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I started with an old Wheel Works ’34 Ford pick-up kit, and a resin WWII German Ford truck from a French company called “Gaso.Line” (kit # 50053). I ordered mine from Squadron Mail Order. These kits are kinda pricey and only available sporadically. It would have been easier to start with the Wheel Works long wheelbase ’34 Ford stake truck kit (maybe still available from Berkshire Valley), but I couldn’t find one at the time. I used the front section and cab of the ’34 Ford, and the chassis and beautiful resin wheels from the French kit. This combination would make a 1 ˝ ton version of the ’34 Ford truck (same fenders, hood and cab as a pick-up, but a beefier chassis and larger wheels).
Research
I borrowed a great book from my Dad, “Ford Trucks since 1905” by James K. Wagner purchased from Classic Motorbooks. Lots of photos of different truck styles, including cab interior views. I also searched the internet for tow rig ideas.
Cab and frame
The 34 Ford kit had a one-piece cab floor and fender casting. I cut off the rear frame and fenders just behind the cab, and grafted on the resin frame from the military truck. I cut the frame length to match the shorter 131 ˝” wheelbase available in 1934. I installed the front axle from the French kit, and made 34 Ford style radius bars from styrene.
The soft metal cab and top of the hood were a bit fiddly to assemble, because of the many pieces. I glued the rear cab wall onto the cab floor, using a square to keep it aligned. The roof and front cab wall were attached next. Then I glued on the radiator and the top of the hood. Once assembled, I found I had to file the front of the cab roof to line up with the front wall, which meant losing some of the rain gutter detail. The top of the hood also required sanding to line up to the cab front, which removed some raised trim. I replaced these raised details by gluing on .010 x .020 styrene strips with super glue. Then I carefully sanded the styrene to merge and blend in with the remaining detail. The hood side panels were sanded for fit and then glued in place. It was starting to look like a truck!
I added door hinges cut from brass wire, since I decided to omit the doors. I sanded in a few dents and nicks, bent up the soft metal fenders, and then it was off to paint. I masked the fenders and frame and painted the cab and hood with a spray can of Floquil Reefer Orange which left an awful “orange peel” texture. After a few days of curing, I wet sanded the cab with 1000 grit sandpaper and thinned down the finish until it was “barely there”. I used a sharpened toothpick for nicks and scratches and I also rubbed it along the edges of the louvers on the hood to remove the paint. A wash of Hobby Black (and a thorough rinse) darkened the underlying metal. (This all sounds pretty straightforward, but I came close several times to just soaking it in Acetone and starting over! Fortunately, it turned out OK in the end!) Once the cab painting was done, I brush painted the fenders and cab floor with Polly Scale (PS) Engine Black. More toothpick nicks and rubs were done and then a Hobby Black wash. The exposed rear chassis was given a preliminary spray coat of Floquil Roof Brown.
I cleaned up the dashboard and drilled out the gauge holes. I glued in some 1/48 scale acetate aircraft gauges and then painted and installed the dash. I added some pedals made from scrap box bits and a steering wheel from a Mackenzie Fordson, mounted on a brass column. The seat casting was painted with PS Dirt which was stippled on with a stiff brush for a bit of texture. After mounting to the floor as per the kit instructions, it looked too low, so I built a styrene riser and it looked a lot better (I think the gas tank was under the seat?). The riser and pedals were painted with PS Engine Black. The resin wheels from the French kit were cleaned with a file and I drilled and filed out the front wheel slots. I sprayed them with Floquil Roof Brown from a can. When dry, I brush painted Floquil PS Reefer Orange on the wheels, and picked and rubbed the lugs and other high points with a toothpick to let the Roof Brown undercoat show through. The tires were brushed with PS Engine Black and mounted to the chassis. Almost done!
Tow rig
Evergreen styrene channels were added to the rear frame, and attached with U-bolts bent from brass wire. I first made this a logging truck, but I was later persuaded to convert it into a wrecker. I located some C.H.B. model gears and a pulley for the boom that looked right, and set about designing the winch and boom, using “seat of the pants” style engineering. I started with a thick styrene base plate. I used a file to make jagged edges, to represent a torch cut plate. Evergreen styrene channels made up the winch frame, while brass tubing was used for the boom. The boom is supported by brass wire rods and styrene brackets with NBW castings applied. The winch was made from a length of brass tubing, with the front wheels from a Jordan Products H.O. Fordson glued onto the ends. A brass wire axle mounted the winch and crank pinion-it’s hard to see in the photos, but there is a crank handle bent from brass wire on the far side. The winch was rigged with 40 L.P.I. chain and an old C.H.B. hook. (I’m thinking there should be some kind of stabilizing device to keep the car from swinging on the hook, but I haven’t found any clear pictures of a vintage rig). Several applications of PS paint was built-up with a sharp brush along the winch frame joints to simulate welds. The boom and winch were then wash painted with a mix of Polly Scale Rust and Roof brown.
Final details
The toolbox was made from styrene and H.O. hinge castings. The mirror and taillight were made from scrapbox bits and brass wire. The license plate is from a Renwal ‘32 Ford sedan kit, sanded thinner. The headlight (1 missing) and the horn came from the Wheel works kit. The soft metal headlight rim was polished to represent chrome. I made a gas can holder from styrene and installed an old and excellent Gemini Models Jerry can casting. Window glass was omitted; I figured it had long since been broken out. I mixed up some fine powdered dirt and diluted white glue into a thick paste and dabbed it on the frame and tires to represent dried mud. Final weathering was done with various Bragdon powders. I made a particular mess of the banged up fenders, running boards and cab floor. Lastly, I mixed up some Floquil engine Black and Roof brown and applied an oily wash around the differential, rear leaf spring mounts and along the bottom of the hood. Thinned Floquil High Gloss was applied to simulate an ongoing oil leak (doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence in the garage boys, does it?)
FYI: I use several types of glue in projects like this:
Loctite 454 Gel (surface insensitive, excellent hold, but brother you had better get it right the first time!)
5 minute epoxy for things that need aligning
Thin and watery type super glue (mostly to follow up already glued joints.)
Tanax 7R or Testors liquid cement for plastic joints
Sorry to be so wordy! A few pictures follow (some have been posted before in other threads.)
Chuck D.
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