Phildaupho Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Hosted on Fotki Currently on my workbench is a Parnelli Jones 1963 Indy 500 winning Watson Roadster that was nicknamed Old Calhoun. This is a model I have wanted to build since it was first released when I was a kid. A friend asked me to build the model from an old AMT release which he had Parnelli Jones autograph the box. These Indy Roadsters were really the ultimate in hot-rod engineering with Hilborn fuel injection and Halibrand wheels and quick-change rearend. The car was even painted by a hot-rodder Dean Jeffries. I came across an accurate build tutorial on-line but I am basically doing it box-stock. I did de-chrome all the shiny parts because mold lines were very evident and many of those parts were not chromed on the real car. I painted the car with Tamiya Pearl White and Metallic Blue over gloss aluminum. The next step of construction will be the most difficult. I have to mask to paint the blue. The decals for the red scallop are not long enough along the sides. I have made up a template which I can use for both masking and to cut the red scallops from vinyl. I may actually get a chance to meet Parnelli, as he is the guest of honour at the Pacific Northwest Historic races, which I am attending on the Fourth of July weekend. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I always have liked that car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62rebel Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 i've built two of those in forty years... one was lost to childhood mayhem; the other is safely packed away.... it's probably the pinnacle of AMT Indy car kits imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwrass Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Phil, Good choice and great looking build!!!! Where did you see the build online, I would be interested in looking at it. It's really nice to see a Indy Car build. Watson Roadsters were the car to have until the rear engine cars took over. Larry Watson was a unbelievable talent back in the day. I read a article where Larry was interviewed and he stated that one year in the early 60s he painted the entire 33 car field for the INDY 500. I have a few of the repops in my stash with some INDYCALS decals to do various builds. From what I remember you need like five hands when you put that chassis together. I built one when I was a kid too as Rufus was one of my favorite drivers. The first professional race that my father took me to (I was 9) was at the one mile oval in Milwaukee, it was a USAC 250 mile stock car race and Parnelli won in a Red, White and Blue Mercury. Like so many others I lost mine too and I'm sure lighter fluid and Black Cats were involved. Looking forward to seeing the finished build. I hope you get to meet P.J. GREAT JOB! jwrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phildaupho Posted June 25, 2014 Author Share Posted June 25, 2014 Thanks James for your post and I have sent you an email with a link to the Old Calhoun tutorial. I often get Larry Watson and Dean Jefferies mixed up but it was Dean who was the prolific Indy car painter and did the original livery on Old Calhoun in 1961..One year he claimed to have painted 22 of the 33 cars on the grid. I got this info from the Tom Cotter book about Dean Jefferies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Thanks James for your post and I have sent you an email with a link to the Old Calhoun tutorial. I often get Larry Watson and Dean Jefferies mixed up but it was Dean who was the prolific Indy car painter and did the original livery on Old Calhoun in 1961..One year he claimed to have painted 22 of the 33 cars on the grid. I got this info from the Tom Cotter book about Dean Jefferies. Yes, it was Dean Jeffries who did so many of the iconic, flashy, literally show-car-appearance USAC Championship cars back in the early to middle 1960's. If you ever get the opportunity to visit the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall Of Fame Museum you will see one Offy roadster still wearing it's original Dean Jeffries paintwork and graphics: A. J. Foyt's 1964 Indy winning Sheraton-Thompson Spl albeit faded from a season of racing in the bright sun, plus the obligatory chips and scratches from duking it out nose-to-nose that season. In addition, "Ol' Calhoun" is there, fully restored to its 1963 race day appearance. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Anderson Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Phil, Good choice and great looking build!!!! Where did you see the build online, I would be interested in looking at it. It's really nice to see a Indy Car build. Watson Roadsters were the car to have until the rear engine cars took over. Larry Watson was a unbelievable talent back in the day. I read a article where Larry was interviewed and he stated that one year in the early 60s he painted the entire 33 car field for the INDY 500. I have a few of the repops in my stash with some INDYCALS decals to do various builds. From what I remember you need like five hands when you put that chassis together. I built one when I was a kid too as Rufus was one of my favorite drivers. The first professional race that my father took me to (I was 9) was at the one mile oval in Milwaukee, it was a USAC 250 mile stock car race and Parnelli won in a Red, White and Blue Mercury. Like so many others I lost mine too and I'm sure lighter fluid and Black Cats were involved. Looking forward to seeing the finished build. I hope you get to meet P.J. GREAT JOB! jwrass Just fo clarify: It was A. J. Watson who was the legendary Indy roadster builder, and who built Parnelli's #98, which first ran Indianapolis in 1959, as a virtual twin to the roadster that carried Rodger Ward to Victory Lane (Ward's 1959 Leader Card Spl. is also a part of the Speedway Museum collection. Art Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Never seen one of these kits. Must be pretty rare now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I've bought five old Roadster kits and am working up the courage to start one of them. Yours looks great, and I want to do the same justice to what I believe was at one time the ultimate American hot rod. A lot of these cars were built in small shops and garages by everyday Joe's with a passion for the sport. Candi-metalflake, gold-foil... Lots to do to make one look good. Keep up the good work. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Lookin' good. keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwrass Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Phil, I got the link Thank you! Opps!!!! I should have proof read my post before I let it fly, I meant to say Dean Jefferies not Larry Watson ( who was a great customizer, painter in his own right) AJ Watson and Larry Watson are two different people. Thanks for the Clarification on the paint count, to paint 22 is a feat in itself. As Art states they would have been show car quality. I was going to mention Foyt's Car. Both of those cars were stunning. Pearls Candies, Engine Turned 24-Karat gold leaf. It would be interesting to know who's car he painted first that started the snow ball. My guess would be the Agajanian car as they were both from So Cal. I stop at the Museum usually the Fri or Sat before the race each year, some great eye candy in those walls. In 2011 ( for the so called 100th anniversary, it was for the first race, but not consecutive race) their were so many cars there it made my head spin. They tried to get all the winners but fell a few short and many were faux cars but it was sure neat to see them all in chronological order and to see the evolution of the cars. Thanks for the tip on the Cotter book, I'll have to check that out. Their are two other books on Indy Cars in my collection that are good they are: Indianapolis Roadsters 1952-1964 by Joe Scalzo and Indy Racing Lengends by Tony Sakkis. The Roadster book is exceptional. Looking forward to the rest of the build! jwrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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