''OLD 16'' 1906 LOCOMOBILE RACER in 1/16 scale

[f1ford48]

I wanted to build this car since I was 10. it is THE MOST FAMOUS AMERICAN RACING CAR of all time. owned by artist Peter Helck for 50 plus years the car is now in the Henry Ford.this big 16 liter racer still wears its original paint and has never been restored.it was the first American car to win the Vanderbilt Cup Race.an international competition dominated by the Europeans untill 1908- the year that the big Locomobile won.
for years I looked for a kit and at one time converted a 1/16 Mercer into this racer.however I was never satisfied with the results. thanks to ebay I eventually found there were 2 different kits produced in 1/16 scale.released in 1949 and 1961.both long gone when I was a young modeler [1970] One was by Eldon/Ungar-under the title ''1908 RACER'' circa 1961-motorized and in colored styrene. a snap kit-basically a toy- I thought I would super detail it and have what I wanted but after seeing it in person I decided to save it for posterity.the second model was from Hudson Miniatures ''Old Timers'' Series released in 1949. it was in balsa wood with plastic wheels.and had an amazing set of plans-basically blueprints-to 1/16 scale-now I had what I needed to build my version of ''OLD 16''!!
after seeing the contents of the Old Timers kit I realized that I was about to enter the world of scratch building-im glad I did!

Edited February 17, 2014 by f1ford48

[Jantrix]

We're looking forward to seeing your work. Best of luck.

[f1ford48]

ANOTHER IMAGE

Edited December 20, 2013 by f1ford48

[f1ford48]

the car is based on a kit by Hudson Miniatures.released in 1949. the instructions are like blueprints to scale and perfect for a scratch build. the only part from the Hudson kit that I will use will be the body-[ hood,cowl and bucket seats]

here we see the original kit and beginnings of the frame and underpinnings kit bashed from various 1/16 antique cars.

[sjordan2]

Very, very nice.

[f1ford48]

the radiator and gas tank are real brass and copper-I will use brass whenever possible in the build. the core on the radiator is speaker perforated mesh and is pretty close in scale. the gas tank is 1 inch copper tubing.the ends hand cut and filed into a perfect circle to fit inside tubing for detail. the ends were also slightly convexed. the seats have balsa wood bases and sheet aluminum bodies instead of card supplied in the kit.

Edited February 13, 2014 by f1ford48

[sjordan2]

What's the source of the drive chain? Does it work (or at least is it flexible?) I need to find brake chains for a 1/16 Bugatti 59.

Edited February 13, 2014 by sjordan2

[Harry P.]

I love seeing more activity here with models from this era!

[f1ford48]

Hi Skip-yes the drivechain works-it actually has tiny links and can be'' broken'' and lengthened or shortened. also available are sprockets-its high tech plastic. my source is micromark on that. I think they are offering the chain now by the foot. these were massive drive chains on the Loco-may be too big for the Bug.

[flat-top]

Very nice, awesome modeling project.

[Pocherphile]

Cool, watching w/interest.

Rick

[f1ford48]

the model is a curbside-however with an open wheel car the detailing on the undercarriage is just as important as up top.

#1 shows scratch built oil pan,flywheel cover,flywheel,drive shaft and transmission case[epoxy putty]!

#2 adding detail to the transmission.the silver colored wheel is an external contracting brake drum.

#3making the jackshaft mounts from kit patterns

#4chains and sprockets being made up,I bushed the sprocket shafts with brass tube for strength and movability.

#5Transmission and jackshafts with chain drive almost complete.

history-these Locomobiles had manganese bronze transmission cases

[bbowser]

Simply amazing. You and Harry put together some top-notch pieces. Looking forward to more!

[f1ford48]

back to the chassis build....

#1-pitman arm and drag link being bushed and a castillated nut added for detail

#2-front end showing rivet detail added to frame horns-[pin heads] the brass piece on the cross member will be the crank support.

#3-front axle is veneer from kit with card strips glued to edges to simulate the I beam

#4-all the leaf springs have pins in the shackles.

#5-rear frame horns being changed-the left side is the more authentic style. and rivets added again.

[f1ford48]

with the chassis nearly complete it is time to start work on the body-

#1-hood,cowl and dash built up of balsa wood

#2-checking radiator for fit

#3-temporary set up on frame to check fit and make more adjustments

#4-here the back part of body-12 pieces-being glued on.

#5-I got the wood grain effect I wanted for the dash by just thinning some testors brown

#6-gas tank in place on body...

[f1ford48]

the seats were a new challenge for me-totally scratch built.

#1- after building the bucket frames it was time to figure out the upholstry-here I had cut out an imitation snake skin wallet that had Diamond tufts that were pretty close-but no contour -I had to figure out something better!

#2-what I ended up doing was using wine bottle foils to to get the pattern that was original to the car. I formed them over a diamond tuft seat from the parts box. then filled in the underside with latex calk to hold the shape of the cushions and backs. the results were very nice.the flap under the cushion is for a cubby hole under each seat for tools. [as per the real car]

#3-shows the section of plastic seat I used for a pattern.and part of a wine foil.now I needed some piping to go around the edges. for this I gutted some 14 ga. electrical wire ,sliced it lenghtwise and formed it around the edges of the bucket [not shown yet] too bad this was not the right color because it looked like real leather to me.

after this was all figured out it seemed like an easy and effective way to make seats. Gerald Wingrove carves his out of wood I believe. with great results also.

[Danno]

Wow! Great stuff, Frank.

[Pocherphile]

I am so enjoying this build.

Rick

[f1ford48]

THANKS Fellows-for the nice comments-I am glad to find some people who appreciate this stuff!

Now -piping going on bucket seats.

and completed seat-once it was toned down with dull coat it turned out fine.

Edited February 17, 2014 by f1ford48

[f1ford48]

more progress.....

#1-front crossmember made up.

#2- radiator cap

#3-temporary set up-showing hood top hinge and moulding around cowl.

#4- louvers added and those massive exhaust ports-also undercarriage details such as flywheel and oil pan.

#5-taken a bit earlier in the build-still a long way to go to look like the real thing.

[f1ford48]

with the body and chassis basically done now come the final details. each fixture and all hardware either scratch built or adapted from parts of many brass era 1/16 cars. lots of research and many images of the real car help me to build the most authentic model possible.

#1- no decals here folks-the numbers were hand painted -and as per the real car patina added as well.

#2-mistake made and corrected on number spacing on hood.

#3-incidently the grey finish is brushed on also-like the real car

#4-one of many parts boxes for this project.

lil trivia-

check out youtube - ''OLD 16 rides again''

[sjordan2]

Killer. You clearly know this stuff.

[Harry P.]

To use an overused word... awesome! Very clever method of making the seat cushions. Heck, everything is looking great. I like the fact that you don't pretty up your models like over-restored show cars.

How did you do the louvers on the hood sides?

[Cato]

How did you do the louvers on the hood sides?

I'd say 1/2 round rod, angle cut on the ends with a black paint stripe for the 'opening'.

They look great.

[Harry P.]

...with a black paint stripe for the 'opening'.

Gasp!

You mean... cheating???