56 Chevy Bomber Class, 1966

[Dirtman]

Awesome realism!!!
My first racer was a 56 with a 265 and 2bbl. That thing could hardly get out of its own way! But I was racing and it allowed a lot of room for improvement! Which I did!!
Rett

[Maineboy]

Thanks Rett,

We raced for three seasons.  By that time it was becoming obvious that it was very quickly coming to the point where it took good money to win. You no longer could build something out of junk and be competitive. Being married and having 2 children drove the end of my racing career. I still followed it for a long time, but from the stands, often thinking if I could get back into it some times, but didn't. My buddy went and build a modified but 2 seasons of that finished him too. I am only 30 miles from Speedway 95 in Bangor but don't go there either. In the upper classes you have to have crate engines to compete. A major expense before you even do anything else. Money has destroyed NASCAR too, can't stand to watch that anymore either.

Building this model was fun but exhausting trying to build it just as it was. Back in the day of that old car it was just gobs of fun. We paid $50 for the engine out of a junkyard, and $40 for a set of shocks. Most everything else was picked up for about nothing. You could buy a tri 5 Chevy out of a junkyard for $50 and you could find 40's fords behind barns that they would give to you to haul off. The memories of all the fun we had are still there, time can't take them away.

Wish more people were posting, don't want to see this place die out, there are lots of good people and good stuff to learn here.

MB

[Brian Conn]

....I really like what you where able to accomplish with this build....very much period correct...and your attention to detail is outstanding.
Question: Is that a brake light in the center between the trunk lid and rear window?  Seen that done way back when a car was flat towed.   

....................Wish more people were posting, don't want to see this place die out, there are lots of good people and good stuff to learn here.

MB

  I hear you...got a few MIA's that I am starting to wonder about....I don't know whats keeping most everyone from saying anything....I'm starting to feel like I am playing to an audience of one, yet again, with my current W.I.P here even though the view numbers are pushing 2100     

[Maineboy]

Brian,

     Thanks for the nice words. My model is really not something that elaborate yet the real one was pretty special to me as it was my break to get to the race track owning a car. Trying to recreate one of those is exhausting as you try to make it just right, like you remembered it. That red spot on the trunk is an example. that was our gas tank filler pipe and to make it special I just painted it red at the last moment as I saw in the early photos I had left it unpainted. Was a fuel tank out of some WWII donor that was in that junkyard we raided so often. Come to think of it I think the real one was kind of rusty silver.

I hope that people will keep posting. I have learned so much in the less than a year I have been here. Each build I see is a bit of a challenge to me to make my next one  better than the last. Working on John Beauchamp's'60 Impala now. Not going to get too fine on it as I just want a good example of a little known car he drove.

I love the history of the cars, the builders, the drivers, the tracks and everything about this sport especially in the old days. I love learning about that history in other parts of the country I am not familiar with. All of this makes building more fun for me as I am trying to capture a bit of history with each one.

MB

[Fordguy01]

Hi Maine boy, I've been away for a while but got back on here today and saw your beautiful replica.  Love what you did on the interior panels and your weathering on the chassis is super.  I love what you did with the car in every respect and don't kick yourself, about the small details, after all over 50 years have passed and lots of things went on in your life as with all of us.  Item of interest for you, I bought my hobby stock in 67or so, a 56 Ford 2 door post.  At eighteen years old I paid a princely sum of $35.00...that's with a girlfriend!  The car was race ready except for a frost plug.  Went to a parts store and bought one for twenty-five cents and my buddy put it in for me for five or six bucks.  Doing that today would probably cost me one hundred to two hundred bucks easy.  Sad that a poor man's sport has to be now for the rich only! Great job on your model.

Al

[Gary Davis]

That replica of your race car is awesome Mainboy. Great back story too....