Fat Brian

I attempted this conversion years ago with the AMT 68 El Camino and AMT 70 SS 454 Chevelle. I cut both kits right in from of the front wheel wells and swapped the 70 headlight surrounds on but the 68 body is so wide the Chevelle grill won't fit without huge gaps on each side so I tried the 70 Monte Carlo grill which fit better but didn't look quite right. I never finished it because of the ill fitting parts but I'll see if I can get some pictures of it up for you.

The Can Do lift axle is the non-steering/following type and they typically have duals or super singles, the type that do steer/follow have a single wheel mounted like the front tires.

P&P is kind of in limbo, if you call the number on the site a woman does answer and has some stuff but I don't know if it's old stock or new stuff being made. The easiest source of a 12v71 is the Superboss kit that's out now, if you have a Hobby Lobby near by it's about $25.

I know how it is, we're all our own worst critics.

This is truly incredible, the deeper you look the more there is to see.

From my understanding the kit replicates a 71 with a 302 but the instructions show a minor modification to the air cleaner that converts it to a 73.

The spec sheet for the modern version says it has two Volvo D16 engines. http://www.rosenbauer.com/fileadmin/sharepoint/products/airportvehicles/panther/TEST_Datenbltter/PANTHER_8x8_HRET_Hannover_en.pdf

What year is this fictional bootlegger operating in, that will greatly affect the options available.

I've built the Freightliner, it's not bad but take the time to true up the frame crossmembers. The mating surfaces are a little wonky out of the box and some time with a sanding stick makes a huge difference. What I do is once I have all the crossmembers and frame rails ready I tack the crossmembers in one rail with tube glue and then pop the other rail on and soak both sides in Tenax or Tamiya thin then sit it on a nice flat surface and square it up to dry.

I have around 20 of the AMT USA-1 monster truck kit I use for donors, and 14 of the Lindberg Ramminator kits for the same purpose. For kits I actually intend to build in some resemblance of the box contents I have 6 California Hauler kits.

In my opinion the best square body GM truck is the MPC/AMT version currently out as the Deserter 4x4 truck, I think it's an 84 model. The same basic truck was available as a 77-80 style step side in various kits but they are pretty pricey for untouched kits. A cheaper option for an early truck is the 1/25 Revell kit, it's a 77 step side and was out most recently in a box that says Hot Rod with a black truck with red exhaust pipes on it. The cab is a bit lacking in the window area compared to the MPC piece bit it's significantly cheaper too. The cab will go with the bed from the Deserter kit if you want a fleet side truck. There is also a fleet side long bed available in resin from Morgan Automotive Detail.

I've got other plans this weekend now.

I wish, I didn't even know it was coming.

Yeah, it was nice to dirty one up after seeing so many pretty ones being posted. I've got plans for a few clean ones too but it was good to see some of the issues with the kit on a build that didn't have to be perfectly clean

Thank you, I painted the engine tan to show that it had been either replaced or substantially rebuilt at some point.

Thank you, I'm really proud of this one, this is probably the best thing I've ever built. The grill came about by accident, I tried a black wash over the painted stock grill but could never get it to look like I wanted. Then I got thinner on the silver and messed it up so I tried to strip it but couldn't get the silver off so I had to start with another grill and so I didn't mess it up too I cut the molded mesh out and replaced it with screen to look like a thin metal grate.

Well, I finally have something finished to contribute. The inspiration for this truck was a vehicle owned by a local logging company I see running around from time to time. The actual truck is a square headlight 359 that is quite broken in and war weary. I decided to use the California Hauler to give the truck more age and I wanted to build one to kind of get a feel for some future projects. I shortened the chassis about four inches and swapped in the engine, transmission, rear suspension, wheels, and tires from the Diamond Reo kit. I had wanted to use the square air box from that kit as well but it interfered with the hood flipping so I had to build my own unit that resembles a round Diamond Reo piece. I had to move the firewall back about a quarter inch to fit the big Cummins in which necessitated changing the interior as well. I also hinged the hood, replaced the grill with screen, made the stack from aluminum tubing, and built the headache rack. Critiques and criticisms are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you, this great information.

I used GIMP briefly several years ago but abandoned it when it couldn't make a file compatible with the game I was working with. It seemed like a well made program, it just didn't work for what I needed. I also have a cracked version of Photoshop 7, it's great but very complex for a new user. My favorite freeware image program is Paint.net, it is powerful but doesn't feel nearly as intimidating as Photoshop when you're not quite sure what you're doing. Really, I need a vector graphics program like Corel for a lot of the decals I need.

Yes, it exists and that's it's name. It comes in spray cans so you don't need and air brush to use it like you do with Alclad.

Those are hydraulic quick connect fittings rigged together with some rubber hose pieces and hose clamps. I can't speak to whether this is a temporary or permanent setup but it would allow an external water source to be quickly installed and removed with a minimum of mess, it's actually a pretty ingenious idea.

Thank you, I can work with that.

Is there any standard for what color the air hoses to the trailer should be? I have black, white, red, and green wire so I have some options there.

I got it at Michael's but I think it's on Amazon too. The results are definitely worth it when you need something truly rusty.

The early Broncos had Dana 30s but by 71 they had switched to 44s.