Classic '29 Ford A-V8 Highboy Roadster - Final Update 01-24

[Bernard Kron]

This is my next project for the TROG California Drag Racing 2023 community build. It’s a classic A-V8 roadster as commonly run on the dry lakes on either side of WWII. The chassis is scratched together from Revell ’32 Ford frame rails. The front and rear crossmembers are from the Revellogram ‘29/’30 RPU/Sedan “Rat Rod” kits, the X-member is Revell ’40 Ford and the center crossmember for the transmission is from the AMT Ala-Kart. The body is the AMT ’29 Ford Model-A Roadster with a Revell ’32 Ford grill shell. Rear suspension will be from the Revellogram “Rat Rod” kits and front suspension will feature a 4” dropped I-beam. Paired with the Z’d rear of the frame it should have a pretty low stance despite the fact that it’s a highboy. Most likely it will be flathead powered although I’m considering an early OHV V8, like a Cadillac.

More to come soon…

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

[Dave from Pleasanton]

What I said on Trakinscale. Keep going, great start.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks Dave!

This project is progressing nicely. I’ve gotten the basic paint job completed. The main color is Tamiya AS-29 Gray Green over undercoats of red oxide primer and metallic silver which show through to various degrees where I have sanded for a light weathering effect. This car is being done in the currently popular “Preservation” style, wherein a classic old hot rod is restored only to make it safe and reliable to drive, but where the original age and patina of the bodywork, interior and running gear is preserved as much as possible. The color I chose is based on the color photographs published in a wonderful book called The Birth of Hot Rodding by Robert Genat and Don Cox, It’s a large format coffee table book about the dry lakes racing scene in Southern California on either side of WWII. What makes the book special besides Genat’s engaging and accurate text is Don Cox’s photography. Cox was a professional photographer as well as an enthusiastic hot rodder. After WWII he often shot color photographs using the then new Kodachrome color slide film. Kodachrome is fine grained and it’s colors accurate and stable over the decades. So the color photographs in this book are one of the few times we can get a realistic sense of the colors these cars were painted when they were first run. I chose this pale grey green as typical of the shades of these cars in the late 40’s.



I also chose the rolling stock. The wheels are the marvelous late Halibrand solid face magnesium wheels first run ob the circle tracks in the late 40’s. They are new pieces created by Jason Lookabill ([e-mail]) and include beautiful oversized bias ply rear tires that come with separate sidewalls so you can run them as whitewalls if you like. In my case I’ve painted them as blackwalls. Jason has also created smaller front wheels that will fit AMT and Revell tires, but in this case I’m using the same, large, wheels front and rear with modified standard AMT Firstone tires at the front.

And lastly I’ve completed most of the interior. I modified the tuck and roll bench seat from the Revell ’32 Ford 5-window coupe kit to fit the AMT kit interior from which I had removed the seat. The color is Testors British Crimson acrylic applied to render the look of worn leather. The dashboard and steering wheel will be modified stock AMT ’29 Ford pieces.

I also got pretty far along on a Revell Parts-Pak 354 Cadillac V8. But once I saw the painted bodywork I decided to revert to a period correct late 40’s Flathead. That, along with the suspension and overall stance will be the subject of my next update.

Until next time, thanx for lookin’,
B.

[Spike]

Great attention to period correctness,  I'm looking forward to seeing the finished car.

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks Spike!

It seems I’ve gotten quite a good deal done on this project, despite the fact that it felt like I was bouncing around from one thing to another without a conscious focus. But the result is that I’m nearing the home stretch on this thing

I got the graphics done and decals made. Their very simple with the old late 40’s-early 50’s St- Lube decals on the rear deck and hood sides and the number 529 on the body sides.

The interior is complete now. The dash board, adapted from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit got a more swaure and somewhat larger panel. The gauges are leftovers from a Model Car Garage ’32 Ford photo-etch set. The steering wheel and miscellaneous interior bits are from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit.

The motor got done., The block and transmission are Revellogram ‘37 Ford truck parts with the Offenhauser finned heads, Fenton headers and the high rise manifold are Replicas & Miniatures of Maryland items.

The chassis and suspension are about ¾ done. The rear axle came from a Revell ’40 Ford, the front axle is a wire-reinforced resin 4” dropped axle from ThePartsBox.com. The front and rear springs are from the AMT ‘29 Model A kit. The steering and locating rods are still left to be done.

In some of the pictures you can see that I had to grind away parts of the driveshaft and transmission/bell housing to clear the floor boards. A peak at some of the nasty stuff some of us have to resort to get ‘er done, LOL!

Thanx for lookin’
B.

[Bernard Kron]

I’ve completed the chassis, including the exhaust system, suspension and steering. In keeping with the vintage A-V8 theme I’ve used lever shocks (often mistakenly called friction shocks – they’re actually hydraulic) courtesy of Replicas and Miniatures Co. of Maryland. Most of the parts used for the steering were adapted from the AMT ’29 Foord roadster kit. The exhaust system is fabricated from butyl coated wire and mufflers from the Revell ’40 Ford kits.

The wheels have been glued into place. At this point the stance is locked in. The pictures below constitute a final stance check. With a fairly aggressive Z at the rear and a 4” drop on the front axle the car is a kind of low highboy. I’ve always liked that look. The smaller body of the Model A when compared to the ’32 ford, combined the depth and shape of the Deuce rails and the low stance create an aggressive race car look that’s hard to beat.

I’m at the point of final assembly with only minor details left like door handles and taillights. I should have this done in the next several days.

Thanx for lookin’,
B.

[Dave from Pleasanton]

Looking great Bernard. One correction. There were and still are fiction shocks. Not the best of technology, but they work. This link from the HAMB covers it pretty well. Do Friction Shocks Work? The stock Ford shocks were hydraulic. 

[41chevy]

Jan 22, 2023 21:30:02 GMT -5 Dave from Pleasanton said:

Looking great Bernard. One correction. There were and still are fiction shocks. Not the best of technology, but they work. This link from the HAMB covers it pretty well. Do Friction Shocks Work? The stock Ford shocks were hydraulic. 

The R & M shocks Bernard used are copies of the 1929 to 1931 Houdaille  rotary hydraulic shocks that Ford used. In fact 1929 was the first year Henry used any shocks!

 My '31 5 window has a factory stock  set of four with a Ford~Houdaille rebuild kit. Packing, seals and check balls for the Rotary Screw type cylinder. Side note they are 60/40 rate unit but can be adjusted up to  a rate of 90/10 (perfect for racing)

[Bernard Kron]

Thanks everyone!

The TROG Flabob Drags Sta-Lube Special is now done! Below are a couple of photos showing the final details. I’ll post final presentation pictures in Completed Models tomorrow.

Thanx to all who followed along,
B.

[HotRodTom]

Aww yeah! Excellent job bud!

[Bernard Kron]

Thanx Tom!