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A dumper pumper?....nah...that name has to be saved that for the septic tank version. Hmmmm.... Such a combo could justify keeping the lights and siren. Just saying..... We have big old IH S series ambulance that visits town serving coffee and donuts with lights going. "Let us help you with your caffeine and sugar emergency" or some thing of that sort plastered all over it. Anyway, hope you will finish it out. Have fun with it! Peace.

Well, if the red/orange one is "thing 1", then this will be thing 2. Again, a quickie other than a visor and a poorly made decal for the drivers door. Passes the arms length test and grand kids will probably get hold of it soon enough anyway which is fine. Paint is GM blue engine paint. Black and gold stripes were some 10+ year Titanic model and model airplane decals. A little off/crooked and short but considering the number of pieces they fell crumbled into, will do in a pinch. The crooked side hood emblem bugs me more than anything. SURELY that happened when the decal setting solution dripped down LONG after it was perfectly placed and set aside to dry. That is the conspiracy theory I will stick with for the moment anyway.. Funny, I just finished it up and got a call from the guy...He never knew I messed with them (I tend to stay real quiet about such things)."Hey, I just found out you built that model upon the shelf at the truck stop...Why didn't you say something? Would you build me one?" That (to me) is how it is supposed to work. "sure...I will have it to you this evening.". A little patience, faith and keeping quiet pays off at times. Thanks for the prayers. Oh, and for the photography folks...the "red/soft filter?" try putting your finger over most of your flash. Cant beat the price. Peace

Thanks JT. Confession....it is just the lighting that makes it look orange. Sorry.... When Dollar General gets the $2 cans of enamel in orange, I am on it. It IS what was wanted as the fellow getting this is in eastern Tennessee. Go Vol's! Peace.

Got a couple of friends who drove down with serious health issues and figured a little pick me up might be in order. So, the 1/16 Bison project remains on the back burner for now. Totally box build of the 1/25 "snap" W900 other than the addition of the visor. 2 are in the works, here is the first. "Road" is 230 grid sandpaper and the picture was some cheap framed thing I found at Dollar General in the scratch and dent section. Serves the purpose. This surely is a nice little kit and glad Hobby Lobby seems to usually have them in stock. With the coupon, it works out real good. I hope it stays around a while. Should have the second one done in a few days and will post. Just got to see what is in the paint and decal stash Prayers for my friends would be appreciated. Thanks Peace

For what it is worth, consider using window screen or similar as a template of sorts. Set the screen over the grille, hold it in place with some tape and have a blast. Once you get a hole drilled, insert a toothpick, piece of wire or ???? so the screen does not "walk" on you. This part is never much fun and as others have said, and fraction of a millimeter off becomes an eye magnet to the builder. I'm fighting a similar battle on exhaust heat shields right now. Words normally subject to potential censorship seem to become quite tempting. Good luck. Nice project. Keep us posted. Peace

very nice and really like your "shop". Just to throw one more power plant oddity, keeping in the bloodlines of Mopar, and seeing your obvious talents, how about a Chrysler "eggbeater" tank engine? Peace

You have hit a home run on this one! A grand slam IMO. Don't forget the metal thermos and a full bottle of coke somewhere to clean the windshield! As info - Perhaps White had something better, as I am an old GM guy. GM's foot operated "siphon pump" windshield washer system of the early 70's was only a fraction of an inch away from totally worthless on a good day. Shaking up a coke bottle and spraying the windshield was pretty common way of bug removal while rolling. Again, fantastic work and thanks for sharing. Peace. .

And now you are topping it off with "mismatch" flap to boot.. WONDERFUL! This thing keeps getting better every day! Since this wonderful work of art predates (and far surpasses) the "Road Commode II" era, to dare use such a term borders on an insult. A more fitting name seems in order So below is a link to a list of 101 other names for commode. Lots of good ones and most are suitable for all ages. To spare a few the time and inconvenience of following the link, I am partial to - #37 "House of Ease" emblazoned on the back of the cab in fancy script and a few jugs of SAE 40 resting between the fuel tanks and frame rails. Airbox drains slobbering like a Saint Bernard on a summer day and flames coming out the stack. Rock on brother! https://www.rotorooter.com/blog/101-names-for-a-toilet-marking-101-years-since-thomas-crappers-death/ It is a truly great work. Thanks for sharing. Peace.

Well there ya go my friend. You could probably sell them not only to us old vintage trucker modeler sorts but the 4 wheeler modelers as well. I place my order for Cledus Maggard and the Citizen Band...(song - White Knight) in 1/16 scale for the Bison project. Peace

And should you really decide to run yourself into a mental abyss on this whole issue, do a little digging into what is called "bridge formulas". Especially in California and Florida in the 1970's and 1980's. While it is still "bad" even today, it is nothing like it was. Remember...no computers or smart phones to do the math. Inmates running the asylum utilized more logic. I am convinced it was a mandated apprenticeship for once intelligent minds brainwashed and drugged into desiring employment with the IRS writing US tax code. "Let us see just how complex you can make this. Pay is based on word count and ensuring the inability of the common man to every truly be compliant no matter how hard he tries too." Tragic.... Peace.

Now THAT will be one to watch. Below can be your "prototype" for its stereo system mounted in the sleeper? Trying to keep the needle from jumping might be a problem but hey, just throw in an 8 track when rolling. It would make long layovers at Big Bob's Truck Stop entertaining. I found it headed to the landfill and have been refurbishing it for the past month and after seeing your old phone, thought you (and some other analog fans) might find a bit humorous. No disco allowed. Peace.

Getting closer. It is still a loose fit at this point but the sleeper is roughed in. The CD cases worked well for the front and back walls. The luggage compartment will hold the batteries and (hopefully) a sound chip. Plans are for the speaker to go on the underside of the cab floor, The search is still on for a smoke generator that (hopefully) will also fit under the cab floor. It will be a "single stacker" not only for fuel tank/battery box configuration I chose early on but in an effort to only need one smoke generator. Maybe the next post will have it "done" but it is going to take time as all these little bits and pieces seem to take the greatest amount of time. The single biggest and most visible OOPS remains the mismeasure due to the front frame drop early on. As a result the front bumper winds up sitting about 6" too low but there is no way to really "fix" it now. I might go and "shave" a few scale inches off the bottom of it but that is a battle for another day. Peace.

Surely one of my favorite builds to watch! Original and VERY well done! The "mismatch" tag axle spokes are just perfect! I am still going to hold out for the poor man's belt drive on that tag axle. Besides the model, the old telephone on your workbench is pretty cool too! . THE REVENGE OF ANALOG! It is a great piece of work my friend. Thanks for sharing. Peace.

Apologies for the dust and horrible photographs but just wanted to do a brief update. Steering wheel is done and is next to go in. I might try whiddling seats out of balsa or ????? though matching two exactly will not be easy. The cab and hood are still "loose" but mounts have been put in place and the hood hinges applied with room for some final adjustment. If you look closely you will see a chunk of coat hanger running visible through the access holes in the bumper. The hood is easy to apply and remove. It results in a bit more gap between the fenders and bumper than desired but is durable and adjustable. The drop on the KW frame rails has made this little part far more of a challenge than anticipated. The front bumper is a bit large and lower than the real thing. At some point it will be redone as I have lost the ability to install a set of Perlux fog lights due to the hood hinge. I will take the blame for the oversize due tor bad measuring and put the remainder once again on KW's frame rails with the "drop" in them though in truth it is my "oops" for not calculating for this a year ago. Now it is coming back to bite me. Oh well. Rome was not built in a day and "rework" on some things was necessary. Hopefully the next post will have the cab roof, wipers, luberfiner, hood side emblems and turn signals applied. It will definitely be dusted off and photographed outside if nothing else. Peace.

Seems air discs are an on again/off again trend of late. Kelsey Hayes tried HARD HARD in the late 80's/early 90's to go this route. The size of the contact area of the shoe obviously matters but fiction, heat dissipation and (obviously) performance vs cost matter most. Airplanes immediately come to mind as well as railroad passenger cars. Even if disc brakes on semi's was/is better, it is going to be a tough sell. "Everyone" knows and is set up for drum brakes on big rigs. Tools, parts, quirks, etc are in place meaning a huge learning curve/tool up costs. It is like the size of trailer kingpins or glad hand connections. There may be better things out there but the cost/benefit simply is not there in the grand scheme of things......yet. If/when we get point of using electric motors at the drive wheels, 3 phase motors not only can handle stalls (hill holding) but take a vehicle down to virtually 0 mph. "Freq drive" meaning frequency modulation drive is just around the corner and already common place in locomotives, cranes, mining and heavy construction/farming equipment. Siemens, GE and Mitsubishi are a few big names that have solid track record 20+ years and supply the components to outfits like Caterpillar, Deere, Kubota, etc. The point being, brakes would be probably about 1/10th the size and used only below 2 mph and parking One thing for sure..the drive lines/brakes that have been around for so long surely do seem on track for a major change in the next few years. Peace

"Frankenstein" is really taking shape well. Truly original. I can just imagine some "hard luck/newbie" bed bug hauler back in the 70's with such a creation. The poor fool bought some womped out piece of junk and is just pouring good money down the tubes trying to make it into something it was never was....but I digress and speak far too personally. "Yeah it is an aerodyne with a 8V71 turned up to 2800 RPMS" he boasts....meanwhile every pothole causes the electrics to go out and lets not discuss the leaks that result in a occasional waterbed. Making it all about ME - it just needs need belts on the tag drive them ala Winn Dixie and other bottom feeder fleets back in the day and the air deflectors that were common on the front just above the headlights on these things....chromed.....of course. Really great work. This has got to be one of my favorites.

Thought I would share a few pix of my first boat kit. From a Lindbergh kit. Normally I do weathered big rigs and a buddy challenged me to give it a whirl as he dreams of having an old shrimp boat which he said would be named the SS Poopdeck. So.....the challenge was accepted. For those ship builder experts out there that fight with rigging, my respect for you has been (further) kicked up. Peace

GREATLY enjoying following this and the Western Star cabover. Outstanding work and as others have said, thank you for taking the time to explain. It surely encourages and provides valuable help for dunderheads like me. Peace.

Thank you all for your very kind and encouraging remarks. They mean a great deal. First attempt on the side emblems are underway. I stumbled across what can only be called metal duct tape. It has a near chrome like appearance and is quite thick. An HVAC installer gave me a left over on a roll and is good stuff. It is almost like heavy duty aluminum foil with a VERY sticky back. It is made by 3M and might be in hardware stores though I have not looked. It is being used for intake and exhaust clamps. Anyway, like tin foil, it can be easily made to have some texture with a toothpick or a mechanical pencil. In experimenting I stuck some on a strip of very thin plastic and free handed it. Once reasonably close, I then went over the low spots with black paint and allowed it to dry. A dental pick afterwards easily scratches off any excess. Trying to replicate ANY font style will take many many attempts to get right and one “goof” on the impression stage means scrapping it and starting all over. You will get an idea of the process with the grossly over-sized first attempt at a bison in the pix. This technique was used on the hood ornament and suffices. While FAR from perfect, it has the desired effect, passes the arms length rule, and cost virtually nothing other than a bit of time. The solder blob idea for the side bisons is yet to be tried. If this does not pan out, I will go that route and post the results. Headlamps have been applied. The only power source laying around was a weak 9V battery so they are dim. If anyone has a little HO scale train set transformer laying around, feel free to send it my way!. These bulbs are rated for 12v and want at least 10V and plenty of milliamps going through them to look right. The roof marker lamps and tail lamps are 1.5V. Plans are to hooked them in series so a common power source and just 2 wires can be used for everything. The uprights in the grille still need to be blacked out which will help “Chevyfy” it. While the grille remains stationary when the hood is tilted in the real world, that was going to introduce far too many assembly and alignment problems. Since there is no PTO or other junk up front to worry about, a bit of liberty was taken. Turn signals will be underway as soon as some deep orange transparent plastic or perhaps glass is found at the grocery store, Dollar General or ????. The steering wheel is nearly finished with a CD drive doo dad mentioned earlier as the spokes and baling wire wrapped around a paint bottle for the rim having good potential. Peace. PS - still welcoming (low cost) suggestions for OEM style muffler shields and seats. Any ideas anyone?

You nailed it! NICE job. Look forward to seeing more pix. Peace

Well, after JT's prompting, a couple of old CD cases have found their way as the front and back walls of a sleeper. The major engine “plumbing” is in. Most of it is various drinking straws. Circle K straws are just right for intake piping. Pilot/Flying J straws are just a tad smaller and work good for exhaust. The “elbows” if not the bendable kind of straws, are chunks of sprues heated and bent and then wrapped tightly in wire. One feature that has been scrapped is the plans for the lighted instrument panel like that done a couple of years ago on the 1/16 Gold Nugget W900 that worked so well. The 3 different angles of the GM instrument panel were just too much of a challenge and it was not until just moments ago a solution was figured out. Too late now. Plans are to start on the steering column soon with it having the “sport” model steering wheel. Those had 4 aluminum spokes and a black leather wrapped wheel. A chunk of baling wire wrapped tightly around a paint bottle and a little plastic “doo dad” I think from inside a CD drive just might work for the center and be a good starting point for the spokes. It is promising but those are famous last words. The joys of black paint are obvious with every little speck of dust, fingerprint and scratch showing up. Oh well. Those that know my works know I dont build “show” rigs but usually go for a few years old/used but not abused. Two MAJOR challenges and I welcome advice on. seat cushions – want OEM style exhaust heat shield (the elongated style GM used) Until next time....... Peace

Nice job Brian. Gloss yellow can surely be temperamental at times. Glad it laid down well. Cool build. Original. Peace.

I like it what you are after on the finish. Do you think the effect is still as intense when out in the sun or is it just the picture? For what it is worth from the bargain corner..... Something I found offers lots of forgiveness/redo opportunities is highly diluted cheap water based paints that come in first time "craft kits/finger paints". You can usually find a whole assortment of colors for a $1 from Hobby Lobby and sometimes Dollar General. Dilute it highly - guessing around 50 to 1. I use a large worn out brush and a Q tip and just slop away. At first it will not want to stick so it may take a bit of massaging and time. I go overboard with it and then go back with a damp Q tip to remove the excess. If you don't like the results, just wash it off under the sink or use a bit of Windex on a Q tip. It is more durable that chalk and works well (for me anyway) on fuel tank stains and oxidized aluminum parts. Good luck. Peace

Thank you all again. I am yet to start on the hood side emblems but at JT's prompting, the sleeper is underway using old CD cases which are within 2mm of what was needed and eliminates the edge/corner issues. One other challenge is the desire to apply "factory" exhaust stacks with the pattern GM used on the heat shields. If anyone has any ideas (short of attempting to drill and elongate a half million slots) I am all ears. See below for a close up of what I am after. Thank you. Peace

By far one of the finest builds to date in my less than humble opinion. Truly an OUTSTANDING effort and accomplishment few dare tackle much less see to completion. My hat is off to both of you! Let him know the ferry and the half track in the background look cool too. Peace