Race of Gentlemen presents... California Drag Racing 2023 Build Thread

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Here's my entry....I started with the olde Revell parts pack T frame available now as part of the Mooneyes dragster from Atlantis Models. The flathead is from the Revell '40 Ford. Wheels are from the AMT '36 Ford coupe. Other bits and pieces from the parts box. Weathering is a combination of a flat black wash (parts that weren't already black), Rust-All and a dusting of Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders (available from Micro-Mark). I haven't done any weathering for a bit, so it was fun to get back into that again.... This is more based on the beach racing done in Wildwood, NJ as opposed to the asphalt racing done in Cali. 

KK dubbed this 'The Sand Flee'

Thanks for looking.... -RRR

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Rocking Rodney Rat

[Bernard Kron]

7 minutes ago, Rocking Rodney Rat said:

Here's my entry... This is more based on the beach racing done in Wildwood, NJ as opposed to the asphalt racing done in Cali. 

Thanks for looking.... -RRR

Nicely done!

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

1 minute ago, Bernard Kron said:

Nicely done!

Thanks, B!!! -RRR

[Phildaupho]

49 minutes ago, Rocking Rodney Rat said:

Here's my entry....I started with the olde Revell parts pack T frame available now as part of the Mooneyes dragster from Atlantis Models. The flathead is from the Revell '40 Ford. Wheels are from the AMT '36 Ford coupe. Other bits and pieces from the parts box. Weathering is a combination of a flat black wash (parts that weren't already black), Rust-All and a dusting of Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders (available from Micro-Mark). I haven't done any weathering for a bit, so it was fun to get back into that again.... This is more based on the beach racing done in Wildwood, NJ as opposed to the asphalt racing done in Cali. 

KK dubbed this 'The Sand Flee'

Thanks for looking.... -RRR

Very cool vintage sand dragster

[Calb56]

1 hour ago, Rocking Rodney Rat said:

Here's my entry....I started with the olde Revell parts pack T frame available now as part of the Mooneyes dragster from Atlantis Models. The flathead is from the Revell '40 Ford. Wheels are from the AMT '36 Ford coupe. Other bits and pieces from the parts box. Weathering is a combination of a flat black wash (parts that weren't already black), Rust-All and a dusting of Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders (available from Micro-Mark). I haven't done any weathering for a bit, so it was fun to get back into that again.... This is more based on the beach racing done in Wildwood, NJ as opposed to the asphalt racing done in Cali. 

KK dubbed this 'The Sand Flee'

Thanks for looking.... -RRR

 

This is excellent, so much detail in this build...

[tim boyd]

Well Gentlemen, great progress so far.   One of my favorite things in building model cars is seeing how different modelers interpret a common build theme.  And TROG is a terrific build theme. 

If you have a bit of extra time, you might want to mosey through the coverage of the Vintage Beach Racing Cult Theme at the 2017 NNL Nationals.  Some pretty cool models (about 38 of 'em) there that might inspire some of your own creative ideas as you move forward on your builds. Link to 92 images with all builders identified

Good luck to all and I, like you, will be following this thread to watch the progress!   Cheers....TIM 

 

 

[Bernard Kron]

13 minutes ago, tim boyd said:

Well Gentlemen, great progress so far.   One of my favorite things in building model cars is seeing how different modelers interpret a common build theme.  And TROG is a terrific build theme. 

If you have a bit of extra time, you might want to mosey through the coverage of the Vintage Beach Racing Cult Theme at the 2017 NNL Nationals.  Some pretty cool models (about 38 of 'em) there that might inspire some of your own creative ideas as you move forward on your builds. Link to 92 images with all builders identified

Good luck to all and I, like you, will be following this thread to watch the progress!   Cheers....TIM

Thanks for the link.Tim. IIRC, I did the Marvel Mystery Oil decals for the pylons for that diorama. But I never followed up to see how they were used. There are some truly spectacular models among your  photos. Great inspiration, indeed!

[Calb56]

1 hour ago, tim boyd said:

Well Gentlemen, great progress so far.   One of my favorite things in building model cars is seeing how different modelers interpret a common build theme.  And TROG is a terrific build theme. 

If you have a bit of extra time, you might want to mosey through the coverage of the Vintage Beach Racing Cult Theme at the 2017 NNL Nationals.  Some pretty cool models (about 38 of 'em) there that might inspire some of your own creative ideas as you move forward on your builds. Link to 92 images with all builders identified

Good luck to all and I, like you, will be following this thread to watch the progress!   Cheers....TIM 

 

 

Great link, thank you!

[Modelbuilder Mark]

10 hours ago, Rocking Rodney Rat said:

Here's my entry....I started with the olde Revell parts pack T frame available now as part of the Mooneyes dragster from Atlantis Models. The flathead is from the Revell '40 Ford. Wheels are from the AMT '36 Ford coupe. Other bits and pieces from the parts box. Weathering is a combination of a flat black wash (parts that weren't already black), Rust-All and a dusting of Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders (available from Micro-Mark). I haven't done any weathering for a bit, so it was fun to get back into that again.... This is more based on the beach racing done in Wildwood, NJ as opposed to the asphalt racing done in Cali. 

KK dubbed this 'The Sand Flee'

Thanks for looking.... -RRR

Very nicely done.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Modelbuilder Mark

[Ulf]

19 hours ago, Rocking Rodney Rat said:

Here's my entry....I started with the olde Revell parts pack T frame available now as part of the Mooneyes dragster from Atlantis Models. The flathead is from the Revell '40 Ford. Wheels are from the AMT '36 Ford coupe. Other bits and pieces from the parts box. Weathering is a combination of a flat black wash (parts that weren't already black), Rust-All and a dusting of Doc O'Brien's Weathering Powders (available from Micro-Mark). I haven't done any weathering for a bit, so it was fun to get back into that again.... This is more based on the beach racing done in Wildwood, NJ as opposed to the asphalt racing done in Cali. 

KK dubbed this 'The Sand Flee'

Thanks for looking.... -RRR

 

Wonderful build, detailing, weathering and the base as they say makes the sum greater than the parts.

Edited January 8, 2023 by Ulf

[Varen]

Late to start but I'll be joining with a '32. Not sure if 3 or 5 window yet. 

[Calb56]

4 minutes ago, Varen said:

Late to start but I'll be joining with a '32. Not sure if 3 or 5 window yet. 

Cool! Glad to have another racer join. 

[stavanzer]

On 1/7/2023 at 6:41 AM, Tom Geiger said:

Plugging and playing.. the thing that stalled this project was the wheelbase vs the overall length.  The body is a Pyro Auburn with Monogram Model A cowl fused to it. I did have to narrow Auburn to handle it. 

Here’s the body sitting on a Monogram chassis. Note the overhang. Is that cool or should the body be shortened?

Here is same body sitting on what would be an extended wheelbase chassis.. 

Whatever I do, the changes will be crude, garage type mods in the spirit of TROG. 

Note that position of body is set by grille location. 

Thoughts?

I really like the extended frame, Tom.

The car just looks right, on that chassis.

[Mr. Metallic]

Well, I don't venture into the Community Builds area very often, so this thread was a pleasant surprise. Just read through the whole thing, good to see the usual suspects participating, and also a bunch of builders I don't normally associate with hot rodding. But everyone who has shared so far is definitely on the right track. 

I would love to participate, but I don't want to commit yet. By bench is 9 projects deep right now, so let me see how the next couple months goes before I jump in. That said, I'm already formulating build ideas in my head. But I will definitely be following along through the "race"

[Bernard Kron]

This project is progressing nicely. I’ve gotten the basic paint job completed. The main color is Tamiya AS-29 Gray Green over undercoats of red oxide primer and metallic silver which show through to various degrees where I have sanded for a light weathering effect. This car is being done in the currently popular “Preservation” style, wherein a classic old hot rod is restored only to make it safe and reliable to drive, but where the original age and patina of the bodywork, interior and running gear is preserved as much as possible. The color I chose is based on the color photographs published in a wonderful book called The Birth of Hot Rodding by Robert Genat and Don Cox, It’s a large format coffee table book about the dry lakes racing scene in Southern California on either side of WWII. What makes the book special besides Genat’s engaging and accurate text is Don Cox’s photography. Cox was a professional photographer as well as an enthusiastic hot rodder. After WWII he often shot color photographs using the then new Kodachrome color slide film. Kodachrome is fine grained and it’s colors accurate and stable over the decades. So the color photographs in this book are one of the few times we can get a realistic sense of the colors these cars were painted when they were first run. I chose this pale grey green as typical of the shades of these cars in the late 40’s.

I also chose the rolling stock. The wheels are the marvelous late Halibrand solid face magnesium wheels first run ob the circle tracks in the late 40’s. They are new pieces created by Jason Lookabill (lookabillj@gmail.com) and include beautiful oversized bias ply rear tires that come with separate sidewalls so you can run them as whitewalls if you like. In my case I’ve painted them as blackwalls. Jason has also created smaller front wheels that will fit AMT and Revell tires, but in this case I’m using the same, large, wheels front and rear with modified standard AMT Firstone tires at the front.

And lastly I’ve completed most of the interior. I modified the tuck and roll bench seat from the Revell ’32 Ford 5-window coupe kit to fit the AMT kit interior from which I had removed the seat. Thecolor is Testors British Crimson acrylic applied to render the look of worn leather. The dashboard and steering wheel will be modified stock AMT ’29 Ford pieces.

I also got pretty far along on a Revell Parts-Pak 354 Cadillac V8. But once I saw the painted bodywork I decided to revert to a period correct late 40’s Flathead. That, along with the suspension and overall stance will be the subject of my next update.

Until next time, thanx for lookin’,
B.

[Ulf]

11 hours ago, Bernard Kron said:

This project is progressing nicely. I’ve gotten the basic paint job completed. The main color is Tamiya AS-29 Gray Green over undercoats of red oxide primer and metallic silver which show through to various degrees where I have sanded for a light weathering effect. This car is being done in the currently popular “Preservation” style, wherein a classic old hot rod is restored only to make it safe and reliable to drive, but where the original age and patina of the bodywork, interior and running gear is preserved as much as possible. The color I chose is based on the color photographs published in a wonderful book called The Birth of Hot Rodding by Robert Genat and Don Cox, It’s a large format coffee table book about the dry lakes racing scene in Southern California on either side of WWII. What makes the book special besides Genat’s engaging and accurate text is Don Cox’s photography. Cox was a professional photographer as well as an enthusiastic hot rodder. After WWII he often shot color photographs using the then new Kodachrome color slide film. Kodachrome is fine grained and it’s colors accurate and stable over the decades. So the color photographs in this book are one of the few times we can get a realistic sense of the colors these cars were painted when they were first run. I chose this pale grey green as typical of the shades of these cars in the late 40’s.

I also chose the rolling stock. The wheels are the marvelous late Halibrand solid face magnesium wheels first run ob the circle tracks in the late 40’s. They are new pieces created by Jason Lookabill (lookabillj@gmail.com) and include beautiful oversized bias ply rear tires that come with separate sidewalls so you can run them as whitewalls if you like. In my case I’ve painted them as blackwalls. Jason has also created smaller front wheels that will fit AMT and Revell tires, but in this case I’m using the same, large, wheels front and rear with modified standard AMT Firstone tires at the front.

And lastly I’ve completed most of the interior. I modified the tuck and roll bench seat from the Revell ’32 Ford 5-window coupe kit to fit the AMT kit interior from which I had removed the seat. Thecolor is Testors British Crimson acrylic applied to render the look of worn leather. The dashboard and steering wheel will be modified stock AMT ’29 Ford pieces.

I also got pretty far along on a Revell Parts-Pak 354 Cadillac V8. But once I saw the painted bodywork I decided to revert to a period correct late 40’s Flathead. That, along with the suspension and overall stance will be the subject of my next update.

Until next time, thanx for lookin’,
B.

Nice, I'm going to try to get my hands on a pair of those marvelous late Halibrand solid face magnesium wheels for my 34s rear wheels.

Thanks for the point about colours, Tim Boyd mentioned it in an SAE article, they certainly didn't have the same wide range of colours, I guess even the pigments evolved a bit over time.

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by Ulf

[Bernard Kron]

8 hours ago, Ulf said:

Nice, I'm going to try to get my hands on a pair of those marvelous late Halibrand solid face magnesium wheels for my 34s rear wheels.

Thanks for the point about colours, Tim Boyd mentioned it in an SAE article, they certainly didn't have the same wide range of colours, I guess even the pigments evolved a bit over time.

 

Some of the colors may surprise you. Here's a link to more Don Cox photos, many of which aren't in the Genat book: American Hot Rod Foundation Don Cox Coillection Photos A little less than half of them are in color and they're pretty much all from 1948. They include some early metallics and, of course, early flame styles.

Phil Weaind's 27 T (w/ matching club jackets, natch!)

Veda and Karl Orr's famous Deuce roadster

The Phil Remington (yes that Phil Remington of Scarab/Cobra fame and Shelby Automotive lifer) modified lakester

Eppard Bros. mid-engine 4-banger bellypanned "streamliner":

Gold graphics in '48, not red

 

Edited January 13, 2023 by Bernard Kron

[Calb56]

Thanks for the link to the color photos...so used to everything in B&W and how did I forget about the American Hot Rod Foundation website?

[Straightliner59]

8 hours ago, Bernard Kron said:

Some of the colors may surprise you. Here's a link to more Don Cox photos, many of which aren't in the Genat book: American Hot Rod Foundation Don Cox Coillection Photos A little less than half of them are in color and they're pretty much all from 1948. They include some early metallics and, of course, early flame styles.

Phil Weaind's 27 T (w/ matching club jackets, natch!)

Wow! That's fantastic! Thanks for that link, Bernard. It's very cool to see this stuff in color. 

[Bernard Kron]

It seems I’ve gotten quite a good deal done on this project, despite the fact that it felt like I was bouncing around from one thing to another without a conscious focus. But the result is that I’m nearing the home stretch on this thing

I got the graphics done and decals made. Their very simple with the old late 40’s-early 50’s St- Lube decals on the rear deck and hood sides and the number 529 on the body sides.

The interior is complete now. The dash board, adapted from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit got a more swaure and somewhat larger panel. The gauges are leftovers from a Model Car Garage ’32 Ford photo-etch set. The steering wheel and miscellaneous interior bits are from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit.

The motor got done., The block and transmission are Revellogram ‘37 Ford truck parts with the Offenhauser finned heads, Fenton headers and the high rise manifold are Replicas & Miniatures of Maryland items.

The chassis and suspension are about ¾ done. The rear axle came from a Revell ’40 Ford, the front axle is a wire-reinforced resin 4” dropped axle from ThePartsBox.com. The front and rear springs are from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit. The steering and locating rods are still left to be done.

In some of the pictures you can see that I had to grind away parts of the driveshaft and transmission/bell housing to clear the floor boards. A peak at some of the nasty stuff some of us have to resort to get ‘er done, LOL!

Thanx for lookin’
B.

 

[Calb56]

1 hour ago, Bernard Kron said:

It seems I’ve gotten quite a good deal done on this project, despite the fact that it felt like I was bouncing around from one thing to another without a conscious focus. But the result is that I’m nearing the home stretch on this thing

I got the graphics done and decals made. Their very simple with the old late 40’s-early 50’s St- Lube decals on the rear deck and hood sides and the number 529 on the body sides.

The interior is complete now. The dash board, adapted from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit got a more swaure and somewhat larger panel. The gauges are leftovers from a Model Car Garage ’32 Ford photo-etch set. The steering wheel and miscellaneous interior bits are from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit.

The motor got done., The block and transmission are Revellogram ‘37 Ford truck parts with the Offenhauser finned heads, Fenton headers and the high rise manifold are Replicas & Miniatures of Maryland items.

The chassis and suspension are about ¾ done. The rear axle came from a Revell ’40 Ford, the front axle is a wire-reinforced resin 4” dropped axle from ThePartsBox.com. The front and rear springs are from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit. The steering and locating rods are still left to be done.

In some of the pictures you can see that I had to grind away parts of the driveshaft and transmission/bell housing to clear the floor boards. A peak at some of the nasty stuff some of us have to resort to get ‘er done, LOL!

Thanx for lookin’
B.

 

Wow. This is looking great, love the magnesium wheels and the "Sta-Lube" decals.

I really hope my 29 ends up looking half as good.

Charles 

[Calb56]

If at all possible I'd love a better view of the Fenton headers...

[Modelbuilder Mark]

14 hours ago, Bernard Kron said:

It seems I’ve gotten quite a good deal done on this project, despite the fact that it felt like I was bouncing around from one thing to another without a conscious focus. But the result is that I’m nearing the home stretch on this thing

I got the graphics done and decals made. Their very simple with the old late 40’s-early 50’s St- Lube decals on the rear deck and hood sides and the number 529 on the body sides.

The interior is complete now. The dash board, adapted from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit got a more swaure and somewhat larger panel. The gauges are leftovers from a Model Car Garage ’32 Ford photo-etch set. The steering wheel and miscellaneous interior bits are from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit.

The motor got done., The block and transmission are Revellogram ‘37 Ford truck parts with the Offenhauser finned heads, Fenton headers and the high rise manifold are Replicas & Miniatures of Maryland items.

The chassis and suspension are about ¾ done. The rear axle came from a Revell ’40 Ford, the front axle is a wire-reinforced resin 4” dropped axle from ThePartsBox.com. The front and rear springs are from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit. The steering and locating rods are still left to be done.

In some of the pictures you can see that I had to grind away parts of the driveshaft and transmission/bell housing to clear the floor boards. A peak at some of the nasty stuff some of us have to resort to get ‘er done, LOL!

Thanx for lookin’
B.

 

I keep getting broken picture links, and did in this case as well so I cannot see the picture

[Bernard Kron]

11 hours ago, Calb56 said:

If at all possible I'd love a better view of the Fenton headers...

Her you go:

IRRC correctly similar ones can be found in various Revell hot-rodded Flathead V8 versions, like the Deuce Tudor and the '40 Fords.

[Bernard Kron]

1 hour ago, Modelbuilder Mark said:

I keep getting broken picture links, and did in this case as well so I cannot see the picture

I checked on the various sites I've posted that image and they show up on every one without exception, as well as here, of course. I also right clicked the image posted here and opened it to a new tab without any problem. I checked on two different computers in our household. Haven't had the chance to check on another network yet, though.

Edited January 19, 2023 by Bernard Kron