Monogram 1:24 Love: 1932 Roadster

[Dennis Lacy]

For the first time in forever I’ve found myself in a model building slump that’s gone on for about 6 months now. Not so much for lack of desire, mostly because life decided it hadn’t been busy enough and said, “Hold my beer!” While I have several good existing projects to choose from I thought it would be nice to do something simple to get the juices flowing again compared to my usual heavy kit-bashing, fabricating and detailing. 

As a kid and teen in the 80’s and 90’s some of my favorite kits to build were the Monogram 1:24 hot rods. They tend to be lower in parts count and softer on fine detail but with a little tweaking they always look good put together. For those reasons I shy away from them as an adult model builder but lately I’ve been feeling nostalgic about the good ol’ days. I am about to turn 44 so it must be a mid-life thing, hahaha. Of those Monogram 1:24 kits the ‘32 Roadster was my very favorite and I built 4 of them over the years with one still surviving. 

I pulled one from the pile and tore the wrap off it. While my fond memories are of the 80’s release molded in rock-hard yellow I opted to start with the most recent issue molded in softer, easier to work with white.

 

Then I came up with a simple plan which was easier said than done, fighting my overwhelming usual tendency to reengineer the whole thing. What I’ve landed on is a stance and wheel adjustment along with some basic hot rod body mods such as shaving the bumpers, grill trim and door handles. The wheels are the aluminum slots from the Monogram Early Iron ‘29 Roadster Pickup. Front tires are from the kit but had to be relieved to fit the slightly larger diameter wheels. Rear tires are one size larger than the kit rears (found in many Monogram/Revell kits) and also had to be relieved to fit the wheels. The roadster top is not included in this issue but can be found older issues. 

The rear axle / suspension will be straight from the kit, representing a 1942-1948 Ford banjo axle, Model A spring and 1939-1948 brake plates.

The front axle & suspension come from Revell’s Thom Taylor 1934 Cabriolet which was a 90’s styling update to Monogram’s original 1:24 1934 Coupe/Cabriolet kit from the 60’s. It represents a Super Bell dropped tube axle with Pete & Jakes 4-links, tube shocks and disc brakes and was only available in that issue. 

 

To lower the ride height I’ll be using the age-old trick for this kit which is to trim the cross members to sink the springs up into them. 

Out back the center of the rear “cross member” was cut out to allow the spring tab to sink in along with trimming down the 2 support studs circled in red. 

Up front the center of the front cross member was similarly trimmed and the back edge of the cross member filed down for tie rod clearance. 

The end results:

Here are the wheels and tires fit together after relieving the inside diameter of the tires. As luck would have it, the kit inner wheel halves will work as is. Also, I’ve included a picture of the source kit for the wheels.

Next steps are to fit the wheels to the axles and finalize the engine details. More to come…

Edited November 19, 2023 by Dennis Lacy

[Bullybeef]

Nice to see you back at the bench @Dennis Lacy. I’m sure your subtle touches will make this a stellar build. I have one of those kits left in the stash. Put me down for one seat in the third row please. 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Yes, yes, yes. I think this is the best-proportioned of any of the '32 Ford kits. I don't know what they did, and I never measured it, but it sure looks right.

Congrats on overcoming the desire to re-engineer and put something more representative of a correct frame under it. These don't get built enough, and I think your approach is the perfect way to go.   

Thanks for the info on the dropped Super Bell axle too. Guess I need to put some of those on my shopping list.

Sigh. It just never stops.

[oldrevellfan]

nice project !

[Zippi]

I like the 32's.  Really any fat fender car or truck.  44....I'll take that any day 😋

[atomicholiday]

It’s pretty hard to beat the old Monogram kits for building fun.

Great start so far.  Looking forward to this build.👍

[Dennis Lacy]

1 hour ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Yes, yes, yes. I think this is the best-proportioned of any of the '32 Ford kits. I don't know what they did, and I never measured it, but it sure looks right.

Congrats on overcoming the desire to re-engineer and put something more representative of a correct frame under it. These don't get built enough, and I think your approach is the perfect way to go.   

Thanks for the info on the dropped Super Bell axle too. Guess I need to put some of those on my shopping list.

Sigh. It just never stops.

Funny, I had the same thought as I sat staring at the mock-up from all angles last Sunday. It looks right-on. The modern Revell 32 Roadsters are more technically accurate but the Monogram just has The Look. Perhaps that’s part of what drew me to it so strongly as a kid?

As for this kit:

 

I don’t think that many people are aware of the unique changes to it aside from the obvious severe chop and wheels. This kit post-dates the changes made to the old Monogram tool when it was modified in the early 80’s for the ZZ Top Eliminator. It shares the same interior and Pontiac engine with its attempted disguise as a Chevy small block as the ZZ Top kit but also features the front axle / suspension already shown above, molded stock exhaust pipes deleted and a 9” rear axle with coil overs and disc brakes, similar in appearance to the Revell ‘32 Ford’s. I was really hoping that when the ZZ Top Eliminator was reissued a few years ago that these updates would stay as they are actually a more accurate for the full-scale car but alas, the same old axles and suspension found it’s way back. The only of the Cabriolets upgrades that stuck was frame with molded exhaust deleted. 

[Can-Con]

I'm really digg'n this build, Dennis. Looks like it's gonna sit just right. 👍

[larman]

Love it! One of my favorite kits!

[Rattlecan Dan]

I think the top looks great. Going to be a sweet build.

[Dennis Lacy]

Thanks for the comments, everyone! Looks like there’s a few people that are fond of the old Monogram 32 Roadster. Very cool. 

Had some bench time this afternoon and decided to get moving on the engine. Below is the lump of a small block included in the kit. Minus the chrome dress parts it’s a whopping four pieces! 

 

Even though I’m on a mission to keep this model simple I’d really like a better detailed engine. Probably the best 1:24 hot rod kit Chevy small block of the 80’s & 90’s is from the Monogram 1937 Ford’s, this one being from the blue molded Convertible with Trailer. And while this engine comes with a very nice pair of Sanderson block-hugger headers I’m going to use the Roadster kit manifolds and head pipes. 

For dress up parts I’ve chosen the Edelbrock Elite-style air filter and valve covers with custom “Deuce” script taken from the maligned Monogram Beach Boys Lil’ Deuce Coupe kit of the late 80’s, which is actually the Roadster kit with a poorly rendered 3-Window body and some other updated parts (notably a Corvette IRS, 4-wheel disc brakes and the introduction of the chrome steel wheels & caps found in the last few reissues of the Roadster.)

 

The blue engine has a big automatic transmission which obviously wouldn’t fit the Roadster without a bunch of surgery. The Roadster kits small block is rendered with an adapter to a 30’s Ford 3-speed trans so I chopped both transmissions off and mated the 3-speed to the blue small block  

The blue engine is a bit wider than the kit engine (more accurate) so the molded motor mounts needed some relief work to make room for it.

 

With the new engine fit the kits exhaust manifolds and head pipes were adapted easily by drilling holes in the cylinder heads for the mounting studs on the manifolds. 

 

The improved small block in situ with induction and valve cover mocked up.

The Roadster kits mufflers and tail pipes have always been my least favorite part of the kit. The mufflers are open to the inside and the tailpipes are dinky little things and look weird compared to the big head pipes. It’s like dropping from 2.5” to 1” pipes. 

Making exhaust systems can get tedious but sometimes you get lucky and find a set of pipes that are an easy fit. After digging through my Ziplock back of exhaust pipes I found a partial set of mufflers and pipes from an old Monogram ZZ Top Eliminator kit. Upon offering them up they were a great fit other than the tailpipes being a bit short. What I like so much is that they are thick like the head pipes. I trimmed the head pipes evenly then drilled and inserted .040” pins in the ends with matching holes in the mufflers.

 

Happy with the look and fit I trimmed the tailpipe tips off and extended the pipes 1” using Evergreen tube of similar size.

Still have some fine tuning to do but I’ll take it. 

Thats as far as I got today. So far, so good!

 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Dennis Lacy

[CabDriver]

7 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Congrats on overcoming the desire to re-engineer and put something more representative of a correct frame under it.

I have one of these started and I immediately failed at overcoming said desire 🤪

Turns out, for those so inclined, the Deuce chassis from the Revell 29/30 kits will very nearly drop right in there with very little grinding and cutting.

Just mentioning it in case anyone reading this thread WAS curious about going down that path (although I haven’t fully explored it all myself just yet…)

Good start ADL!  Glad to see you back at it!!! 

[Zippi]

Pretty kewl build you got going on Dennis.  Looking good so far and I really like the exhaust setup.  

[NOBLNG]

I’m watching. I’ve already picked up a couple of tricks I can use on my ‘32.🙂

[Muncie]

The top, the wheels the fenders and the stance are really going to make this one. Digging it!  I'm picking up lots of ideas that I want to use.  Thank you for posting.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nice work on the exhaust. Finding something as useful as those after-muffler pipes is a stroke of luck indeed.

For whatever reason, building scale exhaust systems ranks close to the bottom of my "things-I-do-for-fun" list, right above jabbing myself in the eye with a stick.  

[Ulf]

Very tasteful construction, it is a cultural achievement of Revell to produce this kit. Your choice of parts really impresses.

[espo]

Great looking stance and thank you for the reminder where to find all the good parts for any future builds. Great looking stance and like the old Ansen Sprints style wheels. 

[Dennis Lacy]

4 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Nice work on the exhaust. 

For whatever reason, building scale exhaust systems ranks close to the bottom of my "things-I-do-for-fun" list, right above jabbing myself in the eye with a stick.  

HA! That’s because it can be a pain the ass! Most of the time my scale exhausts end up being made from a bunch of pieces cut,  pasted and blended together, not to mention pinning every joint for strength. Then multiply x2 because most everything I build has dual exhaust. I tend to dread it. 

Not very different from scratch building full scale exhaust systems…

[Steve H]

Great looking build so far Dennis, I always enjoy, and learn from your WIP’s. Nice to have you back at the bench creating and sharing. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has a strong dislike of scratch building exhaust systems. It’s inevitable when kit bashing that there will be exhaust mods, never look forward to it. 
 

Cheers, Steve

[NOBLNG]

The hardest part when scratch building exhausts is getting left and right pipes that look like mirror images.😬

Edited November 21, 2023 by NOBLNG

[slusher]

great build you have going.  Nice kit bash also…

[Phildaupho]

I am definitely a member of the Monogram 1/24 Deuce Roadster Fan Club and with your hot rod building skills I am sure this one will look absolutely right.

[68shortfleet]

Great start on this one Dennis.

Not a fan of the slotted mags, but thats just me.

Jason

[chris chabre]

SWEET!!! I have one in my stash that Ive been collecting to do my version of a lil deuce. I have a few bigger projects out right now, might be time to dig out a hot rod to mock up