1/12th scale Cadillac V16 Roadster

[Camwader]

This is my latest project, which I really shouldn’t have started since I’ve got plenty of unfinished ones on the go – but I couldn’t resist.

 

I spotted this 1/12th scale ‘spares or repair’ Danbury Mint diecast 1930 Cadillac V16 Roadster on Ebay, and as I was the only person stupid enough to bid on it, it now sits in my garage.

 

It was the pride and joy of its original owner, but a curious grandson taking it off the shelf when he was unsupervised resulted in a pile of broken metal on the floor. The owner had a go at repairing it, but didn’t have the time to spend on it, so decided to move it on. He had stripped it down, and made a fairly good job of bagging and tagging the parts. He had started gluing the wings and running boards back together, but the alignment wasn't very good.

 

It didn’t take me long to realise that a return to mint condition was just not going to be viable. The zinc material that the wings are made of has the consistency of chalk. It’s incredibly brittle and just crumbles at the slightest provocation. 

 

My first thought was to turn the whole thing into a rusty hulk – create another barn find similar to a couple I’ve done before. But it seems a bit sacrilegious to do that to such a prestigious model, (though it would almost certainly be unique) so the current idea is to reproduce something that happened to these cars in the real world in the late 1930s. During the second world war trucks were hard to come by in civilian USA as the majority of production was going to the war effort, so older, larger and more powerful cars, like the Cadillac, were converted into tow trucks. Becoming a tow truck would suit this car, because the battered wings won’t look out of place. I’ll see how it goes.

 

[Vesa Jussila]

Really interesting.

[Pouln]

Indeed a very interesting project. Didn’t know that Danbury ever made 1:12 scale models. I always like the Danbury’s more than the FM models.

[Camwader]

One of the first jobs I’ve done on this project is to sort out a fault with the tyres. Almost every example of this model that I’ve seen photos of shows this fault, even on apparently factory fresh models. The white wall section and outer black section of the tyres are separate rubber parts, and the outer part ends up with a circumference that is much too large, such that a gap can clearly be seen between the parts. I’ve read reviews where the reviewer was not expecting this, and was rightly very disappointed that such a fault exists on a very expensive model. If I was a perfectionist, and if I was trying to return the model to a mint condition, the thing to do would be to mould new parts. But as I’m not, a cut and shut job creates a satisfactory result.

 

[Camwader]

Progress since last time - the wings have been fettled to achieve an acceptable fit to the chassis - I never saw the unbroken model so I don't know how badly the wings fitted originally, but it can't have been good. I have also mocked up a combined running board and floor assembly which will be folded in alumnium.

Just to show what a monster this Cadillac must have been, the last photo shows that the 1/12 Caddy is very nearly as long as the 1/8 Alfa Monza.

 

[Pouln]

It is quite unbelievable that those tires were done like that. Youve corrected that one. It is indeed a very big model. Shows how big the car has been 1:1.

 

[Camwader]

Latest progress - all four wings are now structurally repaired and primed. These will be bonded to the chassis - it’s the only practical approach  since the original method of screwing it all together is not on for various reasons. When trial fitting the wings it became apparent that the original one piece wings and running board castings were something of a compromise with respect to alignment accuracy. When the front and rear wings are in their optimum positions with respect to their own ends of the chassis, they are about 6mm closer together than they would have originally been. This means the tapped holes are out of alignment, and with the nature of the crumbling castings the threads are all ruined anyway. Drilling and tapping new threads just doesn’t work. The trailing edges of the front wings have been shortened by 6mm to allow the running board covers to fit, and the radiator is also going to need to move back a bit so the bonnet panels fit properly.

 

[JeroenS]

Great project, I like the idea of the tow truck / car. I really like your garage photo's as well, cool.

[Pouln]

Yes, I just noticed the scenery around the model. Makes it like a real workshop

[Camwader]

4 hours ago, Pouln said:

Yes, I just noticed the scenery around the model. Makes it like a real workshop

Poul, That is the intention - it adds a bit more fun to the project 😀

[Camwader]

The one piece aluminium replacement floor and running board support, shown mocked up in cardboard in an earlier post, is now bonded into place, and I've had a go at giving most of the bodywork an aged and distressed paint job.

My plan was, and still is, to replace the rear body with a truck cab and towing crane/platform - I was just going to ditch the rear body, but now, having painted it and worked out how to make it easy to fit, it's going to be interchangeable with the truck versions. 

 

[Camwader]

This is still a work in progress, but I consider it to be the completion of Stage 1 of the project. This is the scruffy old Cadillac on which the tow truck will be based. I’m putting this on hold for a while so I can get back to some other projects that this pushed aside. (Ignore the tube launched, optically tracked, wire guided description of 'tow' truck, I can't find a way to stop editor from adding that helpful suggestion. It would be a neat conversion but not really age appropriate for a 1930 Caddy).

 

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Camwader

[Vesa Jussila]

Looks realistic. I like.

[Camwader]

I'm back on the Caddy tow truck now, having just finished my Pocher Alfa Romeo. Started mocking up a cab today.

 

[apollogary]

Incredible work

[Camwader]

I've started fabricating the cab in aluminium sheet, and mocked up a pick-up bed. 

I have also found all the information that I need to build a period auto-crane to mount on the back - and ordered what I hope will be suitable gears for it, plus nuts and bolts.

 

[JeroenS]

Cool stuff! Nice work on that cab. 

[Camwader]

A little more progress on the cab.

 

[JeroenS]

Wow. How did you fill those lower left and right corners? I don't think it's alu sheet, is that filler? Did you back it from the inside first?

[Camwader]

2 hours ago, JeroenS said:

Wow. How did you fill those lower left and right corners? I don't think it's alu sheet, is that filler? Did you back it from the inside first?

Jeroen, It is as you guessed. I stuck a few strips of aluminium on the inside to roughly form the required curve, backed it with masking tape and filled from the outside using JB Weld adhesive. JB Weld sands down very nicely once fully cured.

[Camwader]

The cab is now more or less done - it just needs some windscreen wipers if I can be bothered, and some roof top spot lights. It's not really obvious there are no wipers. The cab works with either the screen shown, which I knocked up when I was planning to add door windows, or the original roadster screen.

While I’ve been working on the conversion, I’ve had a few other ideas for variations on the truck theme. This simple pick-up didn’t take too long; I like working in wood and I had everything I needed left over from other projects, so an easy choice. 

I think I should rename the project ‘Cadillac MPV’, as now it will have at least three roles; roadster, pick-up and tow-truck.

 

[Vesa Jussila]

Really impressive and this paint job is really realistic. Maybe I learn one day make similar.