March 10: A different kind of Galaxie

Here she is, my erstwhile little helper and companion, the Car Modelling Cat (CMC), doing some research on the next model we'll be working on.We can't just take it out of the box, paint it and glue it. No folks, it takes a lot more work than that to make one of our model cars. Since, we try to include every little exterior detail, it requires some research. We have a small library from which to draw the necessary info. Often times, we'll go through several books, before we find exactly what we need. In this case, the CMC is checking out Cars from the '60's. Not really the material that we needed for today's subject, but it's so easy to get sidetracked.

Today, I'm going to show you a 1970 Ford that, we modified to make a different kind of Galaxie. The kit we started with, was the 1970 Ford police car. The model below is one we made a while ago, depicting the paint scheme of the Saint John, New Brunswick police in the 1960's and '70's. Unique, if not a bit strange.

Anyway, this was our jumping off point. We wanted to build a regular citizen's car, but an entirely different and more expensive four door hardtop. The police car was the sedan version, so........

1) we had to remove the centre post to make it a four door hardtop
2) since it was a fancier version, a lot more chrome was needed
3) also white wall tires and full wheel discs were added

So ours needed to look like this pic taken from a 1970 Ford brochure........

You can see how the plain Jane cop car had to be transformed into a semi luxury cruiser with all the bright work expected by the ordinary citizen. With our skills and the painstaking application of lots of chrome foil, here is our result..........

The four door hardtop style went by the wayside after 1978, but it was usually my most favorite version. Our family had a Chev and a Buick in this body style. But take a minute to compare the police car to the family four door. Amazing how a few simple changes can transform a ho hum patrol car into a snazzy ride (hey, it's all in the eye of the beholder).

I had planned this car in my mind for a couple a months, before we started our build and we're very pleased with how it turned out. A model that you won't find on any hobby store shelf.

For us, modelling is like "mental mouth wash". Whether we spend a few minutes or an hour in the Car Room, it helps to clear our minds. Me from the stresses of daily life, the CMC about where to sleep next. We are very fortunate.

Until next time........