AmericanMuscleFan

Thanks for telling me about this story Daniel, I didn't know but it just makes me like the guy even more. I will forever remember the great humanity and humility of this talented human being. He went through so many ordeal and his inner suffering never seemed to affect his work, a man of great discretion! Working Man ? Thanks again for you good words on my pickup Daniel, I do really appreciate, I hope my old uncles Philibert and Raymond are watching from above, it's a bit of homage to them that I'm doing it!! Francis

Thanks so much for the statement Joe, I can't resist making well-fitting parts even though it's not advisable to do so. I always try to keep the paint coverage of the parts to a minimum as this becomes a problem during the final assembly. Difficult to reconcile precision and realistic effect at the 1/25 scale... Take care, Francis

It's always fun to watch your progress Scott! Usually, I look for photos of my subject on the net with different angles to have as much detail as possible to recreate the parts but in your case, you are working from the photos of your subject which is under construction. It can only produce amazing results and your attention to detail is flawless! I really like your steering column, nice reproduction sir! ?

Thanks Daniel! I'm glad to know that we also have more in common than styrene, aluminum and brass! What could be more fun to make what you love while listening to good music from talented artists who will obviously be able to stand the test of time! Will hope that our scale models will be able to do the same... in any case my gratitude for your kind words will be there for a long time! Neil Peart comes out of this body!!! ? Francis

WOW, beautiful little truck Glen! I really like the choice of colors, the construction is super clean and the details are superb from bumper to bumper! ?

WOW, fantastic job Ronald! I have always liked scratch built projects and there is no doubt that I will have some here for my hollow tooth as they say... Whatever the subject, I am very interested and I will embark with you for the ride (probably a long trip...), your skills are obviously out of the ordinary sir!!! ?

Hello eveyone, It's still time to get back to work so I'm taking the time to update the thread with new photos of the latest progress and a few that I forgot to post last week before I installed the floor pan. I made a small ABS plastic fuse box to run the electrical wires through the firewall. The other photos are for the frame for which I made the adjustments and added the anchors which consist of brass rivets to simulate round head "bumper" type bolts (I don't remember the exact name of this kind of bolts). With the frame set in its final position, I will now be able to make the final adjustments to the body panels. Comments and suggestions are welcome! Take care, Francis Fuse box in the milling chuck. ABS fuse box final. The wires can pass through it. Test fit in the firewall. The frame is in its final position (it is straight like an arrow...) and fits the body like a glove! The frame is connected to the body with brass rivets, I will add aluminum nuts to sucure the whole thing. Back area under the bed. Frame in the main cabin brackets. Top view. The cabin is very dirty as you can see, the result of 2 years of manipulation, even Inspector Clouseau could claim that I am the culprit...

The engine is very beautiful and the black valve covers give the engine a vintage look, I like it!

Thank you for your kind and wise advice my friend! Plus, you supported it with the words of one of my favorite artist and certainly one of the greatest lyricists in rock history! I appreciate you even more for that even if you are already very high in my esteem! Time stand still... ? Francis

Good job again Marcos, "The Beast" looks even meaner with the blower hat on the engine! Great details my friend! ?

WOW, that's some seriously good work Steve! The chassis is superb and the engine is certainly one of your brest effort so far although I have not seen all that you have accomplished to date. We can not say that it promises because you have already delivered a lot and it is only getting better!!! ?

Thank you for your trust and your obvious ability to exaggerate on my machining work, friends! The only thing that I will have achieved with great success is to have exceeded all reasonable time limits to build this truck. It is on a scale of 1/25 but despite never having made a real one I have the impression that it will take me 25 months too long... The best way to lose money in business is to want to do too much, you can use this thread as a good example... ? Thank you for still showing interest in supporting my work, you keep me motivated and I need it!!! ? Francis

Seems to be a very good line of products Mike, the chrome effect looks very "in scale" and not too shiny. The wheels are awesome, looks like they were made with metal right from the start. I hope this paint is more durable to wear than Alclad products. Styrene wheels are no match for your laced wheels by the way, that makes all the difference in the world!!! ?

Nice little truck Tom! This is the kind of vehicle any car collector would want in their backyard, in any case, I would love it!!! As other members have mentioned, the weathering effect is remarkable. ?

Good work so far Tom! The S/S LO23 '68 Dart (and BO29 '68 Barracuda) are among my favorite drag cars. Strangely enough, I built one several years ago and used the exact same car you have in the first photo as the reference car for the mechanics and body details. I will follow your project with great interest sir! ?

You may be right and it's really embarrassing... Thanks again Steve, your support is simply invaluable my friend!!! ?

HEY Claude! As you know all too well as a real car fabricator, quality components are no substitute and you have to use the best quality for a high quality end product. The last place to save in the quality of bolts is on the engine and "grade 8" is the only possible avenue! ? Take care, Francis

Thanks for the kind words Steve! I'm starting to see my truck take shape and it's been a lot of fun after all the months spent building all of these parts (I still have a lot to do however). As for the counting of the parts, I dare not do the calculation because I would be embarrassed but with about sixty parts just in the carburetor, for the whole project, this could give a somewhat worrying total... ? Take care, Francis

Thanks Tim! Same feeling to me, you can ruin weeks or months of work in the blink of an eye and a sloppy or poorly accomplished assembly will be all that is left visible in the end! Better to take your time... Yake care, Francis

You are quite right about all those chrome parts and exceptional paints at a time when tests were often done "live" in the pits on the day of the competition. Don Garlits' contribution to the history of the NHRA has been in his mechanical innovations much more than in the flashy!

Great project Tim! This is a rare and unusual subject so it sure catches my attention, I will be following your project with great interest, Futurattraction products are of high quality so I know you are off to a good start! ?

WOW! The body looks perfect Steve, looks like it was molded that way! It promises!!! ?

Hello everyone, Not much progress this week but I managed to install some engine components permanently. At this point, most of the parts are still in small "Ziploc" type bags but I had to install the oil pan and the timing chain cover to finalize the position of the big HEMI in the engine bay. It will be a tight fit I can tell you... The final motor assembly will give my bolt inventory a big slap, but our good suppliers are there for that, right? I'm going to work on installing the frame in place with the brackets to the body and then make some adjustments to the body panels, it looks like the plastic has moved a bit after the liquid glue (Plastruct Bondene solvent cement) has finished migrating, hours of fun... Comments and suggestions are welcome! Take care, Francis Oil pan finally installed with RB Motion aluminum bolts. Side view, the oil pump and plumbing will be done during final assembly. I also put brass bolts on the side of the engine block for the crank main caps. Timing chain cover in place with aluminum bolts. Different view while we can still see it... View from the other side for fun. The clutch set-up. A last one!

Thanks for the comment Joe, it was about time to put it in place permanently, I will now be able to make more progress with all the drivetrain components! Francis

Great work Marcos! I love all the details you added so far, the "beast" as you call it is really a name that fits it well... ?