'66 Dodge L700 Truck, And Long Flatbed Trailer

[W-409]

I've been working with this for a while. It's Lindberg's kit. This is quite good quality, if you watch parts what are in the box but I'm buildin my first truck ever, and there are parts, I haven't ever seen. The problem is that in the instruction manuals, there are part number marked very cleary BUT there are no numbers in those parts...! Sometimes just need to think long time before gluing some parts together. This will be green with red fenders etc., as on the box art. I will build this looking very clean, I mean, no weathering... Engine is painted by red, now I must add some detalis to it before it looks correct. This kit has a tilt cab option, that's what I'll be going to do. Frame is red, axles are black. From the front axle system: There was missing one part. I made it from scratch, quite good. I used styrene and MIG wire.

More on the next post...

Edited December 23, 2010 by W-409

[W-409]

''You have posted more pictures than allowed'' or something like that... So here is some more...

And some project shots from that scratch made part...

Hopefully more coming soon.

[george 53]

Niko, THAT'S what it's all about,Brother! If the parts missing, you just cut/glue some plastic an make you a NEW one! GREAT job! with your way of thinkin, I gotta feelin your trucks gonna be ALL RIGHT!!!

[diymirage]

looks like your off to a good start

a word of advise though, before you glue that front axle into place do a good mockup of the chassis

i have the same kit i am working on (think its under my bench) and it has a terrible rake to it

so since you still have time you might want to consider raising the chassis on the front axle

[AzTom]

Sometimes just need to think long time before gluing some parts together.

Hey, I have to do that also and it doesn't always work for me, you're doing fine.

Looks great,

AzTom

[W-409]

Thank you all. George, that's the right way of building, you are right! And thanks to diymirage for that warning. Have to do a good mockup as you said...

[RodneyBad]

So far everything is looking great.

I like the Red Frame and wheels..

Motor is looking good.

I started one some time ago and boxed it for now.

I'll be watching closely to see how it is suppose to go together..

[W-409]

Thanks Zukiholic. Today I've been working on the front axle system. Test fit those front axle parts and I think, it's good... Had a bit of problems, I glued those parts wrongly but I fixed the problem. Now let that glue dry and I glue the hole front axle to frame tomorrow, maybe...

Parts just need more paint.

What you guys think if I would paint the cab with primer, then that DODGE text by silver. Then green paint and taking paint off on the letters...?

Continues...

[W-409]

Thanks Dave! I test fit that front axle now and the car has a little rake, but I think, it looks pretty cool with it... So, I leave it just like it's now. That part, I made from scratch fits perfectly to the front axle, that's one thing I'm happy (and suprised...).

That cab is not rightly on the pictures... I feel free for comments, as always.

[MyBradKeselowski]

Looks to be coming along very nicely.

I can't wait to see it finished...

[Alyn]

Interesting to watch a commercial vehicle for a change. You are making nice progress so far.

[W-409]

Thank you again. I like my progress too, I'm making a good progress this time. For today I have no update, but maybe for tomorrow...

[Longbox55]

Nice work. I do have a question, and others can answer on this, too. Did you have any issues with the frame being warped? I've got 2 of these in the works, one with the flatbed trailer and the other was just the truck itself (Yeah, I know, "Longbox is building a MoPar????" ) I haven't checked the one in the double kit for warpage yet, but the single kit has a definite warp, which has the frame arcing to the right about 1/4". Just wondering if it is a common issue or if I just got an odd one.

[tim boyd]

looks like your off to a good start

a word of advise though, before you glue that front axle into place do a good mockup of the chassis

i have the same kit i am working on (think its under my bench) and it has a terrible rake to it

so since you still have time you might want to consider raising the chassis on the front axle

When IMC first tooled up this kit, they scaled it based on a stock L700 that did not have a trailer attached to it. With the rear springs uncompressed, it definitely had that "rake" but it was factory correct. There is a straignt on "profile" (Side View) picture of the unladen L700 in the original Dodge Truck brochure, and it matched the rake of my builtup L700 exactly. TIM

So if you are displaying the tractor without a trailer, leave the rear suspension as is, but if you are adding a trailer, it would definitely be approrpriate to drop the rear end ride height slightly.

[W-409]

Nice work. I do have a question, and others can answer on this, too. Did you have any issues with the frame being warped? I've got 2 of these in the works, one with the flatbed trailer and the other was just the truck itself (Yeah, I know, "Longbox is building a MoPar????" ) I haven't checked the one in the double kit for warpage yet, but the single kit has a definite warp, which has the frame arcing to the right about 1/4". Just wondering if it is a common issue or if I just got an odd one.

No, my frame wasn't warped at all... It was quite easy to put together too. And for Tim, I think, I put that trailer too. I have to look now, how does that flatbed trailer fit to the truck with this rake. If it's not going to fit, I'll raise the frontend or lower the rearend. Thank you guys!

[Jim0205]

Looking good like the scratching. I have to get a lindberg kit one of these days sounds interesting to say the least.

[W-409]

Thank you, Jim. Today I have done plug wires to engine. They are not made from Detail Master's aftermarket stuff, because you can't see them so well. But you can see them so I made them... They were not so easy but finished product is quite good... But anyhow, here are the pictures to you guys!

Feel free for comments...

[W-409]

Just a little update... I have been working with that '56 Chevy right now, this hasn't been on my workbench... Today I painted the radiator. It's painted by Revell's gloss black and radiator carton (is that correct word, my english is not so good...) is painted by Revell silver... I have to paint that top with that silver yet... Transmission is painted by Humbroll Metallic 53. That's quite good looking, that engine I mean. Sometimes these Lindberg kits are a little bit... Continues soon, hopefully... This is quite interesting to build, trucks are not that thing, I usually build.

ENGINE IS JUST TEST FITTED!!!

It looks like pink, but it's looking like how it looks in that previous post.

[charlie8575]

Nice work on the chassis, Niko.

I have one of these, too, and I'll be paying attention as to how you build yours.

Charlie Larkin

[W-409]

Thank you all for the comments! I think, I leave that radiator silver... The story of the engine is that is just like that in the kit. I just made it boxstock to that point, exept those plug wires but otherwise it's box stock. Don't know, is it really right looking but with this model, I don't care. I have to continue this build soon.

[Guest Johnny]

I have always liked the little Dodge truck! I have one I'm rebuilding that is an old IMC kit!

A local garbage hauler used them back when i was in school! Other than garbage trucks I have only seen three as semi tractors and one of those was in a junk yard!

Oddly enough like the garbage trucks two of them were twin screws! Well one actually had a tag axle. But the other was a dual drive! The guy was hauling single steel coils on a 27ft flat out of a mill in Gary In.!

The single drive like the kit was used by a local Lumber Yard to haul trusses and large lumber loads for contractors!

I seem to remember that the ones with dual drive also had a heavier frame, but that could just be a faulty memory!

[Longbox55]

According to the Chilton manual I have handy, looks like the 261 made it at least '71 in heavy trucks.

[Guest Johnny]

Could be you could use another more detailed looking donr engine! Got this from a Dodge truck site!

Big Block EnginesFirst available in `67 as an option for D and W-series half, 3/4 and one ton trucks, the 383 was the only engine not modified from the car version to fit truck duty. Slant-Six and Small block truck engines were different from car versions as they generally had tougher bearings and forged cranks as well as modified compression for higher torque. Engineers at Chrysler deemed that the 383 did not need enhancements such as these because it already had the torque and horsepower to handle the loads it would have to carry in the light-duty truck application. Surprisingly, the heavier duty Dodge Trucks from the same era, such as the W-300 and D-300 to D-700 trucks, had only the 361-2 and 361-3 B-series engines to choose from as optional over the Slant-Six. The 383 was not an option for these trucks. Nonetheless, the 361 engine was available in all of the larger trucks from `61 to `71. Of the optional engines available throughout `61-`71, the 426 Wedge which was available in the Custom Sport Special package is probably the most interesting. If the 426 was ordered for one of these trucks, dual exhaust and a custom instrument cluster with tachometer were required by the factory.

Edited October 26, 2010 by Johnny

[Longbox55]

I've actually worked on one of those Custom Sport Specials with the 426 engine. Came into the shop for a set of tires. The one thing I really rmember about it, other than the 426/Torqueflite edrivetrain, was what was under the nasty Earl Scheib paint job. While the paint on the truck was a faded medium blue, the original color was Plum Crazy! Never saw the truck again after we worked on it, sometimes I wonder what happened to it.

[W-409]

Truck is waiting some parts to dry, but I started to build that long flatbed trailer to this one. I painted those beds (?) by silver spray few weeks ago. I let them dry very well, because I don't want that paint leaves from the part, when I'm masking it. So second this was that I masked that part so, that I can paint those wooden panels. I painted them with Hubroll flat brown. It went pretty good. Then some "Clear Orange" on that brown paint and now it looks like real wood. After that I removed those masking tapes and I'm very happy from the score. Now just another bed is painted, other one needs still paint.

That's very easy way to get real looking wood panels to car. I like that. And when you paint that Clear Orange on the brown, it's not smooth so it looks like real wood. That orange clear is like "must".

Here one picture for you: