First piece done...mostly

We had quite a productive week in the scenic shop.  I decided to tackle Clyde's 1934 Ford as my first project for a couple of reasons.  First off, it is probably the most complicated piece of the set that I had to build, and second, I had the old truck from Grapes of Wrath to use as a base.  If I did the car first, then the old truck is out of my way for subsequent work.





Wednesday
My father and I built the original truck in 2010 in his garage in Beckemeyer, IL.  Since we, together, figured it out then, I thought that it might be nice to have him help me give it a significant facelift.  He got to the shop about 10AM.  We removed the old body and disassembled it into a couple of smaller pieces that would fit into the storage loft.  That way, if it ever needs to become a truck again (unlikely), the pieces are there to redo it.  The Ford Deluxe had a very narrow, sloping grille, so we started by making the grille and getting it fixed in place, between the fenders.  We then built back with luan and 2x2's to create the hood.  A sheet of chipboard formed the radiused top.

Next, we cut down the frame, making the car only 80 inches long.  That way it can stand on the back of the seat and fit through a standard door.  After re-attaching the rear legs and wheels, we constructed the seat and "doors".  Melanie got to the shop around 4 and she and I finished things up when dad headed home.

Thursday

Sharon was in the office Thursday, so after we got things caught up for U-Studios, she and I headed to the shop and painted.  First the grille and chrome accents.  Then the fenders got a warm, dark gray.  After an hour of drying time, we returned to the shop, blacked out any new wood underneath and then coated the body with a lighter, green-gray that is reminiscent of the gray that Ford used on their cars in the mid 1930's.

I reused the wheels and tires from the old Grapes truck as well.  They were trailer tires that had been scrapped by a local trailer and camper store.  I painted the metal rims a dark red and used white latex house trim paint to turn them into white-walls because every good gangster car from the 30's has white-walls.  These will bolt on to the end of the front axle after the car is in the theater and doesn't need to move around anymore.  Otherwise...too heavy.

The running greyhound hood ornament from an actual 1934 Ford came in the mail on Wednesday. So the last thing that I did was to mount it with some construction adhesive on to the radiator cap at the nose of the car... nice touch.







Saturday
I picked up a foam rubber mattress pad and grabbed an old roll of white vinyl material that has been in my basement since I reupholstered an old boat 10 years ago.

At the shop, I upholstered the "interior" of the car so that it looks like white leather.  Then focused my attention on adding mirrors and headlights.  Finally, I worked out the front bumper and the windshield and got those painted silver and installed.  The last thing on the to-do list for Saturday was to make a 1934 Texas license plate. Bonnie and Clyde were in Texas when they stole what was reported to be a brand new gray Ford Deluxe V8 because Clyde thought that it was the fastest car made at the time. It got them out of a lot of sticky situations, easily outrunning the police cars of the day. Ultimately, it would be the same car that they were ambushed in and shot to death.

There are still a few chrome pieces to to add when they get here: fog lights on the front, chrome hub caps, a self-adhesive FORD logo below the hood ornament, and a large, old-fashioned steering wheel.

I did take a little bit of artistic license with the car. First off, it is 2/3 scale...one full-size vehicle on stage this year is enough!  I stylized it a bit because Scott and I agreed that the whole show is a dream or a flash-back. So the front end slopes back a little more than a real 1934 Ford so that it looks faster and sleeker, because that was how Clyde saw it in his mind.  Finally, I made it a convertible.  The car that Clyde stole was a 4-door sedan.  But the roof on these was low and the windows narrow.  If I put a hard top on it, the audience would never see Bonnie and Clyde sitting in the car.

In the mean time, I am gearing up for the next pieces to build.  I have some old set pieces that I intend to repurpose.  I hope to move those to the theater later this week since it is empty for the month of August.  Anything that I can get out of the shop, just gives me more room.  I will just spread them out on the stage floor and paint them there before installing them.



Next to make on my agenda will be the gas station, complete with an old-time gas pump.  That should be a fun one.  Looking forward to it.  :)






Until next time, go see a show somewhere.  The artists appreciate it...
R