di Falco Roadster Tribute - Channeled '29 Ford
Sept 24, 2022 12:22:57 GMT -4
Post by BERNARD "HOT ROD" KRON on Sept 24, 2022 12:22:57 GMT -4
Channeled 1929 Ford Roadster Hot Rod in Original As-Found Patina
(More photos below)
In 2016 Joey Ukrop wrote a wonderful piece for the H.A.M.B. entitled “A Fly in Amber: The di Falco Roadster” (see: www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=31244 ). Accompanying the article were some very evocative photos Ukrop took which captured the hot rod spirit of this marvelous ’30 Ford Roadster
David di Falco is a hot rodder, fabricator and artisan with a shop north of San Francisco. He built his roadster in the modern Preservation style where the car is completely gone through to rebuild, restore and where necessary replace the original parts to render the machine mechanically sound, reliable and safe, while maintaining the “as-found” patina and period correct parts wherever possible. In di Falco’s case the car originally had no radiator shell, interior or windshield and had some fairly serious rust perforation in front of the doors. Di Falco cleaned up the rust and covered the perforated areas with bare metal panels held with machine screws. For missing parts such as in the interior he endeavored to match the patina of the car as he had gotten it. The original patina is remarkably intact. The additions and changes are all true to the era of the original car and only serve to enhance its remarkable character.
This is a composite photo showing the original state of the car as di Falco got it and the action shot that inspired me to do this project.
Obviously this is more of a tribute than a replica. I left off the bare metal patch panels because I thought they were a bit exaggerated. The body is a ’29 Ford and not a ’30 and my dashboard and steering wheel are different, as well as the carburetion on the flathead.
Here’s a breakdown on the parts used and the work done.
Bodywork:AMT ’29 Ford Roadster with AMT ’34 Ford Truck grill. Paint is Tamiya TS-16 yellow over Duplicolor Metallic Silver lacquer and Brite Touch Red Oxide Primer, in that order. The paint was sanded and distressed to achieve the patina, then gone over with thin black wash and dusted lightly with light gray and rust weathering powders. Headlights are AMT ’32 Ford and tail lights are from the Revell ’32 Ford Street Rod Roadster kit. The windshield is from the AMT ’29 Ford Roadster.
Chassis and Suspension:The chassis is based on Revell ’32 Ford Street Rod Roadster rails, pinched to fit under the ‘29 Ford body. The floor pan is also narrowed Revell Deuce. The rear suspension including the rear cross member, rear axle, and tubular shocks are from AMT ’29 Ford Roadster kit. The front suspension consists of a scratch built front spring and a 4 ½ inch deep drop front axle. It is a resin copy of the item found in the various Revell ’40 Ford Street Rod kits. It’s made by ThePartsBox.com and features a cast-in wire to prevent sagging over time. It’s my go-to beam axle for hot rod work. The steering, shock mounts and front shocks are Revell ’32 Ford and the radius rods are cut from the stock AMT ’29 Ford items.
Motor and Transmission:These are from the various Revell ’40 Ford Street Rod kits (coupe and convertible) and is built straight out of the kit with the Edelbrock heads and twin carbs.
Wheels and Tires:The front wheels are AMT ’40 Ford steelies with Modelhaus T120 whitewalls. The rear tires and whitewalls are from the Revell ’40 Ford Standard kit. Hubcaps and trim rings are from the AMT ‘40 Ford.
Interior:The basic interior parts are fabricated using the AMT ’29 Ford bucket with the seat bottom cut down to accommodate the body channel, and scratch built dashboard and side panels. The instrument cluster and steering wheel are adapted from an AMT ’40 Ford. The shift lever is a straight pin with a yellow head.
Thanx for lookin’,
B.
