1940 Auto Repair Shop Interior by FriedClams - Finished - Diorama in 1:87

[Canute]

Sweet diorama, Gary.

[Egilman]

For a 1940's Garage the Ford is perfect!!! The Packard would be out of date and therefore an anachronism....

 

By 1928, pretty much all solid rubber tyres were gone, pnuematic, tubeless tires had taken over in production.... Although you would still see tubed bias ply tires, all manufacturers were mounting radial ply tires by the late '30's...

 

That Truck reminds me of the Walton's truck from the TV series.....

 

Very appropriate for a 1940's garage...

[Old Collingwood]

3 hours ago, Egilman said:

For a 1940's Garage the Ford is perfect!!! The Packard would be out of date and therefore an anachronism....

 

By 1928, pretty much all solid rubber tyres were gone, pnuematic, tubeless tires had taken over in production.... Although you would still see tubed bias ply tires, all manufacturers were mounting radial ply tires by the late '30's...

 

That Truck reminds me of the Walton's truck from the TV series.....

 

Very appropriate for a 1940's garage...

I was just thinking that  - miss that tv  show.

 

OC.

[Mark P]

Good Morning Gary;

 

I have just found your beautifully made workshop, and agree with all the previous comments it has earned. Such realism in the way that everything is coloured. I just love the simplicity of the method you used to show the mortar joints in the brickwork; I would never have thought of doing it that way. And all which comes after is similarly thought about and carefully executed.

 

These will be treasured for many generations, I would expect. Lovely work, thanks for posting all this so informatively.

 

All the best,

 

Mark P

[Danstream]

Amazing and exquisite work on this diorama! The scale consistency is so good that I couldn't guess the real dimensions until when you put some real life object into the picture. And then, I discover how small is the size!

Fine miniature,

congrats,

Dan.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Tire Technology:

 

I grew up in Akron, Ohio, “The Rubber City.”  Almost everyone that I knew had fathers who either worked for one of the four Rubber Companies headquartered there (Goodyear, Firestone, BF Goodrich, and General) or one of the companies that manufactured tire moulds.  My father worked for BF Goodrich.

 

The original pneumatic tires that succeeded the solid variety were bias ply and used inner tubes.  These were susceptible to catastrophic failure called blowouts.  A perk from our fathers’ employment was the availability of inner tubes for swimming, resulting in a certain amount of  “My tube is bigger than yours.”  Some kids had truck and even heavy equipment tires.  A friend of mine even had a wire frame with rudder and a sail that fitted over his.

 

The tubeless tire, a tire without inner tube, was developed by BF Goodrich.  The development was lead by a man named William Perdreau who lived on the next street over.  The tire was marketed in the 1950’s as a safer alternative to the tires with tubes as they were designed to deflate instead of blowout.  These tubeless tires were still bias ply.

 

The radial ply tire came from overseas, I believe Michelin, and was originally marketed as a high performance premium tire. In the early 1970’s I was still buying bias ply tires every 10,000 miles for my Ford Maverick.  By the late 1970’s the tubeless radial ply tire with an expected life of 40,000 miles had disrupted the industry.  Goodyear is the The only Akron based American Independent Major Rubber Company left today.  Firestone is part of Japanese owned Bridgestone, and BF Goodrich is just a brand name on a tire manufactured and sold by someone else.

 

Roger

[Jack12477]

Cooper Tire & Rubber Co.  is also American owned and based in Akron OH, they date back to around 1914-1915.  Been using their tires for a good 40 years or more 

 

BFGoodrich, while originally an American tire manufacturer, is now owned by French tire maker Michelin. Michelin bought the brand in 1990, along with its subsidiary Uniroyal.

Edited July 29, 2021 by Jack12477

[Roger Pellett]

True, but Goodrich has not actually made tires since the 1980’s.  Their entire Akron manufacturing complex including a brand new headquarters building was closed in the late 1970’s.  Their defense and aviation related businesses which were always a point of pride were merged into Colt Industries about 1985.  About this same time they also sold off their plastics business.  I believe that UniRoyal acquired their tire business which has apparently now become a Michelin brand.  Like many other famous American businesses  just a name on a product.

 

Roger

[popeye the sailor]

we had the same perk Roger........used to go 'tubing' down the river from Clough State Park    

 

the dio looks awesome Gary.......the truck looks really nice   I've seen that color plastic before.....damn brittle as I recall {the brown stuff}

[Mark P]

Good Morning Gary;

 

One additional thought: I don't know if you do this anyway with your work, but as these deserve to 'live' for a long time, I would suggest that you write your name and the date you made them on the back, along with the time it took you perhaps, or some other brief note. Future generations will be very glad to know who made such lovely creations, and when. This will add an even more special cachet to what is already something very special. 

 

There are so many beautiful objects in the world, whose creators are not even a name to us, let alone the date on which their hands were at work on them. Model ships, for example, among many other things.

 

All the best,

 

Mark P

[Roger Pellett]

I just backed up and read posts that I had missed.  I didn’t realize that Packard made trucks, but then I know next to nothing about antique cars and trucks.  The only thing that I know about Packard is that the name is associated with high end cars.  

 

Was the Packard truck supposed to be a top of the line product too?

 

Roger

[FriedClams]

Thanks guys for the great comments - it is always so appreciated.   And thanks to all for looking in and for the likes. 

 

Welcome Mark P and thanks for the nice words.  Due to urgings from my wife, I now place a sticker somewhere on all my models with the date, name and so forth.  I think it's a good idea for all us modelers.  Thanks.

 

Hello Denis.  Yes that brown plastic is a little brittle and it probably won't get any softer as time goes on.  Thanks.

 

Yes Roger, I believe the Packard trucks were being marketed as a cut-above the ordinary vehicle, but I don't know if they were received that way by the public. 

 

 

Here is a short update.

 

Back at post #35 @Egilman suggested that an old bumper jack of some sort might be an appropriate detail item for the diorama.  I agree and so I put together a screw type jack using one of his posted photos as a guide.  I also found a photo of a similar jack with a tape measure held next to it showing a height of about 32” with the back leg extended.  I don't know the age of this particular jack, but I feel certain jacks of this type were in use during the late 30's and early 40's.  Thanks for the suggestion Egilman.
  

 

The jack is made mostly of brass.

 

 

As evidenced by the mess shown below, I tried different color combinations before I settled on what you see.  Looking at these close-ups, I see the feet are too large and it's leaning back too far - but I'm calling it good.  I may fold it up and lean it against a wall which will solve at least one of the problems.

 

 

 

 

Lubester

 

Oil pumping dispensers like this one were once common and finding a photo with a measure in it was very helpful.  This is a Phillips Pump and Tank Co. unit.

 

  

 

I didn't take a “pre-assembly” photo, but you can see the bits and pieces here.  A block of styrene, brass wire and tubing, paper and an aluminum disc all held together with CA gel.

 

 

What ever is wrong with this fellow's hand, it looks painful.  

 

 

Now that I've decided on a vehicle to display, I'm free to add advertising and logos that fit the time period.  Lubesters typically had oil company logos on them and I decided to place a Mobiloil Pegasus image on this one for no other reason than I like it.  The history of break-ups and mergers of U.S. oil companies after Standard Oil Co. was dissolved in 1911 is long and convoluted.  But in a overly simplified statement, Mobil came about when Standard Oil of New York (SOCONY) merged with Vacuum Oil in 1931.  Primary logo changes during the period of 1908 to 1964 look like this.

 

 

 

I laser printed the image onto tissue paper (gift wrapping type) and glued it on with PVA.  Red enamel and black oil paint along with pigments are applied.  It didn't need to be this grubby, but I got carried away.  

   

 

  

 

Thanks for swinging by.

 

Gary

[druxey]

Delightfully dirty! Very convincing, Gary.

[Egilman]

You call that grubby, looks downright clean for an old style garage....

The jack look good, and both being up against a wall would be perfect, the only thing I would add is an oil pitcher, 4 qt size sitting on the oil tank and a funnel....

 

Well done my friend....

Edited August 5, 2021 by Egilman

[Old Collingwood]

Really nice work  - all coming together  in a beautiful way.

 

OC.

[mtaylor]

Nice work, Gary.  After seeing the oil pump, I think some more grunge is needed on the floor.  But, everything is still a double "wow".....

[Keith Black]

5 hours ago, FriedClams said:

What ever is wrong with this fellow's hand, it looks painful.  

 

 Handpuppatitis

[wefalck]

Didn't look into this thread for a while. It is coming on very nicely, the diorama. Love getting lost in detail ...

 

The Jordan kits seem to have been available over here in the mid 1970s. I vaguely recall a review/building log in a German modelling magazine then. People were amazed by the detail in that scale.

 

I remember envying other kids in the early 1960s, who had inflated tubes to go onto the water. My father never let me have one - perhaps because I wasn't able to swim yet at that time ... it was also difficult to carry the thing inside the car, when we were going down to the Rhine river on the summer weekends - it had to be inflated at a filling station.

[Canute]

I kitbashed some gas stations for a display my train club built. Had to do it in N scale, about half the size of Gary's beautiful work. It was fun doing the old style pumps with the glass bowl on the top of the pump. We didn't get into the interior details, although both stations did have work bays and offices. One was Sinclair, the one with the green dinosaur in more modern times. The other was Pure Oil, a common brand down South in the USA. Anyway, this service bay is outstanding. Gary is working on a best in show here. 😉

[lmagna]

Your diorama is really getting filled out Gary. Truly an excellent trip down memory lane. Sadly I can remember actually using almost everything you are including in your build!

 

You may consider adding a parts cleaning bath. They were often located somewhere close to the oil pump area of the shop for some reason. 

Edited August 6, 2021 by lmagna

[popeye the sailor]

very nice work      I'll bet the Gargoyle was a big hit at the board meetings     the fellow must have hit himself one too many times with a hammer   

[FriedClams]

 

Thanks to everyone for the fine comments and suggestions - it is always so appreciated.

 

And thanks for the likes and to those watching quietly.

 

 

Not a bunch accomplished on the diorama in the last several weeks, but here's an update on what I have done.

 

More Garage Equipment - Acetylene Torch

 

I don't have any in-process photos to share with you on this torch.  It was one of those constructions where I spent most of my time tossing things in the trash with nothing of value to show.  In the end, I was happy just to get the thing finished, such as it is.

 

I began by gathering materials - .005” brass shim stock, phosphor/bronze wire (.012” and .02” dia), assorted styrene rods, a scrap stick of white-metal that scaled to 9” dia., some chain, some insulated wire and a couple of injection molded wheels.

 

 

 

The white-metal stick was cut into two lengths, chucked into my hand drill and worked with needle files until they resembled a pair of tanks. The cart is mostly brass and bronze soldered together.  A brass wire axle was inserted through the cart and the wheels glued on.  The tanks are colored with permanent markers for a translucent effect.  Green oxygen and red acetylene are modern tank colors and probably not the standard in 1940. Conspicuous by its absence is the torch/nozzle itself, which I'm pretending is hanging behind the cart.

 

So you may be wondering why I chose chain large enough to anchor a steamship for the tanks' safety chain.  Actually, this chain is 40 LPI and I haven't found anything finer than this that still resembles actual link chain.  Fine chain is so useful in modeling and if anyone knows a source please share.  The hoses are also on the large side, but it's one of those strange eye/mind things where the proper size looked flimsy and wrong.

 

 

Drill Press

 

I need a piece of equipment to be positioned against the left wall and up front towards the shadowbox glass.  Because it's right up front, it needs to be fairly detailed.  I had originally intended for the arbor press to be placed there, but I now feel that in profile it isn't that interesting visually.  And I wonder how many non-mechanical people would know what it is or what it's used for.  So I decided on a floor drill press to fill the slot.  It has an interesting shape and recognizable by most people.  The arbor press will be stationed elsewhere.

 

As a reference to build from I chose model #71 from Atlas Manufacturing that dates to 1933-36. 

 

 

 

Although it isn't mechanically complicated, it is of course the size that provides the challenge in making it.  In 1:87 it is less that 7/8” (22mm) in height.  It is a delicate little thing and a tad exasperating.

 

I began with the spindle head which is simply two short sections of brass tubing wrapped in paper.  The paper is the sticky part of a Post-It note and it holds things together long enough to saturate it with thin CA.  You wouldn't know it by looking at the photo below, but the brass tube on the right is slightly larger than the one on the left as it accepts the main post.

 

 

 

The lower part of the spindle is glued in and also the main post.  The spindle is tapered to mimic a chuck and a thin wall brass tube is slid on over the top.  I have a decent collection of fine brass and phosphor/bronze wire as well as a good selection of ultra fine tubing in brass, nickel and stainless. These materials proved to be very handy in making this drill press.

 

 

 

I then made up the table/bracket from styrene and attached it to another section of tubing that will slide fit onto the main post.

 

 

 

The base.

 

 

 

I decided to leave out the spindle head pulley guard for two reasons.  First, I wanted to show the pulleys and belt as a visual detail, and secondly (the honest reason) is that making a multi-dimensional cowl guard that is less than 1/8” in size would cause permanent psychological scarring.

 

The pulleys are made by slide fitting brass tubing into one another and leaving an equal reveal between them.  I soldered them together and cut off the pulley.

 

 

 

The motor is made up and pulley added.  This was simple to make because it's just pieces of round things fitting into other round things.  The “bearings” are a single brass tube with a wire run through it which in turn slide fits into a piece of styrene tube.  I added a band of paper around the center of the motor to suggest separate bearing bell housings.

 

 

 

A second pulley was pushed onto a brass rod and glued into the spindle top.  In the image below you can see a depth gauge has been added and a short horizontal tube that along with an identical one on the opposite side will hold the motor.

 

 

Front view.

 

 

 

Pushing two dress maker's pins through paper and into the motor mountings gave me the distance between the mounting rods which was then transferred to the motor base.

 

 

 

 

 

The three spokes on the feed wheel are .008” phosphor/bronze chemically colored with Jax Flemish Gray.  The ends of the wire were dipped into a craft product called Gallery Glass to create the knobs.  The knobs will be painted black.  The wheel center is styrene stretched to the diameter I wanted.

 

 

 

Adjustment handles of different sizes were also made up. 

 

 

 

All that was left is to glue it together and add some paint.  Touch ups are still needed as seen in the photo below, but I used enamel – silver, steel, gray and black.  I added a styrene table face to the base.  The belt is 8 lb. ice fishing jigging line and it has a sort of oval/flat cross section. 

 

 

 

Done.

 

 

 

And both items are glued into place on the dio.

 

 

Thanks for taking a look. 

 

Be safe and stay well.

 

Gary

[yvesvidal]

15 minutes ago, FriedClams said:

 

Okay...  I am giving up on this hobby... 😞

 

That is simply amazing. I am so glad to not work at 1/87th scale..... Your work is just incredible.

 

Yves

[Egilman]

In most shops, the front pully shroud would be removed to facilitate speed changes off the front pully rather than the rear one.... (one changed speeds by pushing down on the belt while turning the pully forcing the belt to jump to the next lower pully on the rear then pulling the belt while holding down to force the belt to the next larger pully on the front... you could change speeds in seconds this way without messing with the shroud...)

 

Excellent rendition of a must have shop tool....

 

Well Done!!!! 

Edited August 24, 2021 by Egilman

[mtaylor]

  No words.... just in awe.

[Keith Black]

Gary, incredible. 

[Old Collingwood]

Amazing work Gary,    so much fine detail.

 

OC.

[Canute]

Superb scratch-build. Best in show! Full points.

[CDW]

Hi Gary

 

I just found your build log for this wonderful project. It's simply beautiful and so much fun to see. Going to take my time and look very closely at all the photos just to take it all in. Fantastic craftsmanship. Love it.

[popeye the sailor]

agreed!.....very high marks for realism!   the drill press looks awesome