Model A Huckster Group

[HarveyH]

Fred,

I'm building my Huckster mostly to carry my model airplanes between my house and the local R/C club's flying field. (I'm calling it my wooden flight box.) Most of the time it'll just be me but there may be an occasion when a friend may go too. If I ever get a second friend, he can run alongside.

Harvey

 

[Fred K-OR]

Fred,

I'm building my Huckster mostly to carry my model airplanes between my house and the local R/C club's flying field. (I'm calling it my wooden flight box.) Most of the time it'll just be me but there may be an occasion when a friend may go too. If I ever get a second friend, he can run alongside.

Harvey

With that plan, could be why you end up with few friends.

But looks like you know what you want with your rig and sounds like you have a great hobby. Good luck

 

[HarveyH]

Now that my chassis is almost finished, I'm gearing up to start cutting lumber. However, I have a coupla questions for those who built their own Huckster bodies: What degree of woodworking experience is required? Extensive cabinetmaking experience, or just the ability to nail two boards together with no more than 75% of the nails bent over?

And a similar question regarding woodworking tools: Will I need an extensive selection of basic and exotic hand and power tools, or can I get by with just two sizes of hammers and a crowbar?

I'm curious about what I'm getting myself into!

Harvey

 

[Fred K-OR]

Now that my chassis is almost finished, I'm gearing up to start cutting lumber. However, I have a coupla questions for those who built their own Huckster bodies: What degree of woodworking experience is required? Extensive cabinetmaking experience, or the ability to nail two boards together with no more than 75% of the nails bent over?

And a similar question regarding woodworking tools: Will I need an extensive selection of basic and exotic hand and power tools, or can I get by with just two sizes of hammers and a crowbar?

I'm curious about what I'm getting myself into!
Harvey

Harvey, answer to the first question is another question: What do you want it to look like? If you just want some wood on you chassis that holds together, then you can be just a "wood butcher" ( as my Dad use to call them) then all you need to know is how to saw and nail. But if you want it to look like a professional job, then you need the ability to do that. If you don't have this ability, then you may want to turn it over to someone that does or buy a complete body. (like I did because I was a "wood butcher)

Answer to the second question depends on which way you go based on the answer to the first question. If you want a professional look to it and you are capable to do that look, then you do need a number of specialized tools other than a saw and hammer. But to want a body without the professional look, a table saw would be handy along with a skill saw. Also a good power screw driver (assume you put it together with screws) would be handy.

So don't know if that answer your questions or not. But when I decided to use a huckster body on my rig, I knew I was not capable of doing in without some help even though I have has some experience with woodworking equipment (cut up fingers from long ago). I did look into buying a kit body that I would have had to put together but eventually decided on the complete body-got lazy.

Good luck with your project and have fun.

 

[HarveyH]

Good Morning Fred,

Yes, I should've been a little clearer in my post. I'm not a cabinetmaker by any means but I tend to be a perfectionist & overachiever. (See the attached pictures of how a model airplane hobby can get out of hand! ) And in support of those two character traits (often described as character FLAWS by my wife ), I like to determine a new project's needs (i.e. special skills and/or tools) well before the project gets underway.

I usually don't shy away from buying a particular tool that will undoubtedly make the work easier and better but I can't go hog-wild at the tool store either; especially for an expensive tool that I may end up using only once. Thus, my questions regarding any special tools or experience that I may need going into my Huckster's body build.

Harvey

 

[JDupuis]

Holy crap HarveyH: from model airplanes to that?.....
Be glad you didn't start building ships in a bottle! . Wow. Jeff

 

[Fred K-OR]

Harvey, like I mention above, I am not one that has the patience nor the skills to do some real fine wood work. If a person is going to do a job like build a huckster body, I assume you would want it to look "professional". So as I mentioned, I probably would not be a good person to recommend tools needed to do this kind of work because I have not done much of it.

I do have a table saw, skill saw, router, band saw, grinder, wood clamps, and a number of other hand tools. Some of these hand tools are some my Dad used years ago in his cabinet making days. Such things as planes, hand saws and other hand tools which I never learned how to use well.
I find these tools I mentioned above are adequate for the type of wood working I want to do. But if you want to do very fine wood work like you may want to put on a huckster body, you may need additional tools to help with the task. Maybe some other members of Ford Barn may have some suggestions on other tools.

BTW your pictures show some great "toys". I can see where your wife may have an idea about your character flaws. But like I tell my wife, I could be out playing golf every day and spending time and money or I can be spending time and money on my Model A's.

Good luck with your project. Hope someone else gives you some ideas as to the tools you may need.

 

[eswanson]

Harvey I did the wood body in 9 months with one primary friend coming over 1 night a week. I acquired a good compound miter saw, a router table and more sanding doodads than I could count. We did some stuff that we got super lucky with (ahem B pillar). I would also said an air nailer and a good hand plane for the rear bed are good. The one spot that we compromised on the blueprints was the roof. I built the support struts but instead of strips of wood we went with 1/4" ply on a hot midwest august day and Pringle shaped that thing with the nailer and hid the seam between one support.

If you go slow, have fun, don't drink all your beers before the project is finished for the night then it turns out really well.

 

[RAS]

Harvey,
Here’s a couple of pictures from a project I started years ago. Unfortunately life has gotten in the way and my project has been slow going. Like Fred, a table saw, band saw, and router table became my go to tools for the woodwork. A lot of mortice and tenons have been made using the table saw, a drill press, and ¼” chisel. The one thing that has surprised me is the amount of metal work such as braces, hinges, latches and such. I am by no means a perfectionist but I do take pride in my work. I didn’t start with a set of plans so there has been a lot of adjustments along the way. The tools I didn’t have I picked up, a used $50 sears bandsaw off craigslist. I now have more money in router bits than the used router and table I bought.
Like you I now have a rolling frame and as soon as I get the registration/title part taken care of I’ll get back to work. One thing for sure, I have enjoyed every piece of my project.

 

[HarveyH]

It IS looking good!

Harvey

 

[kenparker]

OK guys and girls I will post an update on the Huckster project to help keep this thread going.
I posted the beginnings of the project several mnths ago and pix 1 and 2 repeat that earlier post. Kinda where this idea started.

Then thru the spring ans summer with the help of Ally, the kid in the picture, I made lots of progress on the body and woodwork. Pix 3, 4, and 5 show some of that progress.

Pix 6 and7 are the front fenders still under reconstruction - long way to go.

 

[kenparker]

More pictures and more story to come. ken

 

[henry's 31]

Very nice work RAS. I am currently working on the chassis for a 1930 Station Wagon. It sure looks like you are doing it the correct way. Thanks for sharing.

 

[eswanson]

Ken,

I have seen a C body in pictures... Rainmaker Ron did one as one of his first builds and if I dig I'm sure I can find a picture or two of it as a 70's build. Good work and keep at it.

 

[rer_239]

What kind of wood is used to build s woodie? And what are the dimensions of the wood used as the frame. Looks bigger than 2x2. What is used for the flat panels?
Thanks
rer_239

 

[jhowes]

Fred ; I am a little confused??? You said that the club members with Mitchel OD would run by you on the hills when touring and I fail to see how a higher gear than stock would help people up any hill??? Jack

 

[HarveyH]

What kind of wood is used to build s woodie? Thanks
rer_239

I don't know why the professionally-built Hucksters and Station Wagons are built with a particular wood but many of the homebuilders seem to prefer Red Oak because it's readily available and cuts and finishes nicely. However, I'm planning to use White Oak on my own Huckster Van project because it's supposedly more resistant to humidity-induced "mold spotting". (And Lord knows we've got plenty of humidity here in SE Texas!)

And what are the dimensions of the wood used as the frame. Looks bigger than 2x2. What is used for the flat panels?
Thanks
rer_239

The answer to that question is dependent upon whether you're duplicating an original, or a modern professionally or amateur-built Huckster, Station Wagon, or ???

I strongly urge you to purchase a set of plans and follow their lumber callouts. Building without a set of plans or drawings would be difficult. (Not impossible, but definitely harder!) There are several sources of quality plans available for the amateur builder. I got mine from WagonWorks and I was quite humbled when I realized how much work, trial & error, and wasted money would have been required if I had tried to build one without plans!!!

Harvey

 

[fritznbud]

I bought mine the way it sits, except for the doors, and it's not professional by any means, but i love it just the way she is.

 

[Fred K-OR]

Fred ; I am a little confused??? You said that the club members with Mitchel OD would run by you on the hills when touring and I fail to see how a higher gear than stock would help people up any hill??? Jack

Jack, this trip was up to a ski area in Oregon. Here in Oregon, on roads going up to ski areas we do not have "hills" going up to ski areas. So I should have said "mountain" road. It was much more than just a hill.

With the Mitchel, the way I understand it, a person can shift down into 3rd gear under and have much more power and speed that I had in second gear with my stock ******. Anyway that is what I was pointing out.

 

[Fred K-OR]

What kind of wood is used to build s woodie? And what are the dimensions of the wood used as the frame. Looks bigger than 2x2. What is used for the flat panels?
Thanks
rer_239

rer_239 I can only speak for my huckster body which I purchased from Lentville A's. It is not a station wagon but rather a huckster.

It is made out of Red Oak with hardwood plywood panels for parts of the doors. The wood under the body, the wood that sits on the frame is made out of just standard 2 x 6. This gives a good "foundation" for the body.

I think you can still get plans for a woodies from Wagon Works. Their address and phone is: 213 SW Kline, Ankeny, IA 50023 515-964-5085. I know they had an ad in the back of the last Restore magazine.

Harvey above has some very good ideas. And the idea of using white Oak, that he mentions is a good idea. With the red oak that my rig is made out of, he is correct in that the red oak does take a lot of work to keep it from turning black. We live in "rainy" Oregon and that is a problem.