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Posted

Race track trim, part two. .030" Evergreen.

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The bed floor was shortened, trimmed, and the wheel well areas reshaped with Evergreen:

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I used two left side inner walls to get the regular wheel tubs, which, thankfully, are symmetrical. They were modified for the short bed configuration.

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Then the patchwork quilt of a bed was assembled. It turned out to be nearly 50 parts, so squaring it up was done with trial and error, luck, measuring, and lip biting. A third hand would have been useful there too.

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-MJS

That is some beautiful work Mike. I would love to see it in primer.

Posted

Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys. I've learned a bit about casting bodies while working with the Master Caster. It's involved for one, and cast bodies and parts need to be perfect inside and out, or people won't be happy with what they spend their money on. This body is a custom of sorts, with the flares, and as a glue bomb starting point, it's got glue burns inside the cab where about 1/5 tube was used to glue the glass and interior tub in, fine here but a lot of work to clean up for a resin offering. Stock bodies are the most desirable, so if I was to do this for casting, it would start with a new kit and have stock wheel wells.

Also, the bed would have to have some major reworking to be castable; the voids between inner and outer walls would have to be smoothed and reduced in size, and the way the tailgate attaches and hinges would have to be re-engineered so the bed could be cast as one piece and still have the tailgate attachable and workable afterward. So this one will be a one-off, but you never know what the future may bring.

Another AMT oversight: The rear window looks a bit large and lacks trim detail. So I lined the opening with Evergreen .060" half round stock.

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That is some beautiful work Mike. I would love to see it in primer.

Thanks Ron. I'm curious too, letting the filler cure for a little while longer, then the first round of primer will follow.

-Mike

Posted

I redid the driver's fender trim, because it was going slightly uphill toward the front of the flare as seen in a previous pic, but not anymore. I also closed the gap in the upper trim at the door openings, but that was AMT's flub.

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Getting pretty close to Prime Time.

-MJS

Look at that! Beautiful work, man. I really like the flares too.

Posted (edited)

Thanks Matt.

Prime time! A little more body work to the bed, and I think I'll narrow the rear flares a little more, then it's off to the chassis shortening and build.

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-MJS

Edited by Maindrian Pace
  • 3 weeks later...
Posted

A bit more progress, the frame is shortened and mocked up. Lift kit is mild, 3mm front and maybe 4mm rear. The Tires are Satco Bridgestone Desert Duelers, the wheels are Monogram High Roller '80-ish F150, rechromed by Chrome Tech.

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The seam and frame splice angle:

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First mockup:

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-MJS

Posted

ooh that looks beautiful has a perfect stance...now i wanna go get another...how did you do the lift...my 78 dually needs the front end lifted up a little bit

The 4x4 suspension rides high out of the box, I just glued the rear springs a little lower on the frame, and used small strip spacers between the spring and the axle. On the front, I used spacers made from Evergreen tube on the coil springs and modified the radius rods a bit. If you are using the 2wd twin I beam suspension, it can be raised like the 4x4 front axle.

Looks great! I'd like to turn one of these into a bronco!

AMT already did it for you, and the '79 Bronco version has much better chassis, suspension, and engine detail than the pickups.

-MJS

Posted

The 4x4 suspension rides high out of the box, I just glued the rear springs a little lower on the frame, and used small strip spacers between the spring and the axle. On the front, I used spacers made from Evergreen tube on the coil springs and modified the radius rods a bit. If you are using the 2wd twin I beam suspension, it can be raised like the 4x4 front axle.

AMT already did it for you, and the '79 Bronco version has much better chassis, suspension, and engine detail than the pickups.

-MJS

ok thanks....i built it 4x4 front just looks low

Posted

AMT already did it for you, and the '79 Bronco version has much better chassis, suspension, and engine detail than the pickups.

-MJS

I've not seen this one! I have the monogram 80 bronco but never seen a 79

Posted

I just read through this whole thread and all I can say is that you're doing an incredible job with this Pickup. The modifications you did look so nice and sharp that now when the primer is on and the whole body has the same color on it, I would guess this is either a kit body or a resin body. Fantastic work. Projects like this make me wanting to visit in these Truck sections more often...

Posted

Thank you Gentlemen. Preparing the house for tonight's club meeting has pushed this aside for a while, but here's one more mockup shot with the grille and tailgate. Body to frame contact points are finalized.

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-MJS

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