Austin gasser to street rod

[geezerman]

Neat little Austin gasser in my care package.

I like drag cars, but don't usually model them.
To return this racer to respectability for the street, first it went into the brake fluid! I had to ditch the one piece flip front.

Went looking for a front clip. Almost butchered this pristine truck, but decided to go with the 40 Ford that I toyed with putting a 32 grill into a couple of years ago.

The butchery began in earnest. I had to slide the 40 assy back alongside the cowl to match the fenders with the molded body ones in the doors. Then I had to move the wheel openings back forward.  Cutting about 3/8 in. sections out of another front clip, I spaced the wheel openings back approximately where they  belong.I hope to get it right when I doink with whatever chassis I rig up. I then filled in the wheel openings with some flat polystyrene stock. I used small 1/2 round stock to rebuild the opening edge.

The next hurdle was to match the 40 hood to the Austin cowl. I cut down a section of convertible top for the main piece. The rest was pieced in. I had to doink with rhe 40 hood pretty severely to get it back to matching the fender line, roughly.

Now to butcher the nose! I couldn't use that lower cross piece I built those years ago. I have put a straight piece in there now to set the grill shell on.


This is where I'm at now. I tried 5 different grills , and this is the best of any of them for a fit. I gave up then and am in for my supper and my last beer !
 

I have attached the grill shell and the hood piece together as one unit. As I sit here, I'm thinking I may be able to split the grill shell at the bottom and pull the bottoms together a tad. I'll give that a shot tomorrow.

[bob29579]

Ha. Really looks like fun. But come on. Last beer ? I doubt that.

[geezerman]

Yah, really, Bob.
I only had 1 left and didn't feel like going out!

[geezerman]

The front end is pretty close, now.


The rear fenders on this Austin are squashed in and too narrow. So, now we go from Austin to Abortion.  I will not build a fendered car with the wheels sticking out !
These are the fenders I removed from the 50 Chev PU.

[bob29579]

Looking good.

[geezerman]

Not much today, just filled some to base Bondo on.

[bob29579]

Not much is still better than nothing, right ? Thanks for posting.

[geezerman]

Carving Bondo and looking ahead.
Being a young child in the later depression and early WWII years, I blame that on some of my character flaws. One of which is that when I have/get something nice, I just hate to spend or use it. These cool resin wheels have been horded for more years than I can remember. BUT, this build is becoming cooler than I expected and I'm gonna blow these jobbies on it !!!


Another carryover is my penchant to use whatever I have to get the job done. 'Swhy I bash and scratch so much. Of all the 40 front fenders I have, there are, for some reason, no headlight rims that I can locate. So I'm resorting to frenching, which may be better after all. I first carved a form from a Popsicle stick, and then formed some soft craft wire over it. They'll be bondo'd in.

[geezerman]

One of the first things, I figured that I might need a z'd frame for whatever was to transpire. I used the thickness of some styrene rod. Now, later in the build, I want to use the floor pan of the Austin. That meant I had to butcher it some to fit the frame.

I'm not a big advocate of the view from a sewer grate, but I had to dress it up above because of the cars windows. I used the inner sides of a pair of model A rear fenders to fashion some tubs over the Austin's wheel wells.

[geezerman]

Igor took the body in for paint prep. I had been thinking about a discreet metallic/flake blue. When I seen this in it's hot rod grey primer. My thoughts of gaudy paint fled, and I'm leaving it in the primer.


Purple button tufted door panels might be alright for a competitive gasser, but too flashy for my hot rod. These panels had a neat  inside showing the openings in the inner door frame. I was simply going to reverse them and have the bare door panel frame showing. The indentations were full of glue and would be near impossible to get cleaned out, and the slight curvature would be wrong. So I used the indentations as patterns and drilled thru  to cut them out, figuring I would fill the button tufts that were left and thus use the panels in their original positions. I also filled the cutout where the hinges were located. They'll be hinged no more . Painted in red oxide primer. Who needs upholstery to go fast?

[bob29579]

I like it and you make it look so simple. Is the frame z ed or not ? If it is, how does the floor match up to it ?

[geezerman]

Looks like just you and me here, Bob.

I added some kick up to the rear of the frame. The thickness of the plastic tubing, and removed the original from below it. So I guess it's z'd some. The kits floor pan didn't match up any more, so I butchered it to lower it down over the frame, and then covered the butchery with some tub extensions except for the rear cross bar = minimally noticeable. Assembled, the back is higher than I had wanted, so there will be a severe rake, which I don't mind at all !

[geezerman]

Here's the engine. I just have to clean up a fan blade and get it installed. That round blob in front of the left valve cover has been cut down some, and is now holding a fuel block.

[geezerman]

It appears to have worked.....with a little effort.
I will now reveal the secret ingredient I used for the headlight covers. Remember, I had to french them because I had no 40 Ford rims?. I didn't want them flat. I discounted clear plastic spoons for being too thick. I blew $6 to give these fake fingernails a try. They have a slight pinkish cast, but I can live with that! Probably there is something neater and easier out there, but as Tina Turner says in 'Proud Mary', " I never do anything nice, and easy"

[bob29579]

Ha. Pretty cool and they look great too. And you have enough left over to do ? 4 more cars ?