196 replies to this topic

[Ira]

GREAT PROGRESS!!!

BEAUTIFUL WORK ALYN.

[vintagercr]

Alyn, that is coming along nicely. Is that small wire that you used when gluing the tube to the rear axle?
Steve

[Danno]

Finally, here's some sideboards for the pickup bed. They consist of a basswood rail with 1/6" brass strips for support. The rivets are good old straight pins. The stain is the same as the bed floor; Minwax #211 Provincial. I had planned on clear coating the bed floor and these rails, but at this point that is still under consideration. The reason being, the clear coat can cause the wood to warp, so the question is do I want to deal with that possibility or settle for the current look. Still thinking about it...

Here's something else to consider, Alyn:

Factory stock Model Ts did not have exposed natural wood at all. The flooring and bed floors were painted black. If you're looking for an all-factory appearance, the floor of the bed (boards and the metal rub strips) would be black and the sideboards would be aftermarket pieces, most likely oak. Those could be treated to any number of finishes.

Whatever way you decide to go with the wood, it's gonna be a killer model because you are already off to a great start!

[Alyn]

thanks for the kind words, guys.

Bill, thanks for the tip, although more and more I'm thinking the wood looks good with just the stain and no clear.

Thanks for the added info Ken. Glad I didn't do the Canadian version. It would have been twice as difficult.

Stephen, the axle is wrapped with some mild steel wire the from floral department at Hobby Lobby or Michaels. It seems to me that wrapping round parts keeps them in alignment better than clamping.

And, thanks for the history lesson, Dan. I know I've read similar info somewhere, but the stained wood adds character, so this truck will be built in what I would call "parade style"; artistic license at the expense of accuracy. I've done a couple of pickup beds in basswood with a yellow stain, so this one ended up with the dark stain just to try something different. Not sure how I'll handle the wooden spokes on the wheels yet.

Here's a little more progress. The first rendition of the wrecker boom looked a little heavy, so I redid it in the next smaller size angle iron. The end was also curved to match one of my research pictures. Getting the angle to curve without buckling required 6 relief cuts on each piece. Then they were glued with a mixture of Ambroid and styrene shavings. I figured that would be stronger than just glue alone.





I sanded off the molded in instrument cluster on the dash and replaced that with a couple of holes for some gauge bezels. I think some decals will look better here than dry brushing the molded in gauge details. Sorry for the lousy focus on this one.



Here's the hood with the louvers opened up. It's not too tough to cut them open, but getting the cuts straight and even is another story. Hopefully the paint won't fill these back in.



Finally, here's a mock up of how it's progressing. This is exactly the look I wanted, so the motivational juices are starting to flow.



now, on to the top bows ...

Edited by Alyn, 22 November 2012 - 06:51 PM.

[charlie8575]

This is VERY cool! I'm so happy to see so many stock Model Ts being built lately.

I need to grab one of those Double T kits and start building. What are you making that tow boom from?

Charlie Larkin

[vintagedragfan]

aahh, it looks great Alyn, are you using any period correct reference pics for the wrecker unit or just making it look the way you want?? either way it looks great buddy!

[Mr Dedo]

Thanks for showing another method of building hinges.
The simplicity is refreshing.

[Alyn]

Charlie, I noticed that too. Seems like a lot of themes come in waves around here. It's good for keeping the ideas flowing. My wrecker boom is primarily Plastruct and Evergreen rod stock, with a bit of brass and aluminum thrown in.for some cross shafts. The main ring gear is nylon, I assume. I'm a little concerned that the nylon won't hold on to paint very well, but we'll see.

Thanks,Bill. I grabbed about a dozen reference pics off the internet and liked features from several of them, so this will be a miss-mash of those elements. I've considered branding it a "Weaver", but that's still up in the air.

Glad you like the hinges, Jeff. I've done hinges in at least 4 completely different styles and have considered doing a tutorial showing each. I just haven't had the time to put something together.

Here's an update on the most recent work on the wrecker boom. I"ve added the winch drum and gears, plus some miscellaneous details. After the boom bracing, crank and pulley system is figured out, the wrecker boom will be done.

[Danno]

Looks great!

[Dr. Cranky]

Beautiful work, keep it going.

[ScaleModelAddict]

That is sweet!

[southpier]

PVC tires .... cut them on a chop saw? lathe? resize the tube to fit the wheel, or just got lucky? could you please elaborate?

[Alyn]

thank you all for your interest and great comments.

Joe, I cut off a small section of PVC with a hacksaw and then trued up the cut in my micro lathe. While in the lathe, the PVC deeply scored to set the width of the tire. I finished cutting through the PVC with a razor saw and then cleaned up the cut with sandpaper. The edges of the tire were then rounded over with sandpaper as well. To finish it up, black Plasticoat primer was used for color (the PVC is white).

I did get lucky with the size. The PVC fit perfectly around the center ridge of kit wheel. Because of the center ridge design, there is a gap on either side of the wheel than I plan on filling with an aluminum band.

Edited by Alyn, 25 November 2012 - 06:34 AM.

[Custom Mike]

Beautiful work on the axle and boom Alyn, and the rest looks equally good! You never cease to amaze me with the detail in your builds, you are gonna make this one actually run, right? LOL

[Alyn]

Beautiful work on the axle and boom Alyn, and the rest looks equally good! You never cease to amaze me with the detail in your builds, you are gonna make this one actually run, right? LOL

Thanks a lot, Mike. I always appreciate you checking in.

Like all my models, this one is built to run, although I remove all internal moving parts and fill the engine block with Squadron putty as a theft deterrent.

[Ace-Garageguy]

Beautiful work.

[vintagedragfan]

the winch looks great Alyn! these old winch's used a chain rather than a cable if I'm not mistaken, is that correct! what are you planning to use? coming along just beautiful as all ways!

[crazyrichard]

that looks great !!! awsome building

[Alyn]

Thanks, Bill, and Bill, and Bill/Richard. I appreciate your interest and opinions.

 

Bill, the research photos I've gathered are almost evenly split between chain, cable and heavy rope. I agree with you though, that chain is likely the most accurate option. My decision was really based on whether or not I had enough small chain to provide the necessary wraps around the winch drum. Luckily, I had several feet, so chain it is.

 

Here's a shot of the end of the boom. A brass pin goes across the slot to support the pulley assembly. I added some small bosses on each side for added support.

 

 

I turned a pulley out of 1/4" aluminum rod. This is mounted in a brass yoke that is soldered to a brass ring. The brass pin in the previous picture supports the ring. This piece will require a fair amount of filing and shaping before it's ready for primer.

 

 

 

Here's the completed boom. Ive added the pulley &  chain, boom supports and winch crank handle since the last update. The handle slides through the shaft and can be extended to provide added leverage for heavy loads. Bolts will be added to the holes in the base rails after paint.

 

 

The boom support rods bolt to a cross piece that can be adjusted via the 00-90 bolt and nut. By adjusting the nut, the boom can be raised or lowered roughly an inch (24" in scale) in the up or down direction.

 

 

And, here's the completed boom mocked up again in the truck bed, ready for primer and final clean up. The chain is temporary and will be replaced with the longer piece to allow several layers of wrap on the winch drum. Once I clean it up, a white metal tow hook will attach to the end of the chain.

 

Edited by Alyn, 09 December 2012 - 12:19 PM.

[dimebolt]

Looking really good so far Alyn.
Keep up the good work.
Corey