'32 5 Window 3 scale inch chop

No clue how I missed this Curt buddy...very nice work..looks awesome..! Yours is close to what we were going to build in 1 to 1 scale when I had my shop. I had a 29 Ford coupe body we were going to put my blown injected 355ci Chevy engine I built in to ride around in. very cool ideas brother..!

This is a serious piece of scale modelling Curt. Incredibly enjoyable.

Thanks Ken, I appreciate that coming from you.

Dig the split windshield idea !

Nice Curt!

Mark, Gary, Clay, Shay, (ha, that rhymes) thanks for looking in and for encouraging words of praise.

A small update.

Because I am lazy and have never learned how to measure and make bends I have to do the corners in pieces. Last night I was able to nail half with one piece. No luck tonight with the other half. So I decided to do each corner as a separate piece.  I am not sure what I am going to do with the window. As I type this I am thinking of actually making it wider and taller.

Did some more work on the windshield and started messing with the grill body.

I started this build with chopped top only and the rest an OOB mindset, that has gone way off the rails.

Nice detail work.

Great work on the detailing! Getting thin styrene to cooperate is difficult, it's so fragile. Many times I've managed to get the 'proper bend' in a bit only to have the MEK cause cracking on application (with accompanying profanity). Looking forward to the development.

Thanks Mike, Gary.

I am working on a new intake today. I have decided to go back to the SBF. I decided this because the combo of the engine and headers will fit in the chassis. Plus I was not happy with how the other one was turning out, and to be honest, making and fitting new headers was not appealing to me. Simply too much handling of the frame would have lead to damage of the gears and paint surface. It is very delicate.

I'll post pictures later.

Kats, thanks man. Warming the styrene in a bath of hot water helps to deal with the fragility when forming it, then I put it into a cold water bath once the desired shape is achieved . But yes, the glue can play havoc, I find it can also be of assistance to smooth rough areas too tight to sand.

Today's progress was slow and tedious. After messing with the shell and tweaking the front and rear window trim I shot it with some grey spotting primer. It will sit for a day or so as I move onto other parts of the build.
I decided to build a new tunnel ram intake from scratch for the small block Ford. This was very time consuming and tedious, it always amazes me how long things take.

You will notice the carb mounting flanges are not very symmetrical. I am not going to worry about this as it won't be noticed once the carbs are mounted and the linkage, fuel lines and maybe nitrous lines installed.

Top drawer work Curt.

I wish I was that good with plastic stock...LOL..  it would help me with my conversions.  I have never had enough of it to play around with to see just what i can learn...window trim...body trim...etc...LOL..

Thanks Gary, not sure it's top drawer, but none the less I am appreciative of your praise.

Appreciate your comments Mark. Deffinately a learning experience. Each time I mess with a shell and while doing mods I feel very humbled when I think that someone had to hand sculpt the original. Just getting crisp straight lines is a huge task, a task I cheat on by using stock to provide the crisp edges.

Curt buddy....I know that feeling...when I did my 69 Plymouth 4 door wagon conversion I had a lot to fight on it too. Since the companies wont make kits of them me being a wagon nut I have to make my own form what is available to me....and lots of filler. For me since I cant afford or find locally the plastic stock I will sometimes use parts from other damaged build ups and parts cars for the panels and pieces to make what I want from them...one has to try to work with what they can afford or find..LOL..

Totally Mark, I strongly believe this adage, 'when there is a will, you'll find a way'.

Tonight's update is just that. I really had to work to get to this point with the intake. Once I got the first intake runner done a 'fixture' was fashioned for my chopper, to repeat the length and angle, easy peasy. The intake looks pretty crude or racy right now, it will soften when it all comes together. At least I am hoping that is the case.

Nice tool.

Loving the bashing/building! The engine is coming along wonderfully - it looks like it will be a monster. I'm also entranced by the Chopper jig - I might have to indulge myself in the near future, lol.

Thanks for looking in boys.

The chopper really needs a much stiffer blade then the one it comes with, an old razor blade style. When a cut is made the blade deflects leaving a cut that is not straight and square. No matter how slow you cut, it will deflect. It does has it's strength when cutting flat stock.

Some progress.
Still working on chop, the intake is pretty much done. After seeing the pics I see it needs one more shot of primer.
I have decided I am going to use iron work sized rivets around the front and rear windows.

Looks brilliant Curt, any reference pic's for the rivet placement?

Great work on the intake Curt.

The carbs are fantastic, it'd be a shame to cover them up with an air filter.

Thanks guys.

dublin boy wrote:Great work on the intake Curt.

The carbs are fantastic, it'd be a shame to cover them up with an air filter.

Not going to Shay, I will be using velocity stacks.


Gary, no reference pics, just winging it. I am also going to trim the window out with .020x.020 thou stock, just to add a little depth. The window frame looks too stalky as is and might look to in your face with just the rivets.

Good man.