mikevillena Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 This is going to be my first hot rod project. I'm still in the planning stage and am gathering reference materials. But I'm leaning towards a fenderless build and a space frame. I will be scartchbuilding a Jag IRS rear end. I will also be scratchbuilding either a Drake-Offenhauser, Miller or a Ford Cosworth DFV. Should be fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narampa Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 That will be a nice project. It would look great without fenders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 One thing for sure- most of us LOVE the 32's. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10thumbs Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 I agree, the 32's are a must for most modellers. I like to see them. Which kit are you bashing? Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 A Ford DFV would certainly be an interesting choice, what kit would you pluck that from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterNNL Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Not being sure just what that engine was I looked it up on the web.That will be an interesting scratch build for the motor alone.There are a lot of drawings and photos available on line to assist with details.Will the exotic engine choice influence any other features such as wheels,interior appointments or suspension engineering choices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 There is actually a Jag type IRS in the Revell 26 Sedan Delivery Kit, if you would rather kitbash it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) Hi guys! @ Narampa & Dale - Yep, a 32 Ford is a must. I've always admired the styling and ingenuity on Hot Rods particularly on the 32's. Definitely fenderless on this one. @ Michael - I'm using the Revell '32 5-Window Coupe 2 n 1 kit. I have been patiently waiting for the 3 window to show up at my local Hobby Lobby but none ever did. This 5 window showed up at the Michael's so I grabbed it. Not exactly my first choice but since I will be teaching myself how to do a chop it should be fine. @ JC - I guess I never steal parts other from kits. This forces me to try and scratchbuild stuff. A good example is the driver's seat on my Alfa GTA. I wanted to keep the 155 V6 Ti kit intact so that I can build it. So I was forced to learn how to make moulds (even a crappy one) and learn casting. Sure, it would be easier to simply buy a kit that will donate it's parts but I wouldn't learn anything new. @ Tom - You are correct. There is a lot of reference material out on the web regarding the DFV. Unfortunately, I haven't found a complete set of drawings yet. But I plan on taking measurements from a 1/20th scale engine that has been salvaged from an old Tyrell 6 wheeler that built 30 years ago. But I'm also leaning towards a supercharged Miller indy engine and an Indy style front grill. I'm still undecided on wheel choice. @ Nate - That's an option. But I'll most likely scratchbuild it or something similar. There are numerous IRS sites that have a lot of design options too. Edited June 3, 2014 by mikevillena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 I found a couple of 32 projects that really caught my eye: I'm still undecided if I will leave it as a coupe or go with the roadster look. But I started the prep by scraping and sanding the numerous parting lines and leveling out the area under the rear window where the tooling insert didn't sit flush. I then sanded off the textured area on the roof and gave it a shot of working primer. If I decide to go with a coupe, I will tape it solidly to my glass work top and mark out the 3 scale inch chop using a block mounted stylus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superbike-shaun Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 HEY Mike, wheres the Alfa? (lol) I say do the Cosworth DFV! jus kiddi'n . whicj kit are you using , (for the'32?).Shaun.s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afx Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Mike, the only 1/24 scale DFV I can think of is in Fujimi's Dome-O kit. It's a very nice one however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) HEY Mike, wheres the Alfa? (lol) I say do the Cosworth DFV! jus kiddi'n . whicj kit are you using , (for the'32?).Shaun.s Hey Shaun, the Alfa is still on-going. I will be switching to this whenever I need a break from the Alfa. I'm using the Revell '32 5 Window kit. Mike, the only 1/24 scale DFV I can think of is in Fujimi's Dome-O kit. It's a very nice one however. JC, will you kindly let me know when you'll be out of town so that I can break into your house and steal a few kits from your stash? You've got a heck of a collection! I do look forward to the challenge of scratchbuilding the DFV. I think Protar released several DFV powered F-1 kits in 1/24th but I'm certain that the quality isn't as good as your sample kit. I have their 1/24th scale Ferrari F187 kit and the details are crude (and I'm being generous). I do have Tamiya's 1/20th scale DFV and I will take measurements from it and scale things down to 1/25th. Edited June 3, 2014 by mikevillena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 Here's a cool site that I found: http://www.aacamuseum.org/art-build-rods-kustoms/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 I opted to go with the coupe. I'll try to build the roadster another time. Before I can start the chop, I had to cut out the doors: With doors cut, I set the body on one of my glass work tops and set up a crude stylus using a t-pin and my machinist's square. I then scribed the baseline: Point of no return: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 bad55 stan Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 wow thats a cool way to chop the top,great idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 great illustrated step x step; thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DynoMight Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Hope to see this model finished and looking good under the glass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10thumbs Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Hi Mike, thanks for the info about the kit. I have a couple of 3 window 32 coupes waiting in the shadows, and I'm real enthused about your project! Question: Your cutting lines look very, very even and clean. Is there a lot of material loss on the doors? You mentioned a machinist's tool. Could you tell us how you cut the doors and roof? Good stuff in progress here. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) wow thats a cool way to chop the top,great idea... I'm sure someone else has done it this way or have found a better way. great illustrated step x step; thanks I have never done custom bodywork before so I was merely trying to replicate how they do things on the real cars. I tried to follow the steps on this site: http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/techarticles/custom_top_cutting_techniques/ Another cool site: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/forums/traditional-hot-rods.57/ Edited June 5, 2014 by mikevillena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) Hope to see this model finished and looking good under the glass! Thanks Glenn. I'll try to do a decent job. Hi Mike, thanks for the info about the kit. I have a couple of 3 window 32 coupes waiting in the shadows, and I'm real enthused about your project! Question: Your cutting lines look very, very even and clean. Is there a lot of material loss on the doors? You mentioned a machinist's tool. Could you tell us how you cut the doors and roof? Good stuff in progress here. Michael Hi Michael. To cut the doors, I used the back tip of a sharp x-acto knife blade (mounted on the handle) and lightly followed the molded door opening. The phrase " death by a thousand cuts" applies here as I kept lightly scribing and removing tiny bits of plastic with each cut. I had to constantly scrub the cut line with an old toothbrush and soapy water to remove debris as even a tiny fragment will cause the knife blade to pop out and gouge the surrounding plastic or cause the cut line to go wonky. The material loss is about the same as the thickness of the knife blade tip if one is careful. I also try to keep the knife tip perpendicular to the surface to avoid a bevel cut. I wait until it is time to fit the door before dressing the cuts. I made my own sanding pad by sticking various grades of wet and dry sandpaper onto an old machinist's 6 in. steel rule using 3M spray adhesive. This sanding pad is flexible while yielding a flat sanding surface. To cut the top, I used my old Zona razor saw: For the horizontal cuts, I started on one of the round corners and used my finger tips to help guide the saw blade. I took my time and kept adjusting the saw blade angle to make sure that the cut is straight and is perpendicular to the surface. Once I've cut through the corner, the actual cut edge acts as a guide for the blade to rest on. I also used soapy water to constantly lubricate the knife as I make the cut. Because I'm still learning and experimenting there might be a better or easier way to do this. Oh and the machinist's square is a cheap Harbor Freight version: Edited June 5, 2014 by mikevillena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikevillena Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Since the top is not yet glued on, I can easily fill in the ejector marks and transitions with Tamiya putty and wet sand once it is fully cured: I'll give it a skim coat of Bondo red putty and set it aside for a while. Back to the Alfa project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DynoMight Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Alright cool, I was wondering what the putty was there for in the first set of pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W. Verts Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Excellent work. I'm really enjoyin' this. Dale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10thumbs Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Excellent! The tip about the soapy water makes good sense. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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