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

[slusher]

5 hours ago, Steve H said:

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.

I really liked Roger, he was like a best friend and sometimes i have to whip tears. He was from the ares my parent are from in south east Kentucky and he knew where my dad was from. We talked on many builds. I suggested grey green for the last 60 build and the wheels. He was a kit basher builder.  I am going to build the gold Chevy step side he built I have the 72 GMC he used same wheels also. I am going to my grandmothers grave and then to see his family on the way home..

[Steve H]

On 2/7/2025 at 3:37 PM, BK9300 said:

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

Hi Brian, most of my builds are LOW. I feel like I spend about 50% of my time, (maybe more), on modifications to get the stance I like. I create all kinds of problems for myself 😱🤷🏻‍♂️🤪. The easier route was to simply remove 3mm from the bottom of the inner fenders, but that did not allow the front wheels to sit up high enough. 

[Steve H]

21 hours ago, slusher said:

I really liked Roger, he was like a best friend and sometimes i have to whip tears. He was from the ares my parent are from in south east Kentucky and he knew where my dad was from. We talked on many builds. I suggested grey green for the last 60 build and the wheels. He was a kit basher builder.  I am going to build the gold Chevy step side he built I have the 72 GMC he used same wheels also. I am going to my grandmothers grave and then to see his family on the way home..

Hi Carl, thank you for sharing this. He was a kit basher for sure, but some of his builds you had to really pay attention to know what he had done. The untrained eye wouldn’t even know he had mashed up a few kits. I hope you will share your 72 GMC with us. I have sent you a PM. Thanks for following along my friend.

[Steve H]

Ok… so I wasn’t going to get too carried away with the chassis, but after removing the molded in exhaust I had to pause and decide how to proceed. I was going to spend more time cleaning up the mess I had created than to just replace the floor pan. I am still keeping it “simple”, but there are some things that need to be done. 
 

After removing exhaust….

Then remove portion of the chassis floor…

Replace with filler piece, and new crossmembers. 

As you can see, I have also removed the driveshaft. I’ve decided to keep the axle, but I think I might have to remove the molded in shocks. They look too much like Lego… 

I think I have the engine placement sorted out, but not quite 100% yet. Things filled up under the hood quickly, so I have started making a new firewall to allow a bit more room for the engine. I will set it back about 1.5mm which I believe will make everything work. 

Yikes, that last photo is terrible. I’m getting close to being able to do a full mock up. Once I know everything will fit, I’ll get going on fine tuning bodywork, and get going on paint work. Still playing with the colours for the engine and under hood area in my head. I know what colours, just thinking through where, and how much of each colour…

Thanks for having a look, it’s been really cool to have input from all of you. 

[David G.]

Good call on removing the exhaust and driveshaft Steve. Clean work too.

Looking forward to seeing the mockup.

David G.

[James2]

Coming along nicely!

[slusher]

Real nice work Steve, chassis looks so much!

[AmericanMuscleFan]

13 hours ago, Steve H said:

Ok… so I wasn’t going to get too carried away with the chassis, but after removing the molded in exhaust I had to pause and decide how to proceed. I was going to spend more time cleaning up the mess I had created than to just replace the floor pan.

It was the best thing to do Steve, the replacement section you created is 100% better than the original, kill two birds with one stone as they say!  I don't like the translation of the French expression though, I'm a bird lover! 😁

[Steve H]

Reasonably productive day at the bench. The “Lego” shocks have been removed… I will make a couple of simple rear shocks to replace them. 

 

I will prime the chassis soon, do the final clean up, then it will be paint time. 
The firewall, has been made, and it is recessed about 1.5 mm from the kit piece. With that accomplished, time to see if the motor fits.
The engine has been stripped of chrome. Got the main pieces tacked together so I could see how it fits, and looks. Forgot what a beautiful engine this is, its going to look wicked under the hood!

I will modify the intake pipes to fit later. You can see the tab for the interior bucket at the cowl, right behind the blower. I will put a filler piece there to clean that up. 

[David G.]

That is a cool looking engine.

David G.

[Steve H]

On 2/9/2025 at 4:48 AM, David G. said:

Good call on removing the exhaust and driveshaft Steve. Clean work too.

Looking forward to seeing the mockup.

David G.

Thanks David.

 

On 2/9/2025 at 5:12 AM, James2 said:

Coming along nicely!

Making slow steady progress…

On 2/9/2025 at 6:33 AM, slusher said:

Real nice work Steve, chassis looks so much!

Thank you Carl!

On 2/9/2025 at 8:28 AM, AmericanMuscleFan said:

It was the best thing to do Steve, the replacement section you created is 100% better than the original, kill two birds with one stone as they say!  I don't like the translation of the French expression though, I'm a bird lover! 😁

Yep, it was going to take way longer to try and clean up the original chassis. I’m happy enough with how it is now. This is still going to be “curbside plus” build, not getting too carried away with the underside. I’m a bird lover too, (except the Flickers that seem to think my house is tasty) but I use that old saying once in a while as well. 

12 hours ago, David G. said:

That is a cool looking engine.

David G.

I know, right?… Can’t believe I haven’t used this engine somewhere already. I suppose it’s been waiting for just the right project, and here we are.

Thanks for the comments guys!

[Chevy II]

Steven your builds are just so detailed and thorough out. Dang, I start out with a plan, but often it changes as the build goes on. 
I got a lot of ideas from Roger’s builds and he was always willing to share how he accomplished something if you asked. Really a shocker when I found out he was gone. 

[H.A.K]

Nice.

[TopherMcGinnis]

What engine is that? I ask because I'm not familiar with it.

[Old Buckaroo]

Great job on getting rid of the "Lego shocks"  that's exactly how I feel about a lot of chunky molded in pieces.   Wooh the engine bay is tight, but it looks good sitting in there. 😎

[Steve H]

On 2/10/2025 at 5:50 PM, Chevy II said:

Steven your builds are just so detailed and thorough out. Dang, I start out with a plan, but often it changes as the build goes on. 
I got a lot of ideas from Roger’s builds and he was always willing to share how he accomplished something if you asked. Really a shocker when I found out he was gone. 

Hi John, my plans change all the time too. I think we all have to “pivot” when plan A doesn’t quite work, annnnnndddd plan B might be a bit off too…

I was shocked when Roger passed too, I had sent him a PM that day, and after a couple of days with no reply, I knew something was up. Thanks for checking in John.

 

10 hours ago, H.A.K said:

Nice.

Thanks Samuel

8 hours ago, TopherMcGinnis said:

What engine is that? I ask because I'm not familiar with it.

Hi Topher, it is from the Revell Super Stallion Mustang kit. Beautiful engine… Factory 545hp 

7 hours ago, Old Buckaroo said:

Great job on getting rid of the "Lego shocks"  that's exactly how I feel about a lot of chunky molded in pieces.   Wooh the engine bay is tight, but it looks good sitting in there. 😎

Thanks Sean. I did consider a full chassis swap, but for this build I’m trying to keep it somewhat simple. I can live with the curbside style chassis, but those shocks were daring me to remove them, they had to go… Yes! The engine bay is going to be fairly full. I was playing around under the hood today. By the time I get the intake piping, battery, master cylinder, ignition box, and washer fluid jug, it will be full. Thanks for the comments. 

[johnyrotten]

Beautiful work throughout this build. The fact it's a tribute is icing on the cake. I really like how you moved the inner fenders, sometimes the hard way yeilds the best results. All the small details like flipping the rear bumper, quarter window delete and especially opening the grill really bring this to life. Awesome work, builds like this are inspiration for me to improve my skills etc. 

[slusher]

looking forward to seeing you put that beautiful Super Stallion in that Ford one of Rogers  favorite engines….

[Steve H]

On 2/12/2025 at 1:27 AM, johnyrotten said:

Beautiful work throughout this build. The fact it's a tribute is icing on the cake. I really like how you moved the inner fenders, sometimes the hard way yeilds the best results. All the small details like flipping the rear bumper, quarter window delete and especially opening the grill really bring this to life. Awesome work, builds like this are inspiration for me to improve my skills etc. 

Thanks for the generous words John. Speaking of the rear bumper, I drilled new mounting holes for that today. Lots of other stuff too!

On 2/12/2025 at 5:08 AM, slusher said:

looking forward to seeing you put that beautiful Super Stallion in that Ford one of Rogers  favorite engines….

Thanks Carl. I spent quite a bit of time on the engine today. Nothing much to show yet, but hopefully by the end of the weekend…

 

 

[Steve H]

As for an update now….. sanding…. lots of sanding….. then, some more sanding. 🤪🤓 I should have a meaningful update by the end of the weekend. Started playing with the interior, and as mentioned above, the engine. The body is  VERY close to being ready for paint. Just need to sort out the taillights and a couple small details. 
Thanks again to all that are following along here. 

[Steve H]

Time to share some of the little things I’ve been picking away at.
First up, I needed a new home for the battery. 

The front roll pan comes up too high, and was blocking more than half the grill opening. This of course would not have mattered if I hadn’t opened the grill, as it wouldn’t be visible. So just a simple notch out to expose more of the rad, and not block the grill opening. Also, I think I might put the electric fan on the grill side of rad, rather than inside the engine bay. This allows the fan to sit lower. 

Rounding out the body work, I did what Roger did, and drilled out the taillights. New bezels made from aluminum tubing, just resting in place for the photo. I wanted to do this so that I could paint the bezels black, and install them after the body is painted. Should look much cleaner this way. You can also see I have added a filler piece below the tailgate, and drilled new holes for the rear bumper.

I will be doing a custom dash face, so I removed the face, and added a new molding below the gauge area. A new panel has been cut to fit. I will add gauges and detail it, then install it to the dash. There will likely be a nav screen between the dash, and the console. Haven’t started on those yet…

 

I had my faithful friend, and super helpful companion at my side. Otis loves hobby days. 
 

There has been other progress, but nothing worthy of photos yet. Most of the engine is in paint, and I think the chosen colours will look decent. That’s it for this time.

[NOBLNG]

Fantastic upgrades Steve! I sure would like a little helper like Otis….but we want to do some travelling while we are still able to. Maybe in a few years.

[espo]

Like how the body work is going. Otis just wants to be near you.  

[Steve H]

On 2/15/2025 at 3:13 PM, NOBLNG said:

Fantastic upgrades Steve! I sure would like a little helper like Otis….but we want to do some travelling while we are still able to. Maybe in a few years.

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. 
 

 

On 2/16/2025 at 11:01 AM, espo said:

Like how the body work is going. Otis just wants to be near you.  

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! 

[AmericanMuscleFan]

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! 👍