Terry Sumner Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 (edited) So I have wanted to build the tri-vehicle combination of the Mooneyes Dragster, the 1960 Ford Pickup and the trailer for many years. But just try and obtain that which could be described as Unobtanium...that is...the 1960 Ford Pickup Truck kit. Oh yes you can find them..but at prices beyond what I'm willing to pay. A couple of years ago, a modeling friend sent me an old builtup 1960 pickup and I've had it in storage. It is in really tough shape so I've held it in abeyance for years hoping to snag an unbuilt kit. Alas..to no avail. So I've decided to take the plunge and see if I can resurrect the train wreck of a 60 Ford into a reasonably decent facsimile of a fresh built pickup. As you can see by the attached photos I have my work cut out for me. The previous builder cut a hole in the hood, part of the hood is missing on the passenger side hood vent opening or whatever that is, the front grille piece is in deplorable shape, and there are a number of other problems that are going to be tough to deal with. In particular, it appears that there may have been a couple of vertical exhaust stacks sloppily glued in the opening between the rear of the cab and the front of the bed. Nasty looking wounds to the plastic there... The engine is so bad I'm either going to replace it altogether or make this part of the triumvirate into a curbside! I feel pretty confident that I can repair the damged areas of the body and get this pickup to a fairly respectable condition. I also have an original Mooneyes Double Car Kit to build the dragster from. I have a car trailer in my stash but I'm not sure if it will be correct enough for the time period. If not, maybe I can modify it enough to make it look like it came from the 60's. So here are a few pictures...Think it's possible????? This is what I'm attempting to build...don't remember who built it or at what show I took this photo, but the builder did a terrific job! Hosted on Fotki Starting with this.... Hosted on Fotki The right side... see thedamaged area between the cab and bed? That damage is deep! And on the hood in that black area, the bottom half of that opening is gone.... Hosted on Fotki The left side. Same type damage from whatever was glued between the cab and bed...This thing had fender skirts messily glued to the wheelwells too. I've already removed them. Hosted on Fotki And this is going to be a major problem...the window glass. I'm pretty sure I could sand it down and get it nicely polished back into shape. However, when I put it in place, it's too narrow by at least 1/8th of an inch! So a new windshield is in order. Besides, the kit glass is either so yellowed with age or it was colored glass on purpose...but it's a brownish color. Hosted on Fotki Edited June 23, 2012 by Terry Sumner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Oooo! I'm gonna like this one. I'm tuned in for sure! You might want to grab some clear acetate for the glass. It would be easier than trying to find the original pieces and it would look better too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris Morgan Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Interesting project you have going there. To help, you could always look to Modelhaus for the hood, grille and, "glass". I will be wathing this build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thor Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 This is a cool project i like the rescue of a gluebomb, keep it going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Cool project. I like always to see glue bomb restoration too. What is this Pickup kit? I don't know, what is in the "Starting with this..." picture, it doesn't work on my computer. It's interesting to see how this one turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Lombardo Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 You sure have your hands full with this project, that truck is rather rough.....but it is not impossible or beyond your reach. I have wanted to build the dragster "part" of this combo for some time now, so I see why you want to do it. I am sure you will find a way to finish this up. Go get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 You are defiantly approaching this from the left side, Terry, but it's going to much more interesting from here! The glass being so undersized surprises me but if the brownish color is all the way through the glass would need to be acetate anyway. Watching this will be what you call entertainment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Looks like quite a project, Terry - but you can handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Sumner Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Got some preliminary bodywork done. Up to now I've stripped all the old paint and chrome and filled and sanded some areas that needed it. Now I've given the model a thin coat of Testor's aluminum lacquer. This is a technique brought from my aircraft modeling when trying to do a natural metal finish. This technique allows you to clearly see where every single flaw is in your bodywork no matter how small. By the time I get done with more bodywork it will all be sanded off anyway. Here are side views... Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Here you can see all the flaws that need to be filled. No filler has been used as of yet... Easy to see with the aluminum paint huh? Hosted on Fotki Same thing on the opposite side. You can clearly see where the plastic is damaged in between the cab and bed. Hosted on Fotki Repaired the hole in the hood but still needs a bit of filler and more sanding... Hosted on Fotki Stripped the front and rear bumpers and grill then removed the "1960" lettering in the license plate frame areas. I'm giving serious thought to removing all the plastic in the grill area between all the individual grille lines. This thing is pretty thick so I think it can take it. I guess we'll see.... Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Well that's it for now. Stay tuned.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Sumner Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Interesting project you have going there. To help, you could always look to Modelhaus for the hood, grille and, "glass". I will be wathing this build. Thanks for that tip! I checked and Modelhaus does indeed have a vac-formed set of glass for this. I'm going to order it...hopefully it will fit! Thanks again. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro Neil Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Yikes, that thing is pretty beat up. I'll be watching to see what I can learn, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Great project, Terry! Looking forward to watching it unfold. Friend of mine built a similar trio: Mooneyes dragster and open trailer, but with a '56 Ford station wagon tow car. Turned out quite nicely and is a major attention-getter whenever he displays it. No doubt yours is going to be a killa! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2000-cvpi Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I will be watching this one, it looks like a good challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAone Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 nice project you have going. needs some tlc, but looking at your progress im sure you'll do a great job on doing so. i bought my first glue bomb built kit and man, that thing is needs work, lets leave it at that.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTMust Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Glue bombs are great! Usually real cheap or even free, they make a great learning canvas to try new ideas and techniques. I have a few I'm currently working on and even an old guy like me learns something new with each step forward. So far, the truck is starting to take shape and I'll watch impatiently for each new progress thread. And it's so nice to see it coming alive instead of finishing up in someone's trash. Keep up the good work........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Cole Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 Built by Chip Bailey from NH. That build got him the top award @ the 2001 NNL East. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Sumner Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Been on this project almost non-stop. I don't know why, but my enthusiasm is high for this project! Maybe it's the challenge...I dunno...but it feels good as I haven't really been this enthused in a long time! So I'd say the bodywork is mostly complete. I still have a couple of minor glitches here and there to sand out but I have the first coat of DupliColor high build primer on the truck. For body filler I'm using 3M Bondo brand Professional Finishing Glaze. This stuff is not like the old Nitro-Stan....this stuff is a 2 part extremely fine grained filler. With a hardener you mix in like autobody filler, the stuff hardens in minutes so you can work it right away. I guess you can judge for yourself how it's coming. Man I can't believe it's actually this decent at this stage considering what we started with! Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Sumner Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Built by Chip Bailey from NH. That build got him the top award @ the 2001 NNL East. Thanks for that info Jon! His build is definitely my inspiration for this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David@MinidreamsInc. Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Man i would love to build another 1 of these ! I will try to follow this rebuild ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Pugh Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I can't believe that's the same truck! Looks awesome!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shatteredsoul76 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Wow the difference so far is like night and day, shes looking good. Also thanks for the great tip for using the Testors aluminum paint to find flaws, it sure as heck beats red primer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olds Rocket 88 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 That bad boy has come a long way, great job and keep the pictures comming... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Carr Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Watching this build like a hawk! With having a real 60 and 2 of the models. Keep at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedy5963 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 looking good sir, I look forward to following this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie8575 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Very cool, Terry. Charlie Larkin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.