49 Ford High and Mighty inspired

[Ferbz]

I don't normally build drag cars even tho I dig them alot, especially vintage stuff. My usual build topic is traditional customs, but I came across this cool rendering of the High and Mighty Ramchargers drag car by artist/designer Chris Piscitelli and it inspired me to build my own scale version! With the help of a couple 3D printed parts from forum member Steamboat(thanks again!)who has already built a bitchin' faithful scale version of the High and Mighty car, I am able to move this project along. Just for fun I thought I'd try building a shoebox ford version of this car. The plan is to keep the aggressive, caricature-y look and spirit of the car, but use a 49 Ford coupe body. I proceeded to chop the top by removing some material from the A,B, and C pillars and fill the rear quarter window openings to make it a 3 window coupe, somewhat similar to the look of Chris P's rendering. I slid the rear window and catwalk forward so the A & C pillars would line up, making the top not only lower but smaller. The stock AMT 49 Ford frame required some modification to accept the gasser suspension from the Revell 57 Ford wagon kit as well as the AMT parts pack Chrysler hemi motor. The wheels/tires are from various other kits. The rear seat area was boxed in using sheet styrene, a single bomber style seat is a parts box item, and a simple 2 or 3 point roll bar will be added. It's got a ways to go, but a quick mockup shows the progress and direction so far. Wish me luck as I venture out of my comfort zone and build this whacky drag car! ?

Edited November 18, 2024 by Ferbz

[Straightliner59]

Great idea! I really enjoy doing projects inspired by actual cars, but, not replicas. It's always fun to search out proper-vintage speed equipment, and pull touches together from different sources of inspiration. I'll be keeping an eye on this!

[Ferbz]

6 minutes ago, Straightliner59 said:

Great idea! I really enjoy doing projects inspired by actual cars, but, not replicas. It's always fun to search out proper-vintage speed equipment, and pull touches together from different sources of inspiration. I'll be keeping an eye on this!

Thanks! I've built ONE scale replica of an actual 1:1 custom car. I discovered there was a lot of self imposed pressure on getting as many of the details as correct as possible. It was a labor of love as I've admired the 1:1 car since I was a kid but it was NOT much fun at all! lol

[Altered Ego]

Simply said, this is a badass project.  I can't wait to see where this goes.

[Ferbz]

5 hours ago, Altered Ego said:

Simply said, this is a badass project.  I can't wait to see where this goes.

Thanks a lot! Me too lol It's not going to be super accurate as far as representing an actual car, but I do plan to detail it out a little bit to make it a fun piece for myself. I still have a couple things to figure out, like how to route the exhaust from the engine bay out the front wheel openings.

[milo1303s]

I Love it!! This kit drives me crazy with the possibilities I must have 3 or 4 maybe more if you count the 50 vert started and never finished !!! 

Can't wait to see yours done 

[Ferbz]

2 hours ago, milo1303s said:

I Love it!! This kit drives me crazy with the possibilities I must have 3 or 4 maybe more if you count the 50 vert started and never finished !!! 

Can't wait to see yours done 

Thanks! Yeah the shoebox ford is one of those cars (in scale AND 1:1) where you can build anything out of it and it will be a head turner.....be it drag car, pro street, resto-mod, traditional custom, street rod, etc! ?

[Ferbz]

Here's a small update! I like the red glass that comes in the GasMan version of this kit, but kit glass in general is typically too thick scale wise for me. I found some clear colored plastic sheets online. They are sheets photographers use to add color to their light sources. I cant recall the thickness but it's thin enough to cut with a good pair of scissors but thick enough to pass for 1/25th scale glass. I'll use the kit's rear window glass since it's a curved area, but I made glass pieces for the door windows and cut/shaped two pieces for the windshield opening. The intention is to butt them together in the center (similar to the real thing) for a more realistic looking windshield:

[TarheelRick]

Really like the direction you are going with this build. It's different, a bit quirky, and just overall a wicked drag racer.

[Ferbz]

18 hours ago, TarheelRick said:

Really like the direction you are going with this build. It's different, a bit quirky, and just overall a wicked drag racer.

Thanks! It's the quirky-ness of Chris Piscitelli's rendering that initially inspired me to start this build. It's going to get a teeny bit whackier too! Stay tuned...😃

[Straightliner59]

On 12/17/2024 at 3:09 PM, Ferbz said:

Here's a small update! I like the red glass that comes in the GasMan version of this kit, but kit glass in general is typically too thick scale wise for me. I found some clear colored plastic sheets online. They are sheets photographers use to add color to their light sources. I cant recall the thickness but it's thin enough to cut with a good pair of scissors but thick enough to pass for 1/25th scale glass. I'll use the kit's rear window glass since it's a curved area, but I made glass pieces for the door windows and cut/shaped two pieces for the windshield opening. The intention is to butt them together in the center (similar to the real thing) for a more realistic looking windshield:

You might want to reconsider the colored glass. Generally,  window tint was restricted to what came from the factory. I recently read through a few years of Altered rules, they all stated that.

[Scott8950]

Builds like this are always fun to do. This is really cool and your off to a nice start.

[Ferbz]

On 12/18/2024 at 2:18 PM, Straightliner59 said:

You might want to reconsider the colored glass. Generally,  window tint was restricted to what came from the factory. I recently read through a few years of Altered rules, they all stated that.

Ah, thanks for that info! Well, this build is merely a 'flight of fancy' on my part, and not meant to be a model of something that would actually compete in races. It's just a crazy idea that I got inspired to pursue and hopefully end up with something eye catching and fun which I think the red glass adds to 😉

[Ferbz]

2 hours ago, Scott8950 said:

Builds like this are always fun to do. This is really cool and your off to a nice start.

Thanks! I'm having some fun with it as it reminds me of when I was a kid and I would kit bash together old parts and make whacky monstrosities lol

[NitroMarty]

Lovin' this project!!!

I have been fascinated with the Ramchargers, including the High n Mighty, for nearly 60 years!!!

As far as the tinted glass is concerned, go for it (just not for the windshield).

As someone who grew up at the track (Cordova Dragway was literally right in my backyard) I can tell you that tinted plexiglass windows were pretty much standard equipment on many drag cars until the early 1970s... Though plexiglass is no longer legal, tinted side and rear windows are still common on today's nostalgia gassers. Just my 2¢.

[M W Elky]

This is really neat great work on sectioning the top . Will you be using a cammer ? 

[Ferbz]

On 12/21/2024 at 7:30 PM, NitroMarty said:

Lovin' this project!!!

I have been fascinated with the Ramchargers, including the High n Mighty, for nearly 60 years!!!

As far as the tinted glass is concerned, go for it (just not for the windshield).

As someone who grew up at the track (Cordova Dragway was literally right in my backyard) I can tell you that tinted plexiglass windows were pretty much standard equipment on many drag cars until the early 1970s... Though plexiglass is no longer legal, tinted side and rear windows are still common on today's nostalgia gassers. Just my 2¢.

Thanks for the info! I'm thinking this build will represent a whacky 'show car'.....not something that would actually run in competition. I'm shooting for mostly 'caricaturing' the 'coolness' of that early experimental gasser era. I'm not too knowledgeable about the history and evolution of drag racing rules, but do I wonder why they prohibited plexiglass out of curiosity....?

[Straightliner59]

On 12/21/2024 at 8:30 PM, NitroMarty said:

Lovin' this project!!!

I have been fascinated with the Ramchargers, including the High n Mighty, for nearly 60 years!!!

As far as the tinted glass is concerned, go for it (just not for the windshield).

As someone who grew up at the track (Cordova Dragway was literally right in my backyard) I can tell you that tinted plexiglass windows were pretty much standard equipment on many drag cars until the early 1970s... Though plexiglass is no longer legal, tinted side and rear windows are still common on today's nostalgia gassers. Just my 2¢.

You're absolutely right. I couldn't remember when they outlawed the plexiglas windows, but, I was pretty sure that windshields were always a no-no.

[Ferbz]

On 12/22/2024 at 5:25 AM, M W Elky said:

This is really neat great work on sectioning the top . Will you be using a cammer ? 

Thanks! No cammer. Similar to the real car, I plan to build an early Chrysler hemi motor for it.

[chris chabre]

AWESOME BUILD!!!!

 

Chris is a good friend of mine, and his talent still amazes me after years of friendship. Hes a builder as well!

[Dr Cobra]

On 12/27/2024 at 1:15 PM, Ferbz said:

Thanks for the info! I'm thinking this build will represent a whacky 'show car'.....not something that would actually run in competition. I'm shooting for mostly 'caricaturing' the 'coolness' of that early experimental gasser era. I'm not too knowledgeable about the history and evolution of drag racing rules, but do I wonder why they prohibited plexiglass out of curiosity....?

plexiglass isn't legal because it will break into sharp pieces. You can use Lexan polycarbonate for windows though. It can be bent 90 degrees without breaking.

[Ferbz]

12 hours ago, Dr Cobra said:

plexiglass isn't legal because it will break into sharp pieces. You can use Lexan polycarbonate for windows though. It can be bent 90 degrees without breaking.

Ah, that makes sense. Thank you!👍

[Ferbz]

16 hours ago, chris chabre said:

AWESOME BUILD!!!!

 

Chris is a good friend of mine, and his talent still amazes me after years of friendship. Hes a builder as well!

Thanks! Yeah, I'm an artist as well and know talent when I see it. Chris has it in spades 😉

[chris chabre]

On 12/29/2024 at 12:33 PM, Ferbz said:

Thanks! Yeah, I'm an artist as well and know talent when I see it. Chris has it in spades 😉

oh I know who you are haha we've spoken on IG Last time was in August or so when Mike Jang passed away

Edited December 30, 2024 by chris chabre

[Ferbz]

3 hours ago, chris chabre said:

oh I know who you are haha we've spoken on IG Last time was in August or so when Mike Lang passed away

Haha! Yes, I recognize your name now 🤪👍