2010 Ford Mustang GT Convertible Is Complete

The Story

It is late at night and McNally sits in his car watching his client's business and thinking about ADA Scotson and the recently released Jake Colemark whom seems to be watching the ADA. McNally brought along his notes from his investigation of the murder of the store clerk to review them. Maybe he had missed something along the way. He starts thinking about his frame of mind during that investigation...was he distracted by something? Was there someone else that he could have talked to? It is late and there is nothing going on at his clients business as the Boston PI sits, waits, and watches.

The Build

I started removing mold lines from the body. At first glance they don't seem to be that bad, but the more I sanded, the more they stood out. They are found on all four corners of the body.

And, across the top of the rear fenders.

McNally will return...

looking good so far.

Thanks Felix!

The Story

A 1980's Chevy Malibu 4-door sedan slowly drives by the machine shop that McNally is watching and returns a couple of minutes later. He gets out of his Charger with his camera to get a picture of the license plate when an explosion in front of the shop goes off. The Malibu speeds away while McNally quickly snaps a few pictures before the car rounds the corner and disappears. He calls the fire department on his cellphone and waits for them to arrive. After the fire is out, the fire inspector and police arrive and questions McNally. He must get home to view the pictures on the larger screen of his computer and maybe, just maybe, have a picture of the Malibu's license plate.

The Build

I made a template of the engine bay so I could remove the excess plastic from the convertible body.

Out came the Dremel with a cutting disc and I started cutting.

There are two mounting studs under the cowl that I removed in anticipation of removing some of the extra plastic from the cowl.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally has want he was hoping for...a license plate number! A trip to police headquarters to see Millie in Records got him the name and address of the owner of the Chevy. But, on his way out of Records he runs into Det. Steven Darvell. Det. "Waddle". as McNally calls him for his size and the way he walks, grabs his arm and says, "This department is for official Police business only." McNally responds by saying, "Technically, this is Assault, do want to go for Battery?" Det. Darvell lets go of McNally's arm and he leaves the building, but not before saying, "See Darvell...you can make a smart decision."

The Build

Tonight I started working on the engine. At this point it is only partially assemble while wait for other parts that have been painted to dry.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally drives out to the address on the printout that Maggie gave him and he parks just down the street to observe the residence and watch the people milling about including the owner of the Malibu, a young man named Jesse. He had hoped that the house would be empty so he could look around inside, but not today. A metallic red Lincoln limousine with oversized chrome wheels and tires pulls up to the house and he recognizes the limo as belonging to Big Tommy T, a local crime lord. Jesse and the others get into the limo and the limo drives away while McNally slouches in his seat so he wouldn't be seen. After the limo passes, McNally pulls out his cellphone and calls Reuben "The Kitchen Sink" Sinkowski as he is going to need some backup on this case. Meanwhile, Caitlyn Scotson feels like someone is following her while she drives from her condo to work at the DA's office and the feeling is not sitting well with her.

The Build

The engine is complete.

The suspension pieces have been detail painted and are drying.

The chassis has been detail painted. I have been unable to find any chassis pics of the 2010 Mustang, so I took a llittle dramatic license and painted the chassis as you see it.

McNally will return...

The Story

It is another morning for ADA Scotson as she drives to work. Caitlyn is starting to get a little nervous as she sees a silver sedan following her, several cars back. It dosen't matter if see tries to speed up or slow down...the sedan still keeps its distance. She turns into the parking lot for the District Attorneys Office and notices the sedan drives by the lot entrance and keeps on going down the street. She feels relieved and parks her car in her assigned spot, grabs her purse and briefcase and walks inside.

The Build

I have determined where to make my cuts on the interior platform. My original plan was to cut off the back seat and graft the convertible seat to the coupe interior platform. Instead, I have decided to cutoff the "doghouse" or inner fenders from the interior platform and glue it to the convertible interior platform.

A mockup.

I mocked up the chassis, interior platform, and the body to see how everything fits. The front of the chassis hits the front of the nose and even bows the crossmember. It also pushes the chassis back into the body where the front wheels will not be centered. I'll use a sanding stick on the chassis corners and round them until the chassis fits better.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally and Reuben met at Big Tommy T's place, a small restaurant and night club called Big T's. Their plan is to distract the guards in front of Big Tommy's office and force their way in and meet with the crime lord. McNally will walk near the bar and nudge the elbow of Tommy's number two man, Baylor Leighton, and spill his drink which will blame the man sitting next to him at the bar and hopefully start a brawl. Reuben will watch McNally's back as he enters the office. All goes as planned as the guards leave their post to help stop the fight and McNally and Reuben enter Big Tommy's office with their guns drawn. This is McNally's second time meeting the crime lord and Tommy is caught off-guard and staring down the barrel of McNally's .45.

The Build

I feel like I have made some progress now that I have primered and painted the body. This time I have remembered to paint the rear view mirrors. The paint is Model Master Citrus Yellow Metallic, No. 28101.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally asks Big Tommy T as to his business with Jesse and the machine shop in Brighton. Tommy says that Jesse works for him from time to time and that the machine shop is not of McNally's concern. Tommy is then told to stay clear of the machine shop and to find something a little more productive for Jesse to do...or he will turn Tommy's empire upside down. Tommy replies, "I am firmly entrenched in my affairs and there is nothing you can do to harm me." "You had better reconsider your position here. Things will change," replies McNally. He and Reuben leave Tommy's office and the nightclub.

The Build

I clearcoated the body this morning with two mist coats of Tamiya TS-13 Gloss Clear and 1wet coat of clear over an hour. I'll polish the clear in a day or two.

i cleared the side mirrors and the inner fenders. I needed the inner fenders to have a little bit of a shine instead of being almost completely flat.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally anticipates Big Tommy T's next move which will be to take him and Reuben out. They arm themselves with additional weapons and wait at McNally's house, but not for very long. Reuben is watching out the front window and sees a car pull up in front of the house and two young men get out of the car and approach the house with a shotgun and a small submachine gun. It is Jesse and one of his friends who goes to the front door while Jesse goes to the side door. The front door is kicked open and the young man steps inside shooting wildly as Jesse kicks in the side door only to get hit in the stomach with McNally's Louisville Slugger that he keeps next to the side door and Reuben steps out from behind the front door and grabs the other man by the back of the neck and throws him into the wall, subduing them both. Officers from the Organized Crime Taskforce come out of the back room and arrest the two young men. Meanwhile, Caitlyn is driving home from work only to discover the silver sedan is following her again.

The Build

I have detailed the wheels and installed the tires. I have decided to use the kit tires this time.

On the back, I have installed the pin retainer, but instead of the metal pin, I have added a short piece of round stock which will play a part in lowering the suspension later.

The chassis is complete.

McNally will return...

The Story

The silver sedan follows Caitlyn all the way home and now she is very nervous. She runs inside her condo, locks the door and goes into her bedroom closet and retrieves a metal box with four white buttons on top, punches in a combination, the lid pops open and she pulls out a Smith & Wesson Model 36 Snub Nose .38 Revolver. She loads five rounds into the cylinder, closes it and looks out the window overlooking the street below and does not see the silver sedan anywhere. She calls the Police who come and take a report, tell her they will cruise through the neighborhood more often and then leave on another call. She tries to take her mind off the silver sedan with paperwork and leafs through the Colemark file and sees McNally's business card clipped to the folder. She picks up the phone and calls his number.

The Build

I have applied a rear panel decal from the Coupe kit, taillights, GT emblem, and black lower panel trim.

I used BMF on the horse grille emblem and added the head and driving lights.

I have been test fitting the inner fenders/firewall and I had to shave the back of the headlights and trim the inner fenders to fit. The driver side inner fender has minimal mods, but the passenger side required careful removal of material without damaging the fuse and relay box. This will be painted and detailed again.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally has left Police Headquarters and is walking back to his Charger when his cell phone rings. He looks at the display and reads Caitlyn's home phone number and answers the call. "McNally, can you stop over to my house? I need to talk to you." "What's the address and I'll be there shortly," he replies. Caitlyn gives him the address and hangs up. She sounded like she was desperate, thinks McNally as he gets into the Charger and races out of the parking lot. He starts thinking about the silver Ford Taurus and Jake Colemark.

The Build

It is time to lower the suspension on this Mustang Convertible. First step is to remove the brake rotor from the tree and score the flat inside portion.

Using a chisel point hobby knife, I removed the section not needed.

I then glue the brake rotor to the pin retainer on the wheel. The styrene pin that I install previously should be flush with the brake rotor.

Next, I show you how to determine the ride height.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally arrives at Caitlyn's condo and is let in. He sees her holding the snub-nose .38 and asks her what is wrong and she tell him about the silver sedan that has been following her for the last several days and how uneasy it makes her feel. He asks her about the gun and she tells McNally about her firearms training and the license to carry a concealed weapon, even though she is still quite nervous and is constantly looking out the window for the silver sedan. McNally checks all the windows and doors in the condo and offers to spend the night watching out for her by sleeping on the couch. Caitlyn thanks him for offering to stay and says it won't be necessary as long as all the windows and doors are secure. Meanwhile, the silver sedan is parked down the street from the condo and is being watched by the driver.

The Build

As I was about to remove the front rotors from the parts tree, I realized that I didn't show the procedure for them. The front rotors are side specific and must be modified accordingly. Use the same process for the front rotors keeping in mind which one is for which side. On the left is the drivers side and on the right is the passenger side rotor.

Modified.

Attach them to the wheels the same as the rears.

Next up...determining the ride height.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally is called down to the District Attorney's Office to discuss his report on Big Tommy T and the two youths who attempted to kill him and Reuben Sinkowski. Based upon evidence gathered by undercover police and McNally's own investigation, raids and arrests where made on Big Tommy's nightclub, offices, and a warehouse filled with stolen items and contraband. The raids were carried out the previous evening while McNally was at Caitlyn's condo, checking her door and window security. McNally surmises that Big Tommy and his lawyer will not be happy today.

McNally decides to go downstairs and check on Caitlyn to see how she is doing. He stops at her assistant's desk and asks if she is in and able to meet with him. Her assistant Maggie, looks at him confused and says he had just called her and wanted to meet her at her condo. "When did she leave," asks McNally? "About 10 minutes ago," Maggie replies. "I didn't call her!" He runs out to his car, starts it up and races out of the parking lot and towards Caitlyn's house.

The Build

Get yourself a stack of business cards and place them under the car. Place the tires and wheels in the fenders and check the ride height. If it is too low, add some cards. Too high, remove some cards.

This is where I wanted the back wheels.

I didn't forsee this. The front tire is resting on the inside of the inner fender. It is a touch too high, but its really not that bad. I can live with it.

The Story and the Build are nearly complete.

McNally will return...

The Story

McNally screeches to a halt in front of Caitlyn's condo, gets out of the Charger and hears a gunshot come from within the house. He runs to the front door pulling his Smith & Wesson from under his jacket and hears two more gunshots. He kicks in the door and hears two more gunshots coming from the kitchen and runs to the kitchen doorway and sees Jake Colemark lying against the lower cabinet door...dead. Caitlyn is standing across from him dry firing her snub nose .38, click...click...click. He walks over to her and calmly says, "Caitlyn, give me the gun." She looks at McNally, her face is bruised and bloodied, her clothes are ripped and torn from a violent stuggle with Jake, releases the gun into McNally's hand, hugs him and starts to cry. He leads her into the living room and calls Sergeant Adam Troy of the BPD Homicide Squad.

It has been about three weeks since the shooting when the DA's Office releases their findings on the Colemark shooting...no charges against Caitlyn Scotson, it was a justifiable homicide in self defense. Caitlyn can return to work after spending some time talking to a counseler about her ordeal. It is Saturday evening and Caitlyn is sitting on the window seat of her condo watching the street below when McNally pulls up and she watches him get out a paper bag and a large covered pot from the back of the car. She let's him in the front door and says, "What have you got here," looking inside the bag. "Some fresh baked bread and in here...some homemade chicken stew." "Is this something you do for all of your clients?" "No, just for my friends, and I consider you my friend." In the kitchen, McNally places the pot on the stove and turns the burner on low to reheat the stew. Caitlyn hugs him tightly and says, "Thank you for being you, my friend."

McNally will return...

The Build

My '10 Mustang GT Convertible is complete. I really enjoyed this build and creating the story to go with it. I would like to thank all those who took the time to read the story and view the WIP.

Neat story, great car! Color is awesome, but you always seem to find the right color for your builds. I like how you lowered your car too, very useful for future builds!

Thank you Ed!  I find that when I add a short story to my WIP, it helps me define the build, keeps me focused on how the car should look in my mind.  I also like to write a little bit and hopefully the story will be interesting for those reading it.  The literary circle has nothing to fear from me...not yet maybe!