What I did this summer...........

[asphaltgambler]

Hey all! I wanted to share my completed pedal car restoration with everyone. It is (@) 1952 Murry Dip side / Scoop fender. It has been in my extended family since new but almost from the beginning has had a very hard and tiring life. It belonged to my uncle's 2nd wife who had bought it new for her daughters.

I remember rescuing it from an old shed on her property when she passed, I was maybe 15 at the time. Even then it was in rough shape. My older brother did a partial resto in 1981 with rattle can paint job for my sister's oldest son who was 5.

That thing lasted through 2 more kids who beat on it as most would expect. Sometime later the rear axle truss broke and the rear wheel assy just folded up under. The last kid would sit in it while his older brothers would try to drag it around the yard behind a bicycle.

It was relegated again to a shed on their property. Ultimately it sat half buried in the dirt / mud floor with push mowers and lawn furniture piled on top for the next 30 or so years. It was then I asked about if they still had it.

When I picked it up, it was in such bad condition I decided to set it on top of my garage cabinets just as 'art'. Then 2 years ago my sister asked if I could 'fix it up enough' to be usable for my youngest grand- nephew. The youngest son of the same nephew who got when he was that age.

After disassembly - I deemed it too rough, even for me, to restore to original. So I suggested a rat- rod look with exaggerated proportions and a scale supercharged engine breaking though the hood ala Rat- Fink model.

After much discussion, my sister pleaded her case to put it back like when new - then it can be passed down through the family in years to come. So that's what I did..........all summer.

I'll tell you I could have restored a real car with the amount of time and energy it took to get it to look like this. I did everything myself but the media blasting. All parts are original except for the hubcaps which are exact copies, the seat and upholstery and chrome hardware.

I let my sister pick the paint under my guidance which is 1954 Chevy Turquoise and 1956 Chevy Cream. She also picked the material for the upholstery, I decided from that short list. I didn't over restore it leaving the pinch welds and a few other imperfections. Also I used single stage paint which is what the manufacturer would have used when new.

The reveal is set for this Sunday - only my sister and her husband know.


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[stomachmonkey]

Awesome.

Worth every second of sweat you put into a family heirloom.

[asphaltgambler]

The body was twisted length-wise so bad I had to clamp it to my work bench and then twist it past the other way to get it straight. Hours of tig-welding paper thin sheet metal, re-forming it with shrinking hammers and dollies.

Then on to heating, grinding out the numerous 'puckers' prior to even the first coat of primer.

[crustychief]

WOW, That is awesome!

[Ronbo]

It looks fantastic!


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[911boost]

very nice.

Do you have any "before" pictures of it?

[wdfifteen]

Awesome. Beautiful work!

[jwasbury]

Nice work. That's going to be a great gift for the kid...envy of the neighborhood for sure. I fixed up a John Deere pedal tractor. No where near as involved as your project. Was going to give it to my nephew but my brother said "he doesn't really need anymore toys"

I gave it to a friend's little boy and he was thrilled...wouldn't let anyone else touch it, and wouldn't even take it outside for the first few months after he got it.

[asphaltgambler]

This is after media blasting and 20 hrs of metal work, let the welding begin!

[Evans, Marv]

Awesome and fantastic don't do it justice. Congratulations.

[MMiller]

This board rarely dissapoints. Well done sir and thanks for sharing.

[vash]

Wow!

You have a "Before" pic?

[herr_oberst]

That is eye-poppingly cool, and the perfect color choice. (I especially love the Duvall style windscreen!)