Ad Astra model club 1950's group build ('55 Ford Custom)

[Brian Conn]

 ......SO, here I go again....two builds on the work table at the same time...... something that I swore off of a few years ago as I needed to focus on one build at a time, but I did manage to pull it off with the 2019 Oktoberfest '73 Torino Modified Street Stock build with some success having the Mustang II Late Model build sharing space on the same work table.

  Approximately six months ago, a new model club was formed here in Topeka. https://www.cjonline.com/entertainmentlife/20191022/cj-extra-modeling-enthusiasts-bond-through-new-club
  While the Ad Astra model club is predominantly an armor, naval and military air craft club, I have done some show and tell with the Oktoberfest '73 Torino build and on going '78 Mustang II late model build.  I have already learned quite a bit from the military guys, especially their weathering techniques on military aircraft which I hope to begin, sometime, on my stock car builds......real stock cars don't shine like a new penny.

ONWARD:

  The President of the club announced at the Jan. meeting that there would be a '50's group build beginning now and ending May 14th , the club meeting date.....anything 50's 
  I have chosen to do a 1955 Ford Custom as a Modified Street Stock built in the spirit of local rules.

 
  Since there is no such thing as a '55 Ford Custom model car kit, I will back date this AMT/ERTL 1956 Ford Victoria.


  I am going to try and go with a balanced mix of O.O.B , scratch build and aftermarket.  The three pieces pictured will end up seeing the most scratch building change done.


 Back to the future This may look familiar to some of you, particularly David Bogard....  This was part of a "how to" from a few years ago that David had started and that I kind of joined in, too.  It was how to convert a '56 Vicky body into a Custom.  This is that same body that I had used along with the 1:25 scale '55 Custom picture and 1:25 scale roof templates. 
  The 1955 Ford Custom roof has taller roof pillars and is longer than the 1956 Ford Victoria's roof.
  B.T.W  Back in May of 2018, I had the opportunity to buy the '56 Victoria that David had done the conversion "how to" to make it a '55 Custom....the conversion he did to it is spot on and top notch....when my skills improve, I have a build in mind for that kit.
 

   I have decided not to use the kit tires and wheels....going with scale 8" tread width tires and a set of Holman/Moody stock car wheels.       

[Greg Birky]

Cool project and it sounds like a fun club.  Please post pics as you go!

[Brian Conn]

   Thanks guys!  much appreciated 
  David, as far being an aggressive project, I really want to take it in a casual direction....after all I still have 5 months and don't have the desire to go all in with a lot of detail on this particular build.  As an example, I wont be cutting out the trunk lid, so the only indication of any thing being done in the trunk area will be the visible bottom side of the fabbed fuel tank or fuel cell .... haven't decided which way to go with that one,yet.   
 
  As far as building a simple model,...... where I'm at is anything with less involved work than the Mustang II dirt late model is simple ....simple enough for me at least.  I wasn't kidding about wanting to do a build utilizing one of Gators bodies...something akin to the Larry Phillips wedge late model you did...a trackside build focusing more on what's easily visible and less on everything else.       

[Marty W]

This looks like an interesting build. Love those '56 Fords.

[Brian Conn]

  Not much to report...waiting on some aftermarket goodies to arrive

This looks like an interesting build. Love those '56 Fords.

  Thanks.....what I am trying to go for is a build that represents a car that has been raced a few seasons and parked for a couple of seasons a few times.....imagine what was once considered being a late model now running in a street stock class...some of what it may have started out with, racing parts wise originally, isn't what its running now.


  Swiss cheesed the dash board of all the unnecessary stuff...knobs, gauges, ash tray, glove box, speaker cover, etc. etc.


  Decide to go with a Ford 9" rear verses the kit offerings....I simply cut out the kits rear center section and grafted a resin cast 9" into its place.  Since everything is being held in place by the sprew and the rear leaf springs, it made things a whole lot easier.

[Brian Conn]

  Decided to ditch the kit "Y" block for something bigger......my very first attempt at weathering an engine and transmission.


  Combination of resin cast, scratch build, parts box and aftermarket for a 429 big block


  Went a different direction with the transmission...for me at least...using the predecessor of the Top Loader transmission with this build, the Borg-Warner T-10
  Will shoot a thin dull coat over everything to knock down some of the shine and gloss.
   

[Brian Conn]

  Successful roof transformation

 
  Still need to take the small sanding sticks to a few spots and scribe the area between "A" pillar, roof and "B" pillar for the area between the doors and main body.

[RandB11]

That's really looking good Brian! Excellent job on that roof! I've been wanting to try that for a long time, just can't get up the nerve to try it! Been following this one,can't wait to see more!

Rick

[Greg Birky]

I look forward to more, Brian!  I’m diggin’ the roof conversion and the engine is sweet!🏁🏁🏁

[Bob P.]

Very interesting project Brian, keep us posted on your progress.

Bob

[Brian Conn]

  Thanks Rick,Greg and Bob ...your comments are very much appreciated

I look forward to more, Brian!  I’m diggin’ the roof conversion and the engine is sweet!🏁🏁🏁

  Shot some Testors Dullcote w/ the air brush on the engine and tranny over the weekend....noticeably improved the appearance ....less shiny and bright..... perfect claimer motor



  Finishing up the tires and wheels ......Plastic Performance Products 60's - 70's Holman/Moody wheel fronts and after market backing plate and rotor.  Cut down the center hub on the backing plate and drilled it out to accept the kit spindles on the front and axle shaft on the rear.  Tires are scale 8" width from the tire stash.

  Asked a question for clarification of the President at last weeks meeting.....asked if I can build the '55 as it would have appeared ,say 25 years or so later....he said sure , which affords me a little bit more leniency with the build verses building it as it would have had to appear in the mid to late 50's.
  Speaking of the meeting, we have had several members of the club pay us a visit here checking out the '55 amongst other builds posted here by the rest of you.....needless to say the site impressed them.

  So here is where I'm at with this build as far as what I have in mind build wise goes....
  At some point in the early 70's the car was built as an "A" class car ......what would morph into late models in just a couple of years making it obsolete.  While the late models take hold and gain in popularity, the '55 is parked and cannibalized for useful parts, such as its quick change,  on a late model.
  Long about 1976 or so , the "55 gets a new lease on life in the hobby stock class....a 3/4 ton Dana rear end gets installed and a big block is now the engine of choice.  After about 4 more years of racing, the hobby stock class becomes dominated by the smaller, lighter cars ...almost late models themselves....the '55 is once again made obsolete and parked again.  The "55 is "rediscovered" some time in the mid 80's ....thinking that it would be a fun car to bang around in the street stock class with , parts are rounded up to make it race worthy yet again.  Seems the only parts that are cheap and plentiful are those coming off the old late models from 8,9, 10 years ago....the same late models that made this '55 obsolete in the first place.  So it has come full circle, late model left overs to put the now street stock together again one last time.  The heavier Dana rear end was replaced by a lighter Ford 9" w/ disk brakes WOW.  Now the car has disk on all four corners since the front drum brakes where swapped out for disk during the hobby stock years.  A full cell replaced the fuel tank that had been in the trunk from back in the "A" class days...the old fuel tank literally rusted away.  Since there is an engine claim in the street stock class, the big block will stay in place...after all who would want to claim a big block Ford engine in a class dominated by small block Chevy's   

[Brian Conn]

  Haven't spent a whole lot of time in the hobby room the last month....but that's alright all things considered.



  Dirtied up the frame and rear axle with flat Black and a couple of other earth tone colors.......brushed on some Testors Dullcote to knock some of the shiny down.....still have a couple of spots needing another coat on the underside of the floor pan.


  Scratched a fuel cell out of an existing stock fuel tank and some Evergreen.  Weathered with different shades of Red and Brown Pastel Chalk then brushed on one coat of Dullcote ....will brush on another before calling it good.
  Not much detail on this one since the trunk lid wont be open.

 
  Reworked the rear seat area into a fire wall, lowered the over all height aprox. 4 mm. as I want to channel the body.  Shot some Tamiya fine surface primer for some color and used a wash of Brown Pastel Chalk and water to dirty up the interior...applied a very thin amount of Dullcoat.   

[Brian Conn]

Yea.....the forum pages are chocked full of builds will great looking finishes and paint jobs.....there is absolutely nothing wrong with that , but I have decided to try something different to hopefully set myself apart from that and be more unique.
  I've spent time in,on and under stock cars so I'm trying mimic, what I can recall, the different shades of colors and how they took on a different appearance after a number of years or seasons of use and abuse.     

[Brian Conn]

  Thank you Steven....a few people have seen it in person and have, more or less, stated the same thing about the weathering.  It doesn't take much , though, to give the appearance of to much weathering which I have to be careful of.
  I'm going to move on to the main part of the roll cage.  I've seen some techniques that I'm going to try where the cage looks as if it was painted and some of the over spray gets on the interior using my air brush.  As far as the cage construction its self, I'm going with the drilling of the 4 points of the main cage  thru the floor pan and adjusting the height with the interior roof of the body.  Going with a flat Black color for the cage to keep it simple. 

[Bob P.]

Looking good Brian, keep us posted on your progress.

Bob