit, and the only difference is that it came as a tandem axle, and included no ramps.  They converted the single axle to tandem by adding a pair of “duel wheel brackets” as seen on the instruction sheet above.  It can easily be converted back to single axle by simply eliminating those brackets. The same trailer can be found in the much more recent issue Piranha Street N Strip Drag Team, and the Grand Prix D’Amerique Cobra Racing team combo kits.  

Not to derail Kits build thread, but are the ramps back in the recently issued combo kits, or still sans-ramps like in the Fireball 500?

[chris chabre]

2 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Not to derail Kits build thread, but are the ramps back in the recently issued combo kits, or still sans-ramps like in the Fireball 500?

the first kit I know of is the AMT 64 Corvette as stated, Criag, there are no ramps to my knowledge

[foghorn62]

6 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Not to derail Kits build thread, but are the ramps back in the recently issued combo kits, or still sans-ramps like in the Fireball 500?

No, the ramps are not included in the recent kits that I listed above.  I scratch build a couple of ramps to go with my trailer.  Pretty easy scratch build.

TS

[Kit Karson]

While spending most of my time concentrating on the '29 Track Nose Roadster I had an epiphany!  The conclusion that I came to was the rear tires do not fit the new XPU body.

So, I reached out to Hendley's Machine Shop.  John said he'd take a look at what I wanted to do.  Some may recall the last set of rims he did for me: 

Saltster Rims Front & Back

I mailed the rear tires from the Monogram Black Widow Hot Rod

And, as with the Saltster Front & Back Rims, the rims are from the Revell '57 Chevy Belair

Little known fact: The front tires in the Monogram Black Widow Hot Rod are the "Big"s to the front tires from the Revell '29 Roadster "Littles"s!

So, back to John's answer: Stage one complete... Salties turned down to.760" Going with aluminum hoops to fill the difference!

Kan't wait to see them beside the XPU!?. -KK

[chris chabre]

the back tires were bugging me to be honest haha

[bobthehobbyguy]

Any more progress on this great project.

[Kit Karson]

22 hours ago, bobthehobbyguy said:

Any more progress on this great project.

Waiting on the rear rims & tires to get back from John's shop... -KK

[bobthehobbyguy]

Any more progress on this cool project?

[OldNYJim]

I really enjoy seeing the outstanding craftsmanship on builds like this - that amazing bodywork!  WAY cool!