Roth Mysterion-inspired ‘34 show-truck

[OldNYJim]

I’ve had this idea in my head for AGES now, and actually kinda started it last year, got distracted, had a better idea and just now got to working on it again.  I really love the unusual (if impractical, because it broke) frame on Ed Roth’s Mysterion:

And, I don’t know why, but I kept wondering what that would look like if applied to a more traditional hot-rod body style.  In fact, probably the most different body to the sleek futuristic design of the Mysterion - a 34 truck.

I recently got a 3D printer and took a course to get a start on learning to actually design stuff for it…I’m REALLY green at this stuff still, but enough to do some basic work anyway.  So, first things first, designed a frame:

Actually, first step before that was pencil and paper, but my printer won’t print from those ?

I did a quick test-print of the frame to see how it was going to work out, made a couple of little tweaks and then printed the ‘real’ one.

All the supports that the software adds look crazy - and I’m not sure if it’s even necessary to use quite so many, but they stop the resin from sagging or the part not printing correctly so I let it add all that it thought it needed:

Four hours printing later:

Cleaned the parts in 99% alcohol and then cured with UV light:

Now I gotta snip all this extra stuff off:

Then, after some cleanup…a frame!

As you can see from that body, whilst the printer was running I started hacking that apart and getting the proportions a little closer to what I’d imagined - took a couple of scale inches out of the bottom of the doors and a little out of the roof too.

Before:

And after!

The body is just tacked together right now so I can check all the measurements and make the joints nice before gluing it back together, but it looks like I imagined in my head now…

Going with a 390 FE motor as a hat-tip to the Mysterion (but only ONE of them in this case):

And a shot with the body on the frame:

I’m excited already!

Tomorrow’s project is wheels and tires…I started playing with some vintage dirt-track style smoothies this evening but didn’t get a good run at making the tires yet:

Still learning all this stuff, but I’m having a blast playing with some techniques that I haven’t tried before…more soon!

Edited February 25, 2022 by CabDriver

[Cool Hand]

So cool seeing the 3D tech being incorporated into builds, possibilities are endless.

[OldNYJim]

11 minutes ago, Cool Hand said:

So cool seeing the 3D tech being incorporated into builds, possibilities are endless.

They really are!  There’s guys online selling entire kits already that you print at home and assemble like any regular kit- there’s a few cool car kits in 1:25 that I want to build.

Like any technology, it has it’s limitations and doesn’t do some things as well (or any better) as a simpler method…for example, it’s not going to be quicker or easier to 3D print a coil spring compared to just wrapping some wire around something of the right diameter.  It’ll be easier and quicker to scratchbuild a little bracket out of styrene than it will to draw it in CAD and print it…

But then on the flipside, instead of hunting for a particular kit with a particular type of wheel to use, then ordering the kit and waiting to it to arrive I can likely find a wheel design online, download it, print it and have parts ready to use before most eBay sellers have even packaged the order.  It’s really cool!

[Cool Hand]

Yeah can see where you are coming from. Some parts would be quicker and simpler to scratch build. Thats the benefit of being an all rounder like yourself you can pick and choose what skills to use where and when.

[1930fordpickup]

This is going to be interesting to watch go together.  What CAD program are you using? Is it a free version or something you get with the printer? 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Great illustration of using both old-school and newfangled approaches to the best advantage, where appropriate.

Rationality wins.   

[Steve H]

Hi Jim! Always enjoy your builds, this one is off to a great start. It will be interesting to see what you create with your new “toy”. That chassis looks really cool.

Cheers, Steve

[stinkybritches]

17 hours ago, CabDriver said:

 

?Four hours printing later:

Cleaned the parts in 99% alcohol and then cured with UV light:

Now I gotta snip all this extra stuff off:

 

Great job on the frame. Everything is looking good, but try removing the supports before curing. They are much easier to remove when they haven't been cured.

[OldNYJim]

23 hours ago, Cool Hand said:

Yeah can see where you are coming from. Some parts would be quicker and simpler to scratch build. Thats the benefit of being an all rounder like yourself you can pick and choose what skills to use where and when.

Jack of all trades - master of none!  I kinda feel like if you picked any one aspect of our hobby (painting, scratchbuilding, machining, 3D printing, designing decals, etc etc) and really tried to master that ONE aspect to the ultimate level…then THAT would be your hobby.  Like, I can KINDA airbrush but I’m not an airbrush artist.  And I can machine some simple parts but being a master machinist is a whole other lifelong pursuit.  So I’m ok with being kinda average at a bunch of skills as long as I’m improving slowly I guess…we need a lot of different skills to be good at this hobby!

20 hours ago, 1930fordpickup said:

This is going to be interesting to watch go together.  What CAD program are you using? Is it a free version or something you get with the printer? 

Using TinkerCad for the simple stuff (free online app), and Sketchup and Adobe Dimension (both paid subscriptions) for the more complex projects, and Lychee slicer (free version, although there’s a better paid version I want to try) to convert all that stuff into printable files.  Learned a lot of software the last couple of months!

15 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Great illustration of using both old-school and newfangled approaches to the best advantage, where appropriate.

Rationality wins.   

I’m engaged in a hobby popular in the 60s, building a car from the 30s using this week’s latest 2022 techniques and technologies! ?.

13 hours ago, Steve H said:

Hi Jim! Always enjoy your builds, this one is off to a great start. It will be interesting to see what you create with your new “toy”. That chassis looks really cool.

Cheers, Steve

Thanks Steve!  I’m interested to see what I can do with this thing too!

6 hours ago, stinkybritches said:

Great job on the frame. Everything is looking good, but try removing the supports before curing. They are much easier to remove when they haven't been cured.

You’re absolutely right, Mr Britches!  I knew that was the recommended way to do that, and have been snipping before curing generally, but I was nervous about tweaking the frame or knocking it out of alignment somehow or something…in this case I cleaned, cured, snipped and re-cured - seemed to work ok (although I know that curing too long makes parts brittle too so I’m going to be cautious with the frame.

 

Speaking of the frame, one of the tweaks I made before printing the final version was to take some depth out of the bottom edge - I noticed some rippling in the print so I removed just enough from the design so I could build it back up with strips of styrene sheet and have something I was more comfortable working with to get it all straight and level before paint.  I also spent the best part of today messing with printing wheels and tires…got the wheels done after a couple of attempts:

They need a little cleanup still but between all my various tries I’ve definitely got 4 usable ones now…tires I’m still messing with but getting better, gradually…here’s another batch fresh out of the oven:

I used a couple of the failed prints to do a quick mock-up…I have some larger resin tires that I might like better but these are nicely detailed anyway:

And after a whole day of trying to get some tires that I was happy with, I just wanted to print some easy stuff so I did some tiny bolts I’d designed that I wanted to try for detailing purposes further down the line…

Some bigger bolts and track rod ends:

A tiki shifter which is really hard to see but looks like it came out nice in real life…

And another experiment with making 3D club plaques (which I’m going to mess with some more so I can figure out making actual embossed custom license plates rather than just using flat decals):

All in all, not much progress on the truck itself but some of these parts will make their way onto it at least…

Less playing and more actual building tomorrow hopefully - more soon!

[Ace-Garageguy]

7 hours ago, CabDriver said:

…we need a lot of different skills to be good at this hobby!

We need a lot of different skills to be good at life, period.    

[cobraman]

Looks like you are having a great time !

[OldNYJim]

15 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

We need a lot of different skills to be good at life, period.    

I dunno…a lot of people seem to muddle through just fine with WAY less skills than you think one would need to survive the game of life ?

4 hours ago, cobraman said:

Looks like you are having a great time !

Yessir!  Rarely have a bad day’s model-building!

 

A little more progress today - got a good set of those nice tires printed and cleaned up…printed some extras whilst I (mostly) had them printing how I wanted:

Started work on the front end - modified a Revell 29 kit axle for the suspension setup I have planned:

Made some linkages and some pieces to scratchbuild some shocks this coming week:

And, after battling wheels rolling off the bench all weekend, I finally got smart and make some chocks to hold them in place for mock-ups (not totally relevant to this project but I’m pleased with the idea ?)

Not a bunch of progress for an entire afternoon in the shop, but small steps…more soon!

[Cool Hand]

Tires look really good, wheel chocks are a great idea.

 

On 2/6/2022 at 4:15 PM, CabDriver said:

Jack of all trades - master of none!

That you are. Generally if you can learn one trade, it's not that difficult to learn another. 

[Oldcarfan27]

On 2/5/2022 at 9:45 PM, CabDriver said:

This gives me an idea to make 3d license plates!

Looks like fun!

[OldNYJim]

On 2/7/2022 at 1:07 PM, Oldcarfan27 said:

This gives me an idea to make 3d license plates!

Looks like fun!

I've been thinking the same thing!  I've done them before with a printed generic backer and then cut sign vinyl for the letters and numbers to give them some depth, but I think 3D printing would be a better way to try making those.  Only issue would be for plates with a particularly 'graphic-y' background to them - a decal is a better way to go for ones like that I'd think...or a decal OVER a 3D printed plate to give the best of both worlds...

Edited February 10, 2022 by CabDriver

[OldNYJim]

Tiny bit of midweek-progress…I wanted to go with bomber seats for this one, so designed some earlier in the week (with matching cushion, because these things look uncomfortable ?):

And tried printing a set tonight:

Came out ok - I was mostly concerned that the printer would struggle printing something with such a thin wall to it but it did great!  Ready for cleanup and paint!

Didn’t try a cushion yet - I added some leather texture to those which I’m almost certain won’t show up when they’re painted, but I can probably re-introduce a little roughness with the airbrush…

Just a tiny update, but those two seats took me two evenings to get done…more soon!

[Cool Hand]

Looks like you are starting to master the art of using the machine.

[bisc63]

Very cool stuff. Really digging the frame, but why not go high-boy style to actually show off the frame!? Good looking build, at any rate. Will be watching!

[TooOld]

Great stuff Jim and your tires came out great , nice work !  The license plate idea is one that needs to be done , I'd take several sets !

[crazyjim]

Darn.  You're making some really nice parts.

[Spex84]

This project is way cool. I like the aesthetic and I'm impressed by the parts you're churning out! My attempts to print tires have not gone super well, so far. Yours are looking excellent!

[bobthehobbyguy]

Great start. Looks like you are figuring out the 3d printing process. Looking firward to seeing more.

[OldNYJim]

Thanks for all the nice comments everybody!

@bisc63 - that’s kinda the plan, or at least have the body not TOTALLY covering those holes ? 

@Spex84 - tires are hard!  It’s finding a spot for the supports without ruining the tread.  I’m still experimenting tho…

 

A little more progress this weekend…

Got the front end mostly figured out (although need to make steering linkages)

And, as you can see, got that weird funky Ed Roth rear suspension design mostly mocked up too; the Mysterion has a little air shock that looks like it damps and allows for variable rear ride height (maybe?) so I’ll machine a little part that’s similar for mine too, which will attach to that rod that’s just hanging out there in space right now:

Not sure how well this setup would work in real life…good thing I won’t ever have to really drive it!

I’d like to use an FE engine but the AMT kit parts aren’t amazing - but I do like that trans, whatever it is (any ideas anyone?).  Considering slicing that off and mating it to a Revell Deuce FE instead and backdating that somewhat to look more like a 390 Thunderbird mill…but in the meantime, I’m trying to figure out a ‘pre-drilled’ printed distributor design that I can use instead of drilling out kit parts.  Not quite there yet, but got a simpler design with a single hole to print ok at least:

Still need to experiment with that some more.

Also on my mind: gas tanks.  I want something with a decent size, and something more interesting than just a fuel cell or a Moon tank…maybe something made out of a bomb?

Printed these in 1:72 scale so they’re WAY too small, but the printer handled those little fins on the back just fine, which is reassuring…

More soon, soon as I’ve figure out some more stuff!  Thanks for looking!

[afx]

The FE in the AMT '60 Ford is very nice as well as the AMT '66 Comet.

 

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

Kool project! I like those 3D printed tires. Your cab needs more chop, IMHO! -RRR

Edited February 14, 2022 by Rocking Rodney Rat