Styling Models

[Walt G]

I looked over all the titles/topics here and didn't see one that this would fit in the best so here goes.

The car companies - large /small, conglomerate or independent had models made for cars full size or even just parts of cars.

What you see here I have in my collection. The wood carved unpainted piece is for a fender for the 1931 larger wheelbase ( 132 inch) Franklin. before a full size mock up was made wood models were done looking at artwork rendered by the drafting dept. at Franklin that was headed by a fine gentleman named Leo Gerst of Syracuse, NY. I knew Leo and spent hours talking to him about Franklins and his work, working conditions, etc. all this over 50 years ago and I remember all of it. Most insightful as to how it really was at the factory( which I did walk around in the early 1970s)

the scale model car was made and displayed at a G.M. body plant. in the early 1950s . I bought it from a relative of a man that worked at the body plant who rescued the model when the plant was shut down and was being cleaned out and everything being thrown away.

I have also added a photo of the Franklin that the fender style was fitted to.

 

[plymouthcranbrook]

I hope I am not altering your thread Walt with this but it is a promotional model used by Chrysler to develop interest in the either 1953 or 1954 Plymouth line. It is cast metal and has never been painted.  The information I received indicates it was never used. Apparently most of these were plastic that the dealers got.  I have not removed the plastic covering that it had from the maker. Made by Banthrico from what I was told.

 

 

[Walt G]

Yes, Branthrico made promotional models that were given away to perspective customers and were cast pot metal. Plastic promotional models with a metal chassis and friction motor eventually replaced the cast metal ones.

This is good at BUT - PLEASE everyone do not post all the pictures of promotional models you have that date from the 1940s and up here! Thank You. that would make a good addition to the thread on toys, etc. that already exists.  Factory styling models specific to production and that were not given away to customers to draw them into buy a car is what this topic is about.

Walt

[TAKerry]

Walt, I am sure it has been said here before but the level of knowledge you bring to the AACA and this forum regarding 'people in the know' is priceless. I look forward to learning something new every time I read one of your posts.

[1937hd45]

Thanks Walt. Always good to read about meeting with the people that made these cars and parts back in the day. Most of this stuff was never photographed and it is a mystery how all the bits were originally made. 

[Walt G]

Thanks guys, I try to "play it forward" what I have been so fortunate to be in the right place and the right time over the decades. I am not a hoarder of anything, do not feel superior because I may have or know something someone else may not.  That is just - ( use your own profane words here) . I was an art teacher, so wanted kids to have the same good feeling of accomplishment or knowledge that I got over the years. Even with the period photographs - I have been a historian for decades of non car subjects as well. If some of us who can,  do not pass it on then it gets lost , maybe forever. The little details that seem insignificant can put a whole spin on what was going on "then" that perhaps made the whole picture come into focus - how and why. Yes, I have always thought out of the box and taken the road/path less traveled.

Edited February 3, 2023 by Walt G (see edit history)

[8E45E]

3 hours ago, Walt G said:

I looked over all the titles/topics here and didn't see one that this would fit in the best so here goes.

The car companies - large /small, conglomerate or independent had models made for cars full size or even just parts of cars.

What you see here I have in my collection. The wood carved unpainted piece is for a fender for the 1931 larger wheelbase ( 132 inch) Franklin. before a full size mock up was made wood models were done looking at artwork rendered by the drafting dept. at Franklin that was headed by a fine gentleman named Leo Gerst of Syracuse, NY. I knew Leo and spent hours talking to him about Franklins and his work, working conditions, etc. all this over 50 years ago and I remember all of it. Most insightful as to how it really was at the factory( which I did walk around in the early 1970s)

the scale model car was made and displayed at a G.M. body plant. in the early 1950s . I bought it from a relative of a man that worked at the body plant who rescued the model when the plant was shut down and was being cleaned out and everything being thrown away.

I have also added a photo of the Franklin that the fender style was fitted to.

 

That reminds me of the famous architect LeCorusier, who wisely stuck to designing buildings.  His 'Voiture Minimum' concept, never progressed beyond a wooden model stage:  

 

https://www.cardesignnews.com/concept-car-of-the-week/concept-car-of-the-week-le-corbusiers-voiture-minimum-1936/24910.article

 

All was not lost.  Citroen picked up on the idea as the basis for their famous and long-running 2CV.

 

Craig

 

Edited February 3, 2023 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[Gary_Ash]

Following the 1932 Indy 500 race, Studebaker hired a young graduate student at Univ. of Michigan to run wind tunnel tests on a model of the 1932 car and on designs for versions for a 1933 Indy car.  The models survive, about 1:12 scale, were built in the Studebaker shops.  The very accurate 1932 model included a driver and riding mechanic with faces based on Studebaker engineering staff.  I thought I had photos of the 1933 models but can't find them.  The styling changes MAY have added a few mph, but other engine changes may have been the real cause.   Oh, and the young graduate student?  Kelly Johnson, later head of the Lockheed Skunk Works.

 

Here are factory photos from 1933.

Left side of 1932 model.

 

Right side of 1932 model.

 

Bottom of 1932 model.

 

Figures from models.  They are even wearing suits and ties!

 

1933 car based on wind tunnel studies.  Slippery shape but no air flow to cool the driver and mechanic.

 

[SC38dls]

Gary, when are you going to make a replica of the 33 model? 
dave s 

[Crusty Trucker]

9 hours ago, Walt G said:

The scale model car was made and displayed at a G.M. body plant. in the early 1950s . I bought it from a relative of a man that worked at the body plant who rescued the model when the plant was shut down and was being cleaned out and everything being thrown away.

 

This model is very reminiscent of the models made by students and submitted to GM every year through the 50's and 60's through the GM competition for scholarships. I recall wanting to join the contests, but was too young and lacked the finesse at the time to construct a well finished piece. I believe it was the Fisher Body Division that sponsored the annual competition.

 

 

 

[Walt G]

The model  that I show was indeed one of the models that was at the GM model competition. It went to the GM plant as I can document that but was told by someone that the model was duplicated - why I am not sure and that does not make sense as they had the competitions every year as you state. there was a book written on them and a show of former models a few years ago.

[f.f.jones]

49 minutes ago, Walt G said:

...there was a book written on them and a show of former models a few years ago.

 

 

Here's the book you mentioned.

(I have no personal interest or stake in the sale of this publication)

 

 

https://www.fisherguild.com/

[Larry Schramm]

Here is me with my 2 Fisher Body Craftsman Guild models that I made in 1966 & 1967.  Don't laugh too hard. 

 

I still have the two models.

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[alsancle]

11 minutes ago, Larry Schramm said:

Here is me with my 2 Fisher Body Craftsman Guild models that I made in 1966 & 1967.  Don't laugh too hard. 

 

I still have the two models.

 

 

I love it!  I still have my drawings I did as an 11 year old of what my idea of a cool car would be.   I probably should get them framed.

[Walt G]

Larry, thanks so much my friend, wonderful to see the photos - never knew that about you. Not all schools participated in that as they would have had to bother to get the details and then answer questions, possibly provide time and materials etc. This is a very important part of automotive history  the Franklin Company in Syracuse, NY had wood models made as well especially in the mid 1920s when they were in the midst of a total styling change to be able to sell more cars. Coach builders would have their wood workers make bodies in scale to show perspective customers ( car manufacturers) what could be coming their way next. Marmon as well made full detail scale models that were featured in a autom0otive magazine in the same late teens early 1920s era. Budd body Co. had a huge amount of styling prototype models made in wood. I did a story on all of this that was published. this is a Franklin sedan wood model - it is huge and was made in New England as a possibility for the body company to get a run for production coachwork.

[Jim Skelly]

Walt,

 

I don't recall if Dad picked up the booklet from work or if I wrote to Fisher Body for the guidelines.  Back then, GM plants had a large rack of booklets covering various topics.

 

 

Some schools may have participated but I think it was mostly a do-it-yourself project.  I never ended up building a model.  There went my budding career as an auto designer. 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Jim Skelly (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

fun topic

[Walt G]

Here is one of the Budd Company wood models , they had to have a team working non stop on these they made many , including cut a ways that were half a car. All this stuff tells you what it was like "then" and allows us to see the skill and craftsmanship that was going on then . How many hours , days , weeks did it take to complete one of these. No computers to generate an image , all paper and pencils with erasers. these were not small models!

[alsancle]

A buddy of mine had an uncle who was a model maker for General Electric.  He had this insane set of chisels that my buddy now has.  That was when I first learned that companies would model products in wood and have these artisans who were highly skilled with the chisel.

[JamesR]

On 2/4/2023 at 7:04 AM, Larry Schramm said:

Here is me with my 2 Fisher Body Craftsman Guild models that I made in 1966 & 1967.  Don't laugh too hard. I still have the two models.

 

Laugh? Are you kidding?? I'm in AWE! Seriously. What a great time to be a kid AND interested in automotive styling.

[JamesR]

On 2/3/2023 at 9:55 AM, Walt G said:

 

 

Walt, that model is stunning! Was is shaped from wood or clay? If it's wood it still has a great sheen to it. Thanks for sharing the picture. I used to stare at pictures of stuff like this for hours  in car books when I was a kid.

[Larry Schramm]

6 hours ago, JamesR said:

 

Laugh? Are you kidding?? I'm in AWE! Seriously. What a great time to be a kid AND interested in automotive styling.

 

Unfortunately GM over the years discontinued many of the activities that connected them with the local community.  The Fisher Body Craftsman Guild was one.  One with probably a bigger presence was the Soap Box Derby where kids would buy their wheels, axles, etc from the local Chevrolet dealer.  There was a lot of community interaction between GM and the communities they operated along with the dealers.   That sense of community I believe is gone never to return.

 

PS:  After those two years I realized that I was not going to be a stylist, so I became an electrical engineer routing electrons through wires.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[Walt G]

9 hours ago, JamesR said:

that model is stunning! Was is shaped from wood or clay? If it's wood it still has a great sheen to it

It is wood, all of it, no fillers etc. the trim is aluminum and I still can't imagine working on that to get it to not only form to shape but just to make it. Headlamp lens are plastic and one is missing. It was put away in a box someplace for decades and sunlight did not hit the surface so paint is not faded, I had to gently polish it to get it back to the luster it had when new. Very heavy. I will take a picture of the bottom to show how the pieces were assembled and post. Also give you the dimensions. Painted in lacquer, door handles recessed and working windshiled wipers. what was made was pinned in place to allow the wiper to be moved if you want it to , function by hand power.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Walt G
spelling error (see edit history)

[Gary_Ash]

In high school, I wanted to become a car designer.  Then, someone said to me, "Fine, if you want to do that, you'll have to live in Detroit!"

 

So, like Larry Schramm, I became an electrical engineer...

[Walt G]

3 hours ago, Walt G said:

It is wood, all of it, no fillers etc

CORRECTION just took a photo of the underside that I will post later today. Wheels and base/chassis are wood the rest is some kind of really thick cast resin . so that tells me it was made of clay then a mold cast of the clay and the resin poured into the mold.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Walt G (see edit history)

[8E45E]

Some of Studebaker's scale models:

 

https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/89806-studebaker-styling-dept-featured-in-november-1947-mechanix-illustrated

 

https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/48129-termite-s-delight-would-you-have-bought-one-of-these-in-1950  (click link)

 

And Studebaker also build full-size wooden mockups as well:  https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/58934-any-woodsmen-out-there-how-about-this

 

And a larger than life wooden Studebaker:  https://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/forum/your-studebaker-forum/general-studebaker-specific-discussion/90616-giant-1931-studebaker-convertible-reduced-to-ashes

 

Craig

[Larry Schramm]

My cars are solid wood.

[Tph479]

 1932 packard being carved.

[edinmass]

I have seen that model in a collection.

[Gary_Ash]

Here are two videos about Sam Sandifer who has the the National Museum of Automotive Design in Wilson, NC.  He has LOTS of models of old cars.

 

and also:

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by Gary_Ash (see edit history)

[30DodgePanel]

On 2/5/2023 at 12:48 PM, Walt G said:

Here is one of the Budd Company wood models , they had to have a team working non stop on these they made many , including cut a ways that were half a car. All this stuff tells you what it was like "then" and allows us to see the skill and craftsmanship that was going on then . How many hours , days , weeks did it take to complete one of these. No computers to generate an image , all paper and pencils with erasers. these were not small models!

 

Here's another wood example of the full Budd body of a panel with a partial varnish sample. 

I've always wondered, did they take photos of every step of the process or were the photos randomly taken?

 

 

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by 30DodgePanel (see edit history)

[Walt G]

5 hours ago, 30DodgePanel said:

I've always wondered, did they take photos of every step of the process or were the photos randomly taken?

This was not a random task on the part of Budd. I have a stack of large format b & w photographs taken by Budd that were mounted on linen and then had an extra 2 inch plus piece added to mount them in a binder with a hard cover. The stack I have is about 3+ inches thick, over 100 photographs. My guess is that they took so many to then choose what to send to car manufacturers as publicity to show what they could do for the car manufacturers to suggest styling - trim at belt moldings, window style, blank quarter panels at belt line etc. all to get business to be the place to have the body panels stamped out. Photos were physical evidence of what they promised they could do and I am sure were shared with the stylists and design staff of the car manufacturers. One model may have two completely different belt line or cowl styling, windshield visor etc one half for each side to show a variation. No computer generated change at the touch of a tab. All hand made out of wood to accurately resemble a real car. Amazing detail

[stakeside]

Great discussion.

Before there were video games and computers you found other ways to entertain yourself. At the age of 15, I chose to draw pictures of cars. When I found out about the Fisher Body Guild I entered my car design in the 1958 Junior Guild competition.

I completed a design of my car and then made a clay model prototype. I then craved a solid wood model out of redwood. Living in No California there was plenty of clay and kiln dried redwood available.

I had little assistance and was able to submit my model to the 1958 competition. Time constraints made it hard to add head lights, taillights and trim. Note the hub caps were the tops of the spray paint canisters.

This is a true survivor indeed and survived a rough journey including an attack of a poodle that chewed on it.

I did get a Honorable Mention and the program guild.

Thanks for reference to book about the Guild competition. I will get a copy.

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by stakeside
E (see edit history)

[8E45E]

On 2/9/2023 at 8:58 AM, Walt G said:

My guess is that they took so many to then choose what to send to car manufacturers as publicity to show what they could do for the car manufacturers to suggest styling - trim at belt moldings, window style, blank quarter panels at belt line etc. all to get business to be the place to have the body panels stamped out. Photos were physical evidence of what they promised they could do and I am sure were shared with the stylists and design staff of the car manufacturers. 

I believe Kaiser Aluminum did the same with aluminum trim pieces in different shapes, multiple textures, and anodized in several different colors.  I saw a 1-page ad in some 1950's trade magazine, but I would bet Kaiser Aluminum had several books with samples of aluminum trim to present to automakers (and other non-automotive industries.)    I believe Rohm & Haas did the same for plastic trim around the same time.

 

Craig