'69 Roadrunner Stock Car Replica

[gasser59]

As a kid of 15 in a small southwest Iowa town, local stock car racing was all the rage. Through my older brother's girlfriend's dad Dale, I had the opportunity to hand-letter this race car and then watch it race on Friday nights at Shelby County Speedway, Iowa's fastest 1/4 mile oval on dirt. It had a 426 hemi from an engine builder in Chicago who build it for this very purpose for someone else and that deal fell through so Dale purchased it. In the end, I think it was over powered for this small track.

I've had the Johan Roadrunner kit for a number of years to build this and finally decided to take the plunge. I've already drawn up the decals and had them printed. I'm using the chassis, engine and interior tub from a GTX glue bomb. I'm using the GTX chassis because the Johan kit has molded in exhaust pipes and mufflers. I just can't do it.

Here's the two pictures I have for reference. I'm going to make a few minor changes during the build. Creative license, I guess. Stay tuned.

 

Edited January 6, 2020 by gasser59

[Snake45]

If your JoHan '69 body is in good shape, I'd replace it with a common AMT '68 RR or '69 GTX body. The JoHan body is much more accurate than the AMTs and it would be a shame to hack it up for this project. 

Of course, if it's in bad shape or already hacked up or something, might as well drive on and use it for something. 

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

If your JoHan '69 body is in good shape, I'd replace it with a common AMT '68 RR or '69 GTX body. The JoHan body is much more accurate than the AMTs and it would be a shame to hack it up for this project. 

Of course, if it's in bad shape or already hacked up or something, might as well drive on and use it for something. 

I have to agree.

This project could be easily done with one of the common AMT '69 GTX kits.

Seems like a waste of precious vintage plastic to hack up a good Johan kit, if that's the case, when a modern kit will suffice.

 

 

Steve

[Khils]

14 minutes ago, gasser59 said:

I've had the Johan Roadrunner kit for a number of years 

 

7 minutes ago, Snake45 said:

If your JoHan '69 body is in good shape, I'd replace it with a common AMT '68 RR or '69 GTX body

I have an available '68 Roadrunner body....PLZ!  reconsider!!

[gasser59]

8 minutes ago, Khils said:

I have an available '68 Roadrunner body....PLZ!  reconsider!!

Too late fellas, body modifications have been completed and the body is in primer.

Edited January 6, 2020 by gasser59

[Khils]

No one can say I didn't try!!

3 minutes ago, gasser59 said:

Too late Kevin, body modifications have already begun and the body is in primer.

 

[Snake45]

9 minutes ago, gasser59 said:

Too late fellas, body modifications have been completed and the body is in primer.

I shed a tear. 

[Bucky]

Ah, well....onward and upward!! Please continue to post pics of your progress. I helped a friend run a dirt track Chevelle a number of years ago. A lot of fun on a Saturday night!!

[W-409]

To be honest I much rather see a rare Jo-Han body actually used for something it was originally meant for (building) that just sitting on collector's stash. Especially as I know this will look fantastic when Brad is finished with it. The 1:1 car looks very good so can't wait to see pictures of the scale version.

 

[iamsuperdan]

6 hours ago, W-409 said:

To be honest I much rather see a rare Jo-Han body actually used for something it was originally meant for (building) that just sitting on collector's stash. 

 

100% agree.

I don't believe in the "it's rare, don't build it" arguement.

 

Looking forward to more. Although stock cars aren't my thing, I do like a good scratchbuild project!

[Khils]

6 hours ago, W-409 said:

To be honest I much rather see a rare Jo-Han body actually used 

 

3 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

I don't believe in the "it's rare, don't build it" arguement.

Easily said if you got one....not so if you need one....IMHO 

[StevenGuthmiller]

40 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

100% agree.

I don't believe in the "it's rare, don't build it" arguement.

 

Looking forward to more. Although stock cars aren't my thing, I do like a good scratchbuild project!

I don't believe any of us are saying "don't build it".

We are all modelers here.

It's just a little disconcerting to some of us when a relatively rare kit like this one is cut up to the point that the modifications are not reversible.

Once it's done in some cases, there is no going back, and there is no replacing it.

Especially in a case like this when the desired outcome could be achieved with new and plentiful bodies.

Some of us just look at these kits as a little piece of history, that especially in the case of Johan, will never return.

 

 

Steve

Edited January 9, 2020 by StevenGuthmiller

[Snake45]

10 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I don't believe any of us are saying "don't build it".

We are all modelers here.

It's just a little disconcerting to some of us when a relatively rare kit like this one is cut up to the point that the modifications are not reversible.

Once it's done in some cases, there is no going back, and there is no replacing it.

Especially in a case like this when the desired outcome could be achieved with new and plentiful bodies.

Some of us just look at these kits as a little piece of history, that especially in the case of Johan, will never return.

 

 

Steve

Steve, you said it perfectly. 

But hey, he just said the mods had already been done. Maybe he started with a body that was little more than junk anyway, or maybe he did the mods on the body before it became all that rare. 

That's what I like to think, anyway. 

[Oldschool4x4]

WOW.

[Plowboy]

It's Brad's model to build however he wants. JoHan '69 Road Runners aren't that rare or valuable. If they were, you wouldn't be able to find them on ebay at any given time. I'm sure there's still plenty of them being preserved. One more getting built will only make the others more valuable to collectors. 

[CapSat 6]

Brad- please post pics of this one as it progresses...it looks like it's gonna be one cool project!

Don't worry about the body- there are still plenty of these Jo Han bodies out there. They're not exactly cheap anymore, but they are still definitely findable.   

On the plus side- your build is going to look great. The shape of that body is much better than the later AMT '69 GTX's, in my opinion.

Edited January 9, 2020 by CapSat 6

[gasser59]

Thanks for all the comments fellas. I had purchased this kit from a friend a number of years ago. At that time, I had started on the body mods and realized I didn't like the kit chassis. Sometime later, I found a GTX glue bomb for a couple bucks and the chassis was going to fit perfectly. I had a number of other builds on the bench and inline at the moment so this one got shelved.

 

Now onto the actual build. I haven't done much to the GTX chassis except remove the rear end and leaf springs in an effort to stiffen them up a bit. I haven't stripped the paint yet, working on ride height at the moment. The GTX engine was in good shape so I decided to use it but had to remove the dual carb intake for a single one from the RR kit. Last night I got the engine wired up. I've also been working on making inner door panels out of styrene sheet. Man do these look rough in the photo.

Work continues.

[StevenGuthmiller]

4 hours ago, Snake45 said:

Steve, you said it perfectly. 

But hey, he just said the mods had already been done. Maybe he started with a body that was little more than junk anyway, or maybe he did the mods on the body before it became all that rare. 

That's what I like to think, anyway. 

He didn't say what condition the body was in originally, and I agree with the sentiments that it's his kit to do whatever he wants with.

I was just conveying the feelings of someone who's entire modeling world revolves around these old annual kits.

It is also correct that the Johan '69 Road Runner kit is not terribly rare.........yet.

There will never be any more produced, so every one that is irreversibly modified now, is one less that will be available to someone in the future to be resurrected in it's original form .

I sort of look at myself as some what of a care taker for a lot of these old kits.

They won't be mine forever, and I like to think that someone else in the future might be able to re-build them to their liking, and so on, and so on.

 

I apologize to Brad.

I won't opine on this subject on your thread any longer.

Carry on my friend!

 

 

Steve 

 

[gasser59]

No problem Steve or anyone else. I think its an interesting conversation and I understand all of the sides. However, I bought this kit with this intended purpose moons ago and I have plans for this once its done, just not sure on that yet.

[gasser59]

A bit more work done over the weekend. Got some weathering on the motor with Folk Art brand Licorice color. I still need to take off the power steering pump.

Also got the body painted white and then will make off the top and add the purple but its almost too cold to paint. Heating the paint can up first really helps. By putting it in my pants pocket for 15 to 20 minutes before applying sure makes a big difference.

[Mooneyzs]

Brad....this is going to be a great build and I am looking forward to following along. I can't wait to see this one come to life. I know you will do a Steller job on it. 

[gasser59]

Thanks so much Chris. I tried to put the driver's side decals on the other night and they just wouldn't release from the backing paper. I soaked them even longer and when they would release, they started to break apart. I had so e extras so I shot some clear on them and waited a day to put them on. When I did get them on, the clear backing film was cloudy so I soaked the entire body in tap water overnight to get them to release. Back to square one. I think the decals were too old and dried out because of the dry winter weather. I ordered another set and will apply them soon after getting them.

[Danno]

Looking great, Brad.  

[Mooneyzs]

You are welcome Brad.... I am excited to see this come together. On the Decal stuff.... Not sure if you tried hot water for them. I have been warming my decal water up in the microwave and I add a drop or 2 of Dawn in it and have had good results that way.

[gasser59]

21 minutes ago, Mooneyzs said:

Not sure if you tried hot water for them. I have been warming my decal water up in the microwave and I add a drop or 2 of Dawn in it and have had good results that way.

I'll have to try that on my next attempt. Thanks for the advice. What you currently working on? I miss following along with your builds.