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Post by alwaysindy on Jun 13, 2024 13:46:14 GMT -5
Gentlemen: I have been thinking a lot about my buddy Craig…some comments I remember: Never start a kit until you finished the last one. Build it for yourself. If others like it, great! If not; mehhhhhh. I like old Formula 1 but the ugly modern cars are “ Klingon Battle Cruisers.” When I buy a resin kit, no matter what it costs, I remind myself it is waaaaay cheaper than hunting, fishing, or golf. I’d vote for Dan Gurney for President over ALL these jokers! I like “old Nascar” before 1981. The kits are in 1/25 and they remind me of the times Dan, Mario, A.J., and Parnelli ran stockers and regularly won. So, I am starting on my 3rd or 4th build in progress, and Craig is somewhere shaking his head…🤣 Can you guess this year, car, and driver?  The body is so iconic it would immediately give it away…  The driver was very good. He won at least 1 National Championship in sprints, stocks, and Champ/Indycar. He is often overlooked because he had tons of bad luck in the Indy 500, with a best finish of 3rd… I’ll drop more hints and pictures along the way…thanks for stopping by! Tim |
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Post by indycals on Jun 13, 2024 17:37:49 GMT -5
I'm going to guess Roger McCluskey
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SteveG
Rookie
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Post by SteveG on Jun 14, 2024 8:15:35 GMT -5
 Could it be Roger's '70 Superbird? He did race one with yellow wheels. Or later Plymouth models? |
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Post by kyledehart5 on Jun 15, 2024 19:09:36 GMT -5
Tim, Klingon battle cruisers are smaller than today’s F1 cars. 🤣. And I love Craig’s advice but I could never build only one kit at a time. Can’t wait to see this one come together
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Post by alwaysindy on Jun 26, 2024 11:44:28 GMT -5
Michael and Steve: Wow…I thought we would need Walt to get this one…YES, it is Roger McCluskey,in the 1970 Superbird that Steve posted…  And Roger in the driver’s seat…  Robin Miller did a “Tough Guy” series on McCluskey… He won 2 Sprint titles, 2 stock titles, and 1 Champ/Indy car (1973). NOT NASCAR stock, but USAC stock…Stock car racing had 2 major championships. NASCAR was/is better known, but USAC Stock at that time would have A.J., Parnelli, Al Unser, Bobby Unser, Roger McCluskey and other Indycar guys in their races. Comparisons? McCluskey, in this car, would finish the 1970 NASCAR(Grand National) race at Riverside in second, 3.5 seconds behind Foyt. So evidently McCluskey could road race as well as oval race… The car is iconic in the famous Petty Blue, and it lured Petty back to Plymouth, after switching to Ford for 1969. Researching this, I learned some crazy stuff about the “winged warriors.” 1) Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird are NOT the same body 2) The Superbird competed in 1970 and the Daytona competed in 1969-70 3) The wing was NOT designed so that the trunk lid would open…it was put up above the roof so it would create downforce 4) Speaking of downforce, the wing attached directly to the frame(!) 5) The wing could be adjusted 6)The wing was further forward on the Superbird and had a different rake and size…  7) The front scoops were NOT for tire clearance, but rather aero release and extra downforce: claimed “tire clearance” because NASCAR allowed that 8)Charlie Glotzbach said that on the 5 mile oval Chelsea MI test track, he holds the record of highest top speed:243 mph And where we are…   Thanks for stopping by…Comments, questions welcome! Tim |
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Post by Calvin on Jun 26, 2024 12:18:13 GMT -5
This is really cool!
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Post by kyledehart5 on Jun 27, 2024 4:11:35 GMT -5
Brilliant progress Tim!! And some really cool history as well. Which I always enjoy.
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Post by jamesharvey on Jun 27, 2024 17:26:16 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing this, Tim. I was the Director of Timing and Scoring for the USAC Stock Car Division in the late '60s and early '70s The Division was headed by Bill Taylor, former Indy driver in the Rounds Rocket. Roger was the teammate of Norm Nelson who was a stellar driver himself as well as the owner of the team. This was the era of factory teams. The Dodge team was owned by Rudy and Annie Heare (sp?) with Al Unser Sr. ad Don White as drivers. There were several independent teams that got some factory support and one of the most successful was a Dodge driven by Butch Hartman from Zaneville, Ohio who was a USAC champion. NASCAR was a little faster but not by much. You sure brought back some memories.
Jim
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Post by alwaysindy on Aug 18, 2024 12:35:09 GMT -5
Jim: How cool is it that you got to see these cars up close and personal! I saw this and had to get it. I can’t wait to read it and check out some more cool cars…  Well, it finally crossed the finish line…  A resin SMH body, Dodge Charger parts, Polar Lights parts, and several scratch built including the back bumper which was lost…  Roger’s workplace…  Oh course: the big 426 C.I. Hemi…scratch built the manifold…  How we would have seen it in 1970…  After reading the book, I may have some more USAC stock cars in the future… Thanks for stopping by! Comments, questions welcome. Tim |
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Post by raceparke on Aug 18, 2024 14:27:06 GMT -5
Beep, beep!
Love it!
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Post by indy on Aug 18, 2024 17:08:51 GMT -5
Very nice job on this build. It is a great looking car. I like how the Road Runner was integrated into the number, too.
I enjoy learning more about this era and this was a great looking car. Almost twenty years ago, my sim-racing league did a season running a mod from these years, in my group of guys there were so many Mopars in it. Even though I loved the high winged Hemis the most, I switched to a Bobby Unser Smokey Yunick tribute Torino Cobra to be different.
We miss Craig, what a great way to tribute hime. Nicely done all around!
Jordan
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Post by kyledehart5 on Aug 18, 2024 18:11:25 GMT -5
Awesome Tim!! You did a really great job. I love these usac stock cars. That looks like a very cool book as well!!
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Post by indydog on Aug 18, 2024 19:26:02 GMT -5
Nice job!
Gotta love the Winged Warriors.
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Post by 1961redlegs on Aug 19, 2024 7:24:30 GMT -5
That’s a beautiful Superbird! You don’t see many USAC stockers and this one is a treasure!
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Post by racerbrown on Aug 19, 2024 21:45:37 GMT -5
Dang Tim!
You really hit this one out of the ballpark!
I've always loved that paint scheme.
Where did you get the decals?
Duane
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Post by sandysixtysfan on Aug 20, 2024 9:15:15 GMT -5
Really nice work here, yep , the ‘old’ NASCAR was the best!
Sandy
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Post by alwaysindy on Aug 24, 2024 12:15:27 GMT -5
Another "old NASCAR"...  Bobby Allison's iconic "Coke Car." This was a frustrating,demanding, hilarious build. The old AMT kit has some usuable parts, but much of it is junk.I grafted a Polar Lights chassis front clip, then built a roll cage from several sources.Bobby's work place...  I modified the front wheel wells as they are too large...   I ended up having to scratch build headers because I couldn't get any to fit. I made them with solder and that was the most fun part of the build!  And the 427 Chevy motor...  Allison won 2 races and finished 7th overall in 1973 with this car...  A beautiful car, even if it is NASCAR… Thanks for stopping by! Questions, comments welcome! Tim |
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Post by kyledehart5 on Aug 25, 2024 4:47:06 GMT -5
Wow! Really exceptional work, my friend. Your scratch work and modifications really set this one above. I love this livery too. It looks great on this car. Awesome job, as always Tim.
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Post by indy on Aug 25, 2024 8:45:59 GMT -5
Another great vintage stock car! Your modifications are really impressive and the scratch work is seamless, excellent work!
Jordan
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Post by racerbrown on Aug 28, 2024 7:19:30 GMT -5
Great job on a car for a great driver!
My dad raced with the Alabama Gang before they became the Alabama Gang down in South Florida.
Duane
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Post by alwaysindy on Sept 3, 2024 12:36:06 GMT -5
Gentlemen: The last “Old Nascar”: the 1980 Daytona 500 winner…the last of the long wheelbase cars( and the last year for 1/25th stock cars”… Buddy Baker drove "the Grey Ghost" to victory in the 1980 Daytona 500. The car's distinctive Silver and black(LAs Vegas Raiders?) made it hard to see when coming up and overtaking other drivers...  It looks the color of asphalt from the front…  Baker STILL holds the record for fastest Daytona win of all time...probably because it has turned into a wreck fest over the last several years(44). This was my first Salvino's kit and was purchased before they realized it needed trailing arms rather than leaf springs. I saw a video that you could use a 1/24th NASCAR Monogram chassis and it would fit the 1/25th cars which had a longer wheelbase. It worked, but I had to make several small changes to get it to properly fit. I bought a new seat and front and rear bumpers to replace inaccurate pieces in the original kit. Bottom view showing NASCAR Monogram 1/24 chassis in 1/25 Oldsmobile…  Engine compartment…  Baker’s work space…  Another view…  The decals were Supersweet! Check the reflections above.,, A fun build: frustrating at times but it came out OK… Comments, questions welcome! For those of you sick of “old NASCAR,” I have a Mercedes W125, a Porsche 904, and Donahue’s 1972winner under construction… Tim |
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Post by raceparke on Sept 3, 2024 16:06:56 GMT -5
Very nice.
I won’t get sick of old NASCAR. Recent NASCAR, I’ll pass.
Looking forward to those next builds.
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Post by Calvin on Sept 3, 2024 22:27:20 GMT -5
Beautiful! One of my favorites
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Post by kyledehart5 on Sept 4, 2024 21:47:06 GMT -5
Gorgeous work Tim!! What a great job you did on this one. Certainly one fantastic looking car.
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SteveG
Rookie
Hi Everyone! I'm enjoying the site!
Posts: 96
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Post by SteveG on Sept 6, 2024 6:41:24 GMT -5
Jim: How cool is it that you got to see these cars up close and personal! I saw this and had to get it. I can’t wait to read it and check out some more cool cars… Well, it finally crossed the finish line… A resin SMH body, Dodge Charger parts, Polar Lights parts, and several scratch built including the back bumper which was lost… Roger’s workplace… Oh course: the big 426 C.I. Hemi…scratch built the manifold… How we would have seen it in 1970… After reading the book, I may have some more USAC stock cars in the future… Thanks for stopping by! Comments, questions welcome. Tim Wow! Just beautiful! This and the Allison Chevy really bring me back. And remind me that I'm old. Lol. |
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