fletch
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Posts posted by fletch
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Scale Auto Builders Ass'n here in Portland is primarily a auto/truck/motorcycle based club. We just became a IPMS chapter. Several of our members build things other then cars/trucks etc. Our monthly meeting are limited to automotive subject as well as any contest we produce or host. Last weekend we hosted the 41st Annual Bob Paeth Portland Classic Model Car Contest as part of the Portland Roadster show. We will be producing the 21st PNW Model Car Fest in April. SABA hosts the model contest at the Billetproof NW event as well as the contest at the Rod Run to the End of the World, in Ocean Park Washington. Above all else, our goal is to have fun and promote the hobby of model building.
Fletch
SABA Vice-President
IPMS/USA #46932
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David,
Not to burst a bubble but this is what I found out from a few searches.
The MPC Switchers series, which included the 1925 Ford 'T', the 1932 Ford Sedan, and the 1932 Ford Coupe, are near and dear to the hearts of modelers from the early 1970's. So you may have been better iff doing it the way you are! Looking good so far!!!
Not a problem Mark, I had never seen the supposed version of the Switchers that included the '27 Coupe. One of the forums that cater to Traditional Hot Rods had a '27 Coupe build either late last year or early this year that, the builder indicated the body was from an MPC Switchers kit. None of us had ever heard of the kit, but he swore that it was plastic not resin. One of our club members has close to 2,000 kits, I ask him if he had the kit, needless to say he looked at me like I had lost my mind. With that in mind I started gathering photos and drawings of the '26/'27 Coupe, figuring short of buying a resin version the Sedan to Coupe conversion was the only other option.
Here is a photo of the 1 worked from to get an idea of how visually correct the windows are on the cut down body, it was one of the almost 400 outstanding cars/trucks/motorcycles at last weekends Portland Roadster Show.
More then anything else the goal is to produce a creditable looking '27 Coupe.
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Fletch, that's a gutsy start. Good looking match up. I always liked the tall Ts better than the chopped ones. What are you going to do for an engine and drive train?
Les, I'm not 100% sure exactly what the plan is, this started out as one of those 'Can it be done' type projects. I am a fan of the Ford flathead, if it gets built without fenders a flatty is a real possibility. With the release of the Revell Midget with the 60hp flathead there is a possibility of building it with the small version of the flathead, I haven't checked yet but believe the build could progress with fenders if the V8 60 is used. One of the options I had considered is using the V6 from the Thunderbird Super Coupe. The fun of a build like this is there are no boundaries, your imagination is the only limit
The Model T frame doesn't lend itself to traditional hot rodding all that well, so chances are it will get a totally fabricated chassis. This is the frame from another '26 Sedan that is on the bench, it is shortened along the lines of the body for the coupe but with the panel behind the side window still in place.
Here is the link to the '26 Short version in case you what to take a look: http://public.fotki.com/dcfletcher/model-cars/projects-2009/builds-2011/26-sedan-the-short/
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The '26/'27 Model T Coupe has always been a favorite of mine. It just looks so much classier then it earlier cousins, but finding a '26/'27 Coupe in plastic is next to impossible. To the best of my knowledge the only one ever produced in plastic was from MPC in their Switchers Series. Personally, I've never seen one but they tell me they did exist. Altered States Resins has 2 '27 Coupes available, one with a 6" chop and the with a 10" chop. I know both chops sound extreme but considering the height of a Tall T, the chops aren't that insane. The Altered States Coupes are suppose to have been mastered from the MPC kit, but after careful observation, I am not so sure. The Revell Lil' John Buttera '26 Sedan, '27 Touring cowl looks identical to that of the Altered States cowl
Seeing how I have had no luck in locating an original MPC Switchers kit, I decided to see how possible it would be to convert a Revell '26 Sedan to a '26/'27 Coupe. The side window of the Sedan had to be shortened by aprox a scale foot. Once the window was shortened and the body reassembled, the flat area behind the window had to go as well, by the time all was said and done the body was in 5 pieces.
Yet to come in the build is to fabricate the turtle deck area, open the cowl vent, decide whether to build the coupe with or without fenders, decide what engine to add to the build and all the other misc fun parts.
Stay tuned
Fletch
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Wow that thing's gonna POP when you get it painted. Never seen the kit myself, but it's great. I love the top. It's got a great shape to it.
The overall profile of the body is actually pretty close to the 1:1 '28 Tudor Sedan based on a scan that I have of the original elevation drawing.
Most of these kits are now going for around $100 and that's for those in far from mint condition.
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I like what you've done with a great old kit here Mike. You can't go wrong with a '34 Ford pickup. Love the wheels. I need to order a set of them, I've had a '34 Texaco Tanker on hold for years because I couldn't find the correct wheels. This may be the inspiration needed to actually get it on the bench. Keep up the fantastic build. I look forward to following your progress.
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One thing that I've noticed with the AMT '28 Tudor Sedan is that for a kit that was issed 1 time they sure used a lot of different colored styrene. I've got 3 of these kits and all of them are different colors of "White".
Anyway, on with the build. The initial body work has been completed, the sink marks along the door post have been filled, sanded and dressed. The body and hood are now ready for paint.
The fender/chassis unit still requires some additional work. As the Model 'A' Ford frame was never designed to accept a flathead V8 the mid-frame cross-member needs to be replaced. Normally this isn't a problem but with the fenders and frame being a single cast unit, it makes life a bit more interesting.
The cross-meber marked in black will get replaced with either a scratch built piece or one from an AMT '29 Roadster. The rear cross-member will also get replaced with a scratch built unit as the Ford 9" rear end that will go under the Sedan requires either a 4-link suspension system or the transverse spring to be behind the axle not above it as in the Model 'A' frame.
The plan for finish on the Tudor is House of Kolor (HoK) KBC11 Apple Red for the body and hood with the fender unit HoK Bc25 Black.
After all it is suppose to be a traditional Hot Rod.
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In 1965 AMT released their model of the '28 Ford Tudor Sedan. It was a one time only issue and any more a highly sought after kit that can command insane prices. The kit I'm using for this build was given to me by a friend who is suffering through some health problems. His words to me when he handed me the box we, "I know you'll do it justice." That in mind along with the knowledge of is failing health has prompted me to move thins buuld to the head of the 'Needs to get built' list.
The first thing that needed to be corrected was the shrinkage around the door openings. Even in 1965 they had a bad habit of removing castings from the molds to soon and the casting shrunk. The area around the door frame required a fair amount of filling to get rid of the sink marks. I use scrap pieces of Evergreen Styrene "melted" in Tamiya Extra Thin Cement as filler. It melts into the kit plastic becoming part of the surrounding plastic. It cures in 24-36 hours, dries hard, sands easily and best of all it doesn't shrink like most spot putties are prone to.
The missing front bumper support has been replaced from an old parts kit that I had acquired several years ago. The plan is to use a flathead from any one of Revell's line up of '30s-'40s hot rod kits. Update as much of the underframe as possible without major reworking using front and rear axles from the Revell'32 Ford line of kits. The tires and wheels are from an old issue of the lil' John Buttera '26 Sedan Delivery. The Halibrand kidney bean wheels will fit the period that I would like this build to represent.
Your questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Stay tuned, more to come soon.
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Hello from the Great Pacific NW, Portland, Oregon specificly. I been a member of IPMS for the past 6 months or so. I belong to a local Model Car Club that is currently not an IPMS chapter, but we're ojn our way to changing that.
For the most part I build Traditionl Rods and Customs, but have recently branched out into Ferrari's and Jaguars. I build an occasional Fire Engine and for a totsl change of pace every now and then an airplane.
I am the local clubs Vice-President, Web Site and Forum Administrator. We produce 2 major Model Car Shows in the area as well as support other club shows.
'26/'27 Coupe
in Cars, Trucks, & Motorcycles
Posted
Early this morning I took a Jimmy Flintstone '27 Lake Roadster body and taped the turtle-deck sides to use as patterns for the '27 Coupe conversion. The tape was then placed on Evergreen .030" sheet styrene, the sides were cut out, sanded and carved to shape to fit the the shortened Sedan body.
The Lake Roadster body that the patterns were taken from:
Someplace along the way I decided to dig out the fender unit for the Sedan, I sat the roadster body on the fenders and realized that the length of the turtle-deck on the Roadster vs the Coupe is totally different. The turtle-deck sides on the Roadster are aprox 1/4" longer then those of the Coupe.
The Lake Roadster body on the fender unit:
The turtle deck sides were shortened and attached to the shortened Sedan body, they are a bit rough, and have been cross braced, there is still quite a bit of work to be done but it's progressing.
Stay tuned