little austin hot rod

[jbwelda]

ok since i now know some hate endless pictures about nothing, i have some more to add! been spending a little time this labor day weekend doing some labor on the austin as you can see: firewall in and more or less trimmed, body fitted to extended frame making it look much more like what i had visioned, and the motor looking very nice sitting slightly up on its front mount (otherwise i think it will drag on the ground). rough and ready. i still need to narrow the rear track and do some more trimming on the body but otherwise im starting on the hemi detail so more on that later. for now, some photos:

cool profile:

a view of the motor to firewall clearance...just about right but i might move the motor back closer:

heres an inside look at the firewall and bellhousing etc:

and finally, a look at the slicks on their unfinished wheels up against about where i want the body to sit, maybe have the body sit just a smidgen closer to the tire:

alright, thanks again for looking and stay tuned for way more photos, im sure!

[Bernard Kron]

...wow these things really move back fast when no one comments!.......

I know exactly how you feel about the lack of comments. My builds get few comments at best. Im just a hack though and my subjects arent the most popular.. ...

First off the MCM board is very big and things sink fast. So many of my favorite builders sooner or later remark on how quickly their projects can disappear from the first couple of pages, especially if, like me, you use the "View New Content" filter. I must remember to give my faves the occasional "bump" when I'm having a look. So here goes:

BUMP

And of course, neither you nor txrat are anybody's idea of a hack! We should all be such hacks! Hack, hack, hacking our way to some pretty sublime builds.

And finally, thanx for the brief reprise of the track-nose roadster, one of my all-time favorites. For some reason I can't recall ever seeing it with the full complement of decals. Looks sharp!

Any, if you'll keep on buildin', I and many others will keep on lookin'! (And maybe we can remember to occasionally keep on bumpin'...). Your builds are invariably imaginative and finely executed, and your W.I.P.'s well detailed, full of interesting and useful observations, and most definitely something to look forward to.

P.S. There's another Austin Bantam rod being built on another board. Totally different in approach and look, even the body being used is different. And both are equally great! But what is the chance of something like that ever happening?!!!

Edited September 6, 2010 by gbk1

[Raul_Perez]

Hey, Bill...your subtext line still says updated Aug 23rd...that may be why you're not getting more comments...

Anyway, it looks like you're continuing to make good progress!!

Later,

[jbwelda]

well about time for a little update as progress marches slowly on!

wheels and tires are just about done:

hemi is coming together:

magneto is getting wired:

decided to use the elegant little Wild Dream fuel tank since i had a couple of them lying around. built some frame mounts for it and it will look cool back there...i plan on putting the battery right next to it. living dangerously:

and finally, here is a profile:

you can see the body probably needs to be channelled more in the front with the modified engine placement. i am thinking about another 3 scale inches, maybe 4. there is room between the firewall bottom and the bell housing top to allow it.

i plan on getting the motor built and finished the next couple of nights, and the rear end has been narrowed by about 7 scale inches per side, painted and ready to assemble. i have to make some rear radius rods to really secure the rear end to the frame. funny how quick things never turn out that way.

[Raul_Perez]

This one is coming along nicely, Bill!!

We missed you in Sacramento last weekend...are you going to make it to Stockton on the 17th?

Later,

[southpier]

i have what i believe is the same kit; Revell BMW - Dixie.

my intention is to get a model A 4 banger into the original frame.

your's is much further along!

[Bernard Kron]

Great stuff! Those wheels are killer. What are the fronts? They really pop!

[jbwelda]

hey raul, thanks for noticing, ive been specializing in flaking out recently, just flaked on the street rod nationals show the other day, but i did make it to billetproof! anyway things keep coming up around here including emergency meetings to save the delta so model shows have taken a back seat im afraid. miss seeing you and jerry and curt though. would love to make the stockton show but have to be down in LA that weekend on some music business so wont make it. hold it down for me mate!

and gbk, those halibrand kidney bean wheels are from reps and mins of maryland, very nice looking. at the stage of the photo i had not cleaned up the red epoxy around the knockoff yet but they look even better now!

many thanks again for looking and as usual, comments questions and criticisms (more or less) cheerfully fielded!

[moparmagiclives]

I dont know whats cooler, the car, or you useing a piece of steel and magnets as a jig....freaking awesome, never thought of that.

[jbwelda]

well thanks for the compliment and much as i hate to give away my (very few) awesome ideas...i bought that jig and magnets from micro mark! now if i had come up with it all by myself that might be different!

thanks for looking, once again!

[jbwelda]

as if on cue, heres an update! got the motor done, kind of a colorful scheme but it should look good with the body color being candy red.

nice and simple layout, hilborn injectors with short stacks, big magneto sticking up with wiring simplified by going into plug wire covers on the tiny hemi valve covers:

heres a shot from behind:

with the body in place:

and finally, a shot of overall progress...now i gotta get a set of headers and do the rear axle so i can be sure im done with frame modifications...

i think i might have to move the motor and mounts forward an 1/8" despite my best efforts!

irregular updates again soon, or not!

[jbwelda]

a little update: even with my efforts so far, the way the rear axle sits forward (*way* forward!) of the crossmember, the body was still being pushed too far forward and covering the motor which might be fine except i didnt want it that way. then some advice from another contributor here made me think i should slice off some of the cowl of the body. the more i thought about it the better it sounded. so one night in a drunken rage (not really, i wasnt angry or anything) i decided to get out the tape and razor saw. so there you have it, fits excellent now and the rear slicks sit perfectly in the wheel wells.

just a couple photos now but will update tomorrow with some better ones.

note the rear axle has been narrowed probably close to 18 scale inches! and you can see the torsion bars on the towel behind the car.

[Brokentail58]

Nice work. I love the Hemi. I will have to keep an eye on this build.

[robertw]

man i applaud you for trying to squeeze a V-8 into this thing what you have as far as i know is not an Austin, but a BMW 3/15. maybe it became an Austin later? not really up on my European car history. anyway i have one of the RoG kits that i belive was used as the master for the resin body you have there and it's a very, very small car. i had wanted to build a hot rod from mine too but thought at best it would be V-6 powered, but more than likely 4 cyl of some sort.

Dave

Yes that's the body from the ROG BMW 3/15PS DA-1 kit. It was originally a Heller kit in 1/24 scale.

It was the first car that BMW built after they took over the Dixi Autoworks in 1928. Dixi had a license from Austin to build their Austin 7's for sale in Germany. Within a few years the license expired, BMW didn't renew it and began to build their own designs. Since the Dixi body was a nearly exact replica of the Austin 7 you're safe in referring to it as an Austin body.

Revell reissued the kit in '04 but it doesn't show up very often which is unfortunate since it's a neat little kit to build with a very accurate looking front suspension setup.

robw

[jbwelda]

well a fairly major update here even if the photos dont show it.

roughed in the new firewall after chopping 6" scale from the front.

installed the rear end and made up some traction bars from the kit ones...necessary because of the narrowed axle plus the lengthening of the frame in the rear.

more important, epoxied on the slicks in the rear and made sure they sat flat and straight (one of my pet peeves) and the front axle is getting near done, just now epoxying (using that more and more these days) the finned brake drums onto the front spindles.

also, started making floorboards and realized the situation i had envisioned wasnt going to work because the body is channelled down so much. i dug through my spares box with no real results so i started looking at kits on the shelf. sports cars, old touring cars, pickup trucks, all too wide and i didnt want to have to do surgery on the middle of the seat if possible. then i looked in the AMT 29 ford roadster kit (with the Ala Kart parts still included) and there it was, ensconced inside a tub, that me and my dremel buzzsaw blade proceeded to liberate. it nearly fit perfectly, and more importantly you can tilt it so it will clear the frame while still looking natural. i filed on the sides to get it to fit the body and its lookin great now! plan on making up a dashboard with some street rod gauges and i have a walnut steering wheel coming from reps and mins.

trying to think about getting this done by NNL west but i dont like to rush things.

a look at the frame and rear end from inside, ive since made up an aluminum tube driveshaft:

one last look before the slicks go on:

slicks mounted...and you get a good idea of how the seat looks:

axle was narrowed probably 9 or maybe even 12" on each side...its short and stubby now!

oh and the lever shocks are upside down because with how narrow the transverse spring is, they interfered with the frame and axle up in their normal position. so i did what i probably would do in real life: found a way to install them upside down. look cooler that way too but perhaps only on a model because on the street the first pothole is gonna kill ya!

just got to smooth the cowl and firewall some before i shoot some color on it.

sorry for the pic quality, they were all handheld with no flash, when i get further along i will set up the tripod and take some serious photos.

thanks again for looking and hopefully things will continue to continue...im praying for rain!

[jbwelda]

well i think its safe to say i am closing in on the profile i have been after, note tweedy pie grille shell!

thanks again for looking!

[jbwelda]

slowly but surely...

more progress has been made by now, these photos were taken during the Great Period of Down (GPoD).

heres some headers i can use: evidently mastered by lyle willits and sold by reps and mins these are exactly the look i was looking for. wish i had narrowed them by chopping off some pipe near the block but they look great as is. metalizer on the tips looks pretty convincing.

i am done with the floorboard, flocked and accessoried and right now i am going to drill a hole in the chassis to run steering linkage through and hopefully put some color on the body (tamiya clear red over mica red) but it has been all foggy and moist lately so i have been holding off.

thanks again for looking!

view from above showing all the running gear:

motor and pipes from above:

and a closer look at motor pipes and body:

[brett]

Awesome man ! This looks so COOL !!

[Krazy Rick]

This is really model building at it's best !! .....one of the best projects I've seen !! - Love it. - Thanks much for sharing this !!

[jbwelda]

thanks folks, i just shot the mica red on the body and parts and hopefully the weather will cooperate tomorrow and i will get the clear red overcoat on. then i want it to dry out the next few days i am at work, and hopefully friday decide if it needs more clear.

[71datsun1200]

COOL PROJECT

[jbwelda]

its REALLY starting to look kool now!

hope to have it buttoned up and done by NNL West later this month!

dashboard under construction:

[oldscool]

That's looking really good.

oldscool

[LAone]

sweet hot rod. wish i could make it to NNL west. best of luck, looks sweet

[Racephoto1]

That's one nice little hot rod. Great workmanship.