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Posted

Hey All,

I'm building Revell's 1960 Ford Starliner and the frame is cast as a channel frame. Since the front of the frame will be visible when the hood is open, I was wondering if leaving it as a channel frame would be accurate, or should I close off the top and box it. I don't recall ever seeing a car that had a channel frame in the front, but I've never seen a '60 Starliner frame either.

As always, any advise offered would be appreciated.

Thanks again,

David G.

Posted

Ryan,

Thanks for the links, they're awsome, they'll help tremendously with the frame details!

I did several searches, but didn't find those pages. What did we ever do without the internet?

What color do you plan on painting yours? I'm going to try to duplicate Ford's Orchid Gray.

Thanks Tons,

David G.

Posted

Boxed!

All frames from the mid 50's were boxed and have remained so since then.

"X" frames on the convertibles were "I" and "C" beams but the forward frames on your kits (1960 Ford and Edsel should be filled with epoxy putty if you do not like the cast in cavity.

That cavity is so the plastic is not so thick once removed from the mold. A casting thing, since plastic shrinks slightly. Sink marks are the mark of that shrinkage.

J

Posted

Boxed!

All frames from the mid 50's were boxed and have remained so since then.

"X" frames on the convertibles were "I" and "C" beams but the forward frames on your kits (1960 Ford and Edsel should be filled with epoxy putty if you do not like the cast in cavity.

That cavity is so the plastic is not so thick once removed from the mold. A casting thing, since plastic shrinks slightly. Sink marks are the mark of that shrinkage.

J

Thanks J, the timeline info will help on future builds.

To fill the cavities, I cut styrene strips and wedged them in edgewise, used Plastruct to hold them in place, trimmed the tops down and filed them flush. Now I'm waiting for the spot putty to dry so I can sand and paint.

BTW, I really enjoy your artwork. I assume you're the same Jairus I'm thinking of, I mean there can't be too many folks that share such a unique name.

Thanks for the tips,

David G.

Posted

Boxed!

All frames from the mid 50's were boxed and have remained so since then.

"X" frames on the convertibles were "I" and "C" beams but the forward frames on your kits (1960 Ford and Edsel should be filled with epoxy putty if you do not like the cast in cavity.

That cavity is so the plastic is not so thick once removed from the mold. A casting thing, since plastic shrinks slightly. Sink marks are the mark of that shrinkage.

J

To fill this out a bit further: From the early 30's onward (Ford began with the Model 40 in 1933) American automakers began boxing frame rails, first by means of adding a telescoping length of channel into the otherwise channel section frame rails, then hot riveting those in place. At the outset, the side rails forward of the main engine mounts tended to be open channel, same at the rear, beyond the rearmost spring perches. Riveting was used, given that arc welding was still in its relative infancy, and wasn't really trusted, not to mention a great shortage of qualified welders.

It was, I believe, AO Smith who pioneered the concept of welding two channel stampings together into a solid boxed frame rail, they having been the principal supplier of chassis frames for the Big Three by about 1950.

Chevrolet used a rather curious "hat section" frame rail in their chassis from 1937 through at least 1948, relying on sturdy Fisher bodies to add stiffness to their cars, but other GM marques took to boxing rails by the same means as Ford did from 1933-48. Many frames however, well into the 60's still used open channel at the front, ajacent to the engine and where the front suspension mounted, but the open side of the channel faced inward, not upward where the model companies tend to do it (their's as Jairus points out, being a molding consideration), but that would be next to impossible to re-create in a molded styrene frame.

Convertible X-members tended to be made from channel stock, with the flanges facing forward and back, until the end of such reinforcements by the close of the 1950's.

Art

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