Here's the Deuce-ster. The wheel houses are filled for a leave it as a wider highboy style or cut them out for the traditional narrow look.

Pic 1: Caught in the claws of Mr. Roboto you'll see that that all the filler panels are installed on the Aurora shell. Unlike the previous yellow coupe this one is all Ford for the purists. Old yeller had a few Chevy parts. :rolleyes: True confessions of a hacker. :p

The side hoods are Ford J rear roof split in half. The lower hood extensions are shortened Ford J rockers. The rear wheel house fills are a thinned and flattened Ford J tail panel cut in half. The rear wheel houses may get a concave relief like the original pups looked when the rear fenders were removed. Not sure yet, but I've gotta plan for the wheel hubs so they dont get too geeked out.

Although I left the rear exhaust mounting hole on the coupe, it was filled on the roadster as I doubt it will be used.

Rather than pie cut and fill the goofy pseudo scoop ahead of the HR doors, they were cut out and filled with doors from a GT-40. This area proved problematic in the coupe and had to change.

Pic 2: After some cure time, Ole Buck gets shoved in for conformity. During the large skimming process, the repeated application of volatiles can make all the puzzle pieces wander around. A lesson learned and heeded from the coupe.

Pic 3: Yesterday evening I cooked up a batch of red in preparation. Here's the first fatty skim, one side at a time so it cures flat. Another lesson learned. No hangers or sags allowed! I really hate sanding; let alone my own stupid mistakes. The other side will be skimmed tomorrow.

Joez! What about the windshield? Leave it smooth with the groove delete; or A regulation frame with header bow, sans roof. Inquiring minds need to know.
You gotta pour it! So call the ball.

Bill

Bill, that's coming along nicely ;)

Man that's gonna make one nice custom! :thumbsup: rr

It is going to be a real beauty, Bill!

As I mentioned in chat....

A seperate windscreen would be the best way to go. (prevent air bubbles in frame) Smooth or grooved cowl would be up to you, but I think a groove would make assembly easier.

Your master for the windscreen does not need to actually be clear either. In my minds eye, I see the glass at a nasty rake with heavy posts on each end and without a frame on the top side, eh. The posts can be foiled or painted, builders choice!

Man, I can hardly wait to get my mitts on this body! :thumbsup:

That is one cool lookin rod..Love the lakester look of that baby.. :thumbsup:

Joe,
You and Bill know how to make others drool..lol

GB, TX, RR, Joez; So far so good. When this idea spawned from the yellow coupe project the ideas and afterthoughts nearly burst my pea brain.

There's about a "gabillion" possible variations for this lil' tub. Ultimately they all boil down to fully cut rear W-well, or a classic Hi-boy, filled well with the hides more out board.

The fronts are somewhat limited to the truck axle position. The short WB position seemed to upset the the lines of the side fill for my liking. The long WB didnt appeal to me either, yet. The pick up hanger and front axle rails require some minor tweakage/trimming no matter which position is used due to the narrow schnoz and side fills on this model. The truck hole affords the best options thus far; proper rake, a normal profile front tire, and p/u shoe clearance.

Ordinarily all inner puzzle piece seams would be filled and smoothed; but on this version the rear fills will retain the inner ghost line as a go/no go marker for the guys who want to chop out the rear fills back to Aurora's original spec if so desired.

The end game is to create a slick, simple deuce shell with the most styling options for; and most importantly "from" the guys who customize. Hell, cutting and chopping is where the fun is, it's the fitting, filling and sanding that kills all the fun on most projects. This wont be a direct bolt on due to the p/u mods, side fills and chassis shaving required to cram this thing onto the chassis. I've been careful to use my chassis buck regularly and have been able to eek out a little more internal clearance since the coupe.

For every one following along, I thank you. It's important to speak up. Don't patronize the process, hit me hard upside the head with your two cents. After all it's really a HT baby.

Once the first run goes to Joez for casting, it's up to him as to how many and at what cost they will be produced. So y'all better be nice to my Bud Joe and lay off the mullet and cat jokes, unless ya want to see an "aggravation surcharge" attached to your shell. :tongue: Let's remember that Joe will be bearing the brunt of this project in casting materials.

I have a dozen so original HR shells slated for both coupe and roadster variations. The bulk of which will be front suspension mods as seen on my previous Woody, in both a standard and extended length drop axle/hair pin setups.

Note: I'm in desperate need of original Ford J carcasses, any condition, color, chunks -whatever. The poor J car has become my sacrificial lamb. May they R.I.Pieces.

Thanks, Bill

make it a rumble seat! It looks great!

make it a rumble seat! It looks great!

God thats funny you should mention the neckin' seat. It was one of the first ideas on the cutting board.

I spent a couple hundred hours in the rumble of a 28 Model "A" convertible on the local parade circuit my dad drove on. Sneakin' smokes, beers, tossin fireworks and haplessly tryin' to coerce young teen prettys into my lair. Fond memories. My dads good friend John was a pro restorer. John always made sure there was plenty of beer, and fireworks for us boys. One unusually cold morning I had my first nips of Kentucky sippin' whiskey from John's hip flask to cut the chill, he said.

It's on a long list of things to do to this body-style. Hopefully it will come on a future more 50's style hi-boy if I can pull off some nifty hinges like Boss' latest Hearse rear door. (see the thread "Coffin Daily")

I'm far from done with the "A" bods. You'll definitely see the flip seat. It was too big a part of my youth not to be done.

Thanks , Bill

F.Y.I., the old rotary telephones were made from the same plastic as T-Jets. You should be able to find some at thrift stores, yard sales, etc. I've seen them in most of the T-Jet colors like red, tan, turqoise, olive, and of course, black.

God thats funny you should mention the neckin' seat. It was one of the first ideas on the cutting board.

I spent a couple hundred hours in the rumble of a 28 Model "A" convertible on the local parade circuit my dad drove on. Sneakin' smokes, beers, tossin fireworks and haplessly tryin' to coerce young teen prettys into my lair. Fond memories. My dads good friend John was a pro restorer. John always made sure there was plenty of beer, and fireworks for us boys. One unusually cold morning I had my first nips of Kentucky sippin' whiskey from John's hip flask to cut the chill, he said.

It's on a long list of things to do to this body-style. Hopefully it will come on a future more 50's style hi-boy if I can pull off some nifty hinges like Boss' latest Hearse rear door. (see the thread "Coffin Daily")

I'm far from done with the "A" bods. You'll definitely see the flip seat. It was too big a part of my youth not to be done.

Thanks , Bill

Holy crap, you are old, lol

Hello Bill-

I’ve been called to duty to help my oldest do a pine-wood car for her Brownie troop.
She drew the design, and the maintenance man cut the shapes out.
These are for décor’ only- so my adding weight and micro-polishing the axles won’t be necessary :devil:.
It has to be finished by Mon. so, I’m on this for the time…


This rod is looking smart!
I’ve been musing over what I could contribute in a final model, but it may be a case of “too many cooks spoil the broth” thing-
I can still off’ up my point of view, though-

On the boot: Why not just scribe the lines in deep (like You & Joe suggested) for the wheel arches?
Then the option of a rumble-seat could be up to the receiver/finisher.

Another thing I thought would have been neat for the stock grille area is to create a raised area around the grill giving the grille a recessed look.

Since reading above, I have pondered the hinge thing and have a few (better) ideas as to how this might work.

If you guys want this feature, I’ll need some more time to realize the design, as it can’t just swing like the hearse door- It will need to pivot/slide for the seat to fall into position.

I might be able to fab’ a box to mount the hinges in and this would act as the “interior” of the seat area.
The mounts could be fabbed’ and slots in the sides of the box could act as the sliders-
The box would be mounted as an assembly.

As mentioned, I would near more time to think this out right, but if I can get the dims close, I could build the box and send it to you or Joe.

Update: After studying the pics and checking with my own stock, I think a working rumble seat will be a close call because of the clearance of the top of the rear plate. It still may be do-able, but it may be a bit shallow-
(Hey- just adding to the madness!) :tongue:

Oh, and Bill-
I’ll have a couple/three “J”s out to you in short order-
Any particular preference to colour? :)

Cheers..

Holy crap, you are old, lol

I'll get you for that Ed. Joe can cast a special version with a nice goob in the hood for whippersnappers like you. Sonny, some vigorous sanding and filling should take the youthful starch outta' yer shorts. Better yet, I'll send one one to Seth with instructions that daddy's not allowed to play with this one :devil: :tongue:

PS: OT; Our local Home Depot is great! There always seems to be plenty of people on staff. Except on the Sat & Sun when the weekend warriors pack the place out.

Boss, Da book is en route with my return addy attached! I'll "moiduh" any J car. As for color, I'll be working in red, yellow, white, blue and tan. I'll be thankful for anything that comes my way no matter what color. If the spray able styrene topcoat comes to fruition, color matching will become a moot point. Wouldn't that be the cats a$$?! Still holding that one close to the vest.

Your dead on the nut with the rumble seat depth, as well as the cantilever monkey motion characteristic to the original design. Rather than hold up the show on the current version, I think it would be prudent to properly R&D the design on a back burner. When the time comes you can be the general contractor if your still game.

The whole grill dilemma has caused me some consternation. If you look at the nose on the original you'll find that there's quite a bit of meat there. In order to maintain the swept custom look I'm considering slicing the "in betweens" out and carefully grinding back the remaining teeth for a recessed/shrouded appearance. A person could also knock it's teeth out and install some sort of scale screen/mesh affair into the recess as well. Naturally removing material is easier than adding it. I'm gonna hit my dentist up for some micro bits to accomplish this. The front screw post may be in play, so it could be touch and go.

I do agree that a rework of the grill area would add something interesting. I'm awaiting some Darda grills as seen on GB's "hammered" A-body coupe in the members customs thread. Hopefully GB's got them on the way, and I can start pushing pieces around on the cutting board!

Now Boss, too many cooks may spoil the broth; if that's the case, then we'll just put on another pot. ;) As the original Hotrod coupe begat the roadster, that begat the modified coupe, that begat the HT roadster and so on; mutating subtly as the lineage progresses.

I love all the great ideas proffered and will attempt to replicate them on one version or another. Fortunately at this time I've still got the good sense to not attempt them all on one particular body. Plenty of shells, plenty of ideas; I'm a schemer, and will continue to plod carefully along through all of them.

Post up that pine car I'd love to see what you can do with a big saw! :p

Bill

ALL I can say is WOW. Wish I had some of that talent.
Jerry
PS. Bill... Email me. Maybe we can make arrangements to get together.

Great ideas keep popping! You guys are the cats Meow, eh! :)

Man, if anyone can work out an operating "date seat", it would be Boss, hey!
One of my recent casts was a HW repop w/ opening hood. The little pins on either side of the hood seemed to come out of the mold well enough. If there is room, it would be feasable, yeah?

Here is another idea....

Pipes! I had a thought of covered pipes along the rockers. To get the visual, lay an exhaust pipe (with turn-out tip) along the rocker and then box in the whole pipe but for the tip. Blend box in with the body work. What do you think? Kind of a runningboard-pipe cover deely. :thumbsup:

Bill,
ALL I can say is WOW. Wish I had some of that talent.
Jerry
PS. Email me. Maybe we can make arrangements to get together.

Hi Jerry, I just got lucky and figured out the liquid styrene trick. The rest is just body shop 101 shrunk down to 1:87. I never really planned or thought to much about it other than it being a necessary means to an end. I was just doing Aurora restos and it all sorta just happened.

I can show you everything you need to know about the process in about 1 hour. If you've got a dremel (I know you do!), an exacto knife, some small files, and don't mind sniffin' a little glue you'll be sectioning and blending in no time at all. If you can smear up a PBJ sandwich, you can do the styrene trick too.

All that said, thanks for the props! The days are finally getting longer out west and a trip to the banana belt (PT) is on our list of to do's. Robin loves to wander the shops down in old town. Go figure! We'll do it soon.

Bill

Great ideas keep popping! You guys are the cats Meow, eh! :)

Man, if anyone can work out an operating "date seat", it would be Boss, hey!
One of my recent casts was a HW repop w/ opening hood. The little pins on either side of the hood seemed to come out of the mold well enough. If there is room, it would be feasable, yeah?

Here is another idea....

Pipes! I had a thought of covered pipes along the rockers. To get the visual, lay an exhaust pipe (with turn-out tip) along the rocker and then box in the whole pipe but for the tip. Blend box in with the body work. What do you think? Kind of a runningboard-pipe cover deely. :thumbsup:

Yep Joe, It's your cat quick powers of observation that crack me up. Dangit Joe, Shhhhh! Boss wasn't supposed to know he was "Huck" white washin' Auntie's fence for me! Now I'm gonna have to cough up a piece of string, a dead mouse, and my best marble to get the rumble seat done. :p

Rocker boxes are a great styling idea. I've built/installed them in 1:1 ville back in the day. They were quite popular with the wide body 911 conversion crowd.

There's gobs of room due to the open wheel design. Pretty simple to execute other than the subtle kink/curve in the original rocker. The trick is keeping the outer edge equidistant from the side following a good contour. You'd also have to just slide by the lower door seam so as to leave it in tact and keep it straight from end to end when viewed from the side.

I can definitely see this combined with T-jet racer's rumble seat idea. Especially with the seat in the open position. It would certainly lessen the top heavy look of the open rumble I've envisioned/feared by having some meat below the axle centers along the rockers. I also think that it would create a desired stretching illusion between the front and rear wheels as well as an over all lowering effect with no butchery.

Even if a functioning rumble doesn't pan out, a fixed or suggested design is not out of the question. Who wouldn't want the seat open anyway? You'll just have to warn any HO rumble seat riders to keep their toes outta the gearplate! :freak:

Good shot Joe! Thanks.

BH



.

So tell ol' Huck how much fun it would be to cut out the deck lid and create the pins & sockets in the two pieces, Bill, and trade him for his apple! ;)

Even if there is no room for the seat, it sure would be slick to pop that lil sucker open to oil up yer monkey-motion, yeah?! :thumbsup: Resin screw holes get a bit wobbly after a spell.

You guys are bonkers!

**Yep Joe, It's your cat quick powers of observation that crack me up. Dangit Joe, Shhhhh! Boss wasn't supposed to know he was "Huck" white washin' Auntie's fence for me!

Ok- “Becky and Tom”:
Let’s get ready to rumble! (Seat)


I can definitely see this combined with T-jet racer's rumble seat idea. Especially with the seat in the open position. It would certainly lessen the top heavy look of the open rumble I've envisioned/feared by having some meat below the axle centers along the rockers. I also think that it would create a desired stretching illusion between the front and rear wheels as well as an over all lowering effect with no butchery.

I’ve removed the boot and fiddled a bit. Here’s what I’ve observed so far-

The inner rear fenders will have to be built up and strengthened, or one good hit will crack the rear fenders- with all the strength of the deck lid gone. Any rear screw post flex will also break this area-

A new rear screw hole will have to be determined and a new position to mount it will be required. The rear post comes right through the rear of the lid.

Even if a functioning rumble doesn't pan out, a fixed or suggested design is not out of the question. Who wouldn't want the seat open anyway? You'll just have to warn any HO rumble seat riders to keep their toes outta the gearplate! :freak:

Good shot Joe! Thanks.
BH .


So tell ol' Huck how much fun it would be to cut out the deck lid and create the pins & sockets in the two pieces, Bill, and trade him for his apple! ;)

Even if there is no room for the seat, it sure would be slick to pop that lil sucker open to oil up yer monkey-motion, yeah?! :thumbsup:

For it to operate like a 1/1, it will need the rear chass’ shaved to allow the lid to “drop down” into the opening or it will sit too high- if it just left to pivot.
The swing effect will cause it to catch the edge of the chass’- if you use this edge as a guide. It hasn’t enough room to allow for much drop during the operation, and once it clears the chass’, it has no where to go but into the gear plate.

My thinking is the deck is too long across the leading edge as well as the trailing edge -
**If the rear body panel leading to the trunk edge was lengthened, it could give the eye the impression the lid was longer but tucked inside when open.
When in the opened position it sits too high. This will alleviate that-


**If the rear valance is built up, the lid will sit closer to the gear plate giving it a better look—with not an overt amount of overhang from the raised lid.

Resin screw holes get a bit wobbly after a spell.
The interior could be accomplished by applying a thin layer of “rolled & pleat” to the inside of the lid (there’s room) and building a very shallow floor in the same manner.


**You want the auntie’s fence white-washed—get your “pickets” straight…:)


Back to the pine car!

Cheers..

Well looks who's been busy. Looks great! :thumbs: rr

You owe Huck...er Boss an apple, Bill!



Never expected you to take a crack at it, Boss, but my guess is curiosity got the better of you, eh? It would have KILLED me! ;)

Since this is an all-around custom, why would it NEED a rear screw post?
I am guessing that the chassis will be wedged in there anyway, yeah?!

I like the looks by your pics, Boss. Thanks for taking the time away from your rugger and her derby car.

Yer da boss, man!...er...yer da man, Boss! (take yer pick! :wave: )

oh...and i was wondering....
If a whole bunch of pickets, nailed to stringers is called a "fence", is just a single board nailed up called a "fent"? :p

Boss I'll preface by saying, "takes one to know one" and "better the devil you know!" :p

I should have known your blade was out on this already.

Your R&D progress pics clearly illustrate the space dilemma. I had hoped to skirt the rear post some how, but it doesn't look like that's gonna happen.

The weakening of the rear surround is noteworthy; however once you get comfortable with spreading some goo, I feel a few quick skims of the higher solids type along the inside perimeter will create a sufficient bolster. It would be much like the internal resin painting of a cast. I've also noticed a curious quirk with the goo. There seems to be a revitalization/rejuvenating affect from the solvent as it wicks through the repaired and immediate original area. Less brittle, more supple if you will. All my gooed projects seem a little younger. Perhaps my active imagination, but it may still play a role in the long run.

Boss, as you foresaw; the execution of the compound rumble mechanics within the space required is the "sticking" point. Your sacrificial roadster indicates to me that it may have to be done with more smoke and mirrors rather than trying to duplicate the mechanism directly.

You've forged well ahead. I'm not sure how to apply what I've learned from your gutsy beginnings; but I've got a fresh pack of #2 blades, a box of band-aides, and the will to rumble. :p

You owe Huck...er Boss an apple, Bill!..............

My "Twain" is a bit rusty, after some thought if memory serves me, it was an apple core! :devil:

I think Boss knows my credit is good. Just a couple more bites. Lemee' finish my lunch and I'll pay up. I dont want him sending Injun' Joe to collect on the debt. ;)

Gents…

Thank you for the comps, but none needed-

Boss I'll preface by saying, "takes one to know one" and "better the devil you know!" :p
Boss, as you foresaw; the execution of the compound rumble mechanics within the space required is the "sticking" point. Your sacrificial roadster indicates to me that it may have to be done with more smoke and mirrors rather than trying to duplicate the mechanism directly.

You are absolutely correct in assuming I’ve done little or nothing, Bill.
No smoke or mirror tricks here…

I simply removed the panel as stated to inspect the room, screw post, and observe the operating space-

I just thought you might want a peek as well…
I have not attempted any work on the hinge mechanism and didn’t want to imply that I’d had-

You've forged well ahead. I'm not sure how to apply what I've learned from your gutsy beginnings; but I've got a fresh pack of #2 blades, a box of band-aides, and the will to rumble.

This (as you’d guessed), is a dummy mule (as is the knife holder-)
I have no plans to further this car except for possible mock-up of the hinges. If I do get something built- it will be for installation on your car and/or castings for others.
This is getting ahead of myself, as I haven’t even started on a working prototype.

I do have another scheme for the mechanism and may be able to build it as an assembly and sent it out that way. It’s a simple sliding hinge/pivot design. I spent a good time pondering it.
But If you are building this as well, I shouldn’t need to-


Maybe the option can be up to the builder- with the deck scribed for removal if want be. The hinge assem. could be included and used at the builder’s discretion?

For the rear post-
Why not make a slider notch in the top of a rolled rear pan and attach the chass’ to that? Kinda’ like a body clip.
And, it won’t be seen with a roll-


I may get some more time to work on it today (if need be-).
It depends on if I have my girl’s pine-car ready for decorating at her Brownie meeting tomorrow.


Cheers...

Ok-
The dummy mule is at it again...

I built this simple tub to get a better idea of what it’s going to take to make this work-

I used sheet stock, drew a pattern off the rear fenders, filed everything square, and matched the sides. I drilled two holes equal distance apart from the edges and ran a plain piece of wire through.

The tub fits inside the bod’ and with little modification will clear the wheel/tire combo (it already clears the chass’).

It fits very well inside the bod' and actually works as it is, but not too realistic…

I’m thinking if I elongate the holes, that will allow it to slide just a bit.
The tub can be covered in “rolled & pleat”, as can the sides and floor.
The floor will have to be shallow enough to allow a “seat cushion” to occupy that space.
I still believe the deck should be shortened, though-


Cheers..

:thumbsup: Hehehehhahahahah! I KNEW IT! Boss, you are tops, man!
It sat there looking at you.....punking you.....and you showed that lid what-for! :thumbsup: I love your vision!

Bill, this thread should be called "Master Boss deuce/rumble master" :)

Well Boss, Brilliant minds think alike. Either that or you have a web cam in my brain bucket.

The outrigger brackets/module looks great! I had considered a similar route. In typical Bill fashion it will be upside down and backwards from conventional thinking. My warped scheme entailed a hangin' affair mounted directly to the body underside at the midpoint between the rumble cut line and the rear of the inner fender. The axis point has yet to be determined.

This would allow for some flex in the brackets for the insertion of the rumble assem. Picture two ears hanging down in the chassis to the back portion of the fender void.

It would appear that your not far away on the mechanics. I'm visualizing a relief cut in the chassis rear to allow the tail of the lid to slide forward.

Pic 1: You'll note that a fairly large slot can be removed on the chassis between the gear plate and pinion deck. See the blue tape.

The pinion deck can also be thinned to half it's thickness with no ill effects if required. I believe the maximum forward thrust/travel would be just shy of the crown gear. Therefore the rear gearplate indexing tabs would remain, as they are not in play. The bottom side of the gearplate tail can also be bevelled or rolled a smidgen for additional clearance.

Hell Boss, I'll even take a 1/4 or a 1/2 mm of the driven gear teeth if necessary. I'm not shy. :p

Pic 2: I'm hoping to leave as much of the rear apron as possible as the rumble lid actually disappears and settles against it. Again with the blue tape. I've been studying 1:1 Model A photo galaries for a coupla days while you've been making hay.

From what I can see the open lid sits a couple degrees rearward of vertical against the rear apron. Actually hidden stops in the original keep it just shy of wacking the apron. By retaining as much of the apron as possible a vestigial screw post might be allowed. If so I intend to use a triangular gusset to reinforce this area. Even a shortened screw would be good. It would be more of an alignment assembly rather than a "put the boots to it" screw post. A fine thread insert might be the stop gap if this blows up in my face.

As for the actual seating compartment I was planning to use a HR interior as the floor. The under side can be scooped for gear clearance and maximum bottoming. I think there is sufficient room here, cuz you can sight laterally through the fenderwells and see quite a bit of day lite between the body and gearplate. A seat bottom would be attached here. Whether it's a full depth seat or like an Aurora interior with just the suggestion thereof; the seat back must be well upholstered like the original. The seat bottom thickness will be dictated by the seat back thickness if things get to tight when the assembly is closed.

Still tumbling in the void (my head) is two longitudinal "L" shaped affairs that would comprise both the rumble compartment sides and the ears for the hinge slide/mechanism. It would hang from the trunks underside with the forward rumble floor area mounted to it.

Thanks Boss! By venturing where no man has gone before, and taking the can-opener to your hotrod; you've clearly shown me that it's definitely possible.

I'm generally slow and poky during the visualizing stage, but there's a lot more options on the table now. I'm thinking that the first roadster will remain bunkless. I've got too many hours invested to plunge the knife at this point.
Pussy that I am.

The recently pictured roadster will be the base for my rumble experiment and Joez nifty rockerbox scheme, AKA version lll. Version ll is too close to completion and needs to get on it's merry way. For now I'll continue on version ll's finishwork and carefully follow your progress scheming all the while.

Currently I'm battling a creepin' crud. It's all I can do to stay focused in 1:1 land. I don't suffer cold meds well. Space Cowboys are not allowed exacto knives or powertools (dremels) in the hobby room. :freak:

Regards, Bill

Here's a few progress pics.

Pic 1: The stock windshield notch has been filled as have the rear mounts for the roof, shrunken post divots in the hood and trunk. The final skims on the upper hood grill are completed as well.

Note that the little step on the rear apron just below the bottom trunk seam has been deleted for a smoother appearance. The trunk and fenders were rounded for more drop. The trunk seam was recut and the thinned apron was skimmed from behind for re-inforcement.

A new windshield slot was cut on a forward angle right on the crown of the dash.

Pic 2: The windshield has a sharp lateral notch that allows it to fit up tight against the dash. A fill simple dash fill strip will fit behind to finish the interior look.

Although it appears tall, I'll remove material incrementally till a satisfactory lower position is established. I'm guessing at least a 1/4 of it's existing height will be removed. Unapparent in this pic is a considerable rake angle on the glass. For now it's just crammed in there to establish the side to side fit on the hidden notches.

The windshield is the last piece of tinted Woody glass in my crap pile. The relocated windshield slot is just wide enough to accommodate a chunk of cassette box windshield if desired. I left it tight so the glass is captive and can be glued without it floppin' around. A little shaving is required on the bottom tab of the glass.

BH

Bill, REALLY,REALLY smooth work on that body.......

Lookin' great.... I'll definately have to do one of these as a rat rod.... :thumbsup:

Hehehehhahahahah! I KNEW IT! Boss, you are tops, man!
It sat there looking at you.....punking you.....and you showed that lid what-for!

Bill, this thread should be called "Master Boss deuce/rumble master" :)


Joe,
Guess raking out the drainage ditch wasn't as bad for his health as we thought it was. Must have given him some inspiration to customize a bod. :devil:

It does look pretty good, and it' hasn't taken that long either. :tongue: Great job Phil.

Dave

No, Dave, it was not good for his health....well...for his shoulder anyway....but along the way, monotonous repetative work will* let the mind roam a bit, eh?! I don't care HOW Boss comes up with this stuff....only that he KEEPS coming up with it! We are blessed to have guys like Boss and Bill and Pete and GB and Ed and Coach and 'Nuther Dave and....well, you get the idea, hey! :thumbsup:

Bill, I have a brand new spankin' lego plate and double fist-fulls of legos, all ready to go! :thumbsup: That Rod is looking mighty cool! How about a profile shot? (I want to see the raked glass, eh!)

Sorry to hear that you are not feeling so well these days. Don't work so hard, brother! :)

That car keeps getting better and better everytime I look at this thread. The ideas going into this car is just mind blowin. :roll: I love to see the step by step on this car. Great job on the rumble. Sweet idea for a hinge.Beats the brass tubing and wire.. :thumbsup:

Joez,
You no sloutch when it comes to custom designs either my freind :thumbsup: I have learned a few tricks from all the customizers here and have givin some others ideas. Love to see all the custom works.. :thumbsup:

Well Joez, Thank you for the well wishes. It's just a sticky strain of the spring crud.

Lest we forget Joe; Without everyone's support and your encouragement, this baby never would have gotten off the ground. So take a bow yourself.

Sorry it's taking so long, but we're really close. A little more work on the trunk seam definition and the stock windsheild slot fill, a blocking in 1500, should about do it. If all goes as planned this bod will get my new "secret sauce" top coat for a bonded, sprayed, styrene finish. Then a week to cure cuz my name's on it. I dont want any shrinkage boogers to pop up at your pad. ;) I'm gonna shoot a few culls this week and see how it lays out.

Since Boss's recent tutorial, I'm super antsy to rumble.

And now all of you are fired! :p

I looked back a ways and realized that the pics for my "fueled by Boss rumble scheme" were omitted. I was on drugs! Whats your excuse? Usually you guys are right on doofus mistakes like that. The pics will be added shortly.

Brian; Thanks for the props! The camera forgives a lot especially in red. The plain jane roadster is just another twist in the road. I've got twelve original shells, of which 2 or 3 will be restored due to rarity. The remainder are headed for the cutting board. I've got three more versions firm in my brain.

The boxed rocker/rumble seat version, a short front drop axle/hairpin version, and the extended front drop axle hairpin version like Jas's ultra cool 1/32 scratch built blue deuce coupe.

Yes Sir!

That jewel looks as smooth as a babies bum!
What a job! I love it!

Keep at it, mate--you on the home stretch! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

That car keeps getting better and better everytime I look at this thread. The ideas going into this car is just mind blowin. :roll: I love to see the step by step on this car. Great job on the rumble. Sweet idea for a hinge.Beats the brass tubing and wire.. :thumbsup:
I agree GB- When I was messin' around with my rumble hinge, I revised it to have side pins to elleviate the wire and tubing, also-

Joez,
You no sloutch when it comes to custom designs either my freind :thumbsup: I have learned a few tricks from all the customizers here and have givin some others ideas. Love to see all the custom works.. :thumbsup:

So true! Thanks for the inspiration and the cool castings, Joe!
You are a fine Gent in your own right!


Cheers..

Thanks Boss!
Thanks Gear Buster!

Props from master builders such as yourselves just throws gas on the fire! :devil:

I've been trying to keep things smooth with no counter angles or contrary pockets. Both the inside and outside are tapered so the overall angle widens towards the bottom skirt. Of course mainly for asthetics, but also so Joez wont have to man handle or digem' out of the mold.

I had some concerns with the relocated glass slot. It's a bit narrow, but is a simple forward bevel and shouldn't be a problem.

With any luck at all, these lil' deuce buckets should demold like poppin' ice cubes from a plastic tray.

Heh! Bill, You would be surprised at what I can get out of a mold!
Here is a fuzzy pic of some bods from 2 part molds.
One is a tell, just Grandpa Munsters' "Dragula", eh.
Do you know the other?

I appreciate the thought given to the casting part of this project, Bill.
The smoother the finish is on a master, the better the repops will come out! :thumbsup:

Is it done yet? Is it done yet? is it done yet? How about now? hehehe

We missed you in chat last eve, mate.
Can you get your PM and email squared away?
wash your hands alot & look both ways when you cross the road
nag nag nag nag..... :tongue:

Heh! Bill, You would be surprised at what I can get out of a mold!
Here is a fuzzy pic of some bods from 2 part molds.
One is a tell, just Grandpa Munsters' "Dragula", eh.
Do you know the other?.........................

I'll play Jeopardy, "What is a prairie schooner?..... No wait! Would that be an untrimmed Munster coach?" Ding , ding, ding! That's Joez daily double! Now for our audience members, the exciting home version of our game. This has been Alex Tra-"blech!" signing off.

Here's a couple more progress shots.

I shaved up a beater chassis tonight and crammed it in, when I should have been talkin' smack with the gang. :p You'll need to see the chassis mods first hand so it wont be a puzzle.

The windshield finally got cut down last night. ;)

I didn't get around to cutting down the front hubs yet, so she's a goofy lookin' wide tracker for a while. Truthfully I was having too much fun ripping it around the track and got side tracked. :rolleyes:

The camera forgives a thousand sins, this things still rougher than a cob. I'll resume the finish work tomorrow so it can conform to the chassis when curing. She's still a bit snug in the side hood fills and the chassis cram pooched them out kinda lumpy.

Not really surprising. It's a very fine line. I had the same problem with the coupe. More blocking and skimming 'til she's flat!

Bill, that body sits GREAT on the chassis. It simply looks mean with the tire/wheel combo that you have on it. This will definately be a fast body to run :thumbsup:

Joez,

Those there munsters for slim lines or tjet ? Beat the H**L outta grindin diecast to build'um :thumbsup: They look awsome.. Hats off to the
Master Caster :dude:

Bill,

The rod is lookin great. The rake in the front gives it the nostagilia look along with a modern twist. Can't wait to see this baby in complete form. :thumbsup:
Only one problem.. I was told I need glasses from stairing at a computer screen to long :freak: :D

I HAVE to have one of the Dragula's when you get them done

Sorry, guys, Thanks for the comps, but I am not about hijacking this thread.
The pic was only to show Bill how far a body can be undercut and still be removable from a mold. These bods were commissioned and are not available at this time, eh.

Progress on the deuce is astounding, Bill! :thumbsup:
It looks ready to rock, eh! The stance makes it look so tough! The wheels look great on this car, too. Are the "Goodrears" a cut down afx drag tire? I am going to want the same look!

I have had a "Jan and Dean" song stuck in my head for over a week now and it is all your fault, Bill) so I thought I would share.......

"Just a little deuce coupe with a flathead mill,
she can walk a Thunderbird like she's standing still.
She gets pushed out of shape and she's hard to steer,
when I get rubber in all four gears."

"She's my little deuce coupe,
you don't know (you don't know)
what I've got...." :)

Oh, and Bill, since you were actually working on slot-related stuff, you are forgiven your absence from Wed night chat, hey! :tongue:

Bill Hall,

Very nicely done, amazing what you can do in HO sized rides . . .

Cheers,
Jas

WOW, that looks great. I want one

VJ: Watchoo' talkin' 'bout? Your gonna get a pile of them to scribble on. Be assured that inventory control wont be overly tight when you and TX begin the up coming "War of the Paint Jobs". If you catch my drift. It would be the very least we could do for your contribution. Hopefully Joe will be kind enough to make enough to go 'round. I'll pony up on the casting costs as well and hopefully Joe wont burn out too soon.

Jas: Whether you realize it or not, you were a key player in the initial inspiration for my HO "A" body projects. Take a bow. There's much more to come in following versions. So keep dropping by!

GB: There's still a bit of room to drop the back for those who want level it some. I'm still not sure about the half highboy half street rod look. It looks weird to me sometimes when it's just sitting there, but that look goes away when it's on the track. The front is pretty limited due to space constraints. What your lookin' at is the max front dump. I'm thinking of a cowl vent and upper hood seam delete at some point. IE: no obstructions for the full beni flame job. I'll be making more of these for sure. The next one will go to Boss for the rumble treatment if he's still game.

Brian: The body is actually built around the chassis. It's snug and could almost run screwless. There's a few chassis mods required. They're are Simple Simon and can be done with dremel and the blade. Very straightforward clearancing. Shave the chassis sides and rear screw tab/fork. Bob the pickup spring indexing pins flush. Delete all of the front axle rails down to the pan, save for the truck holes. Cut the inside pickup hanger relief deeper so the pick up windows can be bent into what would be the fender arch. The AFX pickups remain the same length but travel is limited, which is no great shakes cuz your gonna run the truck hole anyway. I'll get some pics up when Joe's casting.

Joe: Curses! I just about had that song outta' my head 'til I read your recent post. :p The rear slicks were purchased through Neil's Wheels. They are a bit taller than the standard fare and super soft. They make a huge difference in noise level, and cars/bods with weird harmonics shut right up. I love the spot on vintage appearance when combined with the right wheel! In this case I used the front AFX specialty slot mag all around. They were drilled out and the flange was cut off, The hub portion was left on so they can slide into some small reliefs in the rear fender fills. The slicks looked great on the standard AFX mag as well. I flipped a coin. :thumbsup:

Some where's back east I spotted a site that had an AFX, wide, shiney front tire that would really compliment the rears. They were half again as wide on the contact patch as the stock good year o-ring style but don't overhang the front rim reveal excessively. I have a set that came in a junk lot but unfortunately they were stretched beyond "wallered".

There's not much room for profile changes up front due to the restricted pickup travel and the truck axle height. She's just not flexible in that department. The rears are the max profile allowable with out plowing the contacts, due to the pick up geometry. As per normal, the front screw must be shaved, the guide pin hole has to be counter sunk, and the pin's gotta be nipped.

I sorta boxed myself into a corner on this one. With out the rear drop axle trick they are always gonna have the big front to rear rake. I may take a skoshe more out in the back post. It'll give it a litle more of channelled look. I feel there's just a little too much rear fender top showing when viewed from the side. It shows too much material with a lower rear tire when viewed from the side. I'd like to see a little more flexibility in the rear tire choices as I left none in the front. Doh! :freak:

Bill, sounds great.....I'll do a bit of tinkering and playing around with one of the bodies when they arrive.

I can't wait though to try my hand at different paint schemes and etc. on these beauties...... This is definately going to be an awesome hobby experience for me :thumbsup:

Bill,
That's better than the original! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: rr

After some trial and error, mostly error; I figured out how to reliably shoot Vitagoo through the gun. BTW respirator required!

I spent a bit of time chasing some pinholes in the 1200 stage with the brush able goo. The body then received two coats of a thin sealer mix of about 4 or 5 parts goo to one part thinner.

After a 24hr cure I thoroughly re blocked in 1500. Scrubbed'er down with comet and rinsed, then tacked clothed after a good blow dry with the compressor. A thin tack coat was sprayed and allowed to flash, then two medium coats were blown on in quick succession wet on wet.

This group of pics reflects the 1500 stage. Although there's some light orange peel on the finish that's not evident in the pics, I'm pretty happy with the side to side symmetry of the body work. A few of the shine lines are not quite straight but should shape up with 2000. After 2000 and redressing the seams another thin coat or two will do it. Depending on the amount of peel in the final top coat it'll get rubbed or another light cut with 2000 and then rubbed.

Joe, I'm gonna stretch my cure times between layers out to 48 hrs, due to the higher solvent content of the spray able mix. I'm gettin' sorta fidgety about shrinkage and would like to keep it at a minimum if any at all. So far it's been good.

looking good so far..... :thumbsup:

Wes

Holy Hannah!
It looks like GLASS, mate!:thumbsup: I won't even need to dip it in Future, eh!
Now if I can keep my big-ol thumbprint off the hood before I pour the mold.....

Bill, that looks slick as a whistle....smooth as glass!

Definately an awesome job ......that body ought to mold rather well :thumbsup:

Drool :freak: rr