Chuck Most

I always wondered how a Sportsroof Cougar might have looked. Turns out it would look pretty good.

I don't know- those C-Series cabs were a good seven feet wide inside. You could sit four guys abreast on the bench seat. Unless you're Andre the Giant or something, ought to be more than enough room in that sleeper.

The ideas I'm kicking around as follows- Cut-down '37 bed... gotta keep that cool looking V8-script tailgate, anyway! Full exhaust, possibly with the stacks coming up behind the cab. Crusty cab, with primed-over welding scars. I'm leaning toward having some old commercial lettering or door art. Chassis is pretty much locked in- I don't feel like stretching it or cutting it down. I'm also leaving the fuel tank in the stock location for a '32 passenger car. Not seen very often on trucks (though Brookville now sells a steel bed that allows you to run the tank in that position) but I like the look.

In my area quite a few (more) wind turbines are going up, so the constructio rigs are out in full force. I have no idea what kind of body is on this truck or what its use would be- feel free to clue me in on that. I'm guessing it is a water truck.

My guess would be that the prototypes were most likely diesels as well, since the Super Duty gas V8s were already in production by then.

Same place you're going to find that pink paint you KNOW you want to paint your GT with.

There is one photograph of it. Ford quickly abandoned the idea, but Dodge either heard of the project or had been working on their own and came out with the L-Series. In that case, finding a 1:25 Econoline would be the biggest challenge.

Remember the trash compactor scene from Star Wars? That's pretty much what my workbench looks like at any given moment.

I have the issue of Hemmings with that same article in my stash- pretty good source of information on the production trucks. I just wish there was a bit more info specific to the 1959 prototypes, but I guess it is what it is. I was planning on building a production H-Series truck, but I've seen quite a few of those built as models, which is why I want to do the prototype. The P-I-E version is the most commonly seen of the four prototypes, so I might do one in a Spector-Midstates, Great Southern, or Middle Atlantic Freight Lines paint scheme.

1. That isn't a rat rod- more like a Deep South interpretation of a Jeepney. 2. The only cool part of it is the IH R-Series cab, and what's left of the hood. 3. We've wandered this path before. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=60071

Bit of a story here- this was just supposed to be a quick, weekend buildup. Well, I started this a year ago, and it still isn't done. Why? Well, first off I got the news my father was going to need open heart surgery the day after I started working on it. So naturally, I didn't feel like working on any kind of modeling project at that time. He underwent the procedure and has since made a full recovery, but in one of those 'when it rains it pours' kind of moments, I lost my regular job a few days later.That pretty much sealed the deal- the truck was put back into a box and filed away. So here's where it stands as of now. The basic chassis is Revell '32 Ford, with the '37 wheels and hubcaps. The engine is a 460 from the Monogram F-350. Yes, 1:24 scale engine in a 1:25 scale model, but few could tell the difference! The cab is the Revell kit, chopped and sectioned, and the Hudson Terraplane grille is a resin piece from Jim Pelosi. I used an old AMT 8-carb 'log' manifold on the 385-series big block, and replaced the AOD trans with a four-speed manual of unknown origin. The cab still needs paint and glass, and I also need to find/fabricate a bed for it. The interior needs attention as well- it does not even have a floor board at this point. I'm hoping THIS TIME I can get it finished! Will it happen? I guess you'll find out shortly after I find out.

None of the info I can find specifies exactly what engines the prototypes had- the production trucks could be had with any one of ten engines- Ford Super Duty gas V8s (!) or Cummins diesels, so the Autocar engine should work just fine. I'm sure that more than one engine type was used in the prototypes. I'm planning on using a cut-down White Freightliner DD chassis for mine, not sure if I'll modify the kit wheels to look more like the protoype wheels, or see if I can find something a bit closer in another kit or resin. Cab and interior would be from an AMT C-Series (obviously) and the rest would just be made up of flat pieces of styrene.

The blue one should have the same styled steel wheels as the 429 version.

Very, very cool! If I could make one suggestion- I'd add some brake drums to the axles. The jeep looks a little bit naked without them. I remember reading somewhere about a collector in France who found about a half dozen surplus jeeps still in the crates in a warehouse... in the early 1990's.

That's the only picture I've ever seen of one. I've been putting together a stash of parts to build one for years, and have been having a hard time finding anything but this one.

In my experience, ladies like a guy who's good with his hands. Maybe it's something to do with that.

Again, what he said. Closest shop to me who carries BMF is 40 miles away, so I order it direct quite a bit. I've never gotten a damaged sheet that way, but I've gotten sheets from other online vendors that looked like they'd been run through a shredder.

I see, said the blind man. Forgot those. Would be cool to see them sold individually.

What he said. It would cost me over ten bucks to order it and have it shipped UPS as well, and I'm in the same state. Just over six bucks with Priority or Parcel Post.

Did you choose UPS ground or USPS? I punched in Drew's zip code, chose Priority and got $6.35- fifteen cents more than it would cost for me in Michigan.

You can still order direct from Bare Metal Foil Co.. They charge $6.75 per sheet, and shipping should be about six bucks for Priority mail. At one time ehobbies had a deal where you got free shipping on any order over x amount, but I'm not sure if that was a policy or a special promotion.

You might be thinking of Revell for the bikes. AMT did a Triumph, but revell did a couple of others, including a Triumph.

Now that I think of it, an AMT '34 Ford 5-window might work as a starting point, too.

Anybody planning on attending? One day or all three days- doesn't matter.

Here's a scan of the page from the book... looks to be the exact same image, only in black and white. On-the-job testing of the Ford H-Series concept began in the summer of 1959 when four dual-drive set-back axle prototypes such as this were placed in service of P-I-E, Spector-Midstates, Great Southern and Middle Atlantic Freight Lines. Custom-built by Hendrickson Manufacturing Company, to Ford's design and specifications, these tractors employed elevated C-Series cabs complete with sleepers. Notice how the original headlamp, grille, and wheelhouse openings were blocked off. Production units were quite similar.