'55 Ford Modified Street Stock completed 6-30-21

[Brian Conn]

 Ad Astra model club 50's build.    http://www.shorttrackmodels.com/index.php?topic=1556.0







                                                     Kit manufacturer: AMT/ERTL

                                                                   Scale: 1/25
                                                    Original kit:  1956 Ford Victoria

                                                               MODIFICATIONS:

                                                       CHASSIS & SUSPENSION
..  Installed a complete 6 point main roll cage with seat bracket and front hoop assembly made from Evergreen
      styrene rod

..  Replaced kit's tires and wheels with scale 8" tread width tires and a set of Holman/Moody stock car wheels from
      Plastic Performance Products 

..  Converted the kit's rear axle to a Ford 9"

..  Reinforced the frame with Evergreen styrene rod and added an after market drive shaft safety loop

..  Replaced the kits drum brakes with after market front and rear disk brakes

..  Installed an after market break master cylinder

.. Installed break lines from master cylinder to front and rear brakes made from floral wire and wire 
     insulation

..  Installed upper and lower shock mounts for the Left rear shock and repositioned the Left rear shock
      behind the rear axle

..  Removed floor pan from trunk area
   
..  Installed fuel cell frame made from Evergreen styrene rod

..  Installed a scratch built fuel cell made from styrene plastic

..  Installed fuel cell frame straps made from Evergreen styrene strip

..  Installed steering shaft from firewall forward to where it would mount to steering gear box


                                                     BODY AND INTERIOR


..  Body backdated from a 1956 Ford Victoria to a 1955 Ford Custom by raising the roof 4 mm. and       
       adding 2.82 mm. to rear portion of roof using kit's rear glass as filler and adding "B" pillars

..  Scribed doors, trunk lid and "B" pillars

..  Removed radiator cowl and inner fender wells

..  Cut out wheel well openings for tire clearance

..  Bobbed front bumper

..  Installed reinforcements between front bumper guards and front hoop

..  Channeled body 4 scale inches by lowering front fire wall and converting rear seat area to a fire wall

..  Installed Evergreen sheet styrene to front fire wall and rear fire wall to close the gap between the
      body and interior

..  Raised center portion of hood for engine clearance

..  Cut hole in hood for air cleaner and added a mud shield made from sheet styrene

..  Installed resin cast hood pins to hood and trunk lid

..  Added body damage to hood, Left fender and Left door areas

..  Removed all switches, gauges, radio, speaker grill, ash tray and glove box lid from dash

..  Removed turn signal lever and gear shifter from steering column

..  Installed wiring on gauges and tachometer connecting them to sending units on the engine block and ignition coil

..  Installed scratch built head rest on seat

..  Installed Black fabric ribbon to kit lap belts and shoulder harnesses and routed fabric ribbon thru the side
      bolsters on seat and mounted them to the roll cage and seat bracket

..  Installed a fire extinguisher to diagonal bar next to drivers seat

..  Installed an after market foot shaped throttle pedal

..  Installed a fine mesh micro screen to horizontal dash bar and roof halo in front of driver

..  Installed mud screen in front of radiator made from window screen

..  Installed fender braces between front hoop and fenders

..  Applied decals created using Microsoft programs Photoscape, Microsoft Works Word Processor and 
      Microsoft Paint

                                          ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION


..  Replaced the kits 292 cubic inch "Y" block engine with a 429 cubic inch big block.  Engine block
       scratch built from various pieces of styrene plastic

..  Installed resin cast water pump with fuel pump, heads, stock intake manifold and 7 quart oil pan

..  Installed headers made from solder and added after market header collectors

..  Installed air cleaner with the top and bottom pieces being scratch built from kits air cleaner, scratch
       built paper element

..  Installed after market valve cover breathers

..  Installed pre wired distributor from Morgan Automotive Detail

..  Installed an after market Accel Super Coil .  Wired the positive side to battery and negative
      side to distributor

..  Removed generator from belt and pulley assembly and shortened belt

..  Installed a cross flow radiator with shroud  scratch built from a down flow radiator , brass tubing,
     Evergreen styrene strip and rod

..  Installed upper and lower radiator hose made from insulated wire

..  Installed radiator hose clamps made from flattened floral wire

..  Installed throttle rod between fire wall and carburetor made from wire
   
..  Replaced the kit transmission with a Muncie M-22 "Rock Crusher" transmission

..  Corrected the length of the drive shaft   

[TonyK]

Oh yeah, I like this. The "beaten up" look is done very well.

[David Bogard]

Those front bumper edges are weapons! Looks like this fella has "hooked" a few this season!

[Brian Conn]

Thank you David and Tony ....here's a couple of out door pics

Those front bumper edges are weapons! Looks like this fella has "hooked" a few this season!

Hey....it's only sheet metal....right?     I got the idea for the bobbed front bumper from a few pictures of some local cars from back in the day.  They got bobbed to prevent the bumper from folding back into the tire....some had a substantial piece of pipe behind/in the bumper as well....to protect the radiator of course

[john2]

   A thing of beauty !

[Maineboy]

Truly a nice piece of work. I was fortunate enough to have been able to see quite a few cars from this time period. You certainly captured the "look" of cars from that era.

Nathan

[TarheelRick]

Oh yes, Hickory Speedway from the mid to late 60's. Saw many of these hauled in on single-axle, unsprung, trailers. They raced for the fun of racing and nothing more.  You have captured the look very well.

[Fordguy01]

Beautiful piece of work Brian.  Takes me back to the 60's at Capito speedway.

Al

[sentsat71]

GREAT build!!!!

Does bring back memories of the hobby stocks (sportsman?) back at my favorite track in 1969-1971 in Fairmont, MN

[Brian Conn]

  Thanks for the great responses John, Nathan, Rick, Al and Councilman Ed.   I am so thrilled that I was able to bring back some memories of what you saw at your local tracks back in day just as the same it did for me with what I saw and remembered putting it all together.

  Ed, I was listening to some talk radio out of the Cedar Valley area....any truth to the rumor that your running for a Senate seat from the great state of Iowa in 2022 ?!?! 

[Dirtman]

Yup, darned good example of the era. Well done Brian!!

Rett

[sentsat71]

Brian....

If ou want a look of the sprotsman style cars I saw 50 - 51 years ago (WOW! hard to believe it's been that long ago) check out the following site. www.fairmontspeedwayarchives.org and chekc out the photos for the years 1970/71 as those were the two years I went there the most....by the time the racing season started back in IA?MN in 1972, I was in the LA Area watching CRA sprint cars at Ascot......

just looked at those 2 years and there have been more pics have been added, a lot in color....

[RCR]

Love it!

[Maineboy]

Yes it really has been over 50 yrs since my first encounters with race cars in the flesh. First one my  friend and I built was in spring of 1966. We raced three seasons before marriage and kids used up most of the spare cash. Some of the memories are very vivid and luckily I have a few photos from that time and place. Unfortunately many of the photos were taken in B&W. So if you can't find a color photo it is hard to know the colors. Memory does not always work that good these days. I was lucky to be around dozens of people, most older than me, but all of us were having tons of fun racing. I can remember the fun part pretty good. People were real good about helping each other. Once we got accepted by the older guys the learning part went real good too. I miss those times and people a lot.

MB

[TarheelRick]

www.fairmontspeedwayarchives.org

Just went to that site and there are some beautiful photos, whole lot of build ideas.