Roadmonster.org

I really like the P-40 Warhawk aircraft.

The more research I do on these Flying Tigers, the more I like them.

Also, the more I search for information, the more cool things I find.

Here is a model kit made by a company called Hasegawa.

Hasegawa made a line of aircraft models called “Egg Planes”.

Each of these tiny models is shaped like an egg, hence the name.

Here is a built up Egg Plane Flying Tiger model:

I purchased a set of three of these kits from a vendor in Hong Kong.

I am going to mount all three planes on a single base.

Each plane will be mounted to a 1/4″ round acrylic rod, so the planes will look like they are flying.

This is an example of how I will display these tiny aircraft:

I really like how this model builder mounted his fighter jet Egg Planes…

The other really cool Flying Tiger themed item I purchased was found in England.

This is called a Sharky made by a company called Toy Qube.

There is a whole line of Sharky figures, all designed by different artists.

The artist who designed the Flying Tiger Sharky is named Huck Gee.

There were only 350 of these Flying Tiger Sharky’s made.

Here is his website.

He does some really cool artwork and figures.

I just received the Egg Plane model kits from Hong Kong.

I’m still waiting for the Sharky to arrive from England.

When I build the aircraft, I’ll post the build right here.

-Stewart

I recently placed my first order to Speedway Motors in years.

The parts I ordered were perfect, packed extremely well, and the shipping was FAST!

I had read that the owner, “Speedy” Bill Smith, reads all the customer surveys.

It’s true!

When Speedway requested my feedback on my recent order, I basically told them I was happy with my order, and that I was happy to be back, now that I have another old school hot rod.

To my surprise, I received another package in the mail from Speedway.

They sent me a really cool mouse pad and a bunch of stickers, with a note telling me “welcome back!”.

Well, I am back, and I will definitely be back for more!

Thanks Bill and Speedway Motors!

-Stewart

…for the Rat Rod.

I received the new hardware today.

Old valve cover with old rusty hardware.

Old valve covers removed.

Installing the new studs with a Phillips screwdriver.

First stud installed.

Studs are in.

Cork valve cover gasket placed over the studs.

Gaskets:  ROL # VS706 / Fel Pro #VS13264C

The valve cover goes on next.

That was EASY!  Almost TOO easy! 

New chrome nuts look good!

I wanted something different for the Rat Rod, not regular bolts.

Also, I didn’t want to use tall wing bolts.

These studs with nuts are a nice compromise.

Using studs is certainly much easier to install valve covers, although installing anything on this engine is pretty easy.

All engine bays should be this easy to work in!

-Stewart

Chris and I are going to need some type of headgear to wear while driving the Rat Rod…

I think I’m going to buy us a couple of US Army M1 Helmets.

-Stewart

The oil filter on the Rat Rod is hitting the frame.

It’s rubbing just enough to cause the filter to leak.

I thought about running a remote filter…

However, there is an easier fix:

A shorter oil filter!

The Motorcraft FL-300 oil filter is about half the length of the FL-1A.

This simple swap solved the problem on the Rat Rod.

(FYI, the Napa #1307 is also about the same size as the FL-300.)

This is my first project car powered by Ford…

…so I have A LOT to learn

Having had only GM and VW hobby cars, it’s a lot of fun learning something new.

This 302 / 4 speed combo on the Rat Rod is a blast!

-Stewart

I am seriously considering adding this machine gun to the Rat Rod.

It’s a full scale replica of a M1919A4 Browning Machine Gun.

It certainly would go with the military theme…

And, it would be a lot of fun!

I am looking at two different ways to mount it on the car.

Either way, it would be a pedestal type of mount.

The only modification I would make is to delete the orange on the tip.

Stay tuned…

-Stewart

As I did a bunch more research on the military tail lights, I found more suppliers, and what type of vehicles these lights were used on.

I just bought a pair of used military surplus lights for a heck of a deal.

I paid less for the pair shipped than one new one.  The lenses are available brand new if needed, and come with the front half of the body assembly.

I am really excited about these, as I think they are gonna look great and really tie into the car’s theme.

Also, I feel that the rear end of the ‘Rod really needed “something” and this will do the trick.

I’ll post up some pics when I get them.

-Stewart

I was all set to run some generic round 1950′s Pontiac-style tail lights on the Rat Rod…

..until I found these aluminum military tail lights:

These lights will bolt right to the back of the tail gate with two 3/8″ bolts.

The lights have a solid metal body and weigh in at three pounds each.

These lights are also waterproof and are painted olive drab.

I think these will match the theme of the car very nicely!

The Rat Rod had these flamed tail lights, which don’t match the theme we have planned for the car.

Those tail lights have been removed.

Stay tuned…

-Stewart

p.s.  if you are going to use these on your project…

…the wiring code is as follows:

#21 – Running

#22 – Stop

#23 – Blackout yellow LEDs

#24 – Blackout Stop.

My wife Christine likes Scentsy wickless candles A LOT!

She used to like traditional candles, but then she found Scentsy.

If you are not aware of what Scentsy is, well it’s like having a scented candle, without the flame.

The wax is melted in a special holder that is heated by a light bulb.

The Scentsy wax comes in MANY different scents.

We have ours going every day, and the house smells great!

My daughter and mother in law also like Scentsy.

I know that they are not the only ones, as I see Scentsy booths set up at a lot of car shows.  In fact, there was a Scentsy booth set up at the Portland Roadster Show last weekend.

If you are looking for Scentsy products, look no further.

Cherise Frey can set you up with everything you need.

Check out her website for more info.

Christine, Susan, and Sam buy all of their Scentsy products from Cherise.

I thought I’d share her Cherise’s contact info so you can try Scentsy too.

Cherise is an trusted vendor with excellent customer service!

-Stewart

The Electroline reproduction headlights arrived today.

If you are familiar with these headlights, then you know how rare and expensive they are.

They were an option on 1920′s and 1930′s LaFrance fire trucks.

I love the Art Deco look that these headlight assemblies have.

Originals in good condition easily sell for $2500.00 or more a pair.

My set is a re-cast copy made in Mexico.

Each headlight consists of three pieces:

1)  Top

2)  Bottom

3)  Trim Ring

I did NOT expect perfection when I ordered these, as they are advertised as rough castings.

I AM pleasantly surprised at how nice they are.

The castings are of good quality, and have already had a bit of finish work.

However, they do require quite a bit more work.

Here they are:

As you can see, these will have to be filed and shaped so they fit together properly.

Also, they’ll need some fine detailing and sanding.

I am debating whether to polish them, paint them, or powder coat them.

Right now I am leaning toward Eastwood’s Aluma Blast Paint:

A nice dull aluminum finish would look great on these for the Rat Rod.

Using paint would allow me to easily make the headlights seamless, and fix any flaws using body filler.

With powder coat on something this porous, there is always the risk of outgassing…

…so paint seems like a no-brainer here.

Having them look like freshly blasted aluminum would look good, and then I might have a little pin striping done on them.

We shall see…

Pictured above are the headlight mounts I bought on eBay.

They are steel and painted black.

I’ve got to do some modifications for these to fit the headlights properly.

Also, I might coat them the same color and finish as the headlights, but I am not sure yet.

When we were at the Portland Roadster Show last weekend we stopped by the AutoLok booth.

AutoLok had their 7″ round Snake Eye headlight bulbs on display that I previously blogged about.

I was NOT at all impressed.  The quality was pretty poor IMO.

Not only did they look “cheap” and poorly made, they were charging more for them at the show than the everyday price at Summit Racing.

So…

I am still on the lookout for headlight bulbs.

These housings take a standard 7″ round headlight bulb.

Here are two styles that I like:

1)  Summit Racing #SUM-899250

2)  IPCW Crystal Clear Headlight Bulbs.  Part #IPC-CWC-7008

I really like the bulbs that Tavis Highlander has on his 1953 Willys.

Both of these remind me of those bulbs.

Stay tuned as I turn these rough castings into some really cool eye candy for the Rat Rod!

-Stewart