Hubley 1930 Packard Custom 8 Roadster

[Andria H]

This is mostly mockup photos to start with, except for the engine which is largely done. 

 I have a great deal of filing/sanding/prep to do, but I have the basic engine assembly underway, the dashboard well underway with the broken frame on the windshield to be attached to the top of the windowpane with careful application of Devcon quick epoxy (my hands are not steady/quick enough to use superglue very effectively)

I scratchbuilt a dashboard for the build from African mahogany craft veneer due to all the decals having long ago perished, & even so, the design of such being more of a toy design than a true model design. 

Code IM536 Casino Red is the factory color I chose for the build, with Code IM526 Straw for wheel/grille accent, a Black soft top, and  front/rear seats  in English Saddle with similar color, scratchbuilt side panels & rumble seat carpets, Testors Rubber enamel for the intake manifold and front floormats and probably some other small pieces, and the headlight/taillight lenses etc. will be painted to match factory stock with a 1930 California plate going on the back. Wood floor texture underneath will be painted and drybrushed and washed to have an appropriate texture/color/grain. I will be hand drawing the gauge and switch gear details on the dash plank before I complete the build, which is barely started at this point. 

Some oil seepage will be added to the suspension, engine, central lubrication system, etc. and the wheel backs will be detailed. And the well under the soft top will be lined with painters' tape and painted/textured in black.

Needless to say, I'll be doing a lot more sanding, filling, filing, etc. given the raw ZAMAC castings with slag still attached. 

Edited Friday at 07:18 AM by Andria H

[lordairgtar]

Those old Hubleys can be a bear to make look good. Lots of slag like you said and the body being in halves doesn't help. Like the idea of a scratch built dash panel though. If you want decals for gauges, try looking at dashboards for that particular car online. A decal maker can make a gauge decal set from the actual pics. Someone like STS can help maybe.

[Andria H]

Thanks! 

I have some more progress to show. 

The body has been assembled with Devcon 5-minute epoxy and the standard flathead screw to backfill the center seam from behind it and form an intermediate surface for the J-B Weld SteelStik putty I am getting today to adhere to inside the seam, as well as to solidify the pin joints that hold the rest of the shell together outside of the screw fixture at the firewall. I then used 3M glazing putty to deal with high/low spots in the main casting and hood/bonnet parts, with the latter piece to be made one integrated assembly via Devcon epoxy and J-B steel stick putty and quite a bit of body/fender work. The putty was sanded off until the body surface was smooth to my liking, and once the body and bonnet cure and are sanded/filed/blocked out, they'll get a guide coat of automotive primer-sealer to see if it all looks right.

Speaking of which, I still have a great deal to do to those fenders, as well as heating the metal on the fuel tank skirt with a bick lighter and partially annealing it so I can straighten the dented fuel tank skirt like I annealed and reshaped the hinges on the rumble seat lid/backrest to move smooth and in the manner of the real car.

The chiffon yellow grille slats and wire wheels are an authentic factory color that I mixed to spec from Apple Barrel craft paint thinned to the consistency of a Vallejo acrylic with Dollar Tree window cleaner solution, allowed to dry thoroughly, and covered in 1980s vintage Testors clear enamel, and the engine wiring harness/magneto is painted with red and brass/bronze tone Sharpie pen.

The body has been assembled with Devcon 5-minute epoxy and the standard flathead screw to backfill the center seam from behind it and form an intermediate surface for the J-B Weld SteelStik putty I am getting today to adhere to inside the seam, as well as to solidify the pin joints that hold the rest of the shell together outside of the screw fixture at the firewall. I then used 3M glazing putty to deal with high/low spots in the main casting and hood/bonnet parts, with the latter piece to be made one integrated assembly via Devcon epoxy and J-B steel stick putty and quite a bit of body/fender work. The putty was sanded off until the body surface was smooth to my liking, and once the body and bonnet cure and are sanded/filed/blocked out, they'll get a guide coat of automotive primer-sealer to see if it all looks right. 
Speaking of which, I still have a great deal to do to those fenders, as well as heating the metal on the fuel tank skirt with a bick lighter and partially annealing it so I can straighten the dented fuel tank skirt like I annealed and reshaped the hinges on the rumble seat lid/backrest to move smooth and in the manner of the real car. 

The chiffon yellow grille slats and wire wheels are an authentic factory color that I mixed to spec from Apple Barrel craft paint thinned to the consistency of a Vallejo acrylic with Dollar Tree window cleaner solution, allowed to dry thoroughly, and covered in  1980s vintage Testors clear enamel, and the engine wiring harness/magneto is painted with red and brass/bronze tone Sharpie pen. And I added a 6-volt tar top battery to the battery compartment. 

[stavanzer]

I see You have started the Packard!

You seem to be making excellent progress. The bodywork is looking good.

[Andria H]

58 minutes ago, stavanzer said:

I see You have started the Packard!

You seem to be making excellent progress. The bodywork is looking good.

thank you! Am pecking away at this a bit at a time since I usually have 3 or 4 kits and 1 or 2 custom diecast going at once. Of course, that's modeling for you, both the leisurely pace and the multiple projects on the bench.

Edited Saturday at 11:01 PM by Andria H

[stavanzer]

27 minutes ago, Andria H said:

 Of course, that's modeling for you, both the leisurely pace and the multiple projects on the bench.

That is very True of the hobby, for most people.

[Andria H]

Last big update for today on my 1/22 scale original issue Hubley '30 Packard 740 standard steel roadster. The body has been permanently assembled and puttied/filled/smoothed, given a light guide coat of grey primer-sealer, and sanded out again, with the rear rumble seat lid hinges modified to open and close more accurately and efficiently, and an ignition coil box was formed around the burr cast into the firewall for the selftapping screw to thread into. That's a lot of sanding, filing, and other delicate work. 

The engine needs some permanent assembly to the head and bottom sump cover and oil/fuel & Rajah central lubrication system parts, detail thereof, and a fan belt fashioned from a small rubber band or an ultra-thin band of Gorilla brand black duct tape, but the basic look is there. 

Making the interior paneling bases and the upholstery for them will be another big step and a giant leap in my modeling skills, but I am looking forward to it. 
 

[Andria H]

Little bit more busy work. The hood is together, with modern Phillips screws installed in place of the original flathead ones, and JB SteelStik in the seams, the steering box is detailed, the ignition coil box is sculpted around the burr that the screw in the cowl went into when I did initial assembly of the body, the grille is looking really nice, and I made the base cardboard for what will be upholstered and detailed rumble seat side panels, golf club compartment partition, front kick panel, and door panels to conceal the rough cast inner body and make this more of a replica than a toy car. 
The cardboard I used to make the interior upholstery panels was matboard scrap from photo framing, and it was cut to shape/size with a Stanley knife. I have still yet to check BaT and Sothebys and similar sites for auction listings of the real thing so I can make the interior look as correct as I can.