63 Plymouth, JoHan and Mobius mix

[dino246gt]

I'm going to try and make the Mobius '65 Belvedere into a '63 using some JoHan parts but mostly Mobius.

Here's the kits, and the side by side bodies.

 

[dino246gt]

First off, the JoHan and the Mobius kits are decades apart in their engineering, so it's not a simple swap like the real car would be.

But I've got the front end fitted, hopefully everything will start coming together as I'm making it up as I go.

[dino246gt]

Next up was the rear of the roof, the '65 was straight across, the '63 had this distinctive curve.

Had to be cut in the middle but I made it fit.

[papajohn97]

Fabulous job Dennis that you’re doing on this body morphing so far. What’s your end goal on this build? A stock ‘63 with a max wedge? Looking forward to see where you go with this.

[LennyB]

Dennis, I was just about to start a similar project. Only I was thinking of using the Lindberg 1964 Plymouth for the chassis and such. Mainly because it's what I have on hand. I will be watching to see how yours goes.

[Scott Eriksen]

Nice work!

[espo]

Great looking plastic surgery. I have built the Belveder I kit and like it a lot. Your body changes look seamless. 

[dino246gt]

Yeah a 426 max wedge, so lets get it started!

Resin headers, pre-wired distributor, wired in the correct firing order.

It's started!

 

[dino246gt]

Mobius kit front shocks, hmmmm.....

It only took about 3 minutes to make aluminum copies, that seem to look much better.

I'm using mostly the Mobius kit.

 

[dino246gt]

Inner fenders got "SIMPLIFIED" I removed the molded on wires.

Under the front bumper, I opened that up.

I drilled out the chrome headlights and scraped some plastic away to create the separation between the bumper and grille.

[dino246gt]

I had a resin bench seat for a Thunderbolt Fairlane kit in the stash.

I smoothed both seats.

I added styrene to make the front seat the same depth as the Mobius rear seat.

Then I added some thin strips to create the base model look.

[dino246gt]

Since I'm using the Mobius tub, I had to make the JoHan dash fit.

It's starting to resemble the '63 dash, still needs a lot of tweaking.

I lined up the firewall, but I'll remove all the molded on detail.

 

 

[dino246gt]

Okay, now I'm having fun.

After removing the molded on detail on the firewall and inner fenders, I added it back with separate stuff, much better.

Test fit the engine, yeah it fits.

[papajohn97]

Thank you Dennis for all the effort you are putting into this detailed WIP, so far a real master class in kit bashing! Your replacement of the molded-in wiring harness with real wires is motivating me to try this on a future build. Painting molded-in wires is usually a hit & miss for me at best and can detract from the actual wire detailing on the engine.

Edited February 19, 2024 by papajohn97

[espo]

Amazing engine and under hood detailing. 

[dino246gt]

I more or less finished up the interior.

For the door cards, I just masked and painted it to look more like the '63.

I'm not going for a show winning replica, just a cool model.

Notice the "radio delete" LOL

 

 

Edited February 19, 2024 by dino246gt

[Bainford]

Looking great. Nice work going on here. 

[Duddly01]

Beautiful work! Can’t wait to see this coming along.

[Straightliner59]

On 2/18/2024 at 4:19 PM, dino246gt said:

Mobius kit front shocks, hmmmm.....

It only took about 3 minutes to make aluminum copies, that seem to look much better.

I'm using mostly the Mobius kit.

 

This is very cool, Dennis! I wish I had your knack for bodywork. Now, these shocks--this illustrates the biggest reason I scratchbuild so much stuff. It's often easier than cleaning up molded kit pieces, it's a helluva lot more interesting and fun than cleaning up those mold lines, and, they always look way better than the kit parts! Beautiful work, sir, as always!

[NOBLNG]

Impressive work Dennis,? I am always envious of your engine bay wiring jobs.?

[dino246gt]

This is something I do a lot of:

I find the wheels I want, and the tires I want, but the wheels don't always fit the tires.

So I take the wheels that DO fit the tires and combine them with the wheels I've chosen.

Cut the centers out and discard those, de-chrome the rings that I'll use in Easy Off, and sand them down to the proper depth.

I've always liked the look of wide steelies on the rear of a muscle car, a base model muscle car that is.

Edited February 20, 2024 by dino246gt

[dino246gt]

Now with the engine fitted and the rear wheels made, I can start final assembly.

Some small pads on the spring mounting points gives me the desired ride height.

[FoMoCo66]

That is some awesome kit bashing ceep it up. Was the 63 johan a glue bomb or did you use a untouched kit?

[dino246gt]

23 minutes ago, FoMoCo66 said:

That is some awesome kit bashing ceep it up. Was the 63 johan a glue bomb or did you use a untouched kit?

Yeah I had a minty kit, but they're really not worth much, managed to sell the leftovers, no body, no dash, no front bumper/grill and no tail lights, for $10. Still had good stuff to complete someone's vintage JoHan kit that was missing anything. Metal axles, original screws, mint decal sheet, instructions, all the custom parts, chassis, interior, original tires, engine, was a good deal for someone.

[Scott8950]

On 2/18/2024 at 11:50 AM, LennyB said:

Dennis, I was just about to start a similar project. Only I was thinking of using the Lindberg 1964 Plymouth for the chassis and such. Mainly because it's what I have on hand. I will be watching to see how yours goes.

That's how i built my 63 fury. I had to remove a small section from the rear floor area.