di Falco Roadster Tribute - Channeled '29 Ford

[Bernard Kron]

Channeled 1929 Ford Roadster Hot Rod in Original As-Found Patina

(More photos below)

 

In 2016 Joey Ukrop wrote a wonderful piece for the H.A.M.B. entitled “A Fly in Amber: The di Falco Roadster” (see: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=31244 ). Accompanying the article were some very evocative photos Ukrop took which captured the hot rod spirit of this marvelous ’30 Ford Roadster

.

David di Falco is a hot rodder, fabricator and artisan with a shop north of San Francisco. He built his roadster in the modern Preservation style where the car is completely gone through to rebuild, restore and where necessary replace the original parts to render the machine mechanically sound, reliable and safe, while maintaining the “as-found” patina and period correct parts wherever possible. In di Falco’s case the car originally had no radiator shell, interior or windshield and had some fairly serious rust perforation in front of the doors. Di Falco cleaned up the rust and covered the perforated areas with bare metal panels held with machine screws. For missing parts such as in the interior he endeavored to match the patina of the car as he had gotten it. The original patina is remarkably intact. The additions and changes are all true to the era of the original car and only serve to enhance its remarkable character.

This is a composite photo showing the original state of the car as di Falco got it and the action shot that inspired me to do this project.

Obviously this is more of a tribute than a replica. I left off the bare metal patch panels because I thought they were a bit exaggerated. The body is a ’29 Ford and not a ’30 and my dashboard and steering wheel are different, as well as the carburetion on the flathead. 

Here’s a breakdown on the parts used and the work done.

Bodywork:AMT ’29 Ford Roadster with AMT ’34 Ford Truck grill. Paint is Tamiya TS-16 yellow over Duplicolor Metallic Silver lacquer and Brite Touch Red Oxide Primer, in that order. The paint was sanded and distressed to achieve the patina, then gone over with thin black wash and dusted lightly with light gray and rust weathering powders. Headlights are AMT ’32 Ford and tail lights are from the Revell ’32 Ford Street Rod Roadster kit. The windshield is from the AMT ’29 Ford Roadster.

Chassis and Suspension:The chassis is based on Revell ’32 Ford Street Rod Roadster rails, pinched to fit under the ‘29 Ford body. The floor pan is also narrowed Revell Deuce. The rear suspension including the rear cross member, rear axle, and tubular shocks are from AMT ’29 Ford Roadster kit. The front suspension consists of a scratch built front spring and a 4 ½ inch deep drop front axle. It is a resin copy of the item found in the various Revell ’40 Ford Street Rod kits. It’s made by ThePartsBox.com and features a cast-in wire to prevent sagging over time. It’s my go-to beam  axle for hot rod work. The steering, shock mounts and front shocks are Revell ’32 Ford and the radius rods are cut from the stock AMT ’29 Ford items.

Motor and Transmission:These are from the various Revell ’40 Ford Street Rod kits (coupe and convertible) and is built straight out of the kit with the Edelbrock heads and twin carbs.

Wheels and Tires:The front wheels are AMT ’40 Ford steelies with Modelhaus T120 whitewalls. The rear tires and whitewalls are from the Revell ’40 Ford Standard kit. Hubcaps and trim rings are from the AMT ‘40 Ford.

Interior:The basic interior parts are fabricated using the AMT ’29 Ford bucket with the seat bottom cut down to accommodate the body channel, and scratch built dashboard and side panels. The instrument cluster and steering wheel are adapted from an AMT ’40 Ford. The shift lever is a straight pin with a yellow head.

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

 

[thatz4u]

well done....

[1930fordpickup]

Sure looks like the real deal to me. I like this, well done. 

[70 Sting]

So well done!

[ChrisR]

Cool!!!

[Kah puts]

Nailed it B.

[PappyD340]

Real nice hot rod!

[oldscool]

Nice work!

[Calb56]

This is perfect too. This and Lacy's Nailhead 29. Man, just starting out you guys make it kinda intimidating. 

[Koellefornia Kid]

Amazing work, Bernard! Looks just like the real one!

[carrucha]

Good job on the replica!

[slusher]

Well done!

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks to you all for the kind words. As I may have mentioned elsewhere, I don't do weathering very often, maybe once every couple of years. It's partially because the proverbial Clean Build is something I admire so much in other builders and because the Clean Build is something that continues to elude me to some degree. Ironically, however, I seem to have a knack for weathering, and I certainly enjoy doing it. I think in the final analysis, clean or weathered, it's realism that floats my boat personally, even if I admire the ability others have to execute more "cartoonish" stylized projects just as much.

Anyway, this was a fun project because it went so quickly for me and seemed to play to whatever strengths I may have as a modeler.

Again, thanks for your comments and interest. It's greatly appreciated!
B.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Bernard Kron