1971 Ford F100 Ranger XLT Pickup

My new project is the Moebius '71 Ford F100 Ranger. This is a compromised kit being warped and Moebius was not willing to replace warped parts with new straight parts as I would have to buy them. The cab was warped and they would charge me for a new cab with no guarantee that the new parts would not be warped. I put the windshield into place in the cab with the hope that it would help remove the warp. It seems be working, but now that I have assembled the frame, that is warped as well.
Moebius' excuse was that a modeler would be able to remove that warp.  I'm a seasoned modeler with over 40 years of constant modeling under my belt and this is the first time that I have encountered a model company wouldn't stand behind their product.  Moebius is now owned by Pegasus Hobbies and they told me to that they would replace one cab for free for my '72 F100 Sport Custom and I would have to buy the other for the '71 Ranger. I told them that they need bigger boxes so product would not be warped and they keep producing product for those smaller boxes. I simply will not buy any other Moebius products in the future.
My kit is Kit #1208. I will be painting the body with Model Master Wimbledon White (roof and lower body) and Testors Gloss Orange (Competition Orange) (Mid-body). The engine will be wired and whitewall tires with the Explorer wheel covers.



More Ranger to come...

Looking forward to thi build.

Thanks Dirk!

I had a story written for this build, but chose not to use for a build off with a friend. He had to pull out at the last minute, so I will insert the story starting with this post.

The Story
The old man walks into Boston Police Headquarters and he tells the desk sergeant that his wife is missing. The desk sergeant calls for a detective from Missing Persons to come down and talk to him. Since the man's wife has been missing for only a few hours, the Police will take a report and keep an eye out for her, but they really can't search for her until she has been missing for 24 hours. The detective walks back upstairs to Missing Persons and the old man becomes very frustrated and he cries out for help. McNally was in the process to turning in his Visitors Badge when the old man started cries out loud and he offered to help. The old man says he can't afford a private investigator and McNally tells him to not worry about the money and they would work something out later.

The old man is Jesse Hawkins and his missing wife is named Rhonda and she went for her morning walk and never returned home. McNally asks about her route for walking and he will drive along looking for her on her route. Then he will search side streets and empty houses in his neighborhood. Jesse will call McNally if she does return or a ransom demand is made.

The Build
The engine and transmission has been assembled, but I have never seen a fuel pump like that. The instructions even show this design. I think I'll remove the bottom portion of the fuel pump.



McNally will return...

The Story
McNally drives around the neighborhood and has follows the route Rhonda takes everyday. He will drive her route and then he'll check the side streets for her. Rhonda is about 5' 4" tall, 100 Lbs. and 84 years old. He doesn't find her on his initial drive on her route. He stops and talks with people walking on the sidewalk and he even made a few friends with those owners dogs.
He drives and he stops at an intersection and he could hear a dog barking, but it sounded far away. Then the barking stopped and McNally drove on following the route again. He calls Jesse and he asks if Rhonda had called or returned and Jesse replies no. He will keep looking and he starts searching the side streets. He doesn't find her on any of the side streets and he will start searching abandoned houses.

The Build
I assembled the rear bed and started with the tailgate. The inner gate didn't match the tailgate and I removed the mounting bar and sanded the inner gate smooth and it matched the tailgate better. The rest of the bed went together without any issues. It was time for a mockup to check for fit. Not bad! The left rear cab is still warped and if I push down on it, the cab and bed line up perfectly.



McNally will return...

Looking good so far

Thanks Dirk!

The Story
It was getting late and McNally was hungry. He stops at a convience store and he grabs a sandwich and a cup of coffee. He drives back to the route that Rhonda walked daily and he stops to eat and think. Suddenly, bright lights illuminate the interior of his car and the places his hands on the steering wheel and he waits for a cop to come to his window. The cop asks why he is there and McNally identifies himself and he says he is working.
He is told to get out of the car and he is searched with the cop finding his SIG Sauer P227 in his shoulder holster. The cop asks about the gun and McNally tells him about all the permits he has for it. The cop takes the permits and his drivers license and hands them to his partner and tells her to run his name through the computer. A couple of moments later, Officer Westerfield comes back and says hi to McNally and that they had met last year when he bought her Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD V8 from her. McNally returns the greeting and he explains why he is there and what he is doing...searching for a missing person.

The Build
I painted and assembled more of the engine this afternoon. I got the wires installed on the distributor and will wire the engine. I might plumb the engine a little with a fuel line from the fuel pump to the carburetor and a line from the PCV Valve.



McNally will return...

The Story
McNally tells the cops how he is searching for Rhonda Hawkins and shows them a picture of her and Off. Casey Westerfield says they will search for her as well between calls. McNally appreciates the extra help they can offer, even if it is a few minutes here and there. The two cops get another call and they must depart. McNally starts his search over again.

The Build
I finished the 390 CID engine this afternoon. I glued the fuel filter back on after wiring the engine and I added the air cleaner decal and a Fram decal to the oil filter.



McNally will return...

I have been re-reading the instructions and staring at the box art and I have decided to change the tu-tone from the combination tu-tone to the deluxe tu-tone. The deluxe tu-tone is just two colors separated by the chrome strips in the center of the body. The color combo will remain the same with Wimbledon White on the bottom and Gloss Orange (Coral) on the top.

Great start and looking great. Wish you all the best as you overcome the challenges to this kit.

That's a great looking engine Mike. Well done.

Thanks Spanky and Al!

The Story
McNally drives along on Shallotte St. and he hears the dog barking again and he stops and listens. The barking seems closer than it was earlier this afternoon. He continues driving and he looks up the driveway to a warehouse and he sees the dog that is barking and barking. McNally drives up to the barking dog and he stops just short of the warehouse corner and he gets out of his car and slowly walks over to the dog as he approaches the corner he sees a foot on the ground and he goes over to body. It is Rhonda Hawkins and she is unconscious, but alive!

The Build
I have painted the wheels with Model Master Wimbledon White and the chassis has been painted with Tamiya Semi Gloss Black.



McNally will return...

Since I had the can of Wimbledon White out, I painted a few more parts.

The Story
McNally calls 9-1-1 and requests an ambulance and the Police to come to the scene. He places his rolled-up jacket under Rhonda's head and he looks around the area for any clues and he doesn't see any in the dark. He looks the dog over who has since quieted down some and he gets his bottle of water and he finds an old hub cap and pours some of the water in and he tries to give some to Rhonda. He hears sirens coming and then an ambulance pulls up behind his car and stops. A short while later, a Police cruiser arrives.

The Build
The chassis is painted and assembled! The engine has been detailed and wired. The wheel covers have been painted with Model Master Gunmetal Metalizer and a silver Sharpie.



McNally will return...

This is really looking good

Thanks Dirk!

The Story
McNally calls 9-1-1 and requests an ambulance and the Police immediately to the old warehouse at the end of Shallotte St. He places his rolled up jacket under her head and he looks for something to put water in for the abandoned dog and he finds an old hubcap. The dog laps up all the water and McNally pours some more into the hubcap and he tries to give some to Rhonda. The ambulance and the Police arrive and he stands out of the way so they can work on her. The abandoned dog will be picked up by Animal Control per McNally's request and he also calls Jesse to tell him that he found his wife.

The Build
Paint was flying today as I painted the interior door panels, dash, hood, cab and bed with Testors Competition Orange Enamel aka Coral. This should look great with the W'imbeldon White that I had masked over. I am not a fan of enamel spray paint, but this is an older can that I got from a fellow CPMC member and it has plenty of pigment in it.



McNally will return...

The Story
Rhonda is transported to the Hospital and McNally calls Jesse that he found her and he would be over to his house to take him to the Hospital. In the Hospital ER, Jesse is allowed to see Rhonda for a moment after the doctors and nurses tend to Rhonda's wounds. Jesse wants to stay with Rhonda, but the ER doctor says it would be best that he leave, get some rest at home and return tomorrow. McNally returns Jesse home to get some rest and he can go to the Hospital in the morning.

The Build
I am allowing the painted body to gas out before doing anymore work to it. I had to do a mockup to see what it would look like. The engine compartment needs to be painted black. I started painting the interior in prep for assembly.



McNally will return...

It's coming together nicely Mike. Love the colour combo.

Thanks Al! I am liking how this truck is coming together!

The Story
The next morning, Jesse finds McNally at the Animal Shelter where the abandoned dog was taken to. He finds McNally clipping the dog's nails and he wonders why McNally was there. It is something he likes to do every once in a while and so he came in to give the dog a bath and some grooming. Jesse asks McNally how much he owes him for finding his wife and the Boston PI asks for $1 and nothing else. Jesse was willing to pay him more, but McNally wants only $1 for finding Jesse's wife, Rhonda.

The Build
Last night I took a chance and did something I have never done. I put a lacquer over enamel paint and there was no bubbling or crazing! Now for those who don't know...you never put a lacquer paint over enamel paint, but it can be done if you put lacquer paint down first and then add an enamel paint afterwards. I figured that with the enamel paint has been drying for 2 weeks, it would accept the lacquer paint without a problem since it was dry and not tacky to the touch. This morning, I detailed the side panels and assembled the interior.



McNally will return...

The Story
Jesse pays McNally his $1 and he leaves the Animal Shelter and he heads for the Hospital to visit with his wife. McNally finishes grooming the dog and he puts the dog back in his pen and he stops at the front desk and he says that he'll pay the adoption fee if Jesse and Rhonda adopt the dog. They just have to call him for the adoption fee payment. The attendant writes the information down on a post-it note and puts it in the file. He then heads for home in Charlestown to update his file.

The Build
I tried to polish the paint and went through the paint. Another masking and it is back into the paintbooth for another respray. After that was done, I detailed the grille using my Sharpie markers, Tamiya Flat Black paint and Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color.



McNally will return...

A lot of good work going on here. I realize you want a new truck look but the wear through roof paint looks fantastic if you were going for that "used" look

That's a good idea, Dirk! My idea was for a well preserved look by the original owner. The enamel paint was problematic with plenty of orange peel and my attempt to remove that orange peel resulted in removing a good share of the paint unintentionally. Like the old football coach once said, "Keep running that play until you get it right!"

Shame about having to redo the paint Mike but these things happen.

The rescue is looking good.

Thanks Al! I just need to start up the paintbooth and get painting!

The Story
It happened again! An older woman out for a walk at night was assaulted by an unknown assailant, but she was able to fight back and the assailant ran away. She had learned how to defend herself many years ago and she had never thought that she would ever have to use that training on anyone. The Police took a report and it was given to Detectives who are investigating the cases of attacks on older citizens in Brighton.

The Build
I went and painted the body and hood again with Testors Competition Orange and now they are in the dehydrator for the next 8+ hours.



McNally will return...

The Story
The old man is out walking his small dog for the evening and it has gotten dark in Brighton and the street lights have turned on. He cuts through a cemetary that has no lights shining as a short cut back to his house and as he walks through, an figure watches him from behind a large tree. As the old man and his dog approaches, the attacker runs out behind him and the little dog starts barking and the old man is attacked and clubbed. The old man is lying on the ground and his little dog continues to bark and the Police stop on their drive through the cemetary. An ambulance is called and the little dog is taken back to the old man's house to cared for by his daughter.

The Build
I started on the '71 Ranger again by adding some of the chrome pieces and doing a mockup. The back of the cab seems to sit a little high in the rear of the cab and maybe the cab mout needs to be clearanced a bit.



McNally will return...

The Story
The old man walks out of his house and he opens the gate, walks through it and closes the gate behind him.  He has on an old t-shirt, pants with a grease spot around his pockets, dirty white sneakers with velcro straps, an old cardigan sweater, a plaid flat cap on his head and a pair of glasses with thick frames.  He walks down to the local convenience store to buy his evening paper and he is walking at a slow pace.  At the store he buys his paper, folds it and sticks in his back pocket and walks back home past old houses, some abandoned and some old garages and warehouse-like buildings.  He approaches an old house with overgrown bushes in front and a young man jumps out and he tries to strangle and club the old man who flips the young attacker over his shoulder and he starts beating on the young man with blows to the face.
The cops come running out of the shadows and from up the street as the old man turns the young man over and he handcuffs his attacker.  The cops take custody of the attacker as the old man takes off his cap and glasses and it is McNally.  He was working uncover with the Police and they all suspected that the attacker would come out again in this area and McNally wanted to draw him out.

The Build
Some foiling done on the Ranger XLTafter I added a few more pieces to the engine compartment.  My foil is old so I used some Micro Metal Foil Adhesive.  I added the decals, some of which broke as I removed them from the backing paper.



McNally will return...

The Story
With the suspect handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a Police cruiser, McNally is driven by one of the detectives back to the old house where this adventure began. He changes his clothes back to his usual pants and t-shirt. He gets into his car after he puts on his shoulder holster and his gun and a shirt to cover the holster and gun and he drives down to Boston Police Headquarters to give his statement to detectives. Inside Headquarters he gets his Visitors Badge and he goes up to the Detective Squad and he gives his statement to Sgt. Det. Alonzo. The statement includes everything from when he left the old house in Brighton to the arrest of the suspect.

The Build
I finished the foiling of the body and did a mockup to check my progress. The cab still has a warp to it and I hope that when the cab is glued to the frame, the warp will go away.



McNally will return...