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David Pearson Dirt Car

 
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2002p51



Joined: 06 Nov 2018
Posts: 69
Location: Kingsport, TN

PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 1:39 pm    Post subject: David Pearson Dirt Car Reply with quote

I built this model with only one poor quality photo for reference. I don't know anything about this car so a lot of what I did was "best guess".



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The body is AMT's '67 Fairlane GT, most of the chassis is from a Polar Lights Holman-Moody Torino Talladega. The wheelbase matched up well because the Torino is based on the Fairlane platform. I did, however, have to shorten the front clip a little to fit the Fairlane's shorter nose.

Tires are from MPC and paint is Testors Model Master Classic White and Guards Red. Decals are a combination of things from kit sheets and a couple of custom made logos.

I had a lot of trouble getting the engine to fit and still get the hood to close until I eventually gave up and removed the carb and air cleaner and glued the hood shut. So this is now a curbside model.

And here's the photo that provided the inspiration for this project.



[/img]
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DaveVan



Joined: 27 Jan 2018
Posts: 1571

PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very cool!!! I recall the car but not much about the why and when...
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Tom M.
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Joined: 01 Feb 2018
Posts: 600

PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pearson ran it on dirt and asphalt. It was a Banjo chassis underneath, just like a Cup car. He won a 200 lapper with it at Mobile, AL on pavement in '75 or '76, I believe the car was built in '75.
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Henryjint



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 1957
Location: NY State's Hudson Valley

PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2018 7:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nicely done!
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sentsat71



Joined: 03 Feb 2018
Posts: 1237
Location: Fenton, IA

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 8:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very Nicely done!!
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Ed. K
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BVAUGHN



Joined: 29 Jan 2018
Posts: 503

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great model for a great driver on dirt, short tracks, roadcourse or superspeedways
Bill
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Racer14



Joined: 13 Feb 2018
Posts: 282
Location: Rockford, IL

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice build and tribute.
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Jim N



Joined: 29 Jan 2018
Posts: 650

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great job!
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john843



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 607
Location: S.C. Lowcountry

PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

David raced that car at Savannah one Fri. night in spring or early summer of '77 and had the pleasure of Sam Sommers tearing hell out of it. I've got a pic somewhere of it in the pits next to Sam's M.C. Anderson Nova and my father in law's #91 Nova that won the race.
I remember when we were standing by where David was being interviewed by the sports guy from the Savannah newspaper and he asked David if his car was a Wood Bros. car, David kinda grinned and said "no, the Wood boys don't need to know too much 'bout this one"

John


Last edited by john843 on Wed Nov 14, 2018 7:41 am; edited 1 time in total
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john843



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 607
Location: S.C. Lowcountry

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 6:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If anyone wants to see this car in a slightly different scheme, google David Pearson and Tommy Porter at Savannah Speedway. Pic of David kneeling at rear of the car with Sam's car barely visible behind it and our car on it's trailer.
I tried to link it but it kept having extra info in the link. If someone could link it, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
John
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afx



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 270

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 7:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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2002p51



Joined: 06 Nov 2018
Posts: 69
Location: Kingsport, TN

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have several other photos of the car (including a restored one) that show a variety of graphics arrangements and different color wheels.



















This is very typical of short track cars that get used for more than one season and are run on a variety of different track surfaces.
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john843



Joined: 28 Jan 2018
Posts: 607
Location: S.C. Lowcountry

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

2002, thanks for posting those. The next to last shot is the one I was referring to, in fact,that's me at the rt. front of the #91 car in the baby blue t-shirt. That's Delma Cowart with the white shirt and blue jeans just to the left of the 91.

You did a fabulous job capturing "the look" on this build.
I remember the interior and really the overall construction of this car to have been pretty basic. Not that it was lacking anything but I guess I expected to see some trick piece befitting DP but instead it was very much an obviously utilitarian (and apparently versatile) car that I think David picked up quite a bit of appearance AND winnings with.

Thanks,

John
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Tom M.
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Joined: 01 Feb 2018
Posts: 600

PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 9:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The guy who found and restored it REALLY wanted it to be an ex-GN car so he went to a lot of trouble to pull the tires inboard like a GN car before he was convinced of the true history of the car. It looks like a linebacker wearing ballet slippers now, with those tires pulled in under stretched and cut fenders, it's neither fish nor fowl.
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2002p51



Joined: 06 Nov 2018
Posts: 69
Location: Kingsport, TN

PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 5:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Exactly Tom. This is why I never use restored cars as model reference. They are almost universally inaccurate.
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Tom M.
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Joined: 01 Feb 2018
Posts: 600

PostPosted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 9:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

By the way, that first photo you shared of the original car was from the '75 Snowball Derby, it's from my friend Bobby Foster's scrapbook. Pearson won the 200 lapper at Mobile, AL a week or two before they moved 50 miles down the coast to the Snowball Derby. I changed rear tires for Bobby's dad when they were running an All-Pro car.

That '75 Snowball Derby was what I consider the race that created the Super Late Model, Pete Hamilton had churned out a bunch of cars for that year's Derby that used what he had learned from the Kit Car development program but which were lighter, lower, had much more left side weight, and were set up for dry sump engines that sat about 3" lower than a traditional short track wet sump smallblock. Perfectly legal in the Georgia/Alabama/Florida/Mississippi outlaw pavement Late Model circuit where the rules were printed on one side of a sheet of A-size paper. Suddenly everyone's old heavy Late Model was obsolete.
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