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Austin Mini Rat Rod


Chuck Most

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Started this thing about 150 years ago, but finally got it done this weekend. Amazing what you can accomplish on a project when you stop letting it do little more than sit around in a box, right? :rolleyes:

Normally, I resist using Small Block Chevy engines, but I figured in this case the rest of the car made up for any lack of imagination using such a generic engine would normally carry with it. That, and I had an old Accu-Pro B&M supercharger for a 1:24 Chevy V8, and I had to use it on something, right? 

The Tamiya body sits on a partial NASCAR T-Bird chassis, and much of the interior was made from plastic sheet. The car is meant to be laid out on air suspension, and I added a pressure gauge and switches for that on the console. '37 Ford artillery wheels are used, with the hubcaps from an Austin FX4 taxi kit. The front bumper is from a Fujimi Rover Mini, which includes an earlier style set of bumpers and grille on the chrome sprue. 

Other than the plug wires touching on the scratchbuilt headers (which were a last-minute addition) I'm about as pleased as I possibly could be about the finished product. There's no room to route the wires under the headers (which I think is how it was done on stock Chevy V8's?), so maybe I'll just use some comically long plug boots. 

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Edited by Chuck Most
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Great looking Rust O Rod. The headers remind me of a Calliope. I wouldn't worry about the spark plug wires. On 1:1 modified Chevy engines with headers it's common to use 90 degree boots and run the wires above the headers.   

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