1982 Mustang GL 'tribute'

Can't wait to see more...

I have built a couple of models of cars I have owned, driven, or seen in person. It can be fun. Staying tuned in for this one.

So I think I'm [re]learning a valuable lesson about metallic paint and model glue - the glue turns the paint into an icky mess and the piece don't want to stick together as a result.

Gonna hafta do some scraping of the joint areas of the intake & exhaust manifolds to get this engine together, I guess. (Now, where's that tube of super glue gel I saw awhile back...)

Thanks! I love the Fox-bodies as well. I almost traded my '82 in on an '84.5 SVO (but figured out I'd have about $20 at the end of the month after payment and insurance on E-3 pay).

I also have an '88 GT 'vert kit in the stash as well... along with plans of adding another 3 or 4 Fox-body kits down the road.

OK, so after taking it all apart a couple of times, I finally found a suitable substitute for a distributor, and also this really cool old pin vise set that belonged to my Grandpa I've been carrying around for 25 years or so. I used a 68 gauge bit to drill some holes for the spark plug wires, scratched up some linkage arms for the carb and transmission, installed the TV cable (from AOD to carb) along with an automatic shifter cable. I used a Molotow chrome pen (1mm) to dot the bolt heads on everything, and even scratched up an alternator bracket... and none of this will likely ever be seen again once I get all the rest of the engine components installed.





How 'bout 'dat?

Lookin' really sharp there Eric. I've got a Revell four banger Mustang that I'm hoping to swap a 460 into.

Looking great , can’t wait to see more !

Wow - been awhile. Apologies.

So, a few years ago I built this cool shed on the side of my driveway, hoping it would eventually become a small shop in which I could permanently set up my airbrushing gear. Then, we basically made my mom get rid of her storage unit ($70/month bill she no longer had the money to pay), and her final leftovers wound in it while she was ‘going through the last bits.’ Well, as usual, she abandoned that since it was hot, in a place that she didn’t have to worry about it being destroyed or gone missing, and was boring so she didn’t want to do that anymore. That was sometime in late summer of 2016, and we’ve been waiting for her to finish ‘going through’ her BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH ever since.

Over Christmas week, I decided I’d had enough of that and got busy on completing my small shop area. We boxed up the junk she’d covered our plastic table in, and basically shoved it aside so I could get the area I need cleaned out, organized, and ready for a transformation into functionality. I snagged a couple of work benches from Harbor Freight, along with a portable air brush booth, and a bunch of other cool things to make the workstation much better.



What does all that have to do with my '82 Mustang build?

Last week, after adding a few more finishing touches to the work space (tunes, a trash can, cutting mat, a new caster to replace the broken one on my old computer chair, etc.), I got to shoot some paint. I have no idea what to use for ‘primer,’ so I found some interior acrylic ‘Feather Gray’ at the hardware store, thinned it out, and shot it through the El Cheapo Harbor Freight airbrush. Getting the right mix of ‘thin enough for the AB was a challenge, but I eventually got some “primer” laid down on the Mustang body parts. I have no idea if it’s even going to stay stuck, so I’ll let it sit for a few days before checking it out – it’s stuck to my fingers quite nicely, however. If it won’t stick, no worries – it’s water based, should come right off, and I can start again once I find some real primer for the airbrush. I also learned a few valuable lessons today, in the way of securing the work, setting the flow needle, and making sure the airbrush actually stays together while cleaning it. Good times!

Looking good!!!

So I got some time to play around with some of the details I've been thinking about the past few weeks.  I have this reference picture of the engine, and it's simply ridiculous how many hoses are running back and forth to various places and sensors on the engine... I don't remember having that many on mine, so I'm thinking my reference picture might actually be a California car.  Regardless, I have to make some hoses and whatnot since I'm at the point of weathering things.

Here are the interior side panel/engine aprons (or whatever they're called), along with the firewall and air cleaner.  Rather than make all of the harness and hoses, I drew some of 'em on with a Sharpie, along with some brake lines with a Molotow Chrome Pen.  Those big slots in the firewall are the kit's fault - it didn't come with any kind of hood hinges.

  

Another deficiency I found in the kit was the movable front wheels... with no tie rod or anything to keep them aligned with each other.  Wow... way to go, Monogram (edit: Ooops - MPC... my bad) - this might just be the worst kit I've ever had.  So, I made some steering arms and a rack & pinion using a paper clip, one of those little straws from a can of WD-40, and some masking tape.  Looks pretty decent, if I might say so myself.  I also weathered the exhaust system just a little bit more - the real car had a couple of holes in the muffler (rear seam) that I hopefully captured here with the extra soot.



I also polished the body, which came out "OK," I suppose, but I still need to clean all of the 3M Perfect-It from the nooks and crannies.  After that, I'll mask off all the black trim areas and see how that goes.  I'm thinking the contrast of the black trim will help hide some of the trash I got in the paint while I was playing with the pressures on the airbrush and figuring out how to thin the acrylic paint I used.

Your ability with a Sharpie is fantastic. I can't even imagine doing that well anymore. Great detailing overall.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Sorry it's taking so long to do this - I keep trying to make time for it, but things just seem to come up.

Probably the biggest reason for my 'skills' with the Sharpies is because I was a nationally ranked architectural draftsman before I joined the Air Force (back in the '80s) and I can draw well. Here's one of the more recent things I've done, and probably the nicest thing I've ever done, IMHO:




I'd thought about sanding off and re-running everything, but didn't get the inspiration until sometime after I'd already done the brake & fuel lines on the underside with a Molotow chrome pen (my first time using one, as well). I actually picked up 3 or 4 spools of jewelry wire from Michael's shortly afterward and kicked myself for not thinking of that earlier. Next time, I guess.

Here's my engine reference pic, and I can honestly say I don't remember having half that stuff under the hood of my actual car (and also a little bit of why I chose to bail on some of that rat's nest).



I'm hoping I'll be able to get the body details taken care of on Friday, since I have a business trip next week and have to travel on Sunday.

One day I would love to tackle an engine bay that looks like that in "miniature land".

Thanks! But unfortunately, that's just my reference picture. Mine won't be anywhere close to that kind of detail.