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Post by poet on Jul 21, 2019 16:04:53 GMT -7
Hey Gang. I wasn't planning on posting this, but with it being kinda quiet in the forum due to Summer I figured I'd give those with the time to get online something else to comment on. I'm taking the Dodge Lil Red Truck and converting it to 4WD, and the bed to a standard bed from a stepside.
The kit was gifted to me from a guy at work (I'm retired now so he won't see the result).
The wheels and bed came from Trailer Trash Kustoms. The wheels req'd some CA glue to fill a few holes in one, but overall they were pretty good with otherwise just flash removal. The bed was in pretty good shape as well, and req'd the usual flash removal.
Below I attached the stock 360 to a T56 I had laying around to a transfer case I got as a "thank you" from Calnaga Castings a couple of years ago. The axles were a couple of Dana's I also had in the parts box.
Below shows the front grille I had to scratch build because I inadvertently destroyed it, which is why its sat so long. But while doing research I saw an aftermarket front end for a later model and I felt I could duplicate it. Its got a ways to go but I think it will work. The bumper came from my parts box. It was originally for the Toyota Land Cruiser which I fabricated an off-road bumper for. I had to do some alteration and repair but it came out okay. I have a winch for it but I'm going back and forth about adding it.
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Post by stitchdup on Jul 21, 2019 21:05:59 GMT -7
Nice work, the grille reminds me of those on updated 70s trucks/off roaders at sema and goes really well with bumper and 4x4 plan
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Post by DeeCee on Jul 22, 2019 1:10:34 GMT -7
Gonna be a beast mate, and LOVE that grill work, very impressive.
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Post by leon on Jul 22, 2019 2:44:51 GMT -7
Nice work on the grill Dennis! This looks like a cool conversion.
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Post by the1mad9hatter8 on Jul 22, 2019 15:33:55 GMT -7
Looks cool so far
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Post by mmthrax on Jul 23, 2019 6:55:02 GMT -7
This should be cool.
Nice start with the grille work.
Carry on sir....
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Post by mustang1989 on Jul 23, 2019 8:57:32 GMT -7
Good start so far Dennis! I really like the grille insert!
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Post by RetroSpectKustoms on Jul 23, 2019 21:32:45 GMT -7
This looks interesting, you got my attention. Very cool so far!
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Post by poet on Jul 25, 2019 6:09:01 GMT -7
Thanks guys. Not a lot of progress, but a lot of work. I painted the chassis and did a bit of detailing on it but I still have a bit more to do, like the fuel tank and the embedded detail. I've also got to finish the engine but it req'd some work and research as it didn't come with a distributor, or a place for it. Also, there is really no place to insert plug wires at the plug end, so I'm working thru that. When the engine is ready to install I'll have to fab driveshafts to fit. I have two prospects but both will require rework to fit.
Here's the chassis with the wheels on it. I still have some detailing to do on the wheels as well. I wanted to paint the little bolts red as well but I went blind trying to find them!
Currently I'm working on the taillights for the bed. They were included with it, but they need a lot of work to fit. They come with bosses to be fit inside the housings, but even with a lot of cutting and sanding they don't fit like I want them to so I'm trimming them way back so they drop into the housings. I'll then paint the housings black to look like a rubber seal.
The second pic shows the housings glued to the bed. Now I'm slowly sinding the bezels back until they drop into the housings.
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Post by stitchdup on Jul 25, 2019 8:08:53 GMT -7
Its looking good mate, I'm sure the work will pay off. How do you get in touch with trailer trash customs? I've been looking for tyres like those for my f350
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Post by poet on Jul 25, 2019 9:34:15 GMT -7
Its looking good mate, I'm sure the work will pay off. How do you get in touch with trailer trash customs? I've been looking for tyres like those for my f350 Thanks!
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Post by leon on Jul 25, 2019 13:48:53 GMT -7
Chassis is looking good Dennis! I could use some tires like that for a project I've been thinking about.  |
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Post by stitchdup on Jul 26, 2019 2:36:35 GMT -7
Its looking good mate, I'm sure the work will pay off. How do you get in touch with trailer trash customs? I've been looking for tyres like those for my f350 Thanks!
Thanks mate |
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Post by Big D on Aug 3, 2019 9:24:45 GMT -7
Amazing work!
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Post by mustang1989 on Aug 3, 2019 13:30:14 GMT -7
Got some good progress going on in here Dennis. Tough break on the tail lights but it looks like you're whipping them into shape.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2019 15:33:20 GMT -7
Looks cool!!
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Post by sharp on Aug 12, 2019 18:39:21 GMT -7
Nice work Dennis.
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Post by poet on Aug 19, 2019 13:03:16 GMT -7
I've been kind of stuck on the truck (no pun intended). After priming the tailgate, it looked like there was some surface contamination even though I washed it with the other resin parts. I then put it in the purple pond overnight and the result was lots of tiny holes in the surface. The black specks are primer below the surface. I then covered it with Bondo putty, which I planned to sand down to the surface.
After sanding, most of the holes were filled but some remained. I recovered it but I'm going to wait a bit longer before sanding as I think some of it pulled out of the holes. The chassis and body work are almost done, but I want to wait until the tailgate is finished so I can paint everything at once. Interior is almost done but I still have to detail the dashboard, and install the pedals. I'm debating flocking the floor but not sure I will bother.
Thanks for looking.
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Post by leon on Aug 19, 2019 13:42:31 GMT -7
That is looking good Dennis!
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Post by poet on Aug 20, 2019 5:42:56 GMT -7
That is looking good Dennis! Thanks Leon! |
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Post by poet on Aug 27, 2019 16:27:07 GMT -7
After the last attempt to fix the resin tailgate I decided to fabricate a new one. There were only a few pits left but I'm worried about how it will take paint. The pics show the sequence. I only used some thick styrene sheet, and strip. I added two strips to the top, and one at the bottom. I then added a couple of thin strips to each side, angled in just a tad and rounded off the edges. Finally, I cut in a handle and glued the unit in place. Now I'll prime the lot and fix any imperfections before paint prep. I did find that the bed isn't square at the base, so there's a slight gap between the bed floor and one side of the tailgate. Don't know what to do about that though.
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Post by leon on Aug 27, 2019 17:54:40 GMT -7
Nice fabrication on the tail gate Dennis!
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Post by stitchdup on Aug 28, 2019 0:26:52 GMT -7
Nice fix Dennis. Could you hide the not square bit behind some sort of bumper or exhaust?
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Post by poet on Aug 28, 2019 5:30:59 GMT -7
Nice fabrication on the tail gate Dennis! Thanks Leon. |
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Post by poet on Aug 28, 2019 5:33:20 GMT -7
Nice fix Dennis. Could you hide the not square bit behind some sort of bumper or exhaust? Thanks Stitch. The not square part is in the bed behind the tailgate.
I may cover the bed if I can come up with something that looks right, or I may just throw something in the bed like a tool box.
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Post by poet on Jun 2, 2020 5:09:49 GMT -7
I went back to this original post to put things into context. As took a break from my Fairlane I decided to try to finish this up as I try to complete all of my stalled builds. The paint still isn't where I'd like it to be but it is worthy of the shelf.
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Post by stitchdup on Jun 2, 2020 5:55:26 GMT -7
cool
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Post by leon on Jun 2, 2020 15:40:38 GMT -7
That turned out great Dennis! I like how it looks.
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Post by RetroSpectKustoms on Jun 2, 2020 16:04:43 GMT -7
That looks great!
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Post by poet on Jun 4, 2020 7:50:39 GMT -7
That turned out great Dennis! I like how it looks. Thanks guys.
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