Dennis Lacy

You had to do that, didn't you?

Haha, I thought you were that guy Duane from the old TRaK days for a minute there! Thanks for the nice words. Parts picking is a lot of the fun for me, too. That feeling when you hit on just the right combo...

Here's the most recent distraction from finishing existing projects! Back in '54 four brothers, the Williams Bros., wanting to be more competitive at the Bonneville land speed races removed the hopped-up flathead from their '28 Ford Roadster and replaced it with a brand new, over the counter 241 Dodge Red Ram hemi. The engine was heavily set-back and topped off with Hilborn fuel injection, hooked to a Ford 3-speed top loader which then hooked to a Halibrand quick-change axle. When Bonneville was over they walked away with a new B-Roadster class record that would stand for some time. What I love about this car is how straight-forward it is. There's not a lot of bells & whistles and the engineering is solid but not overly fancy. It was built for a purpose and did what it was supposed to do. No more, no less. What is also remarkable is that despite being half torn apart after the '54 racing season and never being put back together, the brothers were careful to keep every part and every nut & bolt with the car. When the Williams family finally let go of the car it was possible to reassemble it to exactly as-raced in '54. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki This is not going to be a replica but it will be heavily influenced by the Williams Bros. roadster. Not that there's anything wrong with a strict replica, I just want the freedom to do my own thing. The foundation is an older issue of AMT's '29 Roadster from the 80's, after the kit had been condensed into a roadster only offering. To get started I decided to get the Dodge Red Ram sorted out. The block / trans, heads and valve covers come from AMT's '29 Roadster. The (slightly shortened) oil pan and upper water manifold are from Revell's '32 5-Window hemi. The front cover / water pump are AMT modern-tool Ala Kart. The pulley / belt drive is from Revell's Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit. The intake manifold and oil filler tube are also from Revell's '32 5-Window. I sanded off the dual 4-barrel carburetor pads, capped it with a piece of .020" sheet and made new carburetor pads for the 3 2-barrels from .040" sheet. The magneto is from AMT's parts pack Chevy engine. The Stromberg carbs from Revell's '29 Roadster. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki In typical old AMT fashion, the engine block is slab sided so I added some core plug and casting rib detail to help it look like something. Hosted on Fotki Here's the tweaked intake. Hosted on Fotki After deciding how far back I wanted to set the engine (about halfway under cowl) I had to decide on a transmission cross member. The '29 kit comes with a custom center cross member to go with the hemi, both of which are left over from the old Ala Kart and Mod Rod double kit days. The cross member loosely represents and cut-down '32 piece which is what the full scale Ala Kart used but it's a little soft on detail. The modern re-tool Ala Kart kit, despite a lot of short comings, does have some nicely done parts, one of them being the center cross member, so I installed it in the frame. That also meant I needed to transplant the tail of the modern tool transmission onto the older trans so that it would mount in the cross member correctly. After the back end was located I was able to position and build the front motor mount brackets which were made from various pieces of Evergreen shapes. I stared at it all and struggled with design for a good bit before figuring out what to do. The Dodge front mount isn't the most user-friendly thing on Earth. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki With the body set on the frame and over the engine, this is how things look. Like the Williams Bros. roadster, the engine is set back far enough that the front corners of the valve covers just clear the hood sides. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki The front axle is the beautiful dropped I-beam from Revell's '29 Roadster and '30 Coupe. Hosted on Fotki Here's a few really rough mock ups with the hood and Revell '32 Ford grill in place. Wheels and tires are from Revell's '29 Roadster / '30 Coupe kits. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Lots more to do. Comments welcome!

The original mock-up looked really good. You got the stance adjusted just right with the shaved spring and flat front cross member. Nice work installing the '48 center X. I put Revell '40 and '48 X's in my model frames all the time because they give the whole chassis a more vintage appearance and they just look bitchin'! This is right up my alley. Will be following along!

Did you turn Aussie?

This model is reaching epic status, Brother! It will, no doubt, be one of the best '34 3-Windows ever built in scale.

I think it looks fantastic sitting on those Boyd Smoothster wheels and tires! Definitely stick with that. Good luck with the project!

Interested in seeing how you guys (and girls?) safely transport your models to and from shows / contests. I'm planning to attend an NNL in a few weeks and need to safely get about 10 models there and back, 2 hours each way.

Next month is the Lower Left Coast NNL in Carlsbad, California on August 12, 2017. More Info: http://www.lowerleftcoastnnl.org/ I have not attended this show in five years but am planning to attend for sure next month and bring some models for display. Who else is going???

Lately, I've started to give away my older models to forum friends that I remember commented nice words about them back when they were fresh. As I continue to progress as a modeler and build (what I consider) better models (than I did 8-10 years ago when I returned to the hobby as an adult) I prefer my finished models in the display case to show consistency in quality and detail. The older ones I lose interest in and rather than shove them in boxes (to make room in the case for newer models) I'd rather give them to someone who will enjoy having them.

Actually, the Purple People Eater (above) is made from a '30 Model A Ford Coupe body with the whole trunk section removed.

Fantastic rendition of the old AMT / Lindberg '34 Pickup! Love the color scheme and Pontiac engine.

I think you nailed the stance and look of Fran's old 3-Window. It's all right-on! Even outside of the replica aspect, it's a period-perfect hot rod. Most people looking at this model have no idea all of the changes that were necessary to back-date the chassis and other details.

Looking good, brother! I think you should drill out the simulated holes in the foot board.

Yes. Very much, Yes!

I get what you're saying and since you were using one of their pay-to-play options then what I wrote doesn't apply to you. Its the users who not only used the free version, but additionally blocked the ads that generated revenue for Photobucket that allowed them to offer a free version that are the problem. These people screwed it up for everybody. Unless this is some major hack job, Photobucket basically just gave everyone the big middle finger, consequences be damned. When I started out sharing my models on forums I used Photobucket for several years but started to notice at some point that it became increasingly frustrating to use with all of their glitches and poor site design so I bailed and started paying for Fotki service. Other than some down time when they changed servers a few years ago I've never had a problem. Now I wonder if other free services like Flickr are going to get overwhelmed. I also wonder if MCM's internal storage, while it seems there's plenty of room now, is going to become a problem when all the ship jumpers look for a shore to swim to. For years there's been a bandwidth limit for direct uploading. Now suddenly it's okay to have a free for all? Hmm...

So, basically, because of all the "smart" people screwing Photobucket out of its ad revenue with ad-blockers, Photobucket just did a Big G.F.Y. I pay to use Fotki and couldn't be happier. There aint no free lunch.

Since I don't build out of the box I'm basing my vote on which one is most useful as a parts donor. First place is the 5-Window because: Hairpin Rods. Steelie Wheels. Louvered Hood and Trunk. '40 Dash & Wheel. Pleated Interior. Hemi. Decal Sheet. Second place (and not far behind) is the Tudor Sedan because: Flathead. Third place (still not far behind) is the Stacey David roadster because: Hairpin Rods. Wheels & Tires. Firewall. Blown SBC. Interior. Out of the many Revell '32 kits I have pillaged I have kept two complete small block Ford engines. One carburetor and one with the GT40 fuel injection. The rest automatically go right in the trash. They are not missed.

Awesome project! As a Fox-body owner for over 20 years I'll be following along for sure. It's also nice to see another proud two-tone GT owner. They're not easy to come by, especially in Reef Blue. Is your car original paint? Here's a couple shots of the '87 GT I've owned for over 4 years, another color combo that's very hard to come by. It's all original paint, trim and even the headlights. I found it completely stock and did the suspension, brakes and original Cobra R wheels. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki

Very neat project. A lot of the time when people build rat rods like this the proportions get all wonky and exaggerated but they look really good here, they look right. The wheel & tire combo also work really well even tho on paper it shouldn't. The weathering and over all color scheme is just right, too! One of the things I love about building hot rod models is you get to do things that are cool yet pretty unlikely to happen full scale. Take that ARDUN engine for example. To build a real one like this is $25,000 all day long so the odds of seeing one in a rat rod truck (where the budget is typically low-buck) are extremely low. People would also probably stand there looking at it and make comments like, "What a waste of an awesome and expensive engine." But, it looks really cool in the truck! I hope with Dr. Cranky being your inspiration your not going to finish it off by gluing watch gears all over it... Oh, and out of curiosity. Why the "Z 28" license plate?

This stuff is right up my alley, happy to help! Since you're gonna order a fresh '29 Pickup kit, get the newest "Blue Bandito" version that I mentioned. It has all of the original 60's parts restored to replicate the first release "Blue Beetle." Lots of good retro parts in there for kit bashing. And yes, the distributor portion from the Revell '40 engine is essentially the same as a Lincoln, you'll just need to cut the coil portion off and make a wider one if you want it to look the part. Below is a Lincoln V12 distributor converted for Ford V8. You'll notice the tag says "Kurten" who was one of several that did this conversion back in the good old days. Hosted on Fotki

Excellent project! Here's some things I can help with: 1) The intake manifold is definitely Offenhauser, not an Edelbrock Super. The Edelbrock had a different shape to it overall and did not have those "W" shaped carburetor flanges, it's flanges were "D" shaped and not raised off the manifold. Model Car Garage offers this exact Offy intake and it is beautifuly done so grab one of those. Also, the fact that in the one picture "Offie Equip" is written on the hood with no mention of Edelbrock. 2) The front suspension is stock with the exception of the springs main leaf. The eyes have been "reversed" so that they roll over the top of the leaf, rather than under the leaf as stock. This was a popular modification that any spring shop was capable of doing, even before WWII. This lowers the front of the car one inch. 3) The best starting point for a stock '32 front axle is found in all issues of Monogram's 1:24 '29 Pickup, the most recent being the "Blue Bandito" retro reissue. The most common issue you see of this kit is the "Early Iron" with a yellow & black model on the box. 4) The front brakes appear to be early 40's Lincoln as opposed to Ford. The Lincoln brakes were far superior to the Ford and are still a coveted hot rod item today. There isn't a scale version of the Lincoln brakes available so the Ford brake plates from any of Revell's '40 or '48 Ford's will have to do. 5) The distributor is a converted Lincoln Zephyr V-12 unit. The tell is the wide (left to right) coil on top. 6) The picture with him posed by the chassis clearly shows a later column shift has been adapted with what is probably a '40 Ford wheel. 7) The belt drive that you need with the generator slightly offset is found in Revell's '32 Sedan or '48 Convertible. The belt drive in the Revell '40 kits has the generator offset way to the right. 8) The headlight stands are cut down '32 fender inner braces. They are mounted to the frame in the stock location, just chopped off with a flat cap for the lights to sit on. PS: The early Ford lever shocks are not "friction", they are hydraulic.

Out of curiosity, has anyone offered up this new chassis to AMT's '53 Pickup kit to see what would be involved in making it fit?

Here's some inspiration for you. I remembered that I had taken some pictures of a few different tankers at some shows 5-6 years back. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki And this last one is a bit funky... Hosted on Fotki

A vintage box art model doesn't get much better than this. Very nice! Did you add the tuck & roll to the interior sides?