49 Ford High and Mighty inspired

[chris chabre]

26 minutes ago, Ferbz said:

Haha! Yes, I recognize your name now 🤪👍

My stupid phone autocorrected Mikes last name to Lang. Wish I caught it earlier

[Ferbz]

Here's a bit of an update: I found some aluminum tape in the garage that seems to work well replicating interior panels. I think it's normally used for dryer exhaust hose ducting? It cuts easily with scissors and adheres really well. I made some door panels and covered them with the tape and did the same for the sheet styrene panels I used to box in the rear seat area. I also found a textured version of the tape and used that for the flooring to replicate stamped panels, altho it kinda looks more like sound deadening material the more I stare at it lol I scratch built a mount for the seat since it sits too low in the interior tub without it, and painted them with spray can aluminum. I also thought I'd try a weathering wash on the seat just to see how it would look. I've never done weathering of any kind before.....kinda fun! The frame was painted red with the undercarriage surfaces painted a dark gray. The body is now in first primer, which always shows the bodywork that needs finetuning. Onwards and upwards....🙂

[Straightliner59]

That aluminum duct tape looks like the perfect solution, in this case! Good thinking! I love working with aluminum in many forms.

[BK9300]

I agree about the tape - great idea!  Need to keep that in mind for future builds.

[Ferbz]

10 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

That aluminum duct tape looks like the perfect solution, in this case! Good thinking! I love working with aluminum in many forms.

Yeah, I'm always on the lookout for materials I can use for detailing etc. 😉 I've heard of some folks cutting up aluminum soda cans for things which is clever. I once used pie pan aluminum for making these fender guards on my 39 Ford. They didn't polish up as nice as I wanted, but they get the point across and look pretty good otherwise I think:

[Ferbz]

2 hours ago, BK9300 said:

I agree about the tape - great idea!  Need to keep that in mind for future builds.

It's the first time I've used it and I think it works well. I found that it's pretty soft in that you can easily dent it or press divots into it so keep that in mind when you get around to trying it out. The particular tape I have is more like a sticker in that it has a paper backing you have to peel off before you apply it, which is convenient 😉 Cut the shapes you want, then peel and stick! It's also thicker than say BMF so it's not as flimsy or delicate, which is also convenient. 

[espo]

Like the "three window" body design. Great idea for interior textures. 

[Ferbz]

2 hours ago, espo said:

Like the "three window" body design. Great idea for interior textures. 

Thanks! I think the Shoebox Ford lends itself well to being a 3 window coupe. In hindsight I would've curved this top rear corner of the side window openings to closer mimic the more pleasing shape of the 1:1 chopped Plymouth 3 window car. But maybe leaving it as is gives it that obvious hastily modified look instead of it feeling like a thoughtfully designed custom (which it's not meant to be anyhow)?

Edited January 10 by Ferbz

[Straightliner59]

Also,  for aluminum,  I like Maid-O-Metal tooling aluminum and aluminum flashing from the hardware store.  I use a lot of aluminum!

[Ferbz]

2 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

Also,  for aluminum,  I like Maid-O-Metal tooling aluminum and aluminum flashing from the hardware store.  I use a lot of aluminum!

Very cool 😎 What do you use for adhesive on aluminum? 2-part epoxy?

[Straightliner59]

5 hours ago, Ferbz said:

Very cool 😎 What do you use for adhesive on aluminum? 2-part epoxy?

I've had good results with contact cement.  Lately, I have been using GS Hypo cement,  and it seems to be working, so far. Flashing is very easy to use, for flat panels--especially where rigidity is needed. For compound curves, it has to be annealed, first. The body for my Nostalgia Top Fuel dragster is flashing, except for the nose and tail sections, which are tin. If you have any questions,  feel free to ask. I have a fair amount of experience!🙂

[Ferbz]

Initial pass at doing the primer/putty/sand process on the body has begun 🙂 Although I've always enjoyed doing custom body mods, I've never liked doing the paint prep part of applying and sanding putty. There's no way around tho if I want the paint job to come out any kind of decent so we'll muscle thru! I use the big tube of 3M Glazing Putty for this process and aside from sanding sticks, I'll cut block erasers into thin pads to use as 'sanding blocks'. One more round after this ought to do it.....

Edited January 21 by Ferbz

[M W Elky]

3 hours ago, Ferbz said:

Initial pass at doing the primer/putty/sand process on the body has begun 🙂 Although I've always enjoyed doing custom body mods, I've never liked doing the paint prep part of applying and sanding putty. There's no way around tho if I want the paint job to come out any kind of decent so we'll muscle thru! I use the big tube of 3M Glazing Putty for this process and aside from sanding sticks, I'll cut block erasers into thin pads to use as 'sanding blocks'. One more round after this ought to do it.....

Thanks for the eraser tip I’ll have try that. Looking really good so far

[Ferbz]

7 minutes ago, M W Elky said:

Thanks for the eraser tip I’ll have try that. Looking really good so far

Thanks! Yeah give the eraser thing a try! Dont use the rock hard erasers. You'll want the more softer, rubbery ones. This way, when you cut your thin sanding block from it, it'll bend and conform better to your curved body surfaces 👍

[Steamboat]

Looking great!

[Ferbz]

1 hour ago, Steamboat said:

Looking great!

Thanks! It's progressing slowly but surely 😉 I never know how my builds are going to turn out as there are so many potential pitfalls and changes that can happen along the way to completion. In my mind it looks pretty cool tho! 🤪

[Ferbz]

Progress on this has been slow but sure. Since my last update, I've painted/assembled the wheels, and have been tinkering with the motor and wanted to show a quick mockup. @Steamboat shared the fact that he used Evergreen angled rod to make the intake plenum supports for his model so I made those and glued them into place. I added a vertex magneto and drilled holes in it for the plug wires. Installing plug wires is next. Admittedly, I'm not really an 'engine guy' as my modeling interest is mainly in bodywork and exterior custom styling, but this project has been quite a bit of fun 😉 As I mentioned in a previous post, this model is not meant to be an accurate representation of a real car, but a build that just captures the spirit of that crazy High and Mighty drag car. Having said that, I wont be plumbing/wiring much else other than the mentioned plug wires. I also cut open the front wheel wells to accommodate the wild exhaust tubes. I plan to use solder and tin ferrules from cheap hobby brushes to make those. I have no idea how they will turn out....hopefully they'll be some kinda decent lol  After cutting and shaping the opening on one fender, I used file folder paper to make a template for the shape of the wheel opening. I traced the shape from behind and cut the shape out of the paper with my exacto. I lined up the template on the opposite fender in the proper place using the bottom rocker panel and rear door line as a placement guide. It was then taped in place, then I traced the shape with a pencil onto the fender. After that, it was a matter of cutting and sanding the wheel opening so that it matches the other fender. It's not exact, but it's close enough lol

Edited February 26 by Ferbz

[Ferbz]

Quick update: I added spark plug wires to the motor. 'Posing' the wires by bending them in a way that makes them look natural (without any kinks or jogs) is extra work but really pays off in the end I think. Funny thing is, in this case the plug wires will sit right up against the firewall.....no one will ever see how nice they drape lol That might not be altogether bad since I think they hang a bit low, especially the really low one on the left side....🙃

[Ferbz]

So I'm now focused on making the exhaust system, which is a very distinct character detail of the 1:1 High and Mighty drag car. I decided I would try and make the exhaust using cheap paintbrush ferrules and solder. First, I pulled the bristles out of the ferrules. Then using my xacto blade, I carefully cut the ferrules away from the brush handles by applying light but steady pressure while rolling it back and forth on my work bench until they're cut free. I then scratch built header flange plates from sheet styrene. Scale wise they're a bit thick, but I needed them to be a bit beefy in order to confidently anchor the solder 'exhaust tubes' in place. After staring at it awhile and scratching my head on how to approach snaking each of the 'tubes' thru the wheel opening, I decided I would keep each length of exhaust straight at first. I'll make a small tight bend at the flange end, then glue them all to the flange keeping them parallel to one another and perpendicular to the flange. I will then glue the entire unit in place to the engine so that all the 'tubes' will stick straight out of the wheel opening. Then by eyeballing, I'll gingerly bend each one matching the bend and spread of the tubes of the real car the best I can. I'll then cut each one to length, then glue the paintbrush ferrules to the ends. Should be a piece of cake, right? 🤪 LOL Wish me luck.....

[Ferbz]

Solder header 'tubes' are glued to their flanges. It's a fit tight between the heads and the frame but they'll work lol Next step will be to glue them in place then bend the tubes with the body in place for reference to make them look like the exhaust tubes on the real car. After cutting them to length, the paintbrush ferrule megaphone tips will get glued onto each solder end and that should wrap up the headers (whew!): 

[Ferbz]

A small update: I managed to get the solder rods bent to shape so that they exit out of the fender much like how the 1:1 High and Mighty car does. I initially thought I should glue the header units in place first, then bend each rod to the shape I wanted, but I thought it might be best to keep them loose to ease the process of bending them. This worked out much better as I was able to manipulate each rod easier and double check the left and right sides as I went along. The next step will be to glue the headers into place and add the megaphone tips. These are mockup shots with all the engine pieces temporarily in place just to check to and see if I'm capturing the vibe of the original car 😉 On retrospect, I might've been more careful about the scale of the solder and paintbrush tips as they look a bit large scale wise (they might look better if the whole project was 1/24th scale and not 1/25th) but I'm too far along to go back now lol

[Ferbz]

Update! A quick mockup to check overall progress of my whacky High and Mighty Ford model car idea: The headers are assembled and glued into place, factory front gravel pan was modified and also glued in place, and the hole in the hood was cut open for the intake. I'm currently fussing with gaps of the hood...what a pain! lol It's sitting just a little too high in the rear which I'll adjust, then I'm back to prepping the body for paint. Overall, I'm pleased with where it's heading:

[Straightliner59]

You have certainly captured the vibe of the Ramchargers' old Plymouth, beautifully!

[Ferbz]

6 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

You have certainly captured the vibe of the Ramchargers' old Plymouth, beautifully!

Thanks! I'm glad you think so! That is totally my intention with this build. The 1:1 car really is an icon in drag racing history. It has a very distinct vibe; particularly wild for it's time. And when I learned about it I thought: why not try and build a shoebox ford version? 🙂 I'm actually working on a silly/fun, fictional backstory about it......stay tuned!

[Kenmojr]

Nice transition of this 49 Ford...