K&R Kustoms+Rods "barn find" dry lakes belly tanker

[502]

This build is over the top, excellent work. 

[W-409]

This is an impressive build for sure! We don't see these Belly Tankers built too often, and this nice examples just make me want to build one even more. Fantastic work on the paint and detailing. There isn't much that hasn't been said already, but all I can say is Wow!

[gasser59]

My hat's off to you Rodney. You really rocked this build. I've always wanted to build a belly tanker for probably the same reasons as you - a lot of stuff crammed into a small space with tons of detail. I'm not so certain I want to try one now, I can just look at your pictures. Very well executed, nice use of non-model related parts to make your tank plus the dusty even patina is mesmerizing. Every thing on this build is so well done. Cheers mate.

[PatW]

Well done triple 'R' superb build and finish!

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Thanks again, y'all...I'm blushing!!! -RRR

[ChrisR]

Awesome!!

[DustyMojave]

I'm lovin' it! It came out very cool.

Belly Tanks still run at the lakes. The yellow car is the Kelly & Hall belly tank with yours truly in the driver seat for the pic (I suppose that shows that I'm fond of belly tanks). The white car is the Redi-Strip Special. These are modern belly tanks, but you've done a fine job of building a vintage style belly tank.

 

Just a note about the photos I posted in the "On The Workbench" of this build of Tom Beatty's belly tank. In the late 50s photos by my dad that I posted the lakes wheel covers were Moon discs, easily modeled by using Parkes salt discs. The original wheel covers were as shown in Tom's 1952 book about how to build a Belly Tank. That's the 3rd image below. Those "nipple" wheel covers were lids for wringer type washing machines.

[Michael Kröger]

I like it very much!
Something like this has been hanging out for years.
My respect for your achievement

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Thanks fore the additional pix Dusty, I gotta make it out to Speed Week one of these years... -RRR

[DustyMojave]

All of the pics I put up on this and the build thread are from El Mirage Dry Lake. The monthly events there from May through November except for August are run by the same people as the runs at Bonneville. SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) runs the events at El Mirage. The same folks run Bonneville Speed Weeks under the name BNI (Bonneville Nationals, Inc.). You can get info about their events at their web site:

http://www.scta-bni.org/

Last week was the last SCTA event of this year. I could see the dust as I passed by El Mirage on the way to another friend's home to drop off my son so they could take off for the Baja 1000 race. The friend and his truck worked as "Chase". My son was a co-driver in a 5-1600 Baja Bug with the friend's son. They took 2nd in class after having led for a few hundred miles. They lost a couple hours stuck in deep silt on the course and never recovered the lost time. That could be another thread maybe in the "Reference" section though.

 

Tom Beatty and my dad were old pals and Barney was their old boss after World War II. Dad drove Barney's track roadster, and they both worked in Barney's speed equipment shop. In the 50s Tom set up his own shop making blower drives, custom drive shafts, hot rodding customer cars and doing other such performance stuff.

[Dave Darby]

Nailed it. 

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Vey nicely done