Built by: Ron Lambert in Johnston, Rhode Island

Jess redid our bathroom decor. Wal*Mart had this bathroom set featuring Studebaker Woodys. I decided to build a Speedwagon to display in the bathroom. Problem was, it looked too modern. What's a guy to do? KITBASH! I figured I'd give the car a nostalgic look. The first step was to decide on a color. I love yellow cars but Testors yellow takes forever to dry. So I just painted everything and set the whole kit aside while the paint cured. (It only took 3 weeks) The yellow is some John Deer NASCAR paint that I just liked the looks of.

The wood grain was painted by me with a brush. I've been experimenting with woodgraining. Some panels look better than others but for the most part I'm pleased with the look of the wood.

The interior was painted tan and I used the photo etch set from Model Car Garage for the steering wheel and dash. I also flocked the floor. Instead of the fuel injected motor, I went with the carbuerated version from the '32 coupe. I figured it looked more traditional. Once again, I did not wire the engine. I have really cut back on adding details that drive me nuts. I try to have fun when I build and I have a lot more fun if I don't have to route those 9 little wires. The chassis and engine were built box stock.

The real big changes come with the addition of the bumpers. Again a '32 coupe donated some parts. I had trouble getting the rear bumper mounted but it looks decent when you look at it. In the chassis shot, you can see the unpainted edges of the rear frame covers. These parts seem to mount by magic. I also deleted the frame spreader bars. It lust looked weird to me to have two bumpers so I left them off.

The other addition was a trimmed-down headlight bar from the AMT '32 Phaeton. I liked the V-8 emblem on it so I figured I'd use it. The last things bodywise were the photo-etched grille and the photo-etched "Ford" emblem on the tailgate. I think the most dramatic change is the wheels and tires. These are from the Revell Rat Rod kit. I painted the rims yellow and only had to do some minor tweaking to get them to fit. I think with the subtle changes I've made the Speedwagon look like a whole new kit. I hope you like!