# Franken-Tow-Truck (or: Why I Stay Up Too Late Playing With Slot Cars)



## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

I found this cute little brown plastic Ford pickup at an antique store for a dollar. It was obviously train scenery at one time, and I figured I'd convert it to slot car duty. The only problem is that the bed was a stepside and there was NO way it was gonna be wide enough for a Tjet chassis. Hmm. What can I do with this cab?




























There's no screwposts yet, it's just a pressure fit over the chassis. I'm sure some of you recognize the bed and tow boom... it's from that Wal-Mart/Big Lots plastic tow truck that comes with a bunch of other plastic vehicles like ambulances and limos and police vans. I think it was micyou who posted several months ago about these, and converting them to slot duty. Well, I did one of the Dodge tow trucks by making it waaaaay shorter in the middle, and it always bothered me that the body style was too "new" to go with all my original Tjets. Now I fixed that...

--rick


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## clausheupel (Jan 27, 2005)

*LL Scene Master pickup conversions*

Hi Rick,

your tow truck conversion is just cool! 

A couple of years ago I converted 2 of these Life Like "Scene Masters" pickups myself. 

This red one is riding on a slimline chassis (*yaaaawn* - I never got that thing to crawl faster than a snail...):










The green one I mounted to a "real" T-Jet chassis. The only downside: You have to grind out the body so much, that the chassis comes through (the areas now covered with little gas cans):










A friend of mine who I gave 2 of my Scene Masters trucks did some great conversions too: A tow truck (this thing is really crying for it!) with the rear completely scratchbuilt and a nice brewery´s delivery truck. I have to search through the depths of my harddisks´ slotcar pic directories for some photos of these cars...

BTW: Wasn´t it RRR who made a resin version of this Ford (with a little wider bed for easier fit of a standard chassis)?

Greetings from Germany,

Claus

www.c-jet500.de.vu


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## clausheupel (Jan 27, 2005)

*My buddy´s conversions...*

I really found the pics of my friend´s LL scene master pickup conversions - I think the photos speakt for themselves:



















It´s a real shame this gifted guy "retired" from our great hobby already about 2 years ago. Not only did we share the joy of converting diecasts to slotcars but started tinkering with resin together. Hmm, the times they are achanging... 

Best regards and greetings from Germany,

Claus

www.c-jet500.de.vu


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## TX Street Racer (May 8, 2004)

Rick, GREAT looking truck...... :thumbsup: 

Claus, your conversions are also exceptionally executed!

You're correct that it's RRR who sells the wider Tjet '56 Ford truck body. Even though I'm a diehard Chevy man I do love the '53-'56 Ford trucks......that's the best design Ford has ever done for thier trucks.

Your fried's wrecker and beer truck are AWESOME.... I particularly like the wear and tear on the beer truck  I have been wanting to create a few "projects in progress" type cars......just haven't got around to it just yet


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Those trucks look super! :thumbsup:
Rick, FrankenTow is going to be top notch stuff and I can hardly wait to see it completed! I really like the style of the boom. It goes well with the cab style and looks "early-ironish". Keep up the great work...er FUN, guys!


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

WOW! The beer truck is cool, and the wrecker is PHENOMENAL! And that bed is scratchbuilt?!? As far as your green truck, Claus, when I started hollowing out the inside of the bed and went through the side where your gas cans are, that's when I decided to quit... 

Wish mine was one of the Scene Masters... it doesn't even have a chrome bumper or grille. You can just about see in the first pic, in the recess in the front of the body, where there are a couple of little bumps for headlights and a few little grooves for a grille.

--rick


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## roadrner (Jul 21, 1999)

Great lookers! :thumbsup: rr


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## clausheupel (Jan 27, 2005)

*Scene Masters...*

Hi Rick!



> ParkRNDL...And that bed is scratchbuilt?!?


Yes, the rear of my pal´s tow truck was built from cardboard(!), the crane came from a donor train scenery piece (Kibri as far as I remember).



> Wish mine was one of the Scene Masters... it doesn't even have a chrome bumper or grille.


What else should it have been? ;-) These LL static cars come with a separate chromed grille as well as rear bumper, both pieces are mounted with that kind of chewing gum LL also mounts their slot bodies to the chassis. I bet the Scene Masters are still to be found at hobby shops today (the price tag on my 5-pack said 7.99 $ 4 years ago...)!

Greetings from Germany,

Claus

www.c-jet500.de.vu


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

Lifelike still makes these sets, there are 4 trucks in a pack for about 8.99. complete with chrome bumpers. the "chromeless" ones were trucks that were part of an HO train set (the brown one I only ever seen in the train set) the 4 pack colors are black, red, hunter green, and slate blue.
You can use a slim line chassis and I always mounted the trucks with long posts so they look like monster trucks. their a hit, but slimline chassis are slow and getting harder to find.


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## ParkRNDL (Mar 20, 2002)

Hmmmm. so one of those bumpers will fit right on the front of my "creation"? Very interesting...

--rick


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

Thunderslim Brushes do wonders for the pokey slimline.
New = Pokey

Oiled and tuned = Sorta Pokey

Add thunderslim brushes = Not so Pokey! (they make a BIG difference!)


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## mtyoder (Jan 3, 2004)

Very nice! I love seeing other peoples customs. I've got a few more in process. 

mt


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