AMT '25 T Resto/Rebuild

[Snake45]

I had so much so-called “fun” recently rebuilding my 45-year old “dune buggy in a sandwich bag” that I decided to restore/rebuild the only hot rod I ever built as a kid, AMT's “Sand T” which I built around 1968. For those who came in late, full Workbench story with rebuild photos can be seen here:

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=93734

Long story short, here's what I started with:

Well the little monster is finished, after about 4 hours of final assembly yesterday morning. Oh it could use taillights and a couple other little things but I'll get to those someday when I find something I like. But it's “done enough” to go on the shelf.

As with my recent dune buggy rebuild project, I had a set of self-imposed rules on this, which were:

1. Git Er Done.

2. Try to maintain much of the “flavor” of the original 1968 build.

3. Use original parts as much as possible.

4. If original parts not available, harvest parts from one of the “glue bomb” organ donors.

5. If #2 and #3 not applicable, use parts from new reissue AMT Fruit Wagon kit, as long as this wouldn't compromise my planned build of that kit.

6. If nothing else available, scratchbuild or hit the spare parts stash.

7. Leave body, engine, and wheels/tires detachable, “Switcher-style,” so the rolling chassis can be used for further engine and body experiments.

I spent over 40 hours on this “simple” rebuild/resto project, much of that disassembling and repairing the original frame and suspension. As with my dune buggy rebuild project, I could have done it all in maybe half the time working from a new, unbuilt kit. However, I consider it time well spent, as I learned a LOT about building this kit that will be useful when I get around to building the Fruit Wagon and the other two copies of this kit I have.

This is the first time this model has EVER had headlights and a windshield. They weren't included in the original AMT Sand T kit. I always thought the thing looked “headless” and/or blind because of that. I'll eventually come up with a better windshield but I came down with Git Er Done Fever and just robbed this one out of an unbuilt AMT '25 T kit, I think from the '80s or '90s. It's just stuck on with Elmer's Glue so I can easily remove it anytime. The headlights were harvested and reworked from one of the glue bomb organ donors. Mr. Glue Bomber had installed the lenses with so much tube glue that they'd sunk into the buckets and about half disappeared. I found that the lenses from a Monogram '70 SS Chevelle fit into the buckets almost perfectly, and the old lenses were sunk in so deep there was room to install the new ones.

On to the pictures.

Notice that the wire front axle is missing. I found that if you don't care about the model rolling, the front wheel backs/brakes and the hublets on the front axle are almost a perfect press-fit. I have the front wheels held on with a spot of Elmers, but I can always easily remove them if the mood strikes me to change them in the future.

This pic shows my paint detailing on the wheels pretty well. I've been reading some early '60s Rod & Custom magazines and found out these wheels (sourced from the recent AMT reissue Fruit Wagon T) seem to be some made by American Racing in the very early '60s. And my paint detailing turned out to be pretty close to correct for them. You might notice that I turned the whitewalls on the slicks to the inside. Someday I'll find a set of good whitewalls for the fronts and I'll put them on and reverse the slicks again. Maybe. I kinda like the blacks.

This pic shows off my drilling job on the header ends, one of my better efforts at this kind of thing.

It doesn't really show up in the pic, but I pulled a sneaky trick on the dashboard. I was gonna cover all the gauges with Krystal Kleer or Future, and was thinking that the wood dashboard needed a gloss coat, and then got the evil idea to just cover the whole thing (the dashboard insert piece) with super-clear packaging tape before installing it. So I did. It works!

BTW, I was going for an early to mid-'60s look for the thing. Thanks for looking and comments welcome.

[cobraman]

Nice looking little bucket.

[10thumbs]

Hi Snake45,

Well I think the car is just fine! I like old school builds and this one fits perfectly in my opinion.

Please forget the white wall tires, I think they really suck, and ruin anything that was initially intended. Maybe on a real car, way back when, but with a choice, I say dump those buggers. They don't look cool on models.

You're showing a shiny Halibrand rear end, but the shocks are completely black. I would suggest some shiny looking stuff if the pieces/parts are visible, just not not "chrome" from the tree.

I've gathered from a lot of your forum entries that you are an enthusiastic type guy, I like this. I think too that you don't take my criticism as offensive.

I love Altereds and Hot Rods, lets do 'em!

Michael

[southpier]

are you sure the firing order is correct?

I think #3 & #8 are reversed ....

[Snake45]

are you sure the firing order is correct?

I think #3 & #8 are reversed ....

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's the original thread "wiring" I did as a kid. I kept it as is for "flavah." The thread is brown, too, not black. Not sure if I did that deliberately to match the paint scheme, or that's just what I happened to grab out of Mom's sewing box at the time, or what.

[Snake45]

Please forget the white wall tires, I think they really suck, and ruin anything that was initially intended. Maybe on a real car, way back when, but with a choice, I say dump those buggers. They don't look cool on models.

You're showing a shiny Halibrand rear end, but the shocks are completely black. I would suggest some shiny looking stuff if the pieces/parts are visible, just not not "chrome" from the tree.

Michael

I don't like whitewalls either, I was only using them here because they were in the AMT Pie Crust Slicks set and I figgered "why not." I'd have white on the front too but the only ones I could find had the white so close to the wheel rim that it all just looked like ass.

The Halibrand isn't "shiny," its Testor Flat Steel, just because every Halibrand I've ever seen has been natural metal or some kind of steel gray color. The reason the rest of the chassis is black is that most of the joints are visible "welds" of Superglue to hold it together. And worse yet, after I had the chassis "finished," I dropped a bottle on it and broke the front suspension in three different places. I superglued it all back together and this time reinforced the broken joints with a coating of J-B Weld, too. The black hides all that hideous junk. The next one of these I build, from a virgin kit, will have all kinds of brightwork and eye candy on the chassis, I assure you!

Edited October 15, 2014 by Snake45

[slusher]

Cool build Snake..

[OldTimer50707]

That is a great build.

[Maxicoop]

old school is cool !!!!!! tread for spark plug wires, I still use it .....silver paint instead of BFM, white walls come and go builders choice !!!! that's why we build models to express our selves!!!!!! so do what you do so well with your models you see them and enjoy them more than anyone else !!!super build !!!!

[D. Battista]

1. Try to maintain much of the “flavor” of the original 1968 build

You did just that...!

Very nice resto job...! pic looks straight out of a '68 model car mag...!

I really like this one...!

[Greg Pugh]

I really like this! It's neat what you did here.

[outlaw035]

nice save....

[wrecker388]

Cool! Just curious, is there a flame decal on the side under the paint?

[Snake45]

Cool! Just curious, is there a flame decal on the side under the paint?

No, that's a remnant of an earlier paint job. I don't even remember what colors, but at the time I thought the new paint would just cover that up. I was wrong (as I was about a lot of things when I was 14, gimme a break).

[wrecker388]

No, that's a remnant of an earlier paint job. I don't even remember what colors, but at the time I thought the new paint would just cover that up. I was wrong (as I was about a lot of things when I was 14, gimme a break).

Not dissing, I've done scarier. lol. I thought it looked cool. I'm only 16. When I was 14 I glued the front springs for a 50 F-1 on Sideways.

Edited October 22, 2014 by wrecker388

[Danno]

I thought you did the ghost flames on purpose! {At least that would be my story!}

Nice.

[Snake45]

I thought you did the ghost flames on purpose! {At least that would be my story!}

Nice.

[hgbben]

Turned out great Snake