Chariots of Fire

Well here we are after returning from NNL in Toledo and it's time to get the paint on! There is now enough done on the frame that the color coat could be applied and on the springs as well. Tires and wheels are now permanently mounted on the axles and everything has been brought together. With that done we will turn to some of the other details such as emergency brake, brake lines and hydraulic cylinder and such that will raise the future body. When that is finished the engine will be permanently mounted as well. Still have pedals and levers to do inside the cab and some windows to add.

Work continues. Bit the bullet and got the cab painted. The cutout behind the engine is where the gage cluster is mounted to the cowl. It is exposed on the engine side of the firewall so that the wiring can be connected. The windshield is made of basswood strips notched out on the inside so the "glass" can fit close to the outside. At final assembly it will be epoxied in place. Doors now have handles and internal catches. Still have the window cranks and grab handles to do inside as well.

That looks to be a nice piece. Have the fenders been extended outward for the larger truck? Or were the cabs the same width as the P/U?

Lately much of the time has been taken to finishing up as much of the Buda engine as possible. It is now essentially complete with the exception of some minor connecting pieces for spark and throttle. I'll wait until it is mounted on the frame before attempting to attach those. Too much handling can dislodge some of the small stuff. The spark plugs and wiring are now complete. Detail Master compression fittings were used for the base of each plug and small brass tubing and craft wire were used for the rest of the plug and ignition wires. All of the springs and other details have been removed from the frame for priming. I used Duplicolor etching primer over the brass. Gray primer will then be sprayed over that with the final color coats coming after the gray primer is nice and dry.

Anything that is worth doing is worth doing well, Robert. The proof is in the pudding, as they say! That grill will fill in nicely!

Some more progress on the engine details. I found some 0.18 craft wire that works well for ignition wiring. I have to order some small compression fittings that look like the bottom of spark plugs and that will finish off the basic wiring. There is still plenty to go and the right side is still a bit sparse. I used some of the same material that I used on the top of the radiator to carve out the BUDA name. The raised letters and surround were pressed into some clay and three copies were made with two part resin. The face was just a skim coat so the result was easy to glue to the side of the engine. The fan belt is a slice from a latex glove and the pulleys are turned from aluminum round stock.

This is what scratch building is all about. Work on something, check it out, let it sit for a while and see where there can be improvements, go back and make the changes and move on. Sounds like a lot of work and it is but it is also very rewarding to know that the job was done right. In essence that is what life is all about as well.

Here's a look at the engine from the left side. Not much to show on the right yet. Just finishing up this side. so far. The two small gold colored pieces on wire in the forefront are condensers that are fitted to the site of the coils. The 12 wire distributor sits on the end of my probing needle. These little details won't be added until the block is painted.

Had to do some adjustments on the location of the water pump, etc. They were sitting too low so they were taken off and repositioned a little higher up. It makes a little more room for the return hose to the radiator. Last nite I turned some pulleys for the fan belt and made up a four blade fan. I cut a thin slice of material from the finger of a black latex glove and stretched it over the pulleys for the fan belt. Will take a pic a bit later.

The engine has been started. I don't have all of the photos I would like to have for this portion of the build even after going on line to see what photos of Buda engines might be out there. Not too many that would do me much good. So I started with the bottom half of a Monogram Mack AC and went from there. Thank goodness for Evergreen stock! The purple looking piece above the Mack oil pan is some of the same material I made the top of the radiator out of. It shapes real easy and sands easily as well. I did have enough info to do up the head with the correct number of head bolts. Holes have been drilled out for the six spark plugs. Like the truck itself there is a lot of stuff mounted on the outside of the engine block. Things are quickly taking up space. Still to do on the left side are the distributor and and two coils. They will be mounted at the left front of the engine. I'll turn some pulleys for the fan belt out of aluminum stock and mount them to the brass rods. Wire of different sizes and colors will enhance an overall gray color of the engine itself.

I see what you mean about the wide tires protruding out some. I was going on what I remember from building a DM-800 and the front tires were way outside due to the axle length. What you have looks about right after seeing the pic of the actual truck!

It actually has a small 5th wheel in the bed. It tows a gooseneck trailer. Will post a pic.

I did these two Chevy's a while back. The first one is a '49 Chevy suburban that my father bought as his first new survey truck. It came with three seats not counting the small seat in the right front. The middle seat was short so you could make your way to the full width seat in the back. He took the middle seat out and put in the full width seat leaving the back for survey tools and equipment. The second one is a 1950 Chevy pickup that has been modified using pieces from a 1999 kit. Just a fun build for hauling around a trailer to pick up old rigs for restoration.

One more pic of the Coleman with the visor over the windshield. Now that the cab is essentially done and located on the frame I can begin work on the Buda engine. Looking forward to that part of the project.

Looking better all the time!

Looking real good! A handsome job on the container construction.

Hey KJ. Check the width of the front axle before you get too far ahead. Those Mack kits were notorious for the tires ending up way outside the line of the fenders on the cab. Even tho' they are wide tires, they should still sort of fit underneath. Nice job on what you have done so far!

Work continues with a little more done on the cab. The hood was fabricated out of thin brass sheet. After it is heated up it loses some of its stiffness making it a little easier to bend. A wood floor was cut from basswood. The driver's side door is done. 0.018" brass tubing was superglued to the edge of the door with three small pieces glued to the cab side. A very small stainless rod extends up from the bottom and holds the door in place. A seat was modified from a Monogram Mack AC to fit inside the cab.

No! I did not duplicate all that stuff inside the front hubs!! I will use the outline of the transfer case though to get the shape of it somewhere near.

What would we do without Evergreen stock!!!!!!!!! I try to keep my supply up but invariably I'm either out of a certain size or just about out with less than the full amount I need! BBRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Here's an update on the build so far. Fuel tanks are made up and in position, front fender brackets are mounted, the radiator was re done with a smaller top and the cab shape has been completed. Lots of cab details left such as opening up the doors and doing some rivets along the corners. I found a good yellow color at Michaels craft store The frame will be shot with Duplicolor etching primer before receiving the finish coat. Now that the radiator is positioned and the cab location is set I can begin to set up the engine block and drive train assembly.

Nice work on this rig. AITM is a good company to do business with. I see Dave Natale at NNL East just about every year.

That looks nice! Love the scratch building and your attention to detail.

The latest wheel looks really great. Can I make a small suggestion? I'd sand off the lug nuts and then glue on some plastic hex rod. It will give you nice crisp edges. The other thing you can do after the hex rod is in place is to drill a hole in the center and glue in a piece of plastic rod the size that the lug would be. Just snip if off and sand leaving just a bit protruding like it would be on the real wheel.