Introduction: Metal Historic Racer

About: Magpies always got their hands on the best digs!

So I've had a hankering to make a historic racer, vintage and cool these are from a time period where men were men and sheep were scared.. The make it move contest was a go so as always I leave it last minute but here we go.

The model is comprised of metal but any paper, card board and plastics are a good alternative, dont let your mind be a limitation to creativity! Lets digress fellows

Step 1: Tools and Parts

So I drew out what I thought would be the right proportions, if youre in doubt of the name, check out Bichester heritage or google vintage racer, they catch the eye easily and you'll know what they are right away, all of them with different characters and quirks.

Handtools n powertools

So tool wise I used the standard Budgiecake budget build tools, I've added a picture for visual aid but I found I used the pliers, tin snips and hacksaw the most, and of course a welder but glue is a good substitute!

Parts

What gives these machines their quirky look is the long bodies and wheels, I wanted to capture the size of the wheels to body but still have them turn, washers, pennies and valve tops were all part of the design brief, I went for valve tops but If I didn't have access to car parts id defiantly use a old washer since the hole is pre drilled! For the wheel bolt I used a dome top that adds a softer character but any old bolt will do, were not creating art here guys! For the chassis I used a old socket rail, not sure why because sheet metal will do just as good.; body is sheet metal off-cuts and the little visor is from a old bottle.

I had full intentions in adding this to the colours of the rainbow but it turned out more browny blue than orange like I hoped, for the kinda orange look I used old rust sheet.

Step 2: Templates

Take a good hard look at you car, then draw the rough outline so it doesn't slip the memories, I used my wheels as a visual aid to scale the car. I've added the dimensions and also feel free to print it out and scale it to your wheels. I also added some small rivets and louvres which I forgot in the end but I had full intentions of punching them in. Get creative at this point as its your car, its just a body on wheels, your imagination is what will make your model cool and edgy.

Step 3: Hubs and Chassis

Hubs and chassis is what the functionality of the car comes down to, I have welded the nuts onto the chassis and found out the socket rail was too short, which is why extended mine with sheet, if I was redoing it I would make the full chassis out of sheet metal which is probably the best advice I can give you fellas and fellettes.

I welded the hubs on by clamping the nut in the vice and offering up the sheet and tacking, theres nothing more than that to say, visual aid above just in case im talking gibberish ..

Step 4: Bending and Forming

So time for the body work, the dimensions on my car means I can use a 21mm bolt thread to use as a rolling die, but any round stock will do. so Im making the back piece but this applies for the front tube as well, I bent one rear hoop and two fronts so I can have a body line adding extra things to look at why not? Ive added some pictures, I seem to have lost the photo of the size panel being made, but its pretty self explanatory. If you bend the rears, glue or weld them on and then the front bonnet you can then fill the cockpit gap with you chosen material trimming it to size, these side panels are only flat sheet.

Step 5: Nick Nacks for Detail

Your car is almost done, hasn't taken very long, even less if you didn't read the other steps and just built it like a boss man!

Steering wheel

I wanted a steering wheel, no function but it looks pretty cool? For that I have used a small washer, rivet and split pin, bent and cut them to the length I need or you will need for your car and it sits inside the bonnets and connects to the front hub and drivers compartment.

Exhaust

My exhaust was made from a old rivet head, I bent it in the vice using a small hammer and fingers and just welded it to the side of the car, these parts of the build are very simple and can make it look like youre a detail master

Step 6: Ready Set Go

So its the end of this chapter, just a quick one from the desk, I hope you enjoyed, I love my racer and is good fun seeing how fast I can push him between my hands while I'm waiting for a game to load up. As always, comment if you liked it, I love chatting and someone show us if you made one? Who knows, we could make a collection, the finest car manufactures in all of Instuctables !

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