Custom Mike Posted May 15, 2015 Author Share Posted May 15, 2015 A couple of closer shots of the garbage I've got to sand. fill and generally make look like it belongs here! A bit of filler applied to close off the gaps around the edges...like I needed more work on this beast! The good news is, the filler piece did reduce the warp in the cab a bit, the gap is at least passable now! I moved back to the boat so I didn't get any more aggravated with the truck and it's wonderful hood. I got the boat re-primered, and sanded down a couple of spots that needed a bit more attention. The area where the water pickup will go had some bad scratches, so they got taken care of.... There were a few small lumps in this area that had to be smoothed out again.... And finally, I painted the interior side panels with some Dupli-Color Fabric and Interior paint in Silver, then mocked 'em up real quick. I had already sanded on the bottom edges to get them to fit in the boat easier (And hopefully avoid any further cracking trying to install them!). I found at this point the tube for the water pickup needed to be removed so the interior panels can be installed later, no big deal there, it's easy to glue back into place!That's all for tonight guys and gals, drive safe, and don't forget to tip over your waiter or waitress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 So much fantastic progress Mike. I enjoyed all the pictures and reading the build process for each one. You have really got the boat hull looking so good and smooth and i love the engine and how you made the gauge cluster. The gauges is something i can remember and use down the road myself. Looking forward to seeing you build the wood floor for the bed and continue with the challenges on the truck cab friend. Keep up the great work..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAMBENNA Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 great built Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 Thanks Carl, this one is special to me, so I'm giving it more attention than normal, I want it to be as close to perfect as I can get it, I'm sure Toney would approve of it. Going back to work on the truck's cab and hood. The hood is in much better shape now, but I may end up having to add a shim to the driver's side at the front corner, we'll see! The front end all sanded down and cleaned up... It's strange, some times the hood sits beautifully all the way around like this shot, other times it's slightly up on the driver's side...aggravating piece of plastic! I glued the back of the cab in place to insure that I had the warp straightened out.... And I cleaned the glue joint up a bit on each side. I don't want it smooth, since there is a nice seam there on the 1:1 truck, but I don't want it looking nasty either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 Some more primer laid down on the boat, it's looking like it's ready for some Candy Silver once the primer cures! And the hood wearing some primer. Not the best pics, but they'll do for tight now. I can see two small issues to take care of so far, nothing major thankfully! And a few shots of the cab in primer, again a few small issues, but nothing serious, so it's looking good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 I've got a issues on the cab fix, the first one was a slip with the panel scriber, an easy fix. More evidence of my heavy-handed sanding.... A bit of re-shaping on the bottom edges of the front end to round them off some more... And the biggest problem on the hood. The character line was all out of whack at the front corner, so it got straightened back out. I've also got some super tiny pinholes along the topside of the character line at the back edge. I'm hoping the next coats of primer fill them in, we'll see. And a couple of quick pics to check the hood on the cab for character line matching and overall fit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 16, 2015 Author Share Posted May 16, 2015 To finish off tonight, I got some parts painted with Dupli-Color Black primer, I'll be starting on the chassis tomorrow night! And I got a couple of thin strips glued in place to repair the drip rail on the roof panel...it should be real fun to get this to match! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toner283 Posted May 16, 2015 Share Posted May 16, 2015 Looking awesome. You are definitely doing justice to these kits and to your friends memory. Loving all of the crisp clear photos and the extreme close-ups. Thanks for taking all the time to take them and to post them up. Remember, as bad as the issues with these kits are they could be worse. The hemi hydro kit that I am working on as a sink line across the whole hull bottom and up the sides everywhere there is a rib on the inside. It took me several hours with a flat file and sanding sticks to get the whole hull smooth. it looks like you got a much better issue than the one I got. One hint for a source for a battery, The Phantom Vicky has a battery in a case like a marine battery would use. I may have an extra one here if you were interested in it. I know you have not gotten that far yet but you will probably want to replace the wheels and tires on the trailer as well. They are also fairly horrible and easier to replace than to try and fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 (edited) Looking awesome. You are definitely doing justice to these kits and to your friends memory. Loving all of the crisp clear photos and the extreme close-ups. Thanks for taking all the time to take them and to post them up. Remember, as bad as the issues with these kits are they could be worse. The hemi hydro kit that I am working on as a sink line across the whole hull bottom and up the sides everywhere there is a rib on the inside. It took me several hours with a flat file and sanding sticks to get the whole hull smooth. it looks like you got a much better issue than the one I got. One hint for a source for a battery, The Phantom Vicky has a battery in a case like a marine battery would use. I may have an extra one here if you were interested in it. I know you have not gotten that far yet but you will probably want to replace the wheels and tires on the trailer as well. They are also fairly horrible and easier to replace than to try and fix. Chris, this Hemi Hydro is an original release, or very close to it, I believe it was a 1972 issue of it, Sam I Am provided it so I could duplicate what Toney built...the new release of the Hemi Hydro wasn't around yet! I already replaced the trailer rims and tires, they're the same as the beautiful 5-spokes on the truck, and it looks 1000 times better that way! I've got one of the Phantom Vicky kits in the stash, thanks for the tip on the battery box, now I've gotta dig it out and steal some parts! Here's a picture of the kit Sam sent me, it's definitely not the new release! Edited May 17, 2015 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 I got some more primer thrown at the boat (It's now as close to perfect as I'll ever get!), the cab and the hood. The hood needs some filler for the pinholes on the passenger side, but otherwise is in great shape, and fits great! I've got a bit more work to do on the bottom of the grille opening, but the passenger side is good to go! A couple of shots of the hood, the driver's side is fine.... But the passenger side needs some filler at the back side. I did get the character line straight at the front corner at least, so it's getting there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Finally, I got some chassis work done. I started by painting the frame rails semi-gloss black..... A bit of semi-gloss black on the front and rear suspension.... And the suspension parts glued in place on the chassis. The shocks are painted (But still drying), so they'll be installed once they're dry... I painted the disc brake rotors with some Metalizer Steel, the calipers with Tamiya Clear Green, and pronounced them good! Once the shocks are dried and installed, we'll have a nearly completed chassis! I got the roof panel repair cleaned up, and so far, it's looking great! A shot of the underside, it's not really gonna be seen once it's in place, but I still wanted it to look good! From above, nice and even with the drip rail! A bit of careful sanding will be needed here, but it's not too bad! Once it was sanded, a tiny bit of filler was needed for some pinholes.... All sanded down, we'll see how it looks with a bit of primer thrown at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) The roof panel wearing some primer/sealer...I've got one tiny bit of filler to sand down at the back edge of the filler piece, but otherwise it's perfect! Next up is getting started on the bed. I glued some angle strip on the side of the bed, two pieces were used. I'll have slats on the top and bottom of this bed, unlike the '50 Chevy which had one solid piece of basswood on the bottom and slats on the top. I'm also going to have a piece of .030 sheet styrene between the pieces of basswood this time around, mainly to have something to glue the retaining straps between the pieces of wood to. If you look closely at the angle styrene glued to the bed, you'll see that it has a ripple in it...the bed wall is still not flat, even after all that sanding! I'll sand the angle piece to straighten it out once the glue has fully set, maybe it'll satisfy my OCD over things like that! A quick mock-up with two pieces of basswood and some .030 strip, it fits between the angle retainers perfectly! I added the top angle strip to the other side of the bed, but not the bottom yet, I was waiting for the two pieces of .030 strip to dry on the bottom edge. Since it was recessed there, the lower strip would end up too far away from the basswood slat to hold it, so I brought the bottom edge out to the level of the rest of the bed sides. And a shot from above, that's all for the bed tonight, gotta make sure the glue is good and dry before I do the rest of the work on it! Edited May 23, 2015 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Changing gears again, we're back on the hood now. I got the filler sanded down on the passenger side and shot it with some primer, and it looks good. I still have a slight problem though, the hood is either down fully on the passenger side, or sticking up on the driver's side front corner. It's the hood for sure, it's just slightly warped, but I'm gonna live with it, since I can display it with the hood up...the kit hinges actually hold the hood up beautifully! See the separation line molded in to the front end...the one that separates the upper front panel from the fender? Yeah, it stops dead right there, I couldn't have that, so I continued it up and over the top like it's supposed to be! I've been looking at that partial line for a while now, and I just had to fix it! Now I've got to cut the separation line in the lower panel too, even though it'll get hidden almost completely by the bumper! Much better looking, but who's gonna notice it other than psychos like me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 I finally got around to doing a bit of engine work for the truck. I painted the 4 barrel intake with some Metalizer Aluminum Plate, buffed it up and glued it down, then drilled it out for the Fatkidd distributor... And got the plug wires glued in place on the passenger side of the engine. I'll touch-up the area under the boots once the glue has dried, and hopefully be able to finish this engine off pretty quickly I got the engine wiring completed, and discovered that the distributor was missing it's coil wire! So I'll find a piece of wire around here to use in it's place, because this kit actually comes with a coil! I did a quick mock-up of the engine in the truck, and popped the hood open...like I said earlier, the kit hinges actually work beautifully on this one, a first for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 (edited) I grabbed some goodies for the braided lines I'm using for the boat's cooling system, this should clean it up nicely! That's all for tonight, we'll see ya again soon! Edited May 19, 2015 by Custom Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slusher Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Very nice progress Mike. Fine work you doing on this build... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dominik Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Wow...a lot of work you made on the hemi hydro...on the truck too....very impressiv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 Thanks guys, it's taking some work, but it's worth it! WE HAVE PAINT!!!! The first coats of Dupli-Color Candy Silver have been laid down, and so far, we're looking pretty good! I've got a bit of debris to clean out of the slots out front, but that's the biggest issue I've got so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 The Boat.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 And the cab. Everything took a ride in the dehydrator for about last two hours, so I'm ready to mask off the cab, hood and boat so I can lay down some Candy Apple Green!I almost forgot, the dash will be Candy Apple Green too, so it got some Candy Silver! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 The roof and dashboard are also wearing some beautiful Candy Apple Green! The boat is up next! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 I got the boat masked off and painted, now to let everything cure, hopefully I'll be able to throw some Clear on all this stuff in the next few days! And some better shots of the cab and hood, they're back at the bench, no issues in the paint at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 I got a bit of interior stuff done for both the truck and boat. I started by adding a back to the truck's seat, since a small piece of it sticks up above the interior bucket.... And the seat sitting in place in the interior bucket, much better! Next up was a bit of flocking.... All the parts for the boat were also flocked, and the seat was painted with some Dupli-Color Fabric And Interior Paint Vinyl Silver. The last bit of work for tonight was some detail painting on the dash. Nothing fancy, just some semi-gloss black and silver dry-brushed to make it look good. I've got a bit of touch-up in a few spots, but not too bad for a few minutes of work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Time for some more updates. let's start with the truck's engine. The pulleys, fan and alternator are all in place, not much left for this part, just the carb and exhaust and it'll be done! Next up was getting the spare tire done. I finally gave up and went with the kit whitewall, since nothing else would fit properly. I still needed to flatten one side of the tire and rim to get it to fit the way I wanted it to though, so I put the whitewall side on top, sanded it flat, painted it flat black, and glued the assembly in place on the frame! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Custom Mike Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 Next, I got started on the water pump for the boat's motor. I figured on something simple, an intake tube for the water, and probably a piece of 16 or 18 gauge wire for the "legs" that will go into the block on either side of it. I'll also have to drill a hole in the timing cover for the shaft coming out of the back side of the water pump, but that will be the last part of it. I may just put the pump directly on top of the timing cover so I don't need a shaft, we'll see when I get to that point. I started with a piece of a parts tree, I used one of the huge rods at the ends of some of the trees. I drilled a series of progressively larger holes in one side until it was large enough to accept the tubing I'll use for the intake... The intake tube glued into the new water pump, and a piece of braided line shoved into it for good measure. Not a bad start, I'm getting pretty good at this scratch-building stuff for sure! And the water pump held up to the engine to see how it's gonna look once it's all done. This is about the angle I hope to have it at when it's finished...now to make the "legs" and get it painted! I got the boat's water pump completed, I started by cutting a groove in the back side to run a piece of wire through. I also drilled some holes in the block for the "legs" to go into, I'll try to add a small flange to each one to make it look bolted on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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