Question about wheelie bars and a few more things

bayoutider wrote:

...Do you use a base coat under pearl paint?...

Follow the paint manufacturer's instructions.

I don't know of any aftermarket wheelie bars but they are not hard to come by, what era/style do you want ? They attach mostly to the rear axle of the vehicle, only the very oldest designs attach to the rear of the frame.

The roll bar depends if you want to make a race car or a street custom. If its a race car the type of bar will depend on the class you want to replicate. There may be other safety items you will need to add to make a correct, class specific racer. A street car of course doesn't need a roll bar at all or can have one just for looks.

I usually open a trunk with an X-acto and a razor saw when needed, then just glue a thin strip of sheet styrene around the trunk opening to simulate the trunk sill and to hold the trunk lid up. The sill only needs to extend about an 1/8 of an inch into the trunk opening to close the gap and hold the lid.

bayoutider wrote:

Do you guys scratch build them or is there a place you can buy wheelie bars maybe in resin or etched brass or stainless? Not being a drag racer myself where do they attach to the undercarriage? While I'm asking, would pro street need a roll bar, roll cage? I was thinking a simple roll bar with supports back to the rear floor pan where the back seat is or used to be.  I may as well be a complete pest. Is there some trick to opening a trunk? I can probably cut one open using an X-Acto knife but if anyone has an old Indian trick please share. What about hinges? Do you use a base coat under pearl paint? I painted a Chevy Nova primed gray with Boyd's Pearl Yellow and it came out slime green. I repainted it white then yellow again and it is more yellow. I did the same with a 51 Chevy primed gray then sprayed with Boyd's Roadster Orange. It came out more copper color than orange but I kind of like it so that's the color it will stay.

roll cages come in many different catagories as well as styles. Most cars that are street driven will have a six point setup, and a few will goto an eight point one (anchor points). But the serious cars will also take the roll cage back to the suspension anchor points front and rear. I'd suggest you take a look at the Art Morrison website as well as Chris Alston's for a look see. They can be a bear to build, and are not not much fun in real life. If you go the full twelve point setup, you may want to think about setting the front end up for struts instead of aframes. Rear would probably be a four point setup as ladder bars just don't do well on the street (three point).

    Wheelie bars on the street are mostly for looks. But an easy setup to fab is made from old mono leaf springs with small rollers attached at the ends.

gary