AmericanMuscleFan

Very nice polishing Daniel, it's always very long and often stressful when there are many corners and details to avoid getting close to but it's always satisfying to see all the difference it makes in the end. You seem to have things well in hand my friend! 👌

Hello everyone, Tonight a quick update to show you my latest progress, I made some front fenders inner aprons and the roll cage. I found that the engine compartment was too open even though my primary goal was to be able to see the suspension components more easily. I came up with this solution by creating something that looks OEM but partly respecting my original goals. I kept an opening for the headers but I might have to enlarge or modify the opening slightly when I get to this stage, we'll see. For the roll bar, it is entirely tailor-made to fit the driver's cabin and passes through the aluminum plate to rest on the trunk floor and aligned with the frame rails. II designed it in two parts to be able to separate the driver compartment and trunk part in order to be able to pass through the 2 holes in the aluminum plate between the wheel tubs. I also put pieces of pipe as a base for the seats, I had seen this on a (real) drag Dodge Dart being built and I really liked the idea. Everything is white Styrene so it's not very contrasty and rather difficult to show in photos but I think you will still be able to see the details. A few more components to make before I venture into the powertrain. Francis

Hi Randy, thanks for the comment, I still have a lot of crust to eat to reach your level but I find a lot of motivation by going to fill my eyes with your prowess my friend! Thank you for your visit, it is much appreciated. Francis

Fantastic work on the Lenco so far Tim, who would be surprised? Certainly not me! 😁👍

Another step in the right direction, the photos show a perfect fit as you described, who would be surprised, everything is so well organized and thought out! Probably a good sealant and/or a quality primer will be able to effectively hide the blue Styrene. I had already read an article on the subject in a modeling magazine, is it certain that it would be more problematic if the final color was white?

The self-criticism of your work and your comparison to the real truck is just another proof of your passion and your commitment to this disproportionate project. Only a handful of modelers could carry out such monastic work and we are lucky enough to be able to appreciate it through the photos you offer us. Styrene is a fantastic material but the thinnest we can use in certain cases (body panels for example) is 10 times thicker than the part we want to reproduce and this inevitably affects the precision of what we want to imitate. You can be proud, even this physical constraint did not prevent you from delivering the goods, the illusion is as perfect as perfection is achievable! 👌

It's more than promising Steve! It already keeps its promises, the stance is perfect (the Steve way!) and this beautiful big mill has taken over the engine compartment! 👍

No problem Robert, they might be temporarily out of stock but several hobby stores carry the Detail Master product line, you should be able to get some. Thanks Antony, there is more to come, still much to do! Thanks Tim, I will still have to hide the brass color around the radiator and that will do the trick, I can't wait to start working on the engine, apart from the bodywork, it's one of my favorite parts! 😁 Francis

There's not much to stop you Daniel, always a trick up your sleeve, the taillights are super my friend! 👍

Absolutely fantastic build Pierre! You are a master builder, the photos and the WIP thread are proof of that. I'm not an expert on cars from this era but with the brick wall behind it, it's hard to tell that it's a model car and that's proof of total success, the illusion is perfect, hats off sir! 🎩

Rest assured that you deserve all the compliments you receive Brian, your precision and your knowledge on your subject are impressive. If one day I embark on a heavy truck project, I will need your help and advice, the solidarity of the members of this category is obvious, you are a bunch of enthusiasts, it's great to see! 👍 There are certainly several other beautiful projects around here, I just don't have enough time to visit them all. 😢

OUTCH!!! Very sad news Charlie, I hope you come back in great shape very soon without any after-effects of this mishap. For everyday life and the benefit of the hobby, I hope the best for you my friend! It's hard to believe that you made the bodywork in brass, the paint hides your incredible artistic work but the photos of your work beforehand remain for posterity! 🎩

Thanks Steve, nothing really new here, I've made several this way so I thought this cap improvement would be a nice addition, I'm glad to know you liked it! Thanks Brian, in fact, the first radiator I made with this kind of detail was all Styrene, I then moved to aluminum and brass for my pickup and this one. I really like working with Styrene, the advantage of brass is that you can weld it and you can make thinner parts that would be very fragile in Styrene. Thanks Daniel, I didn't want to make a replica of a vintage OEM but rather a more efficient model for a competition engine. The one I took as a model is from the Cold-Case brand, it seems like a good product for this type of application. Thanks Pierre and Robert for the kind comments! The PE radiator mesh comes from Detail Master (DM-2490), it is one of the most beautiful and realistic but it is also very fragile to handle. Francis

I'm telling you that you shouldn't be away for too long... You work so well, it's surgically precise. 👌 You're going to make me want to change categories Brian! 🤔

Keep it up and the Martians will come get you Randy!🛸 We never tire of your feats of strength, you have talent to spare as they say! I have to stop scratching my head, I won't have any more hair... 😁

Superb job Steve, I love your work on the dash, it will be a great improvement. The aluminum bezels for the tail lights is a nice touch too! 👍

It's great art Pierre, the dashboard is spectacular like all the rest of the details you added. I'm going to go salivate on you Under Glass thread! 😊

Hello everyone, Hopefully I'll have less trouble today than last time with my update...it took me probably 10 attempts to finally be able to post it. My last part made is the radiator, I used almost the same technique as for the D100 but I made the frame in 2 parts instead of 4 for the truck, it made my life easier so that it was straight and square, it is probably more rigid too. Let's take action, there are several photos but don't hesitate to ask if you have any specific questions, I didn't take photos of all the fabrication steps, I wouldn't have finished it yet! I hope you will like it, Francis After determining the measurements based on an Internet reference, I reduced a rod to the desired size to create the 2 tanks. I added some details and drilled holes for the inlet and outlet for the cooling water. I started with a square brass tube that I cut for the radiator core. I made a cut to bend the corners 90 degrees. Both tanks after a bit of sanding and polishing. I inserted the photo-etched radiator mesh inside the brass frame I made earlier. This is the inlet where the radiator cap is screwed on, this part will be inserted into the top tank. I am drilling a small hole for the overflow pipe. I made the radiator cap from brass, I made a cut so that the cap fits in rather than remaining on the surface. Now onto the lathe to separate it from the raw rod. A close view. Once completed. I used 0.005" nickel alloy sheet to make the 2 installation brackets, It welds wonderfully with brass. I tried to reproduce the pressure test in the center of the cap. I also drilled holes for the transmission cooling plumbing, I will plug them with brass bolts depending on what type of transmission I will be using on the car.

Thanks Claude! We do what we can with what we have, as they say! 😁 Francis

Thanks Tim, I'll take that as a compliment! 😁 Francis

You are such a perfectionist Tim! Wanting to imitate the color of the original Lenco case is a detail that few modelers would have tried to achieve, myself included! 👍 It's promising!

It was all basically a trial and error, I had this piece of rubber the right size in my parts bin. I think it was a piece of gasket that came from the lid of a 5 gallon oil bucket. The center of the gasket is hollow and the right size (or very close...) for our scale (1/25). Sometimes you have to do what you can with what you have on hand! I hope your research is fruitful, in any case, you will have motor oil in stock. 🤔

Thanks Robert ! Tanks Andrew! I started with a "V" shaped cutting tool on the lathe to initiate the groove (guide line). I then used the tip of my Xacto to accentuate the "V" shape, then I used sandpaper (180) to smooth the grooves with the lathe at low speed. It's not perfect but not bad in my opinion! Francis

WOW, the wheels are awesome, your project is going in the right direction my friend! 👍

Well, I just woke up or I'm way late... I never would have imagined finding you in this category Randy but you have to understand that genius has no boundaries! There are no words or superlatives to adequately comment on what we are witnessing here. You have the gift of putting our feet back on the ground and putting into perspective what we do on our own projects and there is nothing negative in what I say. The only downside is that I could spend all day looking at the wonders you do and not have time to work on my own project. I'm going to shake myself up and use the lesson in humility you give us to try to increase the quality of the details of what I do. I could add more but I won't add more for the moment except to say that the undisputed master shows us what humans can create, assuming that you are! Breathtaking!!! 👌🎩