Ford Mustang 1964 1/2 Convertible 1/16 from the Coupe AMT kit: the Indy 500 Pace Car

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Thanks a lot, Roger!

The buttons have been glued with care and are now all in place:

 

[PROPELLER]

Outstanding work Olivier!

Congratulations.

 

Dan.

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Thanks a lot, Dan! Some little corrections are still necessary, and some details under the dashboard (especially the hand brake) must be added, but I am rather glad with this dashboard, even if it is far from being perfect. It is maybe the most detailed one on a scale model...

 

Cheers, TMO

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Focus now on elements that take place under the dashboard. I will rely on the 3 docs below to represent this area, but I don't think the bezel at the right of the 3rd one is a period element:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More soon...

 

Cheers, O

[Pouln]

Your dash may not be perfect, but at this scale, I’m truly amazed at the details your accomplishing. Looks absolutely gorgeous to me ( as does the handbrake lever).

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Thanks a lot, Poul!

Here is a new little update:

 

 

A word about the Indy logo: it is present on the restored Indy 500 (the car that was in sale for more than $ 1 million):

 

 

Now was it present originally? Impossible for me to answer. The close-up below suggests that there is something (an inscription??) between the radio and the ashtray, but it doesn't look like this logo:

 

 

In the doubt, as I liked this sticker there, I decided to represent it...

 

Thanks for going on watching and for your kind encouragements, TMO

 

 

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Hello to all,

 

A new little progress, with the choke button and leg, now OK:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for watching and encouraging, O

 

 

[Lvp]

Fantastic job in creating such a detailed dashboard!

 

I have two questions.

What did you use for the carpeting, where is it available?

 

Second, although my Mustang was a 1965, I remember the ignition switch in the dashboard was what started the car by turning the key.

Is the starter button perhaps a solution to a  faulty ignition switch ? Done by the restorer?

 

I love keeping up with your great work.

 

Les

[Totally Mad Olivier]

On 21/08/2020 at 17:13, Lvp said:

What did you use for the carpeting, where is it available?

Thanks a lot, Les!

The answer to your first question is in the post# 627, on p. 29. I found it by chance in a specialised tissue shop. It's true that it matches quite well, while the first one I applied was really not good, as Harvey mentioned with right.

On 21/08/2020 at 17:13, Lvp said:

Second, although my Mustang was a 1965, I remember the ignition switch in the dashboard was what started the car by turning the key.

Is the starter button perhaps a solution to a  faulty ignition switch ? Done by the restorer?

Indeed, the ignition switch is on the dashboard, here precisely:

 

 

But I supposed the button under the dashboard was a choke knob to help this ignition. You seem to suggest that this element, present on Bernard's car, was missing initially. I made researches and found this pic of a period Mustang (due to Roy):

 

 

It shows that this element was present on the period Mustang 65.

On the other hand, it also shows that my handbrake is too close from this element (I call it like that not sure what it is).

 

Cheers, O

 

N.B: the mention "BRAKE" is white on this period car.

 

[Pouln]

10 minutes ago, Totally Mad Olivier said:

On the other hand, it also shows that my handbrake is too close from this element (I call it like that not sure what it is).

I would simply call it a knob.

[Lvp]

Sorry, confused by it being called a starter switch.

I believe it allowed access to the hood..

Memory sometimes becomes fuzzy after 50+ years.

[Totally Mad Olivier]

54 minutes ago, Lvp said:

I believe it allowed access to the hood

Glad to know what was its function, and sorry to have called that a starter, while it was the opening hood knob.

 

Cheers, O

[Pouln]

Pfhhhh, you came to your senses just in time, Olivier😎

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Hello to all,

 

It was not easy (but though necessary) to make the below dry fit assembly, because the dashboard is a bit heavy (remember I used quite a lot of Milliput and Tamiya LC Putty to extend it backward, the AMT part being much too short, see the post# 770 , fe):

 

 

 

Some little corrections are still necessary, but it begins to take shape...

 

Cheers, O

[johnlambert]

It's looking great!

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Hello chaps,

 

 

 

I am now glad with this result, and should focus on the pedals and the gearbox...

 

Thanks for watching and for your encouragements, TMO...

[Fnick]

Magnifique Olivier! Looks like the real thing. 

 

Nick

[Roy vd M.]

The poor old AMT heap of plastic doesn’t even realise what’s happening to its core and soul.

[JeroenS]

That is a fine job you did there Olivier... the dash is a whole model in itself!

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Thanks Nick, and welcome in the thread!

21 minutes ago, Roy vd M. said:

The poor old AMT heap of plastic doesn’t even realise what’s happening to its core and soul.

So funny, Roy, thanks!

 

11 minutes ago, JeroenS said:

the dash is a whole model in itself!

Thanks Jeroen. I tried to consider it as a whole model in itself, indeed!

The satisfaction comes also from the fact that I didn't use the 3D approach for the many scratchbuilds elements I made for this dash...

 

Cheers,

 

 

[Pouln]

1 hour ago, Totally Mad Olivier said:

Thanks Nick, and welcome in the thread!

So funny, Roy, thanks!

 

Thanks Jeroen. I tried to consider it as a whole model in itself, indeed!

The satisfaction comes also from the fact that I didn't use the 3D approach for the many scratchbuilds elements I made for this dash...

 

Cheers,

 

 

No you didn’t and without that, you have achieved a wonderful lifelike dash.

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Hello to all,

 

Here is a "4 pics table" showing the pedals in different view angles:

 

I didn't go as far as measuring the pedals on Bernard's car (anyway, he has an Auto gearbox version with only 2 pedals and so the brake one is wider). I will rely on my eye's perception and try so to get convincing pedals.

If we study carefully these pics, we may notice that the brake and clutch pedal legs (especially the latter) on the 4th doc seem to be much more straight than on the docs 2 and 3. It is to these ones that I will rely from this point of view, as they are unrestored Mustang pics.

I also may refer to the below figure (Guide de la Ford Mustang, ETAI):

 

How to represent the slots on the pedals at 1/16 scale? Suggestions?

 

Cheers, O

[harveyb258]

Continued excellence, my friend.

The dash is a work of art... congrats.

 

Cheers, H

[Totally Mad Olivier]

Thanks a lot, Poul and Harvey! I couldn't help doing some subtle but necessary corrections on my dashboard, that is really ready now:

 

 

 

N.B: I will send the 2 pics above to Bernard. One more time, I thank him warmly (even if I don't think he reads this thread), without his precious help, I could not get such a faithful dashboard.

 

Furthermore, I made researches on the net about the pedals, and found great pics:

 

 

N.B: the cylinder knob on the floor left side is a main beam control

 

Cheers, O

[Totally Mad Olivier]

 

 

 

The brake pedal (and so the clutch one too), on its widest up portion, is 20 mm on my computer screen when the pedal area is 80 mm (1/4). It is 17 mm on the lower portion

18,85 : 4 = 4,7 mm width up

17 x 18,85 : 80 = 4 mm width low 

The gap between the brake pedal and the gas one is 12,5 mm at the up limit of the brake pedal. This means that the gap at this level should be:

12,5 x 18,85 : 80 = 2,95 mm.

At the lower level, the gap is 16 mm:

16 x 18,85 : 80 = 3,77 mm

 

With this method, worth what its worth, I could determine approximately the widths of each pedal and gap, the gas pedal area being deduced so:

up: 18,85 - (4,7 x 2) - (2,95 x2) = 3,55 mm

 

 

The height of both brake and clutch pedals could be also determined using the rule of 3:

it is 11 mm on my computer screen:

11 x 18,85 : 80 = 2,6 mm.

 

To determine approximately the gas pedal height and width, but also the value between both pedals top level, I need another front view, on which the gas pedal is not hidden by the wheel, such the one below: they will be calculated from the brake pedal « measures » using the same method:

 

 

As you can see, I could also evaluate the gas pedal leg diameter: about 0,6 mm.

 

Of course, it would be interesting to ask Bernard, or better Jean-Pierre Versini (manual gearbox meaning 3 pedals) to do the measures...

 

Cheers, O

 

P.S: this is the 1000th post dedicated to this build! the saga goes on...