Photos of the mold

5) Three urethane foam plugs, which were cast in the plaster mold, sitting next to the ERCO sheet metal-shrinker (one of the machines used to form the aluminum body panels).

6) Two of the 1/4 scale urethane plugs were precision sawed into one inch slices, like loaves of bread. The front plug in the photo was cut laterally and the back plug was sawed in a longitudinal direction. Each urethane foam section was numbered and traced on paper and then each paper profile was increased 4X to make full scale profiles on 3/4" (19mm) plywood. The plywood profiles were sawed out and fit together "egg crate" style, like a Ferrari grille, to make the station buck. This is an old fashioned way of doing it but still quite effective. Sheet aluminum panels were shaped, away from the buck, with hammers and machines, until they fit the buck and were then welded together to form the body. Many people think the aluminum is hammered over the buck but the buck is only used for fitting and stitching pieces together, just like a tailor.