'29 Ford Model A Dry Lakes Roadster - Completed

[Bernard Kron]

This is a brutally basic racer for a community build project on the TRaK board. It's a 29 Ford Roadster done in the style of the dry lakes runners as they appeared in the 1930's. Based on the AMT kit with AMT '34 Pickup wires. It'll be finished in a worn black paint job with a hopped up 4 banger. Other than the deleted fenders it's surprisingly close to stock, but then so were the originals.

Thanx for lookin',

B.

Edited July 24, 2010 by gbk1

[Duntov]

Bernard:

This looks really good. One of my favorite books (Dry Lakes & Dragstrips) has a few pictures of very similar cars and it appears you have captured the stance and overall feel of these cars very well......very nice build....thanks for sharing this!!!

Regards

Bill (Duntov)

[Raul_Perez]

There are no limits to what can be done with the AMT '29 roadster kit!!

It looks like you're off to another good start, Bernard!!

The last one I built was an old dirt track racer diorama with Berma-Shave signs one the crash rail posts...I don't think that I ever got pictures of that one before I gave it to a friend of mine...

Later,

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx guys!

The TRaK CPB is about building a non-rat but worn looking rod in the traditional style, a low budget runner where there's no money to make it shine. This is the image that immediately popped in my head:

I've always been absolutely fascinated by Depression era Hot Rodding and how many of the elements that the circumstances of the period forced on the early racers became the icons of the sport. Roadsters are the lightest of the bodies, and also the cheapest of all the models, highboys are just de-fendered stock cars, and there you go. The iconic hot rod. Running the car lower, maybe mounting the body on the Deuce rails to fill that ugly gap between the frame rails and the edge of the body, and adding a Deuce grill, all were later things, introduced in the late 30's, that were logical steps to make for a prettier, more finished look. Just once I want to resist the temptation to go there and see what's involved in building what was the basic tool of mid-30's dry lakes racing, the gutted '29 A roadster.

Here are some additional pics that define this type of car. I don't know if I will go totally over the top and detail things down to the level of the levers and rods for the mechanical brakes, though!

This is quite a change of pace from my totally un-TRaKable, bright red 80's-90's Barry Lobeck style Deuce roadster with an SBC, dirt track rear tires and lotsa shiny chrome. It just suffered a minor setback so I'm building this guy as therapy from all that near-billet bling!

Right now the tires are the 60's LSR tires from Early Years Resin (http://earlyyearsres...om/lsrparts.htm ). I threw them on because they had a balloon tires look, but they really aren't quite right for this build, especially the front ones. Small skinny fronts shouldn't be a problem from my stash, but if anyone has a suggestion for more authentic rear tires, I would welcome it. I want some "rubber rake" and also to capture the look of the oversized rears that were used to gear up the drive line for faster top speeds.

This will also be my first attempt at a more worn and weathered look without going the rust route. The black paint goes on this weekend. Can anyone give me some tips on how to capture the dusty look all these cars have when they were photographed out on the high desert? Especially on the tires and all the nooks and crannies in the frame. Most of these cars weren't that old so rust isn't appropriate. They weren't scrap yard jalopies, just stripped down racers.

There are no limits to what can be done with the AMT '29 roadster kit!! ...

The last one I built was an old dirt track racer diorama with Berma-Shave signs one the crash rail posts...I don't think that I ever got pictures of that one before I gave it to a friend of mine...

Thanx Raul. You're right, there is no limit. That cowl makes for the ultimate hot rod roadster shape IMHO. That's too bad about the diorama pictures! I would have loved to have seen it. Borrow it back!

Edited May 29, 2010 by gbk1

[Alyn]

. . . This will also be my first attempt at a more worn and weathered look without going the rust route. The black paint goes on this weekend. Can anyone give me some tips on how to capture the dusty look all these cars have when they were photographed out on the high desert? Especially on the tires and all the nooks and crannies in the frame. Most of these cars weren't that old so rust isn't appropriate. They weren't scrap yard jalopies, just stripped down racers. . .

I haven't done that much weathering (yet), but can tell you picking up a basic set of chalk pastels is a good start. I have a set of 24 of the basic colors, and a couple of 4-packs; one grey tones, and one earth tones. The 4 packs are a brand called "Generals" and the 24 pack is "Gallery". Both were easy to find at Hobby Lobby and maybe Michaels. The grey & earth tones should be just what you need for some desert dust.

You can scrape the chalk stick with an Xacto knife, or rub it on sandpaper; catching the powder on a piece of paper. Then apply with a small short bristle brush. Keep in mind that chalk powder adhears to a flat or matte surface much better than gloss. Testor's Dullcoat is your friend when it comes to weathering. You can also use the Dullcoat to seal or "fix" the surface after applying the powders. Powder and Dullcoat can be added in more layers if you like to keep adding to the effect.

The inside of my '29 roadster is an example of what you can do with matte black and grey pastels. It might be what you need for the outside of yours.

For the tires, sand them as is often done, and then shake them up in a sandwich baggy with some light grey chalk dust. I haven't tried this yet, but have read that is is a very effective method to dirty up some tires.

Good luck with your project. It's an excellent concept to build from.

[Bernard Kron]

I haven't done that much weathering (yet), but can tell you picking up a basic set of chalk pastels is a good start. ... The inside of my '29 roadster is an example of what you can do with matte black and grey pastels. It might be what you need for the outside of yours....

For the tires, sand them as is often done, and then shake them up in a sandwich baggy with some light grey chalk dust....

Thanx a lot Alyn. That's just the tip I needed. The interior of you're '29 is close to what I'm after, and it sounds like the treatment of the tires you suggested should do the trick. Now if I can come up with the right rear tires...

[Raul_Perez]

Thanx Raul. You're right, there is no limit. That cowl makes for the ultimate hot rod roadster shape IMHO. That's too bad about the diorama pictures! I would have loved to have seen it. Borrow it back!

Maybe...I don't work with the person I gave it to, but I am still in touch with him.

I need to fix one of the Berma-Shave signs for him. That would be a GREAT reason to get it back long enough to get a couple of pics.

I remember that it was painted in red oxide primer with thin strips of masking tape used to make the numbers on the doors. How "back yard mechanic" is that?

Later,

[Paul Payne]

Herb Deeks used to make some nice racing tires which would look good on the back. I don't have a way to contact him, maybe someone can help. Also, Norm Veber at Replicas and Miniatures has a set of big and littles that would work. The Revell 1932 Ford sedan has nice chrome Kelsey Hayes wires- chuck them in E-Z Off and the chrome should disappear in about 1/2 hour. For tires caked with dry lakes dirt, try diluting white glue and brushing it on the tread. Then roll the tires through some flour mixed with ground ginger, or add some light brown pastel.

[Bernard Kron]

Herb Deeks used to make some nice racing tires which would look good on the back. I don't have a way to contact him, maybe someone can help. Also, Norm Veber at Replicas and Miniatures has a set of big and littles that would work. The Revell 1932 Ford sedan has nice chrome Kelsey Hayes wires- chuck them in E-Z Off and the chrome should disappear in about 1/2 hour. For tires caked with dry lakes dirt, try diluting white glue and brushing it on the tread. Then roll the tires through some flour mixed with ground ginger, or add some light brown pastel.

Thanx for the tips, Paul. I've used the RepMin big & littles before and they might work. I'm not looking forward to the wait for my order to be filled but they do represent a solution. I checked out the Revell Kelsey Hayes wheels. They are very wide for a 30's car and it would take major surgery to cut them down. But they sure are nicely detailed! I'll probably go with AMT '32 Deuce kit wires.

[Bernard Kron]

I've gotten the frame, suspension and body painted. I changed my mind regarding body color. Black body on a black frame was just one black blob. For contrast I painted the body and hood Duplicolor Maroon over black undercoat. Then I wet sanded the paint with 2000 grit to give it some tooth and dull down the sheen. Finally I dusted the body with a medium gray-brown weathering powder to simulate the dry lakes dust that collected on the cars as the day wore on. The frame and undercarriage is Plasticote Mr. Spray Satin Black over red oxide primer with the same wet sanding and dusting treatment as the body. The grill shell is coated with Testors gloss acrylic to tone down the chrome and make it look more worn.

I've swapped the wheels out for AMT '32 Ford wires which more closely resemble the prototypic Kelsey Hayes style wheels prevalent during the period. The tires still aren't quite right. Right now I'm running the standard AMT Firestones at the front and the rears are from the Revell 40 Ford Standard Coupe, reversed with the whitewalls inside. The sidewall detail and shape of the Revells are more in line with what I'm looking for, but they aren't quite big enough to contrast with the fronts. I'm sure either Modelhaus or Replicas & Miniatures have what I need, but I'm loath to wait several weeks to get them. I'll figure something out… Maybe I'll just take the build as far as I can go and then wait for the proper tires.

Next up is the motor. I'm thinking I may use the engine from the Revell 30 Ford Sedan mated to the AMT transmission. I must use the AMT tranny because it fits the AMT frame correctly and is a critical structural element. It's actually as nicely detailed as the Revell piece. For sure I'm running the Winfield head from the Revell kit. I also have a beautiful racing exhaust from Replicas & Miniatures which would run the exhaust pipe along the side of the body. If I go with that the hood sides will have to be deleted.

Once the engine is completed it's pretty near done (except for the tires!).

Thanx for lookin',

B.

[Raul_Perez]

Go Bernard, go!!

This one is starting to look like its been down the track a couple of times!

Are you going to put a number on this one?

Later,

[Bernard Kron]

..Are you going to put a number on this one?...

Thanx. And, BTW, thanx for the weathering powders. It's only taken me a couple of years to get around to using them!

I'm not sure about numbers. In the mid thirties time frame of this build they went either way (probably depending on how formal a racing meet it was - SCTA with its system of number ranges assigned to member clubs didn't start up until the end of November of '37, running its first meet in May of '38). Un-numbered cars were seen quite often. If I did go with numbers I would probably use a fairly "casual" font (see below) to approximate "shoe polish" numbers. Using typewriter white out to do them by hand is too risky, since it badly mars the paint , giving you only one chance to get it right. I would need white numbers so I would probably have to order them. Patto's Place Slot Cars & Decals in Australia has some that might work, 'though I'm not fond of the black outline for this usage:

Edited June 6, 2010 by gbk1

[Paul Payne]

Dry lakes cars from the 1940's usually had hand painted numbers. Looks like they used water base white poster paint. I would just hand letter the numbers with white water base craft paint.

[Alyn]

Good call on the color change, Bernard. I think that suits it well. It's a nice plain color, but not black. Looks like you're a quick study on the weathering powders; your paint job is cruddy.

(in a good way )

[Greg Myers]

Very interesting build. Looks like you're getting the colors and weathering just right. I'm a little confused on the frame though. What's going on with the double rails?

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx for the kind words, guys!

...I'm a little confused on the frame though. What's going on with the double rails?...

Those aren't double rails. The upper piece is the fairing for the tops of the chassis rails. They were left in place to allow for a proper seating of the hood . If you don't use that panel then you have to do something else. Here's pic of a car where they used a rope to solve the problem!

Also a note regarding numbers. I was wrong in saying that unnumbered cars were quite common in the thirties. That's more a late 20's thing when the very, very first cars hit the lakes, mainly model T's and the like. Certainly by the mid-thirties, like this car, numbers were pretty much what you did. And in fact the numbers were really quite "formal" in terms of fonts. "Shoe polish" numbers aren't that common, at least on the cars that were actually photographed (even in pictures of groups of cars). So I'll go with fairly simple white numbers of some sort.

I hope to have pics of the completed engine and perhaps chassis in the next few days. Then into the box she goes waiting for tires which I have ordered from Modelhaus. (4 to 6 weeks... grrrrrrr!).

Edited June 13, 2010 by gbk1

[curt raitz]

patience, Bernard...patience

shoot in 4-6 weeks - ya can have another model built!

lookin' good so far, keep on buildin' my friend!

[ARTEMIS1759]

OK so I guess you are building a lakes roadster. Sweet. i said you should build one on the thread for your other roadster.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx as always for the kind and encouraging words. And I will be patient, Curt! Needlesss to say I have other projects to keep me occupied.

A small update while I wait for tires from Modelhaus... I got the engine completed. The block, Winfield head and exhaust are from the Revell '29 "Rat Rod" Roadster Pickup kit. The carbs and intake manifold are from the "Classics" issue (2002) of the AMT '29 Ford Model A Roadster kit which includes a lot of the old hop up parts from the original release but unfortunately not the Riley 2-Port head. I thought the early 30's vaguely Miller-style carbs and simple tubular manifold suited the look of the build better than the more finished parts in the Revell setup. Paint finishes on the metal parts are various shades of Testors Metalizer. The bellhousing and transmission are also from the AMT '29 A Roadster because they fit the AMT chassis I'm using. The distributor is a 4-cylinder pre-wired unit from Morgan Auto Detail.

Thanx for lookin',

B.

[Raul_Perez]

Looking good, Bernard!!

I still haven't had time to paint my WagonRod. My oldest son is home for 10 days, so I'm pretty busy spending time with him, (and his car...), before he heads back up north...

Keep up the good work and the posts!!

Later,

[Bernard Kron]

Looking good, Bernard!!...

Keep up the good work and the posts!!

Later,

Thanx Raul. I'm juggling 3 builds at once. Hope to get the Deuce roadster done very soon and I'm making surpringly good progress on the Stude streamliner. Maybe Curt's right and I'll get something completed before the Modelhaus tires arrive...

[Bernard Kron]

Got the tires from Modelhaus so this one is back on the bench. The chassis is complete so here are a coupla pics. The exhaust is from the Revell '29 RPU, front tires are from the recent AMT Double Dragster tin chosen because they looked more rounded than the dozens of AMT Firestones I have lying around (probably as a result of de-branding them) and the rears are Modelhaus T-150B Commander '78 blackwalls. I hope to have this one done in the next few days providing my attempt at white numbers works out...

Thanx for lookin',

B.

Edited July 17, 2010 by gbk1

[Raul_Perez]

The chassis is looking good, Bernard!!

That reminds me, I need to get the old dirt track racer I built several years ago back from my friend to get a few pics...

Anyway, I made the numbers for it from thin strips of masking tape.

They looked rough and crude, just the way a backyard racer would have done it back then...

Later,

Edited July 18, 2010 by Raul_Perez

[Bernard Kron]

The pre-war '29 Ford Roadster is done and dusted and running at the lakes. More pics here Under Glass: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=33575

[southpier]

i've seen this around the web, but haven't happened upon the build thread.

near the front x there seems to be 2, albiet offset, pairs of frame horns. is this from a frame graft, or a period boxed rail?

in either case, bitchen' old school build!