Vintage Big Rig Build.

[whodathunkit]

Thought I'd take you guys way back in time for this topic!

And make PWD Big Rig version.. of a Buddy "L" wooden semi truck toy.



(Don't know how many of you are making big rigs for the Mid-America Big Rig Race.)
Or how many of you guys can recall the 1940's Buddy "L" wooden semi truck toy's.

This semi truck caught my eye.. And I thought it might be fun to make one modeled after it,
with a few mods to the truck like fuel tanks, smoke stacks, and all 18 BSA PWD wheels.

Used a little plexiglass for the windshield.


Still working on the Trailer.. Sporty!

Whoda.

[sporty]

Looking gooooodd.

Sporty

[Noskills]

Looks like it was made by santa's elves. Great lookin truck Whoda.
Noskills

[whodathunkit]

Thanks Sporty!

Thought I'd do a working roll door on the trailer for ya!
Hope to get started on the trailer build soon ..so I'll post photos of the working roll door.

Looks like it was made by Santa's elves.

Well Seth..
I guess you could say that.. as last weekend we had 7 inches of snow on the ground!
And this weekend were looking at getting 3 to 6 inches of more snow fall.
( Not as bad as Boston and other areas have it !)

Anyway have a 3 day weekend off from moving snow!
So I thought I'd keep the heater company and the shop tools entertained...
& get more work done to the Buddy ''L'' truck tonight painting & so on.
I dislike cold weather painting it never work's out to well for me !

Anyhow Seth.. Santa's elves did somewhat of a frosty paint job on the truck.

[sporty]

Coming along real nice.

A roll door sounds great. Maybe you will add how you made it and what wood you used.

[whodathunkit]

Sporty,

With the big rig kits being in short supply and very hard to find kits now or days.
Thought I'd build this one with out a kit using all pinewoods for the truck.

For the trailer.. the card board will not do.. or be to my liking for the trailer design.

Some like to use Baltic birch ply wood sheets for making the trailers.
I'll be using Basswood ply wood sheets.

Bottom is the Baltic birch sheets.. top is the Basswood sheets.
Here's a photo of a Baltic birch plywood sheet and a Basswood sheet.. both are 1/8 x 8 x 24.

Baltic birch:

Basswood:


For making the roll door I'll be using craft skinny stick's from Walmart and some HVAC tape.

[whodathunkit]

Ok Sporty, I got started on the trailer.

I also wanted it to have the 1940's look to it as well like the one seen in this link.
http://www.mshp.dps.missouri.gov/MSHPWe ... tation.jpg.

So the width is not at all dead on right now but will be built out with the details I'll be adding.

[ah8tk]

The truck is looking great, where did you source the decals? Did you make them?

Andy

[whodathunkit]

Andy, For the decals.
http://www.toydecals.com/

[whodathunkit]

Sporty, here's one way of making a roll door.. or over head door.
The trailer height for this one is at 3 1/2 inches & not at 4 1/2 inches as I wanted a lower profile.

For the door rails:

For the roll door .. skinny stick's & HVAC tape was used on the back side.


I was hoping there would be enough flex to the trailer side walls..
to place the door in to the rails before gluing in the end support.




Here is where I'm at for wood weight on it so far.

[whodathunkit]

Well.. The Buddy "L" truck build is almost complete still have a few things to finsh up on.

I was really hoping to find decals like the ones seen in the first photo of the truck.
There very hard to find so I've been told.

So I thought I'd improvise:
With water slide paper and a printer and just do a black over the orange paint.


I'm not happy with the way the decal looks just in black.
So I'll be pushing my luck with trying to brush paint over the decal and fill in the high lights.

Well Sporty, here's a close up of the roll door.

Not much door there to work with the trailer height at 3 1/2 inches hope it looks ok?

[sporty]

Hay came out real good. .

Sporty

[birddog]

whodathunkit-

You are an artist! Amazing work!

birddog

[whodathunkit]

Thanks for the kind words Sporty & Birddog!

After spending a little over 30 min on each side..
Painting in all the high lights to the improvised decals with a 10/0 brush and Tester's models paints by hand & eye.
I'm a little bit cross eyed now.. but fell I was able to bring out the high lights of silver & yellow
seen in the real Buddy "L" decal to my liking.



Been thinking the I'd do some type rivet detail also like what's seen with the tack nails.
Using sewing pins or something to keep with vintage look the trailer has as well.

[sporty]

Trucker clock. Who wants it..


Buddy L. Coming at ya. That's a big 10 .four..


Sporty