Tutorial: BTTF Doc's Red Wind-Up car *lots of Pics*

[slave1pilot]

I was inspired by Jedifyfe's awesome BTTF collection and wanted to have a memorable prop from "Back to the Future" so I settled on the Wind-up toy car that Doc uses to represent the Delorean on his crudely built, out of scale, and unpainted model of Hill Valley discussed in this thread;
http://www.therpf.com/f9/red-back-future-tin-car-87895/

I searched for the correct color Cadillac convertible Friction car, but was unable to find one that was red and white.
well, that's not exactly true. I did find a red and white one; :lol

Too bad it's backwards, so I had to make it correct.
hence this thread.
First of all, you have to find the correct car.
Be aware that there are a few similar cars, and one is almost identical except it is missing the Cadillac script on the front fenders. You do not want that one.
Ideally, you want this one;

NOT THIS ONE.

It's very similar, but is missing the script and has the wrong wheels.

NOT THIS ONE;

same issues and the wrong chrome on the hood.

Okay, now that we know what to look for let's get started.

If you have to repaint, you'll need to disassemble the car or tape it off. I recommend disassembly.
Turn the car over and you will see 10 screws holding the body on.

Remove those and the body comes off

there are 2 screws holding the front and rear bumpers on

there are 4metal tabs holding the "cockpit" in
2 on the sides and 2 that hold the windshield in
bend those back carefully and slip the interior out

now remove the windshield by bending back the other 2 tabs

I would advise getting a few zipl-loc bags to keep all the trim pieces in.
Next, we move on to all the chrome trim.
The chrome is just plated plastic . The plastic has tabs that are pushed through the body and either melted in or glued over.
If it's melted, you'll have to grind the mushroomed pieces off or melt them enough to push back through the body. I would suggest a soldering iron to melt the tabs.
Mine was glued over. The glue flakes off with an X-acto knife making removal easier than I expected.
To remove the rear wheel well trim, you also have a tab holding it on. The Tab is circled in Yellow and the plastic is circled in purple

Here's all of the pieces that need removed.

Place all those bits in a plastic bag. Make sure that you don't lose the Cadillac emblems or chevrons. They are tiny.

Now, lets move back to the interior.
The dash is glued on to the cockpit in 2 spots

To remove the dash for better paint coverage, just insert a screwdriver and carefully pop it off. If it's already white (lucky you) skip this part LOL

Here it is.

Be sure that you use a quality primer before painting. This is very important.
I use Flex-Fill Automotive primer.
Amazon.com: SFX FLEX FILL GREY 16OZ Dominion Sure Seal: Automotive

I painted the Interior Gloss white, but semi-gloss would probably be better.

And the body is Rustoleum "Sun Red". I wetsanded inbetween the first and second coats to make it all smooth and pretty

Let the paint dry.
Get that? LET THE PAINT DRY!

Stay tuned for re-assembly.

 

[slave1pilot]

I have let the paint dry overnight. Those of you in cooler, more humid climates should let it dry longer.
Before we re-install all of the chrome trim, we need to clean the holes out were the new paint has been sprayed.
The easiest way to do this is with an X-acto knife blade. just insert it in the hole and twist. This will clean all of the paint out and allow the plastic trim to go back in.

see the difference?

Now re-install all of the chrome trim AND the cover for the convertible top. You may have to glue them all from the back or if you are lucky melt the heads down with a soldering iron.
Also, on the rear wheel-wells you'll need to bend the metal tabs back down to hold the trim in place

You should be here now

The tabs on the windshield may need to be straightened out to fit back in. Just use a pair of pliers and make them straight

After you push the tabs through, bend the 2 front tabs down (yellow) NOT THE REAR 2 (Blue)

The rear tabs are to hold the cockpit in. Which you can now slide back into place.

You should look like this now

I put the body back on the chassis for pics, but You'll need to leave it off to drill the holes for the wind-up key and Pencil with the lightning rod hook. We'll also need to fabricate a cover for the backseat.

Stay tuned, we'll get to that stuff next...

 

[Jedifyfe]

Nate, that is sick!!!

I got your PM and what I did for the key was use an average metal coat hanger and bend it to look correct. The real prop's "key" was not a real wind up key anyway.

As for the placement of the key and antenae, I eyeballed it from screen used pics.

The length of the lightning rod was also a guess. I believe the real rod was a found piece. It looks like it has a loop on the end of it. I used brass wire from a hobby shop until I can source the real piece.

Look at the lightning rod from this pic from Ketzer.com:

 

[slave1pilot]

Thanks brad, I'm pretty happy with it so far.
It's hard to tell it was white now.

I have scoured the interwebs searching for more pics of the car, but I all I could find was the one pic of the Ketzer car.

Does anyone have any reference at all?

 

[Jedifyfe]

Does anyone have any reference at all?

Here ya go:

 

[slave1pilot]

Brad, awesome pics
I had never seen those
Weird that I took pics that look exactly like those yesterday without having seen the ones you posted.
See?

so...
I was thinking about the key.
I really think it's a found item.
Not a wind-up key, but a key like they had on Spam, sardines, corned beef ,etc.
Like this one;

Now to find one that's about the right size.

 

[Jedifyfe]

That's a great idea Nate. Let me know what you find.

so...
I was thinking about the key.
I really think it's a found item.
Not a wind-up key, but a key like they had on Spam, sardines, corned beef ,etc.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Just noticing this now. GREAT work on your car! This is one I've been looking at getting for a long time now.

 

[slave1pilot]

I was thinking of the Spam cans of long ago

Unfortunately, most companies have the pull tops now.
I looked at lots of cans today after work and none had the key.

 

[luke moonwalker]

Great thread Slave1pilot and awesome reference pics Brad!

I just picked up a pink Fifties caddy for $10 plus $7 shipping on the Bay! I'd made a replica years ago from the slightly inaccurate version.

I'm assuming that 9V connector is wired up to a motor that drives the wheels and the friction "motor" was removed. I also assume the wires and contacts on the bottom were to set off the pyro when it crossed a certain point on the table?

http://www.screenused.com/images/bttf1/car/red_car_8.jpg

Any idea what the plug looking connector is?

-Jay

 

[slave1pilot]

I saw the Hot Pink car on ebay and almost picked it up as a second.:lol

After looking more closely at these screen caps, I'm retracting my idea of it being a can key.
It's obviously brass or copper. So, I'll be making mine out of welding rod.
I think the prop guys might have also used a welding rod since it would be readily available in the shop.

Looks like the little tab in the back sets off the pyrotechnics when it crosses the plate on the table.

I guess I should add the little tab too.

 

[Hogosha]

Nate,
That is great work on the car! I will keep an eye out for a can key!

 

[Charles Kline]

I'm assuming that 9V connector is wired up to a motor that drives the wheels and the friction "motor" was removed. I also assume the wires and contacts on the bottom were to set off the pyro when it crossed a certain point on the table?

Yes, the 9v bat ran an motor that drove the back wheels.

No, the friction motor wasn't removed, its connected to the front wheels.

Yes, the contacts are what set off the pyro (you'll notice a metal strip on the road the car drives over, the circuit is made thru the hook and that metal strip on the back of the car)

The "plug looking connector" is actually a microswitch that turns the motor on when the car is set down.

The other thing Im surprised that no one has noticed is that the key actually turns as the car is moves forward.

 

[slave1pilot]

I made a key today at work out of Welding Rod.

What do you guys think?
is it too big?

 

[Michael Bergeron]

A little big but it looks like the right material based on the screen caps.

 

[Jedifyfe]

A little big but it looks like the right material based on the screen caps.

What OB said :thumbsup

When you get it scaled correctley...how about a run. I have $5 with your name on it.

 

[slave1pilot]

I felt the same way. seemed a tad large.
Here's Ver 2.0

The gap shouldn't be there, I'll try again on the next one.
How's this for size?

 

[slave1pilot]

and a comparison shot

 

[Vaderman]

That looks pretty good! Are you going to have a diorama of Hill Valey that matches or is it just the car (or cars) on a display of some kind?

 

[slave1pilot]

When you get it scaled correctley...how about a run. I have $5 with your name on it.

I made a few extra, I'll bring ya one at the Prop party.
You'll notice that these are a little flatter and less oval, I think that's a little more accurate.

That looks pretty good! Are you going to have a diorama of Hill Valey that matches or is it just the car (or cars) on a display of some kind?

I was thinking of just sitting it on the shelf on top of one Brad's Clocktower flyers.

And yes, Of course it's autographed on the back by Claudia Wells