I Can't Believe What My Dh Wants Me To Make!
Decorating By Price Updated 15 Aug 2006 , 2:13am by Price
I need your help! My husband has requested a cake that I'm not sure I can pull off. He has a 1967 barracuda convertible that he takes to car shows. There is a show coming up in mid September that he will be going to. I'm not sure why, but he wants me to make a cake for him to display with his car! He wants me to model from fondant, a replica of his car, and a Mechanic. He wants the car to have the hood up, antifreeze leaking from under the front, oil leaking out from the back and I think smoke out the tail pipe! He wants the mechanic to be saying "Piece of Junk". (which seems to be one of his favorite sayings! lol) I have played around with a little bit of modeling, but I think this is above me! He is insisting that I should be able to do it. I do not want to make something to be displayed that looks horrible!
I think I can do the mechanic without too much trouble, but have never attempted a car, let alone a car with the hood up!! Any suggestions or ideas where I might find something I could at least look at to get me started? He won't take no for an answer! I only have 4 weeks to do it! HELP!!!!!
maybe u can use the car pan and modify as needed. whatever you do good luck on this one.
I saw the figures in your photo gallery...I don't think that you will have any problems....just have confidence in yourself and your skills....your husband does....
I don't know if this will help but I found a basketweave cake on-line that has part of the basket open you could adjust the method for this cake to make the hood of the car.
http://www.members.carol.net/~zt.proicer/cakepict/basketck.htm
sure you don't need any pics to guide, probably have a whole ton already, not to mention the car itself.
look at it in profile....it's basically a big stacked sheet cake (two layers) raised a bit off the ground. so, make two sheetcakes, stack and then carve ends just a bit to get the little slopes at each end. and set on a black base to raise a bit.
windshield has a cheat built in...note the side vent windows....tah dip..little supports to hold up the windshield
as for hood up ..... well, it's a piece of fondant covered cardboard held up at two points. one -- the actual hood support wire that these cars would have and TWO...have the mechanc with his hand like he's also holding it up, can run a heavy wire through figure to get support for both figure and hood. (oops, I forgot to draw that in!)
the car as very little ornamentation really so should be somewhat easy to use fondant to create the details (lots of small rope work)
OR
could get some of your pics...blow up big enough and use as pattern to trace in royal icing.
HTH
So, does he want the car and man made from fondant on top of a cake? I'm a little confused. Anyway, just so you are clear...YOU ARE VERY TALENTED and I am positive you can do this. Here is my immediate idea for cheating..
Could you possibly buy one of those model car kits that you put together and use the pieces as molds? Drape pieces of fondant or gumpaste over the sides of the car and cut it to size and allow it to dry like that? Then kinda piece it together just like you would the kit? The kits have all of the "guts" of the car in it as well, so you would have something to look at while trying to make your car anatomically (LOL) correct under the hood!!! If you are really adventurous you could make your own silicone molds.
Yikes! You better get started- you only have a month!!!
Thanks for all of the suggestions and encouragement. Doug you always have great ideas! I've never tried a scuplted cake, but it might be worth a shot! Dont know if I can talk him into that though.
msauer --- yes, he wants the mechanic and car both to be modeled from fondant and placed on top of a sheet cake. I think he might have some pictures of his car with the hood up. I'll have to try to find one. Sure wish he had a VW Bug! I think that would be alot easier! 
...yes, he wants the mechanic and car both to be modeled from fondant and placed on top of a sheet cake. I think he might have some pictures of his car with the hood up....
know those little blocks that polyclay comes in.
now if you took 6 of them and put then in two stacks of three side by side you'd have the basic hunk of clay needed to make the body. so that' about the size of piece of fondant you need.
then take a good look at the profile of the car. If you have a pic of it you can draw on, you'll see that its a long in width, short in height rectangle, with the ends clipped in on the bottom just a bit. easy to cut those clips w/ a knife.
then dig out the seat area. use that to mold seats, windshield frame (over wire), roof cover hump, etc. on windshield, just make frame and then use geletin sheets for the glass.
for hood at this small size, gumpaste would dry faster, harder, thinner. and to hold it up, you still have the actual hood support and can have mechanic holding it to via wire hidden in body of mechanic (use wire to hold mechanic together too instead of toothpics)
antifreeze: neon colored piping gel. oil: chocolate syrup
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When I grow up, I want to be Doug.
hmmmm...so you want to grow to be old, greying, dim of eyesight, loose of teeth, and pear shaped (working on beer barrel shaped) ???? LOL!!!
Sounds to me like your husband is very proud of the work you can do, and wants to show the world. Make him his cake, and make him a great dinner! You would be surprised to find out how many non-supportive spouses there are out there when it comes to cake decorating. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones.
Theresa 
I didn't read through all the comments so I sorry if I'm repeating something that's already been said.
In the February/March issue of American Cake there are instruction on making a convertable cake. It's not a barracuta but you could modify it.
I can see why your DH ask you to make this car, your work is the best.
Thanks everyone again for your help, nice comments and encouragement. I have been working outside all morning, but it's starting to rain here now, so that might just give me an excuse to get started on this project this afternoon. Doug, you are amazing!
PoodleDoodle - I'll have to check to see if I have that issue. I had subscribed back in the winter, but had some problems getting them to send me my magazines, so I'm not sure if I have that on or not, but I'm definitely going to look for it before I get started. Well everyone---HERE GOES NOTHING! Wish me luck.
Price:
It will be great! If you get discouraged look at your figures in your gallery to remind yourself what great work you do! If it gets tough, look at your designed cakes again and repeat after me:
"As it went on the little engine kept bravely puffing faster and faster, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."
Then as it near the top of the grade, that had so discouraged the larger engines, it went more slowly, but still kept saying, "I--think--I--can, I--think--I--can." It reached the top by dint of brave effort and then went on down the grade, congratulating itself, "I thought I could, I thought I could." ---The Little Engine that Could
Thanks everyone for all of the tips and encouragement. I just thought I would give up an update on the progress. I plan to place the car on top of a 9X13 cake. I'm almost ready to put wheels on it. Still needs bumpers, wheels and opened hood. I have about 3 1/2 weeks to complete everything. (In my spare time of course!! lol.)
You are good.
That car is awesome.
" I wish I were you"
You work is terrific. 
Price, you are doing an awesome job! You have quite a talent. I checked out your pictures and have already bookmarked a few! Keep us posted . . . I can't wait to see the final cake.
Thanks so much. You all are great! I haven't been able to do much more than what you see in the pictures. My dog got sick last night (she had me up 6 times and then I had to get up for work at 5:50 this morning) Too tired tonight to even think about working on cakes! I'm anxious to get back to work on it. I'm kind of winging it as I go. It's on my kitchen table and my husband has been coaching me. lol. He says how are you going to do this? or How are you going to do that? I tell him, "I don't know. I'll figure it out when I get to it." (and that's the truth! lol!!! It's a mystery to me too!) Thanks again for the help and encouragement. Couldn't do it without you!!!!
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