Nostalgia Fuel Dragster--Blower Manifold (01/28/23)

[Straightliner59]

21 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

The most elaborate, crazy, beautiful paint job I've ever seen on such small parts!

Thank you, Pierre! It's my best, so far, to be sure. I've never been a big fan of painting, so I had to push myself, for this one.?

[Straightliner59]

Although I have revised this a tad, from what is pictured, this is the general design of the cowl art. I had kind of decided that I wanted a wolf in the design, but not much else. I was also inspired by the picture of a pretty young woman's face. While I've always preferred hard rock to any kind of pop, there's something I have always liked (a lot) Duran Duran's "Hungry Like The Wolf". It's catchy, for sure, but, I really like its overall sound, too--there's a rawness, to it. I digress...I manipulated the woman's picture into a stippled pen and ink sketch to (sort of) carry over the mottled, stippled aspect of the rest of the panels. I'm only using the red on the sheet as a guide, of sorts. When I tested this design on a gold-painted spoon, I decided it needed to be darker, so I redid the face in black. The spoon doesn't have the clear orange overcoat, either. The striping on the cowl will be painted, like the rest of the panels. Thanks for looking!

[Tortuga Kustomz]

Beautiful job on the paint bro

[Straightliner59]

20 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

Beautiful job on the paint bro

Thanks, bud! I'm really happy with it, and paint isn't usually my strong suit.

[Straightliner59]

I painted the cowl (finally). I've been dragging my feet, because I am not 100% sold on my cowl art, so I'm kicking other designs around. At any rate, I decided to go ahead and mask off the gold, and get the black shot on it. I only have so much space, anyway, so...

I also printed the "Bushmaster" decals to represent the stamped lettering on the valve covers. I still need to apply the striping to the cowl, but, it'll need to cure a while, before I can apply any tape for the One-Shot. Thanks for looking!

[Ian McLaren]

Great progress, I really like how the engine turning on the cowl turned out, how was it done I was never able to get it correct.

[Straightliner59]

58 minutes ago, Ian McLaren said:

Great progress, I really like how the engine turning on the cowl turned out, how was it done I was never able to get it correct.

Thank you, Ian. I really like the way it worked out, too. I can't for the life of me remember how I did it!? I may have used a gentle abrasive on a toothpick. I've since had limited success using small discs of polishing cloth, glued to the end of a tapered dowel. I have yet to duplicate this result. If I remember, or figure it out, it will be on here, for sure!

Edited September 21, 2023 by Straightliner59

[Straightliner59]

I finally decided on and made the decal for the cowl. Fahrni is my late, longtime friend and mentor, Don. Don made the spindles. He'd decided that he wasn't going to use them, so he gave them to me. The late Mark Brown cast the Donovan valve covers and the heads. When I couldn't decide on artwork, I thought a tribute to my friends was in order. I plan to attempt to highlight the lettering with a lighter color stripe, down their centers--after trying it on one of the extras I printed. I also got the cowl striped. I was only able to tape the top side , along the cockpit opening, so I only had a guide along one edge. I think it came out, pretty slick! Comments are always welcomed. Thanks for looking!

[Straightliner59]

I felt like the cowl lettering needed something to bring it out. I mixed some Humbrol gold and brass to brush over the lettering. It's not perfect, but it looks pretty good to the naked eye. I needed to do the lettering for my traditional tribute to my dad, "Conrad's Engine Service". Had I realized the cowl was so badly going to need highlighting, I would have done its lettering in the same manner as the Conrad's. Both are Baveuse, or, as I like to call it "The Archer Font". For the engine panels, I printed two sets of black outlined lettering on clear film. Once they were painted and clear-coated, I painted two of them with the gold mixture from the cowl lettering. I applied them to the panels, then applied the second set of outline-only decals atop them, much like old Fred Cady decals were done.

I then attached the windscreen. You can see the five rivets that are holding it on. I used plastic model RR rivets, pushed the through previously-drilled holes, then mushroomed them on the inside of the cowl, with a butane lighter. Uh, yeah. Hey, well, no guts, no glory! No problem! I'll add some more, for appearance. I should be able to mount the body panels before too long. I just want to ponder, first, to make sure all the stuff that needs to happen, beforehand, happens. One of those things is a helmet pad/bar. I'd like to get the body mounted, then the tires and wheels, and just build the top of the motor, in place. 

[Daddyfink]

7 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

I felt like the cowl lettering needed something to bring it out. I mixed some Humbrol gold and brass to brush over the lettering. It's not perfect, but it looks pretty good to the naked eye. I needed to do the lettering for my traditional tribute to my dad, "Conrad's Engine Service". Had I realized the cowl was so badly going to need highlighting, I would have done its lettering in the same manner as the Conrad's. Both are Baveuse, or, as I like to call it "The Archer Font". For the engine panels, I printed two sets of black outlined lettering on clear film. Once they were painted and clear-coated, I painted two of them with the gold mixture from the cowl lettering. I applied them to the panels, then applied the second set of outline-only decals atop them, much like old Fred Cady decals were done.

I then attached the windscreen. You can see the five rivets that are holding it on. I used plastic model RR rivets, pushed the through previously-drilled holes, then mushroomed them on the inside of the cowl, with a butane lighter. Uh, yeah. Hey, well, no guts, no glory! No problem! I'll add some more, for appearance. I should be able to mount the body panels before too long. I just want to ponder, first, to make sure all the stuff that needs to happen, beforehand, happens. One of those things is a helmet pad/bar. I'd like to get the body mounted, then the tires and wheels, and just build the top of the motor, in place. 

Looks like the pits at Bakersfield on a Saturday Night! Looking good! 

[Straightliner59]

20 hours ago, Daddyfink said:

Looks like the pits at Bakersfield on a Saturday Night! Looking good! 

Thanks, Jesse! Sounds good, to me, coming from a guy who knows!

[Straightliner59]

I've been working on the lower-end restraint diaper. It's made of the embossed paper (not foil) lining from a cigarette pack. I need to add a network of straps around it, and four ends, to meet up with the brackets mounted to a header flange bolt. It's sprayed with Krylon Chalky Texture Slate. I think this'll do the trick. Comments are always welcomed. Thanks for looking!

[Straightliner59]

I made a new diaper, and added some straps to it. The straps are made from wine bottle foil, embossed using a fine file, an anvil and a hard rubber mallet. I won't be able to do more with it, but the touchups, until the header flanges are made. I used .080" half-round Evergreen for the helmet pad. I've also punched discs of Slixx carbon fiber decal sheet, because, since 2008. those are mandatory. Basically, I am bringing it back into compliance, after it sat in the garage for so many years!?

I threw on a couple of contingencies. There will be a few more, but, I plan not to go overboard and cover up my coolest paint job! I might create another custom graphic, for it, but not sure on that, yet. I'm also trying to figure out what to use for the rest of the cage padding.. Comments are welcomed. Thanks for looking!

[Tortuga Kustomz]

decals looks great and the exhaust exit from the headers will look great for sure

[Straightliner59]

Thanks, Marcos! I got the helmet bar/pad added. Still figuring out the rest of the padding. My chassis is certified! 

[Tortuga Kustomz]

nice man, another thing, sorry if i missed but how you did the seat, looks like real leather, really convincing detail...

[Ian McLaren]

I am simply in awe of the amount of mechanical detail you have added to this model, and the realism factor is off the charts. I'm not sure most people, even from this group appreciate how difficult it is to get to this level. My hat is off to you my frined.

[Straightliner59]

2 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said:

nice man, another thing, sorry if i missed but how you did the seat, looks like real leather, really convincing detail...

It is. I used 1.5 oz. bookbinding leather. I think the weight designation is per square foot. The stuff I have is about .015"-.020" thick. It worked out pretty decently, I think! I found it on Ebay.

[Straightliner59]

1 hour ago, Ian McLaren said:

I am simply in awe of the amount of mechanical detail you have added to this model, and the realism factor is off the charts. I'm not sure most people, even from this group appreciate how difficult it is to get to this level. My hat is off to you my frined.

I appreciate that, Ian. Thankfully, it's a labor of love! It's sometimes frustrating, but it's usually a lot of fun, just to see where I can go! Thanks again, my friend!

[Straightliner59]

I made a punch from 1/32" brass tube to make discs to represent rivets for the windscreen. I decided to simply paint the rotors a dark greyish color, rather than try to fit decals to the rotors. I'll put a little weathering/dust on them, and they'll look fine--what little of them will be seen. I added Strange tags to the rear axle ends. I'm currently working on the roll cage padding. I'm using .080" half-round, that's sanded to be a tad narrower. Thanks for looking!

[ybsluos]

Unreal workmanship Daniel.  Thank you for the inspiration!

[Straightliner59]

9 hours ago, ybsluos said:

Unreal workmanship Daniel.  Thank you for the inspiration!

Thank you, Mark. I appreciate that!

I have been installing the roll cage padding, and decided to Set the cowl and tail on the chassis, just for grins. Getting ever closer!

[Pierre Rivard]

Looking great with all the visible chassis and mechanical bits.

Please post some pics taken outside so we can admire all that eye candy under sunlight

No doubt it will be formidable!

[Straightliner59]

Thank you, Pierre. I promise to do just that, once I have mounted the body panels permanently! I'm very excited to get to that point!

[Straightliner59]

I've been working on the headers. I finally got the bends I wanted and the pipes, the length I wanted. The flanges are drilled so that I can glue plastic bolts through them, for appearance, and solder brass ones through, to mount the hold downs for the restraints and diaper. These will be pretty involved, by the time they're done. 

I've also got almost all the cage padding installed--just a couple of pieces on the lower section of the middle cross tube, to go. When I installed the curved pieces, there was some daylight visible, between the tubes and the padding. To remedy that, I made a slurry of a few drops of water, some Alene's Tacky Glue and some India ink. I flowed it into the gaps with a fine brush. It seems to have done the trick! I'll give it a coat of some matte acrylic clear, to finish it off. Questions, comments and critiques are always welcomed. Thanks for looking!