TD's "Ice-T" I got Questions for you guys????

[fritz]

OK, so im looking at the pile of parts I have to do Tom's "Ice-T' in 1 to 1 scale.
and I need to buy some stuff but its gonna be big bucks, first is the Halibrand quick change rear, I have a housing and thats it, do you guys think it would be bad form to just use a stock Ford banjo axle and just chrome it or should I be pure and spend 2G's on the real deal?(i dont wanna spend that much)
as for wheels Tom and I talked and to have a set made like to box stock kit ones would run in the hood of 6 to 10 G's (we're guessin') so the 3 brands I thought that would look period corect and are "avabile" are Raider (with their slicks) American tourqthrust (gray center aluminum rim) or chrome smothies w/moons? I have a set of vintage M&H racemasters but they are a bit cracked and beat up, I figured i could go with a set of goodyears' and wipe the brand logo off, raiders, etc.
well what do you glue Gods Think, leme know I wanna start in Jan to build
FRITZ

[Deleted]

I think the Ice T should have always had slotted mags from the Beer Wagon. Just my opinion, but I think the 5 spokers are too harsh and the steelies and Moon discs are too smooth.

[scurvy]

Dude, it's a showrod. Speedway makes a weld-on cover that fits on the back of a banjo for the Q-C look, but you might be better off just fabbing your own, slightly oversized one... I'm betting you could even find one of those huge, finned covers for a Winters or Franklin unit at the swap meet - then you could just make a sheet metal filler to bolt it to.
I always figured the wheels on the Ice T were meant to be dished steel wheels (like those ones that usually have a spoke basket attatched to the outside) with a bunch of slots cut into them. I think that Astro Supremes with gold-lines would be bitchen, personally. Maybe deep-reverse slots with M/T Indy Profiles (you know, with that dog-bone tread that sucks on wet pavement). The model seemed to have 14" up front and 15" wheels in the rear - you plan to maintain that proportion?

A couple of changes that I'd like to see done to the Ice 'T' would be a slight wedge-chop to make it look a little meaner, and a change in the exhaust to four scavenger pipes exiting that pocket in the bellypan and running right out under the rear axle. I don't think either change would alter the recognizability (is that a word?) of the car.

I know I updated my "ScallyWagon" quite a bit, but you can see the wedge-chop here - I painted the roof seperately from the car, like the Hot Wheels version (maybe you should think about redline tires?)

Edit: Since the model's front suspension would require a big slot cut into the sides of the body for suspension travel in "real life", have you considered converting the front suspension to a strut-type front end? I know it's not like the kit, but it would maintain the look of the "wings" to support the coil-overs and wouldn't require anything but a lower A-arm and a rack-and-pinion to finish up. I'm sure drag car struts aren't overly pricey, but there are all kinds of trick-looking short units available for the import crowd too, including <GASP> air cylinders!

[Tim Nolan]

I had the same thoughts as Scurv on the fake quick-change cover, and they look pretty damn good too!! Lots of street rod guys using them now! I have Radir's (correct new name) on my Duece and I love them. It needs some big-ass rear slicks, how about some true drag tires with wrinkle walls? I think the Radir slicks are too retro, wrong period. Redlines would be cool, make it look like a giant Hot Wheel! Have you guys thought of soliciting one of the wheel companies to custom make the rims? You could put it in thier booth at a show for a year, or put thier name on the finished car somewhere? What about just using some kind of basic rim to hold the tire on, and having some fake dishes made that bolt on over them? Like a big polished wok with some slots in it?! LOL. (The skull on the Difibulator blower scoop started as a Wok!)

[fritz]

the weld on quick change is gonna be the ticket i think, deff need wrinkle wall drag slicks, nothing else will do yer right, Radar may step up to the plate and give a set of wheels, I love the look of them, Im gonna try and keep the front end tube axle with coils & cups, I can make the axle and I have extra springs from building my "Outlaw" clone. Tom said I could go either way automatic or ford 3 speed, I have both but 3 extra 3 speeds, dunno wich way to go there, small chevy with a tunnel ram, but im gonna but the ALT down low.
FRITZ

[robriley]

fritz said:

OK, so im looking at the pile of parts I have to do Tom's "Ice-T' in 1 to 1 scale.
and I need to buy some stuff but its gonna be big bucks, first is the Halibrand quick change rear, I have a housing and thats it, do you guys think it would be bad form to just use a stock Ford banjo axle and just chrome it or should I be pure and spend 2G's on the real deal?(i dont wanna spend that much)
as for wheels Tom and I talked and to have a set made like to box stock kit ones would run in the hood of 6 to 10 G's (we're guessin') so the 3 brands I thought that would look period corect and are "avabile" are Raider (with their slicks) American tourqthrust (gray center aluminum rim) or chrome smothies w/moons? I have a set of vintage M&H racemasters but they are a bit cracked and beat up, I figured i could go with a set of goodyears' and wipe the brand logo off, raiders, etc.
well what do you glue Gods Think, leme know I wanna start in Jan to build
FRITZ

as for the rearend...i'd go with the ford banjo...use the cash somewhere else. or. maybe even just a 9" ford to keep it simple. there is a place ouit there that makes a rearend cover that goes onto 9" ford rears, and chevy 10-12 bolt rears. the cover gives the look of a quickchange. it sounds cheesy, but looks real...and would not be as expensive...just a thought.
wheels....my vote is for the torque thrusts, with vintage blackwall slicks. keep them flush with the rear fender edges...don't make them hang out. the chrome smoothies with baby moons (in my opinion) would make the car look cheap. torquethrusts would really set it off, and they look so much better. the radirs would be my second choice because they are more "racecar" than "showrod" looking. but, they would look cool too. if i remember correctly, the roswell rod has them on it, and they fit the look of the car perfectly.

[stevehammann]

I gotta go with Rob on this. Chrome that banjo and let it shine. They are pretty cool looking rears in their own right. And the Torque Thrusts would be the mammories. Remember, it's a hot rod, you're an adult (well at least we think so), you can do whatever you want.

In Thrust We Trust!

[robriley]

stevehammann said:

I gotta go with Rob on this. Chrome that banjo and let it shine. They are pretty cool looking rears in their own right. And the Torque Thrusts would be the mammories. Remember, it's a hot rod, you're an adult (well at least we think so), you can do whatever you want.

In Thrust We Trust!

hey steve...
that pic. you have of ed roth at the bottom of your post.....
i have one (i think you sent it to me). i just found it the other day, rolled up in the mailing tube. i took it out, laid it flat under my mattress for a few days. once it flattens out, i want to frame it.
where did you ever come up with these ?

[stevehammann]

Uhhmmm, don't ask. Let's just say a little creative imagery. Shyster the Clown.

[fritz]

Yup I think its gonna be a stock banjo chromed, the bolt on gig from speedway is aluminum and not a weld on so that aint gonna happen, there is a QC on ebay now,....2G's. im just up in the air 'cause I told Tom I'd try to stay as close to the kit as posable (except the rims) and I'm thinking now that maybe the tourq thurusts would be the best bet. as for the side pipes, what do you 'all think about Thrush side pipes, the ones with the square outlet at the end??? they look kinda close to box stock. Tom & I also though '58 belair tail lights would look like the kit ones.after that everything else seems to be an easy build for me.
FRITZ

[stevehammann]

Fritz, you might consider the mid 60's factory Corvette sidepipes. If I remember right they had some cool looking cooling fins running down the length of them.

[badseed]

just my opinion,Torque Thrusts wont do, to me the wheels need to be as close to the box art as you can get, just like scurvy
pointed out, even if that means having a set made,dished steel wheels with slots cut in to them, sould not be that hard to do, the ford banjo rear would be fine because its up under the car, but the wheels are rite out front in everyones face,they have to be correct,the rest of the car sould be as close to box art as possible, again ,just my opinion.

[scurvy]

Everybody uses Torque-Thrusts. They use them because they look good, but EVERYBODY uses Torque-Thrusts. The five-spokes from TeamIII wheels look better, IMHO. They have a sharper "peak" to the spokes, which are straight, and not curved like the D-style Torque-Thrusts. What about using a deep aluminum wheel, and cutting slots in a set of Mooneyes "Saturn" discs, sized an inch or two smaller than the rim diameter so they'll slip inside the barrel? If you paint the hidden wheel center black, you could end up with wheels that look a LOT like the kit pieces.

A chromed banjo rear should look fine, though if you're going axe the Q-C, you might consider an early 9-inch (that smooth housing looks great chromed) or maybe an Olds rear with a finned cover. I think there's just more visual interest going on with these, and they're strong enough to actually handle a BBC and wrinkle-wall slicks or M/T Sportsmans. I mean, if you're going to build a BBC-powered rod wiith a tunnel ram, you're going to want to make a pass or two with it, if only for a magazine cover shot.

Have you bought a pair of ice tongs yet? Will you glue acrylic panels together to make a hollow "ice block", or will it just be a matter of casting one (heavy!) for shows?

I was looking at the box art tonight, and I've got to tell you that in my opinion, Tom's front 3/4 view has much better proportions than the actual kit. The way the belt line flows in this pic is much more continuous than the two dissimilar angles of the nose and the break behind the door in the actual kit and the rear 3/4 view on the box. I wonder if Tom would mind you proportioning the car to match his artwork, and not the model... ;D

[Lee @ krow kustoms]

Personally I think Radirs would be cool os slot mags. Either way, please keep us updated with pics on the site. these are exiting times with guys like you building 1:1 showrods. KOOL!!!!!

[Paul B. Canney]

Ice T's never been one of my favorite Tom Daniel designs. It's nice, but, I'd rather see the Tijuana Taxi brought to life.

not that anyone asked......

fritz said:

OK, so im looking at the pile of parts I have to do Tom's "Ice-T' in 1 to 1 scale.
and I need to buy some stuff but its gonna be big bucks, first is the Halibrand quick change rear, I have a housing and thats it, do you guys think it would be bad form to just use a stock Ford banjo axle and just chrome it or should I be pure and spend 2G's on the real deal?(i dont wanna spend that much)
as for wheels Tom and I talked and to have a set made like to box stock kit ones would run in the hood of 6 to 10 G's (we're guessin') so the 3 brands I thought that would look period corect and are "avabile" are Raider (with their slicks) American tourqthrust (gray center aluminum rim) or chrome smothies w/moons? I have a set of vintage M&H racemasters but they are a bit cracked and beat up, I figured i could go with a set of goodyears' and wipe the brand logo off, raiders, etc.
well what do you glue Gods Think, leme know I wanna start in Jan to build
FRITZ

[vwcamperman]

I don't know if these wheel are easy to come by, but i think they would be perfect! ;D (unfortunateley they appear to be rare)



sporting-reliants.com/wheel_guide.htm

[ShonWittenbaregr]

Fritz,
There was a company in the late 60's or early 70's that made steel chrome wheels like the Ice T has. They were like Astros with slits in them . If you could find a set, and widen the rears why wouldn't that work. I've went through some of my old magazines, I haven't found an ad yet but when I do I'll give you a shout.