'27 T Highboy Roadster - Late 50's Show Car Style

[Bernard Kron]

’27 T Ford Highboy Roadster Done Late-50’s Show Car Style
(more pictures below)

The late-50’s and early-60’s were the Golden Age of the Custom Car show, an era when Kandy Kolor, Metalflake, angel hair and chrome plating ruled and no car was spared the full treatment, whether it was a contemporary sedan, a race car or a classic hot rod. It was this era that I tried to capture in building my Ford ’27 T Highboy Roadster. As iconic as a ’27 T roadster may be, they are rarely built in scale, this despite the fact that 1/25th resin copies of this body are quite commonly available from several different suppliers. This is because, except for the body, virtually everything must be either scratch built or kit-bashed, including the interior and the frame. As a result this was an especially challenging project to take on, one which I had wanted to do for some time now, but put off until I felt I had some chance of success.

The basic body is from Altered States Models (http://www.alteredstatesmodels.com/) and is a particularly nice example, crisply cast in thin white styrene-like resin with a well detailed firewall area missing from most examples on offer. The “donor kit” for the project was effectively one of any of the various Revell ’32 Ford kits which contributed chassis, suspension, engine block, transmission, drive shaft and interior, all of which were extensively modified to fit the ’27 T which is far smaller than the Deuce. Other major parts were either scratch built or adapted from a variety of other kits, all of which are listed below along with the work done.

My hope was to be able to capture the spirit of this historic period in hot rodding with a unique model that would test my current abilities as a car modeler.

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

Bodywork: 1927 Ford Model T roadster body made by Altered States Models (http://www.alteredstatesmodels.com/). 4” chopped 1932 Ford grill shell and photo-etch grill by Model Car Garage. Custom rolled rear pan fabricated from styrene strip. Recessed firewall adapted from Revell ’32 Ford Roadster kit. Windshield cut down from AMT ‘27T Phaeton kit (special thanks to Ace-Garageguy). Teardrop taillights from Revell Deuce kit with photo-etch trim by Model Car Garage. Home made ’59 California plates with Model Car Garage photo-etch license plate surround.
Chassis and suspension: Revell 1/25th scale ’32 Ford shortened to 98 scale inch wheelbase behind passenger compartment and z’d 4 scale inches. Rear kickup narrowed to fit inside turtle deck. Frame rails notched at front crossmember to accommodate lowered front suspension. Front and rear  suspension from Revell Deuce kits. Rear shock mounts relocated to fit inside turtle deck. Rear radius rods shortened to accommodate shortened chassis. Front hairpins and shocks from Revell Stacey David Rat Roaster kit. Front spring shaved, removing 3 spring leaves to lower front end approx. 2 ½ scale inches.
Engine and Drive Train: Ford engine block and transmission from Revell Deuce kit. Block and heads reshaped and extended to accommodate AMT ’57 Ford Thunderbird valve covers, accessory drive, intake manifold and oil pan to represent  1957 Ford Thunderbird 312 High Performance motor. Pre-wired distributor by Morgan Automotive Details. Tubular exhaust headers from Monogram ’57 Chevrolet Nomad kit. Exhaust system scratch built from aluminum tubing, solid-core solder and plastic rod.
Wheels and Tires: Chrome reversed rim wheels from AMT ‘51 Chevrolet Bel Air kit, trimmed in blue acrylic wash to simulate Kolor Krome. Tires by Modelhaus (T120 fronts and “I-forget” rears).
Interior: Revell Deuce kit floor, seat and side panels cut and reshaped to fit. AMT ’37 Chevrolet kit custom tuck and roll dashboard. Upholstery finished in Duplicolor Oxford White with Duplicolor Wimbledon White accents and 28 ga. blue insulated wire piping. Corvette-style steering wheel from AMT ‘51 Chevrolet Bel Air kit, trimmed in blue acrylic wash to simulate Kolor Krome.
Paint: Duplicolor Metal Specks Silver base coat, Duplicolor Medium Quasar Metallic color coat and Duplicolor Clear sealer. Floor pan finished in Duplicolor Oxford White.

Edited July 21, 2017 by Bernard Kron

[slusher]

Beautiful model..

[Maxicoop]

what a sweet lookin' 50's street rod !!!!!! great color, super detail !!!!

[OldTimer50707]

That is one sweet build.

[unclescott58]

Great car. Great review and explanation of the build. I like that you told us the materials you used. Great photos. I like it.

Scott

[Jordan 191]

Totally awesome.

[Ramfins59]

Bernard, I love it.

[ChrisR]

Very nice build!

[Chris White]

that's one fine example of a classic hot rod

[crazyjim]

Sweet & SHINY :) hot rod.

[TooOld]

The more I look at this the more I like it , great job Bernard !

[frozono]

nice one...........

[mnwildpunk]

I love it great job!! I like the t-bird air cleaner and the overall clean look. Super job!!!

[geetee66]

Spectacular!

Thanks for the detailed info about parts and sources.

You nailed it, in every way.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks for all the very kind comments. They are much appreciated.

This actually came out looking pretty much as I would have wished it to. At the beginning of the build thread I showed pictures of the 3 cars that inspired me in the design of this model and of them the 1962 AMBR winner, the Barris Twister T, was the one I wanted to avoid looking like. I wanted to use this opportunity to do it in a way that looked good to my eye. It's nice to have done a model that's not seen that often in scale. Here's a link to the build thread if you're curious: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=91554&hl= .

I'm glad you all enjoyed it,
B.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Bernard Kron

[rmvw guy]

Nicely done. It has that look. Seems like everybody would have one until you read the details. You pulled it off, perfect period hot rod!

[JTalmage]

thats a good looking car. One to be proud of...

[Guest]

That's a cool little hot rod Bernard! Are the chrome reverse wheels from the '51 Bel Air as they came from the box or did you make the rears wider? I'm thinking I may need a set of those for my '37 Ford pickup.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks again, guys!

...Are the chrome reverse wheels from the '51 Bel Air as they came from the box or did you make the rears wider? I'm thinking I may need a set of those for my '37 Ford pickup.

Thanks Roger. They are as-is from the kit, stock offset at the front and reversed in the rear. Chromed, too! Couldn't have been better for this project!

[Dyno Davo]

Bernard, you nailed it again mate, you sure have an eye for period rods, well done and thanks for posting

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx Davo! I'd like to get beyond Old School hot rods but I have a backlog of projects in this vein I "need" to get out of my system that keep coming out. Part of it is getting the chops to do other styles properly. I've said it before, but so often for me "the grass is greener on the other side"; there are so many types of car models I admire that I haven't had the nerve to take on myself because they are, at least to me, so technically demanding. Showroom stock, for example, requires so much discipline and technical mastery to be done right that every time I see a great build in that style I am just floored and full of admiration. But classic rods and drag machines are something I know and appreciate so, for now, they are appropriate canvases for my growth as a modeler.

[gman]

I like how you tied the AMT '37 Chevy dash in with modified 32 Ford interior panels for that custom interior look. Nicely done!

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx Greg. I almost ditched it for a thinner, more traditional, dashboard because it takes up so much space. But once the paint color and the kolor krome wheels were in place there just was no turning back! I had saved that dashboard, with its fabulous chromed instrument cluster, for some future project because it's so archetypical of the era. Those old AMT 3-in-1 kits are real time capsules!

Edited September 11, 2014 by Bernard Kron

[Pete L.]

Bernard,

Very nicely done, looks like the rods in the mags from "back in the day" !!!

[bestdetailer]

That thing takes me back to 1959 I was only 1 then but I love the cars great great car.