Post by Dennis on Jul 25, 2017 0:13:26 GMT -5
Here's the most recent distraction from finishing existing projects!
Back in '54 four brothers, the Williams Bros., wanting to be more competitive at the Bonneville land speed races removed the hopped-up flathead from their '28 Ford Roadster and replaced it with a brand new, over the counter 241 Dodge Red Ram hemi. The engine was heavily set-back and topped off with Hilborn fuel injection, hooked to a Ford 3-speed top loader which then hooked to a Halibrand quick-change axle. When Bonneville was over they walked away with a new B-Roadster class record that would stand for some time.
What I love about this car is how straight-forward it is. There's not a lot of bells & whistles and the engineering is solid but not overly fancy. It was built for a purpose and did what it was supposed to do. No more, no less. What is also remarkable is that despite being half torn apart after the '54 racing season and never being put back together, the brothers were careful to keep every part and every nut & bolt with the car. When the Williams family finally let go of the car it was possible for the new caretaker to reassemble it to exactly as-raced in '54.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
This is not going to be a replica but it will be heavily influenced by the Williams Bros. roadster. Not that there's anything wrong with a strict replica, I just want the freedom to do my own thing. The foundation is an older issue of AMT's '29 Roadster from the 80's, after the kit had been condensed into a roadster only offering.
To get started I decided to get the kits Dodge Red Ram sorted out. The block / trans, heads and valve covers come from AMT's '29 Roadster. The (slightly shortened) oil pan and upper water manifold are from Revell's '32 5-Window hemi. The front cover / water pump are AMT modern-tool Ala Kart. The pulley / belt drive is from Revell's Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit. The intake manifold and oil filler tube are also from Revell's '32 5-Window. I sanded off the dual 4-barrel carburetor pads, capped it with a piece of .020" sheet and made new carburetor pads for the 3 2-barrels from .040" sheet. The magneto is from AMT's parts pack Chevy engine. The Stromberg carbs from Revell's '29 Roadster.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
In typical old AMT fashion, the engine block is slab sided so I added some core plug and casting rib detail to help it look like something.
Hosted on Fotki
Here's the tweaked intake.
Hosted on Fotki
After deciding how far back I wanted to set the engine (about halfway under cowl) I had to decide on a transmission cross member. The '29 kit comes with a custom center cross member to go with the hemi, both of which are left over from the old Ala Kart and Mod Rod double kit days. The cross member loosely represents a cut-down '32 piece which is what the full scale Ala Kart used but it's a little soft on detail. The modern re-tool Ala Kart kit, despite a lot of short comings, does have some nicely done parts, one of them being the center cross member, so I installed it in the frame. That also meant I needed to transplant the tail of the modern tool transmission onto the older trans so that it would mount in the cross member correctly.
After the back end was located I was able to position and build the front motor mount brackets which were made from various pieces of Evergreen shapes. I stared at it all and struggled with design for a good bit before figuring out what to do. The Dodge front mount isn't the most user-friendly thing on Earth.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
With the body set on the frame and over the engine, this is how things look. Like the Williams Bros. roadster, the engine is set back far enough that the front corners of the valve covers just clear the hood sides.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
The front axle is the beautiful dropped I-beam from Revell's '29 Roadster and '30 Coupe.
Hosted on Fotki
Here's a few really rough mock ups with the hood and Revell '32 Ford grill in place. Wheels and tires are from Revell's '29 Roadster / '30 Coupe kits.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Lots more to do. Comments welcome!
Back in '54 four brothers, the Williams Bros., wanting to be more competitive at the Bonneville land speed races removed the hopped-up flathead from their '28 Ford Roadster and replaced it with a brand new, over the counter 241 Dodge Red Ram hemi. The engine was heavily set-back and topped off with Hilborn fuel injection, hooked to a Ford 3-speed top loader which then hooked to a Halibrand quick-change axle. When Bonneville was over they walked away with a new B-Roadster class record that would stand for some time.
What I love about this car is how straight-forward it is. There's not a lot of bells & whistles and the engineering is solid but not overly fancy. It was built for a purpose and did what it was supposed to do. No more, no less. What is also remarkable is that despite being half torn apart after the '54 racing season and never being put back together, the brothers were careful to keep every part and every nut & bolt with the car. When the Williams family finally let go of the car it was possible for the new caretaker to reassemble it to exactly as-raced in '54.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
This is not going to be a replica but it will be heavily influenced by the Williams Bros. roadster. Not that there's anything wrong with a strict replica, I just want the freedom to do my own thing. The foundation is an older issue of AMT's '29 Roadster from the 80's, after the kit had been condensed into a roadster only offering.
To get started I decided to get the kits Dodge Red Ram sorted out. The block / trans, heads and valve covers come from AMT's '29 Roadster. The (slightly shortened) oil pan and upper water manifold are from Revell's '32 5-Window hemi. The front cover / water pump are AMT modern-tool Ala Kart. The pulley / belt drive is from Revell's Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit. The intake manifold and oil filler tube are also from Revell's '32 5-Window. I sanded off the dual 4-barrel carburetor pads, capped it with a piece of .020" sheet and made new carburetor pads for the 3 2-barrels from .040" sheet. The magneto is from AMT's parts pack Chevy engine. The Stromberg carbs from Revell's '29 Roadster.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
In typical old AMT fashion, the engine block is slab sided so I added some core plug and casting rib detail to help it look like something.
Hosted on Fotki
Here's the tweaked intake.
Hosted on Fotki
After deciding how far back I wanted to set the engine (about halfway under cowl) I had to decide on a transmission cross member. The '29 kit comes with a custom center cross member to go with the hemi, both of which are left over from the old Ala Kart and Mod Rod double kit days. The cross member loosely represents a cut-down '32 piece which is what the full scale Ala Kart used but it's a little soft on detail. The modern re-tool Ala Kart kit, despite a lot of short comings, does have some nicely done parts, one of them being the center cross member, so I installed it in the frame. That also meant I needed to transplant the tail of the modern tool transmission onto the older trans so that it would mount in the cross member correctly.
After the back end was located I was able to position and build the front motor mount brackets which were made from various pieces of Evergreen shapes. I stared at it all and struggled with design for a good bit before figuring out what to do. The Dodge front mount isn't the most user-friendly thing on Earth.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
With the body set on the frame and over the engine, this is how things look. Like the Williams Bros. roadster, the engine is set back far enough that the front corners of the valve covers just clear the hood sides.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
The front axle is the beautiful dropped I-beam from Revell's '29 Roadster and '30 Coupe.
Hosted on Fotki
Here's a few really rough mock ups with the hood and Revell '32 Ford grill in place. Wheels and tires are from Revell's '29 Roadster / '30 Coupe kits.
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Hosted on Fotki
Lots more to do. Comments welcome!