Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Lakes-style Chopped Deuce 5-window - Completed


Bernard Kron

Recommended Posts

Thanx guys!

The interior is completed and installed. In order to get that done the red Plexiglas windows had to be installed as well. There was a very specific sequence in order to get everything squeezed in. Once the floor is glued in place the interior will largely be invisible due to the mail slot windows and the fairly dark red Plexiglas. The steering wheel is from an AMT ’37 Chevy. Here’s a composite picture of the interior details during final assembly including the firewall which had to be glued in position in order to locate the kick panel.

Next stop, final engine detailing and installation, then steering and suspension details. Shouldn’t be too long now…

Thanx for lookin’,

B.

P.S. As I look at this I notice I’ve omitted the shift lever. I’ll install it now since I actually haven’t glued the floor assembly in place. Phew!...

11-03-2012-summary-webA.jpg

Edited by Bernard Kron
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Thanks to everyone for the kind words!

I’ve gotten the motor completed and installed and the interior and bellypan installed. The bellypan required some internal bracing to be fabbed to provide adequate glue points so it would sit properly in place. Left still to do prior to final assembly are fabricating and mounting the front suspension and steering details. Below are pictures of the bellypan and motor.

Thanx for lookin’,

B.

DSCF1015-web.jpg

DSCF1019-web.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks guys!

As I finish up this build here are some final details.

One of the interesting things I learned while working on this car was something about the Buick Nailhead V-8. Apparently if you check out the parts numbers for the heads on this motor you will see the same number for both the left and right head. The two heads are identical. In fact they are symmetric front to rear and side to side. They have water intake/exit ports on both ends, too. So you simply attach either a plug or a connector to the appropriate hole. As is common practice on lakes cars I omitted a radiator. Radiators generate an enormous amount of drag with the air passing through them. Instead LSR style racers equip the cars with a large coolant tank loaded with cold water in a sufficient amount to keep the motor at acceptable temperature for the time the car will be running. As mentioned earlier, on my car I “imagineered” it to have the coolant tank in the rear of the car. So when it came time to rigging up the coolant lines I simply ran rearward facing pipes off the rear of the heads.

Of course, with no radiator there is no need for a grill, allowing for a blank panel. In this case I used transparent red “plexiglas” (actually acetate sheet) as also used in the windows. Again, this was a common practice back in the day, and allows for a “peek-a-boo” look at the front of the motor.

As I button this car up I have fabricated the steering system for this car from styrene rod and strip. In the composite photo below I’ve included a detail shot of the steering linkage, along with shots of the coolant pipes and the see-through grill panel. I will mount the moon discs to the wheels at the very end to protect the metalizer paint from too much handling. In the shot of the back side of the motor you can also see where I had to cut away the back of the bell housing to clear the firewall and kick panel. Modeling is a world of illusion and this project is no exception!

Thanx for lookin’,

B.

Details-11-15-2012-web.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...