Spex84

Oh yeah! "Googly eyes" from a craft supply store have a shape that is very close to the '50 merc cap, if you can find the right diameter they could be painted with alclad or even foiled. And they're ultra cheap.

Love it! The worm-drive rearend is very well done, looks just like the 1:1 sitting in a clearing not far from where I live. I dig the little step-plate on the lefthand side too. Looks almost like the re-purposed top part of a car jack. And clever use of the axle bell as the vertical portion of the steering setup! Super cool.

I seem to recall a video last year that featured the car driving through a parking lot somewhere in the middle east, and there was discussion of the exhaust note--it sounded like a chevy V8. I think the body looks like it was lovingly crafted from paper mache and cardboard. I can't argue with that insane engine though. Pretty awesome. I'm thinking maybe it's not actually installed in the prototype/demo car. Lol at the "3500 torque" (or whatever it was) though: "I would like you to build me a car...it must look the Fastest and have thousands of Horse Powers, and the Torques must be over 3000. Spare no expense."

Love these! The details are just right! Particularly in the last couple of drawings...I love the car getting chopped, the '32 with flipper caps...and the '34 3-window with the blown early hemi looks all kinds of mean. You were really paying attention...I see finned brake drums, a suicide front end, nerf bar...and the stance is awesome. Thanks for sharing 'em!

Great inspiration so far! The AMT '34 Ford 2 in 1 street rod kit has chrome wheels that *almost* look like '50 Merc caps on chrome steelies. They're sort of halfway between '50 merc and baby moon caps. I used them on a '32 roadster build a few years back. I'm guessing Modelhaus or RepMinCo probably have them, but if not, the chrome covers on clothing snaps might be the right size and shape.

Killer!

Stunning color choice, I love it! Saved those photos to my ref folder. A subtle but eye-catching combination.

Lol. ALL of my projects are on the shelf of doom right now. I'm just itching to get some bench time and get some of them rolling again. About a dozen projects in total...

Stunning! Amazing paint and great custom touches. The red inner fenders/suspension and blue mufflers really caught my eye, it's an authentic 50s touch. Today not many builders of 1:1 cars would paint their running gear in multiple primary colors, but in the 50s it was fairly common.

I agree, well done! I was expecting something less cohesive...but this is a very well-balanced build! I like the black paint across the back, the decal placement on the front rockers, the blacked-out grille, and especially...the wheels! They match the Imperial logo perfectly Great work!

I had that built-in whitewall idea back in 2002, at a time when the "traditional hot rod" trend hadn't really set in yet. I thought it would be a perfect blend of modern tech and retro looks, but the few people I mentioned it to gave me funny looks, like "why would anyone want a whitewall??" Just a few months ago I learned that someone else thought it was a good idea, and has manufactured a prototype. I don't know how many wheels they've sold yet. I think it's an awesome idea! http://www.deluxewheels.com/the-wheels/

Whaaaaat? Never heard of that. I can't see how it would work. If you try it (maybe on a junk body?) let us know how it works...

That woody is something that probably looked amazing as a concept sketch, but the execution just didn't quite succeed 100%. It's almost there!

Wow! That's a wild piece of work! I'm impressed that you could do this when you were 12 years old. My attempts to customize stuff at that age mostly ended up as piles of mangled plastic shavings. I love the paint job and custom upholstery. This build is a real time capsule, if I were you I'd keep it clean and pretty much leave it alone!

Rad. I love this era of hot rodding, and it looks like you have a great start on putting together the "right" parts.

I kind of like the blown red one with the crazy rake and chrome side pipes. It's like the owner told himself "I'm going to build this for my 12-year-old self". Kudos. Why not! The rest though...paved with good intentions, etc, etc.

Beautiful! I don't build late-models generally, but I'd be proud and happy to have something like this on my shelf. Just a nice clean build all-round. The stance, paint, and detailing are excellent. Great work

The power door locks in my '90s Jeep are now non-functional. I have to use a key, like a neanderthal. Thankfully it has manual windows and interior door locks, so there aren't any more motors or electronics to die. Even modern pickup trucks are so loaded with sensors and gegaws that I wonder if the functional lifespan of new vehicles is going to remain at 10-15 years forever, despite advances in manufacturing, because we keep hamstringing them with quirky electrical systems.

Wicked. Beautiful work as always. My vote is no moon tank...it makes the front of the car seem a little heavy. That impression might lessen if/when the tank is chromed, though.

I just spent some time trying to re-locate a classifieds ad I saw last week for a '28 or so Chevrolet hot rod, but couldn't find it again...picture this: '28 Chevy in hot pink with a molded-on later model pickup bed. It's a 3-wheeler, so the nose tapers to the stock radiator, with no front axle or wheels visible. The molded-in tailgate area has a pinstriped religious message. Just...wow.

Lookin' spectacular so far!! The widened fenders are very interesting and the chop looks great. Very slick technique for the windshield opening. I almost didn't notice it was sectioned, until I saw the various cuts that were necessary to re-curve the trunk. Sleek!

This build looks great in metallic red, and on those big-inch wheels. Somehow the size of the wheels/tires helps to bring out the lines of the fenders, makes the car look long, lean, and low. I'd happily drive this if it were 1:1. Nice save!

Beautiful! Clean, well photographed, and era-correct. These days I'm appreciating 70s rods more than I used to, and I'm thinking about building a dramatic Fad T just for fun...and your build is a great example of how good these cars can look. Your extra effort in fixing the bad chrome and mixing the right brown color really made the difference between a good build and an awesome one. Great work!

I don't have any glue bomb "saves" yet, other than the previously-built '37 Ford truck that I've pillaged for a hot rod build. But I do have a few sitting in the wings, waiting their turn. The '57 Ford is actually pretty clean, just slightly painted and the body is broken in 3, with the A and C pillars missing chunks that I'll have to rebuild. Of all of these, I'm most excited about restoring the AMT '28 Tudors. They shouldn't be too hard to pull apart. I actually quite like the paint color on the brown one.

I might have missed a post or 2, but there is also the "spring-behind" setup, as seen on the Doane Spence roadster and the Rolling Bones cars. In this setup, the spring is moved off the top of the axle and set behind it, with the shackles on either end mounted to the radius rods (or the batwings on the hairpins, if it has those). Generally the frame horns have to be cut off for this to work, and often the front crossmember is flattened/cut down with notched frame rails for spring clearance. It's a bit like a suicide front-end, and I guess if the frame rails were cut off completely, if one of the spring shackles failed, the car would nose-dive into the road, so it can carry similar risks.