full detail 1/16th Gordie Bonin BubbleUp Trans Am Funnycar

[Ian McLaren]

Fuel tank hold down bracket now added, also added image of the original rough template, corrected template on graph paper and cut out aluminum part before final shaping and polishing

[AmericanMuscleFan]

The fuel tank hold down bracket is superb Ian! ?

[Ian McLaren]

A milestone dayThe first time the body has been fitted over the chassis, and the first time that the chassis is supported by both its front and rear axles as a roller. Tonight we drink!

 

 

 

 

 

[Tony Coomer]

Wow, this car is really taking shape. Digging all the brass fabrication…

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 4/23/2024 at 7:19 PM, Ian McLaren said:

Tonight we drink!

Sorry to be late to the party but I'm toasting you! ??

[Ian McLaren]

5 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Sorry to be late to the party but I'm toasting you! ??

If either one of us manages to traverse the miles (kilometers) between our provinces perhaps we can in person.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

19 hours ago, Ian McLaren said:

If either one of us manages to traverse the miles (kilometers) between our provinces perhaps we can in person.

I'm sure we'd have more than just a toast to share!  Let's live in hope, maybe it will happen one day, the time of my retirement is not that far away! ?

In the meantime, this forum brings us closer together, thanks to web technology!

[Moparman18064]

Wow! I just stumbled into this build. Your scratch/ fab skills are really impressive. I am definitely following along.

[Straightliner59]

I especially love the chassis shot, from right in front of the motor plate! Congrats, getting the body on! That's always a big step!

[John B.]

Really nice work - I'm learning a lot from your build!

[Ian McLaren]

On 4/29/2024 at 5:55 PM, John B. said:

Really nice work - I'm learning a lot from your build!

John thank you so much, I love it when I can help other modelers learn something  new or remind people of old tricks that still work.

[Ian McLaren]

Setting the chassis and body aside for a bit to work on the LPH1320 Keith Black Hemi.  Constructed an Ed Pink style 14-71 blower and a vertex style Magneto, the block, heads and valve covers were as close as you can get right out of the package.

Edited May 1, 2024 by Ian McLaren

[Straightliner59]

You're really rolling, on this thing! Fine work, Ian!

[Ian McLaren]

Back to the chassis and body support structures.Rear body retaining bracket built and attached , rear body support structure fabricated and installed temporarily (removeable for paints and other construction, front body stands fabricated and support bars added( also removable for further painting and tin work fabrication and installation).  Final ride height set ( a bit lower in the front). This just about wraps up the structural work. Now it's about adding the detailing items, tin , brackets, lines and hoses, drive train etc. Still a lot to do but the basic frame work is now set.  I'll post how the main supporting structure was fabricated shortly.

[Ian McLaren]

I said I would show the process for the front tree supports.   Here it is.

Mounting the body Part 2

Starting on the front body mount structure (measurments based on 3/32 frame rails but the process is the same for any size) Main support posts are .093 in diameter which I fish mouthed to fit the 1/8th tubing that will form the saddles themselves, ID is the same as the OD of the frame rails. Next drill a .090 hole parallel to the notch ( it may be eisier to drill the hole first as aligning the notch to the hole is easier than the other way around). Next clean all of the pieces with 320 grit to promote solder adhesion. secure the now cleaned 1/8 tube in preparation for soldering as shown (I used aluminum furnace tape to hold the parts as is stands up to the heat of the process) Make sure to put flux on the areas where you are going to attach the support tubes. Cover the fished mouth end of the supports with flux (the tooth picks are to keep the solder out of the holes and also alignment guides). Solder the pieces together as shown and clean the joints. Then cut the saddle tube to release the supports, trim to size for width ( be carefull here as cutting and or grinding can heat the joint to the point the solder will melt). I used a disc sander to grind away the top half on the saddle tube (again be mindful of the heat) You now have a chassis stand that just needs to be cut to length to set the ride height. The photo show how I mount the supports to the body but you can choose you own path here. I use this method as it allows easy instaallation and removal that will be necessary throughout the res of the body mounting process. On final painting and assembly the plastic tubes on the body with be sanded down to scale for a proper bodymount plate. I hope this will be of  use for some of you. Next will be adding bracing and support bars to stablize the main support tubes

 

 

Edited May 3, 2024 by Ian McLaren

[Straightliner59]

That's impressive work. That body support structure is the main reason I stick to dragsters!? Almost all my best drag racing friends are flopperheads. Most of the racers I've got to know best, over the years run FCs. I've always preferred dragsters. I think it's that they're just built for one thing. Funny cars were born out of showmanship, not the pure pursuit of speed and low ETs. I like funny cars, just fine, but, if I was a racer, it would be dragsters!

[dragcarz]

I’m Just amazed at y’all’s skills!

[Ian McLaren]

Starting to add bits and pieces to the chassis, front radius bar mounts integrated with the twin  front body lock strikers,front part of the fuel system fabricated as well as puke tank initial plumbingand the start of the side engine mounts.  Rear motor plate has the firewall sealing surface added as well

[Ian McLaren]

On 5/3/2024 at 2:24 AM, Straightliner59 said:

That's impressive work. That body support structure is the main reason I stick to dragsters!? Almost all my best drag racing friends are flopperheads. Most of the racers I've got to know best, over the years run FCs. I've always preferred dragsters. I think it's that they're just built for one thing. Funny cars were born out of showmanship, not the pure pursuit of speed and low ETs. I like funny cars, just fine, but, if I was a racer, it would be dragsters!

Thanks Daniel this is my third rack, the first was styrene, the second was mostly brass but had some sytrene bars added and this one will be all metal (some aluminum details).  This one is by far the sturdiest and most accurate and so far the easiest to do.  Once you get the heat deal handled (very hot and quick with a few heat sinks) brass starts to show itself as one of the easier building methods. Thanks for your tips!

[Ian McLaren]

On 5/5/2024 at 6:35 AM, dragcarz said:

I’m Just amazed at y’all’s skills!

Thank you so much Roger.  It's not so much skill, as it is patience and paying attention to and learning from other modelers the best ways to approach certain tasks.  Also no matter what your budget is always buy the best tools you can afford.   The modeling is better and in most cases turns out to be cheaper in the long run.  A good set of files is usually less than and cheap set that is replaced by better set later on, and should out last both of them.

[Straightliner59]

4 hours ago, Ian McLaren said:

Thanks Daniel this is my third rack, the first was styrene, the second was mostly brass but had some sytrene bars added and this one will be all metal (some aluminum details).  This one is by far the sturdiest and most accurate and so far the easiest to do.  Once you get the heat deal handled (very hot and quick with a few heat sinks) brass starts to show itself as one of the easier building methods. Thanks for your tips!

I am all-too-familiar with doing things multiple times! One of the things I have always liked about building with brass, is the speed at which stuff can be assembled, and its immediate durability. Even though I have a resistance soldering unit that I am extremely happy to have, there are still times that the old Weller 40 watt iron is the better tool. I'm happy you've been able to gather some useful stuff from my posts! I am always glad to share!

[Ian McLaren]

Swindahl front funny car suspension late 70s, correct scaled stainless tubing and rod ends will replace overscale radius rods and centerlink as well as scale nuts and bolt installed at final assembly. I have not seen this particular front suspension system modeled before.   This run of chassis was primarily found with either Trans Am or Corvette bodies.  From what I can gather there were somewhere between 10 - 15 of these built with some minor differences the buggest one being mounting the torsion bar ahead of the axle rather than behind, I'm not sure which version was first, but the Bubble Up car had it behind the axle and I think it was an earlier car

[Ian McLaren]

Puke tank system rear components (tank, filters and hoses) fabricated amd test fitted.  Have to add a drain, hose clamps and hardware

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Good Lord I love that front suspension, plus the steering seems to work wonderfully! ?

Did you have a technical plan or a real scale car model to guide you?

[Ian McLaren]

1 hour ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Good Lord I love that front suspension, plus the steering seems to work wonderfully! ?

Did you have a technical plan or a real scale car model to guide you?

Thank you Francis, yes the front suspension was one of the things that made me want to model this car. No plans or drawings and the original car is long gone, but there was enough information to piece it together.  I knew the front track width and the wheelbase which set where the front tires needed to be. Some great photos of one of the sister chassis were  on an old Bring a Trailer add from a few years back.  They really showed good details of the front suspension and chassis.  From knowing the chassis tube dimensions ( the rules govern that) I could calculate the rest of the tube sizes that I needed.   Kind of the long way round but it got the job done.