A strange question at the armor group? I plan on converting a BRDM-1 into a “Hot Rod”. What is the definition of a Hot Rod in the States?
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You mean you want to turn this
into that ?
On Wikipedia : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_rod
Sticking to Soviet-built candidates, here’s another one
H.P.
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Yes, H.P. a kind of. The body of BRDM-1 cries for a tuning.
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I’d say … “Hotrods are weird things that I don’t see the attraction or point of” but if you want to turn a BRDM-1 into one, I’d suggest lowering the suspension so that the wheels are almost completely up inside the wheel wells, removing the engine deck and sticking a a big engine with lots of chrome in there (take something like a 1:25 scale car engine, that will probably look good), and remove the vision flaps for the driver so you can replace them by one full-width windscreen. And, of course, paint ugly stylised flames all over it.
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As HP pointed out in wiki it’s all over the place but the main take away is “modifying it for greater performance”.
I would probably go with removing “swim” vane, chop the top so it’s a convertible, modify the suspension so it’s lower with nose down attitude, open the engine bay and trick out the engine still 1/35 but with chrome items (maybe add a big blower) and then add a vibrant paint job with or without flames.
Vroom vroom, look forward to your design choices.
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I think the more important question is “What is road legal where I live?”. Many U.S. open-wheel Hot-Rods would not be legal in the U.K. as there is a requirement for a certain level of enclosure. There are also pedestrian-safety specifications that rule out some aero packages on tuner cars. The Cybertruck is outright banned because it can in no way be made road-legal in the U.K. (not because it looks like a skip and has the construction standards of a third-world outside sh*t-house). The technical regulations for your region will be somewhere on-line on an official government website, but probably well-hidden…
BRDMs have been converted for civilian use but many have re-militarised (not in their original form) in Ukraine.
Civilianised military vehicles may retain a “pseudo-military” appearance but be modified for convenience; others flaunt their new role with bright paint-jobs.
It even happens to BTRs:
None of these are strictly a Hot Rod, I think the only such item I can recall was from the 1970s; a Daimler Dingo with cut-down armour, big trafficators, on-road tyres on mag wheels and a metal flake (blue? purple? - I can’t remember) paint job.
This may be more your style:
Possibly your best move is improved visibility from the drivers position - big windows, or in this case a bubble-top or convertible. For street-use only a lowered ride-height with large-diameter custom wheels shod with low-profile rubber, donk-style:
and a garish paint-job or wrap:
DO NOT go Bōsōzoku or Itasha:
There’s a difference between customisation and defilement…
Cheers,
M
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Talking about hot rod…
The M113A1/2E ‘HOT ROD’ above was fitted with a pair of 440 cu. in. (7.2L) Chrysler RB-440 V8s :
The purpose of converting this M113A1 was to test issues relating to resistance offered by different types of soils rather than producing some kind of super-fast Armored Personnel Carrier
In September 1979, the Hot Rod reached a speed of 121.92 km/h (75.76 mph) on a 152-meter (500-foot) gravel course at Fort Knox, Kentucky .
H.P.
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In GDR, such vehicle would be called Honecker´s “Heißes Eisen”. 
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I guess the intake may obstruct the driver’s view…
H.P.
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No, you can left and right around. 
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Your build, your choice…
H.P.
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Maybe it will be a Mad Max/Zombie/Apocalyptic car with some Masterbox girls around. I let off the sponson wheels and converted the area into fuel tanks.
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I was going to say straight pipes, a la Interceptor. (Even if they were fake) When I think hot rod I think of four straight pipes coming from underneath both sides.
However, these are hot rods, taken just this morning on our ride. No pipes!
Okay, this comes close:
My favorite:
A nice little show at the American Legion this morning where, by the way, they would love to host a model club. (reference another current thread)
I also think a $5000 paint job is not necessary to qualify for a hot rod. Pactra used to make a color called Hot Rod Primer. Some cool bulds are simply left in primer.
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If I ever tried this type of build I would use an oblong (rectangle with rounded corners) air intake.
Look at the side exhaust on a T-55 or T-72 for inspiration but make it larger, wider at the front (open) end and narrower at the rear.
I would let the exhaust come up through the top plate by the corners of the plate containing the “windshields”
Straight or curved:
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Now I am wanting some 1/35 scale muscle cars again.
I like the scoop. A blower would be even better.
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You can never be too MAD MAX!
Sorry, but I don’t like the air intake, even though I’ve done something like it myself…
Sorry it’s hard to see, being black-on-black… It’s half of a AV-8B hot exhaust and half of a radome.
I think in this case a power bulge or induction cowl hood might be better:
I also think you should increase the size of the front windows (one-piece windscreen?) and add windows to the sides of the casemate (at least to the panels on either side of the windscreen(s).
Finally, I think the angle of the exhausts should be lowered until the tips above the insulation projects just above the top of the side panels. It might be a problem for side-striping but not if used as a dividing line for a two-tone body. A bit like this but with a straight dividing line, obviously you can use any two colours you like.
Regards,
M
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VERY nice, thanx for posting!
M
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That’s a dope idea, actually. I’ll be watching.
Another idea i had in my mind was to build a Tamiya M1A2 Abrams to look like the Trump Tank, just to amuse myself.
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Everyone would lose their collective minds if you dropped that on a contest table.
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