1969 Torino Talladega Resto-Mod

[Custom Mike]

Dave, if I saw this in a 1:1, I would look at the owner very closely, to see if he was totally insane, or just plain weird. Like you said though, it works for a model, we can get away with a whole lot more than you can in the real world!

[Car Crazy 81]

The Torino is looking great, Mike im building one just like yours except im going with a Boss 429 ci under the hood and using the kits 428 ci CJ in my 56 Ford Pickup. Im gonna have to try that aluminum foil trick thanks for the tip, my friend. Keep up the great work.

[Custom Mike]

Rick, great minds think alike! I was going to use the 429 out of the '70 Mustang Boss 429 in this one. The kit arrived after getting the chassis assembled and brake lines in place, and I found that it was going to take more work than I wanted to do to get it to fit right. I would have had to scrap the front brake lines and rework the suspension a bit to get it sitting right, so I decided the 428 was gonna stay with this one. It's all good though, I've got another Boss 429 kit to play with!

[torinobradley]

This thing is looking great! The colors really go together and make this one unique.

Now if you were going factory, the bottom pannel on the dash (where the radio is) and the very bottom section of the door panels are the only parts that have the exterior color on steel. Everything else has the interior color(s). Also, I think the guages are silver with black lettering. At least that is the way my 1:1 is. The guage lenses are conical. I made mine with a cone shaped punch, a candle and some clear blistarcard packaging and then cut them out with a hole punch.

Oh, and Kudos to you for foiling the A pillar. Lots of folks miss that. I'm looking forward to seeing this one done as I have a simular project further down the pipeline. Keep up the great work!

[Custom Mike]

Thanks for the info Bradley, if I ever do a stock version, I've got all the info I need! Pictures of this car on the web are hard to come by, at least ones that aren't grainy. Kind of like trying to find pictures of a '69 Firebird T/A Convertible, they're out there, but they're poor quality.

As far as getting the A-Pillar right, I can't take credit for that, Spyder (Jon) pointed out that on my '66 Fairlane. Apparently, some '60's Fords had solid chrome A-Pillars, and being a Mopar/Chevy guy, I was blissfully ignorant of that little detail until he pointed it out, which I'm thankful for.

Thanks for all the comments guys, now get back to the benches!

Edited May 6, 2010 by Mike S.

[jedimastergary]

Nice look so far the interior is cool like the color combo

and the body looks good

[Custom Mike]

Update time! I finished off my air cleaner by applying some Detail Master Krome Foil to the lid, slapping the 428 decal on it, and calling it good. Then I painted up my radiator/core support assembly with some Semi-Gloss and Flat Blacks, the radiator was painted with some Metalizer Steel, and the Oil Cooler was painted with some Aluminum Plate. Then I got to work getting the engine finished off and installed in the chassis, I hope to get this one wrapped up in the next week!

[Custom Mike]

I finally got the body fully foiled, I used Detail Master's Krome Foil, since standard aluminum foil is too thick for fine details like this. All that's left for the body now is the FORD logo on the trunk, the glass, headliner, some PE door locks, and the door handles. I'm going to try to use some of the FORD decals I have left form my '66 Fairlane to do them up right. And the side mirrors are just pinned in place right now, so don't give me grief over the passenger side being sideways!

[David@MinidreamsInc.]

GD MIKE NICE COLORS !

[Reeves Racing]

Gorgeous build Mike. I was hoping I would run across you some where else besides SA or BMC. Its great to see your work again.

[Custom Mike]

Hey Mitch, good to see you too, I split my time between Scale Avenue and here, so I'm still around, don't go to the old place much anymore, but we won't go there. Good to see you're still around, what do you think of Hemi's paint on this baby?

[Custom Mike]

OK, update time. I finally found my package of S&S Specialties turned aluminum coils I bought a few years back at a contest (Couldn't beat the 3 for $2.00 price!), and drilled one out. That was a blast, everyone should try it once! After wasting a few bits and painting the little booger Semi-Gloss Black, I had to make a strap for it. Enter my '67 Charger PE fret, I saw the nice, straight pieces near the headlight surrounds and had my strap. I cut a piece off, wrapped it around the coil, then drilled a hole in it. Here's some pics, more in the next post...

[Custom Mike]

Now the fun really begins, I dug out some 1/87th scale bolts I bought for some reason, and cut one loose. A few minutes of holding my breath allowed me to get that tiny bolt in the strap, and a drop of superglue held it together. I drilled a hole in the cylinder head for my bolt, a little more superglue, and it was in place. Lastly, the coil wire was dropped in place, and the chassis is now 100% competed!

[Custom Mike]

And the last update for now. I completed the interior by adding my door locks, and glued my tail light panel in place. Lock cylinders from my '67 Charger PE fret were added to the doors and tail light panel, then some 30 gauge wire was added to the side mirrors to pin them in place on the doors. I should be able to get the windshield glued in tomorrow night, and hopefully wrap this baby up before Friday!

[Custom Mike]

hey Mike, don't forget to turn the tires around so they are facing the right direction not a real big deal and i'm not picking on ya! just a peeve of mine to see directional tires backwards.

Dave I spotted that in the pics, but wasn't paying attention, kind of the whole "Can't see the forest for the trees thing" at this point, but thanks for pointing it out, they've been corrected. I don't mind someone pointing things like that out while I'm building, I get focused on certain areas, and always forget some minor detail like that.....D'oh!

[Custom Mike]

OK, now for some more progress, my windshield is in, the interior is in place, and the body and chassis are now together. Throw the grille/bumper assembly into the mix, and we're nearing the finish line pretty quickly. Here's tonight's pics, the first one shows where Hemi "signed" the body after he painted it, it's the last time it'll ever be seen!

[Custom Mike]

And my final pair of pics for tonight, the battery cables are in place, and my brake lines have been ran up to the master cylinder, completing the engine compartment except for my my fan shroud decal and upper radiator hose. The little booger of a hose vanished on me, so I've got to either find it, or break out some 18 gauge wire....

[cazxr2]

This is simply amazing looking at it must make u feel so proud. It looks so real. Top job. One of the best models I have ever seen super detailed. Love it ;0)

[Custom Mike]

Thanks Craig, I wish I could do this on every build, but it does wear you down, I've done two like this lately, and it'll be a while before I do another. I said I'd be done soon, and for once, I was right! She's done, here's a couple of teaser shots to hold you over until I get some sunlight pics! Thanks to everyone who followed this one, I really enjoyed it, and a big thanks to Hemi for the great paint!

And this pics is just to show off the gorgeous Black paint Hemi provided me with.....start drooling!

Edited June 6, 2010 by Mike S.

[cazxr2]

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!

As I said love it

[Wayne Buck]

That turned out beautiful!!

Very nice attention to detail! That sure is something that you should be very proud of! GREAT work!!!

[Jim0205]

Exceptional work Mike been too long since I followed a build of yours.

[Custom Mike]

Thanks guys, now's where we put a lid on this one. Thanks to everyone who either viewed or commented on this build, I really enjoyed taking Hemi's beautiful paint and making one cool looking 'Dega with it. This baby's posted in the Under Glass section now, click on the link below to see it!

1969 Torino Talladega Resto-Mod

Edited June 6, 2010 by Mike S.