'66 F-600 kitbash ideas

[Harv Mushman]

I have a leftover engineless Moebius '66 F100 kit from a project (in this case, retrofitting a 240cid six into a F100 4x4) and I'm thinking I'd like to kitbash a medium duty truck.
In this case, a '66 F700. The bodywork seems straightforward enough. Wheels, tyres, no problem aftermarket.

Should I scratchbuild a chassis (e.g. rails/xmembers), and if so, how? I looked through Evergreen and Plastruct and neither seemed to have suitable channel (approx 9.5x3").

It will need a front beam, 2-speed Eaton axle and some suitable spring packs, anything in the aftermarket that anyone would recommend? I considered buying a C600 as a general parts donor but the detail seems pretty representative, at best.

I'm unsure as to which engine yet, but I do have a 352 available. I can live with the Custom Cab interior (e.g. sweep instruments) for this job.

Edited August 27 by Harv Mushman

[Fat Brian]

The best chassis for this is the Dodge L700 cabover, it has the two speed axle and everything. If you want the Ford engine from the C600 it shouldn't be too hard to find one, those kits get their engines swapped pretty frequently or you might find one from a kit breaker on ebay.

[Ace-Garageguy]

10 hours ago, Harv Mushman said:

Should I scratchbuild a chassis (e.g. rails/xmembers), and if so, how? I looked through Evergreen and Plastruct and neither seemed to have suitable channel (approx 9.5x3").
 

Straight channel wouldn't do you all that much good, as the rails are tapered in the rear and curved/shaped/tapered in front.

One way to fab them (and the way I'd do it) would be to draw them out in profile (after research and suitable scaling), cut two identical outer walls from something like .020" or .030" styrene sheet, and carefully attach the top and bottom flanges (which CAN be made from straight sections of strip stock).

Make the crossmembers from suitable channel.

As for the rest of the chassis details, just break each part down into basic shapes, and fabrication becomes relatively straightforward.

A little tricky, but entirely doable with some patience.

There are some threads on here where similar procedures have achieved strikingly fine models.

[Harv Mushman]

On 8/27/2025 at 11:46 PM, Fat Brian said:

The best chassis for this is the Dodge L700 cabover, it has the two speed axle and everything. If you want the Ford engine from the C600 it shouldn't be too hard to find one, those kits get their engines swapped pretty frequently or you might find one from a kit breaker on ebay.

I'll seek one out! Thanks for the tip. I'm on the fence if I want a 361 FT or something spicier (I can probably use a 390 to represent a 361), though I'm inspired by this real life F700/M700 which has a Paxton-blown 361.


 

On 8/28/2025 at 12:00 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Straight channel wouldn't do you all that much good, as the rails are tapered in the rear and curved/shaped/tapered in front.

One way to fab them (and the way I'd do it) would be to draw them out in profile (after research and suitable scaling), cut two identical outer walls from something like .020" or .030" styrene sheet, and carefully attach the top and bottom flanges (which CAN be made from straight sections of strip stock).

Thanks Garageguy, that's an approach I'm confident with. I was mostly just considering channel for the section between the cab and rear axle, but on reflection most of it would be pretty overscale in thickness at that sort of sizing too. I'll scribe out the rail profiles and fabricate. Considering using the light duty chassis

[Straightliner59]

I would agree with Bill. Cutting out the profile, then adding flanges would be the best way to go about it. If you're feeling really ambitious, you could always go with brass, too.

[Fat Brian]

6 hours ago, Harv Mushman said:

I'll seek one out! Thanks for the tip. I'm on the fence if I want a 361 FT or something spicier (I can probably use a 390 to represent a 361), though I'm inspired by this real life F700/M700 which has a Paxton-blown 361.


 

Thanks Garageguy, that's an approach I'm confident with. I was mostly just considering channel for the section between the cab and rear axle, but on reflection most of it would be pretty overscale in thickness at that sort of sizing too. I'll scribe out the rail profiles and fabricate. Considering using the light duty chassis

If you want to build something as long as the rollback I would just get a C600 stake bed kit and use the whole chassis, the L700 Dodge kit is a pretty short chassis. You will also need to move the front axle forward since it is set back for the cab over cab.

[Straightliner59]

I did this one about 150 years, or so, ago. In this case, I think I just "stacked" Evergreen strip stock, to create the profile, then added the flanges. It's pretty simple to do, and it allows for more complex contours.

 

Edited August 29 by Straightliner59

[Brizio]

If you have a vacuform, it would make thing easyer. Even a small vacuform, would works, you can cut the buck in two. You can make one molding buck that can be use both side. Maybe 1/2 in. thick. To define the end  or inside of the frame you can carve a channel all around, or add a strip of stirene if you prefer to work with a positive. Doing so, will make it easy when you cut the excess of plastic, and give you a guid to cut it straight. You can also add some small holes along the channel or stirene. Will help the stirene taking shape.
 

 

 

[Dave G.]

The 330, 361 and 391 all look alike in terms of build. But they all in that regard look different in many ways to a 352- 390 car engine. For one thing, the front balancer is different, as the HD truck engines are externally balanced. Then the water pump, the dual belt pullies. The oil pan is a long deep sump pan. As I recall, the fuel pump is a dual chambered thing and has a filter on the bottom. The exhaust manifolds are very much HD. The oil filter is larger. The timing cover too.

[Big Messer]

or you could look for a cheap glue bomb at any model show.

[Harv Mushman]

On 8/30/2025 at 2:30 AM, Dave G. said:

The 330, 361 and 391 all look alike in terms of build. But they all in that regard look different in many ways to a 352- 390 car engine. For one thing, the front balancer is different, as the HD truck engines are externally balanced. Then the water pump, the dual belt pullies. The oil pan is a long deep sump pan. As I recall, the fuel pump is a dual chambered thing and has a filter on the bottom. The exhaust manifolds are very much HD. The oil filter is larger. The timing cover too.

I'm pretty confident in scratching the appropriate HD parts to at least make a light duty FE look like a 361. The belts might be a fiddle but I think I can laminate and shape styrene pieces for most of the rest.

[Harv Mushman]

On 8/29/2025 at 10:35 PM, Straightliner59 said:

I did this one about 150 years, or so, ago. In this case, I think I just "stacked" Evergreen strip stock, to create the profile, then added the flanges. It's pretty simple to do, and it allows for more complex contours.

 

I really like your approach here Straightliner, and that's some beautiful work.

 

On 8/30/2025 at 5:56 PM, Big Messer said:

or you could look for a cheap glue bomb at any model show.

Sadly model shows are not really a thing where I live on a little island at the bottom of Australia.

[Straightliner59]

7 hours ago, Harv Mushman said:

I really like your approach here Straightliner, and that's some beautiful work.

Thanks, Mark. I started doing a chassis for a '41 Plymouth, the same way. It's the best method I've found, for doing open rails. I just looked, and, unfortunately, I don't have photos of it. Probably no big deal--I just did one side of the chassis, anyway.

[Big Messer]

12 hours ago, Harv Mushman said:

Sadly model shows are not really a thing where I live on a little island at the bottom of Australia.

Then you are blessed with few (if any) nosy modelers to show up and criticize your modeling...