olsbooks Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 (edited) Ahhh....the post Christmas "junk" that is 75% off at Hobby Lobby! I had been racking my brain trying to figure out the large radius "cab corners" trying to find a material I could "dink around with". FOUND IT! A bag of cheap little noisemaker flutes (10 for $2) made of a thin but rigid plastic tube with just the right radius. I know it does not look like much in the pix but I nearly wet myself with excitement. The front right cab corner is roughed in with the lower right rear corner just taped in for a trial fit. And so Lugnut is hammering and sanding away. We do have door skins made but forgot to tape those on for the pix. Will post more once one "side" is pretty much done. Now you may be wondering about the slight angle on the back of the cab upper half. Makes it look like an old White Road Commode or Pete cabover but indeed it was there....just normally hidden behind the stacks. And looking at the factory drawings I surely dont recall the floor pan being so high above the door sill but IF that drawing is right, I placed it about right. I think it was because the doors were so tall to begin with since they used the same shell and skin as the Astro. That, and the cab "looks" very low above the frame rails compared to KW and Pete yet the exhaust was run above the frame rails.. Necessity....no,.determination is the mother of invention. Very thankful for a casual stroll yet being attentive....that is what makes it exciting. Peace. Edited November 16, 2018 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 OORAH !!!! Way to improvise, overcome, and adapt.....That's what I'm talking about..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Thats awesome. Its crazy how some things cross over, even in pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennyg Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Awesome. Love the adapt and overcome attitude. Maybe you should do masters of parts in the future. Having the ability to see shapes in other stuff is awesome. Cheers. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Very cool..way to make parts from seemingly useless items! Keep at it, the end of the tunnel is near Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Lugnut just wanted to say "Howdy" and give a bit of an update. The lower half of the rear cab is in. A good geometry lesson (aka file, fill, sand, repeat) is on the agenda for the upper half. I am on his case right now getting the rear "done" just to provide some stability to this thing. The fire wall segment will come later as a complete drop in assembly. That way, Lugnut can do all the upholstery work. No decision made yet on a sleeper but it will more than likely have something. Trying to correctly do the back wall of the cab with all recesses causes nightmares and flashbacks of the front bumper license plate pockets. Yup - trying to cheat. BUSTED! The vent windows may look like a little odd but weatherstripping will be painted in on the bottom and on the divider post between them and the main window. I may just cut the divider once done manhandling the doors and replace with brass channel or similar but it is so thin, I knew it would get broken. The exhaust piping (blue tube) is just some dinking around with the other half of the cheap noise makers being used for the cab corners and just set in. Seems to hold potential but research is needed to see how it was routed especially considering the air cleaner piping has to go in the same area. Man, is that air compressor in the way! One "botch" is that the fuel tank on the passenger side is about 1/4" too far back so there will be no way to put the fill cap in front. I was so concerned with having the fenders on the hood clear I forgot about that. How does that old saying go? Oh yeah........OOPS. But since the tanks are "slid" in on the straps, Lugnut might get a good workout and push it forward for a look-see though it will make the rear really offset. But that is how it is done on the drivers side. Another battle for another day. Lugnut did some welding practice on those straps and removal of them is not where we want to go. Peace. Edited January 3, 2015 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Very nice so far. Your builds cool to watch and entertaining with your helper there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Looking pretty darn good, from what I can see....Very nice..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) Thanks. Lugnut is the brains behind this operation. I am just along for the ride....and also that way have someone to blame.... Peace. Edited January 3, 2015 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted January 8, 2015 Author Share Posted January 8, 2015 (edited) After finally getting tired of playing the plastic noisemaker (actually he broke it), Lugnut got busy on the left rear corner. For a first time scratchbuilt complete cab, it is actually starting to show some promise. Granted another round of bondo/sanding will be required and this is an area Lugnut and I need lots and lots of practice. Well, by gosh we get practice now! One thing that is helping greatly is a little trick taken from the 1/25 AMT tanker recently finished. I am using very very thin stock as cheater/locator tabs. Parts are cut to fit the best we can and then the thin stock is glued onto the "backside" of the area to receive the panel. Then liquid glue is applied. With the cheater tabs, there seems to be a much stronger bond and of course a backing so that bondo does not ooze thru. Anyhow, after breaking his musical toy, Lugnut realized that the sliding piece (which we also are using for exhaust piping, had just about the right radius for the rear of the cab roof to rear wall. And so, we dropped those in as transition pieces. Against my better judgement, Lugnut was turned loose with matches and heated some of the solid round stock and was able to pull off a decent bend and thereby eliminate another horrible transition/compound curve area. We wont discuss the experiments he conducted with the matches after eating beans for lunch. Fortunately, no damage or injuries. While we wont go back, if we had to do it over again, we would have done the same on the roof to side transitions as they seem just a little bit too tight in radius. What really concerns me is that Lugnut is starting to whine about wanting the 5 Star interior package. Truckers.....geesh.... LOL. That means a pretty headliner, complex door panels, and all that.. Well, if he pulls off this cab shell in line with some of the fine builds you guys have done, well, we will see. (Positive reinforcement). After his temper tantrum of kicking and denting Dipsticks quarter fender on the Gold Nugget, sometimes a little give is in order. Besides, since he never takes off that hat and mask, I might come to realize he is the one on the most wanted list for going on stealing sprees taking the "Do not remove this label under federal law" from mattresses and cushions down at Freddy's Furniture Emporium.. Heaven know we could not have a deranged lunatic going around committing such horrific crimes. Peace. Edited November 16, 2018 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennyg Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Great work. Always look forward to updates. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superpeterbilt Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Its beginning to look a lot like a General! I use the same techinique of using thin styrene as joint backing when piecing together scratchbuilt bodies and cabs. It really helps hold it all together and makes it much stronger for sanding and shaping. Ive gotten too aggressive with sanding and cracked a few pieces apart, but this fixes that. Keep up the good work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gotnitro? Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Fantastic scratchbuilding!! Always entertaining watching your team work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Buckaroo Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I sure like the work you have done on this and lots of Great Tips ! Looks really fantastic . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) Lugnut is getting close on a shell. Why just today he held it up to his ear and thought he could hear the ocean. The corners came out better than anticipated. They are not in line with some of the masterpieces we have seen but for fumbling around first scratchbuilder, it has a chance. Lots and lots of time sanding to pontificate, deliberate, and constipate all the problems of the world. The next challenge is to start working on the firewall cowl area. A thread has been started on 1:1 reference requesting pix. The firewall itself is not that big of a deal but the area where the wiper arms come out is long forgotten to time. Is there vents/louvers/screens up under there? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Peace. Edited November 16, 2018 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) Lookin good Jesse. Its amazing what can be done with a mish mosh of stuff. You and crew are coming along. Edited January 10, 2015 by Petetrucker07 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 (edited) And how we do like mish mosh! I got to keep an eye on him though. Every time he goes to the restroom he spends FAR too long eyeballing the chrome water supply pipes and grunting something about "pretty pipes". And while still a long ways away, we are toying with empty 2 liter bottles and a bit of heat to make windshields. Has potential. Thanks for all the kind comments. Goes well on Lugnuts weekly check ins at the review board. Peace. Edited January 11, 2015 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted January 17, 2015 Author Share Posted January 17, 2015 Decisions, decisions. While still toying with the Smokey and the Bandit II paint scheme with Generals Quarters, I did some poking around and stumbled across a couple of oddities. As GMC was eyeballing Volvo/White for an outlet to dump the heavy division, a few oddities were built like the Generals Quarters for shows and promo's. I honestly thought I had seen all the "factory sponsored" variations but the square headlights, grille treatment, and torpedo fuel tanks was a surprise. I dont know a thing about the history of this one. My personal jury is still out. But the paint scheme and sleeper hold some interest and seem in line with Lugnut character Comments? Peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Buckaroo Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I think that is the Revell version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) For those that remember the movie "The Jerk"....we say, "The new bumpers are here! The new bumpers are here! Thousands of people will look at this every single day! Now I am somebody! Lugnut got a package from JC Whitney (for those that remember that name) today. His new bumper arrived! And so, like Alfie and his Red Ryder BB gun, the paper was flying... This actually was our first real attempt at something large with Alclad. VERY low pressure and very thin coats. Is it as good as chrome? Nope. And it is not advertised as such...just close. Lugnut busted his lugnuts on the gloss black primer and getting that bumper smooth. The results have paid off for a burned out derelict. I have seen mixed reports about various things from brushing it with a makeup brush to a microfiber towel. That might get some of the "dusty" appearance out but for now, he is happy so we are not going there. Heck, I really had a struggle keeping him away from trying polish it. Railings and small parts are one thing, but trying to get a large piece of flat plastic to come out good out quite another. Oh, and we have decided on paint colors. Black lower, white upper with bright orange, bright green and bright purple "stripes" in much the style of Generals paint patterns. Basically the colors will be the same as used on the Chevy "Official Pace Truck" in 93 I believe. Lugnut saw one the the other day and grunted, "purdee colors".. And so it was written and so it shall be done. But we got a LONG way to go before paint but it provides a bit of a dangling carrot to get back to work on the firewall (and thanks Cappy for the pix) and interior. Peace. Edited November 16, 2018 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 That old Alclad came out pretty good.....Glad you could put it to good use..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted January 25, 2015 Author Share Posted January 25, 2015 (edited) Well, we have a cab. I have sort of taken a different twist with this thing that may or may not pan out. By far the most difficult part is going to be the upper firewall, lower windshield channel and instrument panel. It looks like there will be a great deal of travel in my future so this will allow me to work on small subassembly in my travels. At least that is what I am telling Lugnut. The brass rod that Lugnut is resting on is the reference point for all this upcoming assembly. It may or may not remain but adds necessary strength to the upper half of the cab. The biggest flaw was using too thin of stock for the cab sidewalls. Fortunately, they will straighten out. Lesson learned. Peace. Edited November 16, 2018 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petetrucker07 Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 That is lookin good Jesse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilrathy10 Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 You keep soldiering on, Man....This is taking shape....Gonna look good..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olsbooks Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 (edited) Just had a few moments to log in and post. Sorry, Lugnut was camera shy this time. A few ditties and hopefully of some for any aspiring psychopath wishing to go down this rabbit trail. The hood has a tapered balsa portion as the transition around the top and front to try and recreate the taper on the 1:1. It is smothered in putty and hopefully is going to work/hold paint. The grille surround is just odds and ends and is a separate piece still removable to get Alclad later on. It is not quite like the 1:1 but should suffice. The cab shell is pretty much done and exterior door skins fitted but not shown in the pix. The dog house cover is still removable and is just out of scraps. It, like the dash will go in after the cab is painted and detailed. One thing done right was the subassemblty of the upper firewall/instrument panel. The aircleaner and luberfiner will cover the joint and will go in after paint. The metal rod remains as it "holds" the instrument panel in place. It will (hopefully) then be easier to fab and install windshields. It will also allow the dash board to be painted separate, lighted, and detailed. The "open slot" seen on the passenger side is for the HVAC vents and applique that will go in. And being a chain smoker, it simply had to have an open ash tray and what will become filled. Still got lots of clean up to do but it is enough to give the idea. The dash gauges will be lit using the same technique as on the 1/16 Gold Nugget KW which worked really well. The fenders, seats, and steering wheel are going to be huge challenges to get right. Another project for another day/week/month. Well, gotta run. Miss you guys. Peace. Edited December 8, 2018 by olsbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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