CRAZY KIDS . . . LIVING TO A WILD ROCK 'N ROLL BEAT!!!
GO HERE for the forum or just read below.
The other day I came up with the idea to host a modeling challenge on 3Denver. And instantly the ‘Hot Rod’ theme came to mind. Hot rods were all about customizing old clunkers, finding parts in the junkyard, dipping them in chrome, and making cool ride. As a kid, I always loved the classic old school Hot Rods and as a teenager even worked at a collision shop. I never really got my Hot Rod, but I did trick out a muscle car. Either way, I think this will be a blast and we can go in just about any direction with just a few limits.
So here is the modeling challenge, design your own Hot Rod paying homage to its roots. Your design does not have to be a period design, but be HEAVILY influenced by early years - No Muscle Cars! The design has to be completely modeled from scratch and documented as you progress. It not just a modeling contest, but a design contest. . . So own it.
I basically set this up to challenge myself; I love competition and that always pushes my skills. It is also great to put your self out there in front of your peers and take it farther then you would on your own. It is not about winning; its about pushing your skills. Even if you are not a modeler, or think you can't compete with some of the others, its not about that. It is just about challenging yourself and taking things to the next level.
A couple of my friends have been doing similar challenges with each other for the last eight years or so. I joined in last year and created a custom chopper and that was a blast. Now I never finished my chopper, but I got close and will want to revisit it soon. Either way, it was fun project and completely different then the projects I normally work on. The thing is, my projects are never finished and even looking at this older render, I want to change a bunch of stuff. I do not like the handle bars or the air intake, for example.
Deadline: August 1st, 2010 Now, I am a workaholic and always have tons on my plate, but you have to make time. So I am making it realistic for everyone and ending this challenge the 1st of August. . . That is about 2 and a half months.
The Checklist:
* Read the "HOW IT ALL BEGAN . . "
* Must be a wheeled vehicle
* All parts made from scratch
* Must be HEAVILY influenced by the “Hot Rod” early years - No Muscle Cars!
* You must document your progress regularly in your own thread.
* Take it as far as you can
* Your final render must be done by August 1st, 2010.
Once you come up with an initial design idea, create a new thread and label it "My Hot Rod: <Give it some kind of cool name>" like the BURNINATOR!!! Burninating the Countryside!!!
If you are going to join this challenge, create an account and reply to this thread.
If you have any questions reply to the thread. GO HERE!
Questions:
Can I make a "Steam Punk" Hot Rod?
A: Why the hell not.
Can it be a futuristic Hot Rod?
A: As long as it is a wheeled vehicle
Does it matter the make?
A: Nope, it can be completely original.
What software can we use?
A: Any software you know how to use.
Can I use pre-made models?
A: NO, and nothing you modeled before. Everything should be from scratch from the day you start.
Will there be prizes?
A: Maybe? I will try to get a few sponsors. And if anyone has any ideas . . .
Does it have to be photo-real?
A: Nope
*Scale has been brought up twice now and I decided not to limit it,until otherwise convinced. I just don't want to limit creativity too much.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN . . .
California, especially the dry lakes region in the southern part of the state, generally is regarded as the birthplace of hot rods. There a cult of backyard mechanics, working with junkyard parts, created streamlined, no-nonsense racing cars for competition against each other over straight-line courses laid out on the nearby desert salt flats. In those days nothing but open country lay between the flats and such small towns as Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank where hot rodding began; and since few rodders had more than one vehicle, it was essential that the cars used for racing could also be driven to the sites, as well as back and forth from home to work during the week.
Most early hot rods were Ford Model T or Model A roadsters—cheap, plentiful, and lightweight, having no top and only a single seat. Standard procedure was to strip off all nonessential parts—fenders, running boards, ornaments, even the windshield—to achieve maximum weight reduction and aerodynamics. Eventually coupes and sedans joined the ranks. Typically, these heavier models underwent drastic surgery to chop their tops lower and slope, or rake, their windshields backward.
Large rear tires were installed on all hot rods to raise the gear ratio for high speed, while standard-size or smaller tires left on the front helped lower the car and rake it forward to decrease wind resistance. Rows of slots, called louvers, were cut into the hood, body, and rear deck lid for engine cooling and to release trapped air. Sometimes flat aluminum discs were fitted over the wheel hubs for further streamlining.
Ford flathead V8 engines were the power plants of choice after their introduction in 1932. Mass-produced in the millions, they too were cheap and plentiful, and their design permitted relatively easy—and nearly limitless—performance enhancements. Developing 85 horsepower in stock configuration, the earliest modifications usually consisted of removing the muffler, straightening the exhaust pipes and adding multiple carburetors. The results more than doubled the original punch, producing an engine that often could propel a soup-up at better than 100 miles an hour over a lakebed course.
World War II put an end to early hot rodding but not to the hot-rod craze. Indeed, California servicemen leaving their dry lakes roadsters and chopped coupes behind on blocks or in the dubious care of younger brothers took pictures of their cars with them and spread tales of their exploits wherever they went to whoever would listen—mostly young, male servicemen like themselves from every area of the country. When the war ended, in 1945, hot rodding exploded into the public consciousness, becoming one of the strongest fads of new postwar America.
With money in their pockets, mechanical and metalworking skills gained in the military and burning desire to build dream cars, hundreds of hot rodders and fans now flocked to the dry lakes races in southern California. Elsewhere in the state and across the country dangerous—often fatal—street racing caught on, and with it the practice by many youthful hot rodders of gathering at local hangouts and cruising up and down avenues at night, showing off their cars—and themselves. Hot-rod activities became an easy target for public attention that focused increasingly on what were perceived as frightening new national problems: juvenile delinquency and teenage gangs. Along with rock and roll, hot rods and hot rodding became symbols for the darker side of American youth.
GO HERE!
