From days of long ago - 1909 Hupmobile (OOB)

[64Comet404]

I would say that the wood on the Hupmobile was probably polished. This was still an era in which these cars were considered 'luxury' items, rather than mass-produced transportation, and painted wood would not convey the fact you had spent some serious money on your new-fangled horseless carriage.

[stavanzer]

Ken is right. I've seen and ridden in many "Horseless Carriages". The wood is always polished in the Pre-WW1 stuff.

[Brian Austin]

Interestingly I just today learned about businessman William E. Swigart who started collecting automobiles in 1920.  So his earlier cars were already 25 years old at the time.  :-) (And, no, they weren't all in great shape, either.)

[Brian Austin]

And here's a profile of a period Hupmobile.

 

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433089968386&view=1up&seq=196&q1=hupmobile

[Mike999]

Great project!  If you ever wondered about the Acetylene Tank mentioned in the instructions...and who hasn't?...it generated acetylene gas for the lights.  Here's a period flyer about it, and a photo of the tank on a restored 1911 Model T.  You can see the supply hose on the left side.  Which you could add along with the clamps etc., if you're in the mood for some super-detailing.

 

[charlie8575]

On 2/28/2021 at 7:43 AM, Faust said:

Nice score, Charlie!

I'm going to be doing mine in a variant of that creamy colour, with red-maroon under the fenders. I think that' is just mega-sharp! 

One thing on these old Hupps (and old cars in general) that worries me is the wooden dash.  Would it really have been polished wood? The pics online of that tattered blue one with the red interior shows the dash painted. I don't know how old a paintjob that is, and have no clue if it's original or not.

However, the wood dashes strike me as being like the beds of 50's pickups. They were all painted black, but when you see "restored" examples the beds are usually chromed rails and polished wood. It looks stellar, but it's wrong. I have a feeling that the "restored" Hupps with their polished dashes (and those rails beside the hood) have actually been "over restored" because it looks nicer and that's what people expect. 

Any ideas anyone?

The wood was wood, just like the pictures show.

Scale Equipment might still have some decals that would look good, or, if you have a local smoke shop, see if they have some empty cigar tubes with the thin cedar liners. Soak them in water overnight, flatten with a weight on a paper towel until completely dry, and use that as an overlay. I'd paint the kit part some kind of more-or-less wood-tone brown, and then use a heavily-thinned enamel paint to work as something of a stain, followed by a couple of coats of clear lacquer for the right shine.

 

Charlie Larkin

[Faust]

Hey Charlie, thanks for the info!

I'm really surprised it was wood, when the rest of the car was painted. Why would they (no pun intended) do that, I wonder?  

I've seen some cars that have the "box" on the frame where the seat and gas tank go painted, and I saw at least one in wood. However, painted seems de-rigeur. However, I do still have some reservations about "wooding" the firewall. I'd hate to do it and then find it was actually a common over-restore.

Good ideas, though! Thanks!

Also, would the flywheel be body colour, or black? I think I've seen both. 

[Motor City]

I think a lot of the cars back then used varnished wood for a look such as with fine furniture.  It makes that area of the car stand out, whereas it would just blend into the background if painted.  Check out this tulipwood Hispano Suiza from a later period!

Edited March 14, 2021 by Motor City

[stavanzer]

Flywheel would be an unpainted steel colour, if you want factory stock. Black otherwise,

As for the firewall/dashboard, I'd not really sweat it.Try to find photos of un-restored cars from 1903-1908, and see what the did.

Is there still a Hupmobile Club? You might also look for the HCCA website and see if they have a forum?

(Horseless Carriage Club of America)

[Brian Austin]

From the Feb 1955 issue of Mechanix Illustrated.  (Image from eBay).

Note that the bright molding on the dash framing the hood is brass.

 

Check out this set of pictures from a car show in 1963.  Note the finished wood dashes.

https://archive.org/details/1963CarShowParadeStadiumMinneapolisMN/1909 Hupmobile%2C July 1963 (2).JPG

 

1909 project car for sale  http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/other-makes/191572-1909-hupmobile-model-20.html

Edited March 15, 2021 by Brian Austin

[Brian Austin]

FWIW, here is a 1940s restoration of a 1909 Model 20.  Note the painted dash.

https://trombinoscar.com/hupmobile/hupmobile0903.html

 

Bottom line is you can finish it any way you want.  Just say the scale owner of the model restored it his way.  We all may not know the details of the car anyway to judge the relative correctness.

 

Hemmings had a nice writeup on driving a Hupmobile of the era (the wood the dash is said to be made of is walnut)

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/huppwardly-mobile

Edited March 15, 2021 by Brian Austin