Rdkingjay Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) This started out as the Johan Plymouth Police wagon. I bought as a built kit. with the intention of restoring it to its present form. Now, for those of you, not in the know, from the time the Mass Turnpike opened in 1955 until sometime around 1968, the Troopers patrolled in Kelly Green and white Chrysler wagons, that also doubled as ambulances. Clearly, this is not a Chrysler. But my objective was to take a glue bomb in dire need of restoration and make something of it. The chassis, suspension, entire drive train and engine compartment were all sourced from the '64 Dodge 330 kit. I disguised the 383 to resemble the 361/395 HP Golden Commando. The interior tub from the Johan kit was greatly modified. I removed the flat floor and transplanted the floor from the 330 kit, to get the transmission tunnel/hump. I also removed the third row, rear facing seat and "folded" down the rear seat for clearance for the gurney. I was able to save the original radio equipment, just detail it a bit. The rest of the emergency equipment came from the AMT rescue van, but some of the equipment appeared to be out of scale, so I had to modify them a bit, Most notably, the fire extinguisher. The wheels/tires, new front and rear bumpers, glass, rear view mirrors and tail lights all came from Modelhaus. PE'ed parts include the hood letters, window cranks and battery clamps. This was a difficult build, primarily because ref pics were very hard to find and all were B/W. I would like to recognize the following people for the their assistance in helping me give this car a new lease on life. When I post the "before" pics, you'll understand what that means. They are Tom Sheehy, Dan Danahy, Hervey Cote, Dave Mackay and from our MSP Museum and Learning Center Tom McNulty, Mike Slepetz and Bob Bricker. Edited March 13, 2017 by Rdkingjay
realgone58 Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 Lots of work went into this. Great job turning it into a base model wagon. Very very nice!
Foxer Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 Very cool! I can barely remember the Mass Staties in those colors as I just got my CT license in '65.
Speedfreak Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 Great job Jay, the engine bay shot looks like a 1:1 car!
peekay Posted December 22, 2015 Posted December 22, 2015 A fantastic job on one of my favourite kits!
Agent G Posted December 23, 2015 Posted December 23, 2015 That is spectacular! Looks like something Danno drove up Pike's peak back in the day. G
CometMan Posted December 23, 2015 Posted December 23, 2015 Very nice, always had an eye for the 60 Plymouth.
W-409 Posted December 25, 2015 Posted December 25, 2015 Wow! Great job with that Plymouth. Nice to see these old kits built as well. New engine bay and chassis parts are definitely a great improvement compared to what they were when you started. Very nice paint and detail work as well, nice build.
Rdkingjay Posted December 28, 2015 Author Posted December 28, 2015 Thank you all for your comments This was a long build (almost two years) that I was very happy to complete.
bbowser Posted December 28, 2015 Posted December 28, 2015 That is really cool, well worth the effort you put into it!
jefropas Posted December 29, 2015 Posted December 29, 2015 BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH Jay that's nice! I also appreciate the history lesson, must've been a hoot to see in the day!Jeff
DumpyDan Posted December 29, 2015 Posted December 29, 2015 Wow Jay, this is one of my favorite wagons. The picture of the engine bay looks so good I am still questioning weather it is real or a model
mangodart Posted December 29, 2015 Posted December 29, 2015 What a job !!! I like it that is gorgeous !!!
Lizard Racing Posted December 29, 2015 Posted December 29, 2015 Great detailing!I remember an old TV show from the early '60s about a sheriff in Arizona with a car just like that.
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