5/26 Update Rat Trap Vega

[David Bogard]

I thought I would build the venerable Rat Trap Vega kit since I had one laying around and as usual, I just don't seem to follow instructions very well!
I shortened the front and rear, installed poseable steering and cut down the firewall:




I then filled in the rear fender wells as I think I am going to slide the body back 3/8" or so.


I then did a rough-in fabrication for a new hood and it now has a profile that I can build around.



With this basic set-up in place I can build the roll cage, dash and interior and that will determine the final rear length of the hood. Getting the motor stuffed in there and then determining what kinds of "bumps, bubbles or scoops" the hood will need will come later. Lots of smoothing and tweaking along the way but at least I now have a platform that I had in my mind's eye and will go from there. Thanks for looking!

[TarheelRick]

Model on David. Your insight and creativity are truly inspiring.

[David Bogard]

Well, I kept looking at this thing last night and I decided it was a little too tail-happy. So I cut a full .250mm out of the tail but then it looked too stubby when I re-attached it (I think I created a small Chevy Citation in case anyone wants to make one!). So I knocked the tail back off and added .080mm back into it and now it seems to have the right proportions to my eye. The whole body just seems better balanced to me. I will now smooth that in and THEN start building around it all. Once the final rear ride height is locked down I will add a little to the rockers to perceptually draw the body down to the ground more.The moral of the story I guess is to not let me stare at something too long or the razor saw will likely come out (whether it needs to or not!- Ha!)

[Tom Birky]

Sweet! Vega nut here. Going to build one some day. Watching this one as I know it'll be cool when you're done. Tb

[David Bogard]

Tom, the coupe would be much easier to modify. This little fastback version poses it's own barriers mainly because of the inherent negative slope of the top as well as the tie-in into the trunk. For what I am attempting on this little modified I think it'll turn out okay in the end but I would have much prefer the coupe!

[David Bogard]

You know, there was still something bugging me about this thing and I finally figured out what it was. This fastback Vega body-style has a slight and inherent negative slope to the top so I decided to try to change that. A very small slice, maybe 1/16" plus the kerfs, was taken from the front pillars. Then I carefully bent the upper pillars to align themselves in order to best maintain to original body style windshield slope integrity. In the end, I now am really started to like this little thing! The mock-up is roughly where the body will eventually sit and once that is locked down I will trim off the rocker skirts appropriately. Some smoothing and the main bodywork should be done.

[Brian Conn]

....All the right cuts in all the right places

  Brings back some memories of a Vega hatchback I.M.C.A modified that I saw the first season they ran them here in '83....tri-5 Chevy frame (former late model or hobby stock???) ,Vega body and as I recall, a grimy SBC claimer engine

[David Bogard]

Got the body locked down. Along the way it became apparent that the extreme side body curvature was problematic as it would push the headers way out too far for what I wanted to do. The answer was to simply cut the lower portion of the doors off and re-attched them at less of a curved angle. That not only gives me a better and more flattened side profile but will now allow me to tuck the headers underneath the body, a much better look all the way around. Got the interior rear shelf built and fabricated new motor mounts in order to get the engine block moved rearwards and lower. More body smoothing will be needed but I can now move to the cage and other interior components, along with the lower fuel cell at the rear.

[Dirtman]

You amaze me. You see things most of us would never see. You should have been a designer for one of the big car builders..

Rett

[David Bogard]

Thanks Rett. Having said that, several on this Forum "amaze" me with their own abilities. For me, like the upcoming headers on this build, I can "see" exactly what I want to do with them and then it will simply be up to me to create them. I already "know" what they will look like so the fun is getting from evergreen or solder or whatever to what I "see". Once all of that kind of stuff on a build is done, the painting and graphics and final details are a pain in the neck for me. . . . no fun in that!! Haha!

[Dirtman]

I can't "see" what I want. I think I do, but getting it done is another story. I can't paint like I used either. Frustrates the heck out me. I'm redoing that 57 Ford right now 'cause I screwed it up. Oh well, I'm not giving up yet....

Rett

[David Bogard]

Never! That's kind of the beauty of what we do and the materials with which we work. You can always "fix" something! In fact, I've learned 10 times as much about modeling while fixing my mistakes than I have anything else!! Haha!

[David Bogard]

Working now on the dash, cage and my driver. I don't put drivers in cars all the time but I do enjoy seeing them in there and they add a lot to a build. They are also an entire model project all by themselves as you have to cut and trim and adjust them every time you want to put the little fella in there! Why is it that few of you, if any, ever put drivers in your race cars?

[sentsat71]

To answer your question about putting drives in builds....
For me, I did, once, but was not permanently in place, and that was the OLD  IMC Chaparall 2E Can-Am car.
Didn't think having a car on a trailer attached to a two vehicle would look right with a driver sitting int the car.....but that's just me.....
Maybe it was just me, but always thought the drivers for the old Grant King sprints/supers looked a little undersized....
Case in point....


I know there are no two vehicles for these 2, because the tow vehicles did not survive the 16-20 different moves in 42 years and the originals to these trailers met their fate before I left for Southern Calif....

[David Bogard]

Quite a bit more bar work to be done on the cage as well as some gauges and detail to the dash. Still, I had enough of the basics in place to start getting my driver in there. The little fella has undergone countless surgeries (without anesthesia) but he is happy to finally have a car to drive. Once he gets smoothed and painted, and gets his head/helmet he will be rarin' to go!