American Graffiti ‘32 Ford Coupé

[Stokesy44]

Really nice work both of you...

I thought the plate looked familiar, but I hadn't realised that the license number used was a deliberate reference back to THX 1138 (one of Lucas's earlier movies)

Exactly
THX 1138 first movie I haven’t seen or really heard about
American Graffiti was movie #2 for Lucas..then Star Wars

There are actually 2 films called THX 1138. The first version was made by Lucas while he was at film school. It won various awards and marked Lucas out as an independent thinker. The second version was made by him when he was part of an independent film company set up with Francis Ford Coppola, Brain De Palma and various others called American Zoetrope. The film was funded by one of the big studios and when they saw it they were horrified and demanded their money be returned. It effectively bankrupted American Zoetrope and it was forced to close.

It was this experience that convinced Lucas he had to find a way of staying out of the studio system and he set up Lucas Film Limited. He would need funding for his movies but he vowed to retain his independence, that's why the deal he struck with 20th Century Fox for a small sci-fi project titled Journal of the Wills at the time, guaranteed him the rights to any sequels and all merchandising. The merch issue was not a big deal at the time but the sequel rights were. Fox had its best financial year ever when Star Wars came out but the structure of the deal meant they never had control of Lucas and it cost them a the chance of even bigger profits. As a result Fox fired Alan Ladd Jr, the studio head at Fox who had agreed the deal with Lucas. This so enraged Lucas he took his next project to another studio, Paramount Pictures, a story of a swashbuckling archeologist called Indiana Smith at the time.

And the rest is history.

[Twokidsnosleep]

I seem to hit a snag in a build and it throws my motivation.
This time it was the alternator, just couldn’t get it right and solid.
Then I made a brass support and screwed the damm thing to the block
Much better, used this as inspiration






Everything lined up. So off it all came and into chrome paint…that will be 2-3 days no touchy
And yes I tore other stuff off the engine block before I broke more things

[Stokesy44]

Great perseverance. Puts me in mind of 'The Agony & The Ecstacy'

[Twokidsnosleep]

Great perseverance. Puts me in mind of 'The Agony & The Ecstacy'

Well there is definitely agony
Not so sure about ecstasy

[Twokidsnosleep]

Ok. Trying out a smaller belt on the engine…meh



I think I like how the other one in the above post sits better and isn’t as round

[Twokidsnosleep]

Dashboard got made and installed



Working on glass. Started with green tint







Ended with dark tint a drivers door popped out if its hinge and a broken A pillar and window frame





Time for a nap
Oh and my compressor is going off the rails with a
Non functioning stop valve in the moisture trap so it won’t hold air.
I plugged it with beeswax and use the line vent valve for now but it is temporary fix
Maybe a Christmas Sparmax is in the works??

[Stokesy44]

She continues to make you work for it. The sabotage of the compressor is no accident either. You may have a 5th column operating in the BC area, intent on undermining modelers.

[Twokidsnosleep]

She continues to make you work for it. The sabotage of the compressor is no accident either. You may have a 5th column operating in the BC area, intent on undermining modelers.

Dead right mate, she is putting up a fight tempting me to rush and just throw it together
I shall resist, there is no timeline

[Twokidsnosleep]

Trunk stuff



Interior all glued up and details





Body is cemented as is the engine block



A bit premature as I didn’t get everything drilled and prepped for the firewall, or did it get cemented
As Stokesy said, she is pushing me

[Stokesy44]

Love the interior, especially the papers stuffed into the side pocket!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Love the interior, especially the papers stuffed into the side pocket!

Thanks! I like those too
Yes the movie scene has him filing all his traffics in that pouch

I tore the engine back out as it was premature of firewall details and not fitting correctly but I was rushing
In a better frame of mind this morning and made some adjustments and details

[Kevthemodeller]

Loving it

[Twokidsnosleep]

Loving it

Guys
I tore the engine out and redid the mirror firewall….then scratched it and will have to redo it again

[Twokidsnosleep]

Remade the shocks out of brass to accommodate the dropped front end change that I did





Cat remains unimpressed with my work

[Stokesy44]

Cats are notoriously hard to please.

[Tomcat64]

It's Bean that's sabotaged his compressor - cats are like that!

This is still ticking over well with all the additional stuff being crammed in - what did you use to tint the windows?

[Twokidsnosleep]

It's Bean that's sabotaged his compressor - cats are like that!

This is still ticking over well with all the additional stuff being crammed in - what did you use to tint the windows?

Hmmm. Window was tinted with flat dark acrylic cut from an optometrist cheap eye covers for post exam eye dilation

[Stokesy44]

Hmmm. Window was tinted with flat dark acrylic cut from an optometrist cheap eye covers for post exam eye dilation

And I am none the wiser for reading that explanation!

I love how these posts constantly remind me of my limits. Cracking stuff.

[digger303]

It's Bean that's sabotaged his compressor - cats are like that!

This is still ticking over well with all the additional stuff being crammed in - what did you use to tint the windows?

Hmmm. Window was tinted with flat dark acrylic cut from an optometrist cheap eye covers for post exam eye dilation

My oh my, do I pretend I understood that and nod my head appreciatively or just quietly step away.

[Twokidsnosleep]

It's Bean that's sabotaged his compressor - cats are like that!

This is still ticking over well with all the additional stuff being crammed in - what did you use to tint the windows?

Hmmm. Window was tinted with flat dark acrylic cut from an optometrist cheap eye covers for post exam eye dilation

My oh my, do I pretend I understood that and nod my head appreciatively or just quietly step away.

Apologies, I wasn’t clear
Eye dilation glasses.. they give them to you for after an eye exam to protect from bright light until your eyes return to normal

[Stokesy44]

Eye dilation glasses.. they give them to you for after an eye exam to protect from bright light until your eyes return to normal

Maybe in Canada, but not here in the UK. Last time I had an eye exam that dilated my pupils it was like I walked on to the surface of the sun when I stepped out of the hospital doors. Jeez it was awful.

[DRUMS01]

Are you going to have the fuzzy dice and a key to start it up?!

Holy Cow, it's looking real good.....

[Twokidsnosleep]

Are you going to have the fuzzy dice and a key to start it up?!

Holy Cow, it's looking real good.....

No dice, he didn’t have a rear view mirror, wipers or any side mirrors
The key would be good but it is deep under the steering wheel so not worth tearing everything out for something you won’t see

[Twokidsnosleep]

Cleaning up the engine now.
Red ignition wires organized and the fuel lines tinted yellow, fuel system rails soldered and added

Real engine as the reference







Soldering brass

[Twokidsnosleep]

Ok engine is glued in for the third and hopefully last time
This thing is putting up quite a fight to go together…maybe no surprise with the modifications. This is a Chevy engine block from a completely different kit and a 3D printed transmission of my own scale. But that is how the hot rod was pieced together.
I used my leather contact cement to glue engine block to driveshaft and frame this time so there is a touch of flexibility vs say CA glue





A few hoses and a wire to go into place and all the firewall stuff but just gonna let the cement set up a bit first

[Stokesy44]

Looking good, will look superb when all the plumbing's finished

[Twokidsnosleep]

Thank you

I got quite a ways along Sunday, feeling like she is almost done
The exhaust suddenly didn’t fit like the dry test runs and had to be modded









Then I remembered front fenders, headlights, license plates and a rear bumper.
Some of those still need to be scratch made

[bfrd]

I think you are still safe in saying “almost done”. Amazing work!

[Stokesy44]

I think you are still safe in saying “almost done”. Amazing work!

You tee'd me up and I had to do it!

[Twokidsnosleep]

I think you are still safe in saying “almost done”. Amazing work!

You tee'd me up and I had to do it!

[Twokidsnosleep]

I used the 3D printer quite a bit on this build.
I am finding my parts are not as smooth as I thought with layer lines and weird textures
I will have to be more careful with sanding and surface filler priming
You can see it on the underside of the car with some Tamiya panel liner forming weird residue on the transmission

[Kevthemodeller]

Oh yes

[Twokidsnosleep]

Friday mini lathe work

I made the oil filler tube for the engine...looks like a shiny tower
Had a resin one I made but felt it deserved aluminum
two tries on this as the aluminum failed at the neck area as I got to the 1.25 diameter

[Twokidsnosleep]

Also bent a rear bumper out of aluminum tube.
Not my best work and this is try two as aluminum breaks really easy, even with brass wire inside for support

[digger303]

Soft steel fencing tie wire or copper wire would most likely be a good choice for that making the bumper, because of the sharp bending required and the gauge needed.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Soft steel fencing tie wire or copper wire would most likely be a good choice for that making the bumper, because of the sharp bending required and the gauge needed.

Good idea
I was thinking solder as well but my diameter was wrong for it

[cor]

Or aluminium wire, not tubing. Can get it in all diameter sizes. I use it for lots of things.

[Stokesy44]

Getting there with what continues to be a tour de force of techniques, materials and tools. Whilst its massively outside my wheelhouse, its so good just to observe and cheer from the sidelines.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Getting down to the last few fiddly bits
Front fenders. They were a flat motorcycle style, mine are from a Revell Black Shadow bike and styrene plus brass supports linked to the front wheel hub
This was my resource










Those are primed and now in flat yellow paint as they go through same steps as body paint process

[digger303]

Ya fooled me for a second before I read the blurb about the first pic. My immediate thought was holy cow the man's done that so well it's freaky awesome. , but then the penny dropped

Despite that brain freak, it's coming along a nd shaping up well.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Ya fooled me for a second before I read the blurb about the first pic. My immediate thought was holy cow the man's done that so well it's freaky awesome. , but then the penny dropped

Despite that brain freak, it's coming along a nd shaping up well.

That was just the photo that inspired the banding and link to the wheel disk
It came out not too bad

[Stokesy44]

More ingeniousness as this builds to an awesome conclusion

[Tomcat64]

Lovely work on wiring up the engine and adding even more extra details into the bay.

And great idea to use the guards off the bike for the front end.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Lovely work on wiring up the engine and adding even more extra details into the bay.

And great idea to use the guards off the bike for the front end.

More ingeniousness as this builds to an awesome conclusion

I am just copying what the hot rod builder did the best I can

[Twokidsnosleep]

Working on the lights and revamping the shocks.
The kit has the shock and light mount as one like I have here.
I could just plunk the lights on those brass pegs and be done, but….


But the real car had separate light mount for the shocks.



So I revamped things and made some light mounts


And removed the mount from the shock so it is in its own

[Stokesy44]

Superb. Just so matter of fact. The kit mounts were wrong so I made some correct ones. Job done. Awesome.

The new mounts look great

[Kevthemodeller]

Superb. Just so matter of fact. The kit mounts were wrong so I made some correct ones. Job done. Awesome.

The new mounts look great

What he said, cracking fabrication work

[Twokidsnosleep]

Superb. Just so matter of fact. The kit mounts were wrong so I made some correct ones. Job done. Awesome.

The new mounts look great

What he said, cracking fabrication work

Thanks guys
I knew the kit ones were a compromise but functional and correct for some cars...just no this one
So if it bugs me I have to change it

[Twokidsnosleep]

A bit of work on the figure




Boots have been made, cig pack in arm, watch and pocket are off, rolled t shirt arms
I have him brush primed in white and will airbrush him

[Stokesy44]

Quality figure in a very cool pose. In this scale a figure can make or break a kit. This is looking Niiiiiiiice