Dennis Lacy

Working on paint off and on. Looking to finish it before the end of next month.

I've been working on this thing and taking pictures as I go, just haven't taken the time to post updates. Here's what's been happening! The front axle and suspension are fully setup. It's all Revell '32 Ford series parts with some tweaks here and there and everything secured with mounting pins. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki I set the 4-banger up with a 4-speed conversion. The adapter comes from the Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit and the transmission was cut off of the Hemi engine in Revell's '32 5-Window. The cross member is slightly trimmed down from the '32 kits, too. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki I stripped the chrome off of the wheels, added the missing lug nuts using detail nuts from Grandt Line and added the correct 60's Halibrand 3-bar wingnuts. Hosted on Fotki I started doing some speed work to the Banger. Built my own lower profile tube intake, carbs from the Ed Roth Tweedy Pie T and modified Chevy header from AMT's '34 5-Window. Hosted on Fotki Out back I built a new rear cross member. The axle & spring assembly is from the Ed Roth Tweedy Pie T and the ladder bars are from Revell's new '29 Roadster / '30 Coupe kits. Made the driveshaft out of 1/8th" tube and kit u-joints. Still need to add shocks. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki And a mock up with the chassis now a "roller". Still lots more to do! Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Comments welcome!

You're off to a great start! The new Revell Model A wheels and tires look awesome on it. Just so you know, the engine in the Thom Taylor kit, although they tried to dress it up like a small block Chevy, is actually a Pontiac. It's the same engine from the ZZ Top Coupe sister kit, minus the "ZZ" logos on the air filter and valve covers.

I think this is fantastic, Tim! I really like the color scheme you came up with. The color you used on the engine looks really close to the antique engine green Ford used in the 30's. Most people use way too bright of a green. The top bows look great, as do the quickchange poking out, the painted front axle & wishbones and the upgraded firewall. I also like the seldom seen '41 hubcaps. I've got a set of those from the '41 Woody that I've been hording for just the right project. This hot rod is a dead ringer for the trends going on in the full scale world right now. I also gotta say, I love the other versions of the kit you shared at the NNL. The dark metallic orange channeled one especially caught my eye!

Thanks! These particular M&H slicks (out of the Revell Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit kit) are about 2/3 as wide as the typical M&H found in other Revell kits like the Orange Crate, Tony Nancy 22jr dragsters and old-tool SWC Willys.

We can just call it a Hot Rod

This came out awesome! I really like the color, the W-motor was a great choice and the lowered front makes all the difference in the world.

Your correction to the stance is just right! The stance out of the box is terrible. I also love the colors you chose. They all look perfect together!

Thanks, John! I think the wheels will respond to painting nicely. Dipped in chrome, it's kind of hard to see (especially in pictures) exactly what they look like. A lot of the spoke shape detail gets washed out. I think that the overall shape of the Revell body is better. Having owned a real '27 T Roadster I can tell you that the shape of the Revell cowl is way more accurate. The AMT cowl is kind of flat when it should be a continuous curve from side to side. The door on top of the cowl is also rendered raised on the Revell body, which is accurate. The door originally opened to access filling the gas tank which fit up into the cowl. On the AMT body the door is flush.The Revell windshield detail is a little better, too. Where both bodies fall short is that there is a ever-so-slightly rounded cap on the doors and pillar between them that, instead of being part of the body, is part of the interior units and makes a ledge to locate onto the body. I'm going to have to cut that cap from the interior unit and attach it to the body. That's fine because I'm not using any of the interior anyway. That'll get covered in a future installment.

Actually, the '29 kit has a Winfield flathead. It's the '31 Sedan/Sedan Delivery/Woodie variants that have the Riley 2-port, which is what I'll be using. I forgot to change the head out before I took the pictures. Glad you like my T!

I'm just over here doing my thing. I don't have but one guy that I can BS about models with so I turn to the forums for my interaction. I guess that's why I tend to go into detail. I also always appreciate thorough explanations from others when I'm checking out their projects. Rather than throwing up some pictures and saying "Here it is.", it's neat to know why things were done they way they were. Speaking of inspiration, aside from my Dad introducing me to model cars, you, Tim, are basically responsible for my love of hot rod model building. So, thank you!

An interesting thing happened in the 1960's. Almost in an underground or cult fashion, nostalgia-driven closet Ford 4-banger guys started to emerge and slip rodded Model A engines back into the rod and racing scene. Engines that had lost they're dominance by the later 1930's as the Flathead V8 took over. Some of these guys even formed a club, Forever Four Cylinder (still active!), and focused on hopping up banger motors while the rest of the guys were building the latest and greatest big HP V8's. Some guys such as a fellow named Joe Gemsa even designed and manufactured new overhead valve and overhead cam cylinder heads to help beat-out the competition in vintage engine racing classes. So, this new project is going to be a 60's Banger Geek's dream. It will have all of the requisite 60's flare such as a bunch of antique looking T junk mixed with bright metallic paint and funky magnesium wheels with a hot Model A engine sitting between the rails. Of course, there will be 60's technology brought to the drivetrain such as an alternator and adapted Muncie 4-speed trans mixed in with earlier hop up wares such as a Riley 2-Port head with dual Stromberg carbs and a Halibrand quick change axle out back. The basis of this project is Revell's '27 T Touring body and the '32 frame from Revell's new Model A roadster and coupe kits. Getting the proportions I wanted meant substantially modifying the frame. I wanted the body cowl to start at the point of the frames side reveal line and have the wheel well start right at the end. That required taking 1/8" out of the length which I did by making a stepped cut for far superior strength over a typical butt-joint. Hosted on Fotki I then constructed a new front frame cross member out of .040" sheet and located it essentially right behind where the original cross member was. I then had to removed the original front cross member and sections of frame rail it spanned between, reattach the frame horns then blend everything together. I also added shelves in the corners behind the new cross member for the motor mount to sit on. Hosted on Fotki Originally, Model A engines had a front mount that attached to the timing gear cover and had a center stud that sat on the front cross member with a spring around the stud to absorb vibration. The rear of the engine mounted off of the sides of the flywheel housing forming a triangle between the mounting points. Since the rear is going to be mounted off of the future 4-speed the front of the engine needed to have a wider mount to form a triangulation so I built a Hurst-style mount. Hosted on Fotki Here is the engine sitting on its new front mount. Hosted on Fotki The wheels I'm going to use are the Halibrand "Touring" wheels from Revell's '31 Sedan kit. I'm also using that kits small front tires and narrow M&H slicks from the Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit. These wheels actually came stock on some of the Studebaker Avanti's and was also available through Halibrand's catalog. They were a true magnesium wheel. As the wheels come out of the kit they have basic rounded center caps but originally Halibrand provided false versions of their first generation 3-bar knock offs. I will be removing the rounded caps and using the knock off's from Revell's Orange Crate which are identical to the original Halibrand parts. As you all probably expect, the wheels will also be getting stripped and paint detailed. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Here's a few mock ups. This is how the model will sit. The front axle will be based on the parts in all of the Revell '32 kits (tube axles were available by the 60's.) I haven't decided what parts to make up the quick change rear axle out of yet but I have a pile to choose from. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki More to come soon! Comments welcome!

I did finish it and posted it here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/116627-27-t-retro-dragstrip-roadster/

Fantastic color combination and ultra clean workmanship! The chopped windshield, painted radiator shell and headlight buckets help the look of this kit, immensely. The functioning louvered trunk lid is a nice touch and the spun aluminum gas tank goes so much better with the styling of the car vs. the Fuel Safe style plastic cell the kit provides. This roadster would fit right into the traditional-style hot rod scene going on these days perfectly.

Roadster Progress! Over the past weekend I managed to finish up the remainder of fabrication for this model. Out back I finished the exhaust pipes by cutting the tails off, drilling the ends out and inserting pins into the pipes which insert into corresponding holes in the rear-most cross member. I also installed rear shocks which (like the fronts) are from the Ed Roth Tweedy Pie T Hosted on Fotki Here's a look at the underside of the front axle and suspension which shows better how some of it is put together and mounted. Hosted on Fotki Here's an overall view of the chassis with fabrication complete. Here you can also see that I added a master cylinder bracket to the frame and installed the master cylinder from the Revell '48 Ford's. Hosted on Fotki Up front modified a Revell '32 series radiator as needed and made up the lower hoses from modified versions of those from AMT's '41 Woody. Hosted on Fotki I loaded up the firewall with all the necessary hardware which includes the beehive bypass oil filter from the Revell '32 Sedan, homemade 2-port fuel block and the voltage regulator from the Revell '40 Ford's. Hosted on Fotki Finally, here's a couple final mock ups. Aside from a few small details the roadster can now be broken down for final clean up and prep for paint. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki

Thank you! The sad thing is that I remember where all these parts come from. Couldn't memorize anything for school to save my life. LOL!

Actually, the only one I've ever set up in this manner with a bracket above the frame is on the '27 T Roadster I built for myself 10 years ago. But, I've seen lots of examples over the years. You just have to make sure the bracket is stout enough. Here's an example on my friend Frank Barone's '29 Roadster. Talk about a car that's been riden HARD! Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki

I use Zap-A-Gap primarily and anymore I will only buy the smallest bottle. Anything more is a waste of money because the stuff goes bad faster than I can use it. I have found that once opened I can get about 4-6 months of satisfactory use before there is a noticeable decline in performance. I usually find out the stuff has gone bad when it's most inconvenient, too. There's few things more satisfying to a model builder than a brand new, freshly opened bottle of CA.

We can always expect to see a great hot rod from you, Tom! The color choices are fantastic and the Radir wheels & slicks are the perfect choice.Very, very 60's.

UPDATE! Exhaust system is essentially made. This can sometimes be a tedious pain in the ass but this time proved to not be so bad once I figured out a plan of attack. (Coming up with the plan took twice as long as actually making the pipes!) The complete pipes and mufflers are made of sections from the Revell '48 Custom Coupe exhaust. The pipes were shortened and the shape tweaked where they go through the front legs of the X member and attach to the headers. Sections were removed between the hanger brackets just beyond the mufflers and tailpipes to move the pipes forward to where they would snake around the axle, spring and cross member. The only thing I didn't get to was cutting the tails down because the dinner bell was ringing. To make room for the mufflers I removed the short cross pieces from the center X member. Most of the time in the real world when these later X's are installed in early frames these pieces are left out anyway. Also, while I was at the back of the frame I cut off and smoothed out where those goofy raised axle locating tabs were. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Up front I tackled setting up the steering and shocks. For the steering I added a bracket to the top of the frame rail (something that was and is sometimes done in the real world.) This allows the steering gear to sit up and clear of the headers and also allows the steering pitman arm to hang down without getting fouled on the split wishbone. I also made a traditional hairpin style steering arm at the axle out of one of the front upper A-arms from the Revell '37 street rod kits. The pitman arm / drag link are from the old Monogram '30 Woody. The steering box is a modified Revell '40 Ford. The lever shocks are from the Ed Roth Tweedy Pie T. I did nothing to them other than insert some mounting pins and drilling corresponding holes in the frame. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki It's getting there. To wrap up the chassis setup I need to finish the tail pipes and install rear shocks then do an all around fine tuning and clean up.

Nice work on the lid, Tim! Gotta admit, I'm really surprised we haven't seen a string of these posted up by you yet. You were cranking them out left and right when the roadster kit hit the shelves.

Not to mention you can find multiple copies of the Monogram kit on Ebay any day of the week. Just bring money! This is what I did with mine a couple of years back. Hosted on Fotki I honestly don't have the desire to buy any more of this kit because I have no interest in a stock Model A and there's not any good kit bashing fodder in it so to me all the kit is good for is a body and maybe the frame. I'd rather stock up on the new Revell kit and have lots of hot rod parts to pilfer.

When I was about 7 years old (would have been in '87) my Dad unboxed, cleaned up and set out on display some model hot rods he had built in the 60's. I thought they were some of the neatest things I had ever seen so one weekend not long after he presented me with an AMT '63 Corvette kit and one of Testors basic "get started" sets of glue, paint and brushes. We did all of the necessary painting on a Saturday and did assembly on Sunday. He did a lot of the work but I definitely helped. From there I was hooked and continued to build model cars through my teens but boxed it all up as I moved on to other things full-time like real cars, beer and females. All of the sudden when I was 27 (would have been '07) I woke up one morning and had this burning desire to mess with models again. Got on-line and discovered the magazines had forums and was blown away by not only what people were doing but by how incredibly accessible the internet has made modeling. No more waiting 2 months for a magazine to arrive, now I could interact directly with the builders of the models I liked. From there I went on a kit buying spree, re accumulating every old hot rod kit I had known and loved. By early '08 the pile was about 60 kits thick so I decided it was time to have at it. It's funny, too, because my Dad is directly responsible for my interest in the hobby but he thinks it's silly and a waste of time (and money) that I started back in as an adult. He implies that building model cars is a kid thing. Ironically, when I expressed a short revival of interest in N-scale model railroading about two years back (and got my childhood 3x5 layout out and working again) he thought that was just great. That revival was short lived after I became aware of how stupid expensive model railroading has become!

Thanks, Glenn! The tall coupe show rod it started out to be was looking neat but then I started playing with bodies, the ideas started flowing and,,, here we are! Guys on here seemed to like it but what I didn't expect was to have some people bring that buried thread back to life asking about progress (obviously unaware of the change.) I was looking back at pictures of it and now I'm starting to think I should work up another chassis and get back on it, with some tweaks here and there. It's funny, when I look at the models I build now and then go look back and look at models I built in my first couple of years back into the hobby 7-8 years ago it's like looking at someone else's work. Which, to me, is a good thing! That purple '32 was actually the first model I built getting back into it after a near 10 year gap. It definitely has its flaws but I was pleased with the "look" I achieved with it, especially considering it's an AMT '32.

Thanks, Glenn! I haven't seen you comment on my models in a while, I thought maybe I offended you! LOL