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Topic starter
22/07/2022 3:24 pm
Holy Cow, I'll be SUPER brief!
About 5 years ago I began a second 1/18 4-car hauler project. I built both a rolling trailer AND a 1956 Ford COE. My trailer was scaled out perfectly, my COE was not. Fixing this oversight required practically a complete re-build. The hood would need total re-shaping, while the fenders would have to be cut off, narrowed, then re-attached (along with the front I-beam axle...to narrow the wheel track).
Realizing ALL the work involved, the big COE project was shelved. About 3 weeks ago I "re-started." ALL that work is now complete. Still much to do before paint (HA!).
What follows are project pics that span 5 years:
Topic starter
22/07/2022 3:33 pm
MORE PICS **PART 2:
Topic starter
22/07/2022 3:35 pm
THE "RE-WORK" **PART 3:
22/07/2022 3:41 pm
Wow! That is some beautiful workmanship. Thanks for sharing.
22/07/2022 3:49 pm
@chris -----------an epic in the making....thanks for sharing this labor of love Chris !!
Christopher Moroni reacted
22/07/2022 9:40 pm
@chris - The Professor has come out of retirement, back in the lab, and making miracles! This is gonna be fun to watch!
Christopher Moroni reacted
22/07/2022 11:43 pm
Amazing work. Very impressive ability displayed. I really enjoy the pics of the various stages.
Christopher Moroni reacted
Topic starter
23/07/2022 9:42 am
@chris -----------an epic in the making....thanks for sharing this labor of love Chris !!
Well John, it's labor, at times I'm not too sure about that "love" part. LoL
Topic starter
23/07/2022 9:47 am
@chris - The Professor has come out of retirement, back in the lab, and making miracles! This is gonna be fun to watch!
Yeah, thanks. Let's see how long I go this time before a break. Boy, I SURE WISH someone would tool up & release a 1/18 vintage Ford semi. I'd buy it in a minute!
I seem to recall something about a guy who converted a stock 1/18 Plymouth into an AWB job....then years later, that very same replica was suddenly mass-produced. Oh, how I wish this would happen to me! 🙄 🙄 🙄
This post was modified 1 year ago 2 times by Christopher Moroni
Topic starter
23/07/2022 9:57 am
Amazing work. Very impressive ability displayed. I really enjoy the pics of the various stages.
Thanks Jack. Actually, I have about 100 additional pics (I document everything...for whatever reason). You know, if I just had some modern equipment: laser scanner, imaging software, CNC programs, 3-D printers, sand-cast molds, etc.. I could simply take measurements off a 1:1 1956 Ford COE, input the data and produce a PERFECT 1/18 replica.
Trust me, I wouldn't mind keeping my hands clean. 😉 😉 😉
23/07/2022 11:24 am
@chris - The Professor has come out of retirement, back in the lab, and making miracles! This is gonna be fun to watch!
Yeah, thanks. Let's see how long I go this time before a break. Boy, I SURE WISH someone would tool up & release a 1/18 vintage Ford semi. I'd buy it in a minute!
I seem to recall something about a guy who converted a stock 1/18 Plymouth into an AWB job....then years later, that very same replica was suddenly mass-produced. Oh, how I wish this would happen to me! 🙄 🙄 🙄
Ha! Actually, the paint was still drying when the mass-produced version was announced! If I had 3 months prior knowledge the model was going to happen, it would have never seen the light of day! LOL! 😆 But you're right. There's a lot of available technology out there that can replace the Dremel, Bondo, and elbow grease!
100Ford2003 and 100Ford2003 reacted
23/07/2022 2:17 pm
@chris -----------an epic in the making....thanks for sharing this labor of love Chris !!
Well John, it's labor, at times I'm not too sure about that "love" part. LoL
I find this work to be a combination of agony and adrenaline. You work your butt off to reach the stage where it looks like what you were after. Now you're down to the fine details and you have to decide when to stop and call it finished. You then forget the agony part and just sit there staring at your creation. You wonder if your model is worth something until you add up the hours and all the supplies you used and realize you couldn't make minimum wage off your work.
Topic starter
23/07/2022 4:34 pm
@chris -----------an epic in the making....thanks for sharing this labor of love Chris !!
Well John, it's labor, at times I'm not too sure about that "love" part. LoL
I find this work to be a combination of agony and adrenaline. You work your butt off to reach the stage where it looks like what you were after. Now you're down to the fine details and you have to decide when to stop and call it finished. You then forget the agony part and just sit there staring at your creation. You wonder if your model is worth something until you add up the hours and all the supplies you used and realize you couldn't make minimum wage off your work.
Rich, I agree on all fronts but for one minor point... "supplies." Except for paint, I rarely buy anything. I have so much CRAP (purchased years/decades ago) and so many junk models/parts and other CRAP... I simply modify and/or make do with what I have on hand. Honestly, costs on this hauler project thus far, haven't exceeded $15.00
Even these HW61 wheels are "left-overs" from junkers purchased for pennies and I bought "half a case" of JB WELD epoxy putty (when it was $2) that's still pretty full.
I will need fresh Bondo ("KA-CHING!") ...along with fresh primer & paint ("KA-CHING!").
Marty Johnson and Marty Johnson reacted
Topic starter
23/07/2022 4:52 pm
Well as Rich just pointed out.... today was a classic struggle between "agony and adrenaline!" Five years ago, I also gave up trying to make home-made dog-leg hinges. Sure, they look simply but TRUST ME, figuring the geometry involved can subtract years from your life!
If I could've hollowed out the front locations of the door jams, proper aspect hinges would've have been easier and looked better. I simply couldn't remove that much "structure" form these areas without the fenders falling off!
After HOURS (😣 😫 😣) of trial & error I had an epiphany..."just pirate some dog-legs from a junker and used the COE dashboard screw holes as pivot points." That worked!
This post was modified 1 year ago by Christopher Moroni
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