K&R Kustoms+Rods belly tanker update: 8/12/17

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

This is looking fantastic Rodney and like Bernard said earlier, not many people get a belly tanker right!  I am very much looking forward to your finished project. 

Looking at that unidentified dash you spoke off, I am fairly certain it is from the AMT Grant King sprint car or its derivatives.  The big switch between the two gauges is the clue. That sprint car steering box is from the same kit.

I produced a vacform for one years ago but never did get it finished - one day! The images that you and Dennis have posted are inspiring me to get back onto mine!

By the way Dennis, that slightly funky car you referred to looks to me  to be a replica of the very first tank, the one Bill Burke built as a front engine car before he started on his rear engined versions.

 

Here's how far I got before I got distracted!

Alan, that's way kool, drag it out and get it back on the bench!!! -RRR

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nice work. Not a subject that we see built often. Looking forward to seeing more.

[Art Laski]

I am really impressed with the fabrication work you've done on this one. Can't wait to see it get painted up!

[DustyMojave]

Sweet subject. The 1st race car I ever sat in was Tom Beatty's belly tank back in the 1950s. Here's a pic of that car taken by my dad at El Mirage. For the last 29 years I've lived where I can see the hills around El Mirage from my home.

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Very kool, thanks for posting the pix, Dusty... -RRR

[DustyMojave]

Tom is the slender guy, the other guy shown is "Fat Eddie". Nice guy, Eddie used to always put a nickle in the shop soda machine for me to pick out a soda from. Old "chest" style vending machine you put in a nickle (yup...5 cents) and pulled the cap end of the 10oz. bottle you wanted.

Toms car was the 1st car to break 180mph at El Mirage, and the 1st to break 200mph. Running used wrecking yard flathead engines.

That 40 Ford Sedan Delivery to tow it and push start it was no slouch either. He had 2. Both eventually got blown olds Rocket engines. Tom and Eddie were at Bonneville working on the belly tank, when Art Arfons came up and asked them to push start his Allison aircraft engined "Green Monster" Land Speed Record car (the car before they went to jet engines). Art and his brother had been trying with their pickup and couldn't get the Monster going fast enough to fire. So Tom and Eddie jumped into the 40 Ford, loaded with 2 spare engines, a roll-away tool box, all sorts of spare bits and pieces and tires and what not, and proceeded to push the  Monster down the black line of the course. The Monster never did get going, But Tom pushed it through the lights still trying. That set an unofficial speed record for a production Utility vehicle that may still stand. I know that in the 1990s, GM engineers tried to beat that speed with their Syclone supercharged S15 GMC. All of GM's money and technology and they came up about 10mph short of Tom's speed heavily loaded and pushing a huge land speed record car with a huge aircraft engine IN GEAR!

Then for about 25 years or more, Tom rented a shop from my best friends and after he passed away, that shop was where I worked out of.

Congrats on getting the king pin angle right on your front axle. Most model builders would just make the king pin straight up and down. But then the steering isn't right. It should be about 10° as you did there.

Edited August 18, 2017 by DustyMojave

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Finished it: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/125698-kr-kustomsrods-barn-find-dry-lakes-belly-tanker/

[misterNNL]

Great model and background historical photographs in black and white.Neat stuff all around.