Reissued AMT Fruit Wagon C-Cab Accuracy? Drawings Added 10/16

[Snake45]

I've always wanted to do a C-cabbed "fad T" and so bought the reissued AMT '25 Fruit Wagon kit. Just spent some time looking at pics of real C-cabs in the old Street Rod Pictorial #1 and #2 and the AMT C-cab body doesn't look like what I'm seeing in the pictures. The kit's body also doesn't look like the rod on the box top, either. The box art painting looks more like the photos of the real ones I'm looking at, except the back half of the roof of the cab.

Are there two different shapes of C-cab, and AMT kitted one and I'm looking at the other?

I think I'm going to end up scratchbuiding my own C-cab body out of sheet styrene. Doesn't look that hard, once I have a good drawing, and one of the photos I'm looking at is almost a full-on profile, so it shouldn't be too hard to develop drawings from that.

Edited October 16, 2014 by Snake45

[Snake45]

Okay, I just google-imaged for T C-cabs and looked at a lot of pictures. Evidently there were several different C-cab shapes over the years, as I saw quite a few variations. Didn't see one that looked like the AMT body, though some were kinda close. But most if not all of those didn't have doors, just open sides. Most of these also seemed to be bigger (especially longer) than the AMT body.

Here's the type of C-cab that I want to build, and that I thought I was getting when I bought the kit (the box art rod looks more like this in shape and proportion). I still want to build such a model, but it looks like I'll have to make my own body. If I can't carve this shape out of the AMT body, I'll just make it out of sheet styrene. Doesn't look that hard.

Come to think of it, I might be able to adapt the basic (lower) body from the Revell '29 Model A truck kit. In fact, I think I'll make the thing a "convertible," with the top removable from the body when the mood strikes me. Hmmmmmmm..........

Edited October 9, 2014 by Snake45

[Art Anderson]

Ford started producing C-cabs and truck bodies about 1920 or thereabouts,but for the TT 1-ton trucks only--with their introduction of the first mass-produced pickup trucks on the Model T assembly line in 1925, they did one that fit the standard passenger car frame (which cab may well have been the same as used on TT trucks. These continued in production, with a cowling change for 1926-27, of course. Your picture shows one with the shorter 1922-earlier cowling and low firewall, which is a bit different than the 1923-25 sheet metal.

AMT Corporation, of course, tooled this added body choice for the '25 T kits almost 50 years ago, and probably used only line drawings to do it from, given the "flat panel" multi-piece construction of the kit cab. The one in your picture more than likely is an aftermarket street rod body shell, rather than a real Ford steel cab, which could also account for the differences.

Art

[Snake45]

The one in your picture more than likely is an aftermarket street rod body shell, rather than a real Ford steel cab, which could also account for the differences.

Art

Could be, but it's the same as the three different rods I saw in the old '60s books I was looking at today. I know the basic T-buckets were being reproed in glass back then, but were C-cabs? I've never run across mention of such. In fact, back in those days, I don't think anyone was reproing '32 Fords yet, even in fiberglass, much less steel (as are available today).

Well, at any rate, I now know what I have to do to build the model I want to build.

[Art Anderson]

Could be, but it's the same as the three different rods I saw in the old '60s books I was looking at today. I know the basic T-buckets were being reproed in glass back then, but were C-cabs? I've never run across mention of such. In fact, back in those days, I don't think anyone was reproing '32 Fords yet, even in fiberglass, much less steel (as are available today).

Well, at any rate, I now know what I have to do to build the model I want to build.

Uh, I seem to recall that yes, there were reproduction bodies in fiberglas back now at least 50 years ago--in fact, I think the first fiberglas '32 Ford Roadster body shells (albeit rather crudely done) came along by 1963-64.

But in any event, the AMT C-cab should be most workable--if you need to taper the sides inward toward the cowling, that should be very easy to do, and BTW, not all C-cabs seem to have had doors (or else they were discarded sometime over the years.)

Art

[Snake45]

But in any event, the AMT C-cab should be most workable--if you need to taper the sides inward toward the cowling, that should be very easy to do, and BTW, not all C-cabs seem to have had doors (or else they were discarded sometime over the years.)

Art

The AMT C-cab body sides taper inward to meet the cowl just down at the lower front corners. Otherwise, they're completely flat.

I might be able to carve the shape I want out of the kit pieces, but if not, it shouldn't be too much trouble to scratch the whole body from the cowl back out of sheet styrene, and I have plenty of that around. I'm also looking at whether that Revell '29 roadster pickup body might be a good starting point. Will have a better idea what's necessary after I make my drawings.

I forgot to thank you earlier for all the great information. Very helpful!

[Art Anderson]

The AMT C-cab body sides taper inward to meet the cowl just down at the lower front corners. Otherwise, they're completely flat.

I might be able to carve the shape I want out of the kit pieces, but if not, it shouldn't be too much trouble to scratch the whole body from the cowl back out of sheet styrene, and I have plenty of that around. I'm also looking at whether that Revell '29 roadster pickup body might be a good starting point. Will have a better idea what's necessary after I make my drawings.

I forgot to thank you earlier for all the great information. Very helpful!

The Model A roadster pickup body is a good bit wider than any T body shell, in addition to having a "tumblehome" shape (inward curvature going toward the body sills) that T C-cab's didn't feature--those have very flat body panels.

Art

[Snake45]

The Model A roadster pickup body is a good bit wider than any T body shell, in addition to having a "tumblehome" shape (inward curvature going toward the body sills) that T C-cab's didn't feature--those have very flat body panels.

Art

Yeah--I can see that a razor saw and plenty of liquid cement and putty would be necessary to do it that way. But it might be better than sheet styrene--I'll have to see when I get into it.

Just since you seem to know about early Fords, Art, I'm thinking of another project involving a home-made "jalopy" hot rod utilizing the leftover stock T parts from the Fruit Wagon kit. My question is, could I use the "hop up" engine parts (dual carbs) from the Revell '29 engine on the T engine? If not and I need to use the whole '29 engine, would that fit under the stock T hood?

[Art Anderson]

Yeah--I can see that a razor saw and plenty of liquid cement and putty would be necessary to do it that way. But it might be better than sheet styrene--I'll have to see when I get into it.

Just since you seem to know about early Fords, Art, I'm thinking of another project involving a home-made "jalopy" hot rod utilizing the leftover stock T parts from the Fruit Wagon kit. My question is, could I use the "hop up" engine parts (dual carbs) from the Revell '29 engine on the T engine? If not and I need to use the whole '29 engine, would that fit under the stock T hood?

Hot rod parts for a Model A won't fit a Model T engine, unfortunately--there are just way too many differences--too numerous to list here. However, if you want a really bitchin' T racer, look no farther than the hop-up equipment from AMT's '27 T--that has the ultimate conversion: A Frontenac DOHC 16-valve head, intake manifold and carburetor, as well as a set of exhaust pipes. That setup could boost a stock 22hp T 4-banger up to nearly 150hp in cometent hands! (hint, one of those engines finished 5th at Indianapolis in 1924, against a field of Miller and Duesenberg 122cid pure racing engines!

Art

[Snake45]

Hot rod parts for a Model A won't fit a Model T engine, unfortunately--there are just way too many differences--too numerous to list here. However, if you want a really bitchin' T racer, look no farther than the hop-up equipment from AMT's '27 T--that has the ultimate conversion: A Frontenac DOHC 16-valve head, intake manifold and carburetor, as well as a set of exhaust pipes. That setup could boost a stock 22hp T 4-banger up to nearly 150hp in cometent hands! (hint, one of those engines finished 5th at Indianapolis in 1924, against a field of Miller and Duesenberg 122cid pure racing engines!

Art

That's a fabulous idea! And I believe I have an old "Hillbilly Hot Rod" kit from the '60s around here somewhere gathering dust. I'll check and see if those parts are still in it. Thanks so much!

[Snake45]

Well the '27 engine was a great idea but I opened up that old box and it's not in there. Don't know if it might turn up elsewhere, or if I traded it off to someone years ago. I have a slight vague recollection of the latter. It's not something I'd THINK I'd ever use.

So I'll go with either the stock engine, or the hot-rodded engine from the Revell '29 truck. I might see what's in the AMT (ex-MPC) '29 truck/woodie kit, too. Is there some particular color associated with such hot-rodded old engines, or should I just go with basic black?

[Guest]

Go here.....http://trakinscale.proboards.com/board/31/on-freakin-shelf second page. Not So Fruity C Cab. Built by Dennis Lacy.

[Snake45]

Go here.....http://trakinscale.proboards.com/board/31/on-freakin-shelf second page. Not So Fruity C Cab. Built by Dennis Lacy.

I tried, but you gotta register and log in to see it.

[unclescott58]

Mr. Mesner I'm building my AMT '27 T stock. I might be able to send you the custom engine parts, if they will fit on the Fruit Wagon's stock engine.

Scott

Edited October 10, 2014 by unclescott58

[Art Anderson]

Mr. Mesner I'm building my AMT '27 T stock. I might be able to send you the custom engine parts, if they will fit on the Fruit Wagon's stock engine.

Scott

Those parts should fit pretty close.

Art

[unclescott58]

I'm surprised Mr. Mesner, you have not contacted me on my above offer. It's free. Just give me a "yes" or "no".

Scott

Edited October 11, 2014 by unclescott58

[Draggon]

Here's Dennis Lacy's not so fruity T from TRaK.

[Snake45]

Here's Dennis Lacy's not so fruity T from TRaK.

Thanks for the pic! That's a nice model--he's got very close to the overall proportions I'm going for. His cab, if modified, is still closer to the kit parts than the pics I'm looking at. I can tell immediately by the shape of the rear half of the roof.

I hope to make a drawing this week. I'll post it here when I do.

Beautiful injector tubes on that engine! I wonder what he used. If they're not cut down from the '55 Nomad, they're scratched and they look great. I'm gonna have to make at least one set of those in the near future for an Altered project.

Thanks again for sharing that pic.

[Snake45]

Okay, I've done some drawings.

A is based on the AMT Fruit Wagon cowl dimensions and a near-perfect profile photo of a C-cab rod in Street Rod Pictorial #2. The cab in this photo looks like the same cab as three other rods shown in Street Rod Pictorial #1 (and very similar to the two photos I posted above). Key dimensions were measured from the photo and scaled to match the kit cowling (height and length) with a dial caliper and laid out within .005". I did this drawing without looking at the kit part at all.

B is an outline of the Fruit Wagon cab kit part. Note that the size of the door is almost identical to the door in A, which was drawn and dimensioned from a photo. This leads me to believe drawing A is darn close to accurate in size for this kit. You can clearly see that the cab behind the doors is much longer than drawing A, the roof is higher, and of a different contour.

Can you cut the kit cab sides down to match my drawing? Almost, but not quite. However, by removing about 7 scale inches from the rear, and then lowering and reshaping the roof, you can get kinda close. Drawing C is another tracing of the kit cab side, with the areas to be removed marked in red.

I think I'm going to try making my own cab from sheet styrene, but might also try cutting down the kit parts as in C and see how that looks. If I do, I will remove and replace the body molding lines from the kit parts, as they don't seem to be in the right place. Will use Evergreen half-round strips for this.

This drawing may be printed out for personal (noncommercial) use. Since I have no control over how Photobucket will size it, or how your printer will print it, I have included a 2" scale. Save the drawing to your computer, and print one using your favorite program. Measure the scale, calculate the necessary adjustment, then resize your saved image so it prints out with the scale measuring exactly two inches.