I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE TIRE WERE TO BIG ON THE AMT MODIFIED STOCKERS! So I did my own rendition of the 1966 Buick Stocker!

[DREAMSCALE CONCEPTS]

On 5/5/2024 at 3:07 PM, DREAMSCALE CONCEPTS said:

I always thought the AMT modified Stocker series kit had tires that were too big! Loll The 1966 Buick Skylark stocker had really nice body lines and would look awesome as an asphalt car. I used an AMT Nascar chassis and lengthened it to fit the Skylark body's wheelbase. I have a Bobby Hillin #8 Miller American decal sheet to finish this build ! Thanks for viewing!

 

[bobss396]

Just right... I approve.

[Volzfan59]

That bad boy is looking mighty racey! The stance is spot on.

[DREAMSCALE CONCEPTS]

8 hours ago, bobss396 said:

Just right... I approve.

Thanks! I have another nascar complete chassis with engine. I think Im going to make a Smokey Yunick chevelle. Ill just have to use the steel wheels from the modified stocker kit, I already have a 67 chevelle body ready to have the wheel wells radiused.

[oldcarfan]

I have a couple of those stocker kits, but I put them back in the box because of those huge tires. I have a bunch of NASCAR tires and never thought of using those!

[DREAMSCALE CONCEPTS]

6 hours ago, oldcarfan said:

I have a couple of those stocker kits, but I put them back in the box because of those huge tires. I have a bunch of NASCAR tires and never thought of using those!

Yeah, it’s a cool! A gentleman on eBay sells COMPLETE NASCAR chassis’s from old AMT 1990s stock cars. That’s what I used for this build!

[Michael F]

Charles,

Your model looks cool, especially the modified Nascar chassis.

The Bobby Hillin decals are a good choice.?

Looking forward for the finished one.

 

I did this model from the very same amt kit:

I used the kit chassis with some modifications.

Here is the whole thread:

https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/188324-´66-buick-skylark-modified-stocker/

I consider the wheels to big as well, but look at the supercool photo of the modified posted by Johnny Canuck.

It carries the big (kit) wheels actually?

 

 

[Volzfan59]

@Michael F referenced @Johnny Canuck great photo. Even in the background there's a Mustang running those big tires. Great picture!

[CaddyDaddy]

Hey, Charles!! Chas here......not too far away from you in NJ.

From time to time, Mike's Decals sells complete AMT NASCAR kits, less bodies, for something like $10. They come in a clear plastic bag. I bought about a half dozen to do exactly what you've done here. 

Couple of questions on the build: I've never tried to make a fender/quarter opening smaller. I think someone mentioned using .030 sheet and layering it. Is it added to the backside and then bondo built up? Added to the front side and seam sanded flush? Also, what pan did you use with the AMT motor to convert from dry sump to wet sump?

[DREAMSCALE CONCEPTS]

7 hours ago, CaddyDaddy said:

Hey, Charles!! Chas here......not too far away from you in NJ.

From time to time, Mike's Decals sells complete AMT NASCAR kits, less bodies, for something like $10. They come in a clear plastic bag. I bought about a half dozen to do exactly what you've done here. 

Couple of questions on the build: I've never tried to make a fender/quarter opening smaller. I think someone mentioned using .030 sheet and layering it. Is it added to the backside and then bondo built up? Added to the front side and seam sanded flush? Also, what pan did you use with the AMT motor to convert from dry sump to wet sump?

The wheel wells were cut off at the top on each side, then I sanded them to the desired height and covered them over with sheet stock. On the older car kits like this one, you are not going to see the tops of the wheel wells anyway because the body covers over them. I sanded my wheel wells to also lower the body . As for the oil pan the stock kit oil worked just fine without modifications. 

[TECHMAN]

Great job on turning a simple kit into something to be proud of.

On one of the forums I used to be an active member of, this very topic of the "steamroller" tires came up, and we had a couple different members post pictures from their local tracks with these tires being run.

When I was writing the rules for some of our local dirt tracks,  the STOCKS  were limited to 275/60/15s,  SUPER STOCKS to the HOOSIER S55/S34 & D55/D34S  (as were the HOT STOCKS & LIMITED LATE-MODELS.  And those Hoosiers looked BIG on those cars, but NOT anywhere as big as those Steamrollers

DJ

 

[Volzfan59]

Here's a couple of pictures snagged online. How about those headers on #3!

Edited July 16, 2024 by Volzfan59

[DREAMSCALE CONCEPTS]

On 7/16/2024 at 6:55 PM, Volzfan59 said:

Here's a couple of pictures snagged online. How about those headers on #3!

Whoa! Smoke stacks! Loll

[dragcarz]

I love what your doing here.

[Chinacar]

On 7/17/2024 at 6:55 AM, Volzfan59 said:

Here's a couple of pictures snagged online. How about those headers on #3!

That number 3 is Bob Merrifield from Windsor Ontario. I saw that car run in Southern Ontario. I watched him at Checker Flag Speedway in Windsor...

 

 

[Ragtop Man]

Love the look and feel of the build with the more normal tires. 

FWIW, there is a West Coast NASCAR page on FB, with pics from 'the day' when they were so innovative with race cars of all different types and stripes.  Several Olds' and Buicks in the shots, esp the A-Body cars. The rules and purses were open enough to encourage the diversity, far less 'factory' participation that made GN a Ford/Mopar affair for a decade. 

Could easily do much the same with a GTO or 442 and the common Chevelles.... really cool build that I'd like to see more of. 

[Volzfan59]

On 5/6/2024 at 2:11 PM, Sledsel said:

Agree 100%, the kit tires are to big but are good for a tubbed out car. 

Did you de-radius the wheel wells? I did on my Olds' and since it is a big car I used 1/24 Nascar wheels and tires.

Not sure how I missed this post. Your version of the Olds modified stocker looks great.

[Sledsel]

3 hours ago, Volzfan59 said:

Not sure how I missed this post. Your version of the Olds modified stocker looks great.

Thanks!

 

[Ragtop Man]

I hear ya on the tire size. Did this to the Olds, a pandemic build to get something DONE. MPC Superstock tires, kit rims IIRC. Decals from a box of NA$CAR stuff I scored locally many years ago. Wanted "88" but decals weren't supporting! 

[DREAMSCALE CONCEPTS]

4 hours ago, Ragtop Man said:

I hear ya on the tire size. Did this to the Olds, a pandemic build to get something DONE. MPC Superstock tires, kit rims IIRC. Decals from a box of NA$CAR stuff I scored locally many years ago. Wanted "88" but decals weren't supporting! 

It looks amazing! Nice job!

[Spooker]

Can't we all just get along?  This tire size discussion was hashed over in depth on the old Randy Ayers Forum.  Tire size is REGIONAL.  What looks good to you is what you are used to.  In our area (the northeast, upstate NY, NJ and PA)  large tires were the rule rather than the exception.  Mainly because the modifieds, the top class, used them and they were handed down to the lower classes, including the full-bodied cars.  The tires in the AMT Modified Stocker kits scale out EXACTLY in the middle of the range of sizes we used back in the day.  Rims scale at 15" diameter as well.  Look up some Reading, PA victory lane modified pics from 1975-1980 and see how big the Firestone Drag 500 tires were (like mid-thigh on Kenny Brightbill at over 6' tall).  Way bigger than the AMT tires.  I'd never pick on you guys 'cause your tires were SMALLER than mine!  

My car from 1979:

 

There, rant over.  You guys have ALL built some great looking cars, and they prove that size doesn't matter.  

[Mark C.]

18 hours ago, Spooker said:

Can't we all just get along?  This tire size discussion was hashed over in depth on the old Randy Ayers Forum.  Tire size is REGIONAL.  What looks good to you is what you are used to.  In our area (the northeast, upstate NY, NJ and PA)  large tires were the rule rather than the exception.  Mainly because the modifieds, the top class, used them and they were handed down to the lower classes, including the full-bodied cars.  The tires in the AMT Modified Stocker kits scale out EXACTLY in the middle of the range of sizes we used back in the day.  Rims scale at 15" diameter as well.  Look up some Reading, PA victory lane modified pics from 1975-1980 and see how big the Firestone Drag 500 tires were (like mid-thigh on Kenny Brightbill at over 6' tall).  Way bigger than the AMT tires.  I'd never pick on you guys 'cause your tires were SMALLER than mine!  

My car from 1979:

 

There, rant over.  You guys have ALL built some great looking cars, and they prove that size doesn't matter.  

My new favourite post on the subject, especially given the photographic proof!

IMHO, as long as those kits continue to be reissued, this conversation will continue… in fact there was just a similar conversation over at the Spotlight Hobbies board.

In my area (east coast of the great sovereign nation of Canada 😉), the huge tires were used for a while (I have a pic or two from around 1970), but due to costs becoming a factor and reducing field sizes, my local tracks adopted a street tire rules that had cars running sizes like G60-15 (etc) in some classes by the mid seventies.

IMHO, the cool thing about modeling short track cars is that rules varied so much from region to region, and even track to track in some cases, that you can build pretty much anything and it will have been legal somewhere, sometime…. 👍🏻

[Volzfan59]

Great post and picture @SpookerThere are plenty of pictures out there to back up using the kit tires. If anyone watches MN Max YouTube videos there are pics there as well. But as always, to each his own.

[DREAMSCALE CONCEPTS]

On 3/29/2025 at 3:34 PM, Spooker said:

Can't we all just get along?  This tire size discussion was hashed over in depth on the old Randy Ayers Forum.  Tire size is REGIONAL.  What looks good to you is what you are used to.  In our area (the northeast, upstate NY, NJ and PA)  large tires were the rule rather than the exception.  Mainly because the modifieds, the top class, used them and they were handed down to the lower classes, including the full-bodied cars.  The tires in the AMT Modified Stocker kits scale out EXACTLY in the middle of the range of sizes we used back in the day.  Rims scale at 15" diameter as well.  Look up some Reading, PA victory lane modified pics from 1975-1980 and see how big the Firestone Drag 500 tires were (like mid-thigh on Kenny Brightbill at over 6' tall).  Way bigger than the AMT tires.  I'd never pick on you guys 'cause your tires were SMALLER than mine!  

My car from 1979:

 

There, rant over.  You guys have ALL built some great looking cars, and they prove that size doesn't matter.  

I just thought it looked freaky. Nothing wrong with the tire size. I had the fairlane and built it like the box art, turned out very nice .

[steveracer]

Did the Buick ever get finished?