Andrew D the Jolly Roger

Scratchbuilding the winch was a challenge since a lot of it was guesswork. As far as the brace/frame (not sure the correct terminology), I discovered I didn't have to guess the width; apparently it should be the same width as the chassis frame, which makes sense from an engineering standpoint. Then, the more I built, the more extra details I'd discover in the photos. This was a long, long process. The tow booms were heavily modified from those in the MPC Datsun Monster Truck kit. Both ends were totally scratchbuilt to bring it all together, after careful study of my reference photos. The booms will be removable until after painting. The thin bar atop which will support the rotating beacon also has two round "shoulder" lights. These were made from slices from a clear styrene rod of the appropriate diameter. Wires were added from various thicknesses of copper wire.

Thank you! The real nightmare of this project was the wrecker. I knew almost nothing about tow trucks, and there are no tow truck models or conversion sets for anything even close to this type. I was told it was a Holmes wrecker, in the 400 series....but amazingly, Google searches with that info yielded nothing! So I went the hard route. I went through countless Dukes episodes on DVD, pausing them to photograph any good views of the unit. Yep, that's right, I photographed the TV screen, and had photo prints made. The dozens of photos I took gave just enough reference material to build this. Although dozens of episodes provided good material, by far the most useful episodes were "Play It Again Luke" (S6 E15) and "The Fortune Tellers" (S6 E21). I was able to find sheet styrene with Diamond Tread pattern molded in. It was shockingly brittle, but I was able to fabricate the bulkheads and decking. I also used photoetched metal Diamond Tread for the curved wheel well tops and other details. Also detailed the rear with openings for the tail lights and more. A turkey roasting pan provided more sheet metal for the wheel bays.

The entire chassis has a very toylike appearance, with almost every detail molded right on as one piece. So it was completely cut apart down to the basic frame and rebuilt. Front suspension was improved a bit, rear suspension completely rebuilt, and exhaust system with mufflers was scratch built. This would have to be mostly redone a second time when I realized the wheel base needed lengthening to accommodate the Holmes wrecker. I won't tell you what I said when I realized this.... The interior was made as dirty and grimy as possible, as a working country tow truck would be. Scratchbuilt CB radio installed.

There is a long out of production kit of a GMC pickup truck. I found one built junker on Ebay, along with a very similar junked Chevy pickup. Between the two junked models, I had enough salvagable parts to begin. The better of the two cabs was treated to multiple paint strippings and sanding. The engine was rebuilt, but without the air cleaner and upper parts; the hood will be sealed shut for this. An opening was made in the forward bulkhead to put a radiator, as it would be slightly visible with this type of grill. There is a ribbing pattern that should be on the rear of the cab. This area was thinned, then the ribbed pattern built with styrene. After priming it was airbrushed white and blue.

I've been working on what I thought was an impossible project that I almost gave up on. I'm now ready to begin posting an amazing (and frustrating) journey to build the most accurate Cooter's Tow Truck ever done. Maybe. First off, there were several tow trucks used over the series. Here's (mostly) when each appears: -Season 1: Brown Chevy, simple tow rig -Season 2: White/Blue Ford with Red Holmes wrecker -Seasons 3-4: Big Yellow Ford -Late Season 4 through 7: White/Blue GMC with Red Holmes wrecker By far my favorite is the GMC. There was also a similar White/Blue Chevy with a much wider wrecker rear that showed up in a handful of episodes mid-series. THE PROBLEM: Not only is the MPC kit of Cooter's Tow Truck completely fictitious, but there is NO kit or conversion available in existence to make the correct Holmes wrecker (everything aft of the cab). This would be the most ambitious scratchbuilding project I've undertaken to date. Let's begin with a photo of my target subject, the GMC with Holmes wrecker:

Nice! Here's what I use, much more worn to look the part.... ...and yes, the sling and the entire tow rig is completely scratchbuilt (took about a year...)

Trying to figure out from this image, is this A) one continuous chain that wraps around the end of the sling bottom, or is it B) two separate pieces of chain, separately connected in the same general area?

What are the EXTERNAL differences between a '71 Plymouth GTX and a '72 Plymouth Satellite? Same body, but what subtle differences should I look for?

Well, since you mention it, I did extensive research and broke it down. First season had a brown Chevy simple tow truck/pickup. Season 2 had a Ford pickup (older than Jesse's) as the basis with a Holmes wrecker on the rear, with the red/white/blue paint (similar to my project). Seasons 3 & 4 mostly had the biggest, a huge yellow Ford. Late Season 4 and on into the next three seasons had my favorite, the GMC with Holmes rear, in red/white/blue. There was also a similarly-painted Chevy with a very wide-girthed wrecker that showed up in four episodes of Season 4.

Well spotted, yes! I've identified two slightly different GMC/Holmes trucks (almost identical but not quite) used in the series at that time. First giveaway was different details on the rearview mirrors, so on those I just chose the ones I liked best to scratchbuild. Same with some details on the wrecker winch. So, I figure for this I'll make a push bumper that does slightly curl.

Great, that helps a lot; not only the probable thickness but also the fact that it would be metal covered with rubber. I had no idea; just knew it looked fairly thin. Thank you!

Need to scratch build the black replacement bumper on this vehicle. Was thinking of using .015" styrene sheet, but I'd feel better knowing about how thick the real one might be. What if it should be more like .020 or something else? Big differences there in 1/25. Any thoughts? And would it be rubber, or metal? But definitely how thick?

After a painstaking year I'm almost done with the scratchbuilt Holmes Wrecker for my Cooter's Tow Truck. What sort of black/gray rubber would be best to simulate the sling? I thought about cutting up a black balloon, but that's probably a little too thin, right?

Perfect, thanks for that! ??

Best I've seen, definitely! Just hate to buy a whole kit for the wheels....

Thanks! Closest I've found is this (see link), but definitely not exact....including concave vs convex shape.... https://uscp-ua.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=726

Are the wheels shown on this Hollywood BMW 740 available anywhere outside of purchasing some rare and exotic full kit?

Thank you! The main bodies of the arms came from the Datsun Monster Truck Wrecker kit; only one arm per kit, but I found a guy on Ebay who was selling several in one batch. Still had to modify the details and scratch build the ends. I've got Tony in mind for the big central beacon if I can't find something to scratch build it with (nothing like spending shipping for a single item the size of a thimble....)

Very useful and helpful information, thank you everyone! I have a much better idea of what I'm doing, I think, especially not being knowledgeable in this area (I mostly do aircraft). I'll give you a sneak preview of my project, COMPLETELY scratch-built except for the yellow of course....the winch was quite a bit of educated guessing based on bad photos.

Nice work on those Mark! Yes, the first two pics show something similar to what I'm looking for, namely the one coming off the very center. Then when I go through the dozens of stills I've taken from the show in my research for this, I often find contradictory info...which is par for the course when one is dealing with Hollywood props. Here are a few more showing what I though I was looking for....there is a single chain coming off the middle, with one large hook stowed along the back to the left. And then, with what you just explained, I re-checked and found two chains coming off the bottom corners of the sling, on the last photo here.....not like the other pics. Grr...

Been totally scratch building the wrecker end of a GMC-based tow truck, and have two questions. 1) What guage chain should I look for? I'm considering either 13 or 15 links per inch, but hard to be sure without seeing it in person (trouble with online purchase) 2) Are there charts/illustrations/photos which show where the chain should connect? Most photos do NOT show it coming from the boom arms, until I see photo #1 here. Photo 2 shows it hooked on the body below it and not connected to the booms at all. Tough to scratch build what one cannot see.

Looking for recommendations as to where to find metal cable to simulate that used on older model Tow Trucks. In this pic, there are two basic sizes: the single thick one going from the winch up through the tow booms, and the fine ones which support the booms at various points. Online source, or something from a Michael's/Hobby Lobby etc? Just don't know where to begin looking....

Hoping someone might have an image showing the end of the V-shaped bar protruding from the back of this Holmes (?) wrecker. Forgive my not knowing the terminology. I've got a clear view of the hinged attachment points to the back of the rig (top of the "V") but not the apex, which would be the very rear of the whole thing when it's extended in back. Hope this makes sense....

I was wondering about a sort of saddle tank arrangement, yes. mchook, I saw that, terrific work, I was glad to see I wasn't the only one who liked the GMC version. I tracked five different tow units used in the series, and that one for some reason is my favorite.

Jeez, I'm glad I asked.....I almost messed this up badly. Thanks again!?