True to form, I've veered off from my planned build yet again.

I was really looking forward to working on the '32 roadster and turning it into a rat rod worthy of the name. As a matter of fact, I started playing around with the kit last night, pulling parts and pieces out of various boxes and trying to get an idea of what I wanted to do with everything. I opened up the Revell '37 Ford pickup "junker kit" I've had for years, the one with the warped frame and missing suspension bits, hoping that the kit's stock flathead was still around. I found the engine, but then I started messing around with the frame. It didn't look too bad, you know; I thought some hot water and careful bending could straighten it out...

One thing led to another - I'll spare you the details - but in the end I shortened the frame 1/2" to get rid of the warp in the rails. I also chopped 1/4" out of the interior, firewall and rear bulkhead to get a nice deep channel. The results are in the pic. You can also see the newly shortened frame blue-taped onto the kit's bed floor to help it dry square and level.



I pulled the front axle and spring/shock combo out of the parts box, but they were originally from Revell's '37 Ford street rod convertible. While the glue was drying on the frame and interior bucket, I whipped up the rear suspension from some styrene tube and sheet, a tranverse leaf spring from the parts box, and what I believe is a Dana 60 center section from an AMT '68 Plymouth kit.

Up next: the bed gets shortened and I find a grille and some headlights.

BTW, the '32 roadster is still a possibility. We have 4 weeks, right?

-YL

I like it, man.

Just throwing it out there, but....maybe...convertable truck? Heh? Eh?

I'm digging it.

Right on, Daddy-o,

Cuhail

The finish date is February 5 that's 22 days but if everybody thinks we need more time it can be extended to a the 15. Looks good so far Yoni you are really embracing the rat rod theme with all those mods.

Dang!
37 Ford rat rod.......this is me, envious
As long as you're going with the Dana out back why not continue the awsomeness up front....say with a 392 super red ram hemi?
Never mind. I gotta go clean up this drooooool off the keyboard.

Hermon

I spent another few hours on the Rat Rod Pickup (RRP) tonight, getting some things built and other things sorted out.

I used the kit bed floor, appropriately shortened, as the base for a new scratchbuilt bed. I was going to cut down the kit bed sides, but it seemed like too much work, especially when I could just slap some plain sheet styrene together and call it good. While I was cutting and gluing, I put together a gas tank with some more styrene sheet and strip. I also pulled some wheels and tires out of the parts box. The front wheels and tires are from AMT's '62 Catalina Custom, while the rears are AMT's ancient Blue Streak slicks teamed up with the deep dish steelies from an AMT '49 Ford. I like the combination for now, but I reserve the right to change my mind at the last minute.



While I was digging around, I found a set of headlights from an old Monogram T-bucket and the grille and shell from Lindberg's '34 Ford pickup. The radiator is a combination of the top tank from the Revell '37 Ford pickup kit mated with the lower from Revell's '40 Ford convertible. The headlight buckets and stalks were painted silver sometime in the distant past, but I will undoubtedly strip that and start over.



The frame had a number of sinkholes and low spots, so I broke out the putty, but not before I added some front frame horns out of - you guessed it - more styrene. The stock frame ended at the radiator support, but it didn't look right to me. With the frame extensions in place, I have a spot for a spreader bar and a front license plate (or club plaque).



Now, if only I could find a nice Red Ram Hemi in the parts box...

-YL

Looks pretty good so far Yoni.

Looks good so far Yoni, are you going to strip the chrome off the front steel wheels and paint them.

Thanks for kind words, fellas. I'm just rolling along on this one.

I decided I wanted a front axle with a little more drop, so I found a drilled I-beam in the parts box that will get the front end a little lower. I'll still use the front spring setup from the '37 Ford convertible kit, so I've modified the axle to fit. The aluminum tubing shock mounts have to be sanded down a bit once the glue dries. As you can see, I'm also building up a set of radius rods, using some suspension bits from a '29 sedan as templates.



I thought about Cuhail's suggestion for making this a convertible truck, but I just couldn't do it. I did think that the cab needed a little something extra, though. After some thought, I added a cut-down visor from Revell's '41 Chevy pickup to the cab, complete with a rough welding bead - Squadron putty textured with a square-tip X-Acto blade - across the top.



Finally, a mock up. I think the channel job looks pretty darn cool. I also added some shock mounts to the front of the frame, and some clearance notches on the bed sides for the rear axle. The bed sides also received some half-round styrene to define the edges and to make it look more like a truck bed, and less like a plain box.



I think that I'll have this whole thing in a coat of primer by Saturday afternoon.

Robert: If I keep the current wheel/tire setup, I will either a) strip the chrome and paint the front wheels or b) dull the chrome down and apply the appropriate grime. Nothing shiny on this truck!

-YL

Yoni, that visor makes all the difference in the world. Wonder what my 52 would look like wearing one............hmmm...........
Looking really good thus far.

Hermon

Yoni, I'm glad ya went with keeping the steel and adding the visor. I wasn't really serious about convertable, it just struck me and I typed it.
That's funny it made ya think, though!

Those roof curves are going to look great ratty or rad, though, so keep up the awesome build!

Cuhail

In primer!





And with the wheels in place, just to see how they look...



-YL

Great work Yoni and it's already in primer that was fast, I like the sun visor with the weld seams and the over all short and stubby look of the truck that's perfect for a rat rod.

Already shot the primer! You work fast Yoni. Looking good.

Very nice, the visor does it. Are you going to drop the backend or leave it raked?
Is that a flathead mill I see...there's nothing wrong with that....very time period! The old nailheads, flateheads and early hemis are so seldom done in real street rods, everybody loves to take the easy way out and slap a small block chevy in...I really appreciate the guys who take alittle extra time and effort to do an oddball mill and preserve the rest of the past.

Hey all. Thanks for the compliments.

I shot the primer as an actual primer coat (i.e., to check for flaws, etc.) so what you see will not be the final color. I've decided not to go with either primer gray or primer black, so whatever color it ends up with, it won't be one of those two.

I had to do some sanding on the frame, as I forgot to add the front and rear suspension mounting points before I went crazy with the primer. I sanded down the required spots to bare plastic and glued up the suspension mounts. More primer will follow tomorrow.

Bob: yes, that's a flattie. I liked the idea of the rat rod pickup being "powered" by a nostalgic flathead. Oh, and the laziness factor kicked in: I didn't want to rework the front crossmember and engine mounts to fit something else between the framerails. I decided to use the kit-supplied engine with some tweaks. The intake manifold is a nifty item I whipped up out of the back end of a triple-carb intake from a Revell '48 Ford and the front half of a stock manifold. This allows for dual carbs, with ample clearance for the generator. I've pilfered some other engine goodies from Revell's '40 Ford convertible that will finish it off.

Re: the rear suspension. I think the truck will have a very nice rake. It looks a little more pronounced in the photos because of the way I have it propped up.

More pics to follow.

-YL

The frame with suspension bits mocked up...



I had to cut off the original shocks that came on the front spring pack and scratchbuild some new ones, as the old ones didn't fit to the frame that well. The suspension mounts have been puttied and sanded smooth, and the frame has been painted. It's just waiting for the rest of the suspension parts, which are in the paint booth.

The body has been painted, but I think I'm going to keep that bit of work a secret until the project is nearly finished.

Up next: engine bits.

-YL

The work that you have completed on your truck looks real clean--I think the sunvisor really sets the whole truck off.

The Truck is looking real good Yoni. The visor really gives it the racing look.

Hunter

Yoni, I know it's a rat rod and all.....................but I keep seeing it tubbed with a prostock hood............

Well, maybe in another life?

Hermon

You have my interest Yoni i am looking forward to seeing that paint job.

I've been pretty busy with work, but I managed to get the engine assembly started tonight.





I used the '37 Ford pickup kit piece for the basic block. The dual-carb manifold is a custom piece, and I had to scratch a new front cover/distributor shaft to replace the stock front-mounted unit. The early type, generator-mounted fan would not work with the chopped radiator. I had to go with a different fan layout (post-'42 59A-style, for those who care about such things), which meant I had to update the distributor to a later configuration as well. The 24-stud Edelbrock heads are from Revell's '40 Ford convertible.

Most of the frame is assembled, so I hope to have some rolling chassis shots shortly.

-YL

This is looking great, Yoni. Great job on the chassis. The engine is coming along nice too. Is that a kit distributor?

Cuhail

Looks great Yoni.

Nice work on the engine Yoni it looks like you already started the weathering with a black wash, are you going to add any wiring.

Coming along very nice Yoni. Engine looks great.

Hunter