RATical chopped and channeled '25 T (hot rod, not rat rod)

[Ace-Garageguy]

This one's been stalled for a while 'cause I couldn't find a set of headers for the Buick nailhead I liked. I've found some nice, soft aluminum welding rod of the right diameter to scratch-build some pipes from, so she's moving again.

The body and chassis are the old AMT chopped T kit, and the mockup has a blobular AMT Buick from a '40 ford.

To get the stance on the mockup, I drilled holes in the body shell for steel axles, moving them until I had the look I wanted.

Then I opened up the holes to accept a Ford 9" axle from one of the Revell '32s.

Obviously, the frame needed to be zeed heavily in the rear. Using the body as a jig, I made up and glued in rough frame extensions and glued them in place, being sure to keep the axle locations marked. The object was to get the maximum amount of zee in the available body space.

With the glue thoroughly dry, I removed the frame from the body, then marked everything that wouldn't be frame rail (noting how much room there would be for axle travel)

Here's the modified frame, with a fabbed front crossmember and suicide perch, and temporary mounts for the engine and gearbox. Also showing is a scratched firewall.

This shot shows clearance for the magneto in the cowl top marked, and the sectioned grille shell in progress.

And as she sits.....

Edited August 11, 2012 by Ace-Garageguy

[Intmd8r]

I dig it.

[Jantrix]

Yeah, I love it!

[blueoval92]

nice man. love the engine. personally i think it needs a little more forward lean on the front at the windshield but thats me. cant wait to see the homemade headers.

[H.A.K]

I like it.

[cobraman]

Looking good !

[Gluhead]

Rad.

[Bernard Kron]

Lovely, lovely stance and proportions right from the git go, which you obviously wanted to conserve as evidenced by the strategy you chose to construct the rear of the frame (an approach I promise I will steal at some point in the future... ). I hope we'll see more on this one.

[Dr. Cranky]

Digging it through and through, keep it going.

[tooltas]

i like it, Its a cool t

[Joker]

Liking the chassis work.

Great choice for the engine.

What kit are the 5 spokes from?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Thanks for the interest and kind comments, everyone.

Joker, I don't know what kit the wheels are from. I got them in a box of mystery parts, and because they looked so much like vintage Radirs (though they lack the sharp rib in the center of real Radir spokes) they actually inspired this build.

I'd like to point out that this build represents a TRADITIONAL 1:1 HOT ROD, built TODAY with mainly junkyard parts, but respecting correct and safe engineering and function. Though it may not be shiny when finished, it will most definitely NOT be a rat rod. The suspension will be 4-link front and rear to provide acceptable handling, but using a vintage front dropped tube-axle. I've bought similar units for less than $200. The rear brakes will be discs, representing what's available on some junkyard Ford 9" units. Front brakes will most likely represent repop '40s Ford, with finned Buick alloy drums. These can STILL be found on derelicts if you look hard enough, and are sufficient to stop a very light car with authority. Buick nailhead engines, as well as Olds Rockets, early Caddy V8s etc, can also still be found at the scrappers. The trans represents a fairly late-model junkyard 5-speed. Vintage or repop Radirs are available without breaking the bank, as are bias-ply wide whites and piecrust slicks. The frame could easily be built from rectangular mild-steel tubing by anyone with moderate measuring and welding skills.

Granted there are some pricey bits represented, like the vintage GMC 6-71 blower and the Cragar chain-drive for it. But you save your lunch money to get the cool stuff you really want, right? The T body-shell can be had rusty but restorable for about the same $$ as a not-too-good f'glass copy, and the sheet steel, welding rod and a little bondo to fix it nice are really cheap. The cooling system will represent a rig that could actually be driven in traffic. Although the tiny rad shell won't possibly accommodate a rad that will do much, a larger rad will inhabit the heavily-louvered trunk, including an electric fan.

Also bear in mind that provision has been made for allowing an actual human to operate the thing. This is a 1/24 scale driver figure, much closer to the camera than the 1/25 scale car. The point is, a normally-sized person could fit in the car without having to remove his head or feet to be cool. Heavily chopped and channeled cars built in the '50s were pretty hard to get in and out of sometimes, and this would be too.

Paint may be primer or shiny. I don't know yet. BUT, it's possible to do damm close to a show-quality paint job in the garage or driveway if you learn the techniques instead of whining that only big-bucks cars have great paint. I know, because I've done it in my own garage. The POINT is, it's a HOT ROD, not a poorly thought-out cartoon of a rat rod. It represents a real, fast, safe, reliable car that a guy could build on his own.

End of rant.........

[Pat Minarick]

I like it!

[W-409]

This is the way I like them, Traditional and well built HotRods, not those poorly built Rat Rods. You're doing very good job. Engine looks good.

That's true that even if the car is Rusty, it can be well built, here's one Ford T Drag Racer just for inspiration. Yep, it's from Finland.

[southpier]

...it will most definitely NOT be a rat rod. ....POINT is, it's a HOT ROD, not a poorly thought-out cartoon of a rat rod. ....

i think it's going to be great when finished. did someone change the thread title?

[Ace-Garageguy]

personally i think it needs a little more forward lean on the front at the windshield but thats me.

In keeping with usually making my models represent driveable cars, I rarely channel bodies lower than the bottom of the frame rails, and I give reasonable ground clearance which is what is depicted here. The rocker is also parallel to the frame rails, and dropping the front of the body just wouldn't be my style. I generally try to align the engine in profile with the frame rail, and the rear face of the block with the firewall if possible (taking into consideration the pinion angle, and the angles on the U-joints). I find that, for my taste, a lot of lines going in different directions to be distracting, and the look to seem un-planned.

[jeffs396]

Another GOOD one from the creative mind of Bill!

[Chuck Most]

Love it! Looks like something I'd do in 1:1- keep most of it under budget, saving a little here and there to splurge on some big-ticket parts for it.

[rustybill1960]

Dig it Man!!

Coolness!

Later

[Nate]

Now that's a hot rod! Love it...