64 Dodge D100 Pickup: 4 year project Completed

[AmericanMuscleFan]

15 hours ago, Goose1957 said:

Beautiful, just beautiful! I totally forgot about your build. Thanks for sharing. 

Jeff 

Thanks Jeff !  Glad you're here for the curtain call !

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

15 hours ago, Zippi said:

That is one fine looking pickup.  Love that Hemi engine in the business end.  

Thanks Bob !

We can never have too much displacement in our workhorses !!!😁

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

15 hours ago, gautreau said:

followed this build from the beginning. INCREDIBLE build!! Can't wait to see what you build next!

 

Thanks Jeremy !

I can't promise that I will do another "step by step" thread because it takes a lot of time.  However, I will certainly show and explain the most interesting parts of the build and I'm always happy to answer any questions that are asked.

Francis

[foghorn62]

Four years, 66 pages, 1646 replies later, this masterpiece has earned it’s rightful place on the shelf of fame, where it will undoubtedly draw myriads of drools and expressions of astonishment from those of us that have the great fortune to be able to not only follow its creation, but also celebrate its completion!  Francis, I bow to your talent and steadfast dedication to this amazing project!  I am also blessed to have made your acquaintance, and to be able to call you “friend”.  The things you have taught me while never rising to your level under my hand, will still support my desire to ever improve my own skills for years to come.  

Perhaps even more impressive than the build itself, is your own patience in answering and advising us all with our questions and comments throughout this journey.  Thank you so much for bringing us along Francis.  Most others would have brushed many of us off along the way, but instead you continued to dazzle us with your next accomplishment at every turn. 

Bravo my friend!

TCOTT

[AmericanMuscleFan]

22 hours ago, Claude Thibodeau said:

Hi Francis!

Well, my friend, I've seen most of your previous car "in the flesh", but this has to be your Magnum Opus. 

Congratulations, Bravo, Félicitations... and I'll be back later with more translated terms. Can't wait to see it in person this fall, and to hold it! I'm certain it must be of respectable weight, with all the metal work that went in! 

Enjoy your summer, you deserved it!

CT 

Thanks for your kind words and continued support my friend !

Above all, thank you for keeping me on the right track, your expertise in the field of the modified car and your advice make I hope that this improbable truck could exist and function...

As far as weight is concerned, it is quite heavy, probably not as heavy as a die-cast car of the same scale but definitely much heavier than an all-styrene model.   It could be a disadvantage if I drop it on the ground... 😳

Enjoy our short summer too, I too can't wait to see you and all your great builds "in the flesh" !!!

Francis

 

[AmericanMuscleFan]

15 hours ago, Straightliner59 said:

My friend, it was a pleasure to watch this come together, over these past few years. These might be my favorite pickups--these '60s Dodges. You nailed it, sir! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. It's been informative and entertaining. Your work has also inspired me to stick my toes in the water, so to speak, with my mill. Thank you, for that. Very well done, Francis! I'm looking forward to seeing what's next on your workbench!

Thanks Daniel my friend !

You have always been very supportive and were there at the very beginning.  Your tenacity and ingenuity have inspired and motivated me.  You are an example to follow and having you as a friend on this forum only adds to the pleasure of participating.

I hope to start a new project in the fall but for now, the only thing certain is that it will have at least 4 wheels! 😁

In the meantime, I will continue to follow your projects and learn new tricks from you I'm sure!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

12 hours ago, Butter 1 said:

Hi Francis.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! I hope to see it in person some day. I think the whole is even greater then the sum of all the parts. Everything fits. So impressive.

Thanks Ron !

This is not a farewell but just a goodbye!  You never know where life may take you, maybe one of these days I'll cross over to Uncle Sam's side and put faces to some of the gentlemen of this forum!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

7 hours ago, foghorn62 said:

Four years, 66 pages, 1646 replies later, this masterpiece has earned it’s rightful place on the shelf of fame, where it will undoubtedly draw myriads of drools and expressions of astonishment from those of us that have the great fortune to be able to not only follow its creation, but also celebrate its completion!  Francis, I bow to your talent and steadfast dedication to this amazing project!  I am also blessed to have made your acquaintance, and to be able to call you “friend”.  The things you have taught me while never rising to your level under my hand, will still support my desire to ever improve my own skills for years to come.  

Perhaps even more impressive than the build itself, is your own patience in answering and advising us all with our questions and comments throughout this journey.  Thank you so much for bringing us along Francis.  Most others would have brushed many of us off along the way, but instead you continued to dazzle us with your next accomplishment at every turn. 

Bravo my friend!

TCOTT

Thanks Tim !

First of all, it is a privilege for me to have the chance to be in contact with people of honor and value like you.   I know how your priorities and obligations in life have led you to make choices, the right ones, and you have still found the strength to persist in this hobby.  I am honored and proud myself to call you my friend !

You know, I am just a well-equipped modeler and I'm lucky enough to be good with my hands.  I consider receiving more than I give because if I can inspire or help others to continue, my success is far greater than the conclusion of a single model.

Maybe I got caught in a vicious circle by always wanting to do more details, it took me 4 years to deliver this one so what will be the road ahead for the next one?

Of course, this is not a race or a marathon, but I will have to find a viable balance between the details and my desire to create a rare and satisfying subject.

To be continued.

Francis

[cobraman]

Masterpiece !   A real work of art.  In a strange way I am sorry to see it finished. I enjoyed taking this adventure with you.  I'm ready for the next trip !

[bobthehobbyguy]

Don't think that you over detailed this project. Its the level of detail and the quality of work that makes this model so stunning.

As to doing some things differently that's not a surprise. Sometimes when do do something we realize that there is a better way to do it.

Looking forward to the next epic journey you take us on.

[slusher]

Absolutely stunning and so impressive that you can’t stop looking at this masterpiece !!  I have to say your are a seriously talented builder!

[mvadrag]

Saved my comment to the end.  WOW!

I think your best so far.  Fun to watch all the details come together.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Francis, I have been looking forward to seeing this one finished for some time now! “WOW” is just such an understatement! Watching you machine all of those fine details along the way was truly a joy and amazing to see! This build is truly a work of art!! Simply AMAZING!! EXCELLENT work!! Now if you will just start the engine and let us hear it run, that would be nice.😀

[Chariots of Fire]

That is outstanding.  Raising the building bar for sure.  Explain, if you will how you created the hood hinges.  The fit when the hood is closed is spot on.  And your BMF work on DODGE on the tailgate is awesome.

[happy grumpy]

Absolutely stunning Francis. This is a masterpiece. What's not to love, even for non mopar guys, BTW, I am a mopar guy and I love everything about it.  Merveilleux !

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 6/28/2022 at 10:11 AM, cobraman said:

Masterpiece !   A real work of art.  In a strange way I am sorry to see it finished. I enjoyed taking this adventure with you.  I'm ready for the next trip !

Thanks Ray!

I know what you mean because I feel the same way in a way.  The satisfaction of having delivered when many thought it was too ambitious a project and the feeling of leaving a good old friend!

I'll have to do it again to see if I still have the fire! 🔥

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

On 6/28/2022 at 11:00 AM, bobthehobbyguy said:

Don't think that you over detailed this project. Its the level of detail and the quality of work that makes this model so stunning.

As to doing some things differently that's not a surprise. Sometimes when do do something we realize that there is a better way to do it.

Looking forward to the next epic journey you take us on.

Thanks Bob !

You are absolutely right and this is what I call learning, improvement and evolution.

You also have to know how to listen and sometimes follow your ideas, it's all about balance!

See you later for the next adventure!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

23 hours ago, slusher said:

Absolutely stunning and so impressive that you can’t stop looking at this masterpiece !!  I have to say your are a seriously talented builder!

Thanks Carl !

Luckily, the photos are uploaded directly to the forum and are not linked to a hosting site like Photobkt... so you should be able to come back whenever you want, long live this forum!

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

19 hours ago, mvadrag said:

Saved my comment to the end.  WOW!

I think your best so far.  Fun to watch all the details come together.

Thanks José !

This one is certainly an improvement of my previous one (70 HEMI GTX), I hope to improve the next one somehow before my manual skills leave me for good...

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

18 hours ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

Francis, I have been looking forward to seeing this one finished for some time now! “WOW” is just such an understatement! Watching you machine all of those fine details along the way was truly a joy and amazing to see! This build is truly a work of art!! Simply AMAZING!! EXCELLENT work!! Now if you will just start the engine and let us hear it run, that would be nice.😀

Thanks Brian !

I am very proud of the final result and some things could have been done differently but we have to move on and get it over with before a catastrophe happens.  I handled this model so much that I'm surprised I didn't drop it on the floor by accident, that would have been fatal !

Sorry, I can't answer your request for engine sound but I will try to put pistons in the next one I machine ! 😁

Francis

[Bainford]

Congratulations, Francis. Your tenacity and hard work have paid off handsomely in an incredible and stunning model. A work to truly be proud of. Like many others, I have enjoyed the journey, and learned some stuff along the way. Thank you for taking the time to fully document the process. I know it takes a lot of additional time and effort to do so, and given the time and effort already consumed by this project, there must have been times when it seemed like an unnecessary chore. We all appreciate it. Hat's off to you, sir, for such an impressive accomplishment. Cheers.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

17 hours ago, Chariots of Fire said:

That is outstanding.  Raising the building bar for sure.  Explain, if you will how you created the hood hinges.  The fit when the hood is closed is spot on.  And your BMF work on DODGE on the tailgate is awesome.

Thank you Charles, it is an honor !

You can see photos of the hood hinge fabrication on "page 36" in the WIP thread if you haven't followed it.  I made them from pictures found on the internet but the 2 lower arms should have had a gearing system that I did not embark on reproducing.  The springs do have some recall though because I used guitar strings.  I had pre-adjusted the hinges location from below with the hood held in place with masking tape.  I have to say I took a lot of measurements and precautions because this hinge system is pretty complicated but so awesome.

These trucks were pretty basic but I thought that putting chrome on the DODGE letters would make a nice contrast even if it was never an option, I think...?

Francis

[AmericanMuscleFan]

15 hours ago, happy grumpy said:

Absolutely stunning Francis. This is a masterpiece. What's not to love, even for non mopar guys, BTW, I am a mopar guy and I love everything about it.  Merveilleux !

Thanks Mario !

Since we are not so far from each other, maybe we can meet at an exhibition somewhere in the province of Quebec and share our common passion, you are a very good modeler and you have a lot of beautiful subject to expose.

Francis

[Chariots of Fire]

That is outstanding.  Raising the building bar for sure.  Explain, if you will how you created the hood hinges.  The fit when the hood is closed is spot on.  And your BMF work on DODGE on the tailgate is awesome.

 

Thanks, Francis.  I will look for the file.  I tried doing some hinges on a Reo and without good results.  Very small work for sure.

[Steve H]

Francis my friend, what an incredible journey. Not really sure where to start…

I think rather than starting with the masterpiece, I’ll start with the master. You sir, are not only an incredible talent, but your humbleness, and your never ending gracious personality are truly remarkable. Thank you for taking the time to document this work of art, and thanks for sharing your journey and expertise with us.  I really hope I get to see this amazing build in person someday, I also I hope to have the pleasure of meeting the master modeller Francis Laflamme.  We will all miss the updates, and trying to come up with new superlatives to express how amazing each individual piece looks. Take good care, and like all the others here, I look forward to the next chapter. 
Oh ya, that Dodge truck you built is pretty cool!! My brother is a machinist by trade, (a really good one), he is in awe of your work. I will spend more time studying the photos, so much detail… I like that we didn’t get much in the way of teasers or mock ups, so the big reveal was that much more impressive.

Cheers, Steve