25 replies to this topic

[Jairus]

To quote the late Lili Von Stupp, “I’m Tired”!
Tired of working on other peoples cars, tired of politics, tired of people coming and going and coming too soon…   Tired of making the car fit a narrative of “correct” vintage or meeting some customers odd expectations.
But I think you get what I mean… I am just tired.

So every now and then I like to let my hair down and play with something, ah… different by going all Sheriff Bart on it.

Number of years ago I built a 1/24th scale slot car of a Hot Wheels Deora, which was fun from start to finish.
When finished, somebody liked it enough that I sold it.  It was fun and relaxing even tho you probably couldn’t drive it any faster than your grandma would.
Later I tried to find that spark building another based on the Hot Wheels Silhouette.  But lost interest mostly because the design of the Silhouette never interested me that much in the first place. Someday I'll finish it.

A number of other projects come to mind that I could mention, similarly sidelined, but in the same vein as building “UP” from 1/64th scale, nothing is cooler than Woody Wagons!

 

Wouldn't it be great if all HO cars were sold for such a price...



Tomorrow, updates as they happen.

[slotbaker]

I sense déjà vu about to occur.

[Jairus]

Almost Steve, but very close.
Instead of running a padlock motor that can hardly get out of it's own way, I want to make this one fly!
To that end, the body will be mostly hard body plastic able to take a punch and look good doing it.
Not to mention, being as close to the 1/64th car where possible.

so...

Below we see some of the bits pulled together.  The 'body' is made up of a Revell set of fenders and hood.  The wood box and cowl are from AMT, the only '29 Depot-hack in plastic.
The nice thing about this project is the body, while strong being one piece, it allows real wood paneling behind.  So to that end Steve got it right.
The wood is half the weight of the cast plastic parts and being a handler, that means a lot lower center of gravity.

 

Now, the front fenders on the AFX car appear more like 1931 than '29.  Interesting....

 

To confirm I also noticed the grill and cowl are probably 1931 as well.

 

 

 

 

So to that end, I'll make this as realistic as is possible.
Nothing to do about the cowl, but the grill and fenders are easy swaps.
But the look is more important than being exactly accurate, am I right?

So, wood panels were cut using the kit parts as patterns, taped down to a support piece and stained with a walnut stain.  After a couple coats of varnish, will be beautiful when installed.

 

[Dave Crevie]

Wow!!! That is too Kool! I'd love to do one myself, complete with the surfboard from the AMT dune buggy kit, if I still have it.

[Bill from NH]

A real neat project Jairus! I've always liked "woodies." When a teenager, my barber had a restored 1:1 version. I forget the exact year, but it was beautiful & ran great. I often wonder who got it when he passed, his daughter wasn't a car person.

[A. J. Hoyt]

I was offered my father-in-law's '49 Chrysler Town and Country (woodie) convertible after he passed away. I declined because (apologies to the famous Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers), "When you have the money, you don't have the time and when you have the time, you don't have the money." Besides, it wasn't a Ford.

 

It was a great call to not accept it as a.longtime friend of the family (who shared the love for the car) took it and spared no expense doing it right, even replacing the "limo" straight 8 with the street car straight 8 (the original had a broken crankshaft). It turned out gorgeous and is a show-stopper anywhere it goes! My wife and her sibs got to take a ride in it on a family jaunt to Florida earlier this year; she (far right in the back seat) was only a little girl when her dad (the second owner and the second one he owned) last drove it.

 

Point is, I like woodies also! It's in a much better place than I could have ever managed.

 

Great project, Jairus! Looking forward to seeing the completed version.

[Jairus]

Not much to update today.  Had to work all day on graphics stuff yesterday but figured out how to do the front axle and body mounting.
(kind of came to me in a dream last night)

But the varnish is dry on the wood.  Nothing like real wood....

 

Soon as I get back from the post office mailing some packages, I'll see if I can finish the rest of the body work.

[Jairus]

Yah hooo... I actually made progress today!

Wheels and tires for this project.

 

Fronts were purchased from my friend Sam, being Cox Cheetah freewheeling with knife edge tires... This allows placing the wheel deep into the fender and giving the car a nice rake.
Rears via Professor Motor and a perfect match.  (Those had set screws.)

 

The axle ends are carefully ground down to look like hub covers and grooved to accept the "C" clip on both sides.
(Yes, this was my morning dream... and had to go deep into the hardware store to find them small enough. )



Tomorrow... the power unit!

 

[Jairus]

Power unit!

 

 

Plate at the back is for chassis mounting to the body.
The motor is a Champion "Orange Picker" gp20.  I replaced the worn endbell with something more modern, but same arm, magnets and hardware.
Runs smooth and been waiting for a sweet vintage build to put it in and this, is it!

 

 

[Jairus]

Happy Labor Day!
Interesting that it's a holiday to celebrate... labor, which nobody does on the day so...?
I didn't do much on the woody.
Just messed with the mounting points on the body creating good solid hard points to mount the chassis when it's done.


 

 

 

Oh yeah, I messed with something to use for the sidemount spare tire.
But, steaks on the barbie so... got'a go.

Respectfully submitted,

[Bill from NH]

Nice build Jairus! The photos look fine.

[Jairus]

The word of the day: "sidemount".
Primer is next.....

 

[slotbaker]

Nice sidemount.

[Jairus]

Thank you Steve.
Work progresses slowly when you are building a hard body waiting for glue and filler to dry. 
Wish I could solder plastic.... Yeah, I know hot iron and sprue, or superglue.  But neither is very strong.
Some models I have built took a year or more making tiny bits of progress.

Like this scale model of a 1955 Mercury custom which I worked on for at least 2 years straight.

 

 

[Martin]

Incredible modeling JW.

Is that 20 a lot of power for this build? Just asking and being overly protective of your work.

[Jairus]

Is the Champion 20 too powerful? I don't believe so.  The premise is to build a car that goes as fast as the HO and handles at least as well.  The detailing on the body is only that which exists on the HO so... nothing extra!
And debating on whether a driver figure is even needed.
What do you think?

The plan to make the body as strong as possible and the AMT wood body is super strong being cast way too thick to look scale.  The only concern I have are the Revell fenders, which are molded rather beautifully thin.
I am considering adding a front bumper to the frame in order to protect the body should the unthinkable happen.
Also considering the option of a Cox trailing guide to keep that hidden as well.
So many thoughts that “my mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.”

Just for your edification, this is what a stock '29 Depot Hack should look like.

 

Please note the front door with it's distinctive notch to clear the side-mount when open.  Just sheet-metal screwed to the doors backside.  (ignore the dust, it's an old barn find...) Also note the thickness of the body providing no protection AT ALL from weather or an accident.  Mostly because these cars rarely went faster than 25mph and the coach work was done by the same companies who built horse drawn carriages so....  thoughts of protection were not even a consideration.
One thing to note however, the 1929 Ford as opposed to Chevrolet, Buick, Chrysler, Hudson, International, etc... was the very first wood body wagon built by the manufacturer!
All others shipped finished chassis to a coach builder who hand fashioned the body.
Henry Ford purchased Iron Mountain in Upper Michigan for the sole purpose of making wood bodies using wood harvested from his own land.
He had his own drying kilns, woodworkers and steaming ovens just to make wood bodies from 1929 till the last real wood was required in 1951.
But, I digress... back to the bench.

 

[Martin]

I like the dust, its got the look, rage on. I am a fan of your work.

Thanks for a bit of history too.

[Jencar17]

 

 

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[Jairus]

I did that one Jens...
 

[Jairus]

Not much to report today.
Paint on the fenders reacted badly to the primer so soaking in a brake fluid bath.

But, the paint on the wood body looks GREAT!

Tomorrow, no primer, just wash the parts and paint.



Have I said I HATE PAINTING HARD BODY'S?
Well, I do.

Respectfully submitted,

 

[Jairus]

After three days, the brake fluid stripped all the black and most of the grey primer on the fenders.
Yesterday I shot a good coat of black.
Today I shot a good coat of clear on the fenders and it looks great despite the humidity.
Still green paint... but great.
Shouldn't touch it for a while, but just let it cure.  If the sun comes out again, I'll put it on a chair on the patio.
For now this is the progress.

 

The woody body has received a flat black roof, Alclad radiator core (which left masking tape glue on the hood that can't be cleaned till the paint cures.) and the wood panels are now glued in.
In a few days I can polish the paint, but for now, it is coming along nicely.

Tomorrow I'll hit the hobby shop for more paint and the craft store for some green sheet plastic for the windows.

 

[Pablo]

  I love watching it  Especially enjoy the truthful paint experiences   

[Jairus]

Done!  Finally...

 

This darned car sat for 3 years waiting for completion, and all the while I built other peoples projects, life happened and other things got in the way.
Two new projects are "in the mail" so to speak and one other has the paint curing so I pulled this out and finished it.

 

 

 

 

 

Motor: Champion gp20
Crown and trailing guide: Cox.
Wheels: Cox

Fin...

[Phil Smith]

Awesome as usual! I had no idea it wasn't finished.

 

It needs more HP!

[Dave Crevie]

Love it! Needs a surfboard, though. A few model kits came with boards back in the sixties. I think I have a few. If I come across one in my boxes of parts, I'll send you one. 

 

Might look good running next to this;

 

 

 

(From an earlier post by Mike Swiss)