|
This classic '55 Thunderbird began life as a beautiful "Road Legends" 1:18 scale die-cast model.
For power conversion, we've mated a pristine Cox tether car chassis from a Buick Riviera.
This fabrication involved some tricky details.
For one thing, the T-Bird is so low in the body that the engine and flywheel must be fit within 1/32" of the rear deck, requiring meticulous cutting, and moving critical parts just a few thousandths of an inch at a time until the fit is perfect.
Another consideration is keeping the scale details under the hood.
This requires a grafting of the steel Cox chassis into the original model chassis.
Getting the front axle in place, and maintaining most of the scale detail takes some careful engineering.
Now there are a number of 1:18 scale die-cast models currently being converted to Cox chassis power.
However, the Cox chassis does not usually place the wheels in the correct relation to the 1:18 coachwork, and we see a number of these with the wheels out of place in the fender-wells, and the tread too narrow.
Such was the case with this one.
Both wheelbase and tread were painstakingly altered, requiring custom axles and bearings to be fabricated, in order to look "right" before completion of the car.
This level of attention to detail, combined with little touches like the handcrafted spun stainless steel full-Moon wheel disks finish off this "door-slammer" in vintage style!
CAN WE BUILD ONE FOR YOU, FROM YOUR FAVORITE DIE-CAST MODEL?
|
|
The Stoneway Group
2500 Mustang Drive, #168 · Grapevine, TX 76051
Leo@stoneway.org
Broken links or feedback on the website? Please email lyn@enternetnow.com.
Thanks!
This website is best viewed using Microsoft Internet Explorer.
|
|
|
