full detail 1/16th Gordie Bonin BubbleUp Trans Am Funnycar

[Ian McLaren]

2 hours ago, dragcarz said:

Just beautiful! One of my favorites from back in the day.

Thank you Roger, mine too.  Back then Gordie and Ron had a very strong following, nice people backed up by a strong performance.  Even today the nostalgia BubbleUp car is still popular with the crowds and Nathan has been doing the car proud and upholding Gordies legacy in the drivers seat.

[Ian McLaren]

With the body now on hold for decals the chassis is now the focus.  CO2 bottle and bracket printed and painted, bracket installed on the chassis.  Fire bottles built and gauges added, need brackets and decals added

[Straightliner59]

Yessir! The tank hold-down looks great. I also really like the tabs and bracketry for the air tank! 

[Ian McLaren]

Chassis and drive train moving along added the ignition wires and boots, starting to long line a race motor

[Straightliner59]

Nice work with the engine. I really like the tones and the finishes.

[Ian McLaren]

Just making sure everything clears before finishing the engine

[Codi]

Ian, that's gotta be satisfying seeing that monster poking thru the hood like that......and it's oh so snug but perfect.  I had to go back a few pages to get caught up but the chassis work is sharp as well.   Nice build!   cheers, tim

[Ian McLaren]

On 9/3/2024 at 2:05 PM, Codi said:

Ian, that's gotta be satisfying seeing that monster poking thru the hood like that......and it's oh so snug but perfect.  I had to go back a few pages to get caught up but the chassis work is sharp as well.   Nice build!   cheers, tim

Thanks Tim, yes it can be a struggle to get everything all going the same direction on this kind of project as I'm sure you are well aware.

[Ian McLaren]

The BubbleUp car is marching towards completion of the chassis and driveline, Plumbing of the engine is progressing, wiring for the coil is in place as well as steam lines to the headers ( which are also permanently attached) coil mount has been added to the chassis. Which is just about ready for final cleanup and color.  

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[AmericanMuscleFan]

You've made a lot of progress since I last visited your thread Ian.  Nothing happens by itself and I see that you have not been idle my friend, your results speak for themselves, the work of a great master! ?

[Ian McLaren]

Big step forward on the BubbleUp Car chassis. All the holes are drilled and all the brackets are attached. Chassis was washed twice with dish soap, then wiped down with lacquar thinner and paper towels, the every joint and seam was scrubbed with Q tips and thinners till they came back out white. Compressed air dried,tubes blown out tack clothed. Ready for paint, thinish coat of self etching grey primer sprayed from all directions, hung to dry and will now sit for a day to harden. Then sanding any issues that remain and a final coat of primer and then spray the color (Tamiya Dark Iron)

 

 

Edited September 20, 2024 by Ian McLaren

[iBorg]

Looks great! One feature I'm seeing is the body hinges. Great job,

[Ian McLaren]

Final test fit before the color goes on the chassis tonight

[Ian McLaren]

For the first time, as far as I can tell the late 70s Al Swindahl funny car chassis has been built in model form. I just completed applying the paint (Tamiya Dark Iron) to the fully scratch built brass chassis. As these chassis were not very plentiful reference photos and information were a huge challenge to piece togther a working drawing to base the model on. The break through came from Bryan Hodges (RIP) when he sent me the photos that I needed to make this project possible. From the way the driveline and other pieces fit and clear everything I believe I am quite close to the correct dimensions. With everthing I have build to date, getting to this point on this chassis is the high point of my modeling endevors. The challenge now is to finish the rest of the car to the same standard

 

[BK9300]

Beautiful chassis, Ian - like the last minute "welding" that happened before sending the frame to the paint booth!

Edited September 23, 2024 by BK9300
Removed word

[Ian McLaren]

15 minutes ago, BK9300 said:

Beautiful chassis, Ian - like the last minute "welding" that happened before going sending the frame to the paint booth!

LOL, yes the welding, it a deal going back a couple of years ago between Francis and myself on another project

[Straightliner59]

I got a kick out of the ground clamp, too! That Swindahl chassis really is unique-looking. I'm going to guess that you're correct, in that nobody else has built one, in scale. It's a thing of beauty, my friend!

[Ian McLaren]

Daniel Himmel .

On 9/22/2024 at 11:52 PM, Straightliner59 said:

I got a kick out of the ground clamp, too! That Swindahl chassis really is unique-looking. I'm going to guess that you're correct, in that nobody else has built one, in scale. It's a thing of beauty, my friend!

Thank you so much Daniel, in reply to your comments on another site , yes he was most noted for Top Fuel cars, and the funnycars from what I am told were mostly NHRA Division Six and Seven cars. Due to the distances involved only a few competed nationally which lead to the lack of documentation. As to the uniqueness of the chassis , I can't wait to unveil the front axle and suspension which is where the Swindahl influence is most apparent.

Edited September 24, 2024 by Ian McLaren

[dragcarz]

Just amazing!

[Ian McLaren]

Still building bits for the chassis, todays project was the seat belts.   Hall Racing Products belts are now ready to install, I used a combination of Future Attractions hardware, Pro Tech webbing material and custom designed and printed maunfacturer patches, done by me

 

[Codi]

Everything looks so good Ian.  Even down to the seat belts..they're perfect!  Now the fun part when all the goodies you made for her get installed........can't wait!   cheers, tim

[John B.]

Incredible workmanship on the chassis - I learned and continue to learn a whole lot from your build!

[BK9300]

Have always liked drag racing, in all its forms, and while I know very little about the cars themselves, I sure can appreciate the amount of realistic detail you achieve with your builds.

[Ian McLaren]

Starting to come together, I have the correct steering shaft housing but have misplaced it, using brass just to  show its placement 

Edited September 30, 2024 by Ian McLaren

[Ian McLaren]

The seat belts are in and secured