So, most know by now that not only do I make puzzle boxes, but I just love tackling an odd box to retrofit. I wanted this project to be an homage to a time when toys were made by hand, even if it was an assembly line.
This fall I came across a lowly wood truck, but this truck had a box on it! Well, you know my end goal, lock it.
There are always many challenges when working on a box that pre-existing. Often when I make a box from scratch I can leave the bottom off so I can work on the mechanics easily, not this time.
First up was a paint job. Since it is the holiday season, I went with Santa colours of red and black and gold. The Tremclad glossy paints went on beautifully over the glossy varathaned finish already on the truck. Yes, I did give the whole truck a fine sand so the Tremclad would stick well.
Part of this boyhood dream seen fulfilled was the 'chop shop' aspect where I removed the back tires and found some larger ones to replace with. I had gathered some random junk from my junk drawer, not sure how or if I would use any of it.
I was excited to have three sheets of water-slide decals to cover the new truck in. The one sheet with flames was new from Amazon, while the other ones came from older kits. I also learned old glue in the decals don't seem to work as good as when new. Oh well, a few coats of spray varathane at the end helps to strengthen the bond.
I think this part brought back parts of being a kid where glue would have been all over my fingers by now, and it was.
Alas, before I got to putting on the decals I had to do all the mechanical puzzle elements so I knew where dials and protrusions might be coming through the sides of the box part.
I wanted to use these metal gears for the dials since they kept a low profile as compared to a thicker wood dial might look like. Often times I would find gears that when doubled-up they would look a little more substantial. There is a hollow lower section that was inaccessible so I was able to start putting some decals on, yaaa! I had no idea where to put them at first, but I just started with what I knew I wanted and spread them out from there.
I also wasn't happy with the first set of back tires I had tried.
Since I was designing this as The Ghost of Christmas Past theme, skulls were naturally needed. Also on the headlights, I glued in a silver metal ring that became the pool of glow-in-the-dark paint. When I was a wee lad, glow-in-the-dark paint meant the fun kept on after dark, lol.
The large skull is actually and air valve cover that was painted gold and clear-coated.
The mechanism that locks the lid was very difficult to install and why I prefer to be able to access from an open bottom. What I had to do was create a block the right size that would hold it in place while I let the lid down on it to finally glue it in place. To test that i had it in the right spot, I added a tiny drop of wood glue to the two thicker portions of the mechanism, then let the lid down. If the 2 wood glue dots transferred onto the lid, then all was good. If only the front one left a mark, I know I had to shim the back end up by adding a few pieces of cardstock, etc.
When I knew it was ready, I put instant glue on the backside of the mechanism and closed the lid. pushing down tightly for about 30 seconds before testing if I could open the lid, and luckily it worked perfectly. With the lid opened I added a spring clamp for another 5 min. After the clamp came off I added another round of instant glue to the inner sides of the mechanism, ensuring a forever bond!
Now the puzzle mechanics are completed, nearly filling the inside of the box, ...though I don't know that you could get a gift card in there now.
The day came when the new oversized back tires arrived. Two coats of black Tremclad paint and I was ready for the Goodyear decals. Much easier to put on before being on the truck.
The holes were 3/8" and too big for what I wanted, so I glued in a dowel to plug it. I actually found a gear that fit perfectly inside the back tires, so then all I needed was a brass screw to attach.
When all the mechanisms were done, I was able to add all the rest of gears and decals.
To help pull the design into one cohesive effort, I lightly prayed the whole truck with white spray paint, as if it was just out driving through a snowy night.
At the same time, there is a subtle message regarding how even in death, even childhood dreams are monetized these days. Alas it is a playful fun puzzle that speaks to the child inside that remembers the days when....
I managed to source four more trucks just like this one (gotta love fb marketplace), so I see some different versions of this coming out next year.
Thanks for looking guys! Happy Holidays and I hope you are enjoying what is on your bench!
