Doctordarryl Posted August 17, 2012 Posted August 17, 2012 I had been collecting parts to build this model for years. I wanted to build the version that won the '71 Winternationals because I sold Mr. Garlits the paint for the front body work. When he ran it at Loins in Jan. 1971 in preparation fo the Pomona Winternationals, it did not have any bodywork on the front. The story of my selling him the paint is a long one so I won't bore people who are interested in the model. I have met Mr. Galrits many times since and he still remembers me as the guy who sold him the paint for SW-14. This was the original MPC release. The decals were from Scale Auto Details. Lots of scratch building, wiring, and plumbing.
RyanK Posted August 17, 2012 Posted August 17, 2012 Wow that is nice and how cool is it that you and this car have a history! What a beautiful build. Thanks for sharing.
Burnout Posted August 17, 2012 Posted August 17, 2012 Another winning model! How about some more photos? Really nice work Dr.D
bbowser Posted August 17, 2012 Posted August 17, 2012 Great looking replica! I love seeing 'Big's' cars done in scale. He is one of a kind.
Dr. Cranky Posted August 17, 2012 Posted August 17, 2012 I love models like this simply displayed with a figure and a base. Wonderful.
krazyglu Posted August 18, 2012 Posted August 18, 2012 Very nicely done, I would love to see more photos.
Austin T Posted August 18, 2012 Posted August 18, 2012 I visited his museum in Ocala(?) this summer,cool stuff.He even has models there displayed.
Cato Posted August 18, 2012 Posted August 18, 2012 So tell us about the model-not the paint. How'd you make those perfect front wires??
AZ Boy Posted August 18, 2012 Posted August 18, 2012 Beautiful build, Darryl..! I love your attention to the little details.
my80malibu Posted August 18, 2012 Posted August 18, 2012 Very Cool. Now you will be known as the Guy who sold him the paint for SW-14, and the one who built the Cool model of it.
Doctordarryl Posted August 18, 2012 Author Posted August 18, 2012 So tell us about the model-not the paint. How'd you make those perfect front wires?? The front wire wheels were items from Machined Aluminum Specialties. I made the wheel disk (for better roll out through the staging light) by punching a disk from thin aluminum sheet and then punching out the center.
oldscool Posted August 18, 2012 Posted August 18, 2012 Great model of one of my all time favorite drag cars. I saw the car in this same configuration at the 71 Gatornationals.
Doctordarryl Posted August 19, 2012 Author Posted August 19, 2012 More pics since I figured out what was wrong with the site photo uploaders. The paint was airbrushed Tamiya Gloss Black cut 1:1 with Dupli-Color lacquer thinner. I use an Aztek A470 airbrush at 35psi with a 1mm nozzle. I cleared over the decals with two airbrushed wet coats of Tamiya clear. I shot a wet coat of straight Dupli-Color lacquer thinner over the last clear coat to level the finish and yield a high shine without polishing. It takes practice to know how wet to apply the thinner to avoid runs but once you get the knack for it, it's a killer way to finish off a paint job and avoid polishing! The figure was a Tamiya Rally mechanic. Check out the left breast side of the coveralls (there is a decal that says "Don"). When I sold Mr. Garlits the paint for the front bodywork, he was at Crower Cams (one of his sponsers) in Chula Vista, CA doing a tune up before going to Pomona for the '71 Winternationals. I worked at an auto parts store in Chula Vista called Cheely's and we sold Dupont paint. He had front bodywork made from sheet magnesium by a tin-knocker/fabricator near the Crower facility. He qualified the car mid-field and then stunk up the show by winning every round and the championship. The following year at the '72 Winternationals, I believe there was only one front engined dragster in the final 16. What a revolutionary dragster design!
Doctordarryl Posted August 19, 2012 Author Posted August 19, 2012 I visited his museum in Ocala(?) this summer,cool stuff.He even has models there displayed. I also was back to his Drag Race Museum this past June (for the 5th time). I never get tired of seeing what he has assembled there and I always see new stuff every time I go there. I highly recommend gear heads go there when near it. We were in Orlando with the family for Diseney World but I blew off a day to go to the museum in Ocala (about 60 minutes north of Orlando) as I always do whether there for Diseney World or a conference.
2002p51 Posted August 19, 2012 Posted August 19, 2012 Really nice work! I was at that race and the first roll out at Lions in Long Beach. Miss those days! Thanks for posting your great model.
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