Ace-Garageguy Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 Wow..that burgundy/red color on the steel wheels looks good. Who makes it ? Testors 1204 Gloss Dark Red, enamel rattlecan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 13, 2013 Author Share Posted July 13, 2013 Nice Gee Bee there, what scale/kit is it that has always been one of my favorite Golden Age Racing planes of all. Nice deuce too! Thanks. The Gee Bee is a vintage Pyro / Lindberg kit that's mistakenly labeled as 1/32. If you measure and scale out the wingspan, the actual scale is about 1/26 (though the pilot figure IS 1/32). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyrichard Posted July 13, 2013 Share Posted July 13, 2013 very very nice cant waight to see it whole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exesivefire Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 You have been a busy guy lately, this has always been one I wanted to see finished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 14, 2013 Author Share Posted July 14, 2013 ...... this has always been one I wanted to see finished ......cant waight to see it whole Me too, and thanks for your interest and comments. If I were starting this one now, there are several things I'd do differently, and I'm wrestling with myself about going back and changing some of them. I've already made a lot of major changes that have dragged the build out, so I'm trying to discipline myself and finish what's already here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Myers Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 (edited) Man that's just great, hot rod history and a great model building tutorial. Thank you for all the hard work, modeling and photography, Bill. Edited July 14, 2013 by Greg Myers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Goschke Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 Looks great with paint on it! One of the neatest builds I've seen of this venerable kit. Really like the dark red on the wheels; well chosen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Man that's just great, hot rod history and a great model building tutorial. Thank you for all the hard work, modeling and photography, Bill. Looks great with paint on it! One of the neatest builds I've seen of this venerable kit. Really like the dark red on the wheels; well chosen! Thank you both, very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted September 7, 2013 Author Share Posted September 7, 2013 (edited) Paint on the body is sanding and polishing nicely, and there seems to be plenty there to get the look I want without going through it. This is Ace Hardware rattlecan black lacquer. Part of the whole reason for doing this build was to represent a streetable hot-rod that would have been seriously fast, and capable of being raced with only minor equipment changes (removing the windshield and fitting a hard tonneau, removing the big draggy lights, swapping on race-rubber and uncorking the headers). "Seriously fast" in the period this build represents would be in the neighborhood of 100mph in the quarter, and pushing 150mph top-end on the lakes (with enough gear). With 230 HP available from a stock junkyard '56 Olds 324, an 1800 pound car with a modified engine would be plenty quick. A '57 J2 371, set up like this engine with 3, 2bbl carbs, and an "export" package would push close to 325HP. This car would STILL be fast, even today, especially with a 5-speed gearbox in place of the LaSalle 3. That was also part of the reason for the unorthodox wedge-channel. It allows the body to point into the wind relatively straight on, creating less drag than a tail-high rake would. Channeling the body more in the rear gets the tail down without having to Zee the frame rails, which is a big deal in 1:1, and a fair bit of work in scale as well. The shot below, with dry-lake style rubber and moon caps shows a right-on angle-of-attack for top speed runs. Another reason for the wedge-channel was to be able to come up with a plausible reason for using the short-at-the-cowl AMT body shell. All the AMT '32 shells look like they're sectioned a bit, and a good reason for doing this on a wedge-channeled car, like this, would be to clear side pipes, as shown. A more correct shell like the Revell '32 would need a different approach. Once the frame rails are gloss black, the initial impression will be of a normal '32 profile, but a little sleeker somehow. I made the hard tonneau by widening and modifying a kit piece, and I've fitted it pretty closely to the cockpit rail in the rear. After primer, I'll pull a mold and build a f'glass part that will have a cutout for the driver's head. I like this view of the car with the lakes tires. It's exactly what I'd envisioned at the very beginning. The PE grille is from Model Car Garage and it's just beautiful. It fits both the Revell and the AMT grille shells (the inside of the AMT shells have to be fitted carefully) I can imagine seeing this view of the car from a raised timing-tower on the lakes, and can I imagine hearing the unmuffled 324 Olds cackling through the open pipes. Zoom zoom. Edited September 7, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berr13 Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 WOW! This is some fantastic work. I'm really looking forward to seeing you finish this beauty... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordan 191 Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Wow this is nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doggie427 Posted September 7, 2013 Share Posted September 7, 2013 Beautiful work Bill ! Love the prototypical black lacquer finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUGIEDOGGIE Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 one sweet ride can't wait to see more keep the great work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrKerry Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 That is sweet times ten!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 (edited) Truly delicious! Any plans for the rear deck other than gloss black? The primered state makes me wonder... Switching to the tonneau is an improvement IMHO. As you point out, once the frame rails are in black it will have a nice integrated look to it. The see-through PE grill is one of the great effects that can be done with that aftermarket piece. I can't resist showing this picture of the front end of am inliner powered A roadster I did a few years back: Edited September 8, 2013 by Bernard Kron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyrichard Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 stunning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted September 8, 2013 Author Share Posted September 8, 2013 Thanks for the interest and comments, one and all. ...Any plans for the rear deck other than gloss black? The primered state makes me wonder... ...Switching to the tonneau is an improvement IMHO... The rear deck will be gloss black but with a little trim surprise. Since this thing is supposed to have been built in SoCal with access to some pretty off-the-wall stuff in junkyards in those days, I'm fiddling with a couple of unusual ideas. As far as the tonneau, I've been building the car with the intent to show it multiple ways, with the DuVall in street trim, with a fabric half-tonneau that fits behind the street windshield, with the hard tonneau and race rubber, and with a Carson-look shell top, with side curtains. Integrating the top into the rest of the design is taking some time, and the way it fits will determine a couple of other things. Stylistically, I'm not entirely happy with the tonneau in the photos, but it looks like a hand-formed race piece appropriate to the era. There are still a lot of things to do, including sourcing and finishing better-sized Moon caps that fit the wheels right, completing the steering linkage and headlights, engine wiring, brake and fuel lines, etc. QUESTION: what front tires did you use on the model in the shot you posted, Bernard. They appear to be more width-correct for the ribbed front Firestone dirt-trackers I want than what I've got so far. I MAY remove the mechanical fuel pump from the engine. Even though I built the front engine mount with a hooyah in it to clear the pump, as on a real 324 Olds installation, I don't like the necessary fuel line routing. I'd prefer to say there was a rear-mounted electric pusher-pump (they were available during the represented period), which lets me have a nice simple 1-to-3 fuel block on the firewall and no excessive plumbing. I've about decided to dump the idea of building a full length, under-car street exhaust, instead going with the idea of removable perforated and f'glass wrapped baffles in the megaphones. Because this is what I'd build in 1:1 if I had the time and money, I'm trying to get it as close to reality-correct as possible. If I ever win the lotto, I can just take measurements off the model and start a-building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted September 8, 2013 Share Posted September 8, 2013 ...QUESTION: what front tires did you use on the model in the shot you posted, Bernard. They appear to be more width-correct for the ribbed front Firestone dirt-trackers I want than what I've got so far. These appear to be Modelhaus T-120B's, the blackwall variant. I use these tires a lot on my models, in either whitewall or blackwall form, when they are from the late 40's and early 50's time frame. They are just about ideal for this period, the 110's being just a bit narrow and small and without the ribbed tread pattern. They fit AMT rims perfectly (the ones in the picture are AMT Chevy pickup truck ('56?) rims which had the proper inner detail to run the car without front brakes). Here's a pic of the wheels and tires from the build showing the sidewall. As with most Modelhaus stuff they are currently unbranded, where once they had been Firestones. I believe similar tires can be had from Replicas and Miniatures that have retained their brand markings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Goschke Posted September 9, 2013 Share Posted September 9, 2013 Really glad that you're back on this one! Love the look with the Moons and salt flat/dry lake tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 (edited) Minor changes, but I like it much better. Compare this shot to the similar one in post 159. Hmmm...Thing is, I didn't like the look enough in 159, and I got stuck on the build. Now I like it enough to go the rest of the way. Hmmmm.... Edited October 13, 2013 by Ace-Garageguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyrichard Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 soo nice !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gasser59 Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 This is so nice Ace. Glad to see you back at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrKerry Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Ohhhh yeah!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shardik Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Yeah, I like the new wheels. But, then again, I liked it before. However this ends up it's going to be nice, by virtue of the way you build. It has been very educational following along on this build: Learning more about how the 1:1 cars actually go together and seeing your use of unique materials and techniques. I'm very happy to see this one back on the bench. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Lacy Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Text book dry lakes profile. Absolutely awesome work going into this roadster, Bill. If I close my eyes I can hear that Olds crackling on alcohol at the starting line! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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