60 Ford shop truck, “The Plowboy way” tribute to honour Roger Hayes

[Steve H]

Rear bumper has also been tucked in about 2”.  I am also flipping it upside down. This is something Roger was going to do on his, but went a different route. The license plate will hang below bumper, and I will relocate the mounting holes to get the bumper down about 2”.

I have done A LOT… of sanding and filing on the chassis plate, the bed floor, and the underside of the body. I need this to sit low, yes that is obvious to anyone that follows my builds. So I have been nibbling, filing, and grinding away to get the body channeled over the chassis. I went with 3” in scale, (3mm) to get the look I wanted. I also wanted the bed floor to still fit the mounting points on the chassis. So after a whole bunch of super boring stuff, that really wasn’t worth showing, we get to the good stuff.

Bumpers, grill, and wheels now painted. Body has 2 light coats of white primer, still a fair bit of sanding and finessing to do, but you get the idea. Ride height is VERY close to what I have in mind.

MOCK TIME!!

Thanks to all of you following along, I truly appreciate your interest and input. Don’t forget to, if you want to post a favourite build of Roger’s, post it!!

[JollySipper]

Nice mock-up............

[James2]

So nice….

[Keef]

I’ve looked through numerous threads from Roger and was in awe of the pure talent and skill he had. Some of his builds have inspired me to try something new or different in my own builds. 
 

This build is an awesome tribute to a man who had no idea how well liked and respected he was. I will definitely be following along on your tribute build and will most definitely be picking up a couple of these trucks as well as the 63 kit. 
 

Steve you sir are an inspiration to me as well as many others who have followed your work, and I’m sure this build will be top notch as all of your work is. Kudos to you sir!! 👍🏻

[BK9300]

Looking really good, Steve - love the stance and the black wheels and grille.  Kudos on the great body work - it looks like it comes easy to you, but, even so, I know its a lot of time and effort (and dust!).

Edited February 1 by BK9300

[Cool Hand]

7 hours ago, Steve H said:

Nailed it, can see exactly where you got all the inspiration and idea's from. Well done Steve.

 

[Steve H]

As I mentioned early on here, I want to showcase some of Roger’s builds. There are many newer members here that are not familiar with just how much impact he had on this forum.  So next up are a few more of his amazing builds, and some more of my inspiration for this project. 
 

This was Roger’s last completed build. I will be using the same engine in my truck.

This is the interior from his 49 Merc. Tamiya’s dull red which I will use on the truck.

This is just another example of his subtle and absolutely beautiful paint jobs…

[David G.]

Great work on the truck Steve, it definitely has that Plowboy feel to it. Thanks also for posting the images of his builds, it's nice seeing Roger's work again.

We would all be lucky to be memorialized in such a way.

David G.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

Great job on the grille Steve, it's not an easy task to do because the remaining bars are so fragile, you saved the furniture as they say around here!  I think that despite the work involved, it is a modification that brings a lot of realism to any model car.

The project is well underway and we see your influence with the very low position that you like so much (I also like it by the way) and with all respect I think that what you do is very similar to Roger's superb builds.  It seems that several of us like your idea of a tribute my friend! 😊

[NOBLNG]

It’s looking awesome Steve! That is a really nice engine to use.👍 I’m sure Roger would be proud of your tribute.

[Steve H]

On 2/2/2025 at 4:27 AM, David G. said:

Great work on the truck Steve, it definitely has that Plowboy feel to it. Thanks also for posting the images of his builds, it's nice seeing Roger's work again.

We would all be lucky to be memorialized in such a way.

David G.

Hi David. If you have any favourite builds from Roger, please feel free to post here. Obviously I loved his work, and this project is long overdue. It is also nice to hear from others here, and how much they were  inspired by him. No surprise at all. 

 

On 2/2/2025 at 5:55 PM, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Great job on the grille Steve, it's not an easy task to do because the remaining bars are so fragile, you saved the furniture as they say around here!  I think that despite the work involved, it is a modification that brings a lot of realism to any model car.

The project is well underway and we see your influence with the very low position that you like so much (I also like it by the way) and with all respect I think that what you do is very similar to Roger's superb builds.  It seems that several of us like your idea of a tribute my friend! 😊

Thank you Francis, those are very generous words. I always felt a connection with Roger and his build style. I have a long way to go to get to his level of quality, but there are so many talented people on here to learn from. His builds often had a low and slightly aggressive stance, as you know, I like that look! 
Thanks for taking the time to comment, now get back to that milling machine!😜

14 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

It’s looking awesome Steve! That is a really nice engine to use.👍 I’m sure Roger would be proud of your tribute.

 

Thanks Greg, hoping to start working on the engine, and interior this week. 🤞

[Steve H]

Thought I’d share another of the moments during planning that put a smile on my face. As I had mentioned earlier, I did  a planning session , then sat down and reviewed some of Roger’s build threads. My choice of wheel/tire is from the Foose FD truck, and black wheels/trim to match the 49 Merc. 
Here’s a screen shot from his build thread…

I literally felt like he was looking over my shoulder…

So my wheel, and colour choice was immediately set in stone. Just thought I’d share that little tidbit.

[Steve H]

On 2/1/2025 at 1:12 PM, JollySipper said:

Nice mock-up............

Thanks TJ!

On 2/1/2025 at 2:11 PM, Keef said:

I’ve looked through numerous threads from Roger and was in awe of the pure talent and skill he had. Some of his builds have inspired me to try something new or different in my own builds. 
 

This build is an awesome tribute to a man who had no idea how well liked and respected he was. I will definitely be following along on your tribute build and will most definitely be picking up a couple of these trucks as well as the 63 kit. 
 

Steve you sir are an inspiration to me as well as many others who have followed your work, and I’m sure this build will be top notch as all of your work is. Kudos to you sir!! 👍🏻

Hi Keith, those are some very kind words, thank you. I love hearing how many of you he influenced, it’s awesome. He taught a lot of us here a thing or 20. I believe you are spot on with your comment about Roger. He likely had no idea the respect we all had for him. He seemed a pretty humble guy to me, very classy too. Thanks for checking in Keith, always appreciate your comments. 

On 2/1/2025 at 2:09 PM, James2 said:

So nice….

Thanks Rooster.

On 2/1/2025 at 3:14 PM, BK9300 said:

Looking really good, Steve - love the stance and the black wheels and grille.  Kudos on the great body work - it looks like it comes easy to you, but, even so, I know its a lot of time and effort (and dust!).

I love me a low stance Brian. Bodywork is always a test of patience, definitely not easy for me. Yes… dust… Oh!! Actually this would be a good time to mention my favourite new tool. I got one of the Dspaie mini vacuums for my hobby desk, LOVE it.

On 2/1/2025 at 7:23 PM, Cool Hand said:

Nailed it, can see exactly where you got all the inspiration and idea's from. Well done Steve.

 

Hey Luke, well, you knew it was going to be low right?…. Easy to draw inspiration from Roger’s builds as you know. 
 

Sorry for the late reply here guys, and thanks for sharing your comments. Once again please feel free to post anything from Roger here. 

[Cool Hand]

I really like this build of Rogers, so many well thought out features and custom work. Smooth, clean and low.

[Steve H]

13 hours ago, Cool Hand said:

I really like this build of Rogers, so many well thought out features and custom work. Smooth, clean and low.

Excellent choice mate! I was going to share this one at some point during the build, so perfect for you to share it. Like you said, long, low, and smooooooooth…. It was this particular build that inspired me to “unibody” the 60. I know these ones were factory this way, so I thought it wouldn’t be too out of place on a 60. Dang he did nice work.

Thanks for following along Luke, and for sharing this. Cheers mate

[JollySipper]

I really hope this is okay to add........ Roger was absent from the forums some time back, seems like he didn't post for maybe two or three years. When he did come back this last time, I sent him a PM saying 'Welcome Back' and 'We Missed You'....... I was so glad that he was back. He responded, and you could just about hear the enthusiasm in his text! He was soooooo glad to be back! You could tell that he missed the forums as much as we did/will him..........

[Chuckyg1]

This is looking good so far Steve. Well planned out as usual. I usually have a good idea when I start a build, but it's completely different, (most times), by the time I'm done. that engine should be killer.

[Steve H]

2 hours ago, JollySipper said:

I really hope this is okay to add........ Roger was absent from the forums some time back, seems like he didn't post for maybe two or three years. When he did come back this last time, I sent him a PM saying 'Welcome Back' and 'We Missed You'....... I was so glad that he was back. He responded, and you could just about hear the enthusiasm in his text! He was soooooo glad to be back! You could tell that he missed the forums as much as we did/will him..........

YES, this totally ok TJ. These are exactly the kind of stories I want to hear. It seemed obvious that Roger was very passionate about our hobby, and also 1:1 cars. He was always more than happy to answer a question, or share a tip. His interactions with others was always respectful, even if he disagreed with someone, he did so with class, I really admired that. It nice to know that he missed the forum, and came back to it. I hope you will share your favourite build, or thread of Roger’s with us here.
‘Thanks for sharing this story.

[Steve H]

41 minutes ago, Chuckyg1 said:

This is looking good so far Steve. Well planned out as usual. I usually have a good idea when I start a build, but it's completely different, (most times), by the time I'm done. that engine should be killer.

Hi John! Sometimes my plans work out, other times not so much. I’m trying to keep this one fairly simple, but still have a nice looking shelf model, and also something that will hopefully capture the style of our friend Roger. Haven’t got to the fitment part of the engine swap yet, shouldn’t be TOO complicated…..

[slusher]

Really nice work Steve, I like your body mods!

[BIGTRUCK]

19 hours ago, Steve H said:

Sometimes my plans work out, other times not so much. 

I know how you feel on that topic I've shifted plans on amost every build. Theres alot of work going into this Ford..

[Steve H]

On 2/6/2025 at 4:58 AM, slusher said:

Really nice work Steve, I like your body mods!

Thank you Carl.  I know you liked Roger and had many interactions with him. If there is a story you would like to share, or a favourite build, please do so.

[Steve H]

On 2/6/2025 at 1:58 PM, BIGTRUCK said:

I know how you feel on that topic I've shifted plans on amost every build. Theres alot of work going into this Ford..

Hi Ken. I think we all start with a plan, then we sort of bob and weave as the build progresses. Makes its fun. 

[Steve H]

As mentioned earlier, I channeled the body over the chassis about 3 scale inches. Part of that work included raising the inner front fenders up 3”. This achieved 2 things, let the body sit down 3” lower, and gave more room for the front tires to tuck up under the body.

Before removing…

 

After removing, and re-attaching…

Still some finessing to do, but it’s close. The hood needed some minor sanding on the underside but everything now fits nicely. This work was actually done before the mock up shots a few posts ago, just hadn’t got around to showing the pics.

[BK9300]

Delicate surgery and cleanly done!  Good idea to be able to tuck the tires more.