AMT's Ford F350 pickups

[Brian Austin]

Have you guys tried removing the trim spears from the "dents"?

[SSNJim]

I've got the removal of the "spears" in progress. It's gone from the cab. I used a Dremel with a small ball cutter to remove it. The hard part for me is getting the dents smoothed out and properly shaped. It'll take more sandpaper and filing. I'm also concerned about how well the side markers stood up to the Dremeling. IIRC the side markers are basically flush mounted. A little of the appropriate paint should take care of that, but that's a long way off.

The bed is next. I don't expect any new challenges with the chrome removal. I'm trying to decide whether to go with a short bed or long bed - it won't have the camper special wheelbase/configuration or a stepside bed. I appreciate the reminders for the conversion in the last few pages.

I don't have any pictures, but there's nothing unexpected. I did remove all the other chrome from the truck.

I like the look of the base model truck without all the trim on it. This is going to be a long term project for sure.

[Mike C.]

On 9/4/2022 at 5:29 PM, Brian Austin said:

Have you guys tried removing the trim spears from the "dents"?

I attempted that, trying to turn it into a "Custom" (lower trim level), Really bad idea. I ruined one cab like that. It's a lot more difficult than it looks like it should be.

[Plowboy]

7 hours ago, Mike C. said:

I attempted that, trying to turn it into a "Custom" (lower trim level), Really bad idea. I ruined one cab like that. It's a lot more difficult than it looks like it should be.

The Custom actually came with the small chrome strip also. My dad bought a '75 F-100 new. It had the small chrome strip and was two toned. White above the strip and a reddish orange below. It also had the chrome strips on the tailgate. After a tailgate and left fender mishap, he had the whole truck painted red. 

[Mike C.]

8 minutes ago, Plowboy said:

The Custom actually came with the small chrome strip also. My dad bought a '75 F-100 new. It had the small chrome strip and was two toned. White above the strip and a reddish orange below. It also had the chrome strips on the tailgate. After a tailgate and left fender mishap, he had the whole truck painted red. 

This was a '73 Custom.

[Rbray47]

On 9/4/2022 at 2:33 AM, Oldcarfan27 said:

It is, if you're building a Ranger Explorer package.

http://smclassiccars.com/ford/422051-1978-ford-f150-ranger-explorer-package-78-f-150-original-condition.html

https://topclassiccarsforsale.com/ford/97739-1978-ford-f-250-rangerexplorer-4wd.html

But it's not on an XLT package, which is what I think the kit emblems say it is.

You're right. Now I remember seeing a few when I was a kid. 

Also, my high school best friend bought a 78 that had been pieced together from several trucks. Talk about confusing. Well, the title said 78, anyway. It didn't look like one. It was originally a manual cab. The clutch pedal was wired to the floor, and there was an auto shifter on the transmission tunnel. The shifter put a dent in the bench seat when placed in drive lol

[stavanzer]

I'm building one of these right now. All has gone well, until now.

The Bed Floor is badly warped. I'll have to try to use the Hot Water/ Brick, Flattening Method and see how it work out. It bugs me because, while my progress has been slow, it has been pretty steady. I like the truck, and with some Ford Hubcaps and a tires swap, I think I'll be able to get a Decent 2x4 Camper Special out of the kit.

[SSNJim]

So. I finally got around to taking pictures of the chrome removal. The first is the cab. It's cleaned up some, but still needs work. As Mike C. said, it's not as easy as it looks. You can also see that the windshield has been raised a bit and some cleanup is needed on that. Most of my time is spent on cleanup.

The second picture is the bed sides; the left is untouched, the right has the rough Dremeling done. Lots of work ahead on these. After everything's cleaned up, the bed will be reconfigured to a normal short or long bed truck - none of this Camper Special or stepside stuff. 

 

[Mike C.]

Nice job Jim. I came out a lot better than mine did. In the end, I couldn't save my cab and got a new one off of Ebay. I was originally trying to replicate my cousins '73 Custom. Now I'm not going to lose too much sleep over a little chrome trim.

I suppose my Dremel hand is not as stedy as it once was.

[SSNJim]

I don't have the steadiest hand either. You can see how rough the driver's side is, especially at the bottom. I may give it another gentle Dremeling, then break out the sandpaper and files. I do worry about going all the way through the plastic or damaging the edges of the trough.

How did you damage the cab?

[oldcarfan]

I recently found a box of old unassembled kits from the 90s and found a few of the issue with the camper shell and the one with the dually wheels. I also found several of the 90s F-150 kits as well. I'll buy a few of the new issue anyway because I like to encourage the kit manufacturers to keep on with the issues, but don't really need them. Anyway, I've started making plans for future projects.

[Plowboy]

I've always thought these old F-350 kits would make a perfect 2wd pulling truck. I may get the latest version and turn it into a puller. I have a set of Cepek tires.

[oldcarfan]

If anyone is looking for a conversion idea for this kit, you might google the Ford B-100, a Mexican SUV version.

[stavanzer]

Dang! 

Are you Resin Caster's seeing this? What a Cool Body! Those wheels are super neat, too! What a package!

[Brian Austin]

Note that one has the cove trim.  Argentinean equivalents tend not to have the trim.

I've actually been wanting to do one of those, which is why I'd been wondering about the trim removal. 

[mangodart]

On 9/4/2022 at 9:26 PM, Maindrian Pace said:

The short bed conversion gets a little involved.

Gorgeous build 

[Maindrian Pace]

7 hours ago, mangodart said:

Gorgeous build 

Thank you.

[leafsprings]

On 9/4/2022 at 4:25 PM, SSNJim said:

I've got the removal of the "spears" in progress. It's gone from the cab. I used a Dremel with a small ball cutter to remove it. The hard part for me is getting the dents smoothed out and properly shaped. It'll take more sandpaper and filing. I like the look of the base model truck without all the trim on it. This is going to be a long term project for sure.

I agree, its a lot of work, AMT just assumed we all wanted top of the line models with all the gingerbread.  Please big plastic, make moldings a separate  part on the chrome tree!  For some, like myself, it seems it's easier to write a check for a first gear and start stripping paint. FIRST GEAR FORD F100 STYLESIDE PICKUP NAPA 1973 1/25TH SCALE IN BOX | eBay Plus, it even has the standard wheelbase  F 100 F 250 bed.

Edited November 13, 2022 by leafsprings

[Plowboy]

1 hour ago, leafsprings said:

I agree, its a lot of work, AMT just assumed we all wanted top of the line models with all the gingerbread.  Please big plastic, make moldings a separate  part on the chrome tree!  

Some companies have tried it. It doesn't work well and doesn't look right. It's not that much work to remove a chrome strip.

[oldcarfan]

Anyone make a short bed or just the sides for sale?

[leafsprings]

On 11/10/2022 at 7:29 AM, Plowboy said:

 It's not that much work to remove a chrome strip.

This is true for the bottom moldings that are not sunken in.