ThreeThree Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Whoo! Replica is right! That is sweet. You really nailed the color. Those wheels are just amazing. Looks like she could fire up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grodudulle77 Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Hello Mike, still an awesome work !!!??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Williams Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 7 hours ago, ThreeThree said: Whoo! Replica is right! That is sweet. You really nailed the color. Those wheels are just amazing. Looks like she could fire up. Thanks Brent. Hey, amazing what a drop of nitro on a shelf model will do...! The paint...yes, gotta love a pink race car. Mike.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Williams Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 43 minutes ago, grodudulle77 said: Hello Mike, still an awesome work !!!??? Greetings...thank you for looking and commenting. Greatly appreciated. Mike.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowsportwagon Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Stunning build! What else can I say? One question why did you brush paint it? Looks excellent I would have ruined that with a brush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earl Marischal Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 An excellent piece of work. steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvadrag Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 (edited) On 11/10/2019 at 2:37 AM, Mike Williams said: Thank you. I agree, one of my absolute favorite Top Fuel cars. Plus, it's so well documented, everything is there to be seen, so it makes for an exceptional project. The plan, and a complete documentation of the original build by Don Long, was published 1967 by Hot Rod Magazine. The paperback book was called Hot Rod Chassis Plans. It's still out there for around $35 nowadays. I can add a series of photos for the lacing, let me gather them together. Second thought, I'll just make a new tutorial topic, a How-To. Other members are also interested. Coming soon. Mike.. The book was called Hot Rod Chassis Construction. You are right it is a great reference for old chassis builds. Edited November 12, 2019 by mvadrag better picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Williams Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 1 hour ago, yellowsportwagon said: Stunning build! What else can I say? One question why did you brush paint it? Looks excellent I would have ruined that with a brush. A very good question Tim, appreciated. Whopping lengthy domes into a flat piece of brass , and then the same sheet of brass taking an upward sweep towards the windshield is a nightmare. Period. This has to be then bent slowly along the length to round over the chassis rails. This is a lot of hammering and bending and trying to figure out what kind of mold is needed as a background to hammer against? Professional body workers and sheet metal workers are highly skilled artisans. Respect. I can't do it decently. To learn a trade is an ordeal, and to look and think you too can do it..is a fantasy dream. So, the reason I used fingernail polish and the built in brush is twofold. First, the junk is thick, and will definitely cover scratches and dings when correctly applied. Read here, "ridge filler". Yes, it fills wonderfully, dries quick and using the brush attached to the cap is a hit. There is no reason not to. Millions of women do it with great success.!! Result is amazing. All scratches are gone. Secondly, the pink color needed for this car. I was not willing to just mix red and white for this real car paint color. Through research and many emails and correspondence, I ran across a fellow who just happened to know the real car, and what the deal was with the paint. 150 photos of the real car in every aspect, all in real live sunlight and shade, none in studio or lamp lights, tell the real story. I think to know how this car is painted. Back to fingernail polish. Pink is not pink. You can even try them on at the beauty counter. !! Essie (USA) had the best pink. Just way too intensive. Get a white base without glitter, then mix the pink to tone down. Again, Essie. Then to tone down the pinky-pinky, a darker beige is needed....Essie has the deal. Then the clearing. Essie. All of these tips, like so many others concerning fabric materials and these polishes, and also many other helpful tips and things I've gotten from my wife. She sews like a pro, and man do they know and have great stuff hidden away in the boxes of supplies and materials..,,many things for our modeling there. Long writing. I used the brush that was supplied with the individual nail polish. They are for sure perfectly matched for the individual product. Make-up is a major $billion business. The brush just works. The paint just slides and melts over the metal. You get the smoothest finish with the least effort you could ever imagine. Just...get the color right. I airbrush too, just for this task, nail polish was perfect. Mike.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Williams Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 16 minutes ago, mvadrag said: The book was called Hot Rod Chassis Construction. You are right it is a great reference for old chassis builds. Correcto...thanks for showing this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Williams Posted November 12, 2019 Author Share Posted November 12, 2019 2 hours ago, Earl Marischal said: An excellent piece of work. steve Much appreciated steve, thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W-409 Posted November 12, 2019 Share Posted November 12, 2019 Wow! Fantastic model of a beautiful Dragster! Everything seems to be just right. I really like how the whole front suspension and the front wing look. Everything looks very realistic and is "in scale", which is often not the case with the plastic kit parts. Truly amazing work on this Dragster, definitely one of the best Top Fuelers I've seen built. We were in California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield this year. Remember drooling over the real version of this car as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Williams Posted November 15, 2019 Author Share Posted November 15, 2019 Much appreciated Niko, thank you. I really wanted to make the car exact scale. The motor was off quite a bit, too narrow and still, after making a double thick firewall and adding two more front plates and lengthening the heads and valve covers, still too short. The failing couple of millimeters made for a problem for the motor sitting in the chassis. It worked out OK though. Next time around, these issues will have to be attended before casting the parts in metal! Thanks again for looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Williams Posted November 22, 2019 Author Share Posted November 22, 2019 A few guys have asked questions, so, yes the car has a windshield, the seat belts are attached to the rear chassis and the chute is scratch built. Also the front spoiler is aluminum sheet. Here a few updated photos as the car sits alongside other fuel cars on the shelf... That's it. Thanks for looking. Mike.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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