# horse drawn hearse



## dave the dead

So I decided to make a hearse for my undead horse/thestral to pull....I am using all scrap lumber to save a few $$, and am building this on a smaller scale than what a normal hearse wagon would have been... It will just have to be a hearse for kids. Here's a few inprogress shots, and I'll continue to update as i get farther along.









the flower pot is in this picture as a size reference for the seat that i haven't built yet.


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## Lady Nyxie

Looks awesome. Wish I had that talent.

Keep us posted.


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## Frighteners Entertainment

Looking pretty SWEET Dave!


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## SpectreTTM

wow that looks great.

Where di you get the wheels?


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## trishaanne

Very cool. I'm placing my order for the next one.


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## Hellrazor

How do you store this stuff!! Great Job!


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## BudMan

Dave, do you suck at anything?! Awesome job as always, can't wait to see the finished job. To echo Spectre, where did you get the wheels and how much?


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## dave the dead

The wheels came from Rural King Farm Supply. They were $15 each.
http://ruralking.com/rko/cart.cgi?PRODUCT=032600559&SPD=vPo58044592z8I6


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## dave the dead

Hellrazor said:


> How do you store this stuff!! Great Job!


I have designed it with bolts and T-nuts so it is easy to assemble and will break down to flat panels for storage. Who knows, though...it just might become a permanent yard decoration.


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## Lagrousome

Alright Dave, you now officially suck! :finger: J/K
I have been wanting to make one of those from day 1!
I'll trade you my "entire" witch cabinet for it? Come on! 
PLEASE!!!!!!!!


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## dave the dead

Lagrousome said:


> Alright Dave, you now officially suck! :finger: J/K
> I have been wanting to make one of those from day 1!
> I'll trade you my "entire" witch cabinet for it? Come on!
> PLEASE!!!!!!!!


wow!....thats the first time I EVER got a finger from northeast Ohio  
I am honored Lagruesome!. You'll have to do better than a witch cabinet for this one....


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## Adam I

Dave, it looks great.
I like the black iron axel idea.


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## Front Yard Fright

Awesome job.
I can't wait to see how this turns out!
.


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## pyro

thats awsome dave


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## HalloweenZombie

IIIIII like it! That's pretty kick ass! Oops! I mean bum.


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## slimy

dave the dead said:


> wow!....thats the first time I EVER got a finger from northeast Ohio
> I am honored Lagruesome!. You'll have to do better than a witch cabinet for this one....


I'm glad to see somebody else in the 'I hate Dave' club.

This hearse is just one more reason to hate you.


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## Wyatt Furr

Dave, 
What an amazing prop so far,one of these days I will attempt a hearse.
I cannot wait to see the finished product.
Keep us posted,and if it ends up missing..it wasnt me.
I dont know where you live. LOL


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## dave the dead

I have started some of the accents. Each of the skeletons here is 12" tall, and was formed by melting under a torch, then hotglued between the columns.

















a note on the wheels....they were built for decoration only, and therefore NOT really designed to hold much weight. I have reglued all the spindles and joints to help firm them up. The hearse won't be able to be pulled anywhere for real, but will be able to support itself.


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## Lagrousome

I started my hearse too Dave! (sort of)
I picked these lights up at a garage sale earlier this summer for like $2. Now all I need is the darn hearse to put them on!


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## playfx

OH MAN, I LOVE IT! I want one so bad, maybe a next year project for me.

I like the little skeleton, it gives it a nice touch.


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## dave the dead

Good find lagruesome! I wasn't nearly as lucky at this year's yard sales...lighting fixtures was on my hunt list and I don't think I even saw one. There's still time, though...maybe I'll get lucky, and if not I'll use the candle sconces that I have in the first set of pix.


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## Lagrousome

Too bad I wasn't your secret reaper. I could have saved myself $18 and you would have yourself a great set of lights! LOL
BTW, the sconces look great too!
Heck, the entire thing looks great! I may have to put "one finger on each hand up" to you!


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## dave the dead

Lagrousome said:


> Too bad I wasn't your secret reaper. I could have saved myself $18 and you would have yourself a great set of lights! LOL
> BTW, the sconces look great too!
> Heck, the entire thing looks great! I may have to put "one finger on each hand up" to you!


You could send them anyway. ( and a few foam tombstones for cushioning, and you may as well toss in a few bottles....)


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## Lagrousome

dave the dead said:


> You could send them anyway. ( and a few foam tombstones for cushioning, and you may as well toss in a few bottles....)


Yea, I'll toss in a few "things" for you!
I'll get right on that!


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## DeathTouch

And my wife complained about me building a crypt on the patio. LOL


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## Lagrousome

Geesh!  Don't they understand???


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## tonguesandwich

Very nice Dave,
How strong are the wagon wheels, do they roll freely? I plan on one next spring but it is going to be pretty top heavy. How much weight do you think those wheels will hold?


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## dave the dead

tonguesandwich said:


> Very nice Dave,
> How strong are the wagon wheels, do they roll freely? I plan on one next spring but it is going to be pretty top heavy. How much weight do you think those wheels will hold?


yes, they roll freely, but only to place the wagon in my yard. I wouldn't trust it for anything other than that. As for the weight, I'll let you know when i get it all put together. There are a few hearse how-tos around,(including how to make a decent looking wagon wheel from plywood) and I have gleaned some of my construction ideas from them.


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## Sickie Ickie

Everybody take notice- Dave uses HOT GLUE on this prop! hehehehheeeee

Dave, I absolutely adore the skeletons on there. I can so easily imagine everything painted black and those skeletons drybrushed with silver or gold!


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## The_Caretaker

here's a coupon for wagon wheels at harbour freight:
http://www.harborfreightusa.com/html/emails/38/RetailA/Images/15.gif


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## dave the dead

Do'h!!!! Now Sickie is gonna be stalking me since I'm part of the hot glue club! 

That's a helluva good deal on the Harbor Freight wheels! I wish I had that coupon last weekend for sure! (story of my life....always just that much too late...)


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## Richie

BudMan said:


> Dave, do you suck at anything?! Awesome job as always


ROFL....Yep, that about sums it up for me too. Totally cool prop.


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## Liam

Dave, I'm late to the party, but that thing is going to be awesome! I have been considering building a hearse like that, but...well...here I am. Anyway, nice work. Can't wait to see the finished product.


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## dave the dead

tonight's progress before the mosquitos threatened to pick me up and fly me away.....


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## Lagrousome

Knock it off Dave.....I don't have any more middle fingers!!! LOL


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## Wyatt Furr

I'll lend you one of mine,Lagrousome.

Excellent progress ,Dave


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## tonguesandwich

Thanks Dave, I have it figured out. I am to lazy to make a wheel, that would take some type of measuring. I saw the ones at HF and they seemed at bit more. I was wondering the difference. You project looks awesome (Again). I am starting to think you have a crew behind the camera... to amazing.


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## CreepyCanmore

Good god. Just to to spread the love, here's a finger from frigid Canada :finger: That's for A: it being warm enough to be outside at night...we already had snow...crap and B: for being so creative and skilled to make it all look so damn awesome. I've said it before, you rock.


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## southerndownfan

that is so rad!!!!


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## dave the dead

CreepyCanmore said:


> Good god. Just to to spread the love, here's a finger from frigid Canada :finger: That's for A: it being warm enough to be outside at night...we already had snow...crap and B: for being so creative and skilled to make it all look so damn awesome. I've said it before, you rock.


I'm gonna need a bigger jar for all those fingers.
Mwa ha ha ha ha!!!!!
Jobs for this weekend.....front seat, complete paintjob, curtains.

fyi, for all those interested in the wheels. After glueing all the spindles in place, they are solid as a rock. I am no longer worried about weight on this thing. The Harbor Freight wheels appear to be more solid to begin with, but i would suggest glueing the spindles anyway.


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## buckaneerbabe

That is simply awesome!!!!!


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## MistressOfMayhem

Wow - I missed this thread somehow - that's frikkin awesome! Love the little skellie detail.


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## CreepyCanmore

I agree, the little skellies add that extra little je ne sais qoi....oh wait, I do know qoi...little dead creepy people. I'll definitely be stealing that idea. Very cool.


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## Xpendable

Hmm, those little skeletons would look cool in some pillars... I wonder if I can convince my wife that we need to build some pillars. lol...


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## Eric Striffler

That's so cooooool!
I can't wait for more pics!


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## jdubbya

I need to spend more time in this forum to all the great stuff. I hadn't seen this yet. I really like the design. Different than the traditional hearse. Can you post a few pics of the undercarriage. I'm seeing two vertical pipes coming up from the axles but would like to see what the bottom looks like. Can't wait for more progress. Very creative stuff!


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## mgrmax

That is spectacular!


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## dave the dead

here's a how to that shows the undercarriage assembly set-up that I used. The only difference in mine that it was scaled down to fit a smaller hearse. I used 1/2 black steel pipe as the axle and 3/4 fittings and pipe as the support. 
http://www.hearsefactory.com/restinpetes/hwheels.htm

here's the how-to that inspired me top make this contraption. 
http://www.bastardrat.com/2005horsedrawnhearsehow-to.html


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## Sickie Ickie

Okay Dave, big question [drumroll please] what was your cost???


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## dave the dead

Sickie Ickie said:


> Okay Dave, big question [drumroll please] what was your cost???


ha..it always comes down to the cost....lol!

I have $60 in the wheels, and approximately $50 in misc hardware (axles, pipe fittings,screw,paint) The little skeletons were $1 each, so that's another $12. All the lumber and plywood was free from furniture packaging. So if you tally this up. I am currently at $122. I have some more detailing to add that may put it up to $150.


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## Sickie Ickie

Yep. Almost everytime something looks great, it has some dollars into it.


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## Daphne

WOW! That looks amazing. What a beautiful job and the little skeletons are absolutely perfect!!

I'd love to have something like this but unfortunately this is WAY beyond my skillset plus I got "the look" when I mentioned storing the fence I'm building this year. It might get cold sleeping in it in January ha, ha!


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## Toktorill

Posts like this were the reason I joined this forum. Dave, that looks absolutely AWESOME! Are you planning on keeping the flowers in the back, or do you have a matching coffin in mind?


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## dave the dead

Toktorill said:


> Posts like this were the reason I joined this forum. Dave, that looks absolutely AWESOME! Are you planning on keeping the flowers in the back, or do you have a matching coffin in mind?


thanks T. I am not sure if I'll have time for the coffin or not. I'm actually not sure it will need it because of the general theme I have going this year. I am hoping to tie everything together into a single storyline by the time I set it all up. (but Lord only knows if I'll be able to pull that one off...lol) More pix soon.


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## dave the dead

Nearly complete now. I have added a front seat, painted the entire hearse with a greyish black, then distressed with several coats of acrylic wash to help give it some age. I also added a decoration to the top rear roof....just a part of an old lamp that I had laying around but I think it looks pretty good there. I have also hung the curtains.


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## Newt

Awesome!


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## BudMan

Dave, first off, that is simply beautiful! How about some approximate dimensions. I'm thinking about attempting one for next year and was thinking about 3' w by 8' long overall (6' enclosed) and about 3 or 4' high, not including the wheels. Haven't drawn it out yet to see the scale, but was curious about yours.


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## Evil Bob

dave the dead said:


> here's a how to that shows the undercarriage assembly set-up that I used. The only difference in mine that it was scaled down to fit a smaller hearse. I used 1/2 black steel pipe as the axle and 3/4 fittings and pipe as the support.
> http://www.hearsefactory.com/restinpetes/hwheels.htm
> 
> here's the how-to that inspired me top make this contraption.
> http://www.bastardrat.com/2005horsedrawnhearsehow-to.html


Those look familiar, lol. I'm glad they were of use.
Looks great Dave!


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## jdubbya

In a word...WOW! That'll have everyone goin' nuts on Halloween night!


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## Hauntiholik

Looks great Dave. I'm sure it will be an attention getter!


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## dave the dead

Bob Andrews said:


> Those look familiar, lol. I'm glad they were of use.
> Looks great Dave!


Haaaa!!! I never made the connection Bob! Thank you SOOO much for putting together the how to! Your Hearse turned out terrific, and this how to was what got me thinking about building.


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## Lagrousome

So are you dressing up as a horse this year? You could pose in front of it!


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## Lagrousome

********sigh**************************************
Maybe I'll copy a pic of it, enlarge it to life size and glue it to a piece of board and put that in my cemetey.
That's about as close as I'm getting this year to a real hearse.
BTW, the link for the inspiration is the same one I have saved for reference. But now I have a real person's brain to pick when the time has come!!!!!


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## Adam I

WOW Outstanding It's wonderful dave!

I've had the wheels since May, I just need to get to it.
If I get it done in 36 days it can be for this Halloween.


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## Moon Dog

Great job Dave! Something to be proud of!


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## Lagrousome

Moon Dog said:


> Great job Dave! Something to be proud of!


Like HE doesn't have a ga-zillion other props to be proud of?????
I'm beginning to have this love/hate relationship with this man! LOL


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## dave the dead

BudMan said:


> Dave, first off, that is simply beautiful! How about some approximate dimensions. I'm thinking about attempting one for next year and was thinking about 3' w by 8' long overall (6' enclosed) and about 3 or 4' high, not including the wheels. Haven't drawn it out yet to see the scale, but was curious about yours.


Ok, Budman....these are just off the top of my head, but are pretty solid approximations. I pretty much built the thing to fit the plywood I scrounged, so that is the only rhyme or reason to the dimensions....I know that's messed up, but that's just me.

The base deck is 24"wide. The Inside of the back is about 4 1/2 feet long, and the height is 36 inches at the columns.This puts the roof peak at approx 42 - 46 inches. The wheels are 32" diameter. The front seat area is approx 32 inches, and the kickplate was part of the rear door cut-out. 
Hope this helps give you an approximation of the scale...if you need specifics for any reason just let me know.


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## Moon Dog

Lagrousome said:


> Like HE doesn't have a ga-zillion other props to be proud of?????
> I'm beginning to have this love/hate relationship with this man! LOL


 Great job Dave! _Another _one to be proud of! 

There! I fixed my first post!


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## BudMan

Thanks Dave, not looking for exact dimensions. I was thinking out loud about what I want to build and was trying to figure out the scale, thanks.


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## Eric Striffler

Make some money off of it!
*TAKE YOUR PICTURE IN FRONT OF A HEARSE! ONLY $2!*

Haha ;]


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## dave the dead

I added some decoration to the side of the hearse seat. This is from one of the Dollar Tree foam tombstones....i cut out the cross, glued it to the seat, and painted. I really love cheap stuff made to look expensive.


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## Sickie Ickie

I love the greenish aged runs you did with that, man! That's ANOTHER thang to be proud of!


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## Daphne

The cross looks perfect on there. I wouldn't have thought of doing that but it looks like it was made for that! Man that prop looks incredible...

Am I the only one who wants to drive to Dave's and find out if the hearse will fit in the U-haul I am thinking of renting ha, ha? I could uh, uh store it for you Dave, yes that's it! I wouldn't want you to have to worry about finding somewhere to keep it, I'm only thinking of you. It would be like an arrive and take versus a make and take! Anyone have any idea where Dave lives? ha, ha, ha...


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## Dr Morbius

Wow!! I missed this thread too...Don't know how that happened..Anyway, WOW!! Terrific job, Dave!!


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## heresjohnny

Excellent! You nailed the look of aged green stuff growing on it.


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## MistressOfMayhem

man I'm jealous, really really jealous!!


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## dionicia

I think I just joined the "Dave Sucks" fanclub.


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## CerysCrow

This is so amazing, Dave. Terrific, as usual!

I really want a horse-drawn hearse, myself. My husband has flatly refused due to the storage factor!


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## dave the dead

CerysCrow said:


> This is so amazing, Dave. Terrific, as usual!
> 
> I really want a horse-drawn hearse, myself. My husband has flatly refused due to the storage factor!


make sure you point out to him....8 bolts! just 8 bolts, and this breaks down into extremely managable flat panels. ......come on CerysCrow.....just 8 little bolts.....talk him into it...set up one of those cheap mp3 players with a subliminal message on loop while he sleeps....after a week you won't be able to keep him from building one......


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## Lagrousome

Hey Dave...
When's the next "Arrive & Take" haha


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## Wyatt Furr

"Arrive and Take"...I like it 
Shopping at Daves will be like the Day after Thanksgiving,where we push and shove each other to get the best "steals" and then ,cram it all into our waiting SUV's.....
Of course,Dave is now bolting down all his props and setting booby-traps.
We need to work fast. hahahahahahahah


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## Daphne

SUV nothing. I am renting a big U-Haul for the shopping extravaganza ha, ha!


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## Lagrousome

I'll go in halves with ya! We could take turns driving!!
But then we would have to split everything. I'll take the back half of the hears!!!


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## dave the dead

Wyatt Furr said:


> "Arrive and Take"...I like it
> Shopping at Daves will be like the Day after Thanksgiving,where we push and shove each other to get the best "steals" and then ,cram it all into our waiting SUV's.....
> Of course,Dave is now bolting down all his props and setting booby-traps.
> We need to work fast. hahahahahahahah


The boobytraps were set a long time ago. I have some special uses for motion sensors, rotisserie motors, and pneumatic door closers that I have never shared with anyone. Mwa ha ha ha.....give it your best shot....I could use the laugh, and who knows...you just might make this year's dvd.:zombie:


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## Bauton

This needs to be a very elaborate operation to successfully steal Dave's stuff. I'm thinking we need some "volunteers" or as I like to say "cannon fodder" to go in and "disable" the booby traps. So if any of you have small children that you don't want anymore, please "volunteer" them. 

Then we somebody to divert Dave's attention. Anyone have any sexy costume that looks like an unfinished prop? I figure that should keep him occupied for the time we need.

I've seen a lot of Dave's props in person, and we are going to need more than one u-haul. So we will need some more people to drive the trucks.

Then we will need to rent the RCA Dome to store all of the props and then get them ready to divide the spoils.

Then we will need to rent some rail road cars or large jumbo cargo jets to transport the props across the country.

Btw, cool hearse!!!


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## Lagrousome

Good idea there Bauton!
Let's keep this on the low down....we don't want Dave gettin' wind of this!!!
Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!


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## Daphne

Whoa! How many cool props does Dave have? Several U-hauls huh? This is getting interesting. I'm in to split the driving and all. We may need an itemized list of his props prior to so we can figure out who gets what so there isn't a big fight in his front yard! I have a feeling that if that happens and some of us are left behind, we will end up as part of this years display!

I am rather fond of my own kids but we have some family members with kids that would be perfect as "volunteers". Wonder what they'd say to a "field trip" ha, ha. Just spending some quality time with the nephew you know...

If one of us doesn't have a costume that would divert his attention, Mrs. Wicked could knock something out for us I bet!

Lagrousome is right. shhhhhh


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## dave the dead

Ok, break it up! You guys don't look good in green,(you do know that ENVY is one of the deadlier sins, right?) and all the drool is starting to short out my monitor. :zombie: 

So back to our regularly scheduled, on topic discussion: I have wired the candle sconces with electric flicker lcandles, and am going to distress and age the brass to match the tombstone accents, as well as adding some of the greenish patina to all the skellies. I have some plans for the back door and the inside front panel, am working on a driver for the rig, and then will call this thing done!


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## Daphne

Dave, seriously all kidding aside, do you have a site or a link that shows any of your other props? Considering the craftsmanship of this piece, I'd like to see what else you've done . It would be helpful for those of us who are just starting out building our displays (how is that for a delicate way to say I want to steal your ideas?). Granted, I would never be able to build or store something as large as the hearse but I'd like to see what else you've built if you don't mind us stealing your ideas. If not for some of the wonderful props people here have built, I'd still have an inflatable Frankenstein and some stretchable cob webs with my 2 pumpkins for my yard.


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## Bauton

I think he maybe on to us


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## dave the dead

Bauton said:


> I think he maybe on to us


and you thought you were being sneaky.....I have ways of finding these things out, Bauton. LOL

Daphne, all I have is my photobucket album, but it will take you quite a while to get thru it....make sure to check the main page an all the sub albums
Pictures by davethedead - Photobucket


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## Daphne

My gosh, people weren't kidding, you really do have a ton of absolutely amazing props! I'll have to sit down and spend some quality time checking all that out! That dog is straight out of a nightmare (in a good way of course) and the Pumpkinrot (or do they only have the skeleton bodies?) with the tail that moves around is wicked cool. Really impressive and wonderful movement! People must be lined up to see your yard on Halloween!


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## theboogeymengraveyard

WOW can you make me one  great job


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## Lagrousome

Bauton said:


> I think he maybe on to us


Good goin' Bauton! Who let Dave in on our plans!
Can't keep things a secret around here....geesh!

Hey Dave....where are the latest pics!!!! We need our "fix"!!


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## dave the dead

just for you Lagruesome.... I drug out lights, extension cords, camera, tripod.....stepped in dog poop in the dark....tripped on a cord and blew a brand new bulb.....but here ya go anyway....


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## Sickie Ickie

Everybody all together now....Ooooooohhhhhhhh


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## spideranne

Ooooooohhhhhhhh!


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## scareme

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!


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## HrdHeaded1

Hehehehe Sweet!! Looks over at her husband.. sighs loudly.. Hopes he will let me build one and take up more of his garage lol..


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## jdubbya

Really amazing! It looks great!


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## Eric Striffler

I Love It
I Love It
I Love It
I Love It
I Love It
I Love It
I Love It
I Love It
I Love It
I Love It


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## Lagrousome

Ahhhhh Dave! I can smell the doggy poo from here.....but well worth it!
I am so in love with that!


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## Moon Dog

What? that old thing...  

Yeah, ya better believe I'm jealous!  

Excellent job as usual!


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## JohnnyL

Wow, super cool! I love the sconces too!


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## Great White

Awesome... Nice job


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## MistressOfMayhem

Stunning!


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## pyro

(as i pIck up my jaw off the floor and wipe the drowl off my chin)----wow dave that came out great!


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## RookieSpooker

I wish I could say it was scary looking, but it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. DAMN MY TINY GARAGE!!!


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## turtle2778

Dave OMG....AMAZING!!! I cant wait to see what you do for the driver. You simply blow my mind.


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## dave the dead

Thanks everyone. Yes, it is almost finished now. 

almost. 

mwahahahaha!


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## Lagrousome

What does Dave do for a living besides make us GREEEEN with envy?
Which, if he had a nickel for every time......well, you know how this story ends up!


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## frstvamp1r

Hey Dave,
Will you adopt me? c'mon


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## Wyatt Furr

Nooo,he's adopting me.Every good Haunter needs a pet Wolf.


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## playfx

Love It!!!!!


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## drzeus

Fantastic Work Dave!
Im gonna try something like this to go wih my home depot skeleton horse. Obviously, It won't be as finely detailed as yours.
I think that I read thru all of the posts but recall seeing any reference to the size of those wheels.
Do you happen to remember the diameter of the wheels that you used in these photos?


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