Paul Payne

Here's mine:

Zippi, thanks for following- I think you will enjoy this! The main and auxiliary power trains are an almost vinyl plastic which is quite flexible- need to test the paint I use- might just spray with diluted white glue and use weathering powders- in this case ground pastel sticks and old makeup my wife donated to the cause- we shall see! One thing I have not figured out is how to remove the wheels and tires from the main drive train without breaking off the axle ends- one thing I want to try is rubbing the tires with pastel to dull them down- treads are already sanded.

When I started the thread about the truck, boat, and trailer, I had no idea that the truck would become a project in and of itself- originally I thought I would do a little weathering on the winch spools and cables, and try to paint over the Havoline logo and lettering, as well as removing the towing winch from the bed. I had also considered fabricating stone guards for the headlights- and then the headlights and auxiliary lights needed a little help- at least new lenses or maybe outright replacement. And then- and then- I decided to weather it after looking at lots of heavily used but still very able power wagons on the internet. OK, all right, what now? First was a complete disassembly- lots of little screws, and a lot of carefully loosened glue joints, and a few minor broken parts- the front winch broke where it joined the bumper, the spare tire post, and the seat mounting posts- all very fixable. But- there were those klunky door hinges- had to go! Speaking of go, I decided to drop in a hemi, decided on the one from the 53 Studebaker- mated to the power wagon's transmission and fed by 2 4bbl carbs. Another feature I wanted was a push out windshield which meant removing the windshield and back glass without damage, then filing down the windshield glass to fit the opening. I discovered that the die casting alloy was very hard when I went to cut off the door hinges, and when I ground away the screw bosses (the screw holes will be filled before painting). One reason for a complete disassembly was to completely remove the paint, so I started with the frame and fender casting chucked into my usual bath of oven cleaner. Three days later- not much! another 3 days- more, but not enough. So, I tried stripping the door skins in acetone and that did it- fast! I am now working on the cab, then comes the fender and frame assembly as well as the grille, hood, and bed (the bed bottom is plastic, so no acetone!) I also began thinking about door hinge design and came up with one using straight pins with wire wrapping them and the tails to be glued inside the door skin. the other part was cut and filed from brass channel, the inside width of which determined how many coils to wrap around the pin. Here's some pix, more soon.

More, when you get a minute..........- please?

You mentioned an engine- how about a big block Ford, and maybe a heavier rear end? Looking forward to more.......

Looking better and better- will this be a weathered build?

Keeping an eye on this one.

Mike Wolfe on Pickers would love that car!

Could be mistaken for the real thing- excellent fit, alignment, and finishes- be proud! I particularly like the center camshaft drives on these engines.

The Bugatti Royales had a 775 cubic inch long stroke straight 8 with a single overhead camshaft. Low rpm, big torque. Pico, your build is immaculate!

If you want real scale roller chain look up fusee chain on the internet. Watchmaker supply houses carry it.

That Studebenz is nice!

Betsy bought me a kit of 2 part rubber compound for mold making. now for some resin!

Any updates on when these might appear?

Clean, simple, plenty of power- great build!

Don't damage your health, don't damage the environment, and find colors you like. Remember, if you build in 1/25th scale, a single coat of paint is 25 times thicker than the same coat on a 1/1 vehicle!

Brian, thanks for the info- very useful!

I don't build big rigs, but I want to build a small headache rack for my Dodge power wagon. What kind of gear would be on a headache rack, and where do big rig builders find their gear? Any help appreciated!

Gloozalot and I just completed a great trade, as well a lot of humor! I would trade with him any time!

Great weathering and imagination- looking forward to the next installment!

Charlie, this is wonderful stuff- It's like seeing The Miller Dynasty come alive!

Charlie, this is great info for my Power Wagon project- the challenge will be attaching to die casting material instead of plastic.

Excellent photo in Indiana- imagine the muscles on the driver- he would have been the power steering!

Can you provide an address and a map?

Great job- love the weathering!