Bernard Kron Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 (edited) '40 Ford Coupe, Chopped, Sectioned and Lowered Early 50's Valley Custom Style (More pictures below) The basis for this build was a beautiful chop and section job Ed Fluck III (Drag City Casting - http://dragcitycasting.com/) did on an AMT '40 Ford Coupe last summer. I bought it from him and adapted it to a set of AMT '39/'40 Fenders with a Revell '40 Ford Standard grille shell. The chop and section are very tasteful and well integrated into the basic design, but in fact they're quite radical, representing about 4 scale inches of section and more than 3" off the top. The running boards were removed and the bottoms of the fenders extended and molded, the '39 hood sectioned to match Ed's section job, and the AMT chassis slammed hard down into the weeds with the whole thing sitting on AMT '53 Studebaker Hubcaps and Modelhaus #246 wide whites. The kit interior was cut up and a scratch built tuck-and-roll job created including custom seats. The dashboard and steering are kit stock. The engine is the kit Olds with 3 deuces. Paint is Duplicolor dark grey primer followed by a base coat of PlastiKote Mr. Spray matte black, 2 coats of Duplicolor Universal Gloss Black and 2 coats of Krylon Crystal Clear. I color sanded and polished between each coat to get as smooth and high a gloss as possible. Headlights are AMT '39 Ford and taillights are from the Revell '32 Ford Five window. Everything else is from the AMT '40 Ford coupe kit. I went for a simple look, just jet black paint and wide whites with a little chrome trim and a classic cream and white interior. I didn't want to distract the eye from the great lines that Ed had given me. Thanx Ed! And also a special thanx to Raul Perez who picked up the torch at the last minute when I rushed to get this done in time for NNL West and blew out the foiling (you can get the whole story on the W.I.P. pages here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24225 ). Thanx for lookin', B. Edited February 24, 2010 by gbk1
RodBurNeR Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Nice work Bernard, I am sure Ed is glad to see this one built! I love the profile and caps you chose!
Raul_Perez Posted February 24, 2010 Posted February 24, 2010 Bernard, Between Ed's chop and section, along with the deleted running boards and lowered stance and that you provided, this is one cool looking ride!! And...I was glad to help out with the BMF... Later,
Bernard Kron Posted February 25, 2010 Author Posted February 25, 2010 (edited) Thanx guys! I was surprised at how much work it took to get the rest of the car to measure up to Ed's chop and section. And it's true what they say about black paint, it shows everything... Edited February 25, 2010 by gbk1
Joker Posted February 26, 2010 Posted February 26, 2010 Been following this build and WOW,love the way the removal of the running boards make Ford look, way cool. thanks for sharing ..Kit Bash
Bernard Kron Posted February 26, 2010 Author Posted February 26, 2010 (edited) Been following this build and WOW,love the way the removal of the running boards make Ford look, way cool. thanks for sharing ..Kit Bash Thanx! I've always been surprised it's not done more often since it really sets off the gorgeous shape of the 39/40 Ford fenders. It's especially effective on a lowered car. Removing the running boards was a very common modification on customs in the 30's and 40's but seems to have died off during the 50's. In plastic it requires adding a bottom strip undeneath the doors and extending the bottom of the fenders. Really not all that difficult to do, but certainly not a straight out-of-the-box proposition. One of the best known and most beautiful examples of this approach is the Jimmy Summers 40 Mercury convertible. It's gotten the full treatment, chopped, sectioned, and channeled and it is loooowwwww! Edited February 28, 2010 by gbk1
Corvette.Jeff Posted May 27, 2011 Posted May 27, 2011 glad to see how this one turned out, i wondered what happened to it.
seeker589 Posted May 28, 2011 Posted May 28, 2011 Very nice - i'd love to see that one slithering down the street! Heck - I'd love to be the one doin' the slithering! I wouldn't kick that one out of my garage!
Dave B Posted May 29, 2011 Posted May 29, 2011 The look & stance is straight out of Rodders Journal. Nice Dave B
Bernard Kron Posted June 1, 2011 Author Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) Thanx to you all for the very generous comments and for reviving this from the archives. My technical chops have improved since this was built and I plan to revisit this style in the future with better fit and finish. I love this style of custom! Edited June 1, 2011 by Bernard Kron
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