21 replies to this topic

[MattD]

One of the guys here would like to build a Dean Van Lines like pictured and the Coyote Ford Foyt drove. Resin, detailed bodies are expensive and could be used for a pattern, but what I would really like is a vac form that can use to make a starter resin body that we can detail out. Anybody have anything I can buy and use. I think maybe Lancer made these bodies in the old days, not sure about names and such, but anything close will work.

thanks
mattb

[Steve Deiters]

The #1 car show is a Brawner Hawk not a Watson Ford. Lancer did make a version of Brawner Hawk.  I'm sure there are some out there...somewhere.  It was an excellent line of Indy car bodies

 

The  Coyote Ford with the left side blister tank was made by DuBro and is probably more readily available

[Noose]

I believe they did but they are rare.  I did these several years ago and the bodies were sent to me to do.

 

 

[Steve Deiters]

Noose,

 

The red body #14 is Dubro Coyote.  Those formed metal stacks came with the body.  The bodies were sold in a sealed plastic bag.

 

The blue body with the "duck tail" spoiler is the Lancer Gerhardt Indy car body that was part of that series that Lancer had. 

 

The Lancer series included (from memory) Brawner Hawk, Watson Indy Ford, Stein twin engine Porsche, Halibrand, Gerhardt Offy (see above), '66 Eagle-three versions- one indy and two F1 versions, '67 STP Turbine, '68 Shelby Turbine, and eventually the '68 Wedge turbine.  Maybe the '67 Coyote also.  Not sure.

[MattD]

Thanks guys. I was thinking the Lola Ford and Watson Ford were pretty close and I was going by the pictures in my old Auto World catalog of the bodies Lancer made. They show 3-4 bodies somewhat similiar to these.
We might be better off to just work upo a master and then make a mold off it.

mb

[Pappy]

The red body #14 is Dubro Coyote.  Those formed metal stacks came with the body.  The bodies were sold in a sealed plastic bag.

And they retailed for $.98 cents, that's how old they are.

 

I've got one but not sure I want to part with it. If you wanted it to start reproducing it I might let it go.

[MattD]

Thanks for the info. It looks like there isn't much out there to help this project along. The Brawner Hawk is what we want and the two pix Noose put up don't seem to be anywhere near the style and detail we want. Lance Sellers made a BH kit a few years ago and it would be the best donor. I am checking with a few modelers to see what might turn up from that source. Looks like our best bet might be to make our on body starting with one of my resin Lotus bodies and using bondo to modify and detail it. One of the guys has that skill, but it is a slow process.

It was kind of neat to see the origins of the original car and how it came about. What I could find out is the car is kind of a clone of a Brabham BT 12, I think. The guy with money (Dean Van Lines) wanted a rear engine car, but Brawner had no knowledge of them, so they ended up buying one of the wrecked BT's and took it apart and kind of "cloned" it. Other stories say they only had blueprints of the BT.

The Andretti car was offered as a 1/16th scale kit by Bandai and several other companies, but the kits are hard to come by and expensive. It was called a Brabham Ford by those companies.

[TSR]

It was called a "Brabham-Ford" because effectively, this is what the Clint Brawner cars were, exacting clones of the Brabham BT12 sold by Jack to John Zink, which was possibly the best Indy chassis design in 1964 through 1966, much more rigid than the flimsy Lotus and Lola early monocoques. Tube framed Brabham were also the best F1 chassis until 1968 when at last, Ron Tauranac, who built the Brabham chassis, switched to monocoque construction.
The "Brawner Hawk" was a successful car because it could use its tires better than the Lotuses and Lolas, as chassis flex was not as much of an issue.
The original BT12 was destroyed in an accident, but an exacting replica was built in the 1980s in Australia and can be seen at various vintage events.
In this story (http://www.oldracing...m/brabham/bt12/ ), it is assumed that the destroyed car was "restored". This is incorrect, as no parts were usable after the fire, it was somply used as a pattern for making the replica.

[MattD]

Dang, Philippe, I thought maybe you had dug up an old Lancer Watson Ford body!!!!!!

[Samiam]

This sounds like a job for a 3-D printer.

[MattD]

I think we can carve something pretty close. It will take a little time to get going, but we have good pix and one of the guys has talent in that area.

[MattD]

My buddy got impatient waiting for me to work up a body and called today to say he had something to show me.He took one of my Lotus 38 bodies and started carving it up and coverting it to a BH. It needs a little more detail work and should be ready for rubber. Pictures are from my phone, so are not so hot. The area behind the cockpit needs a bit more work. We are getting there.

[Half Fast]

See this related story Ray Evernham wins prestigious awards for restoration of Mario Andretti’s rookie Indy Car.

 

http://motorsports.n...ookie-indy-car/

 

Cheers

[Tex]

Those were the days, man... USAC!

[MattD]

Beautiful Indy cars back in the 40's thru the late 60's. Some of the Canam cars from that era are so great also, but every year there were 40 or more at Indy. Lots of great paint schemes and car designs. Ingenuity was welcome. Today it is against the rules.

[MattD]

This project is coming along. We have a Lotus body modified and are getting pretty close to a fairly accurate Brawner Hawk body. After we get completely ready for rubber, we still decals to come up with. A set of Strom 1/32 BH decals are available, but I am not sure how good they might be.

[MattD]

A little farther along with this project. A few more minor body mods and this should be pretty close the 66 Brawner Hawk. Need to finalize decals, looks like I have a good source for sponsors, numbers and names, but the scallops are for the 67 version. I will either paint the scallops correct or just use the 67 decals.

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[MattD]

Completed this project today. My buddy converted one of my Lotus 38 bodies to resemble the 67 Brawner Hawk. He is building the 67 car.

I modified one of the bodies to resemble the 66 car and used a 1/32 decal sheet upsized to 1/24 to do the 66 car. Thanks to Steve for the decals. I also cut one up to build a similiar 67 Coyote Ford, Foyt's winning car.

 

 

[Don Weaver]

Boy, I like that that #14 car .....

 

Don

[Pablo]

I love them both

[MattD]

Simple flat brass chassis, nothing sophisticated. Geared 10-31 with an MT5 motor (15,500 rpm), I ran some laps at 8.2 with the coyote yesterday. The Hawk ran some 8-6. but I wasn't pushing it hard. It may be a touch heavy in comparison. This was on the King we race on at Bullitt Speedway. 8.2-8.5 is about what we strive for. I build all the cars the same, nobody has an advantage and we all run the same gear and rear tire size. Monday nite I will run lots of laps with them. Sat was just 15-20 laps.

Attached is a pic of all the resin Indy cars I have made. Belanger Special is next and maybe the last.

[Tex]

LOVE those cars! Those roadsters are just too cool!