ULTIMATE SCRATCHBUILD: 1:12 Hot Rod-Updated 03/12/06

Well, I really like working with metal and I really like hot rods. Let me put this into an equation: Love to work with Metal + Love for Hot Rods=One Scratchbuilt 1/12 Hot Rod.

Started off with a flat piece of 16 Gauge steel, made a template out of poster board, traced onto metal, cut it out. Then comes the tricky part. Now its time to pound the hell out of it with a couple different tools to try and shape it. Lots of hard work, I have one side panel about 80% shaped and that took about 4-6hours of non stop pounding. Needless to say the parents are going a little psycho.

Here are the pics so far, its not much. Its a slow process, slowww process.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524plan.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524DSCF0001.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524DSCF0002.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524DSCF0003.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524DSCF00051.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524DSCF0006.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524DSCF0007.JPG

ok.. lets see.. ummmm.....

HOLY SH!T!!! thats cooooool!! keep it coming man!

^^^i agree

sounds like a lot of work, hope it turns out good

Lots of work, lots and lots of work. And lots of pounding. I hope it turns out well, still have a very long way to go.

I need to find some one with a planish hammer to smooth out those bumps, sadly the metal shop I work at over the summer is 1000miles away and has one. Then I will need to find a bit for it.

have fun with that ^(find the hammer that is)

i think its sweet that u are willing to put so much effort to creat ur own model, i think it would be great if everything on this car was built be u, nothing bought premade

I have seen that design before but don't know where, but keep up the good work.

have fun with that ^(find the hammer that is)

i think its sweet that u are willing to put so much effort to creat ur own model, i think it would be great if everything on this car was built be u, nothing bought premade

Yea, Im putting my blood, sweat, and tears into this project. And each one of those will probably go into the project literally (I have already cut my self on the metal corners quite a few times).

I am heavily contimplating scratchbuilding and engine. Lots of work, lots of detail.

I will also be machining the wheels at school with a CNC machine. Then resin casting the rims (maybe).

Then if I do decide to scratchbuild the engine, everything except for the tires will have been built by me. And trust me I would make tires except I do not have the proper equipment to do so, otherwise yea. Design on CAD and Machine.

I have seen that design before but don't know where, but keep up the good work.

If you watch american Hot Rod, they are building the Alumatub. This project is very similar to Boyd Coddington's Alumatub.

If you watch american Hot Rod, they are building the Alumatub. This project is very similar to Boyd Coddington's Alumatub.

I was just going to say that it looks alot like that. :)

I was just going to say that it looks alot like that. :)

Im not sure what it looks like from the top, and I dont like the way I represented it in my drawing, so there I am flying by the seat of my pants.

I guess I will have to wait until friday to see what Boyd has in store.

MORE FEEDBACK! I LOVE FEEDBACK!

Wow!! Its gonna look Hot!!!

Great idea, i hope you pull it off. You should check out some of Gerald Wingrove's book's on this sort of car modeling and working with metal. Crop up on ebay from time to time.

Great idea, i hope you pull it off. You should check out some of Gerald Wingrove's book's on this sort of car modeling and working with metal. Crop up on ebay from time to time.

Thanks Chris. Ill check it out. What exactly does it cover?

Updates:
Ill be getting more pictures tonight, and after Im done checking a few posts I will go back to pounding the steel.

Kewl thing Mike, Always doing wild things :smokin:

Just make sure to keep this one as clean as possible :smokin:

Kewl thing Mike, Always doing wild things :smokin:

Just make sure to keep this one as clean as possible :smokin:

You and the neatness thing. Joe, if its a model, and I finish it, it will be clean. Im not going to spend $35 and have it look like crap, or in this case a lot more.

And you know me, I hate things people can just buy of the shelves. I like to put a part of me into the car. I love wild cars, hate plain (like JDM :grinno: )

OOh! round eyes!

The two Wingove books would be excellent reference for this project. And the best news is that The Complete Car Modeller vol 1. has just been reprinted and so should be available now. I know www.grandprixmodels.com have itin stock. Well worth checking out if you're into this kind of thing, he is the master!

Best of luck with the project, keep us updated!

lookin good mike, if it turns out good u should try to sell it to Boyd...lol

WOW! hope it turns out magnificently.

BlownCivic AKA Andrew-If this project goes well, I might sell it to Boyd. If it turns out the way I want it, I will definately do another, and maybe one with fenders? Fenders are lots of work on a real car, imagine the struggles I will have when its a 12th the scale.

Everyone Else- Thanks for the comments, I appreciate everyone becoming intrested in my projects, it motivates me to work harder. Keep the feedback comming.

UPDATES:
Pictures anyone?

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524DSCF00111.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/502/60524DSCF0013.JPG

Doesnt look like much has changed has it? Like I said, its a slow and tedious process. Right now the hardest challenge is making both sides the same. What I did late lastnight and earlier today was begin to curve the sides inward towards the center of the car.

Any suggestions on hammering out all those divets and buldges? I cant find a planishing hammer anywhere, and I want to avoid using an assload of putty/Bondo.

:feedback:

very ambitious! seems to be very cool

A roller would be really nice to take out those bumps. I'm sure there's a way to rig up something to the same effect.

Also, are you building a Phaeton?

A roller would be really nice to take out those bumps. I'm sure there's a way to rig up something to the same effect.

Also, are you building a Phaeton?

Im thinking i might put a 5-10lb bar weight on and axel and roll it back and forth. The tool I really want to use is a planishing hammer, but I dont have one.

Phaeton, no.

Mike, it's lookin awesome. Just stick with it and it'll be so great when it's finished. What are you going to use for the frame/cassis?

Mike, it's lookin awesome. Just stick with it and it'll be so great when it's finished. What are you going to use for the frame/cassis?

Thanks Colin. The frame/chassis will be scratchbuilt as well. I will use some 1/4"x1/8" 16 Gauge steel Rectangular tubing. I will have to make a jig, to bend it around. Hardest part of that will be the bending without it crusing, Im gonna try my blow torch first to heat it up so it will stretch, if that doesnt work I will go grab the OxyAcetelyne torch. Body will be built first, then I will build a chassis to fit it.

Updates:
Well 25hrs into the process and no where close to being done. 25hrs and Im still fine tuning the symetricalness (for lack of a better, real, word).

I have started putting ribbing in on one side so it will maintain its shape perfectly when I cut out the doors.

Sadly I cant find a planishing hammer, nor any other tool to smooth out all the little dimples. So, unfortunately I am going to have to bondo it up :crying: . I know english wheels curve things, but I thought a lighter 2lb weight wouldnt shape the metal much and instead smoothing it out. Well just the oppisite happened to one side panel. So I spent about 4 hours reshaping where less than 5min of rolling messed it up. :banghead:

Like I said, slow process, slow and tedious process.

UPDATES:

I started working on some ribbing to give it support when I cut out the doors. The ribbing is 15ga. Steel. The ribs are held in place by some heavy duty epoxy. The ribs really give it a lot of strength.

Here are the pics!

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524Ribbing1.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524ribbing2.JPG

I also started to cut out the area where the trans will go. I think I have found the motor and trans Im going to use, and hope to get it soon.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524FloorBoard.JPG

Tommorrow I will Bondo the side that has the ribbing in it.

I know these pics are not much to comment on, but I really appreciate all the support. It motivates me. This proccess is fairly slow, and not much to look at, but over the weekend there will be better pictures.
Thanks!

You're doing all your work cold, i suppose? Perhaps doing it hot will reduce the amount of hammering you need to do. Also, you should probably be using a hammer that is suited to the job... but you probably know more about that then I do.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing some more advanced pictures ... it looks rough right now, but the potential is there!

Also, to reduce the amount of noise you're generating, try doing the banging on a piece of plywood, or mdf, or something similar. You can also put a layer of something non-metalic between the metal and the hammer (masking tape would work well for this, i would think). Finally, instead of banging little round impressions everywhere, you could try taking a small piece of bar stock, or pipe, or something similar and lay it on its side, and bang that to get more of a 'trough' impression. This would help establish the curvature of the door panels. Again, good luck with it!

I've heard, only heard though, of people filling tubing with sand and sealing the ends and bending it. The sand will move, but will take up the same volume, and will prevent the tube from crushing. Just a thought. And while I'm thinking, I'm surprised you didn't carve a shape for all your parts into a wooden block, and then beat the metal between the hammer and the wood. That would have limited the dimples, and facilitated making it all symmetrical. But then, as it's been said before, you probably know all about it better than us.

Hello this Project is realy awsom!

what more can I say=)

Cheers

You're doing all your work cold, i suppose? Perhaps doing it hot will reduce the amount of hammering you need to do. Also, you should probably be using a hammer that is suited to the job... but you probably know more about that then I do.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing some more advanced pictures ... it looks rough right now, but the potential is there!

Also, to reduce the amount of noise you're generating, try doing the banging on a piece of plywood, or mdf, or something similar. You can also put a layer of something non-metalic between the metal and the hammer (masking tape would work well for this, i would think). Finally, instead of banging little round impressions everywhere, you could try taking a small piece of bar stock, or pipe, or something similar and lay it on its side, and bang that to get more of a 'trough' impression. This would help establish the curvature of the door panels. Again, good luck with it!

Yes I am doing my work cold. Most of the time I do, usually the only time we/I do hot work is when were bending tubing. Rarely do we ever heat up sheet metal because the beating and the heat can make it brittle. Good suggestion though.

The hammer I am using is a ball pein hammer, its a rough equivalent to a planishing hammer at a smaller scale. It stretches the metal well. Normally when I make large thing for a real car with a ball pein hammer I would you the english wheel, or a planishing hammer to smooth it out.

Right now I am working on a 4"x4" timber of hardwood. Its a lot stronger than ply. I think ply would be soft and put even larger dimples in it, dont you?

I havent tried the masking tape idea. Sounds pretty good, I might try it when Im working the hood.

The only problem it the bar for the side panels is that they have for compound curves, its would be very difficult to shape it efficiently.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, Im sure they will all play a part somewhere on this scratchbuild!

I've heard, only heard though, of people filling tubing with sand and sealing the ends and bending it. The sand will move, but will take up the same volume, and will prevent the tube from crushing. Just a thought. And while I'm thinking, I'm surprised you didn't carve a shape for all your parts into a wooden block, and then beat the metal between the hammer and the wood. That would have limited the dimples, and facilitated making it all symmetrical. But then, as it's been said before, you probably know all about it better than us.

I have heard the same thing. I have heard it done with salt, and done with fine sand. I was thinking about trying that. The hardest part will be finding 20gauge 1/4"x1/8" steel.

I was thinking about a hammerform, but I wasnt sure I could find would hard enough to suit 20gauge steel.

Please keep the feedback coming!!!

This is very nice and I enjoy this all do it your self, I get throug the thread and saw that all other members do have interesting ideas, I also have one link that could help you (I hope)
http://www.geraldwingrove.com/
just click on "View Bentley Build" and enjoy this man's work, simply amazing, like your project (I think someone else here provided link to this man's work).
Anyhow keep on good work.
Regards,
Sasa Jelic

This is very nice and I enjoy this all do it your self, I get throug the thread and saw that all other members do have interesting ideas, I also have one link that could help you (I hope)
http://www.geraldwingrove.com/
just click on "View Bentley Build" and enjoy this man's work, simply amazing, like your project (I think someone else here provided link to this man's work).
Anyhow keep on good work.
Regards,
Sasa Jelic


THANK YOU!!! I have been searching for his work, thanks a lot.

:smokin: GTMike, keep up the great work, believe me Iknow what its like pounding metal. I work Harley-Davidson and at a chopper shop. The force is with you

I've seen this type of hammering done on a "shot bag". Basically a leather pouch filled with buckshot. A sandbag works too. The bags need to be strong, obviously, to accept the stresses of hammering. Wood is far too hard for hammering as it will cause those dimples.


It also looks like you are hitting the metals way too hard. Small, light taps are all that's needed to form metal. It may take a lot of taps, but it'll look better in the end.

Good luck!

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I had been hard at work with what spare time I had.

We all thought the project was going slow before, but now we have a women interfereing, now there is less extra cash, and less extra time.

Anyway, what I got done over the weekend was a lot of progress. Ill try to post new pics tonight.

nice work so far! working with metal parts that small is very hard and it's nice to see someone who takes the time and huge effort to create something that nobody did before

UPDATES:

Any one want pics? Sorry they are a little late, I have been busy. I bondo'ed it up, cut out the wheel well, made a wheel well, cut out the door, and Im working on the door sills now.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF0004.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF000511.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF00061.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF00071.JPG

PLEASE GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK!!! :iceslolan

starts looking like some thing now=P

wants to se som more=P

good luck!

Jeez Mike that is awesome, i knew it!. Great job man, Loving the smoothness on those doors. Keep up that great work! Can't wait to see what you will create for rims! Love it Mike, Just love it!

Keep it up Bud,

Jeez Mike that is awesome, i knew it!. Great job man, Loving the smoothness on those doors. Keep up that great work! Can't wait to see what you will create for rims! Love it Mike, Just love it!

Keep it up Bud,


Wow, Thats quite a complement. Thanks a lot. I hope to have more done soon. I just dont feel like doing the other side...d'oh.

For rims, I will be machining them with a CNC machine, then axels will be done with a lathe.

Mike, this is truly an exceptional project. I wish you all the best of luck, though it looks like you won't need it!
I look forward to more progress. :smile:

this is gonna be swet

Thanks for all the comments. Im going to see if I can find some time this weekend to work on the other side, and I am not looking forward to that.

Keep all the comments coming!

Thanks for all the comments. Im going to see if I can find some time this weekend to work on the other side, and I am not looking forward to that.

Keep all the comments coming!

Great!, get some new pics of anything you do new to this. Dont give up, i always think to myself that the other side is the easiest, but it really isn't.< if that makes any sense. :lol:

Great!, get some new pics of anything you do new to this. Dont give up, i always think to myself that the other side is the easiest, but it really isn't.< if that makes any sense. :lol:

Thanks for the inspiration. Right now I have my girlfriend taking up my time, but I would rather spend more time with her then a couple pieces of steel.

The other side is the easiest cuz you know what to expect, thats why its boring. I like an adventure. Without adventure I dont want to do it, but I have to. I really want to get the floor pan mounted soon. But if it doesnt happen this weekend it will have to wait till after spring break.

Looks figggin Kick A$$

hmmm....this looks like boyd cottingtons alumatub.... cool mike, I didn't think you'd have done this much. Any updates on your motor, excuse me if you have, but I just clicked on page 4 to see if you had new pics.

hmmm....this looks like boyd cottingtons alumatub.... cool mike, I didn't think you'd have done this much. Any updates on your motor, excuse me if you have, but I just clicked on page 4 to see if you had new pics.

Yes, that was my inspiration. It is a combination of Boyd Coddington's Alumatub, and my own design. I didnt like some aspects of his, so therefore I am changing some of it.

The motor...thats a tough one. I think I have found my motor, but I am not sure about it yet. I found a 1/12 Excalibur SS with a V8. I will probably use that since I have found that kit for only $4.99USD. However, on my Hot Rod the hood is longer, so I might think about a V10 to take up the extra space.

Also, if you want to see recent updates, go to page 3. Im not sure if you looked there, but its coming along.

---------------------------------------

Right now I have to wait a little while. I am out of sanding drums. Im going to try to bribe my friend for some. I need some more sanding rough sanding drums before I can get much further. :banghead:

Cool mike. Thought about just scratchbuilding one from styrene? Would take longer, but then again youd need the drive train to match the engine.

Cool mike. Thought about just scratchbuilding one from styrene? Would take longer, but then again youd need the drive train to match the engine.

I have thought about making one out of some hard wax, then making a mold and resin casting. But that is so much detail work, I'd rather buy one.

I'll be post more pics in a few minutes, 7 new pics.

it is looking nice mike, what about a motor and interoir? the motor will be the hardest

it is looking nice mike, what about a motor and interoir? the motor will be the hardest

Thats what me and 86SR5 were just discussing. I have found a kit with a V8 that I will take the motor from.

The interior will be nice beige leather. Im going to stitch it and everything, I hated those sewing classes in middle school, but I guess they actually have a purpose. :evillol:

haha me to, i took home ec and we had to hand sew pillows but i guess it heklped cus i fix my pants n stuff.

how bout a chassis and any new pics?

UPDATES:
Today I managed to get some interior paneling done, as well as create the door sill on the body. This side in about 90% done.

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF00141.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF0016.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF0018.JPG

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http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF0022.JPG

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http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF00201.JPG

http://files.automotiveforums.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=/503/60524DSCF00241.JPG

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS ARE REQUIRED!! :evillol:

If you pull this one off, which Im quite sure you will, this Will Be the winner of the AFMOTY!

not bad looking nice, cant wait to see the chassis and the other side built and at least some what out up, then we can tell, right now it is still a work in prgress, but looking nice

maybe take some pics of it by something like a model to see the scale right now it looks like 1;24 or sor

If you pull this one off, which Im quite sure you will, this Will Be the winner of the AFMOTY!

Thanks I appreciate it. This is the first "model" that I have actually stuck with for more than 3 weeks. I just keep thinking about the finished product and all the support here and it keeps me motivated.

maybe take some pics of it by something like a model to see the scale right now it looks like 1;24 or sor

Just one sidepanel is the size of the RM 1/25 Integra.

sweet! you are the man!

Magnificent job on that side Mike, just looks soo real. Love it. Keep the great work going.!!!

Thanks for the comments guys. Unfortunately this is all you will be seeing for the next two weeks, I leave wednesday for spring break. Down there I will talk to some people about machining my rims.