New and hoping for boat tail help

Hey guys!
I’m not sure if this is the right place to post but was hoping for some help. I've been thinking about getting something new to mess with and can't seem to shake the idea of a boat tail, but I have no place to start. What's the best way to get into one of these? Is it buying or building? Are there kits or is it mostly DIY? I've rebuilt a couple muscle cars and have no problem going that route if needeD. I've seen what I think are Bugatti type 35s, which are supposedly VW kits, but can't figure out who makes the kits or where to grab one (I attached pics, though I'm not saying I'm specifically only looking for these). Anyway, thanks in advance. I'm stoked to be a part of the forum now, I keep seeing some amazing cars and they always lead me here!
- Carter

 

Check out Macromachines on Youtube. This kid is building a great looking boat tail.

 

Goldmountain, I actually found him right before joining and posting, his project looks awesome. Looks like I know what I'll be watching all day. Thanks for the response!

 

Forget the VW based kit car shit. Find a running Model A Ford chassis, preferably with a hood and grille shell still on it, and build a body around that. It won't perform like a Bugatti, but it'll at least be period correct, and have the look. They are around, lots of guys buy driver A's and build a custom chassis, leaving all of the stock running gear and frame behind to get sold off.

 

Squablow I hadn't even thought about the Model A. That'd be an awesome route to go too. Thanks for the idea! I'll be checking that out!

 

Seems I remember hearing / reading a long time ago about using a '40 Ford hood or two to make the boat tail. Not like you'll find many hoods in the local bone yard anymore.

Like Squablow said forget the Bug based kit car idea. A running and rolling Model-A chassis seem to show up often enough that the beginnings of your project shouldn't be to hard to find.
-Dave

 

Boat rails are cool !!

thing I see with the vw based kit cars is once your done with it it’s worthless to most others.

move seen those Bugatti and Mercedes Benz kit car languish on the local classifieds for years before they finally disappear into the abyss.


Look at the thread a speedster kinda thing...... wooden speedster ..... speed ..ahhh I forget !
But it’s here in the HAMB
Super low budget deal and absolutely amazing !!

 

A fella near me has a Model A speedster that uses a cut down Chevy AD truck hood. Pretty slick.

 

The truck hood makes the boat tail. I wasnt clear on that in my first post

 

Search "Roofus"

 

Granted, this guy found a body to start with, but here's a great boat-tail speedster build based on an A chassis and running gear, it's got the look and it's all old stuff. Using an A cowl and a 40's era hood like Laser5000 suggested, you'd be a long way into welding up a steel boattail body.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/a-speedster-comes-out-of-the-weeds—build-thread.1003005/

 

A fellow bought one of my vintage shift knobs and I asked him for photos and he sent me these. It's kind of a road-n-track hybrid, part roadster, part speedster, part racetrack. I like it; I'd drive it.
I believe it is a father/son build.

 

Hard to find but two mid to late 40's, early 50's International truck hoods bolted together bottom to bottom make a nice looking boattail.

 

This is the build to follow.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/shade-tree-model-a-speedster-kind-of-thing.1086809/

 

Check out this build from Brazil: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/seagrave-531-v12-special-build-up-in-brazil.1163715/

 

Now that's a Boat tail LMAO !

 

My 32 boat tail two seat speedster under construction.....

 

Dammit! My buddy Dennis' boat bow funster made it on the HAMB again! Never park next to him if you want anyone to ever look at your car!! It's a kick in the butt and has more boating things on it than you can count.

Dave

 

Thank you everyone for all of the awesome replies! I'm checking it all out now. So great! Thank you!

 

With regards to finding some body pieces in your local junk yard suitable for a speedster tail -- I've had my eye out in search of such, for both a single seater (vintage sprint) and two seat speedster. As I see it, aesthetically, the tail (in profile) should be about horizotal just behind the seat, and gradually curve downward, going back. Likewise, in top view, the two sides should be parallel beside the seat back, and curve at close to a constant radius, meeting at the back in a vertical, or slightly sloped (top furthest rearward) convergence. While I've seen some panels that are close on either the desired top or side curvature, never combining both. For a sprint car, being much narrower, not too much curvature is required on the sides. The top could possibly be made by combining together several small junkyard pieces. But I haven't run across anything that would provide an easy way out, even by pie-cutting and narrowing a '37 or '40 Ford or Chevy AD hood. These have most of their sharpest curvature at the "small" end, and are almost straight along the sides and flat on top. It would require massive reshaping, particularly on a two seater, to avoid a "knuckle" just behind the seat (in top view). (Take a look at the sharply curved sides of a late Ram or Dakota for a potential starting point.)

The yellow car below is petite Citroen, and presents a neat alternative to someone not skilled in English wheeling. The sides would be easy to fabricate, either with flat stock, or sections of a large sedan roof, to give it a little compound curvature. The top could be an opening lid. Even made of fiberglass until you've honed your wheeling skills and can add some curvature to some junk yard panel.

 

Here’s my Packard boattail project, on hold while I build it’s big brother, 39 Packard Custom.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/model-a-packard-grille-boattail-speedster.1061719/

 

There was a style of body that was used on race cars and sports cars in the twenties and early thirties that would be perfect for this especially if you do not have metal working tools and ability. That is the Weymann or fabric covered body. You make a framework of wood or metal (conduit tubing and angle iron, for example). Shape it with wire mesh then cover with cotton padding and finally, a vinyl top like material. LeMans winning Bentleys were built this way and so were a number of sporting Stutz and Duesenberg cars. It is easy to build, light weight and durable.
Fabric body boat tail roadster -


Duesenberg with sport model fabric body

 

About the only boat tail speedster available today is the Auburn replica. I saw a half finished example sell for $4500 a few years ago. Someone was making a 36 Ford boat tail body about 15 or 20 years ago but I don't remember who, or if it is still in production.

If you are not prejudiced against fibreglass, the new method is to sculpt a body out of foam insulation and cover it with fibreglass to make a body. This might be the best way to go if you are not stuck on keeping everything 1920s or 1930s correct.

 

Here is a fibreglass boat tail body. Price not stated but I bet it's big $$$ bucks
https://www.decorides.com/foosebt.htm

 

Made from two 46 ford front fenders.

 

OK now you have some great info and a place to start, but what about you? can you weld, do you have a place to work? Tools? Weather you have the skills and a place to work may determine the direction to need to take. Don't let the lack of any of this crush your dreams, no welder, buy one and learn. You can also do a lot outside like the guy building the wooden speedster, use the skills you have and have fun. Like someone said take a pass on the VW kit thing, no matter what you do it will always just be a cut up VW. I think one of the coolest boat tails built is that one made out of the "46 Ford Fenders above.

 

Just a question about these, what do you all do with them? can you tag them and run them on the road? with a center driving position? I guess with a Model A frame, you can tag them as a Model A? With just one seat, how much use do you get out of it? Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it, just I would love to start a project like that but just don't know what I would do with it.
Anyway, welcome and let us know what you get into.

 

Almost all the cars referenced in this thread are 2-seaters.

 

Enjoy a good look at www.olympicspeedsters.com