147 replies to this topic

[Ace-Garageguy]

I've put this one back in the rotation, 'cause there's slow drying stuff on the other two current projects, and this one could see completion relatively quickly. This is going to be a '57 or so period hot-rod build, a car that would be seriously fast on the street, lakes or early dragstrips. It's been stalled for a while, but I've been on it again lately, and will bring the pix up to date as time permits.

Came in like this......



Much excessive glue holding everything together, firmly.....



some Dremel surgery........



...and an early mockup of where we're going....



The wedge channel job gives the car a little different profile than the standard hiboy or lowboy, and a little less drag for lakes runs.......

Edited by Ace-Garageguy, 06 May 2013 - 10:24 AM.

[Thor]

Love it

[falcon wagon]

Looking Cool!!

[Michigan Madman]

Already a thousand times better than what you started with. I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

[rmvw guy]

Wonderful profile, looks good already!

[crazyjim]

Nice start.

[TooOld]

I like the way you channeled it . Gives it a more aggressive look ! Show us more !

[Beerman86GT]

Love it

X10!!!! Awseome stance, i like it the way it is, gives it that "Patina"!!!!

[kobuzz]

Got pics of how you got that stance?

[route66modeler]

me too. Steve

[Ace-Garageguy]

Got pics of how you got that stance?

Yup. First thing was to substitute a model-A front crossmember from an original edition of the Ala Kart chassis. This was one way it was done in the day, to get an extra 1" or so of drop.



The kickup in the center of the crossmember allows the spring / axle to mount a little higher relative to the rails.



The frame rails are notched to clear the spring. The bottom of the rad shell is kicked a little forward too, to prevent the overbite look some '32s get.



Front axle is the dropped unit from a number of Revell model-A kits.



Had to fab a rear floor and new crossmember for the rear of this old AMT chassis.



Then the parts stash yielded up a '40 Ford rear from the Revell kit. Careful fitting and numerous measurements place the axle at the right height to get the desired stance.



I cleaned the parting lines and junk off the sides of the rails.



And this shot gives a better indication of how the wedge-channel works. Body is stock height at the rad, channeled in the rear.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy, 15 June 2012 - 06:44 AM.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Here's another teaser with some additional progress.

[Thor]

Where can i find the DuVall windshield ?

Cool looking duo btw

[hjracing]

Wow! This is a real Hot Rod!

[Ace-Garageguy]

Where can i find the DuVall windshield ?

The Duvall comes from the AMT '32 Ford Phantom Vickie kits, 30089 and 30246.

[kobuzz]

AWESOME! Thank you very much for the info. Been building about a year and still have so much to learn!!

[Tony T]

Cool build so far! Love what you are doing!

What's the scoop on the cool airplane! A GeeBee?? Is it a kit?? In 1/24?

[tooltas]

whats going powed it i would use a full house flathead

[Ace-Garageguy]

What's the scoop on the cool airplane! A GeeBee?? Is it a kit?? In 1/24?

Yes, it's a Gee Bee R-1, with the large 1000hp Pratt & Whitney Hornet engine and larger fuselage diameter. (The Gee Bee Z, as seen in the movie Rocketeer, had the smaller diameter PW Wasp Jr. engine of about 550hp, and a smaller diameter fuselage). It's a very old Pyro kit, re-released later by Lindberg. Many sources list both kits INCORRECTLY as 1/32. The wingspan scales out to 1/26. The only thing about the kit that's 1/32 is the tiny pilot figure. The kit is also inaccurate in many areas, most notably the wing ribs showing very prominently. The real Gee Bee had plywood-skinned wings that were as slick as the technology of the time (in 1932, it flew 296mph) could get them. All that said though, with some work it can make a stunning model.

Though there were no Gee Bees left by the period this car represents, about 1957 (though a flying reproduction was built from original Granville brothers' plans by Delmar Benjamin in the late 1990s, which put an end to the reputation the airplane had as a pilot killer), I just like the way they look together.

Here's a link to a video of the replica doing aerobatics in 1999.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy, 16 June 2012 - 03:11 AM.

[Ace-Garageguy]

whats going powed it i would use a full house flathead

The engine will represent a 324 Oldsmobile, with 3 two-barrel carbs and a top-shift LaSalle gearbox hung on an Offenhauser aluminum adaptor. The engine is made up of vintage Revell and AMT parts, as when I started this build, there was no GOOD stock representation of the early Olds OHV V8. When the Olds 303 came out in '49, it had 135 hp, as compared to the Ford flathead's 100, and was the beginning of the end of the flathead Ford's dominance.



Engine in the chassis with a fabbed solid front mount. I'll probably rework the mount to the rubber-isolated style. The period-style headers are being modified from the Pontiac pieces in the old AMT '36 Ford kits.