The Elvis Roadster. John Athan's '29 A

[Richard Bartrop]

I'm waiting on some parts for the other roadster, so I thought I'd start on this one.

I've wanted to do John Athan's roadster for a while, not because of the Elvis connection, but because it's a survivor from the earliest days of hot rodding.   Some claim it was the first time anyone put a model A body on a '32 frame.

I got AMT's '29 roadster to use as the starting point, because the body was still in a stock configuration, and the latest version also came with a Deuce grille.  The original plan was to use the frame and running gear from the Lindberg '34 Pickup, but the '32 frame left over from the Revell '29 Roadster was so much nicer.  The Revell custom '48 Ford I bought for parts had a dropped front axle with the pring mounted in front that was almost identical to what was on the Athan roadster, and the rear axle was also a very close match.  Revell's '40 Ford coupe supplied the engine.

The frame did require some mods.  The rear crossmember for the the '48 frame located the rear axle just where it's supposed to be.  and I scratched up a stock looking K-member and some motor mounts from sheet styrene.  I also added some styrene to smooth out the step in he back.  I was planning t use the wire wheels from the Lindberg '34 pickup, but I am very tempted to get a set of Billingsgate's excellent 3D printed Kelsy-Hayes wires.

[1930fordpickup]

Richard this is looking very nice so far. I say get the printed rims, I did get some and they are incredible as you say. With the price of shipping you should get 2 sets. LOL 

[afx]

Chassis looks great Richard.  I'll be following. 

[El Caballo]

A-Body on '32-rails, always a great combination.

[Dave Darby]

15 hours ago, 1930fordpickup said:

Richard this is looking very nice so far. I say get the printed rims, I did get some and they are incredible as you say. With the price of shipping you should get 2 sets. LOL 

Where do you get them?

[1930fordpickup]

52 minutes ago, Dave Darby said:

Where do you get them?

Just look through this thread Dave. These are not mine design just passing along a fine piece of work to others. 

[Mr. Metallic]

I definitely dig this one, so I'll be following.

How do you plan to handle the windshield?

[Richard Bartrop]

2 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

How do you plan to handle the windshield?

I have some sheets of clear styrene, so I'm thinking maybe a sandwich of that, and a thin styrene frame, and then putting a slight curve in it.  Either that, or cheating a little, and do the early version without the windshield.

 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Richard Bartrop

[Modelbuilder Mark]

Oh yeah,  following. 

[Richard Bartrop]

Some more progress on this one.  Revell's '48 Ford Custom coupe supplied the steering box and associated linkages, though the steering column will be replaced by a piece of polished aluminum tube.  Revell's '29 ford pickup supplied a nicely moulded set of Houdaille shocks for the front, while the tube shocks and brackets in the rear were scratchbuilt from styrene stock.  The original split wishbones up front were too short, and will be redone,  and some holes still need to be filled, but the chassis is almost ready for paint.

[Spex84]

Cool. A beautiful car, and it looks like you've made a very solid start in replicating it in scale!

I feel the windshield is one of the most distinctive features of the car, so I'd be impressed if you found a way to add that detail. It's a tricky piece though!