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

[Steve H]

14 minutes ago, AmericanMuscleFan said:

Superb job Steve, I love your work on the dash, it will be a great improvement.  The aluminum bezels for the tail lights is a nice touch too! 👍

Hello Francis my friend. The kit dash face was not much to work with. Haven’t played with gauges yet, but I will come up with something better than what the kit offered. The taillight bezels were a necessity as I want all the black trim to be the same colour. Trying to brush paint the molded bezels would not have been an option for me. Thanks for checking in sir!

[espo]

17 hours ago, Steve H said:

Thanks Greg, all small stuff, but it’s starting to come together. Pets definitely make travel more challenging. Otis had his 14th (98th) birthday last week. He has been an amazing dog, he is starting to show his age, and I’m just enjoying every moment while he’s still with us. 
 

 

Hi David! Always great to hear from you. The body work is now VERY close. Hoping to get a final coat of primer on it soon, maybe tomorrow… Yes, Otis loves his people, and snuggles up at any chance. Obviously I’m biased, but he’s awesome. Love my hobby days with him. He has learned, when I get up and leave the room and lights are still on, I’ll be right back, (usually a quick trip to my shop for some painting), if the lights go out, hobby session over, and he comes with me. I sometimes come in the house after being out and find him snuggled in his bed in my hobby room, how could I NOT go in and start a build session! 

Our Lab would always check what shoes we were wearing. When my wife would come downstairs and had a curtain pair of "tennys" on he knows he was going for a walk and would leap into the air and run and get his leash. Got to the point that we were sure he had learned to spell since we couldn't use certain words, usually referring to food or car rides, without similar reactions. Man, I miss that dog and he's been gone long time, and we still laugh when we remember him.   

[Steve H]

On 2/18/2025 at 11:28 AM, espo said:

Our Lab would always check what shoes we were wearing. When my wife would come downstairs and had a curtain pair of "tennys" on he knows he was going for a walk and would leap into the air and run and get his leash. Got to the point that we were sure he had learned to spell since we couldn't use certain words, usually referring to food or car rides, without similar reactions. Man, I miss that dog and he's been gone long time, and we still laugh when we remember him.   

I believe our dogs get to know us, and our “secret” language extremely well. Thanks for sharing that, I love dogs, and enjoy other’s stories about their dogs. 

[Steve H]

Hi all. MOST…of the “heavy lifting” with this build is done now. Chassis is pretty much sorted out, just need to add shocks, and a few details. Body is about done too, it is primed and has one light coat of pearl white. So obviously….its time for another mock up. Not much different than the last, but it always feels good to do a mock.

 

The engine is getting close too. Most components are painted, although still a fair bit of detail painting to do. So time to see how it’s going to look in the engine bay. Nothing is glued yet, just temporarily tacked together so I could see where I’m at. Once the details are done, a bit of wiring, and some other under hood goodies, I think it’s going to look quite good. At a minimum, it’s looking like what I had envisioned. Ignore the chunks of plastic on the inner fenders, they are just there to hold the intake pipes…🙄 
For anyone wondering why the block is red, I almost always try to have a colour scheme. In this case, the interior will be red, there will be a couple “hits” of red on the chassis, and the engine block is red. 

 

I will DEFINITELY get better shots of the engine soon, sheesh, those are terrible. Anyway, you get the idea. Now that I know the engine fits, I will start assembling and detail painting it. No progress on the interior yet. The only “big” hurdle there is scratch building a console, and tinkering with the dash. More soon.

[BK9300]

Fine looking engine you’ve shoehorned into your pickup - looks very fast just sitting still.  Really like the nice finish on fenders/firewall joints - very smooth!

[NOBLNG]

Beautiful work Steve. That is indeed a nice engine…I put one in my T-Bird. I like the colored accents to tie things together too.👍😎

[Old Buckaroo]

That truck is looking so awesome, you're really doing some top notch work. 

I also like that your not afraid to paint something a different color than what the perception should be.  Ive painted a lot of 1/1 engines non factory colors and have caused a lot of melt downs over that !

[Phildaupho]

This is going to be one great looking truck with hood closed and especially with hood open. That engine is fabulous.

[AmericanMuscleFan]

It's more than promising Steve!  It already keeps its promises, the stance is perfect (the Steve way!) and this beautiful big mill has taken over the engine compartment! 👍

[David G.]

Wow Steve! Tremendously impressive work on this tribute build!

You're definitely capturing that Plowboy feel on so many levels.

David G.

[Steve H]

On 2/20/2025 at 11:58 PM, BK9300 said:

Fine looking engine you’ve shoehorned into your pickup - looks very fast just sitting still.  Really like the nice finish on fenders/firewall joints - very smooth!

Thanks Brian. Better look at the engine in the next post.
 

 

On 2/21/2025 at 5:29 AM, NOBLNG said:

Beautiful work Steve. That is indeed a nice engine…I put one in my T-Bird. I like the colored accents to tie things together too.👍😎

I remember your T Bird well, fantastic build. I always aim for colours that work well together, and try to carry them throughout a build, while TRYING to stay away from looking too busy. In this case, of course I’m cheating, and copying Roger, who in my opinion had an outstanding eye for colour.

On 2/21/2025 at 7:16 AM, Old Buckaroo said:

That truck is looking so awesome, you're really doing some top notch work. 

I also like that your not afraid to paint something a different color than what the perception should be.  Ive painted a lot of 1/1 engines non factory colors and have caused a lot of melt downs over that !

Thank you Sean! I sometimes apologize in advance on my builds knowing that the purists will likely be upset. At the end of the day, this is styrene, and represents a custom vehicle, so it’s not a stretch to think it would be painted a non factory correct colour. I certainly would not be one to get my knickers in a knot over a paint that isn’t “factory correct” on a custom vehicle, be it in scale or 1:1. 

On 2/21/2025 at 7:55 AM, Phildaupho said:

This is going to be one great looking truck with hood closed and especially with hood open. That engine is fabulous.

Thanks Phil, I’m not sure how this engine remained unused for this long. Looks good in this truck though. 

On 2/21/2025 at 12:49 PM, AmericanMuscleFan said:

It's more than promising Steve!  It already keeps its promises, the stance is perfect (the Steve way!) and this beautiful big mill has taken over the engine compartment! 👍

Thanks Francis, I was surprised how well it filled the engine bay. I thought there would still be lots of room, but it will be quite full. 

On 2/22/2025 at 5:14 AM, David G. said:

Wow Steve! Tremendously impressive work on this tribute build!

You're definitely capturing that Plowboy feel on so many levels.

David G.

That is nice to hear David, thank you! I think when it’s done it will be a respectable tribute to our friend. 
 

Thank you all for following along and taking the time to comment. 

[Steve H]

The motor is now glued together, so I thought I’d share a few photos of it. Obviously the intake pipes for the blower have to wait until final assembly. I still have a few items to detail paint, and I will add fuel lines later. You can see I added fuel rails under the intake plenum. Most of the chrome accents are BMF, including using the “paint over foil” technique on the blower ribs.

 

 

I couldn’t resist showing “most” of the styrene off-cuts that were removed from the kit. There was more, including the floor pan from the interior. It’s definitely lighter now!!

Initially I was going to leave the rear view mirrors off, to keep the truck “clean”.  Then I thought, this will be a daily driven shop truck, gotta have mirrors for safety! The kit pieces have been shortened, rather than using custom parts. should look a little “sportier” than the long ones. Since this photo, they have been cleaned up and painted. 

 

That’s it for this round. I have been picking away at other stuff too. The console has been started, disc brakes chosen and painted, most of the trim pieces are now black, and ready to install at final assembly. Progress is slow but steady.

 

[Modlbldr]

Wow Steve! I haven't been around the site much lately so I missed this one. I just now sat down and read through all 5 pages! Now I'm run ing late to get my running done but had to say what an amazing tribute build to Roger. I really loved seeing Roger's builds and chatting with him. He was a superb builder and an even better ambassador for our hobby. Always willing to share his knowledge and skills.

I moved to western Kentucky in Feb 2022 and wanted to meet up with him to visit. Unfortunately he passed before I could. And what a shock it was to hear he had passed. I was really enjoying his work he was doing on his GTO wagon when he passed. I'd love to get ahold of that to finish it but...oh well. 

I think he would have really enjoyed seeing your work on this tribute. I know I like how it is turning iut. Glad to see you made it a unibody and are using the Suoer Stallion engine. I'll be watching.

Later-

[Chuckyg1]

Very nice engine work, looks at home sitting in there.

[Steve H]

10 hours ago, Modlbldr said:

Wow Steve! I haven't been around the site much lately so I missed this one. I just now sat down and read through all 5 pages! Now I'm run ing late to get my running done but had to say what an amazing tribute build to Roger. I really loved seeing Roger's builds and chatting with him. He was a superb builder and an even better ambassador for our hobby. Always willing to share his knowledge and skills.

I moved to western Kentucky in Feb 2022 and wanted to meet up with him to visit. Unfortunately he passed before I could. And what a shock it was to hear he had passed. I was really enjoying his work he was doing on his GTO wagon when he passed. I'd love to get ahold of that to finish it but...oh well. 

I think he would have really enjoyed seeing your work on this tribute. I know I like how it is turning iut. Glad to see you made it a unibody and are using the Suoer Stallion engine. I'll be watching.

Later-

Hi Tom, great to hear from you. Hope you weren’t too late! I appreciate the generous words. It has been a very rewarding journey so far. I am really enjoying hearing how many builders like myself, have been influenced by Roger’s fantastic builds. I think you are absolutely spot on calling him an ambassador for our hobby, well said. It’s a shame you didn’t get to meet up with him. 
Thanks for the kind words, and for taking the time to comment Tom. 
 

 

3 hours ago, Chuckyg1 said:

Very nice engine work, looks at home sitting in there.

Hi John, it does look at home under the hood!  Thanks for following along. It should start getting interesting soon…😀

[Steve H]

Started to make some headway on the interior. I have the basic shape of the console done, including cup holders. The nav screen will get refined a bit more, but it’s close. I like the seats (unknown origin), but I will add backs to them. In the photos, a majority of the pieces are just resting, or taped in place. I also scribed a glove box opening. 

Still to do: 

gauge cluster, add arm rests and photo etch window cranks, remove the vent window cranks, pedals, shifter knob, speakers, steering wheel and column, seat belts, clock, new “button” to open glove box, door locks, and a few more small details on the dash. 
 

As always, thanks for having a look. 

[BK9300]

The work on your console is instructional - every part cleaned up and the edges slightly rounded - it’s that kind of attention that makes a scratch built part look so good when painted.  Enjoying your progress!

[JollySipper]

This is really coming along great! The engine and interior, especially....... What are your plans for a shift knob? Beer tap?

[Zippi]

That's looking mighty spiffy there Steve.  Those seats kinda look like the ones that come in the amt 67 Chevelle Pro Street kit.

[SpikeSchumacher]

This build is very cool Steve!

[Chuckyg1]

The seats look similar to a pair I have from a Tamiya or maybe a Fujimi I kit. they fit in there nice. Nice work on the console.

 

[Steve H]

11 hours ago, BK9300 said:

The work on your console is instructional - every part cleaned up and the edges slightly rounded - it’s that kind of attention that makes a scratch built part look so good when painted.  Enjoying your progress!

Thanks Brian. The parts will all get a bit more finessing, then some primer. 

 

9 hours ago, JollySipper said:

This is really coming along great! The engine and interior, especially....... What are your plans for a shift knob? Beer tap?

Hi TJ, the shifter knob will either be a plain Ol’ ball, or possibly a pistol grip. 

9 hours ago, Zippi said:

That's looking mighty spiffy there Steve.  Those seats kinda look like the ones that come in the amt 67 Chevelle Pro Street kit.

Hello Bob, they could be from the Chevelle, I do have a couple of those….hmmmm🤔

7 hours ago, SpikeSchumacher said:

This build is very cool Steve!

Hey Spike, thanks man. It is slowly taking shape. 

3 hours ago, Chuckyg1 said:

The seats look similar to a pair I have from a Tamiya or maybe a Fujimi I kit. they fit in there nice. Nice work on the console.

 

Those pesky seats… I may need to figure out what kit they came from now. They do fit quite nicely, I had a few other contenders that were either too long, or too tall, these seemed just right. Thanks for checking in John. 
 

I got a little bit more done on the interior, nothing worth sharing yet, soon though.

 

[Steve H]

Small update… 

Some minor improvements to the interior. I used styrene to make seat backs, added some depth to the nav screen, made a steering column (still need to add ignition/keys, turn signal), and chose a steering wheel. So at a quick glance it looks the same, but there is improvement…

 

Got the gauges sorted out…

Next will be adding some depth to the door cards.  Much like Brian (BK9300) I’m a list maker, so I sat down and detailed what colours all the various components will be. I find lists help keep me organized, and HOPEFULLY not miss a detail, or paint something in haste the wrong colour. In particular, I need to make sure that I prime anything that will be body colour in white primer, as the white does not cover grey well… At any rate, my to do list for the interior is shrinking!

[DJMar]

I've been following this in the background, and I'm really blown away by the amount and quality of the work shown in this thread.

I didn't know Roger at all, but I have seen a bunch of his stuff online. One of my favorite builds - out of all the incredible models he created - was this gem that he crafted out of the cartoonish AMT '32 Ford Phantom Vickie. He made a goofy looking kit into something so simple and understated and classy and downright cool. He wrote that it was a just for fun build, but there was obviously a whole bunch of work that went into it.

 

 

[Steve H]

On 3/2/2025 at 5:03 PM, DJMar said:

I've been following this in the background, and I'm really blown away by the amount and quality of the work shown in this thread.

I didn't know Roger at all, but I have seen a bunch of his stuff online. One of my favorite builds - out of all the incredible models he created - was this gem that he crafted out of the cartoonish AMT '32 Ford Phantom Vickie. He made a goofy looking kit into something so simple and understated and classy and downright cool. He wrote that it was a just for fun build, but there was obviously a whole bunch of work that went into it.

 

 

Hello DJ, glad you stepped forward from “the background”!  I had forgotten about the Vickie build. You summed up his builds perfectly in 3 words “simple”, “understated”, and “classy”. With the caveat that for most of us here, the “simple” part is anything but simple to achieve, there is so much subtle work in all his builds. Roger had a knack for making a ton of work look simple, but as you mentioned, there is a ton of work involved. I never met Roger in person, but I would guess that he was a humble, “understated”, and “classy” person. 
Thanks for following along, and for sharing more of Roger’s talent.