Harry P. Posted February 25, 2014 Author Posted February 25, 2014 Question: Many of our members curse the weather conditions in their areas – heat, cold, humidity, etc - and say it makes it very difficult to do paint work. Yet you live in the Chicago area with some of the most extreme weather conditions in the country, but you keep on chuggin' along, all year long, doing beautiful work. Do you have a secret? No secret. I spray in the garage. Unheated. I spray and get the heck back in the house ASAP!
Cato Posted February 25, 2014 Posted February 25, 2014 No secret. I spray in the garage. Unheated. I spray and get the heck back in the house ASAP! LOL! Me too!
Harry P. Posted February 26, 2014 Author Posted February 26, 2014 The Aurora kit has front shocks but no rears. I used a pair from the Fuman Mercer kit. First I had to change the angle of the shock arms... stock on the left, altered on the right: Then, following the only reference photo I could find of the Stutz rear shocks and their mounts, I scratchbuilt the mounting brackets and added the Mercer kit's adjustable friction disks: This will make more sense once I post the photo of the shocks after they are installed.
Modelmartin Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 You know, I've never been to a contest, and keep telling myself I will never get involved in that side of the hobby... but I have to admit the idea of showing up for one is starting to tempt me, if for no other reason than to meet some of you guys in person. It is not a contest unless you consider people's egos. It is an NNL. They have a handful of popular vote awards. It is a good time. There are a bunch of people on this forum who attend. We would like to meet you in person. Please consider it.
f1ford48 Posted February 26, 2014 Posted February 26, 2014 (edited) Hi Skip- that is a rear wheel you posted- the Mercer is similar. the bulges in the spokes are only found on rears in this era. they were like lug nuts fastening the brake drum.-you can see a carriage bolt going through each spoke.the front axles had no brakes so employed a lighter spoke in the wheel. most cars of the teens had pneumatic tires. however heavy trucks had solid rubber tires till the mid to late 20,s Edited February 26, 2014 by f1ford48
Harry P. Posted February 26, 2014 Author Posted February 26, 2014 The wheels, rims and mounting clips are all molded in one piece, but a little paint detailing works wonders. The valve stems are brass rod, the nuts on them are hex-shaped styrene rod painted brass: Lower left is a front wheel, lower right is a rear wheel.
Cato Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 Lower left is a front wheel, lower right is a rear wheel. All minus pin stripes...
Harry P. Posted February 27, 2014 Author Posted February 27, 2014 Here are a couple of shots of the rear shocks (modified Mercer units with scratchbuilt mounting brackets) and the scratchbuilt brake system (the Aurora Stutz kit has none of these parts... no brake system at all). I could have pirated the brake parts from the Fuman Mercer kit, but the brake rods were the wrong length, so rather than reworking the Mercer kit parts I just went ahead and scratchbuilt the whole system using brass rod, styrene tube, and the old standby, hex-shaped styrene rod for all the nuts. I didn't have much photo reference to go by, so the brake system is pretty much copied from my built Mercer kit, more or less.
f1ford48 Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 very nice- I like the truss on the bottom of the Differential
Lovefordgalaxie Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 "You know, this is not a contest winner, just a model with a good level of detail" Yes Harry. I'm very sorry to say, but that has came and gone. If this Stutz won't win a contest I'll eat all my '57 Fords.
blunc Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 All minus pin stripes... what if he just glued a piece of hair down instead of trying to paint a pinstripe that small...
sjordan2 Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 (edited) I'd say it's already a winner if only the chassis was displayed. By the way, you may find better detail than I supplied for a radiator emblem at this link; it also shows a Bearcat with tufted/pleated pattern on the seat bottom only, not even on the side bolsters. http://www.cartype.com/pages/1682/stutz I don't know that all wooden-spoke Stutz cars had pinstriping on the wheels, and based on the car photos on this link, you don't even have to pinstripe the hood or fenders! Edited February 27, 2014 by sjordan2
Harry P. Posted February 27, 2014 Author Posted February 27, 2014 A lot of my reference photos show no pinstriping on the body at all. As far as the pinstripes on the wheels... that's just not gonna happen!
sjordan2 Posted February 27, 2014 Posted February 27, 2014 I posted this on the Mercer thread, but I think it's also appropriate here... Here's a very interesting article on what is said to be the most accurate Stutz restoration. It was the basis for the Hudson Miniatures Old Timers kit. I think it opens up the question of what's original and what's authentic. I think they're equally valid. http://www.autoworldmobilia.com/stutz/stutz.html
f1ford48 Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 I thought you guys would like to see a Stutz with the Mercer wheels. this was built by my fellow brass builder John B.
Harry P. Posted February 28, 2014 Author Posted February 28, 2014 I just got an email from ebay... my ITC Mercer has shipped! Woo Hoo! Man, we've been having quite a little "brass age" revival around here lately. I love it!
f1ford48 Posted February 28, 2014 Posted February 28, 2014 Beautiful. What kit and scale? same as Harrys building-1/16 Aurora with the Entex-or Fuman wheels and tires.
Pocherphile Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 I have lost it..............I wanted to do a different Stutz Bear and did not want to use the same kit, so one was snagged off of eBay yesterday............you got it, a Hudson Miniature........I will of course use the Aurora for the detail pieces and wheels. But this will be a way in the future project......so I'll just keep ogling Harry's Rick
Harry P. Posted March 1, 2014 Author Posted March 1, 2014 OMG! Actual progress!!! Got the front fenders installed. Running boards, tool boxes, steering wheel. It's beginning to take shape now. The tool boxes are molded in one piece, so I used a razor saw to cut the tops off, then glued them back on. Madness? Nah... it just gives a more convincing look... now the tops look like they could actually open because there's a defined gap between the box and the top. The toughest thing to do was the brass trim around the firewall/dash. It's real brass, so obviously it had to be bent to shape. Let me tell ya... it took me quite a while to get the bends exact enough to follow the shape of the firewall without gaps. In hindsight, it would have been easier to bend the brass trim first, then shape the firewall to fit the trim (easier to sand wood than bend brass to a precise shape). In fact, the one in the photo is the second one I did... the first one looked just about perfect, but I cut too much off one of the vertical "legs" and was left with a big gap where there should be none... so I had to make another one. All in all, I probably spent a good hour or more just bending that darn trim piece to shape. BTW... that unconnected bit of tubing sticking up behind the horn is the horn's electrical line. Still have to locate that to the side of the body in that triangular-shaped area just aft of the firewall. Once the glue on the fenders really sets up good, rear fenders are next.
Pocherphile Posted March 1, 2014 Posted March 1, 2014 Nice, very nice.........and too think what kit or kits should I say, you have made this master piece from. Just goes to show, no matter the material, with proper care and work, art comes to life. Rick
Harry P. Posted March 2, 2014 Author Posted March 2, 2014 Yep, these Aurora kits (or any kit, actually) can be made to look darn good if you put the time and effort into it.
Ramfins59 Posted March 2, 2014 Posted March 2, 2014 " any kit, actually) can be made to look darn good if you put the time and effort into it. " Words of wisdom.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now