Okay,
just call this the project that got carried away. My original
plans were to modify this truck with a nice engine and wheel swap
and an attempt to lower it. I couldn't come up with a decent way
to lower it but I did do the swaps....and a whole lot more. You
can see the new wheels in this picture but also take note of the
raised rear end, the new exhaust pipe peeking out in front of
the rear wheel and the unique license plate.
Ah,
now maybe you're beginning to understand what I'm talking about.
The truck now has a nice satin black flush mount tonneau cover.
It is hinged at the front to open like a trunk lid. I didn't fashion
any kind of struts to prop it open but it does open and close.
It does not have a latch of any kind but it does fit nice a flat.
From here you can see the new wheels, pipes, mirrors and another
unique license plate. Though I didn't get a photo of it, the truck
also sports a chrome differential cover.
Here's
the new cover open. Covers of this style usually don't open this
far, but I wanted to get a good photo of the bed detailing. When
the 1:1's were new, the wooden or steel beds were typically painted
body color. I kept that theme but added chrome bed straps. I already
have a ton of time and work in this project, but it would really
look cool with some kind of wood or simulated wood for bed planks.
For now I'm very happy with the monochrome look. I almost painted
the bumpers and grill red to continue the trend. The possibilities
are endless. The 1:1 trucks had red reflectors below the tail
lights. I "converted" these to backup lights with a
dab of white paint.
Now
you can see the rake I've added. I really wanted to drop the truck,
but the way it is built this would be very hard to do well. It
would likely required removing metal, not just plastic. It has
a nice stance this way. The side trim looks much better with a
little chrome foil in place of the silver paint put there originally.
This is a VERY good mold by Sunstar.
Well,
what would you expect for this front license plate? Take note
of the grill and how well detailed it is. This is how it comes
from Sunstar. Very nice. The bumpers even have bumper bolt heads
showing. The plate just sets it off as one of my creations. The
custom-made Scooter plates were made by Ken Macolly. He can make custom plates
for almost all states or unique statements. Just click his name
to e-mail him.
Another
unique plate! The top of the plate is hidden but reads "BEEF
STATE" which was Nebraska's plate motto on the 1965 plates.
Corny but true. The plate is a very good copy of a real 1965 Nebraska
plate. I wish Sunstar had tooled the tailgate in metal, this plastic
'gate is nicely made and detailed but feels lightweight and cheap.
Another nice detail I was going to add were real chain gate straps
but these plastic ones are attached into a sizable hole so removing
them would leave a very noticeable hole in the corners of the
tailgate. The custom-made Nebraska plates were made by Ken
Macolly. He
can make custom plates for almost all states or unique statements.
Just click his name to e-mail him.
Of
course with all that extra motivation under the hood, the things
was meant to tow. Here we are on our way to an important GT race
in early 1965 with last year's Grand Sport. It should still be
competitive this year. I'll bet the driver wishes I'd left the
big 'ole truck mirrors on the thing. Oh well, sometimes we make
compromises for aesthetics. The paint on these very inexpensive
models is outstanding. How do they do it?