"The 777" Tasca Ford '63 lightweight Galaxie

[FoMoCo66]

13 minutes ago, customline said:

I would like to find a view of the rear showing the lettering on the trunk lid. I need to see the font style so I can make a decal of it. I saw the car run at Charlestown, RI (when I was about 11) and recall seeing "SUIVEZ-MOI!" on the trunk lid.  I asked my dad (who spoke French quite well) what it meant. We both got a good laugh. "FOLLOW ME!" ?

Looks like it was right hear.

[customline]

 

13 minutes ago, FoMoCo66 said:

Looks like it was right hear.

Good work, Ace!

[Sledsel]

This thing is looking great!

[customline]

Got a bit more done on this one and started the '60 mods but I'll not go into that yet. Mainly, I have the modified '60 firewall in place in the Galaxie and test fitted it all with everything involved and it seems OK.  No surprises yet.  I think I will not install the radiator support assembly until final. Just a feeling ?.....everything in the engine bay is pretty tight and I hate surprises. I prepped the body and there were minimal parting lines to content with and some very faint sink marks where the old screw bosses hide below the deck lid. I spread some primer on it. I'll be ordering the Corinthian White for the Galaxie and also a bottle of Vintage Burgundy (for the T-Bolt I'm planning) from MCW Finishes. 

I had to add some material to the top of the '60's firewall to enable the rear edge of the hood to have a place to rest. I closed the hinge slots and blanked off the heater motor and hose ports. The body cross-sections are very close and very little trimming was needed.

getting the paint correct in the firewall area will require some masking and painting after the body is painted. I will probably spray some red primer on the lower part of the firewall and then do the rest of it satin black. Thanks for stopping by! ?

[LennyB]

Jim, those Starliner parts really work well on the ‘63 and add so much to the kit.  You can be certain I’m gonna steal a few of these ideas?

[customline]

Thanks, Len, I got the basic idea from others on the forum.  The desire to have a fairly accurate model of a somewhat obscure drag racer I witnessed as a child led me down this path. It has meaning for me.  Others here have built lightweight '63 Gals and they differ in some of the small details. I can only hope to come close in those details that apply to the Tasca car. The actual mechanics of the build is an uncharted course.  The way I do things may not work for someone else.  I have a pretty good tool arsenal but nothing fancy like some here. You can have any idea you find useful and if I can help, I certainly will. I started to retro-fit the Starliner with the '63 chassis. I don't want to waste that sweet body! I'm saving the 352 engine for something else so I'm going to use the one from the '63 ?. But no metal axle in front! Here's what I got so far:

 

[LennyB]

I understand exactly what you mean by wasting a body.  I have so many projects I would like to upgrade with a better chassis but then what do you do with the rest of the kit you steal the parts from? I used to have mixed feelings about these sellers on eBay who break down kits into pieces and sell off the components.   Potentially selling a kit for 10 times what it’s worth, if they can sell each bit that is.  But I have surrendered and bought a few chassis that way. Also bought a bunch of junkers for the same reason.  Maybe 3D printing can fill this void in the future with upgraded components for some of these vintage kits.

There I go rambling again, think I’ve been out in the sun too long?

[customline]

5 hours ago, LennyB said:

I understand exactly what you mean by wasting a body.  I have so many projects I would like to upgrade with a better chassis but then what do you do with the rest of the kit you steal the parts from? I used to have mixed feelings about these sellers on eBay who break down kits into pieces and sell off the components.   Potentially selling a kit for 10 times what it’s worth, if they can sell each bit that is.  But I have surrendered and bought a few chassis that way. Also bought a bunch of junkers for the same reason.  Maybe 3D printing can fill this void in the future with upgraded components for some of these vintage kits.

There I go rambling again, think I’ve been out in the sun too long?

Lenny, you can ramble all you want on my thread because nobody really reads this stuff anyway. They mostly look at the pictures and maybe hit the "heart button" and move on. I hate the idea of some ass-hat buying kits just to very cleverly break them up in a strategic manner to maximize profit. That said, they do provide a service that I'm ashamed to admit I have , on occasion, taken advantage of myself.  Gotta do what it takes for those special projects. I don't make a habit of it but desperate times....well you know. 

[LennyB]

8 hours ago, customline said:

Lenny, you can ramble all you want on my thread because nobody really reads this stuff anyway. They mostly look at the pictures and maybe hit the "heart button" and move on. I hate the idea of some ass-hat buying kits just to very cleverly break them up in a strategic manner to maximize profit. That said, they do provide a service that I'm ashamed to admit I have , on occasion, taken advantage of myself.  Gotta do what it takes for those special projects. I don't make a habit of it but desperate times....well you know. 

Years ago I went to a lot of Toy train meets with my dad and there was always a dealer or two selling Lionel trains that he broke down the same way. Took the trucks off, the chassis floor, the body, the handrails, etc.  you could buy the entire car from someone else for maybe $20.  But if you added up this guys stuff it was probably $100.  My father would grumble about it every time.   Now iI do the same with the sellers on eBay.  But as you say they do serve a purpose. Still, in the back of my mind I hope they get stuck with 90% of the parts that don’t sell?

[customline]

6 hours ago, LennyB said:

Years ago I went to a lot of Toy train meets with my dad and there was always a dealer or two selling Lionel trains that he broke down the same way. Took the trucks off, the chassis floor, the body, the handrails, etc.  you could buy the entire car from someone else for maybe $20.  But if you added up this guys stuff it was probably $100.  My father would grumble about it every time.   Now iI do the same with the sellers on eBay.  But as you say they do serve a purpose. Still, in the back of my mind I hope they get stuck with 90% of the parts that don’t sell?

 You've got to wonder what kind of sorry-ass does that sort of thing.  We all know it's a jungle out there ?. Wifey has been selling off a bunch of her paper-craft equipment on Facebook and has run into scammers frequently. Craigslist is a haven for them too. At least the 1:25 chop-shop people are fairly honest so far but the idea of how they operate bothers me.

[customline]

Update : Body painted with MCW mix of the factory color, Corinthian White, which seems kinda dark but they are paint experts, are they not? Paint was applied straight from the bottle over Tamiya fine surface white primer. Not sure if I should try to give it a high gloss or not. I have their clear coat so maybe....decals look better on slick glossy paint and there are a significant amount of them ?.

Engine, exhaust, gas tank and wheels are now installed.  Floor bottom was fogged in order to look "factory correct" ?. Thanks for checking in.

Photos taken under white LED illumination. 

[dwc43]

8 hours ago, customline said:

Update : Body painted with MCW mix of the factory color, Corinthian White, which seems kinda dark but they are paint experts, are they not? Paint was applied straight from the bottle over Tamiya fine surface white primer. Not sure if I should try to give it a high gloss or not. I have their clear coat so maybe....decals look better on slick glossy paint and there are a significant amount of them ?.

Engine, exhaust, gas tank and wheels are now installed.  Floor bottom was fogged in order to look "factory correct" ?. Thanks for checking in.

Photos taken under white LED illumination. 

I think the glossy paint depends on what it is. I see some of these models that have these high gloss paint jobs that you can see yourself in. That's great and they look awesome, but that was never a factory look if that's what you are going for. Even today's cars are not super glossy except in some cases like super cars. The see yourself like a mirror shine is great for a car show car that's never driven anywhere. Back in the day they spent the money on the engine and whatever it took to make it hook and go fast. I'd say most of them had the stock factory paint on them in most cases. A super glossy shine would not be right for that era I would not think. I guess if it was a team with factory support and they had deep pockets they may have gone the distance on a fancy paint job. I guess that's something to think about before you gloss it over. 

 

By the way, it looks great and love the pipe dumps on it. 

Edited June 3, 2024 by dwc43

[LennyB]

14 hours ago, customline said:

Update : Body painted with MCW mix of the factory color, Corinthian White, which seems kinda dark but they are paint experts, are they not? Paint was applied straight from the bottle over Tamiya fine surface white primer. Not sure if I should try to give it a high gloss or not. I have their clear coat so maybe....decals look better on slick glossy paint and there are a significant amount of them ?.

Engine, exhaust, gas tank and wheels are now installed.  Floor bottom was fogged in order to look "factory correct" ?. Thanks for checking in.

Photos taken under white LED illumination. 

The white looks right. It should have a slight grey tint to it.

 

Now the bigger questions is are you doing the Corinthian Leather Interior to go with it? Wait that's Chrysler...never-mind. I must be on fantasy Island again.

[customline]

4 hours ago, LennyB said:

The white looks right. It should have a slight grey tint to it.

 

Now the bigger questions is are you doing the Corinthian Leather Interior to go with it? Wait that's Chrysler...never-mind. I must be on fantasy Island again.

Ah yes...I remember...FON TA SEE  EYEEE LEND...duh playyyn!  duh playyyn!

nope, just red vinyl.  But now the paint, even in sunlight looks kinda....beige ?. Anyway, I just finished polishing it out. The foiling should be fun but first I gotta mask it for some paint work on the firewall (it's glued in). I need to clean up the bumpers and get the grille detailed, all that stuff. It's moving along, Len, I've been working on it! ? I followed MCW's instructions and they're right about how you won't make it run or sag. My old Wren couldn't deliver the paint heavy enough to get a good wet coat. I was maybe 2 inches from the body trying to get a wet coat. The paint seems extremely thinned out, you would never add more thinner to it. I figure they know what they're doing so it's just a matter of fine-tuning the pressure and the fluid adjustment. I've got another car to paint with that stuff, maybe I'll practice if I can find the time. Thanks for stopping by, Len.

[customline]

11 hours ago, dwc43 said:

I think the glossy paint depends on what it is. I see some of these models that have these high gloss paint jobs that you can see yourself in. That's great and they look awesome, but that was never a factory look if that's what you are going for. Even today's cars are not super glossy except in some cases like super cars. The see yourself like a mirror shine is great for a car show car that's never driven anywhere. Back in the day they spent the money on the engine and whatever it took to make it hook and go fast. I'd say most of them had the stock factory paint on them in most cases. A super glossy shine would not be right for that era I would not think. I guess if it was a team with factory support and they had deep pockets they may have gone the distance on a fancy paint job. I guess that's something to think about before you gloss it over. 

 

By the way, it looks great and love the pipe dumps on it. 

It was my first time with MCW lacquer.  Twas like a Sunkist Navel. My choices were sand/polish(preferred) or use half a bottle of clear on top and then sand/polish anyway. Happily, there were only one or two places that were too thin.  I hit primer where it won't be easily noticed so...it'll look just fine on the shelf. The level of gloss is in keeping with a factory solid color job on a 1:1.  I don't insist on perfection ?.  It's reflective enough for my purpose.

The dumps? Yeah? I had to do it. I couldn't find much on this particular car so I am guessing if they used dumps like this and where they might put them (this is what I would do ?). They look home-made with sloppy welding and a coat of Devcon Z....not that I planned it that way.

Thanks for your interest, DW!

[customline]

Got it all shined up and almost completely foiled today. Yay! Got the firewall painted too. Yay again! ? 

thanks for looking ?

[Tim W. SoCal]

Lookin' GOOD! Please keep your post coming...

[Straightliner59]

On 5/26/2024 at 8:50 PM, customline said:

That said, they do provide a service that I'm ashamed to admit I have , on occasion, taken advantage of myself.  Gotta do what it takes for those special projects.

I've done it a few times, as well. Mostly buying chassis for other projects, like an AMT Duster chassis for a '69 'Cuda, A '67 Mustang for a Maverick--stuff like that. 

I really like what you're doing, here! It's good to see, anytime someone puts in the effort to make it right!

[dwc43]

That looks awesome with all that chrome trim on it. Can't wait to see the finished project.

[papajohn97]

Just now discovered and got caught up on this excellent kit-bashing WIP. I’m particularly impressed with the scratch-building on that interior, really nice. I built and posted a resin bodied ‘62 Galaxie A/FX three years ago (here) and remember it being a lot more work than I anticipated. It made me think if $ was unlimited kit-bashers should buy two of everything and first do a dry-run build to figure out how to do the “official” build (and make all the mistakes on!).  Your MCW Corinthian White in your photos look’s about right to me. I used ScaleFinishes CW and it became my favorite off-white car model paint.

I love these early 60’s door slammers and you’re doing a fabulous job on this one Jim, looking forward to seeing this one “under glass”!

Edited June 5, 2024 by papajohn97
Corrections

[customline]

12 hours ago, Tim W. SoCal said:

Lookin' GOOD! Please keep your post coming...

Thanks, Tim, I shall ?

9 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

I've done it a few times, as well. Mostly buying chassis for other projects, like an AMT Duster chassis for a '69 'Cuda, A '67 Mustang for a Maverick--stuff like that. 

I really like what you're doing, here! It's good to see, anytime someone puts in the effort to make it right!

It's the only way to get what you want....BASH IT ! ?

45 minutes ago, dwc43 said:

That looks awesome with all that chrome trim on it. Can't wait to see the finished project.

You and me both, DW. I thought I was done but I forgot to foil the backlight trim. I'm getting there. I have Molotow on the handles and vent posts that needs some time but it'll get there soon enough. Decals on the weekend maybe. This is the point where bad things can happen so I've got to take it slow now. Thanks to all for watching this one.

[TarheelRick]

Really like what I am seeing with this build. Big fan of FX and Ford, so when the two come together I am in styrene heaven. In some of the earlier photos the color had a bit of a beige tone, but when you polished it up it brought it back to a nice white. All that BMF must have been exciting.

[customline]

7 minutes ago, papajohn97 said:

Just now discovered and got caught up on this excellent kit-bashing WIP. I’m particularly impressed with the scratch-building on that interior, really nice. I built and posted a resin bodied ‘62 Galaxie A/FX three years ago (here) and remember it being a lot more work than I anticipated. It made me think if $ was unlimited kit-bashers should buy two of everything and first do a dry-run build to figure out how to do the “official” build (and make all the mistakes on!).  Your MCW Corinthian White in your photos look’s about right to me. I used ScaleFinishes CW and it became my favorite off-white car model paint.

I love these early 60’s door slammers and you’re doing a fabulous job on this one Jim, looking forward to seeing this one “under glass”!

The big problem with the Tasca car is a lack of specific information on it. There are a few liberties I had to take and some things I knew about but didn't do (cheater slicks). Basically,  it's a generic '63 production lightweight. There is a book on Tasca's racing endeavors but I don't want to spend the money ?. I just wanted to build an adequate representation of a somewhat famous drag racer from my home town, back in the day. Thanks for your interest, John, I appreciate it. I usually don't bother with "under glass" but it will be here when done.

[customline]

18 hours ago, TarheelRick said:

Really like what I am seeing with this build. Big fan of FX and Ford, so when the two come together I am in styrene heaven. In some of the earlier photos the color had a bit of a beige tone, but when you polished it up it brought it back to a nice white. All that BMF must have been exciting.

Exciting? Oh yes, especially when I dropped my knife and it bounced off my right thigh, point first ?.  Lotsa foil on this one, Rick. Band-aid city. Got the glass in and installed the "instrument panel".  The kit provides the decals for the dash but the Best Model Parts prints are way better. The rear "grille" trim has a badge in the middle and a decal is provided but how do you  make that work? ?...more later.

[LennyB]

6 hours ago, customline said:

Exciting? Oh yes, especially when I dropped my knife and it bounced off my right thigh, point first ?. 

Well at least it bounced, could have been worse.?

 

Looking really nice Jim. Those kit decals for the emblems must be something new. Don't recall getting those before.