Dennis Lacy

Thanks CB! Yeah, gotta love the colors prior to what seems a current standardation of white and gray plastic. Your right about the bed tarp. I will finish it and paint it and when the rest of the truck is finished I'll set it on there. Either it'll get tossed or glued down.

Here’s another rolling mock-up with the nearly completed front suspension and the extended PU bed rails. Once again, the wheels and tires are from Revell's '37 Ford pickup. Also visible is the bed cover that I’m contemplating using. It was made from the bed tarp in the Lindberg ‘34 pickup and has been narrowed and shortened. Not sure if I like it?

The font suspension is made up of the dropped (and now de-chromed) axle from Monogram’s ‘33 Ford 3-window street rod with the wheel spindles from Revell's '37 Ford pickup, the split-wishbone radius rods from Monogram’s ‘32 Ford roadster, a steering adaptor arm made from an independent suspension a-arm and the drag link and pitman arm (turned upside down) from the Revell model A chassis. The tierod will also be from the Monogram ‘33. I also made radius rod mounts on the frame using some scrap pieces. They are in the rough right now, still needing to be trimmed and shaped. Some other little things: the stock model T firewall and dashboard are installed and I adapted the stock model T radiator / shell to the model A frame by using the lower tank from the model A radiator.

UPDATE! Got some more done on the “gow jobâ€. The first picture shows the breakdown of the basic body components of the AMT ‘25 T pickup. In the foreground is the floor / sub frame assembly after having the fenders and running boards cut away. If you go back to my first post you can see that the platform the PU bed sits on only extends back about half the length of the bed. I didn’t like this so I decided to extend it the full length of the bed. I found some suitable pieces of plastic in the parts bin and first made some thin filler strips to make the sides of the existing platform one consistent thickness. Next, I made the extension pieces and followed up with a new cross piece to tie them together. The next two pictures show how the floor / sub frame assembly sits on the Revell model A frame and the cut-outs required to clear the rear cross member, both in the floor and PU bed floor. The next challenge was to find a way to mount and positively locate the floor / sub frame on the model A frame. I solved it by adding a rectangular strip of plastic (yellow) to the bottom of the floor. I then inserted some plastic pins and match-drilled the center cross member of the model A frame. Not only does this keep everything aligned and located, it also provides a big, discrete surface area for glueing at final assembly.

Taxdude: That you for the nice compliments! In regards to the exhaust: It was actually more common to see mufflers on a roadster than not and there were several dedicated suppliers of mufflers for the hot rod crowd. In quite a few cases a car might be set up so that it had straight pipes for dry lakes racing that could be capped and routed through a muffled system and tailpipes for street use. There were a handfull of cars that did run straight pipes or headers only on the streets and suffered continous harrassment from the law. The roadster I'm building is representative of a nice, street driven hot rod that would not "competatively" participate in dry lakes racing. To that end I used the muffler section from Revell's '32 Ford kits as they are representative of a typical glass-packed muffler, which is era correct.

Great looking truck and you definately made the right choice when you finished it shiney. Normally I don't care for 1:1 builds like this, but I've never seen one "finished". It makes all the difference in the world and all your period details make it even better. Love the Buick engine, they don't get nearly enough love. What kit did it come from?

Your little truck turned out awesome, Bernard. It is a quintissential rat rod!

Very cool! The color and black wheels with flipper caps go awesome together. The white and red parts are a great contrast too. Love the cheater slicks!

Bernard and Bryce: Thank you very much for the pictures of the AMT 21-stud engine! Both versions look great. Even without the aftermarket detail parts the engine builds up very nice. Now I'm definately gonna have to get me one. John: Thank you for your nice compliments. Comming from you, they mean a lot.

Really neat project you have going here! I also dig the 1:1. The rear shackles you constructed look awesome. It's little things like this that make a build so much funner to look at. It's gonna look really good rolling on those 12-spokes too! Keep us posted!

I've never been into Chevy trucks but there's been a few builds pop up around here lately that look really good and this one is no exception! Really neat word on the top chop and personally I think it still looks good with the bed rails. And since you asked I would make the hood flip forward too, but leave it looking stock otherwise. Question about the chassis: Did you have to do anything to the suspension to get the stance you have? Cause the stance is just killer!

Raul and Fletch: Thanks for the good info on the 21-stud. Wow, seperate exhaust manifolds from an old AMT tool, i'm impressed! Sounds like I need to get me a few of these cause a nice early flatty will for sure come in handy. Awbcrazy: The rear tires are actually slicks so I guess they're from an old dragster kit??? They have the old Firestone and Gum Dipped logos just like the real bias-plys do and they're tall and skinny so they're perfect for the era I'm building to. I would say they're more like a 7.50-16. Paul: Fenders are history. I showed how I did this in the 3rd post. It's looking like I'll have some updates this weekend everyone.

It's comming along, Fletch. When planning this out did you ever consider using the windshield area from the Revell '32 sedan kit so you can take advantage of the much nicer windshield frame?

Thank you, EVERYONE, for your very positive comments! This build has been a lot of fun and I'm sure it will continue to be. It always helps when your building what you love. Raul: I've seen your roadster build on your Fotki several times and like it a lot. It's very representative of what a nice street-going roadster would have looked like. I wasn't aware that the AMT '34 kits come with speed parts for the early 21-stud flathead. Those must be included in the stock versions of the cars. I have the street rod versions of both the sedan and coupe, neither of which includes any stock parts. Gonna have to get me the stock versions! Fletch: Thank you and I'm glad my postings could shed some light on your project. This forum is invalueable like that. Many times from reading postings on here my proverbial lightbulb has turned on, like with your '32 Victoria build for example!

Your truck project is comming together great, Bernard. It definately has an ALL BUSINESS look to it! Love the big blower loaded full of 2-barrels. I just hope that little radiator will keep it cool!

Bernard: Thank you very much for your compliments. If you notice it was your roadster builds that got me motivated to move this project up. I only got back into building last year (after 10 years off!) and was going to save this project for later, once I honed my skills some more. But, so far I'm very pleased with my efforts. I'm looking forward to seeing your roadsters finished too! Your suggestion in regards to the radiator shell and P/E grill insert is a good one. I've never worked with aftermarket resin parts or P/E. In the two builds I completed last year I flowed thinned black paint between the grill bars and it looked pretty good. I was planning to modify the '29 radiator to work with the flathead. Hmm... Jody: Thanks! It's always the little things! CB: Thank you! I never anticipated a reply with a pink smiley with hearts, haha. It's all good, I'm glad he likes it so much! Yeah, the 'hot rod' moniker actually started out as a negative label put on by the public and media describing some of the less than desirable antics by some of the young guys with their modifid cars. Then the term became so common-place it stuck and ultimately became 'the word' (and a magazine!)

And now for one of the most exciting moments in a build, the first mock-up on all 4 wheels! Speaking of wheels, they come from Revell's '48 convertible. The front tires AMT Firestones that can be found in just about all of their early Ford hotrod kits. The rear tires are some taller Firestones and I have no idea where they're from. I found two pair of them amongst my dad's old models and parts he's had since the '60's. The windshield will lean back a little more when final installed. It would not stay 'sitting' in position. Also notice that the car is not drastically lowered as even when lowered back in the day the cars were generally not slammed to the ground. With the custom hood and '32 shell removed the engine fit can be seen. The intake manifold started as the 3-carburetor piece found in Revell's '48 convertible. The front carb riser was removed essentially converting the intake to a 2-carb street manifold which will allow the generator to be mounted in its stock, centered position. This was a necessity in order to use a full hood as the offset-mounted generator from the Revell '40 kits interfered. This will also allow the use of the stock pulleys and mechanical fan from the '48 kit. Also shown is the Revell model A steering gear and column installed, which the header from the Revell '40 kits fit around perfectly. That's where I'm at as of now, more to come soon!

When converting the AMT '29 Roadster to a fenderless hotrod using the kit body and frame, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome is what to do about the floor as the kit floor and fenders are moulded as one big unit. After much thought and planning, the fenders and running boards were carved away leaving only the floor section. After thorough cleanup, the floor was then permanently installed into the body and the seams at the bottoms of the wheel wells blended. After this operation, there is a gap on either side of the center floor. I have not decided what to do about this... yet. The roadster kit provides two firewalls. The stock piece and a custom piece for use with the kits optional early Dodge Hemi engine. I chose to use the custom firewall as its shape and reliefs accomodate the shape of the flathead V8 nicely, providing clearance in all the right places as if it were intentional. The use of a '32 Ford radiator shell on a model A was a widely popular way to update and some would say 'improve' the looks of '31 and older Ford vehicles. This shell and insert come from the Revell '32 roadster. It was also very common to have a custom-made hood. I cut away the stock '29 hood sides leaving the top then sanded away the center hinge seam giving it the appearance of a 1-piece top. The sides were made by cutting down the louvered sides also found in Revell's '32 roadster kit. Another appearance 'must' on a hot rod roadster is shorten or 'chop' the windsield down to a shorter height for a more aggressive look. I chopped the stock windshield 3/16". The posts flare out as they continue upward and after removing the sections the top piece was too long. I put a curve to it which shortened it the correct amount and the curve matches the curve of the bottom of the frame. I also trimmed the dashboard from Monogram's '32 roadster kit to fit as it has period correct gauge detail and retro-fitting a '32 dash in a model A has a always been popular. More to come...

The dual exhaust system for my roadster is made from sections of the exhaust systems found in the Revell '32 and '37 kits. Each section was joined by drilling the ends of the 'pipes' and pinning them together with some small diameter plastic rod and bonded using Zap A Gap. The engines headers are from Revell's '40 coupe / convertible and have had the chrome stripped. More to come...

My favorite era of hot rodding is the immeadiate post-war, 1946-1948 and the roadsters that were built and raced in Southern California during those years. As such, that is the era the inspiritation for this build comes from. I would also like to say that I had the rough sketch in my head and had planned to tackle the build farther down the line, but it was MCM member 'GBK1' and his pair of traditional roadster builds that got me to move this project up to the front burner. The starting point for this project is AMT's '29 Roadster and my intention is to transform it into the quintissential post-war SoCal hotrod. It will be built as a fenderless A-V8, which is a model A Ford body and chassis retro-fitted with a V8 engine. In these first two pictures the modified AMT frame is shown next to an un-modified frame (red) for reference. AMT gives you the option of using the stock center crossmember or what loosely resembles a modified '32 Ford center crossmember without it's forward diagonal braces. Retro-fitting the '32 center crossmember was and is one of the most popular ways to mount a V8 engine and trans in a model A frame so I used the '32-style piece and added diagonal braces made from the front sections of the center x-member pieces found in the line of Revell '37 Fords. The flange running the length of the rear of the front crossmember was removed and engine mount brackets were made by cutting up the original model A center crossmember giving the appearance that heavy c-channel was used. The brackets attached to the outside of the frame rails were carved out of some parts box license plate brackets and are where the split-wishbone radius rods attach. The headlight brackets were made from sections of the roadsters stock rear bumper bracket. The pin extending through the drivers-side rail mounts the steering gear and pitman arm from one of Revell's model A kits. AMT also moulded-on the stock front and rear lever shocks, they were removed. This close-up shows the modified front crossmember and engine mount brackets carved out of the roadster kits un-used, stock center crossmember. Waste not! The basis for the front suspension is the dropped axle from Revell's 1940 coupe / convertible. The model A spring from a stock Revell front axle was used. A side-steering adaptor (the small blue piece) was also fashioned from one of the upper a-arms from the independant front suspension found in Revell's '37 Ford kits. The split wishbones (not shown) were made from the stock front wishbone from an AMT '32 Ford Vicky kit. The tierod will be from the '40 kit, and the steering gear, pitman arm, draglink and shocks will be from the Revell model A's. The '40 kit drum brake plates will be used. The rear axle and spring are from the roadster kit. The spring was de-arched as much as possible to lower the rear stance. Using the stock, un-dropped front axle from a Revell '40 kit, the wheel spindles were cut away and installed. Like the front, the '40 kit drum brake plates will be used as well as Revell model A shocks. The Flathead V8 engine and trans come from Revell's '40 kits. The back of the trans was modified with a correct-looking u-joint cap for the torque tube drive. This piece was cut off of the roadster kits stock 4-cylinders engine/trans. These next two pictures show the engine and rear axle assembly mocked up in the frame. More to come...

Back in the 1930's the term 'hot rod' had not been thought of yet. Modified cars were referred to as 'soup jobs' or 'gow jobs'. The Ford in-line 4 cylinder engines remained the hop up engine of choice thru the '30's as well. It wasn't until the 1940's (especially after WWII) the Ford flathead V8 would dominate the hot rodding world. With all that said, the inspiration for this project comes from the pre-war era and will only use parts available from that time. This 1930's gow job is the culmination of combining AMT's '25 roadster pickup body and one of Revell's model A chassis. The front suspension is based off the dropped axle from Monogram's '33 3-window adapted with the spindles, wheels and tires from Revell's '37 pickup. I'm still working out the rest of the suspension and steering. The rear axle, wheels and tires also come from the '37 pickup but has been reworked so that the spring is mounted ahead of the axle. The spring was replaced with a model A piece. The chassis mocked up shows that the wheel-base has been extended with the re-worked rear axle. This made it possible to leave the radius rods full length. Only a short section needed to be removed from the torque tube so that it would mate to the Revell model A engine. No frame modificatons will be necessary . To make the body look correct in fenderless form, the fenders needed to be cut away leaving only the floor and sub-rail section for the pickup box to mount on. For propper proportion with the extended wheelbase, the truck will use the tall, stock windshield and top. It will also use the '25 T radiator shell and headlights. More to come soon...

Terrific job re-working the body! The dimensions look right-on. With the full-fenders and chrome wire wheels, it looks very classy. Can't want to see it in paint. What are you going to use for interior panels and seats?

This has to be one of the neatest '34 PU builds I've ever seen. The parts selection is excellent and the proportions are spot-on! I don't know if I'd catagorize this truck as a rat-rod. It would be right at home in the whole Kulture community but at the same time looks more mature as it isn't clad with all the usual rat-rod B.S. like skulls and iron crosses and ###### for the sake of ######. The track nose is my favorite part - the shape is perfect. Please show some shots of the chassis!

This is a neat concept Bernard, and you're off to a great start. It's nice to see another Parts Pak Caddy put to use too! And Raul is correct, that front axle and spring is from the first issue of Monogram's '37 Ford Sedan.

For several years now a Southern California-based hot rod shop, Hollywood Hotrods, has been building a 1:1 replica of Monogram's old Black Widow - a 1927 Ford Roadster PU. The finished truck is going to be on display at this years Grand National Roadster Show, held in Pomona Ca on Jan. 24 - 25. While perusing the H.A.M.B. hotrod message board tonight I came across a thread with teaser photos of the nearly finished truck. I thought you all would get a kick out of this as I'm sure there's many on this board that remember building this kit back in the day (I'm not one of them as I didn't come along till '79.) Link: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=324764