Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2019 21:23:18 GMT -5
Parts from these three kits, (along with the Halibrand spokers from the recently reissued AMT 32 Ford Vicky), are being combined into one Frankensteinish blend:
The Altered frame from the Double Dragster kit, along with the Altered T Bucket body & corresponding parts from the Parts Pack, & it's blown Poncho 421 have been combined:
The front cover/mounting plate & rear mounting plate/scatter shield & transmission from the Hemi in the Double Dragster were adapted to the Pontiac engine in order for everything to fit correctly:
The original issue 57 Chevy donated the rear mag rims. I have no idea what kit the ancient pie crust slicks were offered in. I was lucky enough to find a few pairs at a swapmeet several years ago. For a circa 1962/1963 Altered build, they fit the bill perfectly, along with those rims:
The dual push bars molded to the Fiat Altered chassis are too short to work, as they tuck under the turtle deck. So I cut them off & made a single, center mounted push bar from Evergreen tubing:
With the Parts Pack T Bucket recently getting reissued, if any of y'all decide to do a similar combo, be aware that it's not hard to do, but it's also not a drop fit straight across swap. Besides adapting the front & rear mounting plates to the engine, the bottom of the firewall needed trimming to get the scatter shield & trans in the correct location on the frame. That was achieved by holding the Fiat firewall up to the one on the T Bucket, tracing the bottom lines of the Fiat part onto the T firewall, then marking & cutting the T Bucket firewall accordingly. The mounting grooves for both plates molded into the frame also had to be filled & the torque tube for the quick change will need to be shortened once I get to that point. I also used the hole in the Fiat firewall for the steering arm to drill a matching hole in the T firewall, albeit not as large.
I've been fiddling with this build off & on for a few years, & finally figured out a couple of sticking points & took care of them well enough to get me to a level to take a few pics. More to come!
The Altered frame from the Double Dragster kit, along with the Altered T Bucket body & corresponding parts from the Parts Pack, & it's blown Poncho 421 have been combined:
The front cover/mounting plate & rear mounting plate/scatter shield & transmission from the Hemi in the Double Dragster were adapted to the Pontiac engine in order for everything to fit correctly:
The original issue 57 Chevy donated the rear mag rims. I have no idea what kit the ancient pie crust slicks were offered in. I was lucky enough to find a few pairs at a swapmeet several years ago. For a circa 1962/1963 Altered build, they fit the bill perfectly, along with those rims:
The dual push bars molded to the Fiat Altered chassis are too short to work, as they tuck under the turtle deck. So I cut them off & made a single, center mounted push bar from Evergreen tubing:
With the Parts Pack T Bucket recently getting reissued, if any of y'all decide to do a similar combo, be aware that it's not hard to do, but it's also not a drop fit straight across swap. Besides adapting the front & rear mounting plates to the engine, the bottom of the firewall needed trimming to get the scatter shield & trans in the correct location on the frame. That was achieved by holding the Fiat firewall up to the one on the T Bucket, tracing the bottom lines of the Fiat part onto the T firewall, then marking & cutting the T Bucket firewall accordingly. The mounting grooves for both plates molded into the frame also had to be filled & the torque tube for the quick change will need to be shortened once I get to that point. I also used the hole in the Fiat firewall for the steering arm to drill a matching hole in the T firewall, albeit not as large.
I've been fiddling with this build off & on for a few years, & finally figured out a couple of sticking points & took care of them well enough to get me to a level to take a few pics. More to come!
