AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 26, 2021 Author Share Posted December 26, 2021 18 hours ago, foghorn62 said: Francis, as Mike said, “Who would have thought to add door handles and guards in 1:25?” Who indeed, other than you that is? But what part of a Swiss watch would you omit, without effecting the splendor of the final product? The sum of the parts will combine to present the amazing example of your mastery! Final assembly is what always makes me cringe, but for you, everything goes together with such precision, that the resulting masterpiece will be truly exciting for us all to behold! Merry Christmas to you and your family my friend! TCOTT Thank you for your kind words and your vote of confidence in my work my friend! You know how it works, no matter how much time and effort you put into a project, there is no guarantee of success and an unforeseen situation can arise. I took a rather hazardous path in building this truck and I hope that good fortune will help me deliver a finished product that will not disappoint my loyal supporters and myself... As I've always said to myself, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (unfortunately we can't please everyone...) but at the end of the day, the most important thing is to have had fun and to have the feeling of having succeeded in doing better than the previous time! In any case, this is my way of seeing things... but my next project will not be a piece of cake... LOL 😉 Thanks again and happy holidays, Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Thibodeau Posted December 26, 2021 Share Posted December 26, 2021 Hi Francis! Happy holidays to you and your Dad. I see you are reaching your goal, that makes it even more exciting, isn't it? A question: is the little notch on the top of the door panels for the door lock knob? If so, what will it be: plastic, or, as I suspect, metal? Just curious! See you soon in 22! CT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foghorn62 Posted December 26, 2021 Share Posted December 26, 2021 2 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said: I hope that good fortune will help me deliver a finished product that will not disappoint my loyal supporters and myself... Not much chance of disappointing your loyal supporters (fans). We’re already in awe! Disappointment went out of the picture long ago! As for yourself, only you can be the judge of that, but you chose not to rely on fortune, and instead on your amazing talent. You will always be your own worst critic, but in the end, I’d be really surprised if even you weren’t pretty proud of this build. TCOTT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 28, 2021 Author Share Posted December 28, 2021 On 12/26/2021 at 1:51 PM, Claude Thibodeau said: Hi Francis! Happy holidays to you and your Dad. I see you are reaching your goal, that makes it even more exciting, isn't it? A question: is the little notch on the top of the door panels for the door lock knob? If so, what will it be: plastic, or, as I suspect, metal? Just curious! See you soon in 22! CT Thanks for continuing to visit my project my friend, you are obviously a very patient guy... 😁 The small hole or notch at the top of the door is where the window arch will be glued. I have not seen a picture of a '64 model with a door lock knob and I suspect that this model locks from the outside with the key or with the inside lever by turning it the other way. It's been too long since I rode in my uncle's truck (it must be more than 50 years ago...) and I don't remember the trick exactly. Hope to see you in 2022... 🙄 Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 28, 2021 Author Share Posted December 28, 2021 On 12/26/2021 at 2:28 PM, foghorn62 said: Not much chance of disappointing your loyal supporters (fans). We’re already in awe! Disappointment went out of the picture long ago! As for yourself, only you can be the judge of that, but you chose not to rely on fortune, and instead on your amazing talent. You will always be your own worst critic, but in the end, I’d be really surprised if even you weren’t pretty proud of this build. TCOTT Thank you for your supportive comments and your wisdom my friend! You know very well how it works when you are a perfectionist (you obviously are one of them...), you can never be completely satisfied but you often have to put it all in perspective. At some point you have to tell yourself that it's enough and that you have to keep going because there will always be someone who will do better and that's part of the diversity. I would really like to make brass fenders but in my kind of build, there are only a handful of masters who are capable or patient enough to venture into such a project. I will certainly continue to work with good old styrene for a long time while contemplating those who are already at another level... 😉 Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 29, 2021 Author Share Posted December 29, 2021 Hello everyone, Today is the second anniversary of my pickup truck thread and it will also be my last update... for the year 2021. 🙄 The last few days I've been working on making the side mirror and trying to recreate the basic elements of the original model. I made a small round mirror instead of a square one because I think it looks more drag racing (and easier to make of course...). I only made one on the driver's side because I think it looks more "bad a-$-$" too, anyway the driver has to concentrate on looking forward more than in the mirrors! I hope you will approve of my choice and that you will like it, it is not exactly as I would have liked but I will live with it, I must move on! Comments are welcome and appreciated as usual. I will be back for the best wishes of 2022, a busy year ahead... 😁 Francis I started with the little round mirror. I am reducing the size of the rod that will be connected to the arm. I made the bracket using a large aluminum rod, machined the inside to match the curvature of the door panel. After drilling all the holes I separate the part from the rod. After filing and sanding I got the rectangle shape I wanted. I used a brass rod that I drilled one end of to crush it like the real thing is made. I used a solid rod to keep the tube from flattening out during bending. I chrome plated the brass rod and tested the fit on the door (I forgot to put the jam nut on the mirror stem). The stem is probably a little too big but I will live with it... It is somehow adjustable, the rod will be able to turn on the base.. All the components together. From another angle. The last picture of 2021... I'm back at work tonight for the night shift. 😴 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted December 29, 2021 Share Posted December 29, 2021 What I say. Truly amazing work. That is a model in itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 You know I love these cool, little details, Francis! The round mirror is perfect, for this. Fabulous work, as always, my friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 On 12/29/2021 at 11:28 AM, bobthehobbyguy said: What I say. Truly amazing work. That is a model in itself. Thanks Bob! It's mostly a good school for me, I just try to put my ideas into practice but sometimes the results are better than others... 😁 On 12/30/2021 at 12:47 AM, Straightliner59 said: You know I love these cool, little details, Francis! The round mirror is perfect, for this. Fabulous work, as always, my friend! Thanks again Daniel! I thought you would like this, all your projects are full of cool details and great tips, it's just the most enjoyable part of this hobby... in my opinion at least! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 2 hours ago, AmericanMuscleFan said: cool details and great tips, it's just the most enjoyable part of this hobby... in my opinion at least! I concur! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill-e-boy Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Hi Francis I have just come to this through another post. Such amazing work happening here I have a Unimat 3 lathe/Mill that is similar in size to the Sherline. Your work is an inspiration to me to further my machining experience beyond the little parts I have done to date. I doo find that I machine a lot of small parts to replace chunky model parts in the kits I build - mostly hot rod And Happy New Year to you and all your followers - New Years Day is nearly over here in NZ Cheers Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippi Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 All this quality detail work just boggles my mind. Really shaping up nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 8 hours ago, bill-e-boy said: Hi Francis I have just come to this through another post. Such amazing work happening here I have a Unimat 3 lathe/Mill that is similar in size to the Sherline. Your work is an inspiration to me to further my machining experience beyond the little parts I have done to date. I doo find that I machine a lot of small parts to replace chunky model parts in the kits I build - mostly hot rod And Happy New Year to you and all your followers - New Years Day is nearly over here in NZ Cheers Bill Thanks Bill, I'm very happy you found my project! I bought my Sherline equipment about 15 years ago for the same purpose as you, to replace poorly reproduced parts from the kits I was working on, and I have loved this aspect of the hobby more and more!!! As you can see, once you start at this game, it's hard to stop, at least for me... 😁 I hope that 2022 will be more "normal" than the past 2 years, health wishes will never have been so relevant, I wish us all the best for the coming year!!! 🎉 Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 3 hours ago, Zippi said: All this quality detail work just boggles my mind. Really shaping up nicely. Thanks for your kind comments Bob! I have a box full of little zip lock bags of all the components I have made since the beginning of this project, I have many hours of fun ahead of me...! Happy new year! 🎉 Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian McLaren Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 Francis the amount and the quality of the work you produced last year is hard to believe, and to think that it was your second full year on this project is a testament to your commitment. I have nothing but admiration and respect for you my friend! I can't wait to see all of this come together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted January 2, 2022 Author Share Posted January 2, 2022 1 hour ago, Ian McLaren said: Francis the amount and the quality of the work you produced last year is hard to believe, and to think that it was your second full year on this project is a testament to your commitment. I have nothing but admiration and respect for you my friend! I can't wait to see all of this come together. Thanks Ian, I am very honored by you kind comments and mark of support my friend! I spent a lot of time on my previous projects (especially the GTX), but this truck is on another level, especially because I had to kind of create the body. I don't know if I'll get involved in such a complex project again in the future but I'll always be a bit obsessed with the details, the fabrication is by far my favorite aspect of the hobby. I still have a few details to do and then I'll start painting, the real work will begin... 😁 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie libby Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 you give us such great ideas on how to make these things. i think you should have classes. i will sign up for the first one. the mirror is so nice. i hooked a part up backwards in my plating solution and ruined it. made a new jar full today. happy new year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 43 minutes ago, charlie libby said: you give us such great ideas on how to make these things. i think you should have classes. i will sign up for the first one. the mirror is so nice. i hooked a part up backwards in my plating solution and ruined it. made a new jar full today. happy new year Thanks Charlie, you're not a bad teacher either my friend...! 2022 should be the year... Anyway, I still have time, it's only the beginning of January... LOL. I have to finish it as soon as possible, my brain is bubbling with ideas for a new project! Another muscle car? 🤔 Happy New Year Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Yikes ! This will truly be a work of art when finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Hello everyone, Today I'm showing you the last parts that will be mounted on the body, the rest of the parts to be made will be detail parts (mostly under the hood) that I will continue while the paint is curing, which means that the next step will be the pain... I mean the paint... My updates will probably be more spaced out because I usually wait a few weeks before polishing (when everything goes as planned...). I'll make a small update to show you the progress of this step that I expect to be rather complex due to the way I chose to build the body (I can't go backwards anyways...). Back on the subject, I decided to make reinforcing bars for the box panels because I imagine it might shake a bit at launch or at the tires warm up, so these bars will hold everything tight in place and I think they add a cool look to the whole thing. What do you think? They were pretty easy to make and the pictures speak for themselves. Comments and suggestions are welcome! See you soon, Francis I used a square brass tube to make the mounting brackets. Then, just solder the brackets to the round brass tube. From a different angle, I think they fit in well. Final product, and they are made with brass... for all my friends who love this beautiful golden metal! Bolts are from RB Motion by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 12 minutes ago, cobraman said: Yikes ! This will truly be a work of art when finished. Thanks Ray but I still have a lot of work ahead of me... Hope to not disappoint you! Francis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 I haven’t checked in on this one in a little while! WOW!!!!! Francis, you never cease to amaze me! You don’t miss a detail!! This is beyond art or craftsmanship. I don’t think that there is a word to describe this level of excellence. Truly amazing work! I’m looking forward to seeing more of this one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straightliner59 Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 The box/bed braces are a perfect touch. They would certainly seem to make sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zen Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 Looking great! Only suggestion I would make is to possibly mount the brackets to the underside of the bed lip for cleaner look. I don't know, just thinking out loud ....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattilacken Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Stunning pieces as always Francis! A true labor of love I would say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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