alan barton Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 Hi guys, I was having a big clean-up the other day and stumbled on some papers and photos from a big project ( for me) that I built way back in 2010. It has a lot of great memories for me, and you will see why. Here in Australia we have something known as Long Service Leave. Depending on where you work, once you have completed between ten and fifteen years of service you can take three months vacation at full pay - yes, it is a wonderful concept that every working man in every other country in the world is jealous of. My wife and I planned a mega-road trip around the USA and Canada. We planned to go wherever the road took us and stop wherever we felt like and I can tell you it was easily the best holiday we ever had. In that three months we took in numerous museums including American Museum of Speed in Lincoln Nebraska (simply the best!) the 50th anniversary Knoxville Nationals sprintcar race, Hot August Nights, Pleasanton Goodguys Street Rod Nationals, Bonneville, Bakersfiled Hot Rod Re-union and countless other sights. And towards the end of our trip was the NNL Nationals in Toledo Ohio. Of course, I had to bring some models and the first thing I did was check the theme. Ya kidding me! Motorcycles - two or three wheeled. No way. I don't do motorcycles. I have an intense distrust of any vehicle that falls over if you don't stick your leg out. I rode one once for, say, 200yards and that was enough for me. I know lots of you love them and that is cool but I just never got the motorcycling gene. ( oh yeah, and the year before the NNL Nationals theme was hot rods - if it wasn't for bad luck I would have no luck at all!) But I do love dirt track racing and here in Australia back in the 1920s we invented a class that until a relatively short time ago was unique to Australia. Most people would say that only Australians are crazy enough to ride them and they are probably right. However when I googled it you do have them in the USA these days. Calling them a motorcycle is a bit of a stretch. They do have a motorcycle engine and front wheel but it gets a bit blurry after that. I have put this model in the racing section rather than the motorcycle section because I really do feel it is a better fit here - the moderators decision may vary! So we are talking a three wheeled racer with a 750cc or more engine, cantilever front forks and a savagely slanted third wheel. The passenger, also known as the monkey or the chair, positions himself on the bike to aid in handling - put another way, sidecar passengers have one of the highest fatality rates of all aspects of motor racing! Oh, just one more thing, this three wheels monster has NO BRAKES - none, zip, nada! Now there has never been anything approaching a sidecar model kit and I have only ever seen one other model built and that is in my collection ( not built by me). Not to say they don't exist but they are rare. So follow along on my modelling odyssey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 These machines have three main fairings that help in downforce so my first step was to fabricate them. I had collected photos from local speedway events but had no dimensions to go by so I eyeballed the layout using 1/25th scale diecast rims from a Rough Rider brand diecast off road bike. After making some cardboard templates I carved these wooden forms, one for the main body fairing, one for the handlebar spoiler and one for the sidecar fairing. I vacformed these on the 18th July 2010here in Perth but we were flying on the 2Oth of July ( I might have left it just a tad late) so I packed an assortment of parts and tools in a small instrument case and figured I could build it on the road. How hard could it be? The photos show the wooden moulds I carved. The main body needed some filler as well as a strip of wire bent over the rear wheel housing to form a little ducktail spolier. And yes, it is hard to make any sense of these shapes until the whole model is finished! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 We flew into British Columbia on the 21st July 2010 to meet up with friends and purchase a vehicle. We got a Plymouth Voyager minivan that we christened the Silver Bullet. Now Tom Geiger is the only guy I have ever known to build a model of one of these things but I have to say, this $1200 soccer mom express was perfect for the job and we put over 30,000 kms on the clock over the next three months. At times it would also become my new hobby bench! We did a lot of sightseeing in B.C. before heading south to Reno for Hot August Nights. Had an amazing time there and then headed east for the Knoxville Nationals. Before you know it, a month had passed so I figured I had better get started on this model if I was going to have something for the theme table! Here I am on August 19th 2010 on a picnic table in a Salt Lake City KOA campground, hatching a plan as to how I was going to get this thing done! That's the Silver Bullet in the background. The model box is an Airfix MotoGP kit. I bought two to get the riders and it also came in handy for the handlebars and some other details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 (edited) By August 23rd we were back in Vegas. We heard an advert for the grand opening of Hobby Habit on the edge of the city so headed over there to get paint. We headed onwards to California and stopped for the night in San Bernadino. In a Motel 6 that night, I trimmed up the body panels and started contorting the riders into their new positions. This was easily the hardest part of the construction but was absolutely critical to the impact of the model. It might look like they are falling over but they are actually hanging off the sidecar, or outfit as they are sometimes called here in Oz. Edited February 18, 2022 by alan barton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 On August the 26th, at the Fairplex Sheraton, we had an amazing room, a suite actually, thanks to a truly girl at the front desk. I got the body and engine fitted to the floorpan, which started as a flat piece of styrene. I had also started to assemble a variety of pieces of plastic and model parts to create the unique cantilever leading front end. This design came about in the eighties ( I think) and revolutionised the handling of these outfits. Previously they resembled normal forks. I also got the rear end assembly fitted. This was pretty much a guess as the technical details on a real outfit are completely hidden by the body. After looking around LA including the Petersen and NHRA Museums we headed north to Pleasanton for the Goodguys show. Caught up with Roy Sorensen, Mike Carroll and my late great mate, Stan Pinninck. On the one night that we weren't out partying with the guys from the model hall, I finalised the trimming of all the body panels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 (edited) On the second of September we spent the night in the neat town of Coos Bay - they have the best antique malls there and I found a few treasures. That night in a Super 8 Motel, about $2 better value than a Motel 6 I got this mockup done where the figures were finally "riding" the sidecar. There was still a long way to go. After another week of travel we arrived back at our halfway house, the beautiful home of our friends in Blind Bay, B.C. While my wife and her friend Linda were out looking at quilt shops, I fabricated the front of the frame from Evergreen and flat styrene. By now it was September 16. The forks were now finalised except for the spring arrangement, We had been looking for suitable items in craft shops but had drawn a blank at this time. Edited February 18, 2022 by alan barton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 On September 16 we dropped in on my friend Vern (Calgary, Alberta) who builds stunning replicas of altereds and gassers. I showed him my project and he pulled out a box of springs - turned out that the springs of Schroeder valves from a car tyre were exactly what I needed. We used his tools to separate them and cut them down to size - and I was back in business! From Calgary we drove to Creston in British Columbia to visit another quilting buddy of my wife. Unfortunately, the first night we were there, Sept 19, the lady's husband fell ill and she drove him to hospital. We decided to stay with her for a few days, to look after the house, keep her company and just be there for her. I got the handlebars finished and the bar work shaped up around the front for the passenger to grab hold of. My wife's friend gave me some talc powder which I used with superglue to contour the radically chopped up MotoGP riders to suit the sidecar. Things were taking shape on her kitchen counter. While walking through the garden my wife took a photo of me through the window - it's got a nice feel, I reckon. Sadly, the lady's husband did not recover from his illness and passed away some weeks later but at least we were able to ease her worries for the short time we were with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted February 18, 2022 Author Share Posted February 18, 2022 Soon we were back in the good ol' U.S.A. We spent the night of September 25th in Fort Collins Colorado and picked up more paint and a small brush from Hobby Town. Each night I would keep sanding down all the parts of the bike and the figures. We then continued east to Lincoln Nebraska so that I could visit the simply amazing Speedway Motors American Museum of Speed. Guys, this place is simply beyond belief. Three storeys of the cars you read about when you were kids. A toy, model and pedal car display to die for. Display quality to blow your mind. Now Lincoln is very nearly the geographic centre of the USA so no matter where you live, make a point of going to see it! I have visited at least fifty museums in the USA and Canada and this is my favourite by far - you can only understand what I am trying to say if you go there. Trust me! After nearly two days at the museum, with my beautiful wife taking over 1500 research photos for me, we spent a night in yet another not-so-Super 8. I took advantage of an empty parking lot at the motel (28th September) to primer all the parts that I attached to drinking straws and a coffee cup that I liberated from the breakfast area. Somewhere in the next few days I also spray painted the body parts blue and then carefully wedged them in the luggage in the back window of the Silver Bullet so that they could dry in the warmth of the fall sun as we drove. By now we figured we were close enough to Louisville that we should continue east and drop in and visit my great mate Dale, a die hard Ford fanatic, model and toy collector and builder of fine models as well. I met him on my first ever trip to the USA in 1992 and we have kept in touch for thirty years this year! He loves Falcons which are not at the top of the food chain in the USA but they sure are in Australia so we have spent thirty years swapping Falcon toys, models and memorabilia for hot rod toys and models. Neither of us would have the collections we have if not for a chance meeting through another pen pal of mine. Good times. By now it was October 3rd but Dale has a well setup modelling bench so I was able to put the finishing touches to the sidecar. Some very unique Aussie decals that I brought with me disintegrated upon dipping them in water so Dale dug through his stash and we found something appropriate. We mixed up some muddy colours to represent the dirt that is sprayed onto the competitors and also used paint to imitate the cloth caps that they pull over their helmets to help identify them on the track. We then carefully packed it up, being careful not to let any packaging contact the still fresh paint and then drove north to Sylvania Ohio for the 31st Toledo NNL Nationals on Saturday October 9 2010. I proudly displayed it with my little kangaroo that has travelled with us so many times. I also used some photos to help illustrate what the real machines are liked. In summary, I built the sidecar over 80 Days, travelling 20,000 miles ( give or take a mile) and worked on it in 3 countries, 18 states and two provinces. It is one heck of a souvenir of the trip of a lifetime! I hope you enjoyed my Modelling Odyssey 2010. Cheers Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gramps46 Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 Wow double wow! Thank you for sharing your adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowlife ! ! Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 Really interesting story Alan, can't imagine building something like this at home at my bench let alone building it on the road ! Your trip sounded amazing, you have a very understanding wife by the sound of it ! Great little model, looks dangerous as hell to ride but a great reminder of your trip for sure ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 That is way cool ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.