Droste Convertible Completed

[BobD]

Well, I "think" I finally got this finished....but am NOT all that happy with it.  This has been nothing but a "pain in the a_ _ !!, but it is due to both my fault & stubbornness.  Instead of taking suggestions to use sheet plastic for interior tin work, I was determined to used a "genuine" aluminum pop/soda can that will not lay or stay flat. After going through at least 10 cans I ended up with this, which is not an exact representative of the actual interior.... I gave up. 

When ordering rivet decals to simulate the tonneau cover snaps, I mistakenly ordered HO scale decals. A couple things I did like (even though they are probably out-of-scale and not even-sized) are the small snipped pins I used for these snaps. Another was the scratch hood pins.

When I proceeded to my final step of applying sponsorship decals, I discovered they were too large...again my fault as I did not measure the model when ordering them, but only stated 1/25th scale.  Ended up having to cut & apply them individually and closer together, thus lowering the side rub rails below where they should be.

One thing accomplished:  Sitting here posting this from a hotel room in Kansas waiting out the Oklahoma-Texas ice/snowstorm on our way to a Winter escape in Arizona!

20190101_110445 by RD Dix, on Flickr

20190101_110843 by RD Dix, on Flickr

20190101_110858 by RD Dix, on Flickr

20190101_111150 by RD Dix, on Flickr

20190101_111308 by RD Dix, on Flickr

20190101_111119 by RD Dix, on Flickr

[Brian Conn]

   I am impressed with the way this build turned out.
Don't beat your self up over the interior...I think it looks just like it should for that era of those stock cars.  I've tried using Aluminum can's as well and gave up.
   
  Welcome to Kansas by the way....where are you staying at?

[BobD]

Staying just outside
Wichita.

[Tom Birky]

OHHH MYYYYYY! That thing is awesome! Nicely done. Lots of little details that make this a cool replica Bob. I've sort of figured out that my cars never come out like I think they're going to in my head, so you're not alone, but it's that desire to keep expanding your skills that turns our great builds like this!  There's always some limitation is seems when building in scale that prevents a 100% replica Bob, so don't beat yourself up. That build looks fantastic, and if you hadn't pointed out the bugaboos, we never would have known.

Nicely done and thanks for posting it!

tb

[john2]

  Quite the piece.  Some of our old modifieds had the drivers in the middle but this is the first I knew of late models doing that.  Cool. 

[RandB11]

Wow! What a cool build! Excellent detailing!

Rick

[Brian Conn]

Staying just outside
Wichita.

Well heck...I was just down that way yesterday myself with work....Augusta, Wichita, Clearwater 

[Dirtman]

I've seen real race cars with interior work that makes this one look like factory! Gives this old Chevy just that look!
Good job!

Rett

[TarheelRick]

Excellent work.  There are so many different pieces to this build that attract attention: the uniqueness of the center-steer, the ape-hanger headers, the interior panel rivets, I could continue, but.  Anyway I really like this one.  Gives me a kick in the butt to get back on my convertible, once I get my work area back together.

[slim]

I love it! Great build!

[ARCA Guy]

Neat one, looked like some kind of car back in the day! Nice job

[Tom Birky]

I couldn't help but post this link: http://www.midwestracingarchives.com/2011/11/remembering-red-droste.html

Red Droste was the 'man' back in the 60's. He was the guy that many of the Iowa hall of fame drivers came into late model racing trying to beat. In case you don't read the whole thing...here is an excerpt that relates to Bob's cool '57 Chevy....

Red wasn't too proud to scrounge ideas from other people either, especially if it meant more victories under his belt and more money in his pocket. An idea he borrowed from Texas sports car driver, Jimmy Hall, was incorporated in Droste's 1957 Chevrolet right before the 1966 season.
"We're going to use an automatic transmission in this car," he was quoted in the April 3, 1966 edition of the Cedar Rapids Gazette. "It will do several things for me; eliminate much of the weight of a standard gearbox, free myself from having to shift during a race, and make it easier to stop in case of an accident."
According to Droste, it marked the first time that an automatic transmission was used in a late model or modified stock car in the area.
Droste also took a page out of a local racer's handbook by mounting the steering wheel towards the center of the car. "It's very similar to the little Chevrolet coupe that Charlie Moffitt of Stanwood drove several years ago," Droste said. Droste has also lowered the entire chassis, "so it would handle better."
When asked why he had made all of the revolutionary changes on his already fast Chevy, his answer was straight to the point, "I had a bad season last year. I only finished second."
For Droste, though, experimenting with new and innovative creations was often short-lived. "I tried a lot of things over the years but usually they were banned for the next," he said with a laugh.

'Midwest Racing Archives' November 19,2011

[sentsat71]

Tom..

Great story!
Thanks for posting.

[ModelCarMan AKA Ricky]

Very sweet build Bob!!

[Olderndirt]

The best part of this build is it look real. It's got features that were commonly seen on these cars. Often features specific to the builder, or driver. Very nice.

  Olderndirt