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1932 Cadillac V16 scale model

Started by Roger Zimmermann, July 12, 2019, 01:40:19 PM

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Roger Zimmermann

On another forum, Alex D. just gave me the needed distance. He also indicated the the distance at the front is 1/4" more than at the back. Thanks Alex!
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

Recently, I was aware that there was a 1926-32 Fisher body manual, available as a copy. I had to have it! By seaching by the supplier, I saw that an original 1932 V-8 Cadillac and LaSalle data book was available. Expensive, but something to put under the Christmas tree (even if we don't have one since ages)!
The books arrived today; the body manual is not very helpful for my purpose, but interesting how the wood frame was assembled.
The data book is somewhat deceiving: rather small 5.9 x 4.3", but thick: 234 pages. There is a lot of garbage (it was done for the sales people) but some very useful dimensions are provided. It's interesting to see that  some dimensions are different from model to model, for example the width of the body or the distance between steering wheel and front seat back.
Anyway, a rare piece of literature!

Data book.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

Since a rather long time, I have a piece of wood to shape the body. From time to time, I removed the wood's excess. Now, with inclement weather and low temperatures, I will not go to my store room to continue the work; I'm doing it at home. As a consequence, I don't have the proper tools or I cannot use them efficiently.
When I ordered that piece of wood, I did a miscalculation for the width. Now that I have the correct width of the body, I'm trying to reduce the width of the wood's block. It takes time, but don't care!
You have a view of that block as of today; in front of it, you can also see the drawing I did for the body. Accurate? Certainly not, but rather close...


701 body buck.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

This is the totally inadapted working place to do some wood work: not rigid enough, no "right" fixtures to immobilize the piece of wood. I would have better conditions in my "garage", but at 3°C, I prefer the inadapted but tempered room!

The tools I'm using for the moment are on top of the buck.

1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Roger,

You prove the old adage that it's not the tools or environment that creates, but the skills of the craftsman.....Looking forward to the finished roadster. :)
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

Lexi

#805
Roger is indeed a craftsman as well as an artist. A term that is often used without much thought being applied. Sometimes even much abused. Years ago I read a fantastic definition of craftsman vs artist in a vintage trade book. It went something like this:

1) He who works with his hands is a labourer.
2) He who works with his hands and head is a craftsman.
3) He who works with his hands, head and heart is an artist.

This is a great definition as it does not imply any degree of superlative profiency in the work done, for any of the 3 groups noted. So yes, one can be a "crappy" artist. I find that term "art" is often misused in mainstream media. As if work done by an "artist" automatically means something "good" was produced... Perhaps even with Angelic singing in the background. LOL. Of course, this is not necessarily true as there can indeed be "bad" art.

Roger, however is indeed all three and in the final analyis his also an accomplished artist of the highest order. Well done Roger!

Clay/Lexi

Roger Zimmermann

@ Ralph: you are somewhat right, but basic tools are still a must: how to makes wheels without a lathe?
@ Clay: thanks for the flowers; here, I would qualify myself as entertainer!

Wood work is on and off. Once the general side contours will be set, I will need more heavy tools to continue. In between, the work on the running boards is on. I will unfortunately have to take some liberties compared to the real things: the rubber mat will be matte painted brass and the tiny rods separating each strip will be omitted because I see no possibility to attach them.
Finally, the dust shield between running board and body will be attached by screws and not soldered to the running board. Nuts will be also used to attach the chromed strip to the dust shield.

The RH running board is more or less ready; I still have to trim the "rubber mat" at the rear. For the moment the strips are glued with a contact glue; another cement will be used for the final assembly.

703 running board.jpg704 installed running board.jpg705 another view.jpg


1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Caddieman53

I am always amazed at the quality of the craftmanship!!
P. W. Allen

53 Cadillac Coupe 6237X
Twin Turbine

Lexi

Quote from: Roger Zimmermann on December 11, 2024, 07:45:20 AM@ Clay: thanks for the flowers; here, I would qualify myself as entertainer!

An accomplished artist who also entertains, that is even better. Clay/Lexi

Roger Zimmermann

Thanks Clay!

This is the actual shape of the wood buck, after some afternoon filing/cutting and perspiration. The overall width is set, the sill shape too, but there is still a lot of wood to remove. I will need a more appropriate working place to perform that task.
In front of the buck, the side drawing which was modified many times. I'm using a method which was usual for 60 years: a pencil and eraser!
The next task: the V-16 emblem for the grille. It has the same dimensions than the one for the luggage rack; I noticed that only recently.

706 wood buck.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

Am I getting unfit for modeling? Some time ago, I began the V 16 emblem for the grille. If the "V" went not too bad, but not fantastic, I had trouble with the "1": only the fifth try was good enough to be silver soldered on the "V". The fourth one went well, was good looking, but when put on the "V", it was not aligned properly with the V. I tried to correct the groove on the back side, but then I had too much space at the junction with the V. Indeed, all the previous attempts had the same error. OK, we go to the fifth one! If I at least understood my basic error, that tiny "1" is not perfect either, but acceptable.
In between, I began the "6". Here too, I will begin now the fourth variant. On the first ones, the holes were not at the right place, calculation error. The third one was promising, but here too, the groove in the back was basically wrong as a consequence that the "6" was not parallel with the "1". Modifying the groove created too much space at the junction with the "V".
Will the fourth tentative be the right one?
I vaguely remember that the same emblem for the luggage rack was not easy, but it seems that I had no such problems. And it was a just 13 months ago!

707 Grille emblem.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Cadman-iac

#811
I have faith in you Roger, look what you have done so far. Fantastic work!!
Everybody has an off day, heck, I have off weeks.
Hang in there and preservere.
CLC# 32373
1956 Coupe Deville A/C car "Norma Jean"

 Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

 Remember,  no matter where you go, there you are.

Roger Zimmermann

Rick, I had not a off day, but about a week!
The fourth tentative for the "6" was the good one. Once assembled to the "V", I noticed that the numbers are on the thick side. The comparison between the emblem for the luggage rack and the one for the grille is striking. Fortunately, it will be very difficult to see both at once when the model will be finished!

708 Emblems.jpg

A comparison with the original emblem:

Calandre 1932.jpg

Happy New Year to everyone!



1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Cadman-iac

  They look great to me Roger. I don't believe that the minor differences between the two are very noticeable, and as you said you can't see both ends at the same time, and anyone who can has a serious health problem!
 Looking great,and I can't wait to see how it turns out.
 Thanks for sharing this with us, it's a pleasure to see and read about. You are indeed a true Craftsman.
 Happy New Year to you and your family, stay warm and safe and amaze us with more next year.

 Rick
CLC# 32373
1956 Coupe Deville A/C car "Norma Jean"

 Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

 Remember,  no matter where you go, there you are.

Roger Zimmermann

Thanks Rick, I will do my best!

The radiator shell has an emblem at the top;

Radiator emblem.jpg

I tried to reproduce it but I'm not happy with it: the lines representing the feathers on the wings are not symmetrical; maybe once chromed and a bit paint on the center it would be acceptable. I may do another attempt but, for the moment, I intend to reproduce the handles to lift the hood.
I did also easy parts: the crank hole cover and the plate which block the air at the bottom of the radiator.

709 small parts.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

During our stay in France, I took the body's buck with me because I have more adapted tools to make some progress. The attached picture is showing the small progress.

710 Buck.jpg

In the meantime, I decided that the doors will be made with brass because the pillar's recess is not deep; a door made with resin would be too thin, about 1/2" mm. The rear will be resin with glass fiber.
I just finished both handles for the hood; to create the shape looking more or less like the original parts was more difficult than I anticipated...

711 Handles.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

It seems that I was too enthusiast to remove unnecessary wood during my stay in our vacation house...As a consequence, I had to glue bits of wood on the offended places!

712 Repairs.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Ralph Messina CLC 4937

Roger,

It's never a mistake until the job leaves the shop....Can't wait to see the finished body.

Ralph
1966 Fleetwood Brougham-with a new caretaker http://bit.ly/1GCn8I4
1966 Eldorado-with a new caretaker  http://bit.ly/1OrxLoY
2018 GMC Yukon

Roger Zimmermann

Ralph, thanks for your comments! You will have to wait a little bit to see the body...

The surface under the upper molding from the LH side is finished; that upper molding is represented by the pen's line. Due to the impossibility to see a real body, there are questions like: is the vertical curve too flat or too convex? Same for the horizontal curve from the body: is my interpretation correct or am I wrong? The best pictures cannot help a lot in that aspect. Technical pictures, or best, drawings, are the best help, but are not available.
I have the feeling that the maximum width of the body is near that upper molding and somewhat behind the door, at the quarter panel. On cars with a rear seat, the car is really wider at the rear, but convertibles differ.
It's the same situation for the end body's curve: too pronounced or too flat? I had to take a decision and assume that I'm not too wrong. I have more unanswered questions, sometimes futile details...on a relatively simple design!
I will now attempt to make the RH side identical.

713 some progress.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101

Roger Zimmermann

If I interpreted the pictures I have correctly, the buck is ready. The body shape is simple, but there are so many details which gave me a hard time! I sent pictures from the buck to Paul from the CLC; maybe I will get some comments back. If I did the job right, I'm ready to make the negative mold; however, I have to wait for Spring time as I cannot use polyester resin inside due to the odor.
The tool from the first picture is a must to do both sides identical...

714 checking shape.jpg715 view from above.jpg716 side view.jpg717  molding quarter panel.jpg
1956 Sedan de Ville (sold)
1956 Eldorado Biarritz
1957 Eldorado Brougham (sold)
1972 Coupe de Ville
2011 DTS
CLCMRC benefactor #101