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AMT 1941 Plymouth Coupe


NOBLNG

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3 hours ago, customline said:

Wow. It looks like it has tons of compound leverage. It looks pretty old, too (the metal box). A nice collectible, for sure.

😎That box was probably my first custom paint job….a  hammered finish. I bought it used (hence the paint job) when I got into the sheet metal trade 40ish years ago. There are millions of them out there, and they still make them, but they’re in a plastic case now which I’m sure won’t last 40+ years.😕 There are lots of chinese knockoffs too, but this one was made in the good ol’ USA.🙂

 https://www.roperwhitney.com/our-products/no-5-jr-hand-punch-in-kit/

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3 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

😎That box was probably my first custom paint job….a  hammered finish. I bought it used (hence the paint job) when I got into the sheet metal trade 40ish years ago. There are millions of them out there, and they still make them, but they’re in a plastic case now which I’m sure won’t last 40+ years.😕 There are lots of chinese knockoffs too, but this one was made in the good ol’ USA.🙂

 https://www.roperwhitney.com/our-products/no-5-jr-hand-punch-in-kit/

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1.2 tons....yeah, that's a handy little tool. Who needs guages? 

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OK, back on topic…🙄 I got the engine finished. I clipped off the molded in starter, fuel pump, oil filler tube and distributor?😬I scratch built new pieces along with the plug wire loom. I still have to make a coil for it. I think it was molded in down where the fuel pump should be. Not sure where to mount it yet either. I also thinned down the 2” thick fan and gave the blades some pitch. 
Thanks for lookin’.🙂

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2 hours ago, David G. said:

Excellent work on the wire loom!

I attempted that and it got the better of me, well done!

David G.

Thanks. I clamped a piece of .040” styrene between two metal plates and drilled a .0225” (#74) hole in the edge. Then I inserted a short piece of wire to prevent the drill bit from wandering back into the previous hole, and drilled the next one. The metal plates keep the drill bit from wandering out sideways. The two part plug wires are just stubbed in from both ends.

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20 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

OK, back on topic…🙄 I got the engine finished. I clipped off the molded in starter, fuel pump, oil filler tube and distributor?😬I scratch built new pieces along with the plug wire loom. I still have to make a coil for it. I think it was molded in down where the fuel pump should be. Not sure where to mount it yet either. I also thinned down the 2” thick fan and gave the blades some pitch. 
Thanks for lookin’.🙂

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Greg. the coil goes in the center of the firewall.

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It also get it's voltage direct from the ignition switch behind it. Sort of an early security system as you couldn't jump start the car from under the hood.

 

 

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Nice work on the engine, Greg.  Now I feel lazy 🫤.....but I thought about doing all that.....no I didn't 😣. That thing with the wire and drilling the holes is pure genius. The way you made the wire loom is clearly outside-the-box-thinking. Very impressive. 

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Thanks Guys! Due to Len and Jims issues with the inner fender fitment, I am using the parts meant for use with the headers to get a better fit as a trial. I trimmed a fair bit off the top, so that they can lean outward under the fenders. I think this will work nicely, and I may glue them to the body?

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I guess I should get the wheels mounted and a ride height set before messing to heavily with the fender wells. The kit knuckle/spindles are pretty chintzy and are meant to be used with the metal axle.

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I accidentally clipped off the lower mount.😕 However, the instructions clearly show the little stub in place that definitely needs to be removed in order for the knuckle to fit.🤨 Since I want to lower the front a touch anyway, I figured it would be best to just make some new knuckles.

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I used 1/8” square evergreen tube with some .080” round inside for the kingpins and spindles.
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The stock wheel backs need to be trimmed to get the wheels inside the fenders. I may need to trim a bit more yet?

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2 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

I guess I should get the wheels mounted and a ride height set before messing to heavily with the fender wells. The kit knuckle/spindles are pretty chintzy and are meant to be used with the metal axle.

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I accidentally clipped off the lower mount.😕 However, the instructions clearly show the little stub in place that definitely needs to be removed in order for the knuckle to fit.🤨 Since I want to lower the front a touch anyway, I figured it would be best to just make some new knuckles.

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I used 1/8” square evergreen with some .080” round for the kingpins and spindles.
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The stock wheel backs need to be trimmed to get the wheels inside the fenders. I may need to trim a bit more yet?

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Are we having fun yet Greg? That front end is a real disaster in a way. I fought with the same issues and wound up with a ride high that was too high. Going back and making new kingpins myself. I think I would find it easier to work on a real car.🙄

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I am having fun with it so far Len.🤪 Having You and Jim doing a build at the same time helps a lot. I don’t think a kid that didn’t know or care anything about accuracy would have too much trouble slapping this together…but trying to make this an accurate replica of the 1:1 is definitely a bit of a challenge. I really don’t care if it is true to the original, I just want to improve it slightly and have it look good on my shelf.

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I got the rear differential attached to the leaf springs 🥵 in the lowered position, so the ride height is now set. I glued the rear bumper fascia to the body (since it will be body color) rather than to the frame like the instructions show.🤔

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4 hours ago, customline said:

I wish I had thought to do that with the rear pan....actually, I wish they had thought of it.

Is that what that thing is. Couldn't figure out where to put it, thought it was a surfboard😵

 

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The sprue goo did actually melt the fender a bit. Funny I never noticed it until today.🧐 I think I’ll be sanding that out anyway hopefully.😬

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I’ve been busy pinning and pegging parts to make the final assembly easier.

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There is a little interference between the fender wells and the body that seems to prevent the body from sitting all the way down at the rear, so I filed them a bit and that cured the issue.

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I split the bench seat back and made some rudimentary door hardware and added some .030” half round for the chrome strip. They aren’t too fancy, but better than the kit moldings in my eye, which were extremely shallow…basically just an outline.

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Coming along nicely Greg. I like that you pin almost everything, I need to do more of that, I do some pinning, but clearly not enough. The detail on those door cards was barely visible, your additions are  definitely a big improvement. 
 

Cheers, Steve

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12 hours ago, Zippi said:

Looking pretty nice there Greg. 

Thanks Bob!😎

9 hours ago, dino246gt said:

I love those interior additions, they really help those ridiculously shallow molded panels.

Cut the seat down the middle is also a must do, nice!

Thanks Dennis. They’re not really accurate to the original, but better than what AMT gave us.🥴

8 hours ago, Steve H said:

Coming along nicely Greg. I like that you pin almost everything, I need to do more of that, I do some pinning, but clearly not enough. The detail on those door cards was barely visible, your additions are  definitely a big improvement. 
 

Cheers, Steve

Pins make everything go back together accurately. Nothing is more frustrating or possibly devastating than trying to glue these tiny parts on after paint with no locating points.🥵

1 hour ago, customline said:

This is how you beat a poorly designed kit into submission 😠

Anything can be beaten into submission…it’s just a matter of effort vs sanity!🤪 

8 hours ago, TarheelRick said:

Your tenacity and attention to detail is far above anything I would consider. However, the results you are achieving prove their worth. Watching this build closely.

Thanks Rick. I am basically doing all these little modifications to delay having to work on the front end issues.😬

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