Road-Worthy Dwarf Cars
When Ernie Adams travels the interstate in his '49 Mercury coupe, he's the one in the passing lane ù despite the fact the car is a dwarf model that he built himself. The 80-in. wheel base vehicle with a Toyota engine and drive train will hit 100 mph, according to the 70-year-old Maricopa, Arizona, resident. He takes all three of his street legal dwarf cars (11/16th-scale) on the highway to attend shows around the country.
Car aficionados admire the detail and precision in Adams' handiwork right down to the ashtrays, glove box and operating parts. He spends about 3,000 hrs. and $4,000 on each vehicle. He keeps costs down because he fabricates body parts from steel in his junk pile. People regularly drop off old large appliances; refrigerators are his favorite. His mini Mercury's dash was fashioned from an old refrigerator door. He shapes the metal with his home-built English wheel, bead roller and dyes. He creates moldings, by pulling stainless steel through his hand-built extruder with a winch.
Things that he pays for include new 20-gauge mild steel for the exterior, 14-gauge steel for the bottom, 1/4-in. safety glass for front and rear windows, professional sanding and painting, upholstery work, 12-in. radial tires and the engine and drivetrain.
He builds the cars to meet street legal codes. To be licensed in Arizona he saves all his receipts for expenses to set the value of the vehicle. The car is inspected and given a VIN number.
Besides his latest car ù the Mercury ù he licensed a 1939 Chevy and a 1942 Ford with a hydraulically operated folding top.
He built a 1929 Ford Hillbilly Car just for fun. It comes complete with a potbelly stove in the back seat, a double barrel shotgun and other antiques covered with hokey one-liner jokes.
"I'm a guy who likes to live in my shop," Adams admits. Complete with dining room table and chairs, neighbors often stop by to visit in the afternoon.
He adds that his interest in building dwarf cars began when he was a kid, when he advanced from a wooden crate car to a motorbike with a washing machine motor. He was only 11.
"I started working at 16 in a garage and was a mechanic all my life. In my younger days I junked out a lot of cars, so I learned how they were put together," Adams says.
In January, Adams's son plans to put up a website, www.dwarfcarpromotions.com, to sell dwarf car related items including a DVD of a Route 66 trip via dwarf car.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Ernie Adams, 52954 W. Halfmoon Rd., Maricopa, Arizona 85139 (ph 520 424-3158; skadams45@yahoo.com).
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Road-Worthy Dwarf Cars FARM HOME Cars When Ernie Adams travels the interstate in his 49 Mercury coupe he s the one in the passing lane ù despite the fact the car is a dwarf model that he built himself The 80-in wheel base vehicle with a Toyota engine and drive train will hit 100 mph according to the 70-year-old Maricopa Arizona resident He takes all three of his street legal dwarf cars 11/16th-scale on the highway to attend shows around the country Car aficionados admire the detail and precision in Adams handiwork right down to the ashtrays glove box and operating parts He spends about 3 000 hrs and $4 000 on each vehicle He keeps costs down because he fabricates body parts from steel in his junk pile People regularly drop off old large appliances; refrigerators are his favorite His mini Mercury s dash was fashioned from an old refrigerator door He shapes the metal with his home-built English wheel bead roller and dyes He creates moldings by pulling stainless steel through his hand-built extruder with a winch Things that he pays for include new 20-gauge mild steel for the exterior 14-gauge steel for the bottom 1/4-in safety glass for front and rear windows professional sanding and painting upholstery work 12-in radial tires and the engine and drivetrain He builds the cars to meet street legal codes To be licensed in Arizona he saves all his receipts for expenses to set the value of the vehicle The car is inspected and given a VIN number Besides his latest car ù the Mercury ù he licensed a 1939 Chevy and a 1942 Ford with a hydraulically operated folding top He built a 1929 Ford Hillbilly Car just for fun It comes complete with a potbelly stove in the back seat a double barrel shotgun and other antiques covered with hokey one-liner jokes I m a guy who likes to live in my shop Adams admits Complete with dining room table and chairs neighbors often stop by to visit in the afternoon He adds that his interest in building dwarf cars began when he was a kid when he advanced from a wooden crate car to a motorbike with a washing machine motor He was only 11 I started working at 16 in a garage and was a mechanic all my life In my younger days I junked out a lot of cars so I learned how they were put together Adams says In January Adams s son plans to put up a website www dwarfcarpromotions com to sell dwarf car related items including a DVD of a Route 66 trip via dwarf car Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Ernie Adams 52954 W Halfmoon Rd Maricopa Arizona 85139 ph 520 424-3158; skadams45@yahoo com
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