The detail in the pattern of the lightening holes is so cool! I like how it shows in the shadow of the side shot. You're right, it is very reminiscent of the old AMT kit box art...
Showing us once again that planning,hard work and determination is eveything.The car grows on me as I keep flipping back and forth on the pics.
A 39/40 standard sedan at the drags in the 50's would be like seeing a B-52 in the 70's - BUFF For the non military influenced, Big Ugly Fat F***** But with both having the same result, getting the job done.
I wonder if that car is still around? He took what most thought at the time, a big ugly sedan and raced it very successfully. Cool.
I remember seeing that article on the 39 a long ago time ago. I doubt all of those holes did him any good but they sure made the car look like a purpose built racer. As to the model kit, it is one of my all time favorites. I still have several of them. I think they cost a buck and a quarter each back then. I had to collect a lot of pop bottles to get enough cash to buy one....
I've built that kit a few times, but it always bothered me how badly proportioned the 39 Grille and hood were in that kit, so I almost always built it as a 40 Deluxe. The main error was the 39 hood and grille met together horizontally, level with the ground like a 40 deluxe, instead of have a plunging V shape like real 39 deluxes and 40 Standards. I tried to fix it once by filing down the grille and adding material to the hood but it just didn't look right. Revell now has a nice 40 Standard coupe kit, and I wish they would make a sedan. On another note, the car is cool!
I was going to mention the Revell coupe and convertible this morning in my post Dan and my wish that they would make a sedan, hopefully with the deluxe or standard option. It would seem that with the tooling they already have for the coupe and sedan that producing the sedan would be a fairly inexpensive new kit for them to market.
QUOTE="The 39 guy, post: 11492510, member: 129206"]I remember seeing that article on the 39 a long ago time ago. I doubt all of those holes did him any good but they sure made the car look like a purpose built racer. As to the model kit, it is one of my all time favorites. I still have several of them. I think they cost a buck and a quarter each back then. I had to collect a lot of pop bottles to get enough cash to buy one....[/QUOTE] Up here in Canada those kits were just under two dollars in the early sixties. Of course everything has always been more expensive up here. My love for 40 Fords came from the 40 coupe kits. I always thought the standard had much better flowing lines though. To each his own,.... having a choice is a good thing.
For me, this car is perfect. Shows what can be accomplished with a well thought out plan. A great example of less is more, not just flames and a bunch of add on accessories. Simple and elegant for a reasonable price. It takes tons of nerve to build your car the way it's 'pictured' in your head then put it on the street or strip for all to see.
When you added the 969 to your description, I knew exactly (more or less) what car it was. Hard to believe you could build something like this for such little money and make it a "runner" to boot. Another find in the history of hotroddin'. Thanks Joey
I built that same kit as a kid. I am 41 now, and I believe it was priced in the 5-6 dollar range at the time I bought it. Of course it was built as the drag car variant, as I did almost all of them. The only part that was tough was taking the exacto knife to the rear wheel wells. (although I am not certain it was required in this particular kit). I always liked the AMT kits the best because they seemed to offer so many interesting choices. Once I turned 16 model kits easily took the back seat to the real thing. I was thinking one day I'd get back into them, but based on the prices of the kits and the paint I've been reading about here on the HAMB lately, I don't think that will happen for a while. Thanks for the write up Mr. Ukrop! Mike
These were the exact type of cars appearing at the local drags during the early sixties in my small town. Lots of gassers built out of 30's and 40's vintage cars.
While mine is much more sedate, I love to look of a Tudor on the strip. Shure look big n' heavy, but remember, that whole sedan part is just filled with nice, light air... Makes me lust for a more hard core version of mine. Since I've got enough car projects, maybe I'll just buy the model.
The Jalopy Journal
