Bernard Kron Posted April 19, 2014 Posted April 19, 2014 (edited) AMT ‘36 Ford Customized Roadster(More pictures below) Inspired by the early custom cars on either side of WWII by Harry Westergard and Jimmy Summers, this project was originally triggered by the release in the aftermarket of a full set of louvered panels for the AMT 1936 Ford Coupe and Roadster 3-in-1 kit just re-issued by Round2. Mastered by Roger “Plowboy” Hayes and beautifully cast by Ed Fluck at Drag City Casting (lowcab36@epix.net), these pieces dramatically alter the whole look and feel of this classic kit. The rear deck louvers, in particular, had initially inspired me to build some sort of competition car, perhaps a salt flats coupe. But once I had installed them the Art-Deco like v-shaped pattern inspired me to go in the completely opposite direction and create a classic early custom. As is generally the case with my models, the basic kit is the key and I tend to limit myself to the parts I am given except where changes are required by the overall look I’m after. In this case I landed up making my own skirts because I was working from older kits which lacked the skirts from the original 1961 issue of this kit (but now included in the Round2 re-issue). The other significant changes include modifying the kit interior, adapting a ’40 Ford DeLuxe grill to the kit’s custom grill shell, and the last minute addition of a DuVall style windshield from the AMT Phantom Vicky kit. All the details are listed below. Thanx for lookin’,B. Chassis and Engine: Kit chassis with dropped front axle, shaved front cross member and front spring and lowered rear crossmember. Kit Ford Flathead V8 with finned heads, twin carbs and manifold from an AMT ’34 Ford 5-window kit.Body modifications: Main body section from AMT 5-window coupe for accurate representation of shorter ’36 Ford Roadster doors. Louvered hood, hood side panels and rear deck courtesy of Drag City Casting ( [a href="mailto:lowcab36@epix.net"]lowcab36@epix.net[/a] ). Scratch built fender skirts. Sunken license plate with Plexiglas cover. ’37 DeSoto ripple bumpers from AMT ’40 Ford Sedan Delivery kit. AMT ’40 Ford Deluxe grill trimmed to fit kit custom grill shell. DuVall style split windshield from AMT Phantom Vicky kit.Interior Modifications: Kit interior with raised head and knee bolsters added to the seat and scratch built dashboard featuring photo-etch Auburn instrument panel courtesy of Replicas & Miniatures Co. of Maryland.Wheels and Tires: Spinner ,hub caps from AMT ’40 Ford Sedan Delivery. Tires of unknown origin from my parts box.Paint: Duplicolor Naples Gold Metallic over white primer on main body panels. Duplicolor Wimbledon White and clear matte acrylic on main interior surfaces and convertible boot. Testors Acryl Tan contrasting trim. Edited July 20, 2017 by Bernard Kron
Belugawrx Posted April 19, 2014 Posted April 19, 2014 Those are some sweet lines brother Good looking engine and Beauty stance Cheers
TooOld Posted April 20, 2014 Posted April 20, 2014 It turned out really great Bernard ! I love that classic style and the color is perfect for it !
Dyno Davo Posted April 20, 2014 Posted April 20, 2014 Fantastic build Bernard. The styling is perfect and I love the color choice. Well done
crazyjim Posted April 20, 2014 Posted April 20, 2014 Pretty cool ride and SHINY :) . I like how you took the pics.
Bernard Kron Posted April 21, 2014 Author Posted April 21, 2014 (edited) Thanx everyone, for all the generous comments From some responses I got on other forums I think this may be a style that is unfamiliar to some, but it's how customizing started out during the Depression years. Craftsmen, "coachbuilders", converted modestly priced cars into glamorous customized autos for their clients, typically borrowing styling cues from the show cars and luxury machines of the day. Since Fords were not only the most common cars around, but also some of the most succesfully styled as well. they were the most frequently customized. Harry Westergard was one of the acknowledged masters of this work, and Sam and George Barris spent time working in his shop just before WWII, growing up in the Sacramento area. Down in the L.A. area, the top names included Coachcraft Ltd. and Jimmy Summers. These early pioneers developed much of the initial techniques and design language that got the Kustom Kar ball rolling. I tried to capture that flavor in this build and the photos I took of it. I'm very glad you all enjoyed it! B. Edited April 23, 2014 by Bernard Kron
Bernard Kron Posted April 23, 2014 Author Posted April 23, 2014 (edited) Here are the pictures on a more neutral background that I mentioned earlier. Thanx for lookin',B. Edited July 20, 2017 by Bernard Kron
Bernard Kron Posted April 26, 2014 Author Posted April 26, 2014 (edited) And to complete the set: Edited July 20, 2017 by Bernard Kron
Duntov Posted April 26, 2014 Posted April 26, 2014 I like the flat motor in this one ---looks good---
Bernard Kron Posted July 20, 2017 Author Posted July 20, 2017 Broken Photobucket links repaired. For now I'm only updating completed model pics. Updating w.i.p. links is just too huge a task! I'll update them on request...
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