# Help I.D. Vintage '63 StingRay Body Manufacturer



## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Hey Guys, I just acquired this body in a recent trade, and it's manufacturer eludes me. The body is molded in a slippery/soft Black plastic, similar to an aurora, but not as hard(it's NOT Resin). It's molded plastic and has no separate parts, sans the missing window glass. The Bumpers are molded on, and don't appear to have ever been painted, but it could have just worn off. The wheelbase is identical to Aurora short WB, and the screw posts line up perfectly as well, but the body CANNOT be fitted to an T-Jet, because the the front grill area is too close to the pick-up shoes and they hit, although an older Vibrator chassis would probably fit perfectly. Both screw posts have been hacked a bit, the rear is crudely notched to lower the body I presume, while the front seems to have been cut and filed more precisely. Inside the body are the Words- "Sting" and "Ray" with the number "2" separating them.
I created the following list of 1/87 scale HO manufacturers(from the past) and checked out several, and came up with the "NO" on the ones I found info/pix of. The list includes:
Aurora- NO
Tyco "S" - NO 
Atlas - NO
Marx -
Eldon -
Lionel - NO
Bachmann -

*were there Sears or Monkey Wards sets made by Marx or Eldon ?
____________________________________________________
Anyway, here are the pix, (any clues) :


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

American Line ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

sethndaddy said:


> American Line ?


 Is that just a guess, or do you have info ? Don't forget, I said it Will NOT fit a T-Jet Chassis....


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

it certainly looks like the Lionel or Atlas, both of which were later released by American Line tooling. but I have no proof and the fact it doesn't clear pickup shoes would tend to rule American Line out.


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## helivaguy (Nov 18, 2009)

american line,( lionel repop)they also made a thunderbird and they used to sell them with a thunderjet chassis for $12.00(we just bought them for the chassis alone and tossed the bodies).
this is how they came packaged..


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*ummmmmm...?*



helivaguy said:


> american line,they also made a thunderbird and they used to sell them with a thunderjet chassis for $12.00(we just bought them for the chassis alone and tossed the bodies).
> this is how they came packaged..


 Are you sure that THIS Vette was one ? I mean the pick-ups have a clearance issue up front. Can you confirm this was an AmL ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Update, I just looked up the Lionel Stingray, and it WAS NOT a '63 Split Window, it was a '64 or later StingRay.- sans Split window 
Lionel Stingray below








compare to my Black split window....








.....so, if the American Line Body was based on the Lionel molds, then My Black 63 is NOT an AmL ! Note the pointed ridge tip on the front of MY hood/body, that doesn't appear on the Lionel version, also, i think my side windows are slightly taller too ? I also note that the Lionel Vette has a checkered hood louver/grills, while my Split Window Vette has just straight line louver/grills on each side of the hood.


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## helivaguy (Nov 18, 2009)

yes, i had a whole box load i purchased from new jersey nostalgia hobby back in 2000,in fact i still have 1 black stingray as you have shown.
i remember we had to glue the windshield in and trim the frontend to mount the t-jet chassis.
if you call joe correa at nj nostalgia hobby (scotch plains nj) he will confirm and probably still has them hanging up in his store,you could also ask bob beers(mr aurora) as he is friends with joe and share the same knowledge.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Lindy


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*hmmmmmm....the mystery deepens, at least for me*



helivaguy said:


> yes, i had a whole box load i purchased from new jersey nostalgia hobby back in 2000,in fact i still have 1 black stingray as you have shown.
> i remember we had to glue the windshield in and trim the frontend to mount the t-jet chassis.
> if you call joe correa at nj nostalgia hobby (scotch plains nj) he will confirm and probably still has them hanging up in his store,you could also ask bob beers(mr aurora) as he is friends with joe and share the same knowledge.


 Very interesting, and I'd like to see one of those AmL Vette's. But what puzzles me, is if they were based on the Lionel, why did they(AmL) go to ALL THE TROUBLE(retooling the mold) of making it a Split Window, and also changing the Hood Grills, on such a low cost body ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*another possibility I forgot about*



Bill Hall said:


> Lindy


Got pix, Bill ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Nope*



Bill Hall said:


> Lindy


 Just checked- Nope, not a Lindy...


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## SplitPoster (May 16, 2006)

Looking for a picture of a Marx Vette. I have a set box from the mid 60's, everything except cars of course, but it came with a Thunderbird and what could be the right Corvette Sting Ray to match yours. Given the molded "2" underneath, I could speculate that the T Bird is number 1? Anybody got either of these to see?


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

It's an American Line for sure. I have two of the Vettes. 

Randy.


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## helivaguy (Nov 18, 2009)

believe what i am saying you dont have anything special,those are repops of the lionels whith cosmetic changes,i gave you 2 reputable names that will confirm everything i said.


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

Just looked at the two I have and yes, what you have is an American Line.

Randy.


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## helivaguy (Nov 18, 2009)

nut, i dont think hes convinced,i just loaded my images of my aml vettes on my previous post.


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## ajd350 (Sep 18, 2005)

The AML is based on the Marx. I'll have to try to get a pic of mine. The Lionel looks like it was mastered by the same guy, but is not the same. They also did the 62 T-Bird and a couple of indy cars as well as a Rolls Royce.
Al


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Helivaguy, Yep, thats it, Thanks for the confirmation. :thumbsup:
Btw- I have been working on it, and have lowered it, and fitted it perfectly to a standard Aurora T-Jet chassis, I'll post pix tomorrow. One thing left to change though, it needs a REAL Paint job, it looks horrible in Black !


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

takes a lot of convincing?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Lol*



alpink said:


> takes a lot of convincing?


Well Al, it's not that I needed alot of convincing, it's just that it didn't make sense saying that the AmL body was a Former Lionel body, when there were major design difs between the Two bodies. But when adj350 said the AmL body was based on the Marx(which I hadn't seen a pic of), then it started to make more sense. Ya see, it wasn't that I didn't believe it was an AmL, it was that I didn't believe the AmL Sting Ray was based on the Lionel.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

I've had a couple of those A L stingrays and i don't recall any such mass in the front of the body to inhibit the shoes. which is why I initially agreed that it probably wasn't A L. as long as we learn and have fun, eh ralph?


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Are you sure it's not a........ Chevrolet?

Now that we all know what it is, I gotta have it back Ralph!!! 
_most of my cars don't have a pedigree_
JK, caint wait to see what you do to it.

Thanks again for those F1 bods. :thumbsup:


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

I can confirm that it's American Line. They came in Red, Yellow, Green and Black. They were not replicas of Lionel. They are different tools. The details on the hood vents, rear window, cowl vents, etc are different. The bodies are different lengths and widths also. The "Sting Ray" stamped on the inside of the hood marks it as American Line. REH produced these under their American Line product offerings, in hopes of clearing some of their Thunderjet chassis inventory starting in the late 80's I think. We used to carry them in the hobby shop I managed.

-Paul









Lionel on right.


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

I had one of those back in the day...










Then had the bright idea to strip it...Got to thank Ed (sethndaddy) for sending me a replacement ... RM


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Hilltop Raceway said:


> I had one of those back in the day...
> *SNIP*
> 
> 
> Then had the bright idea to strip it...Got to thank Ed (sethndaddy) for sending me a replacement ... RM



heavy sssssigh*


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

[email protected] what was the solvent?
I did that with an Aurora 1/32 Batmobile kit using brake CLEANER instead of brake fluid!


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*just a footnote....*



Hilltop Raceway said:


> ...*Got to thank Ed (sethndaddy) for sending me a replacement ... RM*


* Not meaning to nit pick, but this Black replacement is not an American Line body, what is it?  *


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Ok, here my AmL '63 Stingray- WIP. It's been slammed, and the front is pretty damn low- maybe too low? But the rear is as low as it can get. I shot the body with a few quick coats of Duplicolor, in a color I think may have been an early Stingray color(not sure tho), but I still want to add painted details, and then clear coat/seal the body(I won't be using Future tho, as I just don't like that stuff).


















PS- does anyone have any spare AmL Stingray Glass they could donate to this project


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## copperhead71 (Aug 2, 2007)

Ask and ye shall receive!you got mail!!!!mine sits slammed the same way,


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Copperhead71*



copperhead71 said:


> Ask and ye shall receive!you got mail!!!!mine sits slammed the same way,


 PM- Reply sent


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## A/FX Nut (May 28, 2004)

I was going to get rid of both of my AML Vettes, but I'm going to keep them now. 

Randy.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

a while back, i set one of these up WAAAAAAAAY low for VHORS racing. still love to drive it.




























this pic has a pretty bad glare, but it gives you an idea just how low i was able to get it:










--rick


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

nicely crammed!


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