B.R.B.O BJ and The Bear Custom

[gatorincebu]

looking good !

              X's 2. You are making progress and it ooks good !

 

 

         Be Well

           Gator

[highway]

looking good !

              X's 2. You are making progress and it ooks good !

 

 

         Be Well

           Gator

Thank you both. 

Now for the June update. I WAS going to get some more done on this today BUT that quickly went out the window! I still had the cab sitting on the desk still mocked up from the last mock up pics, and was going to figure out something a little better for the stack mounts since I really wasn't thrilled with how the kit pieces looked and fit, and I started to break it back down from the mock up stage to prepare the frame for primer and paint. WEEEELLLLLLL, the cab hinge on the right side took "BREAK" quite literally!  I have been having a little issue with some of the off colored pieces being a little brittle, and the hinge decided today was it's turn to give me fits and snapped in half.  My first thought was just wait until the reissue comes out, but then remembered the Super Boss is the one coming out soon, not the Papa Truck. I can't wait until the end of the year, I'll miss the deadline.  I'm going to just wait until next weekend and maybe take this back off the shelf, but it has it the back burner for now. Never fear though, I will be getting it back out soon, because not only do I actually want to FINISH a build for once, I have already made plans for this and my Ford to be done and debut at a couple shows near this area in September. I just don't feel like dealing with more disaster right at this minute because I'm fighting nicotine fits TRYING (and so far not being very successful) to quit smoking and if anything more on it would happen, it would probably literally go flying out the window!

On the bright side of things though, I have figured out already a solution for the broken hinge and also to strengthen the left side hinge. I'm going to box in the hinges with some .030 or .040 sheet on both sides so that the weight of the finished cab won't be just held up with the two thin (and obviously brittle) bars of the hinge, and I may add a couple of hydraulic cylinders made from aluminum tubing and maybe a couple "hold open" supports for added strength when the cab would be tilted. 

[highway]

My bathroom was looking more like a Great Dane assembly line today, never knew I could fit two 53' trailers in the bathroom!  

I repainted the floor and roof for this trailer, and remembered to paint the bottom rail of the sides that is also aluminum on the 1:1, those are the sides that are still white at the top in the middle of the floors and roofs. The other 2 side panels are for the smoothside I have, figured might as well get everything ready for the Alclad Polished Aluminum that will get sprayed next. The only one I couldn't bring myself to redo yet is the Ford's, but it will get the same treatment as these. It will also get the aluminum at the bottom that I forgot about before I painted it, but since I still need more paint on it to match the cab better, that won't be an issue. The top of the sides on the ribbed versions are supposed to be aluminum down to the topmost rib too, but looking at the Ford's trailer, I think the body color above the top rib looks better, and the trailer for this will be the same with just the roof side being aluminum. 

Now to get a little better with the airbrush and also get a better airbrush so I can finish the roof and floor for good!

[Mopar - D]

Matthew, wow I like your method of hanging the big long pices for spraying and drying. I'm going to remember it when I get around to building mine. I use a Grex air brush and have been very pleased with it. Looking forward to your next update with your trailer. 

[highway]

Matthew, wow I like your method of hanging the big long pices for spraying and drying. I'm going to remember it when I get around to building mine. I use a Grex air brush and have been very pleased with it. Looking forward to your next update with your trailer. 

Thanks Dan, I've used hangers for many years in some way for painting. I used them and a 2x4 block for paint stands, cutting the long pieces from the bottoms of the hanger and putting in holes drilled in the 2x4 for painting car bodies, bending the hangers in half for quickie hanging paint stands like I did for the hood for my other project I'm also working on right now

and even had some here thinking I had magical powers because of the "floating" engine on the right side of this pic of my work area from years ago. 

It looks like it's floating because I used a hanger stuck into the back of the transmission (it's from a 1/8 scale Trans Am) as a paint stand! 

These for the trailer parts are just simply the way you would hang them in the closet with wide masking tape all the way along the bottom of the hanger and around the curves where the hanger arms bend to go to the top and about an inch or two past the ends of the hanger on each side. The only downfall with the way I do it is be prepared to get overspray on your hand if you are using regular spray cans like I did for painting the black, my thumbnail still looks like I had black nailpolish on it! 

As for an update on the trailer, I decided to get a little color on the parts last night, even with my current cheapy airbrush!  I still need to finish up the floor, because I know new all the center crossmembers are a nice shiny aluminum too, though I'm not sure if I'm going to worry about painting the rear and front crossmembers that are steel and painted black on a new 1:1, I'm probably going to just paint everything the same. That is one advantage of working with these trailers in the 1:1 world everyday, I know what everything underneath looks like too!  I don't have the floor finished because I'm now, due in part to experimenting and part to probably still not being that good with an airbrush yet, out of the Alclad Polished Aluminum. I had just enough to finish the ICC bumper and side rails of the floor after doing the roof and the lower sides of the walls.

The Alclad has given me the look of shiny, new aluminum I want though as the Duplicolor "Chrome" did, but will be a color I can protect through mock up and building. 

I also have the fuel tank done

and not only painted with the Alclad, but with the Alclad Clear coat as well. The clear does not effect the color, as a comparison the cleared tank is on the right and the one for my Ford is on the left still without clear. 

 

[Mopar - D]

Matthew nice progress update. I know what your talking about with the black finger nail I've started using these Playtex disposable gloves when I'm spraying just peel them off after spraying and no more painted finger nails and they are at Krogers for a package of 30 for only a couple dollars. 

[gatorincebu]

Good idea  on the hangers ! i used to use them but in a slightly different way .  Your paint on trailer is looking good.

 

 

  Be Well

  Gator

[Tesla]

Great results with the Alclad. It's good to know that the clear doesn't affect the finish. 

[highway]

 Thanks everyone.

Great results with the Alclad. It's good to know that the clear doesn't affect the finish. 

 Thank you, I'm just wishing I would have started using an airbrush years ago. I'm hoping the clear has as good results with the other metal shades like the chrome and stainless steel. I've had chrome for about 10 years and never used it, and going to be doing a lot more Alclad shopping soon, I like shiny stuff! 

[gino]

nice work !   thanks for the tip on the alclad clearcoat !

[highway]

nice work !   thanks for the tip on the alclad clearcoat !

You're welcome Gino. 

Well, spending a little time after work before it's time for bed on this, and was going to do a little engine work and do a little modification to help the beast breathe easier by adding a second air cleaner and found I have to track down a little snack sized baggy that has the extra pieces for the second engine I used! As of now until I find the other baggy of parts, I'm short at least 2 valve covers and an air inlet to the supercharger. So, a funny thing happened when I came back out of the model room to get on the computer and thinking I have one 71 air inlet and one 92 turbo from the original engine from the kit, plus I have the turbo I could steal from the blue rebuilder I used as an "idea" mock up early on. Thank you Google for warping my mind just a little more than it already is!!! 

Yes, that is a twin turbo 16V92!  Even though that is not my pic, I shared it from a Photobucket Google led me too, I do know the truck is in quite well, I always wanted to take it for a spin when I worked at Werner, and sorry for the bad pic, the day I seen the truck in the museum Werner has at their main terminal in Omaha, most of the lights inside were off!

At least I now remember where I originally got the idea for a V16 Detroit build! 

[gino]

that V-16 is pretty cool !  I saw the truck back in 2005 in Omaha when I worked there.

I was across the highway at the trailer shop getting work done on my qualcom.

it was in the shop being worked on and they let me check it out.

[highway]

that V-16 is pretty cool !  I saw the truck back in 2005 in Omaha when I worked there.

I was across the highway at the trailer shop getting work done on my qualcom.

it was in the shop being worked on and they let me check it out.

Cool! Did you get a chance to see the Pete with the V12 Cat too? 

[gino]

Cool! Did you get a chance to see the Pete with the V12 Cat too? 

yea that was awesome !  it was in the museum when I was there, along with C.L's super duty and gmc cannonball.

they also had a cool 60's freight shaker cabover. I could never figure out why the pete was not the company blue color, although I like the red/maroon it wears.

[highway]

It's that time of the month again , IT'S THE MONTHLY UPDATE!! 

I'm sure as in previous months, this will not be the only one of the month, but it is the first one of July, and just a little was done on the remanding hours of my 4th of July after getting done work. I've only had 2 days off since the middle of June, so time has been short at the bench, but I did manage while at work a couple weeks ago to get some shiny stuff for the truck at the truck stop! How did I get shiny stuff for a model at a truck stop you ask?  It just so happens Ryan Mlynek that has Rhino's Custom Model Truck Parts doesn't live all that far from me, and just so happens to live close to a truck stop I would be passing by with enough time to stop, and after a few messages, we arranged to meet up mainly so I could pick up an airbrush he was selling, but to get stacks for my Ford, some light panels for it, and to order stacks custom for this build, and I bought a Meng D9 off him just for good measure! 

These are Ryan's 10" curved tip stacks with elbows, and I asked him to custom bend the elbows so that they would curve under the cab instead of towards the frame. 

The mount is the biggest thing I have been working on, but you will have to wait to see what is hiding under the white film! 

A second air filter was added to the passenger side from the old blue clunker that was so nice to "donate" it, and the battery box was relocated behind it because I wanted the two air cleaners to be directly across from each other. I also mocked up a couple pieces of aluminum tubing for the intake tubes, but these will not be the final height nor will they be these tubes, I have already told Ryan I will be getting the intake stacks from him to match the exhaust. 

I'm thinking the size is right, and after bends are added, it should lower these 6" long mock up intakes to the height of the end of this ruler if the final height of the intake stacks are 3 3/4". 

[highway]

This is starting to look like a truck, though it has been fighting me every step of the way! I have never had an older kit give me so many problems with parts breaking, but just preparing the frame for paint I had one of the rods holding the front rear axle in place that also holds the brake chamber snap off as well as one of the fuel tank steps. Luckily I had a bag of K&S scrap pieces I found at one of the hobby shops I stopped at a few weeks ago, so I made a new rod out of a small piece of brass tubing. While I was mocking this up last night for pics, the other side snapped, so I now have to repair it. Thankfully at least the frame needs a few more coats of paint, and I still need to paint the red on the cab and trailer still too. 

I also have to diagnose the issue the trailer is giving me that my Ford's trailer didn't, the side walls are not fitting properly to the front bulkhead and rear door frames. 

[highway]

This isn't really a huge update, but shows just how sometimes you can sit for hours and sweat a detail and give up thinking about it and out of no where it can slap you in the face! I have been trying to figure out how to make this exhaust for my 16V92 without actually stealing the correct exhaust out of my International Payhauler. 

Here is where the "slap you in the face" part comes in. I was putting away one of my Italeri Truck Accessories II sets when I noticed this lonely little "Y" pipe begging for a new home. I got out the Payhauler to compare how the stock exhaust from it looked and, while not exact, thought I could come up with something close using the "Y" pipe. So, what do you get when you combine the stock V8's exhausts with a lonely "Y" pipe?

With a little cutting and modifying, you get this!

It's not 100% correct, but after all, this is a custom. It looks fairly close, I just have to find a couple turbos to mount to it or detach the kit's turbo and the other cabover donor's from the supercharger tops. 

 

I'm thinking of painting the entire assembly including the turbos Alclad Chrome or Alclad High Shine Aluminum like I used on my Mack tanker project's rear fenders and trailer wheels, or maybe even the prismatic chrome I used on my Ford's trailer roof and floor for a "used chrome" heat stained look. I'm also trying to decide between the traditional silver for a Silver 92 or Detroit "It ain't mean if it ain't green" Alpine Green. 

[gatorincebu]

 

 

       Looks to me. Like you found a suitable fix to the exhaust problem!

 

 

 

 

     Be Well

      Gator

[highway]

 

 

       Looks to me. Like you found a suitable fix to the exhaust problem!

 

 

 

 

     Be Well

      Gator

Thank you Gator, and I think I also have found suitable turbos to top off the exhaust off with also. I have a few Italeri Cummins laying around that are being replaced with more suitable green engines and the turbos from them look as if they will complete the look I'm going for. 

[highway]

Well, I'm going to be nervous and scared to see how this turns out, it's the first time in almost 30 years I have attempted to do a two tone paint job. Everything in this pic that is white has magically turned red, and hopefully everything under the tape will still be white! 

I have to wait until I get more paint AGAIN tomorrow to see how it all turned out, and I don't understand why I seem to be using to much paint for projects lately, because a brand new 8oz. can of DupliColor GM Bright Red has bit the dust with just a few mist coats and only about one or two heavier (just heavy enough to start to start covering completely, and even the truck roof still has light spots an a little white showing through) color coats on the cab, trailer sides, and reefer unit. I don't know if it is just because I'm out of practice since this is really the first serious painting I have done since a few projects in 2010 and 2011 or the paint has changed somehow, but I used to get a lot more mileage out of a can of paint!

[cowboy rich]

Looks to be coming along nicely, I can't answer the amount of paint situation but have been having the same problem with the dupli-color on my truck 

[highway]

Looks to be coming along nicely, I can't answer the amount of paint situation but have been having the same problem with the dupli-color on my truck 

Thanks Rich, and stocked up on the GM Bright Red I used by getting 2 more cans today. And speaking of paint, it is time for an update and.......

 

SUCCESS!!! Well, somewhat, because I did have a little issue around the curves on the front of the cab and I expected that, but that area will be covered with black and gold pinstripes anyway to hide the boo boos.

A couple issues I was not expecting was that the tape I used to mask the center white stripe between the red would be nice enough to leave its glue behind

and that the Rustoleum supposedly low tack painters tape I used for masking everything else pulled off some of the white on the trailer. 

I was hoping that maybe the clear I used, which is DupliColor "Clear Effex" to give all the body panels a metallic pearl look, would maybe blend the white and the white of the trailer together, but no such luck if you look closely to the upper left corner of the white. 

I'm hoping the clear will protect the red from doing the same thing when I repaint the white during my next weekend off next week. The only part that I haven't had any issues with is the reefer unit, and also shows the effect from the "Clear Effex" clearcoat. 

I wanted to have a pearl look to the cab and trailer sides so the frame of the truck and the legs and suspension on the trailer wouldn't just "blend" with the body panels, but also I wanted all the red to be the same matching color with just a little visual difference. 

Edited August 23, 2016 by highway

[Mopar - D]

Matthew the red looks good. Any ideas on cleaning off the glues residue ? I've used lighter fluid but not on models so what ever you use test in on a scrap piece. 

[highway]

Matthew the red looks good. Any ideas on cleaning off the glues residue ? I've used lighter fluid but not on models so what ever you use test in on a scrap piece. 

Actually Dan, the glue residue is not an issue anymore, and pics of the clearcoated cab and probably a mock up should be coming later. I had same issue with another tape when I masked the base aluminum strip at the bottom of the walls, and why I didn't use that same tape for the fine line masking this time, and I just had to wait a little while for the glue to dry out a little more tonight. I then took a microfiber cloth and simply rubbed the rest of the glue residue off in about 10 or 15 minutes. 

I also did a little touch up on the red on the front, and also noticed the Pactra fine line tape I used must have shifted on the passenger side, because I could see a faint line that matched the arc of the driver side, but the red was below that line and the two sides did not match. I took a white ultra fine paint marker and carefully touched up the two sides so I don't have as much to try to hide when I do the pinstripes. I'm just hoping the Pactra pinstipe tape I bought sticks better than the fine line masking tape did, but also why there will still be a coat or two of regular clear to go on everything to help seal the pinstripes. 

[highway]

I have been busy with this over my "weekend", but I have to go back to the real things in the morning. I did, after two 8 oz cans of DupliColor GM Bright Red, get the frame, body of the cab and the trailer, and the trailer suspension and landing legs all painted.

I think it may have been good and bad that I have to repaint the white next "weekend", good because in the second pic it looks like I may have been a little off getting the truck and trailer white stripe matched, but bad because if I widen the trailer stripe to the rib below where it ends at the bottom now, I have to cover the red. 

I did start the pinstripes, but I think it is going to be a challenge to get them all to lay flat around the curves on the front.

The gold are two different stripes, but the last curve I did for the night on the upper driver side came out the best.

Hopefully by next "weekend", I'll have the engine ready to sit between the framerails, some modifications have to be made to raise it slightly so the exhaust manifolds I made will clear a few things and also not be sitting on the frame. I also have to now fix both cab hinges, because the only "good" one snapped off, and I barely touched it! I'm half afraid to breathe on this thing, because the plastic seems like it is so brittle from age even breathing will cause something to fall off!