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

[lotus_man]

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!

[Blowncivic1320]

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

[chipanggo]

WOW! hope it turns out magnificently.

[mike@af]

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?





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.

[rx7king]

very ambitious! seems to be very cool

[nis.k.a.]

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?

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by nis.k.a.

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.

[OzZySi]

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@af]

Originally Posted by OzZySi

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 . 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.

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

[mike@af]

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!





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.



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!

[DSM-Mark]

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!

[DSM-Mark]

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!

[willimo]

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.

[GvEman]

Hello this Project is realy awsom!

what more can I say=)

Cheers

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by DSM-Mark

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!

Originally Posted by willimo

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!!!