Spex84

I prefer the 2-part style with solid rubber tires, but that's because I like to build hot rods and '50s customs. Most of those cars had drum brakes and brake backing plates which fill most of the wheel-back area anyway. Maybe if I was building modern cars with low-profile tires and disc brakes I'd prefer one-piece...actually no, I'd like to have a "3/4 vs 1/4" system, where 3/4 of the wheel is attached to the front side, and then there's a rim that attaches to the backside. Fantastic for mixing, matching, deepening other wheels, and generally customizing stuff.

Reversing a spring doesn't involve cutting and welding (as far as I know), just pressing the spring until it's curved in the opposite direction from original. I don't think I've ever read about a spring eye "unwrapping" and causing a crash...but who knows, maybe it's happened.

Thanks guys, I totally overlooked the 2 most obvious mods: torching coils and installing lowering blocks! We haven't touched on Z-ing frames, but I'm not sure many (any?) customs used that technique, even if it became common for hot rods.

Back in the '50s lead sleds had mostly static suspension drops. There were a number of ways of doing this: -coils cut from front coil springs -dropped spindles -leaf springs reversed ("reversed spring eyes") so they'd wrap under the shackles instead of over. -rear leaf spring mounts sunk into pockets in the frame/new spring mounts added in a higher position so the car sits lower. -front A-arms modified with pockets to drop the coil springs lower and still retain all the coils -stepped A-arms Hydraulic suspension showed up in its early form in the X-sonic and Jim Logue's X54. https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Hydraulics In 1957 Cadillac introduced a version of air suspension that was intended to give a cushy ride, and in 1958 Buick introduced air-cusion shock absorbers that could apparently raise the car 5.5 inches for use on rough roads: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_suspension

I think Jeffery's definition above is closest to my own. As Richard mentions, the term "street rod" has been around for a long time and I'd suggest it has perhaps shifted a little. IMHO, these days when people say "street rod" they're generally talking about a car with late-model engine and suspension components and a modern-style interior, as opposed to the current "hot rod" aesthetic that is more focused on vintage-inspired design and engineering choices. It's mostly about the "spirit" of the car: if it's designed for speed at any cost (ie poor comfort or handling)...it has something in common with the earliest hot rods. This can be applied to more modern cars too, like a Mazda Miata with a Dodge Hellcat engine. Hot Rod Magazine has gone this route. If it's designed for driveability, reliability, cruising, and looking tough while using all the latest gadgets...it feels more like a street rod. Power steering, a late-model engine, GPS, power seats, digital gauges, modern wheels and tires...if the builder has gone out of his way to make the car seem as much like a new car as possible, I'd classify it as a Street Rod. That said, just about everyone has their own opinion! Hot rods: Street Rods: (the pink/yellow Chevy was someone's idea of "modern" back in the 1980s! )

Awesome scratchbuilding so far--the stance on this hearse is just nuts!I think it would look stunning with 70s-style psychedelic paint.

Cool! I like the exposed rear machinery on this one, especially in contrast to the rounded shapes of the roof. Looking forward to seeing this one evolve!

Beautiful work so far. Wow....I can't get enough of the little stanchion rod-ends. The water pump detailing is delightful. Good stuff right here!

Very cool! I like the unusual design choices, including the transaxle and red headers. I dig the seat belts too! So...are there transfer cases on the back of the engine and the front of the differential to drop the driveshaft under the floor? Neat trick, if so!

Wow, impressive work! I love the overall effect of having the truck and rat rod match each other in theme and detailing. Thanks for the excellent photos.

Cool. A beautiful car, and it looks like you've made a very solid start in replicating it in scale! I feel the windshield is one of the most distinctive features of the car, so I'd be impressed if you found a way to add that detail. It's a tricky piece though!

I have the remains of one of these kits in my parts stash, and against my better judgement I'd like to do another someday! I'd love to slam it on Rotiform wheels, do the Stance thing...just for fun and spirited community discussion, haha. Looking forward to seeing this one getting built!

Insane!! I love this thing. It has a "Gene Winfield's Pacifica meets Syd Mead" thing going on. Can't wait to see more!! Part of the reason I love it is...I have a chopped-up GTX sitting in a box that was going to get a very similar treatment. I got as far as cutting the body up and creating a rough concept sketch, but then lost interest due to the very piecemeal styling resulting from the mis-matched parts I'd planned to use. Might get back to it later with some styling changes:

That MPC box art is terrible but the actual kit contents look pretty nice! The Revell Roth's Outlaw has a windshield frame that's quite delicate/in-scale. I inverted and modified it slightly for my T project:

I've had good luck gluing wheels into problematic tires with a skim coat of epoxy all over the wheel. That said, I don't think the tires I was using were quite as aggressively plastic-destroying as the ones you're dealing with!

The Revell 283 parts pack chevy engine comes with a Potvin blower...that's a front crank-mounted supercharger setup. Here's a forum thread with a punch of pics of the real thing. The Mooneyes dragster had a chevy with a potvin setup, and the Orange Crate (offered as a kit by Revell) had an Oldsmobile V8 with a similar blower. If you search "Potvin blown SBC" you'll find a bunch of photos online. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/anybody-running-a-potvin-front-mount-blower-set-up.1160001/

I have a couple little jars of that Jade Green metallic (from the 90s) in my stash. Haven't checked recently to see if they're still good though! It's a beautiful color and I keep meaning to paint something that color, maybe a '49 Mercury...

Hmm, cool! Here's what I'd do... Body,grille shell and up-top: AMT '25 T Windshield frame: Tweedy Pie or Roth's Outlaw Front tires/wire wheels: Roth Outlaw Back tires: A kit with large diameter M&H Racemaster slicks on Halibrand mags wheels. One of the Tom Daniels 1970s show rod kits might have the right ones. Chevy 283: Tweedy pie, Revell Parts pack chevy, Revell '55 Chevy, about anything really! Exhaust headers: Revell Rat Roaster? Headlight stands: AMT '25 T Front suspension: Roth Outlaw axle and 4-bar mixed with AMT '25T spring? /////////// Or...the MPC'25 T "Switchers" kit would get you most of the way there. Here's a mockup I made a few years back using some of the parts I just listed:

Whoa, wicked! I love that front 3/4 shot showing the independent front suspension and rectangular headlights. Crazy, creative, and it all works pretty well despite the wide and disparate range of parts and inspiration. Kind of reminds me of Gary Campesi's awesome digital car concepts. Well done!

Love the paint job!!

As Ace mentioned--if 3D resin parts have not been properly post-cured, they can deform and/or crack later. From my reading on the subject, I've learned that 3D objects that have not been properly hollowed can end up with liquid resin inside; if this resin doesn't cure (because no UV light is reaching it), the 3D part can crack later. Also, it is possible for a manufacturer to ship a "bad batch", but it's not common. That said...model car parts are generally very small, and thus easier to completely cure with UV light than large, complex miniatures (think dragons and minotaurs and other fantasy figurines). Complete 3D printed bodies will probably still have relatively thin walls and cure to a satisfactory degree. I feel fairly confident in the longevity 3D-printed, UV-cured resin parts. Time will tell!

I pulled a model off my shelf to take some photos recently, and discovered that one of the whitewall tire inserts that I'd cast in white resin about 9-10 years ago had shrunk badly. I only noticed when I saw that it had pulled the tire partially off the wheel! Clearly I didn't mix the resin properly...but it took many years for the failure to become apparent. Bummer about the '55 Lorne....and I agree about wanting to know if 3D printed parts will have similar issues. So far so good, for me, but I only have printed parts going back about 3 years.

Beautiful :D What product do you use to seal the filler primer, Dann?

This is so cool. Thanks for the link!!

Cool Lots of interesting details to admire in this project. Reminds me of the old trucks I've seen in Mexico used for hauling boats in and out of the water....tons of rust, barely holding together, but still useful!