Post by shaggy on Mar 8, 2015 18:13:45 GMT -5
Well, after nine weeks I finally got it done with the exception of the door upholstery and some minute details, like the dash ends need paint, throttle spring installed along with some misc engine wiring, license plates, etc. and some touch-up of the paint on spots around the doors.... It wasn't a 'planned' build, it just happened; it definitely wasn't intended to be this detailed but alas I've done things on this build that I've never done before and became somewhat fanatical about everything being connected and appearing as the 1:1 would (an example is the accelerator and brake pedals being hooked up to the carbs/master cylinder). The end result is 'done' no matter whether you're looking at the top, bottom, inside or out.
I typed up a description that goes into the detail. There are some things in the description that haven't been executed yet, but they will be:
Shagball’s Shop Truck aka: The “Lemon Drop”
-1950 Chevy Pickup custom based on the AMT stock issue kit. The idea behind this project was to create a vehicle that could be a “rolling business card” for a (fictitious) premier custom shop back in the day.
-Body Modifications: Top chopped approximately 3 ½ scale inches, and converted from a 5-window cab to the more common 3-window. Door handles shaved, heater intake, cab side vent door and gas cap filled. Headlights extended and tunneled using aluminum tubing, scratch-built grille cavity and front gravel pan from the AMT ’49 Ford coupe molded to the body, a floating grille bar option from the AMT ’49 Merc is incorporated, as is a rear bumper from the same kit used as the front bumper on the truck. Running board vertical panels extended upward to tighten the open space to the bottom of the cab and box. Doors cut open, hinged, jambed and complete inner-side structure constructed including window frames, and vent window posts made from Plastruct ‘I’ beam rod (foiled). Rear fenders extended downward in the rear half, with scratch-built taillight housings (polished K&S aluminum tube)/scratch-built bullet taillights (clear sprue shaped then painted Tamiya acrylic Clear Red). The bed floor molded-in plastic boards were ground out leaving the slats and cross braces and genuine wood boards were utilized, made from coffee stir sticks, slats covered in Bare Metal foil, and then applied 6 coats of U-pol clear. The tailgate was smoothed front and back. The body is shot in nail polish, a mix of Sally Hansen X-treme wear #360 Mellow Yellow mixed 50/50 with Jordana #139 White Pearl (3 coats) followed by Nason 2-part automotive clear (3 coats), then polished out.
Interior: . The dash was scratch-built from Evergreen sheet and acrylic nail filler, with the insert made from the optional custom grille from an AMT ’59 El Camino kit. Gauges are scratch-built with the exception of the speedometer, which is cut out from an AMT ’49 Merc dash that also gave up its radio and heater controls, which are mounted on the underside of the dash on a strip of Evergreen covered in Bare Metal foil. The seat is the stock kit seat painted in a custom-mixed Blood Red satin, then piping was constructed from 26-gauge beading wire and sprayed Ivory satin. Square-tufted upholstery in Blood Red is actually the foil seal from a Folgers plastic coffee container on the headliner and door panels, while the Ivory tuck-n-roll is scratch built from multi-layer aluminum foil rubbed over small plastic coffee stirrers then backed with acrylic nail filler to hold the pattern. All piping added is done with 26-gauge wire. The carpet is non-pattern/non-print Viva paper towel with the Blood Red applied with a brush. Carpeted floor mats are made from Evergreen sheet covered in Viva and outlined with piping. Sun visors made also from Evergreen sheet, painted Blood Red with Ivory piping. All glass is clear butyrate sheet. Steering column and wheel are the stock units from an AMT ’58 Chevy Impala, with the molded plastic horn ring removed and replaced with 26-gauge wire, the turn signal stalk and automatic shifter made from pins tipped in Finger Paint’s #806003 Well-Cultured Pearl nail polish.
Chassis: The kit frame is Z’d front and rear and pinned for strength, the stock front and rear suspensions lowered with U-bolts made from stripped individual telephone wire, bolt plates made from Evergreen sheet, and nuts cut from Plastruct .040” hex rod added on both axles, kit shocks used, with relocated mounts. The entire frame and suspension painted Rustoleum rattle-can high-gloss Black. The brake master cylinder was scratch-built from nothing more than a piece of sprue (top half), a piece of styrene exhaust pipe (bottom half and boot) drilled and a straight pin used for the pushrod, bolts and fill cap made from various sizes of hex rod. Cylinder painted Testors bottle Steel, bolts painted Testors bottle Bright Silver, the pushrod boot painted Testors bottle Flat Black and a clamp made from fine wire added. 26-gauge beading wire was used for all the brake hard line, which is run in full from the master cylinder to junction blocks made from styrene bits, fittings from hex rod. Rubber brake lines are insulated individual telephone wire (one between the frame and rear axle, one at each front wheel. Tires are from the Revell ’49 Merc, with the hubcaps being stock units from the AMT ’49 Merc with lettering painted Testors bottle Dark Red and added valve stems made from pins. Strips of .010” Evergreen sheet is wrapped around the circumference, painted Testors bottle Bright Red to resemble steel wheels behind the hubcaps.
Drive Line: The engine is a Revell Parts Pack 421 Pontiac, block and heads de-chromed then painted Testors bottle Bright Red, and black-washed. The carburetors were drilled out then jets, butterflies, linkage and fuel lines added. Painted Testors bottle Gold and black-washed. Carb stacks made from aluminum tubing polished outside/painted Testors bottle Bright Red inside. Spark plug wires added in the correct firing order (1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2/rotor movement counter-clockwise) with scratch-built looms, and boots made from individual telephone wire insulation on both ends of the plug wires. Heater and radiator hoses are aftermarket with clamps made from beading wire. The pulleys are from the parts box, grooved and pinned to the engine with a generator added from the Revell Merc and a small Black rubber band utilized as the fan belt. A scratch-built, removable dipstick is just behind the generator. Heads are also modified to angle the header manifolds straight down to fit within the frame, motor mounts are scratch-built from Evergreen sheet, rectangle rod and hex rod. The engine is mated to a Cadillac automatic transmission from the Revell ’49 Merc with tranny lines made from stripped individual telephone wire, hex rod for fittings and painted Testors bottle Bright Silver, a scratch-built gear selector arm, scratch-built removable dipstick, and speedometer cable added. The driveshaft is the kit piece, with the U-joints hollowed-out and black-washed after the shaft and joints were painted with Testors bottle Steel (Note the back-half of the rear U-joint is Black as to have been painted with the rear axle).
Exhaust: Head pipe flanges/bolts added to the header manifolds, all pipes made from solder with the mandrel bend indents ground-in for realism. Mufflers scratch-built from Evergreen .040” & .010” sheet, acrylic nail filler, 26 gauge beading wire and plastic coffee stirrers. Exhaust system is hung completely by hangers and scratch-built exhaust clamps made from stripped individual telephone wire, Evergreen .040” sheet and Plastruct hex rod. Exhaust tips made from K&S aluminum tubing baloney-cut and polished.
Miscellaneous Details: License plates made from multi-layer aluminum foil, the screw holes drilled out and the plate number traced and indented into the back of the plate, resembling the stamping.
Headlight rings are actually the tubing used to extend, then polished to a shine.
Rear window interior bracing ring added for realism.
Added random engine bay wiring.
Build time: 9 weeks, start-to-finish.
Enjoy! -Shag
I typed up a description that goes into the detail. There are some things in the description that haven't been executed yet, but they will be:
Shagball’s Shop Truck aka: The “Lemon Drop”
-1950 Chevy Pickup custom based on the AMT stock issue kit. The idea behind this project was to create a vehicle that could be a “rolling business card” for a (fictitious) premier custom shop back in the day.
-Body Modifications: Top chopped approximately 3 ½ scale inches, and converted from a 5-window cab to the more common 3-window. Door handles shaved, heater intake, cab side vent door and gas cap filled. Headlights extended and tunneled using aluminum tubing, scratch-built grille cavity and front gravel pan from the AMT ’49 Ford coupe molded to the body, a floating grille bar option from the AMT ’49 Merc is incorporated, as is a rear bumper from the same kit used as the front bumper on the truck. Running board vertical panels extended upward to tighten the open space to the bottom of the cab and box. Doors cut open, hinged, jambed and complete inner-side structure constructed including window frames, and vent window posts made from Plastruct ‘I’ beam rod (foiled). Rear fenders extended downward in the rear half, with scratch-built taillight housings (polished K&S aluminum tube)/scratch-built bullet taillights (clear sprue shaped then painted Tamiya acrylic Clear Red). The bed floor molded-in plastic boards were ground out leaving the slats and cross braces and genuine wood boards were utilized, made from coffee stir sticks, slats covered in Bare Metal foil, and then applied 6 coats of U-pol clear. The tailgate was smoothed front and back. The body is shot in nail polish, a mix of Sally Hansen X-treme wear #360 Mellow Yellow mixed 50/50 with Jordana #139 White Pearl (3 coats) followed by Nason 2-part automotive clear (3 coats), then polished out.
Interior: . The dash was scratch-built from Evergreen sheet and acrylic nail filler, with the insert made from the optional custom grille from an AMT ’59 El Camino kit. Gauges are scratch-built with the exception of the speedometer, which is cut out from an AMT ’49 Merc dash that also gave up its radio and heater controls, which are mounted on the underside of the dash on a strip of Evergreen covered in Bare Metal foil. The seat is the stock kit seat painted in a custom-mixed Blood Red satin, then piping was constructed from 26-gauge beading wire and sprayed Ivory satin. Square-tufted upholstery in Blood Red is actually the foil seal from a Folgers plastic coffee container on the headliner and door panels, while the Ivory tuck-n-roll is scratch built from multi-layer aluminum foil rubbed over small plastic coffee stirrers then backed with acrylic nail filler to hold the pattern. All piping added is done with 26-gauge wire. The carpet is non-pattern/non-print Viva paper towel with the Blood Red applied with a brush. Carpeted floor mats are made from Evergreen sheet covered in Viva and outlined with piping. Sun visors made also from Evergreen sheet, painted Blood Red with Ivory piping. All glass is clear butyrate sheet. Steering column and wheel are the stock units from an AMT ’58 Chevy Impala, with the molded plastic horn ring removed and replaced with 26-gauge wire, the turn signal stalk and automatic shifter made from pins tipped in Finger Paint’s #806003 Well-Cultured Pearl nail polish.
Chassis: The kit frame is Z’d front and rear and pinned for strength, the stock front and rear suspensions lowered with U-bolts made from stripped individual telephone wire, bolt plates made from Evergreen sheet, and nuts cut from Plastruct .040” hex rod added on both axles, kit shocks used, with relocated mounts. The entire frame and suspension painted Rustoleum rattle-can high-gloss Black. The brake master cylinder was scratch-built from nothing more than a piece of sprue (top half), a piece of styrene exhaust pipe (bottom half and boot) drilled and a straight pin used for the pushrod, bolts and fill cap made from various sizes of hex rod. Cylinder painted Testors bottle Steel, bolts painted Testors bottle Bright Silver, the pushrod boot painted Testors bottle Flat Black and a clamp made from fine wire added. 26-gauge beading wire was used for all the brake hard line, which is run in full from the master cylinder to junction blocks made from styrene bits, fittings from hex rod. Rubber brake lines are insulated individual telephone wire (one between the frame and rear axle, one at each front wheel. Tires are from the Revell ’49 Merc, with the hubcaps being stock units from the AMT ’49 Merc with lettering painted Testors bottle Dark Red and added valve stems made from pins. Strips of .010” Evergreen sheet is wrapped around the circumference, painted Testors bottle Bright Red to resemble steel wheels behind the hubcaps.
Drive Line: The engine is a Revell Parts Pack 421 Pontiac, block and heads de-chromed then painted Testors bottle Bright Red, and black-washed. The carburetors were drilled out then jets, butterflies, linkage and fuel lines added. Painted Testors bottle Gold and black-washed. Carb stacks made from aluminum tubing polished outside/painted Testors bottle Bright Red inside. Spark plug wires added in the correct firing order (1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2/rotor movement counter-clockwise) with scratch-built looms, and boots made from individual telephone wire insulation on both ends of the plug wires. Heater and radiator hoses are aftermarket with clamps made from beading wire. The pulleys are from the parts box, grooved and pinned to the engine with a generator added from the Revell Merc and a small Black rubber band utilized as the fan belt. A scratch-built, removable dipstick is just behind the generator. Heads are also modified to angle the header manifolds straight down to fit within the frame, motor mounts are scratch-built from Evergreen sheet, rectangle rod and hex rod. The engine is mated to a Cadillac automatic transmission from the Revell ’49 Merc with tranny lines made from stripped individual telephone wire, hex rod for fittings and painted Testors bottle Bright Silver, a scratch-built gear selector arm, scratch-built removable dipstick, and speedometer cable added. The driveshaft is the kit piece, with the U-joints hollowed-out and black-washed after the shaft and joints were painted with Testors bottle Steel (Note the back-half of the rear U-joint is Black as to have been painted with the rear axle).
Exhaust: Head pipe flanges/bolts added to the header manifolds, all pipes made from solder with the mandrel bend indents ground-in for realism. Mufflers scratch-built from Evergreen .040” & .010” sheet, acrylic nail filler, 26 gauge beading wire and plastic coffee stirrers. Exhaust system is hung completely by hangers and scratch-built exhaust clamps made from stripped individual telephone wire, Evergreen .040” sheet and Plastruct hex rod. Exhaust tips made from K&S aluminum tubing baloney-cut and polished.
Miscellaneous Details: License plates made from multi-layer aluminum foil, the screw holes drilled out and the plate number traced and indented into the back of the plate, resembling the stamping.
Headlight rings are actually the tubing used to extend, then polished to a shine.
Rear window interior bracing ring added for realism.
Added random engine bay wiring.
Build time: 9 weeks, start-to-finish.
Enjoy! -Shag
