Late 60's Junior Fueler FED

[Bernard Kron]

“Nitro Jr.” - Late 60’s Style Junior Fueler

(More pictures below)

Chassis & Drive Train, Interior Details:

AMT Digger ‘Cuda

Slicks & Rear Tires:

Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster Kit

“Shorty” Style Body:

Altered States Models

Motor:

Block, heads, pan and accessory drive – Revell Skipper’s Critter; Hilborn Injectors – AMT Double Dragster; Detailed Hilborn injector pump – Altered Sates Models; Injector stacks – Parts By Parks; Magneto – Morgan Auto Detail; Scratch-built exhaust manifolds

Paint:

Body - Duplicolor Platinum Pearl Metallic with Duplicolor Metallic Maroon stripes; Chassis: Duplicolor Orange Mist Metallic; Interior – Testors Acryl British Crimson; “Nitro Jr.” Logo – Home made decal

Under Glass overlaps with Drag Racing models to some degree so I wasn't sure where to place this - the result is that this has been posted in both...

As the front engine dragster reached its peak in the late 60’s the Top Eliminator ranks included the Junior Fueler, an ultra-light machine running fuel injected motors on heavy doses of nitromethane capable of running in the 7’s at speeds of over 200 mph and often weghing less than a 1,000 pounds. Junior Fuelers, when properly driven, would regularly beat blown big block AA fuel dragsters and were quite capable of taking home Top Eliminator honors.

Besides the allure of their underdog status and incredible efficiency, they were also among the prettiest cars of the era with clean, simple lines. As a result they were often featured at custom car shows where they would be decked out in fancy paint jobs and plenty of chrome.

This is my take on these cars as they existed in their final evolution at the end of the decade, with the extra long wheelbase of the period. The basis for the project was an AMT Digger ‘Cuda kit I picked up on clearance at my LHS. It offered up its chassis and running gear, although I substituted slicks and rear wheels from a Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster kit, which are more correct. The pretty little resin “shorty” style body is courtesy of Altered States Models and is a beautifully executed casting. Altered States also supplied the finely detailed Hilborn fuel injector pump. A Revell Skipper’s Critter kit supplied most of the motor with fuel injectors from the AMT Double Dragster kit and injector stacks by Parts By Parks. I designed the “Nitro Jr.” logo in Photoshop and made my own decal.

The w.i.p. can be found here: http://www.modelcars...opic=47586&st=0

Thanx for lookin’,

B.

Edited September 9, 2011 by Bernard Kron

[Bernard Kron]

A few more pics:

[my80malibu]

That is fabulous

[SuperStockAndy]

Cool. Is that transmission backwards? (Not that it wasn't meant to be)

[Mooneyzs]

Very Cool Build!! Looking good

[Scott Colmer]

You really nailed this one Bernard! The injectors are perfect.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx everyone. I glad you all liked it!

...Is that transmission backward? (Not that it wasn't meant to be)

Probably not. I'm guessing it's a very early Lenco 2-spd. The first commercialized Lencos were in '68 so this would be about right. From the molding it looks like it's supposed to have a cast-in differential nose piece, but as I said it's just a guess. When I was building the interior it concerned me enough that I researched interior photos of the Tommy Ivo FED (the original version of this kit) but came up blank...

[Terry Sumner]

I know you listed all the parts used in your engine...but exactly what engine is it supposed to be?

[Bernard Kron]

I know you listed all the parts used in your engine...but exactly what engine is it supposed to be?

It was supposed to be a Chevy (hence the logo) but was in fact a mistake... As I'm sure you're aware, the Skipper's Critter motor (and several other Revell variants) is an Oldsmobile and thus has slanted Hilborns. I received the engine from a friend over 3 years ago and he represented it as a small block Chevy. At the time I was just getting back into modeling and I didn't give it much thought. So when I started this project I picked up the half-built motor with the intention to complete it as an SBC with the overall look based on the vertical injector stacks an SBC would have. Thus I substituted the injectors from the AMT kit to get that look. Almost immediately as I posted my w.i.p. my mistake was pointed out to me. Frankly, at this stage I know better, based not only on the the injectors, but also the more intricate shape of the area around the exhaust ports, and the more rounded appearance of the valve covers, and I can offer no excuse. I was simply too lazy to start another motor, having already modified the back half of the Olds to take the clutch housing/firewall from the Digger 'Cuda kit. So I guess it's either an Olds with an odd injector setup, or it's an "Oldsrolet" with a disingenuous decal scheme. I'm certain this error will forever curse this build...

[Terry Sumner]

No problem Buddy. Just didn't recognize it as any engine I knew and I hadn't looked at the WIP thread. Love the "Oldsrolet" comment....funny!

[SuperStockAndy]

Probably not. I'm guessing it's a very early Lenco 2-spd. The first commercialized Lencos were in '68 so this would be about right. From the molding it looks like it's supposed to have a cast-in differential nose piece, but as I said it's just a guess. When I was building the interior it concerned me enough that I researched interior photos of the Tommy Ivo FED (the original version of this kit) but came up blank...

Oooh. I thought it looked a little odd for a normal tranny Thanks for answering!

[Dave42]

Cool looking rail, I love the color combo.

Later,

[Dr. Cranky]

I like it.

[brett]

Very cool Bernard, dont know how I missed this

[90lowboy]

VERY,VERY COOL... Love those small block fuelers

[W-409]

This is really great! I like the detailing of that engine. Front Engine Dragsters are always nice to see, and this is done very nicely. I like the color scheme too. Front wheel spokes are bit thick, but I know that problem, I'm having it in... Oh, let's count... Three kits. And aftermarket parts are expensive.

[Bernard Kron]

Once more, thanx guys! I'm glad you like the results! These FEDs are addictive. I just don't get around to them often enough (other styles are addictive, too, and I could say the same thing about them, I guess).

..Front wheel spokes are bit thick, but I know that problem, I'm having it in... Oh, let's count... Three kits. And aftermarket parts are expensive.

These are the kit wires and found in all the old AMT Tommy Ivo FED based 1/25 rail kits like the Too Much, Digger 'Cuda, etc. They are among my least favorite, especially as the tooling has gotten to be quite old now. The best styrene front wire wheels, IMHO, are those in the Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster kit. This is, generally speaking, an incredible parts kit, even if you never build either of the dragsters.

However, when it comes to Front Engine Dragsters I'm coming to the conclusion that the best approach may very well be to scratch build much of the project. I think Shane Ganz (Fuel Coupe) just proved that once again with his fabulous Surfers digger. Certainly this is true when it comes to the chassis and wire front wheels. I'm sure I'll be exploring this way of doing things in the future!

Edited October 20, 2011 by Bernard Kron