AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 20, 2020 Author Share Posted December 20, 2020 13 hours ago, Steve H said: I wouldn’t be surprised if Francis adds a working hand brake!! Francis my friend, this is over the top. I have been waiting to see this beast with a body on it... WOW! Love everything, huge rear boots, low stance, (although, as I guy who likes low.... maybe a pinch lower at the front?) it looks simply amazing. Can’t wait to see that crazy motor you built in the engine bay. Cheers, Steve Hey Steve, thanks for the comments my friend! It was ephemeral but I wanted to know a bit about where I stood in terms of body height. I'm very happy with the rear height but I would like the front to be closer to the ground of course. I'm a bit stuck with my concept which is as close to the original as possible and drag racing mechanics. I don't want to put the engine/transmission too high as I would have to make a bigger transmission tunnel and probably have to put a snorkel on the hood as the carburetor would stick out. The HEMI I made is way bigger than the slant six or V8 usually seen in the engine bay of those old workhorses so I am not out of the wood yet... I will see what I can do when the engine will be mounted in the frame. Take care, Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 20, 2020 Author Share Posted December 20, 2020 10 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said: Awesome scratch build man, love it Thanks for the comments Marcos, I love your latest project my friend, very unusual and original, I like rare birds!!! Take care, Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butter Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 Hey Francis. The suspension components are superb!! Everything really looks in scale and correct. The seat brackets are also a nice touch. Every single item on this truck is a perfectly executed model in its own right. It will be amazing when it is all together!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy D Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 hello Francis, What a treat to follow your build Sir !!!!! Your skill at fabrication in different materials is awesome. Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 21, 2020 Author Share Posted December 21, 2020 22 hours ago, butter said: Hey Francis. The suspension components are superb!! Everything really looks in scale and correct. The seat brackets are also a nice touch. Every single item on this truck is a perfectly executed model in its own right. It will be amazing when it is all together!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the kind comments Ron! I will work hard to finish this thing before the end of the year...2021...! ? Take care, Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 21, 2020 Author Share Posted December 21, 2020 52 minutes ago, Randy D said: hello Francis, What a treat to follow your build Sir !!!!! Your skill at fabrication in different materials is awesome. Randy Hey Randy, good to see you again sir and thanks for the kind words! Rest assured that your out-of-this-world skills are an incredible source of motivation to surpass myself but I still have a long way to go before I can approach your level of perfection sir (if at all possible ...)! Take care, Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 23, 2020 Author Share Posted December 23, 2020 Hello everyone, Before I can progress a little further inside the cabin and its components, I was kind of forced to make a little hook under the hood. I want to make a bracket for the brake / clutch pedals in the same genre as the real truck and needed to have the exact position of the brake master cylinder before starting so I put the Sherline tooling to work. This time, I decided to try to make the cover removable even if I don't plan to expose the truck with the cover removed from the base but just as another little challenge I would say. At the very least, you now know that it is removable... Not a big step forward but another part done and another little Ziploc in the parts box! I will be back at work tomorrow morning for a short week (one day only ...) so I will try to make more progress in the next few days since the Christmas holidays seem to be rather calm this year... See you soon! Take care, Francis Master cylinder cover in the milling chuck. I used a 0.020" ball end mill for the groove. Master cylnder components. Different view. Master cylinder assembled. Different view. As you can see, I drilled the end of the cylinder and will attempt to attach the plunger to the brake pedal. Wish me luck...! In position under the hood. Different view. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foghorn62 Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 (edited) So let me get this straight, why make the reservoir cover removable, when no one ever will remove it? Because you can. Edited December 23, 2020 by foghorn62 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortuga Kustomz Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 Love those work that you guys does, i wish i had one of those machines at home to make my own parts like that, amazing work man, love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
landman Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 11 hours ago, foghorn62 said: So let me get this straight, why make the reservoir cover removable, when no one ever will remove it? Because you can. Wait till he shows you the plunger valve complete with o-rings and spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 Keep it up, mister! It just keeps getting better and better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 On 12/22/2020 at 8:53 PM, foghorn62 said: So let me get this straight, why make the reservoir cover removable, when no one ever will remove it? Because you can. Thanks for the comment Tim! I have no choice but to agree with you... now I know that I can...! Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 On 12/23/2020 at 3:15 AM, Tortuga Kustomz said: Love those work that you guys does, i wish i had one of those machines at home to make my own parts like that, amazing work man, love it Thanks Marcos! These machines are rather expensive but I couldn't work without them now! Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 On 12/23/2020 at 8:39 AM, landman said: Wait till he shows you the plunger valve complete with o-rings and spring. Thanks for your trust mark Pat but I couldn't find a supplier for the compression spring and o-rings so the master cylinder might have a little leak... Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 24, 2020 Author Share Posted December 24, 2020 On 12/23/2020 at 9:00 AM, Straightliner59 said: Keep it up, mister! It just keeps getting better and better! Thank you Daniel, you are a good example in this area, hard to believe all the intricate details you can create yourself my friend! Merry Christmas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Thibodeau Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 Hi Francis! Now, will it be DOT-3 or DOT-4 fluid? I suggest the DOT-4: more resistance to moisture... CT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butter Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 NICE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 4 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said: Thank you Daniel, you are a good example in this area, hard to believe all the intricate details you can create yourself my friend! Merry Christmas! Well, thank you, my friend. I just finished that project. I will post some photos, in a while. Merry Christmas to you, as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 On 12/2/2020 at 8:53 AM, AmericanMuscleFan said: Hello everyone! Joe: You asked for it, you got it! Today's update is kind of a mix of progress and changes, you can call it setback or modifications or fine tuning... In order to get more substantial progress I now need to move on to the rest of the cabin and interior fabrication. I still have a lot of parts to make but at this stage of the build I can call them "detail parts" which can be done later. For now, I need to put this thing on its four wheels and address any (hopefully not major) issues I might encounter prior to final assembly. First problem was spacing issue for the bellhousing and the clutch lever and mechanism. I realized that I made a mistake on the shape of the floor tray so the first thing was to make these changes. My plan is to glue and finish on the floor like a 1: 1 cabin and assemble the interior components afterwards. I know it will be difficult and it will be like building a sailboat in a bottle (not as difficult though) but I think I like to give myself trouble and challenges... I'll also have to start building the engine to make the adjustments under the hood and create the openings in the floor for the Lenco transmission shift levers. Lots of fun in the coming weeks, so don't be surprised if the updates aren't in a logical order. Comments and suggestions are welcome as usual, I'm back at work tonight for the night shift so I'll be back on the build next weekend. Take care, Francis Pic of the floor pan from 2019/01 for comparison. I made a larger opening for the bellhousing, this one is roughly 0.200" larger than the previous one. I had to make an angle on the floor plate (like the 1: 1 truck), it was a mistake at first and you need room for the clutch levers. The brake master cylinder should be moved to the driver's fender in order to have enough space for the accelerator pedal inside the cab. I can't save the part so I cut an opening and made a new one exactly the same size as the hole, I turned the part 180 degrees so now the fuse box will be at the other side. The new plastic part is glued in place. I machined the clutch lever pivot point on the bellhousing. Same part different view with the big dime... The flywheel is now permanently assembled on the crank end with RB Motion aluminum bolts. The flywheel teeth have been blackened with "Brass Black" to simulate the hardening treatment. Pressure plate is now finally installed on the flywheel with aluminum bolts. Pressure plate different view, you can also see the clutch disk in between. Sweet!!!!! Where is the clutch disc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 25, 2020 Author Share Posted December 25, 2020 On 12/24/2020 at 12:44 PM, Claude Thibodeau said: Hi Francis! Now, will it be DOT-3 or DOT-4 fluid? I suggest the DOT-4: more resistance to moisture... CT Hi Claude! I'll trust you on this ... DOT-4 it will be...lol Merry Christmas, Francis On 12/24/2020 at 1:17 PM, butter said: NICE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you very much Ron, I really appreciate your support sir! Merry Christmas, Francis 21 hours ago, Straightliner59 said: Well, thank you, my friend. I just finished that project. I will post some photos, in a while. Merry Christmas to you, as well. Thanks again Daniel, I won't miss it so I'll go check them out and add my comments to your ALWAYS exceptional work my friend! Take care, Francis 20 hours ago, Alan said: Sweet!!!!! Where is the clutch disc Thanks Alan! Well, I must admit that it is rather well hidden and barely visible between the flywheel and the pressure plate... The pressure plate is just the shell and it is not complete with all the components because I was running out of space ... You can see the simple designed clutch disk in this image at an earlier stage of build if you missed it... I must admit that there are starting to be quite a few pictures on this thread... lol Merry Christmas, Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 Francis! Hello friend, and a very merry Christmas to you. I have been following this but not commenting always. I hope that you know how incredible this “work” is. Hobbies aren’t work, so that’s not quite the right word... Your incredible craftsmanship inspires us all. It is a real treat to watch yourself, Tim C, Claude T among others build such amazing works of art. I don’t care how long it takes, I can’t wait to see this beast “under glass”. I love the barbs that you and your friend Claude toss at each other, signs of a true, friendly relationship, and mutual respect. Cheers, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 So it's the day after Christmas and look what I found under the tree.......this thread is so much fun to watch as one never knows what you'll be up to next. Cheers, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian McLaren Posted December 26, 2020 Share Posted December 26, 2020 The master cylinder, the clutch and flywheel assembly are simply incredible, virtually impossible to distinguish from photos of the real thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 26, 2020 Author Share Posted December 26, 2020 12 hours ago, Steve H said: Francis! Hello friend, and a very merry Christmas to you. I have been following this but not commenting always. I hope that you know how incredible this “work” is. Hobbies aren’t work, so that’s not quite the right word... Your incredible craftsmanship inspires us all. It is a real treat to watch yourself, Tim C, Claude T among others build such amazing works of art. I don’t care how long it takes, I can’t wait to see this beast “under glass”. I love the barbs that you and your friend Claude toss at each other, signs of a true, friendly relationship, and mutual respect. Cheers, Steve Hey Steve! Thanks for the kind words my friend. Don't worry about the frequency of your comments, it's free entry here and I accept with great humility and gratitude those I receive, they are all greatly appreciated. It would be rather difficult for me to hide that I like the presence of mind and the humor of my good friend Claude, that puts things in perspective and at the level where all this must be taken; a hobby above all else! Your new "Oldcamino" or "Caminolds" is off to a great start by the way! Take care, Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 26, 2020 Author Share Posted December 26, 2020 4 hours ago, Codi said: So it's the day after Christmas and look what I found under the tree.......this thread is so much fun to watch as one never knows what you'll be up to next. Cheers, Tim Thanks for the kind words Tim, I always appreciate your support sir! As for gifts, it is as fun to give as it is to receive and I still have a lot of wrapping paper near my workbench! I would take your beautiful Maverick under my Christmas tree by the way!!! Take care, Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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