alan barton Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Many years ago I purchased a wrecking yard in a box, the parts being from the legendary Monogram 32 Sport Coupe. Other than some other examples in the owner's collection, this is the only 32 Sport coupe I had ever seen in any condition, let alone for sale. I plunked down the $30 asking price and took it home to work out what I had got. Turns out there was at least enough parts to build one kit box stock and a good start on a second one. There was plenty of glue, pale blue enamel and flat black paint to contend with but I figured it was worth a crack. Here's what I stated with! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 First step after stripping all the goop off the parts was to get the body assembled. Like any multi piece body it had its challenges but nothing I couldn't handle. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 With repairs to the body and frame completed it was time to paint and re-assemble. I chose metallic blue Duplicolour because I am a rather traditional rodder and the temptation to have an entire fleet of red hot rod models is huge. Besides, you rarely see this model in any colour other than red so that was a good enough reason for me. I love the finished product and love that I saved an old model from going in the trash. It is a real flash back to the late fifties/early sixties. I didn't attempt to super detail it in any way because there are far better Deuce coupe models out there and being in approximately 1/20th scale there are not a lot of parts available to upgrade them. But that didnt stop me starting to look closely at the remaining parts left over in the box. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 Here are the leftovers. Significantly it was lacking a right hand side panel and the windshield area that had been snapped off the cowl and lost to time. The roof/trunk panel also had some serious warpage but was otherwise in good nick. I started thinking about a drag car and a search through my parts box produced some interesting items. Firstly, the blown hemi from a Tom Daniel's S'cool Bus. This engine dates back to the original Monogram Sizzler kit which just happens to be from the same era as the Sport Coupe and the same 1/20th scale. Other items included a spare Green Hornet front axle and crossmember and the front wheels off a Boothill Express. I had always wondered why these American Racing twelve spoke mags were so big - it turns out that the tyres they used are originally from the stock version of Monogram's 1930 Model A Ford kits - which are a 19 inch item in real life! While they have always looked too big for the Boothill Express, they are perfect for a 1/20th scale drag car. I also found some mid seventies MPC Goodyear slicks, only 1/25th scale but large enough to suit this model and some ET style mags. Maybe this is do-able? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 (edited) With old age comes wisdom, they say, and I have come to realise that one of the most important factors in completing a complicated task is sequencing. The thing is, if I couldn't replace the side panel there was no pint tackling this model and if I was going to make such a panel, the sequencing was going to be critical also. I had once build a replacement side panel for an Aurora 1/32 scale Scat Cat Deuce roadster so I knew the basic idea but the Sport Coupe needed a much more complex side panel. Step One was to trace the spare left hand panel onto a sheet of 1mm styrene. Step two was to cut out the window openings and then carefully file and sand them to an oversize shape that matched to swage line on the original panel. Pre 35 Ford Window openings have a swage line around them, like a rebate with smooth edges. My challenge was to recreate that rebate. It was filed, sanded and checked carefully because after the next step it would be very difficult to correct any errors - now was the time to get it right! Step Three was to cut another piece of styrene slightly larger than the window openings to create the swage line. This piece would also have window openings drilled and cut out, but about 2mm undersize at this stage - they would be trimmed up later. Step Four was to glue this piece behind the window openings with Tamiya Extra Thin cement, being careful to prevent any excess from oozing through the joint. On the fourth photo you will see that I used the spare red panel as a jig when I laminated the two pieces of white styrene. This helped introduce a curve into the panel to match up the original curvature. Edited February 5 by alan barton 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 (edited) The next step was to cut a door line into the panel with a razor saw before cutting and sanding the panel to shape. Once checked against the original left hand side for accuracy, I created a gutter moulding by gluing a piece of flat styrene around the roof edge. In this photo you can also see how the swage lines around the window openings turned out. One change I didn't manage to photograph was shortening the side panel. These Deuce coupes were a bit tall in the lower door height. Figuring I wouldn't get yelled at for cutting up this old glue bomb, I removed 3mm off each side, new and old. It really improves the proportions of this old kit. After shortening both sides I glued a strip of Evergreen half round along the bottom edge s to simulate the original swage line. Next it was time to recreate the waist line on the panel. Evergreen half round strip was used again along with Tamiya Extra Thin cement. Nothing special here , you just have to take your time. I have to admit, seeing that new panel sitting there was very satisfying! Edited February 5 by alan barton 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Nice job, re-creating that side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 Next on the agenda was to repair the horribly damaged cowl. The missing windshield frame was cut from a thicker piece of styrene. Once again, no special skills being displayed here, just slow and steady and keep the sequence in mind. For instance, it is much easier to cut a smooth, accurately shaped hole out of an oversized piece of plastic than it is to cut it from a piece already cut to size! In the final photos you can see that I planned some serious engine setback in this puppy and made some equally serious relief cuts in the cowl and firewall in anticipation of that setup. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Nice job, re-creating that side! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 Here we are at first mockup stage. New front frame horns were created and the various breaks in the chassis were repaired and reinforced. A rollbar was created from a conveniently sized and shaped piece of sprue - I didn't actually have to bend it at all! I'm liking what I see! The body has now been painted Tamiya Pearl White and I am planning some panel painting to suit the era. Thanks Dan, I always enjoy your work so your comments mean a lot! Cheers and thanks for watching so far! Alan 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 This just goes to show that, with some time, some thought, and some effort, we can pretty much re-create anything we need to! These kinds of challenges are one of the things that make this such an interesting pursuit! Keep up the great work, sir! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Nice! That's a lotta work! -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Colmer Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Excellent scratchbuilding! I like watching this project come together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 Man, I love seeing somebody save glooey messes like what you started with. Not only is this kit a rare piece of automotive modeling history, the altered mockup pieced together from bits and scratchbuilt parts is just what real hot-rodding has been about from the beginning. Biggest smiles I've had in weeks seeing these two come together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 First the blue rod looks great. Nice save on the other parts that you added the great scrath built needed body parts to finish the body. Now I see what you were saying about the front wheels. Looks killer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deuces wild Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 😎👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 Thanks everyone, for your kind comments. I am working on multiple projects at the moment but the coupe is slowly making headway so here is a quick update. The body has been painted with Tamiya Pearl White - this will be the base coat for a panel paint scheme. I did not have a grille shell so I laminated thin plastic around a spare grille and created my own. The fuel tank is an oversized unit from the AMT 40 coupe. I have also started fabrication aluminium headers but it is quite a challenge getting them evenly spaced and at a consistent angle. On 2/6/2024 at 9:50 AM, Ace-Garageguy said: Man, I love seeing somebody save glooey messes like what you started with. Not only is this kit a rare piece of automotive modeling history, the altered mockup pieced together from bits and scratchbuilt parts is just what real hot-rodding has been about from the beginning. Biggest smiles I've had in weeks seeing these two come together. Bill, your comments mean a lot to me. I have always been fascinated by the scale accuracy for which you strive. Like you, I seem to get some twisted pleasure from saving a glue bomb, even though I have a stash of new kits that probably wont get finished in my lifetime. I love bringing orphans back from the dead! Cheers Alan 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris chabre Posted February 16 Share Posted February 16 OH MAN!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Metallic Posted March 8 Share Posted March 8 Alan, am I crazy or did you feature your resurrection of this body in a different thread previously? Either way, it's so cool to see you save this. And sourcing the big Hemi from the S'Cool bus is an inspired choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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