1957 Ford Del Rio "Shooting Brake" Ranch Wagon

[LennyB]

I put the wagon aside for a bit so that all the body work could dry properly but now it's time to get back at it. And we are at the point of tackling that side trim. This is where we either make it work or it all goes to 💩

I started out by tracing the current side trim with some masking tape and laying that on top of some flat styrene, I think .030. Then trimming it down until there was only tape showing.

Then taking the piece I made and making a second.

I eyeballed it's placement and basically I was looking to have the curve follow the arch over the wheel opening.

I sanded the body back down to the bare styrene, if I was smart I probably never would have sprayed the primer on in the first place. I am discovering that the kit trim is not very pronounced and is actually rather uneven in thickness, Revell could have done a better job with it. Almost considered taking it all off and starting from scratch.

 

The pieces were glued in place and at this point you can see they are thicker then they need to be.

 

I made myself a scribe tool steeling the idea from @Maindrian Pace and I used this to sharpen some of the detail on the Revell trim and etch a reference mark on my pieces.

 

Looks very crude here but I have added the bottom leg that extends forward and left it oversized so I can trim it down to fit. I started scribing on the hockey stick here which will later make more sense.

Here you can see why I was scribing those lines as the trim is beginning to look like something.

It still needs a bit more cleanup work but it is beginning to take shape and not looking all that bad. Time to let it sit a bit to dry and then we will fuss with it some more. See ya next time....

Edited November 27, 2024 by LennyB

[espo]

Impressive looking trim work. 

[LennyB]

Thanks David.😀

 

But I was just sitting here and decided I'm not happy with the rear trim section which is Revell's doing. The thickness is irregular and the cove down the center, even after re-scribing, isn't satisfactory. I took it off completely and decided to start from scratch. Glued a piece of square stock in it's place, which is too thick but I will sand it down to the right thickness and scribe it with the patented @Maindrian Pace scribing tool. Once the glue completely dries that is. Wish me luck....😬

[BK9300]

You’re not afraid of work, that’s for sure - should look better!

[customline]

This looks like the darkness just before the dawn.  You're a brave, brave lad, Mr. B., pushing the envelope. This is where the fun is 😄 !

[LennyB]

12 hours ago, BK9300 said:

You’re not afraid of work, that’s for sure - should look better!

Brian, everyone always tells me I work too hard. But when it pays off it’s worth it😀

9 hours ago, customline said:

This looks like the darkness just before the dawn.  You're a brave, brave lad, Mr. B., pushing the envelope. This is where the fun is 😄 !

Right now yes, It been raining all night, 0.40” so far and it’s still dark outside at almost 8 AM.  
 

Oh, you meant the trim.  😜

[LennyB]

And here is where we are so far. I think the extra work was worth it.

And this is the distance we've traveled.

 

[customline]

19 minutes ago, LennyB said:

And here is where we are so far. I think the extra work was worth it.

And this is the distance we've traveled.

 

Yup. You did it👍.  Now take the day off, Len. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!  🦃🏈

[Moparman18064]

Fantastic adaption Len, Happy Thanksgiving

[Butter 1]

You are getting close. Nice work.

[LennyB]

2 hours ago, customline said:

Yup. You did it👍.  Now take the day off, Len. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!  🦃🏈

Thanks boss, you have a good Thanksgiving too.

Gee, a day off, what am I going to do with myself. Maybe I'll go up into the attic and get out the Arc of the Covenant, dust it off and do a little light reading.🤔

[LennyB]

1 hour ago, Moparman18064 said:

Fantastic adaption Len, Happy Thanksgiving

 

57 minutes ago, Butter 1 said:

You are getting close. Nice work.

Thanks guys, it's coming along. Now after this I just have the whole rest of the car to get built.😨

[Chuckyg1]

A lot of work, but well worth the effort. Nicely done.

[customline]

53 minutes ago, LennyB said:

 

Thanks guys, it's coming along. Now after this I just have the whole rest of the car to get built.😨

Not just that one, Lenny. 🤓

[gman]

That is some very impressive trim relocation and sculpting. It explains why that Galaxie I have been watching take shape has to be patient 😆.

I am looking forward to seeing this one get the foil treatment on that new trim. It will be a subtle modification that gets overlooked by the uninitiated for sure (just like what they did on vehicle that inspired this model), but you have witnesses as to how much work it takes to recreate the look of the 1:1.

I am going to have to look up that Maindrian Pace technique.

Edited November 28, 2024 by gman

[LennyB]

1 hour ago, gman said:

That is some very impressive trim relocation and sculpting. It explains why that Galaxie I have been watching take shape has to be patient 😆.

I am looking forward to seeing this one get the foil treatment on that new trim. It will be a subtle modification that gets overlooked by the uninitiated for sure (just like what they did on vehicle that inspired this model), but you have witnesses as to how much work it takes to recreate the look of the 1:1.

I am going to have to look up that Maindrian Pace technique.

I suppose I should have posted this for the trim guide.

I initially tried to fix the Revell trim with this method but as the trim was irregular in shape and thickness it didn't work too well. What I did here which worked like a charm was first to sand the trim down to the proper thickness but leave the edges straight. That left a good even surface for the scriber. After scribing the seam I then rounded off the outer edges.

 

As for the Galaxie I'm currently trying to make a resin mold of the back seat so I can make a copy to turn into a front bench.

[Maindrian Pace]

Spot-on trim work, and it's nice to see the Maindrian Pace technique put to the test in the field.

[LennyB]

55 minutes ago, Maindrian Pace said:

Spot-on trim work, and it's nice to see the Maindrian Pace technique put to the test in the field.

Hey, it works like a charm 😊 Thanks

[dino246gt]

Man that is some fine work, love the subtle design changes that could've, or should've been from the factory, or at least the design studio, love it!

Never be afraid to try some new techniques when building, it's SO rewarding! (after all the swearing, LOL)

[David G.]

That is some next-level work there Len!

It looks like it will be well worth the effort, especially compared to what Revell gave you to work with.

David G.

[LennyB]

22 hours ago, dino246gt said:

Man that is some fine work, love the subtle design changes that could've, or should've been from the factory, or at least the design studio, love it!

Never be afraid to try some new techniques when building, it's SO rewarding! (after all the swearing, LOL)TH

42 minutes ago, David G. said:

That is some next-level work there Len!

It looks like it will be well worth the effort, especially compared to what Revell gave you to work with.

David G.

Thanks Dennis but I can’t take credit for the design enhancements, Pure Vision gets the credit for that. But the subtle changes do make a big difference. 
 

Glad you like it David.  Just hoping I can carry out the rest of the build without something going sideways.  

[LennyB]

While I haven't posted anything about the Del Rio Wagon in a while work has been going on in the background which basically has been planning and buying parts.

The sink marks on the top front of the fenders have been rectified. Although hard to see in the pictures.

Next was trying to sort out the taillights. The real McCoy has 61 Ford Starliner taillights but that's not what I'm going with. For decades (yes you heard me right) I've had this little taillight floating around on my desk/workbench. Anyone know what it's from.  Hint, it's AMT early 60's

I decided I was going to use this instead but with a twist. I made a mold of the taillight and cast the outer chrome ring in translucent red and the center taillight section is white.

And this is how it looks on the wagon.

Engine was going to be a Boss 429 right from the start and I picked up one from Iceman Collections. It's going to need a little bit of work.

Chassis on the 1:1 is an Art Morrison. This is going to need a bit of work as well. Picked up an AMT 39 Wagon Rod which comes with an Art Morrison chassis. That is the one on the right with the Del Rio chassis on the left.

The AM chassis is narrower overall so as it stands it clearly doesn't fit the Rio.

Not sure yet if I'm going to just use the front and rear of the chassis and fabricate new rails for the center. Or if I should just start from scratch and make the whole chassis and just add the front and rear suspension. Or adapt the suspension to the stock chassis. Jury is still out at the moment and they just ordered dinner for the night, it doesn't look like it will be a quick decision.

 

Hopefully by next time we have some more of this sorted out. See ya then. As always comments welcome.

[Maindrian Pace]

Taillight is '60-'61 Falcon, the new version looks very nice in the car.

[OldNYJim]

Nice work on this build - I like the taillight idea especially 

[espo]

21 hours ago, LennyB said:

While I haven't posted anything about the Del Rio Wagon in a while work has been going on in the background which basically has been planning and buying parts.

The sink marks on the top front of the fenders have been rectified. Although hard to see in the pictures.

Next was trying to sort out the taillights. The real McCoy has 61 Ford Starliner taillights but that's not what I'm going with. For decades (yes you heard me right) I've had this little taillight floating around on my desk/workbench. Anyone know what it's from.  Hint, it's AMT early 60's

I decided I was going to use this instead but with a twist. I made a mold of the taillight and cast the outer chrome ring in translucent red and the center taillight section is white.

And this is how it looks on the wagon.

Engine was going to be a Boss 429 right from the start and I picked up one from Iceman Collections. It's going to need a little bit of work.

Chassis on the 1:1 is an Art Morrison. This is going to need a bit of work as well. Picked up an AMT 39 Wagon Rod which comes with an Art Morrison chassis. That is the one on the right with the Del Rio chassis on the left.

The AM chassis is narrower overall so as it stands it clearly doesn't fit the Rio.

Not sure yet if I'm going to just use the front and rear of the chassis and fabricate new rails for the center. Or if I should just start from scratch and make the whole chassis and just add the front and rear suspension. Or adapt the suspension to the stock chassis. Jury is still out at the moment and they just ordered dinner for the night, it doesn't look like it will be a quick decision.

 

Hopefully by next time we have some more of this sorted out. See ya then. As always comments welcome.

Been wondering what had happened to this build. The front and rear "clips" from the AM chassis may be one idea.