Grille group and tail-lights for 1951 Ford car 1:25 unobtanium?

[W Humble]

I like to try every few years to find a grille group and chrome tail-lights (and lenses) for a 1;25 Ford car. I am converting a '49 Ford club coupe to resemble my nice old college car, a '51, which has those differences.  Any thing surfaced on the after market to help me?  Was there ever an resin conversion set offered by anyone?  It is such an easy switch, as besides the aforementioned, mostly it is just the dashboard that is really different.  I found it easy to extend the side trip around the body rear, and as my car was nosed and decked, othrer trim isn't important.  

I've cut a '49 grille apart and done some converting (also not too hard, as I didn't run the center-bar (thought it looked like a gasser that way!) and am trying to fabricate the two tail-light housings.  They fit over the rear fender 'bumps' on the 1949-'50, and were chromed.  Someone suggested a '61 Buick tail-light lens to simulate the Ford.  Any leads appreciated; about ready to paint and finish the kit. 

Everyone on this forum has been more than helpful with parts, and even kit bodies!  I still have lots of OLD stuff to swap!  Thanks!  Wick

[rsmodels]

Wick, i don't know if  the grille bullets from 2 of the Lindberg 1/32 scale 49 Ford kits would help with the front. I don't have them but someone may. They may  be too big or too small and that kit wasn't that accurate to begin with. Just a thought.

The 61 Buick tail lights are similar but the stock kit ones are too big. I have a set that were custom  parts but I can't remember which kit they came in. They look like 61 Buick but are smaller. They look pretty close if you file off the ribs and maybe cut a slice out to make them a bit narrower. They are yours if you want to try them.  -Rich

 

[Modlbldr]

Wick,

I have a 51 Ford that i got from somewhere. I can't remember where or who made it but it is definitely a 51 Ford. If I can dig it out soon I will send some pics of it.

Later-

[W Humble]

The last time I tried to hunt down this body, I heard rumors of such!  I can't imagine not having the conversion parts available somewhere, sometime.  The so-called 'shoebox' Fords would be about the easiest multi-year conversions of any post-war car, I'd think.  Some kits have been produced with the ability to build as slightly different years/models, -- I think.  Thanks!  My big issue is mostly the tail-light housings and lenses.  Since my car didn't run the grille bar...  Wick

[Mark]

ITC (model kit division of Ideal Toy Company) made a '51 Ford in 1/24 or 1/25 scale.  I saw one a few weeks ago, it was missing a bunch of parts so I didn't pay much attention to it.  As produced, the kit included an electric motor and "remote control" unit tethered to the car.  There were three such kits that I know of.  The '40 Mercury convertible seems to be the "most common" (I have one of those), the '51 Ford is in the middle.  There was also a '25 Ford, I may have seen one many years ago.

The stock '49 and '50 grilles seem to be easy to find; every old parts box I ever bought always had at least one.  I'd gather up a couple of those and start cutting and piecing them together to see if a '51 grille couldn't be made up.

[W Humble]

I found that 'kit' in an old catalog in my so-called collection;: #3877 -8 1951 Ford 'Victoria" Hardtop, 7-3/4 inches, retail $3.49 c. 1962 Ideal Toy Corp.  and it says 1/25 scale 3-in-1 motorized customized car kits.  The illustration is customized almost to the later "bolt-on G. Barris" level, with a knock-off 59 T-bird grille and bar, huge chrome fender skirts, porthole/closed quarter roof,d and oh-wee scallops.  Do you know if the 3-in-1 meant a stock and competiton version could be built with kit parts also, ala AMT/SMP, et al.?  BTW, the illustration drawing shows 1949 tail-lights, and it's '51 moldings that are holding up my job!  Since the grille was in the trunk when I bought it (with a dead flathead -- but I had one!) I never reinstalled it... looked much racier, or so I believed!  [Nope; I have two '49's, and the bullets are much bigger and a different design.]

My coupe was metallic green, but oc I repainted it '62 Chevy Hondouras Maroon (Nason, leaving out the blue toners for a 'cherry' look').  My sweet wife of 50 years asked me today if I had any color pics of it, but alas, only one b&w exists, still in green AND grey primer.  I had a pint of DuPont Cadillac Damson Maroon lacquer, but half-full, it dried up.  Replacing with PPG Shopline JE (acrylic enamel) even with an employees discount was shocking; $44.00 for one quart!  I guess I'll paint and assemble it soon, and leave the tail-light moldings for later, darn it.  It was a very fun car, and easier (more forgiving) for a teen to work on than my hot Chevy.  Wish I had one right now!! 

As soon as my kid walks me through the photo-posting thing, I'll be putting some old ones on.  Thanks for your interest!  Wick

[Claes Ericsson]

Modelhaus had the conversion set (and a complete ´51 Crestliner also) for at least a dozen years up until their last day of business. So they are out there.....

I have a couple of the ITC ´51 kits and they are nothing to write home about. Wonky body proportions and the grille is pretty simplified. However, IIRC, it is possible to fit it to the 49/50 Fords.

I'll try to post some pics later this weekend.

[W Humble]

Claes,

I was certain that someone had; RIP Modelhaus.  Darn it! 

Well, I'm attempting to 'sculpt' the two tail-light housings from solid styrene, but discouragement prompted me to post this appeal.  I sanded the molded-in tail-light housings typical of the 1949-50 away completely to make fabricating a bit easier, but may have to start over.  Otherwise, I'm about ready to paint it; maybe I will spray and assemble, and fret about the chrome moldings/lenses later! Lots of other projects, including another '51; Dad's Chevy 2-dr 1:1 I'm resto-modding for my son!

Some sources consider the third-year chrome tail-lights to be 'decadent' modifications to save a design that the public had seen a lot of  -- and boy, those cars were prevalent -- as I well recall!  I really became enamored of my '51's for all their many quirks (chronic over-heating, wonky door locks, lack of REAL power in stock form, and just incidentally the steering boxes coming loose from the frames!) but they made great sounds, seemed to be fast, and were forgiving of a 'learning' mechanic!  It seemed that by 1960, most of the 'shoebox' Fords were driven by the local hill-billys, or folk too poor to afford anything more modern, Ford or otherwise.  I liked the chrome pods, and didn't care for the more pur sang fender bulges. Perhaps it was just being eight-teen? Oh well...

Thanks for your 'intelligence' on the conversions; guess I'll just go with what I have, although finding those lights would be a bonus; maybe someone would cast me a pair from the Holthaus product...?   Sorry if I maundered.  I'll post some phots when I learn how: I can rebuild an overdrive transmission, but not work my laptop!  Ole' Wick

[espo]

You might want to check Star Models for a complete '51 conversion. I got a two-door sedan from him, and it had an interior as well as the correctly shaped Hood and a stock Grill.  He offers some pretty high standard castings. 

[W Humble]

Well, I was right; it has been done, and the Forums found it for me!  That is a nice package, for sure! 

I wish he'd shake loose with a spare set of the tail-light bezel/lens castings for me!  Obviously a long shot, but...  I don't need the complete grille. Thanks!! Wick

[Claes Ericsson]

Here are a few pics of the ITC ´51:

And an attempt to dry-fit the parts to a ´50 CV.

[W Humble]

Thanks for the views!  You true-blue collectors amaze me!  Does it look like the ITC (Ideal Toy Corp.) front group is a bit out of scale to the big side, like a 1/24?  Like the rest of the product, it seems a bit wonky to my jaded eyes.  That stocker is a lot different than in the ad rendering from '62; wonder when the first production of that kit really was?  Boy, if I bought a resin repop body and it was that crude... !

Big Q:  Could you pull a mold from the tail-light housing assy. and make me a set?  I'd trade generously for those! :-<)  !  Wick