Excalibur SSK 1/12 modified

[LaughingIndian]

Hey folks,

Here's an attempt at customizing. I enjoyed building an 1/12 MPC Bentley so much I needed another fix and could only find this Excalibur as something in a 'similar' genre — but it ain't.

The real car is a repro of a Mercedes SSK that looked like this:

The original concept was to look like this:

The resulting car (and model) ended up like this:

A Jeepster with a 1963(?) corvette engine

So I thought it'd be a perfect car to alter and make a few improvements, in my little mind anyway. And found these:

A Volvo

A rat rod Excalibur from Europe (this is REALLY cool):

And a a beautiful Stutz from the same era as the original SSK:

So the inspirations are complete ...

[LaughingIndian]

The first thing was to take a foot off the back end (1/12 is great since that would be an easy inch-wide masking tape). This shows the chopped, plugged and sanded back section with the frame (still with tape on it) about to be cut too:

Here's a closeup with the instructions showing the difference:

And here it is with the primed pieces with the shortened leaf springs:

[bbowser]

I like where you're headed with this. You are right, that rat-rod Excaliber is too cool!

[LaughingIndian]

I like where you're headed with this. You are right, that rat-rod Excaliber is too cool!

Here's more on this guy:

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/dare-to-be-different-hot-rod-excalibur.492226/

I like his style but the backend is still there and the fake exhaust. But the wrap really looks great.

[LaughingIndian]

Here's the shortened interior with a simple back end:

This completes the hacked back ...

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nice start.

[LaughingIndian]

Now that the backend is shortened, I want to lower the car. But first I have to decide on the wheels since I'm not crazy about the stock chomed "wire Wheels." The tires and spinners are great — but the wheels are straight spoke poor reproductions of vintage wire wheels. But I figured I could improve on them by de-chroming and painting, say red:

But I originally had ideas to go with a wilder modification and got some giant 1/10 wheels to fool around with. Here're some ideas I've got set on temp axles (it'll alos help me figure out the chasis height):

Inspired by the Volvo rod above

As inspired by the rat rod above but with the now painted stocks in front

With the stocks on all corners inspired by the Stutz. As much as I try to loosen up I can't get away from "old school" style.

Although I don't have my mind made on which wheels, I do have the ride height i'm looking for ...

Edited April 3, 2015 by LaughingIndian

[DumpyDan]

WOW! That's great looking, nice work so far

[LaughingIndian]

I figure lowering approx 5-6" scale will do it. I figure I can do it without altering the frame anymore than I already did.

So a simple block on the rear spring shackles and switching the front spindles will be the plan.

First the rear:

Elongated shackles

Then a block of milliput putty epoxy under the axles

Finished with trimmed shackle bolts (I went nuts with the lengths to make sure I got it right in one try)

Next the front spindles:

Before

And after

The front end with raised axles on spindles

[LaughingIndian]

WOW! That's great looking, nice work so far

Thanks! What's your vote on the wheel choices?

I'm still thinking ...

[vintagercr]

Great and I like the wire wheels

[bbowser]

X2 on the wires, will look great lowered.

[LaughingIndian]

Thanks guys, I'm with ya but I want to keep things open to all options for awhile.

Next change will be the engine. The Excalibur SSK did eventually use a corvette engine and the model uses that but it's not right so I may just use the block, tranny, and fan.

The engine bay is huge and I think I'll use the space:

I'll borrow a monogram '57 Chevy velo stacks and carbs but will have to alter the height so it just pops out of the huge hood ...

[LaughingIndian]

To get the right fit I figured i have to get the hood and radiator prepped.

First the radiator:

With metal mesh added:

... and painted. I can't get away from a satin black like the Stutz and rat rod

[LaughingIndian]

One of the many good features of the Bandai kit that Im using is the vented hood. But were the kit skimps on the engine, I'm going to "enhance" it, and the the hood will be reduced and opened up. So the vents are coming off:

[LaughingIndian]

Now I can measure the intake stack and consider the wheels once again:

I'm still likin' the red spoked wheels ...

[cobraman]

Interesting build. I like the red spokes.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nice work. Red spokes fit the car well.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Cool!

I like both sets of wheels

The Excaliber kit has not been one of my favorite cars, always seemed pieced together to me with a style of a slimey rich guy trying too hard. Something Rodney Dangerfield would pull into the golf club driveway with horns and music blaring.

Funny that the rat rod versions you showed and are building look waaaaay better

Gonna follow this build for sure

Edited March 29, 2015 by Twokidsnosleep

[LaughingIndian]

Cool!

I like both sets of wheels

The Excaliber kit has not been one of my favorite cars, always seemed pieced together to me with a style of a slimey rich guy trying too hard. Something Rodney Dangerfield would pull into the golf club driveway with horns and music blaring.

Funny that the rat rod versions you showed and are building look waaaaay better

Gonna follow this build for sure

Yeah, I agree about the car being in bad taste, which takes the pressure off of going too offbeat on the kit. I still find myself fighting against a too conservative approach though.

.

[Twokidsnosleep]

Oh god no, hack that sucker up

You have already made it better looking than the original

There was a guy that had one of these Excalibers in the town where I grew up.

He was a knob and I think that is why I have such a bad vibe with these cars, even though I like cars for the 30's with those long fenders and external exhausts.

Just go to it! And buy a Pocher engine I referenced in the other thread and keep me company building

[Junkman]

I find this build most inspiring and am tempted to start my own take on it.

Should you not need the mudguards, I'd be a happy taker, since my kit is the Fuman reissue with the long wings.

Edited April 1, 2015 by Junkman

[LaughingIndian]

I find this build most inspiring and am tempted to start my own take on it.

Should you not need the mudguards, I'd be a happy taker, since my kit is the Fuman reissue with the long wings.

I too have the long "wings." The box and literature is in Chinese and I bought it as "Bandai/Fuman." Sorry for the confusion .

On that note, this kit has adequate quality, the plastic seems strong and very bondable albeit a bit soft. There is some lacquer coating but not too much. The rubber tires are premium quality but with seams. The wheels are chrome and ugly but so wasnt the real car's - see above. The engine is bad with missing parts like distributor and alternator, although I found the block to be salvageable and may leave the molded-on shift linkage on the one-piece block and transmission. There is a lot of detail molded on like the firewall but a good modeler could use as a guide (I may leave it). The nut caps are HUGE and maybe toy-like, but I think they're butch. The chrome is good and doesn't hide too much detail, and I chose to leave it on the valve covers - with some black wash.

I haven't gotten to the interior yet but I see the shift lever looks tiny and the brake big. The seats seem bad but I'll give them a check. The steering wheel is two pieces with Chrome spokes and brown colored rim (i guess thats asian wood).The dash has molded wood grain (bad) as well as molded needle and measurements on the instrument gauges! Can't wait.

Almost forgot: Some of the better features of the model is the open vented hood (but not properly halved and hinged) that I'm removing (which may seem crazy). The other great feature is the metal "springs" exhaust ports (also not using). The kit is spot on to the actual car, however, that design is crazy (see frame 12 on this site: http://blog.daum.net/_blog/BlogTypeView.do?blogid=0S4Y7&articleno=10&_bloghome_menu=recenttext )

To replicate the original Mercedes SSK exhaust, the Excalibur design uses a block manifold that combines 4 exhaust ports out of the 327 into 3 ports then deflects 90 degrees up with tubes deflecting 90 degrees out, then bending and chrome exhausts sweep into a three tube header along the side of the car!

I'll be going a different route ...

Edited April 2, 2015 by LaughingIndian

[Junkman]

So in essence, it's bloody awful. Hence I warm up to it more and more.

[LaughingIndian]

Oh god no, hack that sucker up

You have already made it better looking than the original

There was a guy that had one of these Excalibers in the town where I grew up.

He was a knob and I think that is why I have such a bad vibe with these cars, even though I like cars for the 30's with those long fenders and external exhausts.

Just go to it! And buy a Pocher engine I referenced in the other thread and keep me company building

I like your style, but I got an engine that set me back a few days:

Like I said, the kit engine is/was bad without an alternator or distributor and the intake was a simple air cleaner without a carb and the thing looked overly simplified for a model with such a great vented hood.

So I grabbed the alt and headers (with added length to the manifold) from a separate buy (Ebay) Camaro engine and altered the intake stack and carbs from my '57 (I got me a 427 'vette that has a blower I can use to replace it). I jammed some mesh in the stacks for a little "texture."

I decided to build a distributor from styrene tubes and tree. I used old fly-fishing line for the plug wires (neat green) and fuel lines (painted silver).

I then washed with acrylic flat engine black ... I think I better do a little more cleanup after seeing the photo ...

Edited April 3, 2015 by LaughingIndian