Deuce Hiboy Roadster- Under Glass June 25

[Phildaupho]

I am building nothing but Deuce models for the next 14 months in preparation for Deuce Days in Scale July 24, 2016 in Victoria BC Canada. This one will be a tribute to the orange Dennis Kyle Hiboy Roadster which was photographed in profile for a Rodders Journal poster that hangs on the wall of my model room. It was also chosen as one of the 75 most significant Deuces. I am aiming for a close resemblance rather than an exact replica.
Some of the special features of this car that will need to be added to the Revell Hiboy are the louvered hood, trunk and gas tank; a buggy sprung quick-change rearend, a 283 Chevy with tubular headers; the wheel/tire combination and molded front spreader bar. I quickly found parts to complete all of these features but knew the biggest challenge would be up-top so that is where I started.
Not being aware of any after market source of a Deuce roadster contemporary up-top meant I had to fabricate one. I searched my parts box for all the up-tops I could find and chose the top from a Monogram 56 Corvette as a starting point. I also used sections from three other tops, some Ever-Green styrene and a bunch of putty. The bottom lip is from the AMT Phantom Vickie and the rear window started with the one from the AMT 50 Ford but was still too big so I grafted in the window slot from a 1/32 36 Ford. The stock windshield frame was chopped about 2 ½ scale inches when I discovered the one from the Rat Roaster did not directly fit the older Roadster cowl. The top will be painted with Testors Custom Lacquer System Fabric Tan.
I used the louvered trunk lid from the Revell 5-Window Coupe. Once the roadster trunk lid was cut out some sanding was required to fit the louvered trunk lid. Another 5-W trunk lid was used for the louvers on the gas tank. The louvered hood from Monogram 1/24 Deuce is about 2.5mm longer than the 1/25 hood so material was trimmed from both ends.

The wheels and front tires come from the Revell Willys Gasser with rear tires from the Willys Street Rod.

Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki

Edited June 25, 2015 by Phildaupho

[Jmaracing]

Looks awesome.. Keep up the great work..

[Ace-Garageguy]

Nice work on the top mods. Getting the lines to flow with the '32 roadster body shell takes a good eye, and even a lot of "name" 1:1 builders miss it.

Edited May 12, 2015 by Ace-Garageguy

[Jantrix]

You should consider getting a mold made of this for resin casting. I would happily pay for that. My roadster would look great with that.

[mrm]

Definitely my type of Street Rod. Traditional, but not retro.

[cobraman]

very nice work.

[misterNNL]

Great start.I would never have looked at that corvette top as the raw material for the up-top.It looks really great.looking forward to your updates.

[Spex84]

Nice work on the top!

I have been trying to make one out of an old AMT '29, and it's been a messy battle so far.

[Phildaupho]

Hosted on Fotki

I have done most of the fabrication for the frame & running gear & suspension

Up front I molded in a spreader bar and filled and shaped the front horns. I removed the shocks from their combined brackets and headlight mounts. The brackets were de-chromed and attached slightly higher on the frame sides. The front axle, spring and steering linkage were de-chromed. I lowered the front axle using the well-trusted method of cutting the tabs of and reducing the spring thickness. Mark Gustavson’s Custom Styling Studio Buick brakes [no longer available] are used.

In back so as to keep the correct geometry for the rear axle and be able to use the kit stabilizer bars and central cross-member I cut out the center of the rear axle and linked the remaining parts with axle tubes from the Double Dragster quick-change assembly. I removed the “air bags” and replaced them with styrene rods to give the correct location of the axle and allow me to get the right ride height. Brackets were installed for the de-chromed leaf spring from the Double-T kit. The rear cross-member from a Monogram ’30 Ford was cut into the Deuce chassis. Mark Gustavson’s Custom Styling Studio Buick brakes [no longer available] are used.

Engine & transmission is a 289 from the Revell ‘57 Chev. I used the Deuce kit Ford oil pan to keep the engine aligned with the frame motor mounts. The exhaust headers are a combination of units from an old AMT ’60 Corvette and the Deuce kit headers to give the correct alignment with the exhaust system and still need some work. Increased the length of the drive shaft with aluminum tubing.

Exhaust system from the headers back including the mufflers are the Deuce kit piping. The dual tailpipes are from the AMT ’41 Woodie and I am still working out their mounting as they have to go under the stabilizer bars and over the axle.

[wayne swayze]

What is your plan for a rear spreader bar. Looks like you are prepping for one. The rest of the chassis looks good.

[oldscool]

Been waiting for more of this one.

[Phildaupho]

Wayne - The rear spreader bar will be a polished appropriately sized piece of aluminum tubing.

What is your plan for a rear spreader bar. Looks like you are prepping for one. The rest of the chassis looks good.

[slusher]

Awesome work..

[GasPunkAlley]

I have been collecting MPC Switcher kits and later releases and I found that in the reissue of the '32 ford deuce from the Boyd Coddington kit, the reissue of the American Graffiti coupe have roadster up tops and are two pieces. The problem is that the converted kits only have the horizontal portion and not the back of the roof. I was lucky to get a mint 32 coupe Switcher kit with all of the original parts and I have a full roof. The style looks more like a cabriolet roof than a roadster but would make a good starting point as well. I picked up the current is use of Street Rodder and fell in love with both roadsters on the cover, the original red McGee roadster and the tribute car.

[Phildaupho]

I found one of those horizontal roof section in my parts box after I made the top I am using. The stock top from the Monogram 1/24 could also be adapted. I have everything painted now so assembly has started and hope to have some photos to post later this week.

I have been collecting MPC Switcher kits and later releases and I found that in the reissue of the '32 ford deuce from the Boyd Coddington kit, the reissue of the American Graffiti coupe have roadster up tops and are two pieces. The problem is that the converted kits only have the horizontal portion and not the back of the roof. I was lucky to get a mint 32 coupe Switcher kit with all of the original parts and I have a full roof. The style looks more like a cabriolet roof than a roadster but would make a good starting point as well. I picked up the current is use of Street Rodder and fell in love with both roadsters on the cover, the original red McGee roadster and the tribute car.

[AUGIEDOGGIE]

awesome ride

[Phildaupho]

It is now finished moved to under glass as of June 25