Lindberg's '53 Ford - following the instructions

[customline]

I like this kit.  I've built the convertible version mostly stock and a fairly radical custom using the hardtop kit and I have three more on the shelf....well, two more now and I decided to just follow the instructions for a change, just to see if I can.  I can't but I'm trying. The instructions in this version are, let's say.....not great.

As you probably know, 1953 was the final year for Ford's fabulous flathead.  The kit provides a fairly decent rendition of the engine but it's tied to a Slush-o-matic.  I was tempted but no.....this one is OOB.  Not even ignition wires. 

The instructions call for wheels that roll (wobble 🥴) so I glued together all three components ( inner wheel, brake drum and retainer) and painted as a unit. 

The chassis is nicely rendered with separate suspension, front and rear. The steering gear includes an idler arm (!) and tie rods that actually look in-scale and are faithfully detailed.  

Since I like things simple,  I wanted to paint the chassis with the rear end in place as well as the front suspension and K member.   The exhaust system consists of a muffler/exhaust pipe unit and a tail pipe. I was able to glue the K member in place and sneak the exhaust pipe through the hole in the K member afterward. I also made sure the tail pipe would find its way under the axle housing, which was also glued in place. You can't stick to the instructions. The mounting points for the rear springs are very small and I wanted to glue them without having to deal with paint.  

Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

[stavanzer]

Looks Very Good so far.

I've never owned this kit, so this is all new to me.

[customline]

In keeping with my simplified assembly ideas, I thought it best to assemble the inner fenders to the radiator support and radiator since they all get a coat of semi-gloss black. The firewall will be body color but the inner panels are black (from what I've been able to determine.)

Hopefully, the assembly will mate up with the firewall without a problem. It's about the paint.

Here's the exhaust in place. 👇

And now the wheels.  The white wall inserts have been sprayed with Tamiya white primer and, because of the way things fit, need to be glued to the outer wheels. My thought was to add my CA to the inside of the insert where it contacts the chrome outer wheel.  I sanded the chrome plating off the wheel to ensure a good bond. The inserts fit the tire well enough to stay put.  It should work. 🙂

The arrows show where I put CA and I kicked it before it leaked through. It didn't. 🤓 

The decal sheet, which is probably over 20 years old, includes the Ford emblems for the "wheel covers" but my attempt to use them failed so I grabbed my 20/0 velvet touch detail brush and wasted no moe time with the stupid decals.  Tires are sanded and ready for action.

Thanks for your interest.  

Edited Sunday at 01:49 PM by customline

[stavanzer]

You are making fast work of this kit!

[customline]

38 minutes ago, stavanzer said:

Looks Very Good so far.

I've never owned this kit, so this is all new to me.

I don't know how I ended up with so many.  I like the body style, Alan.  Couldn't help myself, I guess.

I wanted to see if I could actually build it by the instructions.  It's clear to me already that the instructions are at fault, not the kit.  The kit is solid.  The instructions writer needs a different line of work.

[customline]

7 minutes ago, stavanzer said:

You are making fast work of this kit!

I started it, I think, on Tuesday.  The body is pretty clean with faint parting lines in the usual places.  I shouldn't have started it.  I still have about eight builds in various states of neglect so I feel guilty about this but it just sorta happened.  I ordered the paint from MCW last night and I hope to get primer on the body tomorrow.  

[FoMoCo66]

Looking good, can't go wrong with a box stock every once and a while to clear your mind.

[customline]

13 hours ago, FoMoCo66 said:

Looking good, can't go wrong with a box stock every once and a while to clear your mind.

Oh.....that won't happen but it's worth trying 🤪

[customline]

One thing I found while "mocking up" is that my engine would not settle onto its front mount due to the crossover pipe landing on the splash pan first.  I put it together just the way it shows in the instructions.....I think.  In order to get the front mount to settle on its contact point I had to modify the crossover pipe. I didn't recall having this issue with previous builds so I looked at both.  The ragtop has duals and the hardtop has the crossover, which appeared to have been modified also. I just don't remember it.

You can't see it very well once it's in place anyway. I shortened it up to get the engine down on the mount where it belongs.

I wanted to see if I could finish the chassis and still be able to get the body on with wheels in place.  The clearance for tires is almost non-existent but it is possible to assemble it that way but it's tight.  I found that the chassis can be slid into the body from the front and manipulated very carefully into its location. Once the backlight is in place, it gets a bit more difficult but I have my ways 🙂.  Below is the left front wheel almost up against the splash pan. Very tight. The rears will get some relief after I do some Dremel work on the inside surfaces of the skirts in order to aid final assembly when the time comes.

The rear inside wheel wells are what cause the difficulties with assembly.  Trimming them may be a way to make it easier but I'll keep that as an option for now.

They can be trimmed enough to get some slack and not show much. Thanks for checking in and feel free to comment.

[customline]

I thought it might be good idea to check glass fit. I must say I'm impressed with the fit of both the windshield and the backlight.  There's not much gluing surface on the "glass" but what a fantastic fit!  I may not need to glue the windshield; it just sorta snaps in place (although I don't believe it was intended to be glueless.) Maybe a few tiny drops of 5 minute epoxy will hold it in place. The backlight is almost that good too. In the photos, they are holding themselves in place.

I filled the holes (circled) that are provided to mount the spotlights on both sides. I can't figure why they included them. I just don't see a need. 

There's a lot to like here. The fit is as good as it gets. I'm thinking I might need the glass installed before foiling due to the very limited gluing surface. 

 

The glass sorta locks into place perfectly. Kudos for that, Mr Lindberg!

You can see what they provided for the glass to "lock" into (circled).  The skirt has a thick attachment flange that can be thinned out easily and it can be done before gluing in place.  I used the sanding drum on my Dremel to remove material with the skirts in place. 

Below we have the "bumperette" recess. I am opting out of that. I know, it won't be OOB but I don't like them. The recesses will be filled and forgotten.  You know, like the spotlights.  Oh....I ordered from MCW a bottle of "Glacier Blue," the chosen body color and the roof will be "Corinthian White" (left over from another project.) That's all for now, TTYL.

Edited Monday at 04:13 PM by customline

[customline]

Almost forgot. Here's the Vic up on all fours. 👇🤓

[bill-e-boy]

Sometimes when you have other in depth builds going on you need to do something simple an OOB build. When you are done you feel as though you have accomplished something and have another build on the shelf. You just have to remember to keep it simple and it looks like you are achieving that in spades.

Just keep an eye out for Bil's squirrels

[customline]

1 hour ago, bill-e-boy said:

Sometimes when you have other in depth builds going on you need to do something simple an OOB build. When you are done you feel as though you have accomplished something and have another build on the shelf. You just have to remember to keep it simple and it looks like you are achieving that in spades.

Just keep an eye out for Bil's squirrels

Yeah, Bill, that's what's going on here.  My shelf space, though, is running out.  Wifey has most of it spoken for.  I have moles wrecking my yard so a few squirrels shouldn't be a big deal.  But you're right about relieving the stress of over-detailing everything.  Sometimes I just want to build a model.  🥴

[customline]

As I was puttering around today I thought I would check the exhaust pipe connection and sure enough, they don't meet.  Something I did?  Nope. I followed the instructions 😉

I corrected this indignity with a super-ingenious solution.  Good thing I pre-drilled the exhaust pipe inlet.   Some .020 brass inserted helps to line things up. A tiny bit of surgery to the frame at the firewall contact points was performed to get the body to settle down. I believe there is a very slight twist in the frame or the body because the right side of the fender to splash apron contact points won't quite meet. I have mocked this up many times and I'm sure I can resolve the issue at final assembly. Maybe. 🤨

It was this or just live with it. 😕

The rear shocks were painted with a brush and installed by well.....uh....forcing? them in 🙂.

The tail pipe, naturally, interfered with the shock install so it had to be removed and bent into a more friendly configuration. 

As much as I try, I can't spot some of these things ahead of time. No biggie though.  Below is the engine front mount (arrow) and the contact point on the frame (circled).  Two contact points. One under the crank pin and one under the transmission tail shaft.  When your engine has a single mount in the front, you need two at the rear, do you not?  Later 🥴.

Edited 23 hours ago by customline

[customline]

Now I need to deal with the interior which will be a bit of a challenge. The color separations on the side panels are difficult to mask due to the handle, crank, and armrest locations. Seats are easier but they lack any molded detail except for the stitching on the outer areas. The seat "inserts" are rendered just plain. Below is an example of a stock interior. 

Here's the Lindberg version 👇     It's like they just forgot that part of it.  The rest of the stitching is reproduced faithfully.

Any ideas?  I suppose I could carve the seams in.  Naaah. 

[johnyrotten]

7 hours ago, customline said:

The seat "inserts" are rendered just plain. Below is an example of a stock interior. 

Here's the Lindberg version 👇     It's like they just forgot that part of it.  The rest of the stitching is reproduced faithfully.

Any ideas?  I suppose I could carve the seams in.  Naaah. 

I added the chrome trim to the seats for my Chevelle by carefully carving a groove and adding a length of 26 Guage wire. Maybe 32 Guage would work in your case

[Belugawrx]

[Zippi]

I think what you have would look fine Jim.  I looked briefly for a 3D print file for those seats and came up empty.  

[johnyrotten]

1 hour ago, Belugawrx said:

That looks just like his kit seat. Different trim levels perhaps?

[Belugawrx]

Probably an option on the the build sheet, cloth versus naugahyde or vinyl

[customline]

4 hours ago, johnyrotten said:

I added the chrome trim to the seats for my Chevelle by carefully carving a groove and adding a length of 26 Guage wire. Maybe 32 Guage would work in your case

Thanks for your tip, John, I'm thinking about it.

[customline]

3 hours ago, Belugawrx said:

Thanks, Bruce, but that looks like a partial reupholstery job. It could be an option, I suppose.

1 hour ago, johnyrotten said:

That looks just like his kit seat. Different trim levels perhaps?

I thought that; but the difference is the piping around the front of the seat. It's all good. It's an OOB so I will assume the kit pattern is legit but ....🥴

[customline]

3 hours ago, Zippi said:

I think what you have would look fine Jim.  I looked briefly for a 3D print file for those seats and came up empty.  

I think you're right, Bob. I'll just paint it like the example and not sweat the stitch pattern. The real work is the side panels anyway.