Dennis Lacy

I’m not a VW person but I really like early split and oval window Bugs. Stance, wheels and color all looks great! ?

UPDATE! Had an unexpected day off today thanks to a long power outage at and around my shop. ⛈ ☠️ Because of that I got a little unexpected bench time this afternoon! I wasn’t fully satisfied with the setup of the engine so I made some changes. The script valve covers were ditched for a pair of extremely popular Cal Custom finned covers. They are a perfect dimensional fit to these heads (the script covers were a little long) and I like how the fins match the finned top of the injector plenum. The air horn filter was ditched for the factory air filter housing. A chrome generator and a coil were tacked in place for a more complete look. Finally, the obnoxious parting lines on the headers were cleaned off and I did some shaping to make the tubes more rounded. The end result makes me super happy! With the engine refined I had to do another another mock up. To make the body look more complete the tailgate was taped into place and then the hood sides were cut away from the top and it was taped in place to see how the car looks with a hood top. I absolutely love it! The top clears the generator nicely and the air filter housing tucks nicely behind it. Now I think it’s really starting to come together!

Now that would be cool! I’ve seen a few hot rods over the years with Rochester injectors. Two bothers I know that have a shop here in Southern California, Veazie Bros, finished a beautiful ‘34 3-Window last fall that had a 1963-1965 style injection on a real healthy 383 stroker small block.

UPDATE! I’ve gone ‘round and ‘round on what motor to put in this project but one in particular kept standing out to me. I had a partially assembled AMT small block Chevy so it was propped up between the fenders and the Rochester fuel injection unit from Revell’s 1957 Chevy 150 “Black Widow” set on top. I’ve been wanting to build a hot rod with one of these early Injections for years. With the decision made it was time to start pulling parts. To get the combination of engine / trans that I want it will take pieces from 3 different engine / trans halves. From left are the Revell ‘57 283 with its powerglide trans chopped of, Revell 1948 Ford column shift trans cut away from its Flathead and the open driveshaft tail housing cut away from a Revell 1940 Flathead. The 283 engine halves are glued together, the back surface sanded flat and the adapter bell housing from a Revell Tweedy Pie T attached. The 1948 column shift trans halves were glued together, the front and rear surface sanded flat then attached to the adapter bell housing. The open driveshaft tail housing halves were glue together, trimmed and then attached to the back end of the trans. I’m going to use the optional trans cross member from an AMT ‘29 Roadster (represents a cut down ‘32 Ford k-member) but it has a round trans hole in it so the hole was made “D” shaped to match the trans tail housing. The finished engine, adapter and trans stacked together. To hold up the front of the engine I built a saddle plate reminiscent of the old Hurst front mounts. I drew a design on a piece of .040” sheet. The original ‘57 Chevy front brackets that are molded to the timing cover were cut off and repurposed at the ends of the main plate. Mount pads were added in the front corners behind the cross member. The previously mentioned trans cross member was tacked into place. It was only tacked because I’m going to take it back out to enlarge the exhaust pass thru holes. I’m also going to refine the front pads a bit and the back edge of the front cross member needs to be relieved for crank pulley clearance. With the basic engine assembled and fit to the frame it was time to figure out the details. In addition to the block, the cylinder heads, timing cover, water pump, belt drive, fan, starter and fuel injection come from the Revell ‘57 Chevy 150 “Black Widow”. The chrome script valve covers and chrome oil pan are from the Revell Tweedy Pie T. The Hedman headers first appeared in the late 50’s so they are period correct although I don’t remember the source kit. The air horn scoop is also of unknown original from my parts bin. And of course the obligatory mock up with the engine in place. I love the look of the early fuelie small block! That’s all for this installment. Plenty more to come!

Thanks Alan! I made up the wire wheels before I had a car in mind and as I looked up and scanned my shelves of kits the Model A Woody practically jumped down into my hands. The two really do go hand in hand. That’s why I had to revert back. I love the look!

Absolutely killer! ?

That is the same Chevy parts pack that was part of a group of 4 engine packs Revell issued in the 90’s. The other 3 were the FE Ford, Cadillac and Pontiac. So these 4 engines survived as stand alone.

I love this project!

Annnnnnd… I’m back to the wire wheels. ? I really liked them from the get-go so I’m not sure what compelled me to want to change to something different. When I made up the wires I also wasn’t thinking this would be a strictly traditional hot rod so I fit them to Goodyear radial tires. However, now I want a more vintage look so I went back to the tire bin. After trying many possibilities I landed on using the fronts from AMT’s modern tool Ala Kart and Modelhaus T180’s for the rear. In both cases I had trim out the centers of the tires to fit the larger wheels. With the tires figured out it was time to make the wheels fit the axles. Up front I trimmed the ends of the axle off then inserted .060” pins. The brake plates come in all of the Revell 1940 and 1948 Fords. To get the wheels under the fenders I had to significantly relieve the backsides so the centers are recessed compared to the rim. This was accomplished with tedious trimming and spot sanding. An unmodified wheel back is shown between the finished wheels for comparison. For the rear I had to remove the raised sleeves on the wheel backs making the centers a flat disc. The end flanges were chopped off of the quick change axle and the end flanges from the Revell 1940 Coupe/Convertible street rods were grafted on as well as another pair of 1940/1948 brake plates. Finally the wheel backs were drilled to fit over the new axle ends. A look underneath with the wheels mounted to the axles. One of the most satisfying moments of a hot rod project in any scale is seeing it sitting on its wheels and tires for the first time. I’m pleased with the stance, not as slammed as the initial mock ups which is more period authentic. I also like how the slightly taller and narrower front tires look. Now that I know the aesthetic direction of the car it’s time to make a final decision on the engine. Stay tuned!

Great looking 34 Pickup! Sometimes some stance correction and a good wheel & tire swap is all you need. Love the dark blue with black fenders and dark centers on the Americans.

I thoroughly enjoyed following the project. Your attention to detail and screen accuracy are inspiring. The finished model is absolutely killer! ?

This is rad!

Stance and proportions look killer, Bill! I want to build a full-scale one!!

Thanks a bunch! I started typing a completely different message apologizing for not knowing the source and then it came to me, LOL. They are from the Retro Deluxe ‘29 Roadster / Mod Rod double kit. Now, the one I have is the pricier flat box version which is molded in white and it may be that these special tires are unique to it VS the standard shape box kit molded in yellow. The same tires in a beautiful wide whitewall version are in the Retro Deluxe issue of the ‘49 Ford. I have not tried fitting the hood so I can’t say. Also note I’m using AMT ‘29 Roadster fenders and grill so my results may vary. At this point I don’t think it’s gonna have a hood so it probably won’t matter. Do you get the same result if you try fitting the hood with the roadster pickup body? Thanks so much, Mike! Thats all I do. To me, model kits are just boxes of parts. ? Thanks, Joe! I enjoy sharing my work.

No actual work to report this weekend but I have made the decision to change the wheels and tires as I want this model to be early 1960’s period correct. That means an engine change from the proposed flathead but more on that later. Trust me, it’ll be bitchin! The Halibrand wheels and little front tires come from AMT’s “Gasser” wheels and tires Parts Pack and the printed narrow Firestone cheater slicks are from one of AMT’s Retro Deluxe kits of recent years. (Edit: The printed slicks are from the special flat box Retro Deluxe AMT ‘29 Roadster / Mod Rod double kit from a few years back.) That’s all for now.

Lots of awesome models in this thread! Monogram 1:24ths definitely don’t get enough love. I’m kinda guilty myself. But, I do have 2! Monogram 1930 Coupe turned into a fender-less, chopped and channeled Hot Rod way before Revell’s ‘30 Coupe became a thing. Monogram 1937 Sedan original issue updated with later issue IFS and lowered IRS. Retro back-dated the kit small block and Drag City Casting resin Halibrand wheels with Modelhaus resin tires.

Absolutely BITCHIN!!

I can only echo what everyone else has said. This is stunningly nice!!!

Now let’s see how the stance looks when the wheels are actually mounted to the axles! ? ?

Thanks so much! Lucky for you guys I have chronic OCD! ?

And now for yet another example of a hot rod project that I had no intention of starting but brainstorming a wheel and tire idea got the ball rolling and, well, here we are! I’ve actually had the desire to build a hot rod Woody, I just didn’t think it would be now. ??‍♂️ Here’s the initial mock up that got my juices flowing The front wheels are AMT ‘32 Phaeton fit in the 2-piece Goodyear tires from Revell’s Lil John Buttera T Sedan / Touring kits from the 70’s and 80’s, The rear wheels are the fronts from Monogram’s ‘30 Woody fit into the Goodyear rear tires from Revell’s ‘40 Coupe/Convertible hot rod kits. The Flathead place holder is from Revell’s ‘48 Custom Coupe. The MPC ‘29 Woody comes with a 1-piece fender / frame / floor unit that is a pain to work with. I decided to use the AMT ‘29 Roadster fenders and frame. These fenders also have the floor molded in and it will need to have the raised areas removed so that the Woody floor will fit. Here the raised areas have been removed from the gray fenders with the dark red fenders shown for reference. The Woody floor now fits. The other benefit to using the roadster fenders is that they are wider at the crowns allowing more tire to fit under them. And with the frame fit in place. It wouldn’t be possible to get any kind of a decent rear stance with the stock A frame so after weighing my options I chose to graft on the already Z’d rear section from a Revell ‘29 Roadster / ‘30 Coupe frame. I strongly considered using the rear axle and suspension that goes with the Revell A frame but I really wanted a more traditional set up so I assembled a quick change axle and spring from the Atlantis (former Revell) Mooneyes dragster. The molded rear cross member will be removed in favor of the stock A cross member. Material was added to the ends of the A cross member and some shallow slots were filed into the frame rails for it to slightly recess into just behind the axle supports. The quick change axle assembly and Model T style spring fit nicely into place. The split wishbone trailing arms are also from the Atlantis Mooneyes dragster. Pins were inserted into front end and simple mount tabs made from .040” sheet. I didn’t care for the excess frame section remaining behind the cross member and it would serve no structural advantage so I decided to delete it. The front axle is from Revell’s ‘32 5-Window. The spring was shaved way down to help get the front end low. A .060” pin was installed at the center which registers in a hole in the front cross member. A .020” strip of material was added to the front edge of the cross member to properly align the frame with the fenders. Like for the rear, some mount tabs for the hairpin radius rods were made from .040” sheet. With the back end of the frame Z’d the floor will need to be modified to allow it to fit so a section was removed for the frame to fit up into. So here’s where the project ended up. Very pleased with the results so far. Lots more to come!

Nice work on the conversion. Looking forward to following along!

Building later models has shown me how much more I like building Hot Rods! ?

Thanks! Polishing can be done right away as you say, it’s sealing with wax when the paint hasn’t fully out-gassed that can be a problem. When I’ve come this far I prefer not to take any chances! ?

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone put half the effort into this kit that you are. Killer work so far and very much looking forward to more!