426-Hemi

Now, as I have mentioned in a few postings during this build, my Dad's truck was next, to follow suit much the same manner as this one. WELL, a few slight differences between the 2 trucks. One, Dad's was a '79 Dodge Adventurer 150, 4x4. This truck had a Mopar small block in it, I myself can not remember if it was a 318-2 barrel, or a 360-2 barrel, or 360-4 barrel. I'm just NOT sure! The nice part is, stock from Mopar, the engines looked exactly the same from the outside! EVEN the carburetors! The Carter 4 barrel was the same as the Carter 2 barrel, the difference was inside, the 2 barrel had the locations "closed off" and no venturi's in it. Where that same spot was opened and had the venturi's in place for the 4 barrels! (Interesting) but that made them use the same common "casing"!!!! SO with that said, I began, getting the motor together, parts and such during the 2 last sessions on my truck only to begin building assembling that engine while awaiting decals to dry. OK, thats the Mopar Small block. I will not say what its gonna be till I know for sure, I have to ask around to make sure of this. BUT it won't matter TILL I do the air cleaner on it, OR the valve covers. I'm not sure if my Dad had used Chrome valve covers, OR left them blue stock! I also don't know what air cleaner it had so, I'm leaving that detail off till I know for sure (I have to talk to my uncle and cousin to find out as they both would know. I simply can't remember. I was to busy at the time working on my own truck so..... BUT, my Dad was always at my uncle's with his truck and doing stuff together on it, as they both were working on their trucks in my uncles garage, as my Dad had his, and oil changes and such regular tune-ups, and the uncle literally building a '70 Chevy C-10 at the time (I remember that truck pretty well, my cousin loved that truck!) BUT I have to talk with him to find all this out BUT I can get the start on it, to the point of "labeling" what the engine is, HECK, I don't even have the valve covers till I know for sure. Needless to say, thats ALL I got for now, I have to do some talking on the phone before long to get this one under way to know what and where I'm going with it, BUT, thats a start, I can however get the frame going till then as thats going to require some time invested in it to get it to hold the engine anyway, so.......... I'm not 100% stuck on this build, or well till I at least talk to my uncle or cousin on Dad's Dodge back in the day! More to come as progress is made! ENJOY!

Well as I mention in previous posts, all I had left to do was get an air cleaner done! Well, thinking of this, I actually had 2 different air cleaners for the real truck! BUT one was made for the truck to replace the original one that was sort of beat up, dented and just. not in good shape but worked..... So, I made up one that came with the 440, when we got it and put the engine in, and was a double snorkel, type, but it was dented up, and not in real good shape, I tried to pound out the dents, and straighten it up a bity to make it look good but that air cleaner, for whatever reason wasn't taken care of and then I repainted it black as it was and taped off the factory "440 4 barrel" lettering on it, but, it wasn't in the best of condition either. SO, I kept it but had plans to replace it when something better was found. This is what that factory air cleaner looked like: Nothing special really, just made it as close as I could get it from what I remember my real one being like, its not exact, but, its not perfect to say the least, so..... I'm happy with it! Now, to follow, Don found an extra one he had in a pile of junk he had ion a shelf in the garage, and it was a Edelbrock chrome one but the edges were normally it be polished and shine where pretty chipped up, scratched you name was tossed and moved around a lot. BUT, it was in better shape then that one I had that came with the motor! SO, he asks me if I want it, and I was like well, yeah! I paid him $10 for it, but thats OK, as a better looking air cleaner then the one that I had that came with the 440. That one, I painted the edge of the air cleaner the same color I painted the engine, to have them "match" but hide some of the flaws and chips and scratches in the tops edge..... And it did it well I have to say from remembering and looked good too! The model part, isn't exact, but its even closer the type air cleaner I made for the factory one, The model one has "Edelbrock" in a square marking in the air cleaner just the real one was "finned" BUT not as many as the model part shows, if I recall right. Looks good tho.... Now without the camera chrome flash..... Without the chrome flash.... NOW the frame is done, the interior is done, this model has its time on the bench, time to have it sat aside and Dad's truck to be started, and pictures of that will follow! I'm doing these 2 trucks as a set, and will paint both at the exact same time, as they were both black exteriors so..... I want to get my Dads truck frame, and interior made up before I begin in on the body work and painting of..... That way, both trucks will be done within a day or so of each other!

Thanks Dan, I'll look into PE, forthe door handle/latches for tool box doors! I can tell you and anyone else reading this message..... Ole John is in DEEP trouble LOL SCRATCHBUILDING kinda "T-R-O-U-B-L-E"........

I'd LOVE to come up with the chrome air cleaner this truck had with it for a Dodge L-700 I'm building.... NICE cab stretch man! Looks GREAT! Any updates?

Thanks Joe! A lot of details make the model all by itself! A bit "dusty right now from drilling holes and adding details that I have to physically make makes for a bit of dust all in the while the model frame on its tires, sitting in front of me! SO, I WILL be doing some dusting, BEFORE this one is sat aside to pick up on my Dads truck in this build..... As much as I hate to say it, (I'm known to "lift" trucks 4x4), so my Dads truck model is gonna be a bit of a test, one to see if I can keep it as close "stock height" as possible, BUT how difficult its going to be to get it to be "stock height" as these trucks as models built 4x4, are high stanced trucks anyway, My Dads truck was a bit lower then mine! So going against what I normally do, and not only that but getting the stance right to a factory height might be a challenge in itself! -Altho, I have a few trucks up my sleeves to make the stock stance 4x4 happen, BUT we;ll see (Its always easier to "lift" then to lower..... And I may have to do just that.... "lower" in order to get it right! As the suspension I have will NOT match from my truck to Dads, due to not having/getting the same parts twice, for both trucks..... Thanks Joe! Stay tuned, Air cleaner(s) (YES, theres 2 of them) are to be completed..... They're removable, one, and have slightly different looks, I had the stock 440 air cleaner, that was beat up pretty good, and Don, the garage owner gave me a polished aluminum one from Edelbrock that the edge around the top was beat up so I painted just the top edge "ring" the same color as the engine, to cover it up a bit..... BUT I'm making the 2 of them to have a long "pin" for the sake of replacing one with the other and having a pin hole in the mounting location of the carburetor will allow it on the engine and the other will be "stored" in the bed with a hole drilled to have it be less a chance to be lost. AFTER that, then Dads engine and chassis will follow! Stay tuned!

VERY nice on all accounts! I especially like the Ambulance, made onto a Humvee! I have a plan to make a Dodge truck with a camper to follow a lot of the same way you did this one, -just one thats removable like the real life counterpart in 1:1 scale! NICE on all of them tho, a LOT of "scratchin'" I can see follows my future!

Thanks Ron! The real truck would have been just as nice (even better had I got to use it) but. this makes for a GREAT 4x4 model, and reliving the building of the real one while I assemble the model! I'm just beginning the work on my Dads part in this build, getting the engine parts to make the one he had in his truck but its a bit different! He had a small block 318 or 360, (both look the same as a model kit) but I have to ask relatives that had the truck to find out to "label" the air cleaner for Dads to be.... BUT I know it was a small block as it was said that I just "HAD" to have a big block and all when it was really all that could be found to replace the small block I had in my originally..... Thanks for the compliments tho! Its much appreciated! More will come, pictures of my Dads truck model will follow.....

NICE engine choice! Stock? Yes/no?

-Got this same model.....LOOKS GREAT man, LOVE the panel line work as well as the body paint! NICELY done! I plan to make mine a Satellite tho..... SO, I'll be removing the "GTX" lettering and looking for the correct grille insert for mine, as I'm making mine the Dukes of Hazard, car that Daisey got for a very short time! NICE work on yours thats inspiration to get me going on mine at some point!

NICE A body Dan! Whats ya plans for a power plant?

Dan, I went back to have a look through all the build here, and I got to ask, where'd you get the tool boxes? They look as tho they're cast resin, are they? I'm doing a work truck, thats going to have a Utility bed on it, and I'm scratch building it, so I'm looking for parts if I can find anything as I will be needing the door handles/latches to each of the doors on it..... Know of anywhere such details can be had? Needless to say, I'm gonna need my share of them (I'm making a 10 foot utility bed so..... I also got to come up with a welder, (sizing) to have it made fit to the bed nearest the cab!

I am simply AMAZED at that roll back! That looks KILLER and nicely detailed! Did you scratch that or buy it to assemble? It looks to be scratched, but I know on Ebay you can buy them and look much the same! I get to it later on, I may do a scratch version of my own!! BUT I will be adding mine to some sort of Dodge truck......

-Not to shabby, I'll have to get that all saved up, that looks to be a NICE one!

What was the damage on that engine (if ya don't mind me askin) as I'd like to get an idea of how much I'll need to budget in for this truck I got planned!) Thanks, for all the info on it!

Yeah.... The Warlock was thee LAST of the 440 use in stock "street" applications..... 1979. The Little Red Express, however, was the 2x4 version and was sold with a 360 Express (supposedly a 360 Police Interceptor), the model however makes seeing and knowing the engine details a bit......difficult as it resembled both the 360 and the 440, from either of the 2 truck types! NICE work tho on the truck! It looks GREAT, I love how the decals went onto the black! Be nice to see it under glass yeah? I got a set of trucks to do that I'm doing a model of a real truck I was building back when I was 15 for my 16th as my "first" real auto...... As well as another truck, Also a Dodge, that my Dad owned at the same time..... So, I know how ya feel on getting this one done!

-I'll be lookin through my latest Micro-Mark catalog to see what they have...... Yours a fate rule, OR the triangular one?

NICE work! I had to look a couple times as the first and second pic I thought were of a REAL car that you were gonna build the model to follow......... AWESOME WORK! NICELY done 426 Hemi too.... How'd you get the wrinkle finish on the valve covers? That detail alone turned out amazingly close to the real life look on the OEM parts!

Which makes the diesel the best?

-I wouldn't think so, that is that your using that real car pic to make the model from LOL Thanks Jake!

-I sure can't say I blame ya there! Needless to say I like thee ole Hemi too!

Ira those to represent "fangs"?

Thanks Dale! Got to remember, I had a real one VERY close to the same as you see this model back when i was 15..... I'm tryin' to replicate it, as well as a Dodge Truck my Dad had back then too...... (its gonna seem) as tho I'm gonna be building trucks one after the other for a bit..... I got 4 lined right up and on the go to have them done..... This one be the first one complete and then Dads to follow right behind! BUT I got a model of the real truck I currently have to build too! (I found a '67 Dodge Power crew cab, W200!!!!!) and that one is gonna be built with a work truck my Dad drove some time ago when I was a kid for the Railroad local to where i grew up!

Dale, thats a lookin good man! NICE work on the fuel tank mod, that looks GREAT! I can not believe you got that V-12 to actually fit!

Thanks Joe! I appreciate the kudo's! Keeps me going on my builds..... As I'm soon gonna get into my Dads part in this, his truck..... His however might be a bit of a trick even more so then this one! (I GOT to keep it "stock" height), and be 4x4 too! His didn't have a big block in it, and mine didn't either when I first got it, but my 360 was pretty much steel toast, so needed a heart put into it again, so, and thats when the 440 came along..... Dads truck had a small block Mopar in it, I'll have to take to someone and find out for sure which small block but I know it was either the 318 or the 360, but I can't remember exactly..... Dad & I back then were in a bad falling out, and wasn't talking (Time now I regret), because he & I reconciled after 20 long years from something my Mother caused, as they were separated for a number of years. So this is way for me to try and close some gaps. Sadly, I lost Dad last March! Very sad story...... BUT the loss, and loss of time, due to my own mother which I also lost 5 years ago....Its difficult in some aspects, but GREAT in others that he and I picked up where we left off..... like time never even passed even tho a long time, did! And to see and have his only grandchild in his life, made it all worth its while, for the 4 short years we were father & son again! -THAT alone is whats fueling this build!

So then, as I said, I remembered MY TRUCK. it too didn't come with, or have added in a horn! SO, I got out my spare parts again, looked through and low and behold, I had another EXTRA horn of the same that I used on Dad's truck to go in my truck.. PHEW (they had to looks somewhat the same!) So. off to painting this one black as I did the one that went into Dad's truck AFTER the flash was cleaned off around the edges, and the hole was drilled for the horn wiring..... So you see in my truck: NO horn! I was right, I didn't add it! While looking my truck over, I also noticed something I didn't add when I was building it! On a small block Mopar engine the oil dip-stick is on the passenger side "front" of the engine, near the head. On a big block its on the SIDE of the engine, on the driver-s side of the block. -My truck had a 440, 4 barrel in it. SO thats why the arrow is pointing where it is, thats where the oil dip-stick should be! And, its NOT! I got to thinkin' right then, Boy this is gonna be a fun detail to add while the engine is in place, NOTHING like it be on a real truck LOL But I got the part made, and then painted the lower part of the wire the same color as the engine and let it dry, and went off to add the horn and its wire, same as I did Dad's truck. Once dry, the oil dip-stick went into place, not as difficult to get it in there as I first thought, I have to admit! Looks GOOD as on my ole truck this part was Chrome. I made the detail reflect this. Looks great! I'm pretty pleased with it! Then I let that set a few and got a refill on coffee, and once I returned I began adding the horn and wire..... One thing I noticed, it wasn't nearly as difficult to add the horn on my truck as it was my Dad's.... Dads truck has a lot extra hose and stuff for the A/C his truck had almost to the point of clutter, so was a bit more challenging weaving the horn wire in his truck, then it was mine, all I had to weave around is the heater core hoses! So then, those couple little details, brings my trucks detail level up to where I took Dads in this build. I'm happy with it, NOW its back to Dad's truck! Thanks for looking, stay tuned! More to come!