Early-mid 1960s flavored hot rod roadster - updated with wheel/tire info as requested....

[tim boyd]

Been going through my collection of early 1960s Car Craft mags (before they went 100% on the drags around 1965). 

It is striking to me just how clumsy some of those Model A and Deuce Channeled Roadsters looked back then.  In particular several have the same "too far forward" grille shell placement that appeared on the Revell 1929 Hot Rod Roadster kit.  Also, seems many omitted the slight forward rake we all prefer now, instead reflecting the "parallet to the ground" or even an ever so slightly raised front end stance as seen in the Revell kits.  Revell's Roger Harney was totally clued in the hot rod world back then and makes me wonder whether he directed John M. and the team to include this "feature" in the Revell kit all these years later. 

Strikes me that our vision of what constitutes the "right" look for "era correct" hot rods back in the day has perhaps changed a bit over all the ensuing years.  Still, I'd much prefer the adjusted Grille Shell position and forward rake as in the above model, over what might possibly be the more "era correct" treatment in the Revell kit.  

If any of you guys have access to Car Craft mags from late 1959 through 1964, would be interested to hear if you have any similar thoughts....Best...TB  

Edited October 12, 2023 by tim boyd

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Nice rod. Yes, filling in the rear wheel well openings on the body looks so much better... -RRR

[alan barton]

Tim, I would have to agree with your comments regarding the awkwardness of the Revell roadster out of the box, as well as how we view things with today's eyes rather than the eyes of a hot rodder in 1962!

I have been filing the daylights out of the lower apron of the grille shell as well as the front surface of the front crossmember in order to get the radiator further back. I think this is definitely a case of where the thickness of plastic desirable for rigidity in a plastic kit is way over scale compared to a 1-1 vehicle. I also find that the kit has the headlights spread too far apart and any effort to bring them in closer to the grille is rewarded.

I have already lowered the rear wheel arches on two of my builds but I must write down the actual measurements so that I don't fluff around next time - I'm sure my latest effort is now a bit further down than it should be but fortunately on a black body it is not so noticeable.

Channelling was a very popular choice for Australian rodders right across the country in the sixties and only started going out of favour in the mid seventies.  One thing about channelled Aussie Model As, they were always dropped on their guts! I know they were not scared of Zee-ing the rear of the chassis but don't recall what they did to lower the front, other than sometimes using '35 and onwards style front axles with the spring in front of the axle.. Now THERE'S a style that has gone out of fashion! I can also recall a few that used  long sidepipes to close the gap between the body and the ground.

Your red roadster is a cool looking addition to your fleet - you must post a photo one day of all your fenderless Model A roadsters together!

Cheers

Alan