'29 A Roadster Drag Racer - Early 50's style

[buffalobill]

I'm really liking your A/inliner drag car build!

In post #9 on this thread re: crank-driven (Potvin) GMC blowers on inline 6's as being rare, and they were. . .However, I've seen a couple of GMC/Chevy inline 6's that mounted a GMC 471 blower on the left side of the engine block. The blower drive used a conventional belt drive.

Here's some more info re: such blower setups: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=105954

And, here's a '34 Chevy w/ a side-mounted blower: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt...t%3D40%26um%3D1

And, the following has nothing to do w/ this reply, but it was too cool to not share w/ ya' - (note: I tried to save a copy of the photo that will be of interest to you), and then paste it here, but was unable to. . .However, if you scroll down about 1/2 way on pg 1 of the below thread on that forum, you'll find a photo of an unblown but injected 400hp GMC 6 w/ a crossflow head that's installed in a 190 mph Camaro salt flat car. (hopefully, that photo may be useful for filling in some of the details for your inliner)

http://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopi...id/198047/tp/1/

[Bernard Kron]

buffalobill, thanx for the links.

The crossflow head on the injected Camaro is most likely a late Wayne head. The Fisher head like the one in my build had relatively evenly spaced intake ports whereas the original Wayne Horning design had paired intakes (although they weren't siamesed they came out of the head in closely spaced pairs). There's just a tiny bit of the head showing in the picture but it looks like it's aluminum. This would make it a late casting from Wayne Manufacturing. The injectors are modern. Very pretty engine that I'm sure puts out lots of grunt!

One thing that Camaro shows is just how big in every dimension these GM sixes are. They're tall as well as long. It's really the key issue as I move forward in getting this build done. Even though this is a highboy that engine just barely fits under the hood. A V-8 of any vintage would have been far easier to handle! I can see why the advent of OHV V8's were such a revolution in hot rodding. They provided deep breathing and big power in a far more compact package than the the big 6's. A big inline 8 would be almost totaly out of the question! 2 more cylinders would completely engulf those deuce rails!

[buffalobill]

You are so correct re: how bulky the Chevy & GMC inline 6s really are!

Back in the day (20+ something yrs ago) when I still had some $$, I built a 1:1 track-nosed & channeled '34 Ford roadster from the ground up, and had more than casually considered using a 302 GMC inliner that came w/ either a Wayne, Fisher, or Horning crossflow head (I've long since forgotten the details of which one it was) that I had located in Riverside, CA. It would have taken a fair amount of arm twisting & funds to tear it loose from the old racer, but not nearly as much as it would have entailed to getting it to fit in a streetable hot rod

Even though I had already pinched the rails, plus lengthened the wheelbase by 3" & kicked the Model A front crossmember forward a like amount, it would have been a real bear to still get it to fit without all sorts of compromises & headaches -mods to the X member & trans mount, a drastically setback firewall & reduced interior space - already at a premium in a channeled roadster, plus possibly not being able to fit a normal hood over it without a bulge, scoop, or big hole in the top due to the body having been channeled. So, I took the boring & easier path and put in a stout 350 SBC, and then did everything I could to make it look like something other than a SBC. lol Looking back on that decision, I wish that I had slugged it out, and stuck w/ the Jimmy, no matter how tough it would have been. . .

btw - my new(er) wife had totally balked w/ me going w/ the Jimmy, as Jimmy Ruth is my ex-wife's first name! - (she was a Southern gal - what else needs to be said about the name? haha)

Keep up the great work on your A-bone! Can't wait to see it finished. . .

Edited September 7, 2009 by buffalobill

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx buffalobill. Great story on your brush with the Jimmies... I will persevere with this one even though it creates many of the issues you outlined, only in 1/25th scale. Besides bulk, one thing these mills don't lack for is character!

Edited September 7, 2009 by gbk1

[Bernard Kron]

Progressing steadily… More interior panels were fabbed, some primer/sealer layed down to mask the differing colors of the plastic, and a color mockup of the paints scheme made up in Photoshop. Chassis and grill will be blue with red body with white paneling on the hood. Minor bodywork and chassis cleanup needs to be done and front wheels fabbed up to allow for a brakeless front setup. I hope to have a roller by the end of the week and maybe some paint, weather permitting. Here are some pics:

EDIT added later the same day:

I needed a pair of '40 Ford style steelie front wheels that had good inside back detail since I wanted to run the front end without brakes with just a spindle and kingpin. Most kit steelies are completely flat on the back or have crude brake backing plates molded in. I wanted to avoid having to sculpt a groove in the back of each wheel if I could since duplicating them might be difficult. Here’s my solution. Not absolutely accurate but very reminiscent of the back of wheels on track roadsters and dirt track cars in the 40’s and 50’s.

I found these wheels in a bunch of parts I got from my friend Raul Perez when he let me graze through his parts stash last winter. I don’t know what they come from but there are five of them, they’re all exactly the same but there are only 4 wheel backs. They’re very deep. I’m guessing they’re some kind of truck wheels. Anyway, they’re just about exactly what I had in mind. I’ll trim down the mounting post as needed in the final installation on the front axle.

Al I had to do is trim off the flanges on the back and mate them up with some AMT ’40 Ford rim backs. The fit was perfect for the set of Modelhaus 110B 5.45 width tires I’m using.

Thanx for lookin’,

B.

Edited September 10, 2009 by gbk1

[Raul_Perez]

Bernard,

It's good to see that you're able to put some of those old parts to use!!

The interior panels look GREAT!!

Wow!! That really is a BIG engine!!

Later,

[Bernard Kron]

This build is going very slowly for me. Sometimes I feel a little over my head with this thing since it's mainly scratch built or heavily modified kit bashing. I've gotten the main body work done including paint. The frame and grill shell are Tamiya Dark Metallic Blue, the body is DupliColor Cherry Mietallic with Duplicolor Oxford White panels outlined in gold Pactra Trim tape. The numbers are gold leaf decals from the old Monogram Classics Super Modifed Dirt Track Racer/Kurtis Kraft Indy Racer double kit.

The only major problem I'm facing is the the back half of the hood, which is a resin piece from RepMin, has splayed outwards and no longer lines up with the cowl. Does anyone have any tips on how to return it to it's proper shape?

Below are some pics of the completed wheel sets and the painted body.

Thanx for lookin'.

B.

[Raul_Perez]

WOW!!

The paint scheme looks awesome!! I really like the look!!

You know I'm not much with resin, but I'm pretty sure that Dave is right about using hot water to get the shape back...

Keep up the GREAT work!! I can't wait to see this one Under Glass!!

Later,

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx guys.

Dave, the inside of the body is all painted red metallic like the exterior except for the hood. The inside of the hood was painted, too, just not the final color. I'm running a p/e grill so you can see the motor (no radiator) through it. I haven't decided whether to paint the inside of the hood white for contrast against the red motor, or red metallic for continuity with the rest of the interior surfaces. The other thing I haven't decided on is what color to paint the interior panels I made, red metallic or perhaps some sort of dark metallizer for a more funky/realist look. I plan to leave the rear deck removable so you can look at the back end of the frame and rear suspension by removing it. I'm also going to leave the tonneau cover I'll be making removable to show off the frame and interior. I will, however, glue the main body in place.

And thanx for the advice on the warm water. I'll try it. I think the distortion is the result of too many trips to the dehydrator!

Those slicks came from Raul's parts box! (Thanx Raul, he, he...)

B.

Edited October 2, 2009 by gbk1

[Raul_Perez]

...Those slicks came from Raul's parts box! (Thanx Raul, he, he...)

I thought they looked familiar!!

I'm glad that you found the perfect model to put them on before they turned to dust in my parts box...

Later,

[Bernard Kron]

It’s a roller! The front and rear suspension are largely complete. The front end uses a tubular dropped axle from the Revell ’32 Ford series with the shock mounts removed. The top two leaves from the spring have been removed and the mounting tab cut down to lower the front end some more. Vane type shocks (so-called “friction†shocks) from the Revell ’29 Ford RPU have been adapted. A steering arm has been installed on the left kingpin. The actual steering is mounted in the body so it hasn’t been installed yet. Split wishbones adapted from an AMT ’29 Ford Roadster are used. The rear suspension is almost entirely from Early Years Resin, quick change rear end and spring. Vane shocks from the Revell ’29 RPU and split wishbones from the AMT ’29 Ford Roadster haven’t been installed yet. Most suspension parts are finished in Testors Metallizer Gunmetal. Also included is a picture of the interior panels which are installed and finished out in Testors Metallizer Magnesium. Next up is fabrication and installation of the steering mechanism, finishing up the remaining suspension bits, and then detailing the interior. Final assembly can’t be too far away now!

Thanx for the tips on bringing the resin hood back into shape. I combined the hot water and a rubber band to align it with the frame rails and it did the trick!

Thanx for lookin!

B.

[Raul_Perez]

This is coming together very nicely, Bernard!!

I really like the frame work in the rear!!

Don't stop now!!

Later,

[Janne Herajärvi]

That look great!!

[curt raitz]

Yes Raul...Bernard is having too much fun

coming along just fine - I like it!

lookin' forward to seein' this model in February

[Raul_Perez]

Yes Raul...Bernard is having too much fun

coming along just fine - I like it!

lookin' forward to seein' this model in February

Have we reserved our table yet??

[BigGary]

here's a web site for 12 port fanatics.

http://www.inliners.org/

They are supppsed to be for all inline engines but most emphasis is on 12 port GM engines. Check out the Bonneville car on the home page. Now there's a project for you!

Gary

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx for the encouraging words. This project continues to crawl along. Lots of scratch building and trial fitting. This one will probably make it to the NNL if I don’t screw it up too badly on the home stretch! It’s definitely my most challenging build so far. Gary, I used the Inliner website for reference work when I built the motor. Great place full of cool info! Here are some more detail pics.

The interior is almost completed. I have to fabricate a driveshaft and install the engine in order to determine the correct seat height to clear the drive train. The steering is completed including a tubular Pitman arm and tie rod. The gauges are standard aftermarket tach and gauge cluster typical of the period – nothing fancy since it’s a race car. They come from an AMT ’40 Ford sedan kit. The seat is a resin piece from The Parts Box in Australia and the steering wheel is the Bell race car wheel from the AMT ’53 Studebaker kit. Both are finished in Testors Metallizer Plate Aluminum with a Testors “Rubber†enamel painted steering wheel rim. I’ve also included some more detail pics of the front and rear suspension as everything is completed and installed now. I landed up making shorter track-style radius arms for the rear because of height and fit issues involving the floor pan.

Things left to do are final detailing and installation of the engine, the aforementioned driveshaft, mounting brackets for the seat, pedals, shifter, etc., etc., etc. Details, details, details… The final two steps will be installing a p/e grill so you can peak through it to see the engine and making a removable cloth tonneau cover. I’m shooting for next weekend to get this one Under Glass!

Thanx for lookin’.

B.

[Alyn]

Your firewall design looks pretty cool, but I'm really diggin' that seat and steering wheel. The silver you used looks great.

[CB]

Comin' along real nice B Love that seat! Don't look real comfy tho Did they use seat belts back then in these things?

I gotta say-- way back when I was 15 .......uh, that woulda been 1967, my parents bought me my first car-- a '57 Chevy (4 door ) for $75. It had the straight 6 with 3 on the tree, and when I finally got my license and got driving it--Wowie! That's one great li'l engine! Was doin' 85 one night, dropped it 'up' into 2cd gear, put 5 more mph on the dial and hit 3rd. If'n a stock 235 would haul that big ol' 4 door around like that, I can just start to imagine what this here Fischer 6 would do in this here '29 which looks to weigh almost nuthin' ..... I's just goin' by your buildem up, coz I know how particular you are to get 'em all period correct..........period

[Raul_Perez]

Looks like you're almost there, Bernard!!

The chassis and interior work looks really nice!!

I can hardly wait to see this one at the NNL West!!

Later,

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx everyone. The good words have kept me pluggin’ away!

CB, if I had to hazard a guess these stripped down competition roadsters probably came in around 1800 lbs. max. So, given that this big injected six cylinder probably put out an easy 225-250 horses at the rear wheels, and more on alky, it would really skoot!

At last I’m getting a sense of real progress on this build. I thought I’d get this one done last weekend but for some reason all the details are taking me a long time to do. The motor, chassis, interior and most of the body details are all done. Since the body will be permanently mounted to the chassis I took some final chassis pics and then began assembly. Still left to do are fitting the hood (the resin hood splayed outwards slightly again so it needs to be reheated and bent to fit), assembling the grill and final alignment of the hood and grill in relation to the body. The last detail will be a tonneau cover. Ideally I would like the hood, rear deck and tonneau cover all to be removable to show off the interior details.

Thanx for lookin’.

B.

Edited October 30, 2009 by gbk1

[Raul_Perez]

Oh yeah...this one is coming along very nicely, Bernard!!

The red, white and blue theme has always been one of my favorites!!

Later,

[CB]

Bernard!!! Yer crazy if'n you gonna cover this up!

I'd jump in it, fire it up, and.....well, hope it goes straight

(forgot it aint got no steery wheel in it )

Seriously B, even tho' it'd probly be a bit of work? I'd consider takin' a page outa Treehugger's 'book' and make you another

rollin' curbsidey frame to set the body on, then display 'em both.

Really oughta be a law against hidin' really cool stuffs like this

Lookin' way too cool B-- keep it goin'

[Bernard Kron]

...Seriously B, even tho' it'd probly be a bit of work? I'd consider takin' a page outa Treehugger's 'book' and make you another rollin' curbsidey frame to set the body on, then display 'em both.

Really oughta be a law against hidin' really cool stuffs like this

...

Thanx John! I hear 'ya. Unfortunately the body has to be glued to the frame or it won't sit right. And, frankly, this build is pau. The thought of doing any more on it is..... At least I took lotsa pics.

It’s done! This has been a 3 month build, a very long time for me; most of the time my builds take 6-8 weeks max. I decided to omit the tonneau cover. It just didn’t look right to me. I’ll probably keep on working on it. If I can get it looking OK I’ll post some additional pics (don’t count on it…).

Below are some detail pics of the steering and the grill, a p/e piece from Model Car Garage fit into a Revell shell that I hogged out.

Under Glass pictures can be found here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24422

Thanx for lookin’.

B.

Edited October 31, 2009 by gbk1