So this thing is finally done! Took a while as I kept forgetting paperclips to use as a roof rack which never worked out anyway. Anyway, onto the vehicle!
I started with an orange 80’s Woody casting that I got from SN210 as a RAOK. I had a matching yellow version from when I was a kid to keep as comparison. The goal was to give it a cool stance and just try something different.
Although these were made around the same year, check out the casting difference in the chassis!
This was the first time I had tried to customize a vehicle with this style rivet. It was challenging to cut open as you can simply drill it like normal. The dremel was used here.
Dis-assembled
I had this wind up motor and wheel from a Tow-Mater toy that I had been wanting to use FOREVER. This was my chance.
First order of business was to pull the front wheels off the axle and cut it down to fit inside the body.
Next was the long task of fitting the actual wind up motor to the chassis. Lots of cutting and filing here. Luckily I got the hole right the first time.
The pic below is to show how wide the axle is. This was very challenging as I couldn’t cut it since the wheels would simply hit the plastic case.
I had to cut the wheels down and re drill the centers to allow them to move inwards. I actually nearly destroyed everything while doing this. It was a test of patience.
Once the wheels fit I had it mocked up! The idea was to keep the chipped up original paint as patina and try to give it a more realistic look through detail.
Next I set about filling the hole in the hood:
Then to fit the interior - EXTREMELY close in ALL areas
I used the original wheel to act as a spare instead of bland plastic
I couldn’t use the chassis anymore but I still wanted the bumpers so out came the dremel again!
Then final gluing/jb welding, don’t judge my hacked up looking front suspension. It was all I could figure out to do.
After painting the inside of the wood panels for more “depth” I also painted the hood blue as you probably noticed. The final details were to rob some parts from a couple 62 Chevy pickups I had:
AAAAANNNND, DONE!
I only added some rust colored paint where the original paint was chipped to keep the vibe. I thought it turned out great.
I love the look of these 2 ton wheels on this old rig
As I am sure you are all wondering, yes it does move under its own power! I have a video but am working to upload it.
Let me know if there is anything I could add. I tried a roof rack but it just never looked right on here.
Thanks for looking!