# Slotrodding



## slotrod65 (Dec 4, 2005)

Hi Gang,

It has been a while, but I wanted to post some pictures of what has been going on here slot-wise. I have a few projects that have been slowly grinding away to completion.

First up is an overalll view of the 4 slotrods in progress:










Here is the old standby 32 pickup. This is an RRR shell, with a Flathead V8 motor. It has RRR bullet wheels with old hard small truck tires on the front and silicone AFX slicks on the back. It still needs a few paint details, and maybe a shop truck decal on the door.










Next is a true slotrod. The body is resin, and I cannot remember where I got it. I do know that I cut off the hood and grill that came with it, and added a V-8 motor with 6 Strombergs and headers. All swiped from JL diecasts. The grill is from a JL diecast as well. Wheels are RRR Steel fronts all around, with Hot Rod fronts and Tyco hot rod slicks. This one is my absolute favorite. I am pretty sure it is done, but who knows?










A Haulin' Hearse project is next. Body is a MEV reject I picked up at the Bob Beers show a while ago. I dremelled a depression in the hood to hold the blower and scoop. Wheels are RRR, and this baby was slammed. It needs paint, and I am thinking of metal flake purple at this point.










The last car is another MEV: a low-ridin 57 Chevy 2dr hardtop. This car is super slammed. I even dremelled the trunk thinner from the inside to clear the gears. I am thinkin RRR narrow wheels and a black roof, plus I will try my hand with bare metal foil to handle all of the chrome.











What's that? It seems that the guys aren't willing to wait for their slotrods to be completed, they wanna race now! Maria waves the checkered flag, and off they go!


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## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

AWESOME! :thumbsup:

Wes


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## kiwidave (Jul 20, 2009)

Yep, Awesome!! The yellow Rod is outstanding! Motor is prefect, very cool. The Hearse is gonna look great and that 57 sits perfect now you have it lowered. Cool pics!


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## Rolls (Jan 1, 2010)

They're all awesome, but I'm with you, Slotrod65, that yellow rod is my favorite. Killer flathead and wheels combo!:thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## 1scalevolvo (Feb 5, 2004)

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


:dude:


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*All 4 show some real nice work SR65...*

Personal fav is the yellow one too. The front tires??... Silicones?... Where ya gettin them??... I like those knobby sidewalls. :thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Some great lookers! Can't wait to see the final version of the Hearse! Bring on the foil. :devil: rr


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## slotrod65 (Dec 4, 2005)

Thanks guys. 

The fronts on the yellow 32 Sedan are early, old NOS Aurora Hot Rod fronts. They have a narrow tread and those neat ridges. They were still in the carded package when I bought them, and the tires are still soft, so they must have been stored well over the last 40 years. I always thought thatthey were VERY old skool hot rod looking. I am not aware of anyone reporducing these tires, but I admit I am not up to speed on all repros. I believe that I picked these up at the Parsippany show two years ago. Here is a pic I swiped off ebay showing this style on an original car:










Although I have used the bare metal foil for large scale model cars, I have not ever tried it for slots. I am hoping I can see well enought to apply it to these little details!

Phred


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I'm pretty sure those tires are repopped by RRR, and available from Buds. They're used with he truck wheels.. http://stores.budshocars.com/-strse-1070/12pr-REPRODUCTION--AURORA/Detail.bok Of course, I could be wrong... 

Great batch of customs Phred!!! I agree with the others on the yellow rod!! But the hearse is pretty darn close too.. All winners!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## slotrod65 (Dec 4, 2005)

Thanks!! Those sure do look like them....


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Bob Beers had those tires also!


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

Looks like a bunch of slots that are ready for some slotrod65 doing up!!

Bob...looking good...zilla


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Looking good SlotRod!!! I kinda favor Ol Yeller myself!!! Alwys good to see cool customs!!! RM


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## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

*hey slotrod65 aka phred*

make up some Aurora O Gauge decal sheets shrunk down to HO size if you can. Also, on the plated/painted XKE's. 10 yrs ago the painted ones were the harder to get as they were the first made and wore off easily, now I agree the plated ones are tougher and go for big bucks. Bob:wave:


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

love the hot rods!


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## XracerHO (Feb 6, 2008)

Awesome Hot Rods!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: ..RL


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## slotrod65 (Dec 4, 2005)

Update on the MEV Caddy Hearse: I emailed Mike Vitale, and he told me that his bodies could be painted, and did not need a primer. He did however tell me to wipe down the body with lacquer thinner just before painting, to soften the surface and give the paint something to bite into.

I chose Testor's one part Lacquer "Purple Licious." After a good shake, I sat the rattle can in a pan of hot ta[water for 2-3 min while I wiped down the body with a rage soaked with just a bit of lacquer thinner.

For painting, I have a burned up MM T-jet chassis that I have mounted on a roughly foot long 1/2" dowel with a screw through the arm hole. This gives me a portable body on a stick. I also have a block of wood with a 1/2" hole drilled in it as a base. 

Psshhhhht..... a few quick passes, and the body was now Purple-Licious! I let it dry overnight, and here are the results:










As you can see, the glass is not gled in yet, so it is sitting too low. I also need to get my hands on some All-Clad for the bumpers, then some detailing...


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Looks great Fred!! Mike Vitale offers some of the most unique bodies, the Caddy hearse being one of the neatest.. Some things to remember with Alclad is you need a smooth coat of black under it to make it look right. The other thing is you really need to lay down a nice, light even coat of Alclad. Too heavy won't look good, as will too light. I'm sure you know this, but it's worth mentioning for others reading this. By the way, you can clear coat Alclad to make the finish a little more durable, but you really need to spray down very,very light mist coats first. An airbrush is highly recommended for all the steps, if you have one.


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## slotrod65 (Dec 4, 2005)

I appreciate the tips. I have never used Alclad before, and I do have an airbrush. so this will be an adventure. I just checked their website. Should I get the Chrome for plastic, gloss black base, and the grey plastic primer in case I do want to spray some plastic parts? And what do you use to thin alclad with?


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

I have always used Alclad straight from the bottle in my airbrush. You can get away with using a spray bomb for the black coat. The key is a good smooth finish on the black coat, and a just light enough coat of Alclad for complete coverage. Bill Hall touches on Alclad usage in the Model Murdering thread.. I use black Lacquer as the base coat, and I'm sure primer won't hurt either. The trick is knowing when to stop spraying. If you decide to clear coat it, use the airbrush and do very very light coats. If you go too heavy with the clear, it goes from nice shiny chrome to black chrome almost instantly.


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

Great Purple paint job on your Hearse!

Never thin Alclad as it is alread thinned from the factory and ready to shoot in your airbrush....phssssssssssssst

Bob...Dats gonna be one sweet Caddy when finished up...zilla


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Very cool stuff Phred. I love vintage hot rods!

As for Alclad...you'll have play with it a few times to aqcuire the feel. The base coat can be black enamel or lacquer so long as it's cured. I prefer lacquer myself because you can really blow it down thin. Ideally one even liquid coat for the actual silver alclad top coat ....that's the trick....then walk away and let it dry. Any added build over the initial liquid film just makes it look piled on and ruins the effect 

It requires a protective coating if your going to handle it. A gentle dip in future works OK. Enamel is a no no as it really ruins the effect just as surely as if you over sprayed it. 

Light coats....I MEAN fluffy light coats of clear lacquer seem to work best. I've pondered using something like an aerosol photo set, but havent ever pulled the trigger on that idea.


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

dig it!


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