Building Plan for the 39 Lincoln Zephyr Coupe

[Don Garrett]

That's the way it's done folks.
Jeff is well on his way to becoming a master craftsman...........

[hot ford coupe]

If I can accomplish this like I want to, I'll be using it as my National Modelers' Board certification project. The other thing is there is no National Modelers' Board or any kind of certifying exam. It's just an analogy of things you'd see in the medical community.

[Don Garrett]

Just run it past the "League of Extraordinary Modelers" for your certification.

[Mario Lucchini]

I've decided to put the documentation of my 39 Lincoln in this section rather than side by side with Mario's since mine will be in 1/6 scale. I'll also be documenting the build the same way as Mario is doing i.e. by individual chapters for each assembly. That way, it can be more easily recorded since they're both going on CD's. Also, different parts of the build will be more easy to find so you don't have to go searching through a whole thread to find one key area. Hopefully, they'll serve as good reference material for future builders.

Why you ask am I doing this in 1/6 scale? First, a model of the Lincoln this size and quality has never been built yet and I can't resist that type of challenge. Second, there are no kit parts available in this scale which will force me to scratchbuild the whole thing. If I can do this, it will fulfill a dream I've had for 30 years eversince I saw Gerald Wingrove's book on modeling.

At this point, I'm still taking measurements and drawing up each part I have to scratchbuild. I can't stress enough how important thorough research and good drawings are to an accurate and successful build. It's the only way to assure yourself that your parts will go together like they're supposed to and will look like they're supposed to especially in this size. For those of you who haven't seen what the Zephyr coupe looks like, here are a couple of links to some pics.

http://www.dyna.co.za/cars/1939_Lync..._V12_Coupe.jpg

http://www.tocmp.com/pix/Lincoln/ima...ephyr02-or.jpg

The final model will be somewhere around 34 inches long. Goodness knows how heavy it will be.Next time, I'll post some of the drawings with the measurements.

WAAAYYY to go Jeff!
Eagerly waiting to your build start!!!
Congrats from...

Mario & The Shadow

[harrypri]

You may have already posted this info, but I didn't see it...what are you planning to build the model out of? Plastic? Metal? Some combination?

[hot ford coupe]

The model for the most part would be made of styrene . Some parts like pistons, some of the engine pulleys and whatever I can figure out how to do in metal will be done. I don't want to put too much metal in because I want to be able to lift this thing when I get done with it. It's going to take me a really long time with this since I'm still learning and I'll probably remake some things several times along the way. The only part Where I can see I'[ll have the most trouble is the body and some of the electrics. Those are two things I've never had experience with.

Some of the working features that I'll be making besides the usual opening doors, trunk etc., are as follows.

Working windows,
working lights (including left and right signals, brake lights, brights and dome light)
fully detailed engine with cams, crank, pistons etc.
working door locks
wire wheels
leather interior with padded seats that are adjustable.
working suspension
whatever esle I can think of and what Mario can teach me.

As you can see, it will be a very ambitious undertaking. I just hope I can do it justice. I also hope I don't go nuts doing it. 1borning1

[Don Garrett]

No worries...you can handle it.

[harrypri]

Do you plan on carving a buck and vacu-forming the body panels? If not...how will you get those gorgeous compound curves?

Also...what are you using as references? Are there enough photos available of the chassis, interior, etc?

Sorry for the third degree...but a project this ambitious is very interesting, to say the least. Sounds like a huge undertaking. You're going to be REALLY busy for quite a while...but wow, what a project! It should be spectacular.

I'll be holding a spot for it in "Real or Model"...in about 2012!

[Don Garrett]

Harry, Jeff's project is going to be a monster for sure, not for the timid!
He's mentioned before that he's most comfortable with plastic, so skipping hammer forming brass over a hard wood buck let me toss in a few things that have worked for me in the past. Ultimately it will be up to Jeff.
Vacuum forming the panels required for his build would take a pretty serious chamber with lots of pull....that would be quite expensive.
Here's what I would do....
Use some wire mesh to build a basic form, lay on a a layer of (firm gray) super sculpey. The clay is soft at this point and be carved and shaped to whatever compound curve shape desired and you have plenty of working time, that done, bake or harden the clay buck. The wire form cuts down on the amount of clay needed and you should try to hold the thickness to a 1/4" anyway for proper curing .
Now you have an oven proof hard buck.
Grab a cheap cookie tray..don't use your wifes as that is just asking for trouble.
Put the buck on tin foil on the tray and lay a sheet of .040. to 060 styrene on top of the buck on the foil.
Pop the whole thing in the oven at a LOW heat (200 plus degrees).
The plastic will soften and eventually droop over the buck, keep an eye on it. As it softens you can pull it out of the oven and help it along but use care... hot plastic burns like h*ll.
I've done bubble tops this way using clear styrene .....takes a bit of practice but it it's an inexpensive way to form large plastic panels.

[harrypri]

Interesting...

If I was crazy enough to attempt this ( ) I think I'd try resin casting the body panels. It seems to be the most feasible way of going about it. But even then you'd have to create the master(s)...that's a project in itself.

When you're talking 1/6 scale I suppose there's no EASY way to create body panels. Whether its vacu-forming, hammered brass or carved from Italian marbe, you've got one heck of a job ahead! Definitely not for the faint-of-heart...geez, this project makes a Pocher buildup look like child's play!

[Rick]

Thats a fascinating tutorial Don. Thanks!!

[slingshot]

Wow, this sounds like a great project! I’ll definitely be watching it with interest. One question, what are you going to use for tires?

Never thought of the wire mesh with Sculpey over it before, that sounds pretty interesting. I had thought of shaping a mold out of insulation and then putting a few skim coasts of lightweight spackle over it, that way you could keep it fairly smooth and the sanding to a minimum but still have a somewhat hard shell. You obviously couldn’t put the insulation in the oven, but you could heat the plastic in the oven and then drape it over the mold. My dad used to have a pair of gloves like the old locomotive engineers use to wear for when he worked on the wood stove, those might help with laying the plastic on the mold and would let you shape it while protecting your hands.

Another option for the body would be shaping a buck out of insulation and then laying fiberglass over that for the body. I played around with the insulation yesterday (it had been a while) and it was far easier to shape than I remembered, I was using a somewhat course block this time, while it did make a bit of a mess, it was nowhere near the mess that the florist foam made, even using the somewhat course sanding block, it would’ve been good enough for laying on fiberglass. I’m going to try a technique I read about in a radio control magazine back in the eighties where something different than fiberglass cloth is used, I’ll take pictures and if it works I will post it. I just have too many problems with regular fiberglass cloth.

[hot ford coupe]

You guys have been reading my mind and thinking like I do. I'm actually using a combination of the techniques you described. I don't plan on using a vacu former because of the expense. Plus, I ain't got one. I call the technique the "Cheese Burger" method and that's forming a warm piece of plastic over a rigid buck using a clay form as a "plunger" so I don't burn my hands. It's not a quick and easy technique but very effective. If I used insulation, I don't think it will stand up to the repeated heating of the plastic. Plus I don't know what kind of gasses will come off of it when it's heated. I'll be using my respirator anyhow. I'm not going to use the sculpey because I don't have an oven big enough to heat the pieces to make the buck. I'm still going to use an idea similar to what you spoke of, Don and that is to use a cheap dental stone as my buck material. It works like plaster which is also a good way to do it but dental stone is harder and will stand up to the heat with no problem. The clay layer will allow the heated plastic to be formed over the stone buck much like we do when we make temporary plastic bridges for the mouth. When I get to the body, I'll definitely document how it will be done. I've done it before on a much smaller scale.

Harry, as far as the completion time, you may just be right. For my reference, I'm using a bunch of pics I found on the net plus I've got a well made 1/18 scale diecast model which I'm taking measurements from. It may be slightly inaccurate but esthetically, it will look right. Besides, it's the best I got.

[harrypri]

Is the diecast you're referencing an "official" Ford model? Is it dark maroon, with flocking on the interior? If so, I have the same one.