Building a Wagon Queen Family Truckster.

The cool thing is, if you're so inclined, you can modify the electronics harness to install a MAF sensor and any wire repinning to accomodate a Mustang A9L computer, then pop in a B303 cam and Explorer 19 lb/hr injectors. That would give the engine a wake-up call right off the bat.

 

Once you start that work, the system will accomodate engine, induction and exhaust modifications more easily.

 

I have made some progress. I figured out the rear window trim and made the passenger side so I can start cutting some sheet metal. It sounds easy and looks easy but it was a pain. Getting the rear window shape wrong was not an option. The crown, scoops and rear woodgrain are all around the rear glass so it needs to be close. I think I finally nailed it. Now that the trim has the correct shape I can start on the rear glass area.
First thing is, I have been messing with this trim for a frustrating week. Since there are no blueprints or surviving screen used Trucksters, I took as many screen shots as I could then figured out how they cut the trim. From there I was taping trim to the car and taking pictures, eyeballing it. I was taking movie stills of the car and stepping back, comparing the 2. The problem is what looks perfect from one angle looks wrong from another. Plus it's very difficult to duplicate the exact camera angle from the movie. I never did get the measurements right using that method and I ruined a set of trim. I did ask a friend who built one of he could take some measurements off his but I just beat him to the punch this afternoon.
This is how I did it. Today I had I was playing with some photo apps on my phone and had a thought. Wouldn't it be great if I could blend a picture of my car with a movie still. I got to looking and I found an overlay camera app that let me do it. It took just a few hours to get the trim correct. Now It is time to break out the plasma cutter and welder and start having fun.

 

wow that's cool

 

Wow. This turned out well

 

Hey Richard, the car is looking good! It's been a long time since I have been on this forum, but I remembered my password and decided to check out your progress since you said you had posted pics on here. I'll be following along, so keep the updates coming. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask, but I'll probably see them sooner if you message me on Tech.

 

Hey thanks, you have been a tremendous help so far!

My obsession with the details have driven my wife insane. I think if I say the words "Truckster seat" in her presence again, I will be shot. But I can share with you good people what I found out about the seat used in the Truckster's. A good friend of mine does high end auto upholstery for antique cars. He doesn't just say "I can't get it" and then wrap it in vinyl. He will look for the right material. He was willing to go through all the old material books from the late 70's early 80's and find what they used based on screen shots. That was the easy part now we have to find fabric that has not been made in close to 40 years. If it still exist he will find it.
To shift gears a little bit....the movie Truckster had a straight bench with no headrest and it looked like it was covered in an ugly burlap colored tweed material with spots. The LTD could have the straight bench but they all had headrest. Every car had to have headrest after 1/1/1969 due to a federal mandate. My friend also found out that the LTD was never offered with a material that was anything close to the Truckster's from 1979-81. So the seats were a custom job. No surprise here.
I believe they started with the factory bench then the head rest were removed so as not to block the camera shots into the backseat. When the headrest were removed they had to remove the trim and fix the hole, that meant a recover. They needed something ugly, readily available and easy to work with. They found it at Ford. In 1980-1981 when the Truckster's were being constructed the Futura had an option for what looks like the correct material as a seat insert.
Now I need to find a 79-83 Futura with a tan interior and the correct insert to be certain. I have been to dozens of junkyards looking for Truckster parts and I only remembered one Futura and it was orange. They are super rare today. I went back and checked it out. It was a miracle, a 1980 Futura with the correct tan interior and inserts. Very faded of course. Now that I can compare the material, that's it. I think I might be the first to figure this out, all the replicas have either tweed or the stock seat. I am going to try to find this old fabric to do mine.

 

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/dealer/ford/ltd/1865082.html?refer=blog I love the attention to detail and the progress your making! next time your wife complains show here this. I think it sold for $40,000. Do you plan on selling it when your done?

 

The center tailgate handle was from a 70's Granada door, FYI. Read that YEARS ago.

 

40k, wow! Someone really wanted that car. I wouldn't say that one is one of the best ones either. There are 3 or 4 that are done very, very well. I'm building this one for me. I have always loved movie cars. There are 5 that I would call my bucket list cars. The Truckster, Back to The Future Delorean, Ecto 1, Christine and a Vanishing Point Challenger.

I owned 3 Christines and the market priced me out of restoring them so they were sold.
I owned 1 Ecto that was given to me by a member on here but it was beyond repair and I passed it on to someone that said he could save it.
I had a 70 Challenger that someone wanted really bad, so I let it go thinking I would buy another one. Then the value skyrocketed not long after that putting them out of reach.
I never owned a Delorean but recently they have almost doubled in value with BTTF getting so popluar again.

I can still afford a Truckster. Lol. I won't let it go.

Thank you, I will check that out. I know where a few of them are sitting.

 

Down the road a few houses, I have spotted what looks like a RED Delorean. I'm about 90% sure. I'll investigate further. It's under a car port right next to the guys house. Every time I drive by I wave and he just glares at me so I'll have to use some tact

 

Or get your wife to dress like "Peg on Married with Children" and stop by to casually mention your rich husband likes that old car!

 

The more I read this build the more I want to butcher a poor old station wagon. So many new products out to literally glue one together now. It wouldn't even have to be Truckster perfect.

 

If that doesn't work, dressing up like Christina Applegate should certainly get it, Sir.

 

Helllllooooooo nurse!