mwfuss Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 (edited) Okay, I finally decided to take the plunge post a WIP. I currently have two projects going on my workbench: a 1949 Ford and a 1937 Chevrolet. This WIP is of the 1949 Ford. I started with the AMT kit and have been working on this project off and on [mostly off] for over a year now. I chopped the top and reshaped the front edge of the roof. I was not too crazy about the shape of the original. I also scratchbuilt a new front cowl to follow the new shape of the front of the roof. In addition, I lengthened the hood and reshaped the rear portion where it meets the cowl. I still have some rough edges to work out with the body work, but all in all, I am pleased with how it has turned out so far. One area that has not pleased me is with the stance of the model using the stock chassis. Try as I might, I just could not get the stance where I wanted it to be. As a result, I decided to scratchbuild a new frame as shown in the photos. There was a tremendous amount of trial and error [most error] in this part of the build. I am mostly pleased with the frame at the moment although I may tweak it a bit here and there. The large holes in the frame will be for the exhaust. At the moment, I am trying to scratchbuild a front suspension. I will post some photos of this part of build when I am able. I will be putting a Ford 427 engine in the model. I have not yet settled on the fuel system. I have also not decided on a body color. I appreciate all of you taking a look at this WIP and I welcome your comments and suggestions. Edited September 29, 2009 by mwfuss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rider Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 The chop job looks good and the chassi looks nice a straight. Good start with this WIP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 I like the chop, but I LOVE that chassis! Nice to hear it's getting a 427 as well! I've never seen the '49 with that box art- last time I saw it on the shelves, it was the brown car on the gray background. You mean I MISSED a recent issue of this kit?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest arni Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Off to a good start there,I like the new chassis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscool Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Thats one of the best chops on this body I have ever seen. Wish I had the skills to do major body work like that. I agree with Bluesman about the sectioning, although it is a good bit of work. Sectioning a shoebox Ford always gives them much more of a sports car look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKIN10SECS Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 With what I see so far....you done some plungen before ....Nice work....Nice start...look forward to seeing more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harold Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Nice start you got going, although if you could get the trailing edge of the hood to mimic the base of the windshield, it would really be interesting. Great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMc Posted September 30, 2009 Share Posted September 30, 2009 Looking good so far! That chassis is going to turn out great. Nice chop job too, but I have a suggestion here that might work well. With that somewhat aggressive chop, consider sectioning the body as well, as the body's height visually overwhelms that top chop. You don't need to section much, in fact the width of the molded in side trim should be plenty. Remember in 1/24-1/25 scale that 1 millimeter is virtually 1 scale inch, (it is 1 scale inch in 1/24, & certainly close enough in 1/25), so you can keep track of how much you want to chop or section! OH YEAH.......I gotta agree with the Bluesman!!!A section to that puppy will set it apart. In that other magazine Tim Boyd has a sectioning article (great read) and he shows where and how to cut. Are you gonna go with a SOHC or just a FE ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwfuss Posted October 1, 2009 Author Share Posted October 1, 2009 Thank you for all of the positive comments and suggestions. I have not really thought about sectioning the body. I have never done that and I am afraid that I would make a real mess of things. This is the only 49 Ford body I have, so if I ruin it, this WIP will be a RIP! That said, however, I will give the matter some thought. I was always timid about chopping tops until I did it a few times and now it not quite as intimidating as it once was. Over the past few days I have made very little progress on the build, so I have no new photos to post. I hope to be able to spend more time on it this evening and tomorrow afternoon. I did attach the front clip to the frame and I am working on scratchbuilding the front suspension, which is not turning out to be nearly as easy as I thought it would. I have the upper and lower control arms made and I am now working on the front spindles. After that, I think I will try to make a rack and pinion steering system. I do enjoy the challenge of scratchbuilding, although it can sometimes be quite frustrating. I will put a 427 engine into the car, but I still have not decided on the fuel system setup or any other engine details outside of the basic block and heads. Again, thank you to all for your kind and helpful comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
93Z34 Posted October 1, 2009 Share Posted October 1, 2009 You've taken on a very in-depth project Mark and so far you are doing that kit some real justice! That framework looks absolutely beautiful and your forethought in regards to the exhaust routing and so forth really tells alot about the thought you've put into this project. I'm really looking forward to following along with this build as it progresses. Keep us updated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwfuss Posted October 3, 2009 Author Share Posted October 3, 2009 I have been working on completing the front portion of the frame and I am most satisfied with the progress. The front clip has been attached and I have started work on the front suspension components. These first two photos show the attached front clip and the scratchbuild front shock mounts. After I took these photos and did some test fitting, I found that I need to lengthen the shock mounts a bit, but I have not done that yet. Here are some of the front suspension components, all scratchbuilt. The upper and lower control arms are made from 19 gauge steel wire bent to shape. The connectors are from aluminum tubing. I would prefer to use brass and solder it to the steel wire for a stronger joint, but I do not have any brass tubing at the present, so this will suffice for the time being. The spindles are very crudely done out of styrene. I just could not think of better way of doing them. This is a prototype of the front shock. It is all scratchbuilt from aluminum tubing, 22 and 24 gauge wire and rubber wire insulation. The finished units will be painted. This final photo is a mock up of some of the front suspension components. Thank you to all for looking at the progress. I know that it is slow, but that is how I work. Actually, I prefer to call it deliberate, rather than slow . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMc Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Looks Great...shock is perfect!! Keep it going!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asco Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Wow. Extremely great-looking chassis coming out, huh. Looking forward how this is going to build up... I'd like to see the '49 sectioned too, but the stance is everything... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwfuss Posted October 14, 2009 Author Share Posted October 14, 2009 I took some time away from this project while I was waiting for some brass tubing I ordered to arrive. Shortly after my friendly postman delivered the awaited package, I got back to work re-doing the front suspension. For some reason neither CA glue nor 5 minute epoxy was making a strong bond between the steel wire used for the upper and lower control arms and the aluminum tubing I originally used for the ends. I then decided that I would obtain some brass rod and attach it to the steel wire by soldering the parts together. After my brass tubing arrived, that is just what I did. After some clean-up, here are the mostly finished upper and lower control arms all nicely secured with solder. Sorry for the quality of the photo. Here are a few photos of the front suspension mocked-up: I also decided to try to reshape the A-pillars and the back of the hood to allow for a more flowing appearance. Here is what I have so far. I can now see that these photos are not that great [in fact, that they are really bad, how do you get an autofocus camera out of focus!?], so I will try to redo them later today and edit this post. In any event, I hope you can see where I am trying to go with this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 HOLY SHAMOLY Mark now THAT'S COOL!!!! Buildin your own Chassis AND front suspension sure ain't no peice of cake! Your doin GREAT bro, it's comin out like the REAL thing!!! Your a VERY talented builder for sure!!! Can't wait to see how this bad boy comes out, caz it's lookin GREAT so far!!!(oh, for wat it's worth, a section job on the body WOULD really help the lines flow.) GREAT JOB so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwfuss Posted October 16, 2009 Author Share Posted October 16, 2009 The quality of the photos in my last post were terrible so I wanted to post some that were clearer. These photos bring the build progress up to date. I have mostly finished the front suspension and have done a few more body modifications. Here are the upper and lower control arms and the front shocks. Here is a mock up of the front suspension attached to the frame. This shows how I reworked the A-pillar a bit to give it a little curve. The white in the place of the windshield in the next two photos is the index card template which I will use to make a new windshield from clear styrene. This shows the reworked back end of the hood to more closely reflect the curve of the front of the roof. Thank you to everyone for keeping up with the progress of this build. I hope to paint the front shocks today [Friday] and begin to work on the rear suspension. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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