modelfink

It's great seeing an update on this amazing build. I love the fact that they made these cars work and not just look the part for the cameras. They could easily have faked it but they put the time and effort into actually making them work. It's a shame most of them were trashed after production ended.

Hey guys, this past Saturday I went to Greenville Pickens Speedway to watch the Vintage Racing Association. There were some tough looking cars that compete in this group. The racing was great as well. They really put down some fast laps and aren't afraid to mix it up. I took several pics that will hopefully be good reference material for you guys. Enjoy!

Update: I finalized the rear shocks and completed the exhaust system. I still need to bend and tweak it a little, add exhaust tips, clean up the rear spring, etc. but I'm satisfied with it enough to move on to other issues. stay tuned.

If it's not too late, the brake backing plats can be set flush to the back of the inner wheels

I assumed so too. I'm replicating a Jack Ingram car that would have a Banjo Matthews chassis. I dug out some old Stock Car Racing magazines from 75 that included a project sportsman car with front steer. Im curious to know if the NASCAR AMT kits engines can swap parts, mainly the oil pan and headers from the Fords onto the Chevy block.

I assume the AMT Fords have the rear steer set up. I'm still researching so I haven't got a kit to reference. It's not a huge deal, but I would like to get as accurate as possible to a Sportsman Nova that ran in the mid 70s

Very nice build. Your paint looks awesome. However, the brake backing plates look like they are not connected to the wheel

Hey guys, I am planning on using the Mark Jeffries method to build a sportsman Nova using an AMT NASCAR chassis and an AMT Nova body. My question is: If my donor kit is an AMT Ford with the rear steer Banjo style set up but the power plant is Chevy is it acceptable to use the Ford oil pan to clear the steering arms? Are there other things to consider with this swap? I'm still in the planning stages, so any info is helpful. Thanks.

Killer little hop up! screw the doors, throw some surf boards in there and hit the beach.

This weekend I began sorting out the exhaust system. I decided to do turn outs just past the headers that hang below the frame rails then turn up and continue rearward through the X member and out the back. For street racing or drag strip purposes. I used styrene for the cut outs and caps with Grandt Line railroad bolt details. The mufflers are from the 50 Olds kit. Wire brackets keep the cut outs snug against the X member braces. Next step is to figure out what happens from the mufflers back, considering there will be rear radius rods and shocks to navigate around. I also added mounting points for the hairpin radius rods up front but they still need some finishing work.

Nice paint! Did you wet sand before clear coating?

Cool project! Looks like you got to hang with some great folks out west. The roadster show is on my bucket list.

I cut a thin plate out of styrene to adapt the 37 trans to the 50 Olds. (kinda hard to see in this pic). The starter will be kept in the stock location. I fabricated a motor mount for the Olds that mounts to the front of the block just under the crank pulley. RB motion bolts are being used for the bolt/nut combo. The front frame horns will probably be unboxed after further test fitting of the radiator shell. I'm using the steering box and cross steer set up from the Revell 5 window. This is a nice piece that accommodates the big Hemi supplied in the kit, however the Hemi has block hugging headers that make for a better fit. I think with a little fabrication on the steering box end I can tuck it behind the Olds headers. I'm going for a clean profile but over the frame headers are not out of the question. Speaking of headers, The exhaust situation will be a little tricky. Ideally they would snake through the 48 X member. Currently they dump below the frame so either I cut and fabricate a sharp bend through the X member or find another solution. Suggestions welcome. The frame modifications are a page out of the Dennis Lacey book of hot rod model building. 48 X member, rear cross member, spring and rear axle. The spring was cut from the spring/radius rod combo in the 48 Ford custom kit. I gutted the Revell 32 frame from the front cross member back. Tweedy Pie rear radius rods will be used to clear the back legs of the 48 X. Brakes are 48 ford also. The wheel backs look a little thick, I may need to pull them in closer to the tire.

I hear what you are saying and respect that opinion for sure. For years I thought unchopped and channeled rods looked goofy and cycle fenders seemed to be silly add ons to comply with the law. However, the look has really grown on me lately, especially after seeing how much coverage they got in the magazines at the time. The west coast style looks a lot tougher and definitely means business, but the East coast style has a certain cool factor that you don't see that often.

Hey guys, I've got a new project on the bench. It's a 32 five window coupe built in the East Coast style. Something you may have seen around 57-63 in the pages of Hot Rod Magazine or in the Little pages of Rod and Custom, Rodding and Restyling, etc. It's mocked up in these pics but the specs so far are: Unchopped body (cowl vent and door handles will be smoothed, hood smoothed) Channeled over the frame, radiator shell dropped, cycle fenders (They will be positioned better than the mock up pics show) wide whites, custom wheel covers, 50 Olds 303 Rocket engine. 37 ford trans, 48 ford rear end, rear crossmember, rear spring and X member. Dropped tube front axle. The plan is to have lots of chrome, tuck and roll, bucket seats, and nerf bars. I will post build pics of the sub assemblies as the project moves along.

Very cool. That's a good tip regarding the Lincoln tires and wheels from the Revell 29. Nice spring hangers too. The tweedy Pie kit has some nice spring hangers too.

Those wheels look amazing!

Thanks Art, very helpful. I have not seen the inner upholstery done in scale to that extent. It should be an interesting experiment.

Thanks Art, yeah, I got that part. I was more concerned about where the the headliner/upholstery meets the door jamb on the upper part of the doors. It looks like most folks just use the interior panels provided in the kit from the bottom of the window down and build out door jambs, leaving the tops of the doors alone.

Hey guys, When you open the doors on a 32 5 window you need to scratch build door jams. Are there any examples or photos of how to deal with the interior from the B pillar back to the rear window that incorporates the thickness of the door jam?

It's a 40 made to look like a 39

I managed to get 3 builds complete in 2017. Hope everyone has a great Holiday and a productive new year!

The Revell 29 PU is a goldmine for traditional ford parts. You're doing a good job with this one. I was going to suggest sanding down the rear spring for a lower stance, but it looks like you figured that out. My 2¢ regarding rats: It pains me to see early iron constructed poorly. It seems to be a waste of a very limited resource. My tastes clearly do not align with the current rat rod set. However, there are lots of folks building traditional hot rods and customs and keeping the traditional stuff alive. (HAMB, Hop Up, TROG, Hot Rod Hill Climb, etc.) In short, to each his own, find your niche and build something cool…whatever your version of cool may be.

Several things looked interesting. The vacu formed belly tanker, center steer gearbox, quick change rear end

Does anyone know if Early Years Resin products are offered by another supplier? I am aware that the owner passed away a few years ago.