Lil' John Buttera's 29 Hiboy

[alan barton]

Well, folks, here it is at last. My interpretation of the trend- setting, mould breaking Lil' John Buttera smoothie 29 hiboy.  I have been working on and off on this project for at least 4 years, taking it with me to remote minesites in the Australian outback, nibbling away at first one part, then another.  Until I started painting it, earlier this year, almost the entire construction took place inside typically 6x 10 foot "donga's " - the pre-fabbed sleeping accommodation used on minesites.

My favourite part, my most significant achievement on this model, in my opinion, is the belly pan and rollpan, ironically the parts not many people see on the shelf! I love the look and feel it is one of the most accurate bits of fab work I have done to date.

After finally getting it all buttoned up, I am disappointed with the three piece hood, especially the fit of the hood itself and there is a good chance that now that the body is firmly attached to the frame, I might build a new hood altogether.  At least I won't be chasing moving targets if I do.

I chose to use Hurricanes on the left hand side of the car because that is what Lil' used on his first version.  The Centrelines on the other side, chosen because they were a typical billet era wheel, aren't quite what I was after - I may try brushing some flat clear over them to see if that gives a better billet look - thing is, I am addicted to shiny!

I'm also very happy with the interior.  That seat was chopped up from the custom back seat of the AMT 57 Fairlane and is a neat press fit into the car.

There is a build thread in WIP for those who missed it earlier.

Comments and criticisms very welcome!

Cheers

Alan

[alan barton]

Wow, does our summer sun ever show up the dust!!!  I didn't think this thing had even had time to get dusty.  Dohhh!

[ChrisR]

Very nice!

[Zippi]

Nice looking Hiboy Alan.  My wife gave me one of her Very soft facual brushes that she uses (an excuse to buy a new one I guess) and I use that to brush off the dust before I take pics.  I think our models are dust magnets because by the time I take pics I see dust again.  Once again....good looking Hiboy and nice color.  

[cobraman]

Good looking hot rod.

[espo]

Beautiful looking build. I agree with you on the belly pan, this should be displayed parked on a mirror. 

[happy grumpy]

Beautiful, The white and blue make it pop in the sunlight. well done.

[mrm]

Very cool. I love the front suspension setup. You don’t see that very often. 

[Muncie]

Hey Alan, very nicely done, and the redo even better.  It can be very difficult to make a car look as simple as this.  I can remember seeing both of the Model A's that Corno owned at car shows in Portland.  There was nothing like them.  The cars were well done, and the craftsmanship was outstanding.  They were very striking and got a lot of attention.  Your replica captures the feelings that I remember.

[alan barton]

Thanks everyone, for the compliments.  it is gratifying to see people like the same things that you do.

Thanks Steve, that means a lot as this is one of the legendary cars that I have yet to see in person. 

Bob, believe it or not I have one f those brushes for that purpose.  I really thought the car was clean - it wasn't until I posted these photos that I realised just how much dust had gathered in such a short time.  I think I will try again, maybe on a cloudy day!

David, you might have something there - I have some small mirrors that might do the trick nicely.

Michael, that front end was easily the hardest part to build on the car.  I am 90% happy with it - the right hand coilover has a a bit of a twist to it and I wish now that I had attempted the Panhard bar but I did get it low and level and that is the biggest part of the challenge!

This car is a part of a series of significant Model A roadsters that I have been building for decades now.  My next big , probably long term project, will be the Dick Flint roadster but I have some serious carving to do first before I can create a mould for the Indy style nose.

Here's a few more photos for the Model A hiboy fans.  I thought the Brian Brennan / John Buttera photo makes for a nice pair of bookends - the earliest style of AV8 next to the latest style of AV8.

Cheers

Alan

P.S., I'm definitely going to make a new hood!

 

 

[PappyD340]

Very nice!

[NOBLNG]

Excellent builds, all of them!?

[tim boyd]

Alan....congrats on finishing this one. 

I agree...the roll pan and belly pan are real achievements, too.  The front suspension work is outstanding, too.  And I noticed the right-hand drive conversions too. 

Your overall "A-Rod" collection is coming together really well. 

I find it amazing that you are able to make progress on your projects given your work/travel requirements....I did this myself to some degree a few years back around the early 1980's and for those of you who have not experienced this, it can be a real challenge.  

Best!  TIM

[Koellefornia Kid]

Awesome build! I really like the white and blue colour combo! I used a similar combo on my ´56 T-Bird earlier this year, just great colours for hot-rodded Ford!

[alan barton]

On 12/15/2021 at 11:15 PM, tim boyd said:

Alan....congrats on finishing this one. 

I agree...the roll pan and belly pan are real achievements, too.  The front suspension work is outstanding, too.  And I noticed the right-hand drive conversions too. 

Your overall "A-Rod" collection is coming together really well. 

I find it amazing that you are able to make progress on your projects given your work/travel requirements....I did this myself to some degree a few years back around the early 1980's and for those of you who have not experienced this, it can be a real challenge.  

Best!  TIM

Thanks Tim, your comments always mean a lot to me.  Yes, working away does bring its challenges but the minesites that I visit are in very remote locations where there is little else to do and often very patchy and low quality TV so it seems a waste of good modelling time not to try SOMETHING! Mostly I do cut-n- shut fab work as it requires a small selection of tools and a small collection of parts.  It also means that lighting is not as critical as when you are doing assembly or trying to wire an engine for example. I work twelve hour shifts so it is a solid 24 hours before you get back to something that you glued or puttied which gives things time to get nicely set.

Of course, as I am days away form retirement these things won't be an issue anymore!

On 12/16/2021 at 1:57 AM, Koellefornia Kid said:

Awesome build! I really like the white and blue colour combo! I used a similar combo on my ´56 T-Bird earlier this year, just great colours for hot-rodded Ford!

Thank you Oliver.  I'm glad you liked the colours I chose.  They are not authentic to the real car but neither the maroon nor the slate grey interiors I saw in reference photos did anything for me. I really think the blue works well, especially with the blue engine to match it.

Cheers

Alan

[bill-e-boy]

A great job Alan - on my wish list to do some day

I like you burnt Ozzy grass for your phot shoots. Also makes a difference seeing right hook hot rod too as most kit builders down this end of the world , me included, leave them LHD

 

[alan barton]

Thanks Bill, Yeah, it's just a thing I do!  My signature I guess.  I started doing it about twenty five years ago on a regular basis but as a teenager I did it to all my rods, the only difference now being that I do it to everything except specifically US race cars.  However, when I have to convert dashboards of the fifties and sixties cars I question the sanity of this idea!

Cheers

Alan

[Phildaupho]

WOW Fantastically well built especially the belly pan !! 

[Olskoolrodder]

Great looking builds (all of em)!  

[slusher]

Sweet and clean build!

[alan barton]

Thank you Phil, thank you Stephen, thank you Carl.  It is nice to get so many positive responses - the fifties retro/rat rod scene is so dominant these days I was not sure if anyone would be into a late seventies build like this one.  Variety is the spice of life!

Cheers

Alan

[Jim B]

Looks awesome. 

[Claude Thibodeau]

Hi Alan!

Very very nice, and in line with the original, bravo! 

You are rightfully proud of your belly-pan: it is precise, and looks the part. Even the gaps around the exhaust tips are even! Speaks volumer!

CT