Oldmopars

I am also very interested in where you take this. Looks like a good start.

I like those wheels, great choice.

I recently got 2 of the reissue Pete tow truck. How does it differ, if at all from the California 359? I have the Cali 359, but it is built and in a glass case. If it is the same truck, are there any changes other than the tow bed specific to the tow kit?

I can confirm that the Turbo fits just fine. I built this kit and used the turbo, fit just fine. If you want I can post a link to the under glass post.

this may be a differnt topic, but I will never understand somone paying $250 for an "Original" kit when the repop includes more parts, and is $30-50. But, I am a builder, not a collector. More to the topic, yes, Ebay, Facebook groups, Kijiji and other online places are a good place to look. Also, there are a few online dealers like Model Roudup that sell vintage kits, they sem to be a reasonable place to look for a vintage kit value.

I have used Gel pens and they seem to work well. I got a pack of 50 colors and I use them for everything from wiring to small embems, to door handles and locks. They work for dash details also. One word of warning, clear over it, it does not handle contact well. However if it is on a dash recess, it will never see contact and does not need the clear.

I really wanted to have a D shaped tank, but I just didn't want to buy one. Too much time to gett it and too many vendors are out of stock. So, I made one out of sign foam, its a lot like Renshape. I had to coat t with some putty and primer to fill the texture. The straps are electrical tape. I got some paint on the frame and the body. I wanted to add a little color, but every truck I can find pictures of are all black. So, I painted the hubs to just add a little pop of color.

It has been slow going on this one. I made a platform for the driver to rest on while the co-driver drives. I also made some sleeping bags and a box from Amazon that holds all his spare parts and other supplies. I still need to paint and etail the sleeping bags. I made a center consol out of rigid foam for all the drivers needs.

Thanks. Of course now I have found what I am going to do with my other Big Stick Wrecker. I know it is a 4070B, and the recent one is a 4070A, but it's close enough for me.

Anyone know what brand of wrecker it is supposed to be?

For now this one is done, I may add a few things in the future, but for now it is complete. I posted it Under Glass here:

I’m calling this the Post Covid Camper. The story goes that Covid just keeps mutating and the strains just keep getting worse. Ten years in, over half the population has died and the people that remain are forced to survive without all of the thing we are so used to having right now. The power grid is down, the monetary system has imploded and nearly all Government has failed. Greg and his wife Heather, along with their 2 kids needed a way to survive. As a Mechanic before Covid, he had the ability to make an old truck that had been abandoned run again. This Steel Cab R Mack had been in the service of the Military back in the 80’s, but by the early 2000’s was sold to a scrap metal hauling yard. By the time Greg got the truck, the right door and left hood half were missing. He was able to scrounge these up, but the door came from a Nuclear waste hauling truck and the hood from a Military truck, but from the Iraq war. As a 6x6 Military truck it was well suited to his needs, but need some upgrades. He added a very large winch under the bumper and a Bull Bar to protect the front incase he needed to blow through any road blocks. A shipping container was modified and bolted to the back to create a camper to keep his family safe. A wood stove was added, a steel entry door and barred window. A ladder helps him get to the roof top storage area where he collects things he finds and may need. A roof top solar panel allows the use of LED lights on the inside. An external water storage tank hangs below the rear corner and allows them to have fresh water. Two oil barrels are at the front above the cab and store any kind of oil or fuel they can scrounge, including Transformer oil from power poles. As a former Military truck the UN specs for fuel are very broad and allow this truck to use almost any Hydrocarbon based fuel. A cardboard box up front is additional storage. A spare tire hangs off the rear door incase it is needed as well as another spare on the roof. As the Government has failed, he saw no need for tail lights or any additional lighting. This also allow him to only run the headlights at night to minimize the chance of being seen. The windshield and the camper glass are both cracked, but replacements are not easy to find. A shot Gun is attached to the dash for protection. The base for this was the MPC DM-800 frame. The Cab is from the AMT R685ST and the hood is a cut down and modified steel hood from the DM-800. Hood sides are brass, the fenders are Aluminum so they could be dented. The Shipping container is from Italeri, cut and modified to fit. The oil barrels, cardboard box, solar panel, ladder, platform, door, window, roof rack and all cargo, Bull Bar, winch, front axle, Transfer case, and hood are all scratch built. Front tires and wheels are Scenes Unlimited. I know I am leaving things out. This was a fun build and I may do more like this in the future.

I have been lookinng at these 3 kits and doing a little Wikipedia searching. It looks like all these kit share the same cab and the White and Reo the same frame, possibly the Autocar too. Anyone know anything about this? What is the connectionbetween these kits?

Too bad they are not avilable anywhere, KFS is sold out. I trimmed own the wall, I think it looks better.

I wish there was a good source for a front driven axle. I had to build that lastone for my Mack Camper. I even had to scratch the transfer case.

I agree, this is one area that I am not real happy with. I know that on the Pete the wall sits rght at the top edge of the back window, with the raise I gave it, it is at the top of the cab. I think I agree with you that it should be about the same as the body line, below the back window. Time to do some cutting.

Could you post that Trumpeter truck, I can't seem to find anything on the net about it.

I needed to start a new project like I need a hole in my head, but this one was turning in my haed and I just had to start. I got the Coca-Cola issue WWS and the reissue Peterbilt wrecker and felt that they were a good match. I also had some big float tires I ordered from Scenes Unlimited and I did not use them for another project. So, the White get the wrecker bed. This required me to move the rearaxles back about an inch. The Pete frame is just a little longer, but the white frame is just long enough to move everything back to the very end of the frame. The White comes with larger tires and a differen spread on the rear axles. This caused 2 issues. The tires did not look right in the fender openings. So I had to cut out the section between the fender openings and remove all the trim. I then replaced the trim with 1/2 round to match what was there before. The second issue was that with the larger tires, the bed rested on the tops of the tires. I had to add 1/4in spacers on the botom of the bed to raise the bed up and allow the tires to fit. This turned out to be a goo thing, because I wanted a tougher look and this helps acheive that. The front wheels have been widened to allow me to use the float tires from SU. Probably not fully correct, but it works to give the correct offset to ft the truck. The plans call for a round air cleaner and not the square one. I found more pictures with the round and like the look. The front fenders will also get a bit of a flare to cover the tires better. I also learned that the cab on this is the same as the Autocar. It seems they were under the same ownership in the late 60's and they used the same cabs for a few years. At this point the only thing I need to decide is if this will be a clean restored truck, or an end of its service life used and a bit rusty truck. I kind of like the idea of going with a truck nearing the end of its life cycle, a bit rusty and beat up, but still hauling stuff back to the yard. A back up truck. Let me know what you think, used and rusty or clean and shiny show truck.

I am very excited about the AMT Garwood that is due out soon. I found this near where I was working this week and took a bunch of pictures. Let me know if you want more. It is located in the sall Eastern Washington town of Moxee. There is a sticker in the window that says it is a 1978. From what I can see it has been with the town since 1978 and it looks to still be in working order. I took 30+ pictures, so I have more if you need them. When this kit hits the stores, I will be building this truck.

I have a 1965 Chevy C10. All original, but unrestored. No idea what it is worth. I drive it, and it is a rust free NW truck.

Lots of kits have them, several aftermarket suppliers have them. Give us more info on your needs and project.

I have built some of the metal models, I use my Dremel with sanding drum. Then files and the rest like others.

Looks great, very nice look with those decals. The turbo is a nice touch too.

That would be awesome, I will pm you my address.

Don’t bother with the MPC DM800 wheels, they are also way to wide. I had to cut down the axles to get them into a reasonable width.