62rebel Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 my Dad had a Fairlane 500 Galaxie Town Sedan (quite a mouthful) that he gave me when he went back north a few years back; i did a lot of work on it keeping it driveable, eventually replacing the tired 352 with a later 390, installing dual exhaust, upgrading the brakes, etc etc... we drove it a bit but it never got the use it needed, so eventually i sold it off. there are numerous small details that differentiate Fairlane and 300 base models from the late '59 Galaxie series that can and do catch '59 owners out when hunting parts... for a full size (and i MEAN full size) car, it drove well and handled well and stopped quickly even with ancient drum brakes; no rattles or shakes, and it felt like riding in a bank vault, not a rubbermaid trashcan.... dang. now i want more than ever to get my 1:1 1956 Fairlane finished.
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 5, 2014 Author Posted October 5, 2014 The '59 Ford was voted "the most beautiful automobile in the world" at the major car show in Paris, France, so the proportioning and styling must not have been too bad. While not my all time favorite car, I really do like the styling which is pretty conservative compared to some of the other makes of that era. It's unfortunate that the omnipotent bean counters seem to fail to see any potential in reissuing these old kits as opposed to the dime a dozen Chevelles and Mustangs and such. They keep reissuing the '57 Ford over and over and have even tooled a new two door post but the '58 and '59 seem to be largely forgotten and under rated. Oh well - ours is not to reason why, is it? Yours will be a nice build, Steve.. maybe it will help draw some attention and appreciaition to these cars. Personally, I've always liked the '59 & '58 Ford styling much better than the '57. The '57 always looked to me like 2 different people designed it & they didn't share notes! The '58 to me looks like the "refined" version of the '57. Although I'll admit, I was never really crazy about the roof line on the '59-'63 galaxies, I do like the looks of the '59. Got the first coat of "Geranium" on the body tonight. Man...is it bright!! Steve
W-409 Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 There were a lot of cars from around this era that had styling "issues". Let's take the '58 Edsel for example...... Steve Hey what's wrong with the Edsel?! I like it lot more than any of the Fords from those years. This is looking great so far! Your build threads are very nice to follow as I know the model you're building will end up being another masterpiece. Great work with the body. I can't wait to see more.
Guest Posted October 5, 2014 Posted October 5, 2014 That roofline doesn't mix with the windshield... It just looks kinda "off." Huh? Whatever. The 59 Ford series is my favorite car ever. I am very excited bout this build Steve. Is that paint Coral? You doing it 2 tone?
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 5, 2014 Author Posted October 5, 2014 Huh? Whatever. The 59 Ford series is my favorite car ever. I am very excited bout this build Steve. Is that paint Coral? You doing it 2 tone? The paint I'm using is actually 1964 Mercury "Bittersweet", but to my eye, it looks like a pretty much exact match to '59 Ford "Geranium". Yes Lee, it will be 2-tone, with the lower body & roof geranium, & the hood & trunk areas white. I may have some more pics later tonight. Hope to get the geranium color finished later. Steve
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 6, 2014 Author Posted October 6, 2014 (edited) I'm really liking this color! After the first coat I thought it looked way too "orange". Even after the second coat I wasn't too sure. It just looked so bright & overwhelming. But once I got it unmasked & uncovered the white primer, I think it balanced out nicely. Just have to clean the paint off of the scripts & the c-pillar badges & then I'll be ready for more masking to paint the white part. Steve Added one more shot of the scripts after cleaning them off. Edited November 16, 2014 by StevenGuthmiller
FordRodnKustom Posted October 6, 2014 Posted October 6, 2014 Looks great Steve. Good color choice. IIRC that was a very popular color as I remember seeing many 59 Fords of every trim level in that tone and combination.
Ramfins59 Posted October 6, 2014 Posted October 6, 2014 Very nice colors Steve. This is looking like another winner coming from your bench.
1 bad55 stan Posted October 6, 2014 Posted October 6, 2014 Thats a neat project,i like how you do your scrips,great colors too!
impcon Posted October 6, 2014 Posted October 6, 2014 That is SO pretty and it looks SO righteous, Steve!!! While Geranium wasn't my all time favorite color on these cars, there is no denying that you made a good choice and that this will be yet another masterpiece on your shelf.You have an incredible eye for color and that is a gift that most people simply do not have - and it is a gift to have the vision to see in your mind what the completed project will look like and to appreciate it's true potential. I tend to think that you are an inspiration to a lot if us here ( especially yours truly ) to get busy and start doing something with what we have. The colors you chose are pure late 50's and I am so looking forward to seeing this one come together. I speak for everyone when I respectfully say that we appreciate you sharing your abilities and talents with us all here. Thank you and keep up the excellent work. Your builds make a very strong case for box and factory stock builds and prove beyond doubt that keeping things uncomplicated can yield some fantastic results! just my opinion - but I think others will agree. It would be a dull world if we all liked the same things and no one has a monopoly on being right, but your builds are as classy and nice in their simplicity ( e.g. - no opening doors, etc. ) as any that I have ever seen. I admire guys who have the abilities, tools, experience and talent to go the extra mile in detail, but your workmanship rivals them all.
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 6, 2014 Author Posted October 6, 2014 Boy Gary! I guess all I can say is thank you! I may have explained myself on this forum before, but I'll reiterate. I missed out on these old annuals from the late 50s & early 60s being born in '62, so now,with the arrival of ebay & the availability of this great old subject matter, I find myself feeling like a kid again. I also feel my mortality & realize that I no longer have forever to take a year to build one kit. I may have 30 years left to live but who knows how much longer I'll be able to build before the hands & eyes go. So I decided that I would go on a early plastic spree of sorts & see if I could build these old kits with little more than what they came with from the factory & still make them a presentable display piece. If & when I finish all of the ones I would like to build, maybe there will still be time to go back to the '49 Mercs & '57 Chevies. & if not, I can still die happy. Steve
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 6, 2014 Author Posted October 6, 2014 Looks great Steve. Good color choice. IIRC that was a very popular color as I remember seeing many 59 Fords of every trim level in that tone and combination. It must have been a pretty popular combo Ron. There's certainly no shortage of reference material on the web for it. Steve
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 8, 2014 Author Posted October 8, 2014 (edited) Just a couple more pics. Last night I sprayed on the "Colonial White". Tonight I finished cleaning up the scripts & then masked for spraying the polished aluminum panels behind the rear wheel & inside of the side spears with Alclad "Polished Aluminum". Now that the color coats are on, the next step is cleaning up the ragged paint edges between colors & then the clear coats can begin. Steve Edited November 16, 2014 by StevenGuthmiller
Lovefordgalaxie Posted October 8, 2014 Posted October 8, 2014 Just a couple more pics. Last night I sprayed on the "Colonial White". Tonight I finished cleaning up the scripts & then masked for spraying the polished aluminum panels behind the rear wheel & inside of the side spears with Alclad "Polished Aluminum". Now that the color coats are on, the next step is cleaning up the ragged paint edges between colors & then the clear coats can begin. Steve That is very beautiful. Great color combo. One has to love those Jr. Craftsman kits, they have way nicer tires than the Customizing kits (oh that rock hard tires...) On my build of this same kit, I painted the original tires to simulate he whitewalls, as I didn't want to add anything modern to the kit, and build it only with it's parts. The Geranium would had being my second color choice. Painted mine Indian Turquoise and Colonial White. Can already see this beauty all finished up!!! Coming from you Steve, it's gonna be a real goal.
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 8, 2014 Author Posted October 8, 2014 Thanks guys! I remember that turquoise '59 Tulio! It was a beauty! The tires I'm using for this build are the AMT "Deluxe Champion" parts pack ones. I use them for a lot of these old AMT promo style wheels because their hollow & the wheels just pop right into them. No muss, no fuss! Plus the look great! Steve
Ramfins59 Posted October 8, 2014 Posted October 8, 2014 Fabulous colors Steve. I can't wait to see it with foil. I'm also waiting to see what you'll do with the interior. You're giving me some great inspiration for when I get around to working on the '59 Ford Galaxie promo in my TO DO pile.
Ron Hamilton Posted October 8, 2014 Posted October 8, 2014 Just a couple more pics. Last night I sprayed on the "Colonial White". Tonight I finished cleaning up the scripts & then masked for spraying the polished aluminum panels behind the rear wheel & inside of the side spears with Alclad "Polished Aluminum". Now that the color coats are on, the next step is cleaning up the ragged paint edges between colors & then the clear coats can begin. Steve Beautiful. I have to do mine one of these days.
StevenGuthmiller Posted October 9, 2014 Author Posted October 9, 2014 (edited) Fabulous colors Steve. I can't wait to see it with foil. I'm also waiting to see what you'll do with the interior. You're giving me some great inspiration for when I get around to working on the '59 Ford Galaxie promo in my TO DO pile. Thanks Rich! Almost 100% of the 1:1 '59s in this color that I've seen online have the same interior arrangement. Dash, steering column & door tops painted the same "Geranium" as the outside with the majority of the rest of the interior a matching "coral" color, with the exception of the seat inserts which are a sort of striped black material surrounded by a white vinyl stripe. Door panels get black accents & black carpet. I imagine that's where I'm headed. Steve Edited November 16, 2014 by StevenGuthmiller
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