All balsa wood construction scratch built 1959 Cadillac coupe from November of 1975.

 Here is a model that I have not paid any attention to for years and years. To tell you the truth, I kind of forgot that I still have this thing. It is kept in a really dark and secluded spot in my hobby room. It dates all the way back to the same year I got my 5 speed Schwinn Corvette bicycle, only in the fall of that year, right before I turned 18.

Series sixty-two 1959 Cadillac coupe is a scratch built model that I made in November of 1975 entirely out of hand shaped balsa wood, except of course for the window "glass". I was a senior in high school when I made this. I did it because at the time, there were no model kits of this car available, and I wanted one. Plus the fact by that time, 1959 Cadillacs were considered to be just old junk, and not worth anything by the general public. So I drew up plans for it, based on some pictures of a 1959 Cadillac that was sitting in front of the Goodwill building on N. Plum Street in Lancaster, and a coupe picture I found in a magazine. When I was done with it, I took it in to my high school, and showed it to my industrial arts teacher, and he really thought it was neat. It is approximately 1/22 scale, about 10 + inches long.

Jim.

"Buick '59." (As in the AMT 1/25 scale type!)

Here is an old model junkyard salvage job, that I got at the big AACA car show flea market area in the fall of 1984 for about $30.00. When I got it from the vendor, it had scars on it from having long custom fenderskirts that were glued onto the quarter panels. It also had some other holes in it from having the usual spotlights, antennae, and other useless  late 1950's era customizing garbage mounted on the thing. One roof pillar was cracked, and about ready to fall out. All and all, for an original 1959 3'n'1 kit, it was in darn good shape. Other than being missing one wheel cover, and the taillights, this model did not need all that much body filler work to bring it up to factory stock condition. I made my own wheel cover mold out of  Elmer's type glue, using one of the original wheel covers to make the mold. After the glue totally dried in about a day, I pulled the hubcap off the glue, and it left a perfect impression of the part in all it's fine detail. After the  glue mold was totally cured, in about a day, I filled it up with a casein type two part glue, and left this cure for about 3 days.  I was able to pop the new wheelcover out of the mold intact, and,"Walla!!", I had my fourth wheel cover, made out of all things, solidified casein glue. Just a note. Casein two part glue was an industrial electronically cured adhesive that was used in the woodworking industry up to the mid to late 1980's, when it was ruled illegal to make, sell, or use anymore in the United States, as one of it's main ingredients was formaldahyde, which according to our government has been proven hazardous to our health. So this type of glue is no longer available in the U.S. .

 Orthographic 3/4 driver's side front view.

  Passenger side view, showing right rear wheel cover that is made out of  casein glue that is normally electronically cured, but it was capable of air curing in about 3 days.

  Driver's side view.

 The chrome on this thing was,(is) in kind of crappy shape, so I just touched it up as best I could, back in 1984, when I got this model. It was not painted when I got it, so that made it easier for me to pretty much paint it whatever color I wanted, so  I used Testors light blue on it, and a dark flat blue for the interior. I hand painted on the exterior "chrome" trim using Testors silver. I had to black out the entire grille opening, first as the original chrome plating was really weak there. After the flat black was dry there,I went over,and repainted the grille "squares" silver, one at a time, very carefully, with a really small detail paint brush. I detailed this model the best I could at the time, considering that by that time, I did not have very much access as to how the interior of a 1959 Buick Invicta is supposed to be colored. I still think I did okay. I think I could probably do a better job today.

  This kit was only issued by AMT three times. The first time, of course was when it was issued new in the fall of 1958, for the new 1959 car model year. It was issued again, I was told, in 1963, as part of their "Craftsman Series" of kits of select cars. The final issue of this kit was as part of a Mexican road race series of cars they issued in 1969. It was able to be built stock. This  kit is what would be called a "curbside model" as it has no engine, or an opening hood, as was customary for the early  annual model car kits of American cars issued in the late 1950's. After this kit was issued in 1969, as the "Boondock Bomber" it has not been reissued since, as it is believed the molds for this kit were either lost or destroyed.

  I found the missing taillights I needed for this model, from my model car parts stash bin.

  Gotta love that GRILLE!!

  Dashboard detail.

 Just like the old Doowop song by the Medallions, "....Gonna get me a Buick '59!!"

Jim.

Some bikes that I rebuilt/restored recently

It has been a while since I did any kind of posts pertaining to my old bike hobby in which I indulge so much time in. In the last two years, I have rebuilt one bike, and have rebuilt/ customized/ repainted another one. They are both the same model Schwinn bicycle, but two different years.

I just finished basically restoring a Radiant Blue Schwinn 1959 Mark IV Jaguar, back to factory specifications. This is a factory equipped Sturmy-Archer 3 speed internal gearing hub, with thumb shifter bike with hand brakes. It entailed a partial repaint of the frame, and a total stripping, and repainting of the horn tank, and chainguard. The bike was totally ripped down. All the parts were totally cleaned one part at a time, and the bad parts were replaced as needed with period correct parts that I got over friends on old bike forums, eBay, and bicycle swap meets. It involved getting replacement decals for the tank and chainguard, as well as pinstriping for the tank. Banging dents out of the original stainless steel fenders is always fun,(not!) It also involved using a 1958 parts bike to get some of the sorely needed parts that are not being reproduced, and I had to find nice original parts for, such as these correct bolt through bow pedals. Unique to 1959 are these Italian made "CEV" brand headlights. These are the most difficult items to find in any condition, let alone in this nice of shape, without paying through the nose for it. I found this one for five bucks in a headlight grab box bin at a bicycle swap meet last year in Trexlertown. Correct style rear reflector is a reproduction piece that Schwinn, themselves reissued in 2003. I was able to find an automotive touch up spray can paint that was an absolute match for this candy blue metallic paint.You cannot tell the difference where the new paint stops on the frame, and where the original paint starts, it blends in that nice! This is a very beautiful, fully functional "new" 1959 bike again! It has all new cables, with aftermarket period correct blue and white cable wrap, as well as correct reproduction Schwinn Westwind whitewall tires, like these bikes were equipped with when new.

Here are images of the blue 1959 bike.

Jim.

Celebrating the Heritage of Schwinn

Here is a photo I took of two of my antique Schwinn bikes with my son's 2003 Schwinn S-30 21 speed all terrain bike. To the left of that is my 1959 Mk.IV Jaguar 3 speed,which I have owned since 1978. To the right is my all original 1967 Collegiate 5 speed in violet, that I got in 2007.

Jim.