426-Hemi

That looks SWEET.... Nice job "removing" lost chrome trim!

I'm lookin for a cheap (moneys tight) utility bed, so can you explain the "Bed from 3 Inches Under." comment? I want to seek something like this, out for a pretty close the same truck type build in the future!

WOW that 5.9L looks GREAT! Nice work man!

Dale, Thanks man!!!!! I am going about the speed of a 3 speed Mopar right now, building.......... it be GREAT when I'm able to use the air brush as I'm gonna be so dang busy with it at that time, its not gonna be funny! -Be a full 4 speed when that happens! (I'll definitely have a few models to paint and finish at that time!) Meds? What meds?

NIICE!!!!!! Work on the little A108 van......

Good GAWD.......

OHHHHHH An IH....... I'm intrigued...... what ya plans for a motor? 345? I'm a Mopar kinda guy, and build nothing but, BUT I'd consider IH IF I could find a Scout II (was one in my family with a 345 in it. thing was a beast!)

I don't have any "completed" yet, BUT I got SEVERAL "going"..... I myself would LOVE to see more Dodge trucks ranging from 1967 to 1979..... Power Wagons, Adventurers, and Rams, (early 1980's). -ALL made should have the ability to go 2x4 or 4x4......AND have different kits have a club cab, and standard cab as well as short bed and long bed...... I know I'm dreamin' tho...........

Thanks Gator. Yeah I have to agree model building with injured hands at times is a challenge, and a task, enjoyable, and therapy all wrapped up into one........ Side of that. Seeing just what I truly am capable of too.. I'm pushing my own limits, NOT in a bad way, but everyone PLEASE remember. I'm truly a "stocker" most things I do follow closely to the stock REAL thing..... I have a few, however that are W-A-Y out of the box......Never mind even near a hook! Much appreciated............ My out-of-the-box way is something one of our own members brought out.....(I'll mention no names he knows who he is! LOL)

I'll have to go lookin for that tape. that looks GREAT!!!!

NIICE JOB on the 'Runner... 3M tape? What "type" tape, electrical or friction? The top looks GREAT, I got to know as I have been thinking of doing a vinyl top on a few myself, but am not tempted to just "paint" so...... How'd you seal it on? looks freakin' good man. 9 years old, WOW!

Thanks Dennis! Was and will be a fun build! I've sat it aside till I'm able to operate my air brush.... Its been a bit challenging tho... I got all sorts to spray paint, and can't.... BUT it will come! Much appreciated!

Nice start on the 426 Hemi! NIICE Work!

Gerry, I got to ask, where on Gods green earth did you find that "426" air cleaner decal? AWESOME Work tho, sad to hear about the body............... it does happen to us all however, Can't wait to see how it comes out again!

So, as I mentioned in the end of my last posting..... Frame placement for the power steering gear box was coming. WELL, now a little insight first on the real thing. In most cases, the power steering gear box, is BEHIND the engine mount real low on the frame. ON cars, and some trucks! BUT, in some exception to the rule, the power steering on TRUCKS was in front of the engine mount, HIGH on the frame, to get around the engine, itself. THEN, to confuse it, NO power steering at all was a gear box, on the front OUTSIDE (in the fender well) on trucks, where as cars, it was just a gear box, left with no hydraulic power going to it at all! Trucks however were a series of bell cranks and stuff to manually steer the truck. Hence the difference from my Father & Son build, BOTH those 2 trucks are different. My truck had full power steering from the factory, meaning the gear box was in front of the engine mount. My Dads truck was ALSO power steering type, BUT he got it with manual steering and simply changed it over, using the stock location.... Interesting conversion, to say the least. NOW my dream truck? Its going to be done/positioned the way factory would have had it. Yes, BUT not in the stock factory location. There simply is not enough "space" with a Hemi behind it..... SO, forward of the engine mount. BUT outside of the frame! The truck is custom, and doing this would only require a longer eccentric rod to cross from the drivers side to the passenger side of the truck. Otherwise, its custom aftermarket, on this one anyway! SO I found the location it has to be, and got right to adding the mounts..... See in the fender/wheel opening?the frame has 2 pieces of angle attached? The power steering gear box, you seen in my last posting, will fit between these..... The bell crank down under the frame rails, and still swivels 360 degrees...... Notice, the rear mount is just in front of the engine mount (you can barely see the engine mount "pad" behind the frame rail.) This will also allow an easy alignment of the steering shaft to the firewall as well! Then while I was thinking of the steering, it connects to the suspension, and thats when I noticed something the rear facing shock mounts. non-existent!!!!! SO these had to be made (the stock model kit doesn't include front shocks anyway) BUT I wasn't going to let that stop me..... I sat out to make them. Sadly, the "stock" location of the shock mounts would be on the INSIDE of the frame rails, NOT this time, ohhhh NO the Hemi isn't gonna allow me too! Theres no room! -So these just like the power steering gear box, had to be relocated to the outside of the frame rails!!!!! Forward of the wheel well opening, on the frame, white, forward facing..... Just Evergreen styrene scraps...... Drivers side.... Passenger side... I've also not mentioned the coil springs I made, and added them. They are merely just blackened (NOT painted) steel wire, I wrapped on a spring arbor I have a set of to make them whatever diameter I want. I did one for both sides (got to have some cushioning to bear the weight of that 528!) And there you have it, this is far as I have gotten on this model to date, More to come as progress is made. (LOTS of little stuff) Thanks for looking, ENJOY!

Again a slight change of pace. The exhaust headers HAD to fully dry and cure as they are long and well, a bit brittle as they truly are old! SO, I sat it aside to do this and then went and picked up the cab section of the frame to see what all I had yet to add to it. This is when it gets hairy...... LOL The frame is to support a 4x4, OK? WELL, that being said the last 2 trucks I did are ever-so-slightly different! My original truck being built in my "Father & Son" build, is to be the way this same truck was in real life, and this truck is to be a "dream" to what I would have done to it in real life, given the funding. THEN the second truck is my Dad's truck ALSO in my "Father & Son" build, BOTH my truck and his are different, and this one as the dream truck is WAY different from those 2. BUT, this means building the other 2, I got a little "schooling" on the model trucks. -And what needed done before the next step to be taken. See, I'm getting the frame ready for paint, from a rattle can, BUT this time around, I want to make sure the frame has all the mounting hardware BEFORE its painted.... SO, seeing this, the next line of details to the front half of the frame? IS? STEERING!!!!! Now, trouble is brewing! Just like in real life, you add a Hemi (older one Generation 2) say good bye to power steering.......... in most cases, its tight.... In this case? IMPOSSIBLE, its a model! When I had the engine in place in the frame rails, there is less then 3/32nds of an inch space between the header outter-most pipe, and the frame rail! NO space for a power steering gear box! SO, being a "custom" truck, (not going with stock here as I normally do) I choose to relocate the power steering gear box! -I'll explain more at that time. BUT I had to come up with a power steering gear box, FIRST, so off to my parts supply organizers I go...... First one, is a GREAT fit, with alittle to change for the application. Notice it has "extras" attached to it? WELL, the mount it had was to mount BEHIND the engine mount, on the drivers side, on a truck, this is in front of the engine mount! SO had to be "lengthened" just a bit (the real ones were too!) I then center drilled it, and then counter sunk a "hub" into it, to have a "Ball-bead" fit into it, with a straight pin used, through a metal bell crank I had from a junk N scale steam locomotive (train parts I know, BUT, look how good it fits!) The bell crank needed bent to look as you see it so it got that then had the steering shaft cut off (TOO SHORT) and the end filed flat, and again, it got center drilled. (I WILL replace the missing shaft once the power steering gear box is in place, and fitted to the firewall..... BUT the detail itself needs to be made and ready. So, here ya see it. The bell crank is free spinning too! To adjust to however the wheels are positioned when on the truck! (Remember this) theres a surprise coming! I'm holding it with an alligator clip, this is the area of the gear box, the steering shaft will go into when in place! Next up......... Frame placement, Stay tuned!!!!!

So now during this build, we will have a littler change of pace. Time to set the frame down, dry and cure to just pick up the engine! SO, lets see what else ole John, can add to it........ -Well as you know, I had to think about what exhaust manifolds or headers I wanted to use. (I have a bit of a choice on this one!) BUT I also had to remember space width-wise is a bit limited. The truck frame is wide, yes, BUT so is the 528 Hemi! PLUS, with that being the engine of choice, I added a real treat for carburetors, SO this means the engine to fit UNDER the hood, would have to be "low-slung"..... YES it is THAT "tall"! SO, I did what needed to be done to the engine mounts in the front, and took care of the transmission mount only a little file work was needed at this point. This would make the engine sit low in the frame, which brought the heads that much more close to the frame rails.... SO, the exhaust manifolds and or headers HAD TO BE close tolerances to the block! -Away from the engine mounts, and BELOW the widest point of the heads! Before choosing what ones I was going to use, I sat the engine in the frame rails, and then began test fitting what I had, (REMEMBER Mopar Hemi's had slightly different shapes to the exhaust manifolds and headers from one side to another, BE SURE to always check fitment on BOTH sides!) -So I did this.... Amazingly enough the choice I was originally leaning towards, FIT! The other choices, would fit as well, EXCEPT the factory type exhaust manifolds, they simply leaned outward to much and hit the lower inside corner of the frame rails...... Whats this? YES.. OHHHHH YES!!!!!! The Jo-Hans Richard Petty '64 Mopar-Hemi "NASCAR" headers...... You betcha! (I favor those, and would love to cough up another 6 sets of them!) LOL Surprisingly, they fit with NO to little work, fitting them! -I did however add a pipe flange on the end of the pipe leading to a short pipe that will couple to a muffler! Before I got to this point tho, notice the transmission is now painted! -And to your wondering eye, the red & black wires running out the back of the engine from between the engine block and header, is the STARTER WIRES!!!!!! I also went as far as getting a "stock" "Mopar" oil filter in place too! All with the "Mopar" insignia on it! Other side header..... I'll add here These headers were painted a bit, special..... The bolt flange where the header connects to the head, is painted the same color as the transmission, (my custom mix of bare cast iron metallic gray) The pipes of these headers are painted Testors Metalizer "Stainless Steel" and slightly polished and then got a coat of the sealer over top.... I then went and did a second coat of the Stainless Steel, and merely polished it without "sealing" it...... -ALL brush painted, NOT sprayed as the directions say too.. it looks to have turned out pretty good for the Stainless steel look...... (The sealer changes the polished look a bit, that I wasn't 100% happy with!) Looking "down" as tho you were standing next to it....... Enjoy, More to come! Thanks for looking!

Thank you guys! I'm actually seeing improvement in a few areas, one being my hands and ability to do small things including details.... But more so, my planning of details BEFORE I got a step ahead of it and had to go back..... AND the addition of MORE details..... If thats even possible.... (I'm not begining to plan out wiring harness for tail lights, and license plate lighting!!!!! -I bet it all look good tho if done right! More to follow!!!!!! Thanks again guys! Much appreciated.

So then to keep the interest, LOL I took the "bed" section of the frame, with thought in mind of what I wanted and began to do a bit more to it..... I removed ALL that webbing I spoke about to allow the detail under the bed be seen when the frame twists. I also added a bit of angle support and all to the lift blocks to the frame as well as made a cross member that goes from one frame rail to the other right at the rear most leaf spring mounts. added a short cross member between the fuel tanks as well. Slightly different view! Looking from the other side of the frame. Notice the fuel tanks ALSO have hanger indents milled into them? Seen here the straps are missing, I had yet to make 'em, -BUT, they are coming! For models sake, there really isn't much left to the box-stock frame is there? LOL I could have set out and scratchbuilt the whole thing at this point! Specially the rear most "Bed" section of it! SO now here comes the fuel tank straps!!!! At the location where they join the frame, they get a larger "pad" as I plan to drill holes to insert small brass pins with "heads" to look like a bolt when painted. The whole "strap" on each one of the 4, is one piece, glued in place on the vertical part of the tank, and "wrapped" as the glue softened the plastic, to wrap right to the frame rails on the outer most side of each side. Cut slightly long to join with that larger "pad" I spoke about. Same thing, different angle during the procedure. All 4 straps added!!!! Notice that little black area on the pivot of the swivel? Thats covering a BURIED 3-48 Machine screw under it, this one was tightly secured to the frame as I must connect a drive shaft to this in the center. The Willock swivel-frame was driven by this swivel also acting as a carrier bearing! Thats how the frame could swivel and not bind ANY drive train or shaft work! Looking at that little black detail from the back of the frame, it sort of looks like a "hub" so to speak, that has a hole in the center to attach the drive shaft too! I also added the rear brake "hard line" mount for when it will go from the hard plumbed line, to a hose to go to the rear axle hard line! 4 pins, one in each of the fuel tank strap pads in place! I will go back once this is ready to be mounted to the bed, and do the mount pads between the 2 fuel tanks! Again, thanks for looking, ENJOY for now!

I appreciate the compliments guys!!!! Yes with the injuries to my hands has made model building a bit difficult BUT I think I'm doing pretty good...... -Please remember guys I have a fully stocked shop, as well as a complete mini machine shop. at my finger tips.... I myself have to remember that too...... I a lot of times forget that what I have isn't common anymore, I myself have to keep reminding myself of this! ANYWAY, the plug wires, 2 different colors, YES, A LOT of those running dual plugs in real life do that to know what wire is going where from which magneto.... Notice the magneto's and color of wire, left or right, and if you look the location they go into the valve cover they do the same....... In real life, that helps A LOT, all the same colors could get overwhelming pretty quick specially during a race! The frame? Its a bit different! BUT when I'm all said and done it WILL "function"!!!!!! The Willock swivel-frame was created before WWII because they used old Power Wagons for military work and with those truck back then, doing work in not so friendly terrain, well, the swivel frame kept all 4 tires in contact with the ground in any position of the truck........ today these same frames are used for mudders and rock climbers alike because of that, SOME guys even make their own! (I can only WISH that my own '67 Power Wagon had this under it!) They also were made to "lock" "straight", for road travel. I plan to incorporate this as well into my frame, HOPEFULLY operational! More to come after these short messages!!!!!

-Gotta ask, which Gibson engine did you use for this one? That looks BAD @ZZ!!!!

So everyone, I am only bringing this back up to top to let everyone know, I am still unable to run my air brush..... Sadly, meaning this one, has to be sat aside to a time that I can as the only way to "continue" on this model is using the air brush (I refuse, to spray it with a rattle can) so.... I'm working on "others" needing frame assembly work, so heres my next one

So everyone, I am only bringing this back up to top to let everyone know, I am still unable to run my air brush..... Sadly, meaning this one, has to be sat aside to a time that I can as the only way to "continue" on this model is using the air brush (I refuse, to spray it with a rattle can) so.... I'm working on "others" needing frame assembly work, so heres my next one:

So, I thought and planned it all but as I said the swivel cross members were going to remove the fuel tank to work out where they needed to be on the frames length, as the swivel had to be at the edge of the bed, and behind the edge of the cab...... SO, with that, I had to come up with a fuel tank set up! I was NOT impressed with the fuel tank being in the cab behind the seat. SO, the stock location it was going to be, and have to be! BUT I got to looking at how the factory kits frame had the fuel tank and where I removed it, left a gap in the frame, and the first thing I did was fill in that missing area, and then sat out to make a fuel tank..... I took and glued a few scraps of styrene together to come up with a "block", naturally needing milled to shape and to fit the frame with the new additions to it. -THEN I got to thinking the placement of the fuel tank made what I needed to make a bit........smaller! With a 528 Hemi, twin 6 pack carburetors, WELL, a small fuel tank, just wasn't gonna do! SO, I made 2 of them, a "left" and a "right". milled out on my Unimat from solid chunks of styrene! While doing this, I also thought of what was to become of the suspension under the bed, and added the "lift" to the frame. -In doing so, that alone removed A LOT of the webbing that the bed was to glue too........ Thing is, its a gift..... BECAUSE thats when I got to thinking, the underside of the bed is gonna get detailed too! I plan to put wood grain in the bed, top-side, and then with the swivel-frame, the underside is going to be seen a lot more on this model then ANY OTHER one I've done, SO, I'll be adding the wood grain and bed floor rails between the "boards". SO, all that frame webbing being removed, will allow me to do all that detail and be seen! Once I got the rear section of frame set for lift, I had to go about the front too. as always, its a 4x4 truck, so........ I had to come up with life on the front section! Seen here, I put in frame blocks to mount the leaf springs too, as well as BEFORE they went into place I got the engine mount made to hold the 528 Hemi as it should be. I got a little tweaking yet to do from the front to the back but its real close so.... I left a bit of "play" to allow to make adjustments! It will look GREAT as I added a bit more height then my last one....... I'm not complaining BUT I want to get some special tires for this build, other then I have! -Remember is a dream truck! Frame over-all..... looks pretty good!!!!!! Enjoy, more to come!

SO as I mentioned, I got to set the engine aside for a bit let everything on it settle and dry, while I look at the frame to see what it all needs to fit a beast-of-a-motor on it, and fit into the truck. SO, looking at the frame, I seen that I had to come up with a motor mount..... The factory one supplied with the kit should be a good start, so it got mounted and left to dry, SOLID, as I know it was going to require trimming and fitting the the Hemi motor and its mounts. And because of the Hemi's width, I went as far as cutting OUT the inner fender wells! -I'm not sure, I'm going to have ANY at all, in this one, OR if I'm going to custom fit a set to the truck to my liking,, I just haven't decided that far ahead yet. I got a lot of little details to figure in BEFORE I make up my mind on it. While getting the frame ready for the 528 Hemi, I seen something online that caught my eye..... On and online search, Something I knew about, BUT forgot about, (if that makes any sense) BUT anyway, this model is a dream truck and back when I was building my real truck, I'da went with it, if I had unlimited funding and time to build onto my real truck..... A "Willock Swivel-Frame"!!!!!! So why not build it on a model? It be cool if I could, so I sat out on doing a bit more searching and found all sorts of things online about it, things I didn't know about the design BUT things that be AWESOME on a model! Took a closer look at the frame to see what it take! -So that means the frame would need cut, in half, rebuilt added cross members BUT with the frame as-is, the stock location of the fuel tank would needed dealt with in order to make it happen! So having said that I took out what I had on-hand for plastic frame rail materials to see what it take to make the center pivoting cross members, and off to set up the Unimat I went to do all the work to the frame rail materials to make a centered swivel..... SO, with that, I found "center" of the factory frame, and then cut the cross members long and would later go back to adjust them to proper size (length) BUT the center had to be drilled at the same location twice, SO, I sat the Unimat Mill up to do the task. Once drilled "center". I took and step drilled the center so that I could embed a brass sleeve into it, for pivoting sake. I also plated the rear most over the hole once the brass sleeve was in place, BECAUSE, of the way I had to go about this, one plating "away from each other" was a different hole then the 2 sides of the cross member next to each other. So that the pivot was going to rub against. (A LOT of planning and machine work went into making this all work out. I then had to come up with an insert to the holes, that would hold the frame together, but pivot at the same time, AND look as tho a shaft goes through it. Which is how the Willock swivel-frame was made to be so that the bed of a truck could swivel in either direction freely, and not bind up drive train. SO, I got it all workedout and turned a "center pivot" from aluminum billet style. Then drilled the center of it to be taped from one end to just before the center of its length so that I could tap it from the other end as well also just before the center of its length that way normal 3-48 machine screws could be used to fasten the 2 cross members and still pivot. Before adding the swiveling cross members, I had to measure upon measure upon measure. I wanted to make sure I cut the frame in the exact place it needed to be! In order to do this, I had to remove the factory kits fuel tank, and all the center webbing it came with, I did this first BEFORE the frame was cut in half. This removed the fuel tank. I'll be replacing it as you'll see! In ALL of the Willock Swivel-Frame trucks I found online, the fuel tank was actually in the cab, behind the seat..... Mine however isn't going to be built that way! See the screw holding the joint together. I left the frame long. And sort of "added" a bit 5/16th inch to the over all length. Why you ask? WELL thats where plans had to be made on my exhaust from the engine! See, this model is being created from a Dodge Little Red Express truck model.......... having said that, I want to use the STACKS! The trick of it was to have the frame swivel and the bed NOT hit the stacks, or be limited by them..... SO I added length on the cab section of the frame, so that the bed could swivel out past the stacks, which the stacks on this model WILL BE mounted/connected to the frame under the cab and partly to the cab when I'm all said and done! -I think I have it all well planned to do just this! The frame, in one of 2 ways it swivels, it will go the other way with little to stop it...... -I did GREAT on the model design to make it happen! Wasn't easy took a bit to get the thought of how I was going to hold the 2 frame sections together and still swivel. Thanks for looking! More to come! Stay tuned!