'58 Ford Update, Done! 3/1

[StevenGuthmiller]

I picked up this original '58 Ford convertible a while back for a relatively good price. I've never been real big on the look of a convertible with the top down, so I was very happy to see that Modelhaus offered an up-top for the '58 Ford. They also had a very nice continental kit, which I promptly ordered. I'm gonna like the looks of this build alot better now. Thanks Don & Carol!! Steve

Edited March 1, 2015 by StevenGuthmiller

[Ford guy]

What a cool body style! I love bg Fords! I'm gonna keep an eye on this build.

[High octane]

That looks like a great project as I love that body style. I just loathe the looks of the '59 though.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I was never real crazy about the '57 either Nick. Something about it just looked "patched together" to me, at least when compared to other '57s. I'm sure I'll get some heat for that. A lot of guys just love the '57. The '59 was very "boxy" to my eye. Although, I did like the retractible. I guess, contrary to a lot of peoples taste, I think the '58 was the nicest looking. Steve

[slusher]

Very interesting project. You just don't see any 58 Fords being built. Looking forward to it...

[Bob Ellis]

I built a '58 Ford vert years ago and did the same, uptop. Not sure where it came from.

[Ramfins59]

Great project Steven. I finished a Modelhaus convertible last year with skirts and a connie kit.

[cartpix]

I like the 58, better, too. I can't wait to see more.

[ChrisBcritter]

Thanks for posting that one - nice to see how the up top fits.

You might want to check with Modelhaus about taillights as well; this is part of an email response I got:

When Don mastered the 58 Ford convertible kit, he separated the taillight bezel and red taillight. We now use this on both the hardtop and convertible kits and this configuration fits the promo. The red taillight would cost $2.50 and the plated bezels $3.00. If you order via the regular mail, just list them as from our CV kit. If you would normally order via the web site, order the 58 Ford taillights as they are listed. Then reply to the confirmation e-mail with the request that the separated taillights and bezels be substituted. I can adjust the billing.

I don't think these pop up when you do a regular site search.

I have two builtup '58 convertibles; I saw them on eBay at the same time and threw out low bids - ended up having to buy both . One body is marginally better so I may fix it up and get a resin hardtop body for the other.

Edited May 18, 2014 by ChrisBcritter

[StevenGuthmiller]

Thanks everybody! I'm really looking forward to getting started on this build. May be a little while. I still have to get the chrome re-done which usually takes a month or two, plus the fact that I already have a half dozen other projects in the works. Planning on a "Silvertone Blue" & "Colonial White" color combo. Chris, I didn't know about the tail lights from Modelhaus. Thank you for the info. Although, I'll probably just use the tail lights that came with the kit. I like to try to use as many original parts as possible & I've never really had an issue with just using Testors "Stop light Red" for tail lights. Good enough for me anyway. Steve

[crazyrichard]

hmm thats awsome

[Guest]

Can't wait! Mobius, are you listening? A new tool 58 or 59 Would be the cat's meow!

[TFchronos]

Very nice project, can't wait to see more.

[Tom Geiger]

I was never real crazy about the '57 either Nick. Something about it just looked "patched together" to me, at least when compared to other '57s.

Funny thing is that 1957 was the first year that Ford beat Chevy. The '57 Chevy was seen as a warmed over version of the aged '55 body at that point, while the Ford was an all new car. History has turned that around. It seems the '57 Chevy is the favorite of the tri-fives, while you don't see all that many 1:1 '57 Fords at shows and such.

Can't wait! Mobius, are you listening? A new tool 58 or 59 Would be the cat's meow!

I'm thinking more like Revell. In fact I'd be sore with them if they weren't thinking this direction for the very nice '57 tooling.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I don't think I'd hold my breath for a new '58 Ford from anybody. Then again, you never know. Steve

[impcon]

That little car looks REALLY clean!!! No doubt you stripped it but it looks like it came out well and didn't have a whole lot of "extras" glued all over it. It sure isn't easy, nor is it usually affordable to buy a clean built up let alone an unbuilt one. Blue and white will be very, very pretty and not often seen, so this will definitely be one for me to sit and drool over once you have it completed.Your tastes in cars seem to mirror those of myself, Steve and I always sit in awe of the quality and appearance of your creations. What I really like is the seldom seen color combinations that you do your cars in. It only serves to add to the realism of the finished product. Keep up the great work!

[StevenGuthmiller]

Thanks Gary. I got pretty lucky with this one. Picked it up on e-bay for about $70.00. It was painted black, which scared me a little. Black paint can be really tough to remove sometimes, depending on the type used. I dropped it in a tub of "Super Clean" & the paint melted completely away within an hour or so. Not so lucky with the gold on the trim, but that shouldn't be a big problem. The only thing that was glued to the kit was a set of skirts which luckily were glued lightly after painting, so no body damage is evident. Even the glass is good! The paint I'm using is actually a '59 Cadillac color called "Argyle Blue" which is very close to the factory "Silvertone Blue" & I have it on hand, so I guess I'll use it. You're correct about finding a nice one. It took a while to find one that didn't have every part in the box glued to it & I knew I'd never find a better one for the price. I'm very excited to get going on this build. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Steve

[John Goschke]

Looking forward to following this build, Steven. Having owned two 1/1 '58 Fords, they're among my favorite cars, in fact the Fairlane 500 Town Sedan (aka 4-door) I had was Silvertone Blue (upper body) and Colonial White (roof and lower body), along with a fair amount of rust.

I've worked on this kit several times and finished a hardtop with a lot of little accuracy modifications ages ago. On my current stalled projects shelf is a mild custom convertible with a couple changes you might find helpful if you haven't already thought of them.

AMT chose to leave out the cowl vent on their '58, but the one from the later Trophy Series kit can be notched in pretty easily...

They also left out the cove in the rear panel for the license plate (which in the 1/1 concealed the gas cap.) I just cut a piece out and backed it with some sheet styrene after smoothing the edges of the opening. It's also a good idea to scribe the deck lid panel line through the taillights before sending them out for plating.

AMT's somewhat more detailed '59 Ford chassis fits well with a little edge trimming. It even has the correct convertible center bracing!...

There's a bunch of other nitpicky things large and small that can stand to be fixed on the AMT body, but I'm not sure whether they're worth going into here without driving folks crazy. So I'll just leave you with a couple vintage sales promo sheets for the Foxcraft and Stylecraft continental kits...

[StevenGuthmiller]

Thanks Froghawk for the info. Not sure how much of it I'll mess around with, but they are some things to think about. Don't have a lot of extra parts laying around for things like the cowl vents & the chassis. The license plate area will be covered by the conny kit any way, so I won't worry about that. I will deal with the scribing on the tail lights.....if I don't forget. I'm thinking along the lines of a smooth continental cover with a photo etched Fairlane 500 script. I've never been a fan of those "hubcap" style tire covers. I've never been a huge stickler for 100% accuracy anyway. I just build them for me, & "me" doesn't care too much if they're completely correct. But I do appreciate the input. Sometimes a simple modification can make a difference. Steve

[StevenGuthmiller]

This project has sat long enough. Time to get it back on the bench. The chrome parts should be back from Chrome Tech any day so there's no reason to put it on the back burner any longer. Steve

[Ramfins59]

Steve, if you don't mind (I'm not trying to hijack your thread here) but here are a couple of pics of the Modelhaus '58 Ford convertible kit that I did last year...

[StevenGuthmiller]

Very nice Richard. Pretty close to what I'm planning. Mine will be "Silvertone Blue" & white 2-tone with the up-top & the connie kit. Factory stock of course. Steve

[TOYCARTEC]

Great car. Wish I could find a 4 door 58 Ford like my father used to have when we were kids. Maybe Moebis will do one, that would be great!

[Ron Hamilton]

This one was a resin copy that was marketed by Model King several years ago. I did a "quickie" build to it, whereas I used parts from the AMT '57 Ford to finish it. All of the "Chrome" on the car is either Bare Metal Foil or Alcad. When I first opened it, I wondered what I was getting myself into, but believe it or not, once I cleaned everything up, and adjusted the parts for fit, it went right together. I used just about every trick I knew to build it, but I was happy with the result.

In my stash, I have an R&R '58 convertible, that keeps peeking out at me, saying "Go ahead. Build me. I know you want to." Looking at these builds, I may have to get to.it.

[impcon]

Ron Hamilton, on 10 Nov 2014 - 1:11 PM, said:

This one was a resin copy that was marketed by Model King several years ago. I did a "quickie" build to it, whereas I used parts from the AMT '57 Ford to finish it. All of the "Chrome" on the car is either Bare Metal Foil or Alcad. When I first opened it, I wondered what I was getting myself into, but believe it or not, once I cleaned everything up, and adjusted the parts for fit, it went right together. I used just about every trick I knew to build it, but I was happy with the result.

In my stash, I have an R&R '58 convertible, that keeps peeking out at me, saying "Go ahead. Build me. I know you want to." Looking at these builds, I may have to get to.it.

Wow!!! Simply - WOW!!! That's gorgeous!!!!!! I have an original SMP hardtop that I got from another guy here on the forum that is a toughie. It needs a lot of lovin, but it has potential. I doubt that I can make it look as good as yours though..