Old '97

[Chuck Most]

Like the first-gen Taurus that came before it, it's hard to remember how radical the tenth gen 1997 F150 was. But, again like the first gen Taurus, after you see five or ten million of them, the edge (New Edge, as Ford might put it?) begins to wear off. I remember when these things were the latest and greatest thing in the light truck market... now I barely notice them, even though now they're getting old enough to stand out among later trucks, which have gone back to being stylized bricks, much like the ninth gen F-Series this generation replaced.

The kit is the original (silver plastic) Revell '97.  This same kit was also molded in white and listed as a '98 in the F-Series 50th Anniversary two pack, which also included the stock '50 F1. The exhaust is a dead giveaway the truck is a '97, after the exhaust (located in front of the right rear tire) was said to create problems with discoloration on that wheel, the exhaust was moved to behind the tire. All 1998 models also had a 50th anniversary graphic in the lower left corner of the rear window- a graphic Revell included on the box art of that two pack but not as a decal for the model. But I digress.

The kit is mostly box stock, with the following exceptions. I had originally planned to convert the truck from an XLT (the super sexy luxo cruiser version), to an XL (super scummy poverty and fleet version), and had modified some old resin cop car wheels. Meant for a Chevrolet, I drilled out the centers, then cut the hubcaps from the Revell's XLT wheels. The caps were then pushed into the wheels and I had something closely resembling the base XL steel wheels. I ultimately chose to keep the truck an XLT but I still ended up using the XL wheels on three of the four corners. 

The other deviation from box stock were the graphics. The basic stuff is from the Revell kit, but the Old '97 graphics and rear window stickers came from a Gopher Racing sheet. My buddy Erik did the CARS logos for the doors, which were then printed off on Micro Mark carrier.

The truck was treated to a heavy weathering job. The rust was a happy accident. I had planned to use masking tape to peel off the Oxford White top coat, revealing the grey primer underneath. Well, the tape peel method worked a little too well, as it lifted the top coat AND my grey primer coat, revealing the rust colored base coat. I went with it and used some Vallejo washes and Tamiya acrylics to create streaks. The hood was finished off in Tamiya USAF Grey and stained with some of the Vallejo washes, rubbed onto the hood with an old cloth. 

And before you say "Oh, yeah... looks like a typical Michigan truck, hahaha..." I'll have you know... its not nearly broken in half enough for that.

[TarheelRick]

Beautiful weathering work, overall nice build.  My first reaction to this generation truck was, "Wow, Ford has really outdone themselves."  Thanks for sharing it with us.

[mchook]

52 minutes ago, Chuck Most said:

And before you say "Oh, yeah... looks like a typical Michigan truck, hahaha..." I'll have you know... its not nearly broken in half enough for that.

That's too funny because there is a ton of these trucks around here too that look just like it, but with the frame rotted just about in half right behind the cab. Great job, I love it! 

[ChrisR]

COOL!!!

[espo]

One of the most realistic looking rust jobs I can recall. Having lived near the ocean on the west coast years ago this would have been a very common sight. 

[thatz4u]

well done, another great ol' F series Ford ....

[PappyD340]

Very nice build Chuck, looks like the weathering is spot on!

[Lunajammer]

Wow, really, really believable.

[Erik Smith]

Great looking model, Chuck.  Very nice weathering. 
 

I remember when these came out and we got one at work - it was like driving a car compared to all our other trucks - kind of weird at the time, but they’re all kind of easy drive now days. 

[spencer1984]

Excellent work on the weathering, that looks great!

[bisc63]

Nice, realistic build. Great job, as others have stated, on the rust/stains.

[1972coronet]

On 3/4/2022 at 10:09 AM, espo said:

One of the most realistic looking rust jobs I can recall. Having lived near the ocean on the west coast years ago this would have been a very common sight. 

My first thought exactly. Vehicles rust differently here (coastal regions) , typically from the top-down (I've seen otherwise clean vehicles with completely rotted roofs -- gotta love vinyl tops!).

[happy grumpy]

the weathering looks authentic and the photography adds to the realism. as some of you know, I like the used and abused look so this eye candy to me. Keep it up!

[espo]

14 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

My first thought exactly. Vehicles rust differently here (coastal regions) , typically from the top-down (I've seen otherwise clean vehicles with completely rotted roofs -- gotta love vinyl tops!).

To this day I have only owned one car with a vinyl roof. I bought a late model Buick Skylark we toke in trade when I worked at the Toyota Dealership in the Monterey Auto Center. Later found the windshield leaked along the top edge. Looking into fixing the leak I found the only thing holding the front edge of the roof to the windshield was the vinyl roof cover.  I don't like how they look anyway, but seeing all of the roofs destroyed by the moisture trapped between the vinyl covering and the often barely premiered roofs is why I think they should be avoided at all costs. 

[1972coronet]

36 minutes ago, espo said:

To this day I have only owned one car with a vinyl roof. I bought a late model Buick Skylark we toke in trade when I worked at the Toyota Dealership in the Monterey Auto Center. Later found the windshield leaked along the top edge. Looking into fixing the leak I found the only thing holding the front edge of the roof to the windshield was the vinyl roof cover.  I don't like how they look anyway, but seeing all of the roofs destroyed by the moisture trapped between the vinyl covering and the often barely premiered roofs is why I think they should be avoided at all costs. 

I've seen a handful of build sheets from Chrysler-Los Angeles Assembly in 1967-1969 Darts with "ADD VINYL TP" scrawled in the "COMMENTS & CODES NOT LISTED ABOVE" section. I'd heard from a few folks who're familiar with the Los Angeles Assembly's practises that if a roof stamping didn't pass muster, a vinyl top was added in order to cover the dented or wavy roof (like limousines, 1970 Superbird [modified backlight]  and Challenger SE [backlight plug]).

Now, if the top is a rare or unusual option (think: 1969 Mod Top [Plymouth] Paisley Top [Dodge], for an instance), then I'm good with them. A dime-a-dozen top which adds nothing to the car's appearance is something I can do without... a painted roof looks better, and won't rot-through via trapped contaminates (dirt, pollen, sand, salt) and moisture. 

My friend and me parted out an otherwise clean 1974 Swinger whose "roof" was de facto "held-intact" by its lousy vinyl top. Another "rust-free" California car!

[espo]

19 minutes ago, 1972coronet said:

I've seen a handful of build sheets from Chrysler-Los Angeles Assembly in 1967-1969 Darts with "ADD VINYL TP" scrawled in the "COMMENTS & CODES NOT LISTED ABOVE" section. I'd heard from a few folks who're familiar with the Los Angeles Assembly's practises that if a roof stamping didn't pass muster, a vinyl top was added in order to cover the dented or wavy roof (like limousines, 1970 Superbird [modified backlight]  and Challenger SE [backlight plug]).

Now, if the top is a rare or unusual option (think: 1969 Mod Top [Plymouth] Paisley Top [Dodge], for an instance), then I'm good with them. A dime-a-dozen top which adds nothing to the car's appearance is something I can do without... a painted roof looks better, and won't rot-through via trapped contaminates (dirt, pollen, sand, salt) and moisture. 

My friend and me parted out an otherwise clean 1974 Swinger whose "roof" was de facto "held-intact" by its lousy vinyl top. Another "rust-free" California car!

Most dealers would order their inventory with the vinyl roof to add additional profit margins and many customers did like the look. I also remember the MoPar Mod Roofs and in many cases they could look interesting. I mentioned the lightly painted roofs. At one time in the '60's I was living in the San Barnardino area which is pretty dry and very hot during the summer. This would dry out and crack many dark colored vinyl roofs after a couple of years. A friend had a body shop and he showed me a car he was repairing for a customer and he mentioned that that car and many others had little more than the body colored over spray on the roof when he removed the vinyl covering.  There were even shops that were spray painting the roofs of some cars to look like a vinyl roof covering at the time. 

[Mattilacken]

Sweet build! Great weathering and the pealed of part looks great! Funny your comment about the frame and the picture below showing it! Amazing that they don’t get pulled over and forced to fix or scrap the truck! 

[Kromolly]

Wow, that rust is so realistic.  Love it!  Nicely done!

[vincen47]

Great build. Yeah, the rust is more of a coastal pattern. Excellent job on it. Here in Michigan, they rust from the bottom up. The wheel wells and cab corners would be gone.

[Chuck Most]

1 hour ago, vincen47 said:

Great build. Yeah, the rust is more of a coastal pattern. Excellent job on it. Here in Michigan, they rust from the bottom up. The wheel wells and cab corners would be gone.

Unless... it's a farm truck and it's been used to haul fertilizer and the owner isn't too good about keeping it clean. That'll rust it from both ends. 

Or it was bought new in New Jersey and came up to Michigan later, once it had already earned it's streaks.

Or both. ? Whenever I see an old junker like this in real life, I always wonder what turn of events transpired during it's service life to make it as messed up as it is. 

[vincen47]

10 hours ago, Chuck Most said:

Unless... it's a farm truck and it's been used to haul fertilizer and the owner isn't too good about keeping it clean. That'll rust it from both ends. 

Or it was bought new in New Jersey and came up to Michigan later, once it had already earned it's streaks.

Or both. ? Whenever I see an old junker like this in real life, I always wonder what turn of events transpired during it's service life to make it as messed up as it is. 

Ah, yes. Very true. Fertilizer is harsh. 

I agree, every mark, streak, dent, and scar tells a story when it comes to the life of a vehicle. Models like this that represent a vehicle that’s been down the “road of life” are the most interesting. 

[slusher]

Fantastic realistic build!

[ewetwo]

Fantastic!