AMT 64 mercury marauder

[diymirage]

hey guys

i picked up the idea to build a model for a coworker of mine the other day and decided to go with a 64 something

(he was born in 64 so hence the year)

so down to my local hobby shop i went to see what was on the shelves

i wanted something somewhat stylish and more of an uptown buid the the dodge 330 (i mean, lets face it, as far as classics go the 330 is more a street brawler then anything else)

this just left a chebby of some sort (not the impala) and a ford fairlane

about ready to leave emptyhanded i spotted this little kit on the bottom shelf

yeah, that oughta do, not as big a wheelbase as i had in mind but still a decent little car and it being a mercury instead of a ford definatly added to the "higher upper middle class" feel of this build

(considering im gonna give this one away i couldnt very well show up with a cavalier level car)

i was just on my way to check out when i decided to stop by the "consigment and collectors" corner where i spotted this little beauty

yeah, that oughta do, it has all the parts i was hoping for (and more) plus a nice set of wire wheels and all that for only pennies on the dollar more

so here is my vision for this build

it will be a fresh resto (with only slight weathering on the udercarriage) in a sorta lowrider style with the emphasis on STYLE

so no red flyer wagon wheels, no pscycidelic paintjobs, no shag carpet and NO deathtrap modifications disguised as suspension alterations.

just a nice low stance on the kit supplied 15 inch wire wheels with slightly wider tires out back, fender skirts and a nice shiny bleu paint job over a cream interior

i think i would like to go with whitewalls on this puppy but i dont have any so for now she is sitting on the kits fronts tires (might look for wider ones there too) and partsboxs firestone slicks

picks coming soon

[Dirkpitt289]

That is a sharp looking car. I'm gonna be watching this one

[diymirage]

Its a little bit out of my comfort zone (maybe i should drop a 440 in it) but im confident it will come out good

I am dreading the BMF on it...there is a LOT of chrome on here

In order to make the paint really pop im planning on using nailpolish on it

[Scuderia]

I've been wanting to build one of these, so I'm excited to see your build. Good luck!

[Space Cowboy]

Great project. I built one but made it a convertible..Good build...

[diymirage]

thanks guys

so far im pretty impressed with this kit

there is hardly any flash on it at all and the chrome is nice and shiny

there is a mold line on the roof, but nothing i cant fix with a little body prep

(almost looks like it had a vinyl top)

here is a quick shot of the stance

(i think it might come up jsut a hair because the bumpers have locater tabs that lay in between the frame and the body)

one a side note, this is my very first model with a solid front axle that goes straight throug the engine...that made me feel young

[Chuck Most]

I am dreading the BMF on it...there is a LOT of chrome on here

That, and some of it is faintly molded- but it's not too big a deal. Keep at this project- I've got one of these that stalled some time ago and I need a little inspiration to get back at it!

[diymirage]

Hate to tell ya this Eelco, but those are early '60s Cadillac hubcaps, not wire wheels.

i'll still take hubs over dubs

i guess that just helps with it being classy AND now i know what to look for as far as center caps go

That, and some of it is faintly molded- but it's not too big a deal. Keep at this project- I've got one of these that stalled some time ago and I need a little inspiration to get back at it!

the ones that i dread the most are the small emblems...how i the world do you do those?

i think i have heard of people BMFing those prior to paint and them sand the paint off but im not sure if im comfortable trying that

definatly open to suggestions on this one

I like your ideas on this car.. my great grandma loved Mercury's so I will be watching with lots of interest.. heh I love coming from heavy car and truck family.. sadly the younger generation of my family does not care but I am trying to change that with my nephews.

i grew up in a country where my VW passat was considered a "full size family sedan" so im not to familiar with the landyachts but i sure do like them

ok, back on the build

i got a little bit done today, mainly in the interior

i decided to go with the custom seats and paint it all a colour called "classic white"

its the same colour as i painted the exterior of roscoes cruizer

its a great colour but it will take some time to get it to pass for upholstery

once it dries i will put some dark blue carpet in there that i had for a different project (regular carpet not shag)

i also spraybombed the undercarriage with flat black paint

not sure yet if i will overspray from the body on there later but at least i can start detailing the rest of the bottom end

just out of curiosity, does anyone know what type of supercharger is on this engine ?

its a belt driven unit but it sits on the side of the engine and feeds compressed air into a pressure pot ?

illl post pics tomorrow

[diymirage]

hey guys a quick update

i got some work done on the interior

it came out looking a lot more yellow then i had envisioned but it think it looks pretty good

the darker shade on the seats is pastel scrapped with a knife and rubbed in while the paint was still tacky

im gonna have to go out and buy a stick of white pastel and hit it again to tone it down some i think

i still need to foil the rear speaker (is that what that little grille is in the back seat?)

and i think im going to foil that grille in the tunnel...unless someone has any idea what material that should be (or what in the world its for)

i got most of the engine done aswell (yay)

still needs some more wires, the fan and some more detailing

on a side note, anyone know what engine and supercharger this is ?

[Scuderia]

Lookin good I don't have any info on the engine parts, but I like em! lol

[THarrison351]

Your choices sound and look great, I'll be following this build. I've had a couple of these kits in my stash for years. One will be Joe Weatherly's #8 NASCAR racer and the other stock. I have a few pictures for reference. I thought I could give you a hint about what the interior looks stock. If you look close, you'll realize the model interior is a convertible. AMT saving money back in the day because these were also used in their promos. The engine is a 427 FE (Ford Edsel) The super charger is a Paxton if I'm not mistaken.

Mercury Park Lane Marauder convertible

Mercury Park Lane Marauder convertible

Mercury Park Lane Marauder 2 door hardtop

Mercury Park Lane Marauder 2 door hardtop

Edited December 19, 2012 by THarrison351

[diymirage]

thanks Racer

im not a big ford fan but that induction system should be cast by someone

its great for a sleeper car and i love having a blown motor that still allows the use of a stock, uncut hood

i think my only other option is the latham that Alan Raab from Ma's resin offers (greatl little number too)

Tim, thanks for the info

i see now how the interior are different but ive gotten to far to stop and adress the issues

(not saying i would have fixed it if i realized it earlier anyway)

those shots will really help me when i go to try and add some detail to the tub

come to think of it, there isnt a hole in the tunnel for a shifter, i just assumed this model was a column shift...i wonder if that was accurate

Edited December 19, 2012 by diymirage

[Space Cowboy]

You have a lot more done and its looking good. Keep it coming...................

[Bartster]

l love '60s muscle ! l really like the way your Merc is shaping up.

If you want a great looking underhood blower system, Sean Stacey casts a B&M efi blown system l've used a couple times. Fits under most any hood & looks really wicked. PM sstace47.

[diymirage]

thanks Bart, i've seen some of his work (actually, im pretty sure i have some of his work) and it is top notch

ill definatly check in with him on that supercharger

i love seeing big old blower scoops sticking out through hoods but there is always somehting to be said about retaining the factory lines and still packing a punch aswell

as for the model

im still working hard on the body

ive foiled the emblems before paint (for the first time) and im working hard at sanding/polishing it back up to look right before i start thinking of paint

im thinking of going with nailpolish

i wanted to go with just a blue paintjob to somewhat keep it looking factory (only reason im building this one is because its a 64 and i want it to keep looking that way)

but the body is beggin me to go with a blue body with a white hood top and trunk and white skirts

the lines of the car flow so nice its almost like i have too

any thoughts on that ?

[slusher]

Blue with a white top sounds great...

[jeffbrad]

That's a McCulloch (Paxton) blower like they used on the 57 Fords and lots of different Studebakers

[diymirage]

thanks, i thought it might have been a paxton but i wasnt sure

any info on the actual motor ?

(i can tell its not a 440 or a hemi )

[Ford guy]

Very interesting build up, can't wait to see this one finished! I think it will be one cool ride.

Roy the Ford guy

[diymirage]

thanks for all the kind words guys

i managed to get a little detailing done on the underside

its coming along nicely

i did run into a snatch though

i tried to do the "BMF over script before painting them" thing and i totally screwed it up

long story short...i sanded off the scripts

sooooo what are my options here ?

are there script decals out there for those 64 marauders or maybe even a photo etch set?

[jeffbrad]

should be a ford fe if it came out of the 64 kit. 352, 390,427 they all were the same externally. I've had one of those kits for years but haven't built it. All that foiling! Just finished a 53 Hudson and I swear it took me 2 weeks to foil it

[diymirage]

yeah, no kidding

i really shot myself in the foot with those scripts

almost thinking of getting a new body and starting over but ill probably just leave them off altogether

too bad

hopefully someone can help me out with this though

the model does have the kit supplied engine is it (as evidenced by the gaping hole in the block for the axle )

i wonder which displacement was more comon (im sure the recipient will ask about it)

but if i get to call it its a 427 (though i thought they had different valve covers...maybe im thinking of 429s)

[Edsel-Dan]

I like this one too.

I have The Buyer's Choice-1 issue to get back to and managed to get a good condition

started Convertible to go with it. Even got a second convertible box with parts including

the boot not in the started builder!!

I have a couple Primered builds with the foil on them. I will NOT Sand the paint off but polish it with Turtle wax.

Less likely to cut through the foil, paint & plastic that way!

My Turtle was is an OLD bottle! Had an AMES sticker!

[Scale-Master]

Bob Downey did an excellent article in SA about painting with acrylics and using pastel powders to add depth and realism to seats. Maybe it could provide some help for you on this project too.

[diymirage]

ill have to try that next time Daniel

this was the first time i tried to foil before painting and it did not go well

no chances for a redo iether since the scripts are now completly gone

(i wonder if someone could make me a set of scripts with the superglue and all ?)

Mark, im gonna have to look into that

im not displeased with the way this is coming out so far though