1941 Chevy Pickup

Opening

Here is the finished build of the 1941 Chevy Pickup.

The following photo's and text describe the build process I used.

There are three YouTube play lists for the 1941 builds. If you'd like to view the video's you can see them at the followings links. There are some duplicate video's from one play list to the next.

America Goes to War - 1941 Chevy Pickup and 1941 Plymouth Coupe

1941 Plymouth Coupe - America Goes to War

1941 Chevy Pickup - America Goes to War

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My plan is to cut the cowl vent open and I started doing that in this photo. Once the cowl vent is open, there is a modification that has to be made under the cowl as shown in the next photo.

1941 Chevy Pickup looking at removing cowl vent

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Under the cowl vent there is an alignment tab to indicate where the firewall sets. This alignment tab will be removed when the cowl vent is opened. I mocked-up the firewall, heater unit, dashboard and floorboard and installed the assembly in the cab to check for clearance for the new alignment tabs. I drew a line showing where the firewall will be setting and then cut two new alignment tabs using Evergreen #125 0.10 x 0.10 square rod and glued them in place.

See my YouTube video: 1941 Chevy Pickup - Part 02

1941 Chevy Pickup firewall mocked-up for new alignment pin location

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While glue was setting up on the new firewall alignment tabs I removed all the parts for the engine from the sprue and will start cleaning them.

1941 Chevy Pickup new firewall alignment pins added

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The engine, when the two halves are put together, shows the valve rocker arms in a-bit of detail. I'm considering detailing the rocker arms and making the valve cover removable to showcase them.

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Most of the parts for the chassis and underside are removed from the sprue's and will be prepped for primer. Areas with injector pin marks have been marked for removable. This kit is very clean and there is not a lot of clean up.

1941 Chevy Pickup most parts removed from sprues and injector pins marked for removal

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The cowl vent has been opened. The strip toward the hood is very thin and I think I need to reinforce it. I'll also be adding a thin piece of styrene, with an opening the shape of the cowl but slightly smaller than the main opening to create a small ridge where the moveable portion of the vent would rest on when closed.

The styrene of this kit is soft and [gummy] (my word) and was very difficult to cut open. I started by using the back side of my Exacto blade, but was getting nowhere, fast. I then bought a Tamiya 0.15mm Fine Engraving Blade and the handle for the blade. It was working really well until it broke. They're not cheap. Near $25.00 each. But it was working better than the back side of an Exacto blade and they work really well for panel lines. I ordered another 0.15mm along with a 0.30mm and 0.50mm blade. While waiting for them to arrive I used a #80 drill (0.0135"/0.343mm) bit and drilled closely spaced holes around the opening in hopes of making a perforation around the opening. I then used the back side of an Exacto blade and then when the Tamiya Fine Engraving Blades arrived, I finished the opening with the 0.30mm blade. Using these two tools, the vent cleanly popped out.

1941 Chevy Pickup cutting the trunk lid open

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Injector pins are marked for removal. The text on the floor board will also be removed.

1941 Chevy Pickup injector pins marked for removal

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I'm working on the 1941 Plymouth 4-passenger coupe and the 1941 Chevy Pickup at the same time. The parts for these two models have been primed; therefore, the parts shown in this and the following photo's are a combination of the parts for both kits. After the primer had been applied several small flaws that were not seen before the primer was applied could be seen. These small flaws will need to be repaired. After the the repair, a second coat of primer will be applied.

1941 Chevy Pickup and 1941 Plymouth Coupe parts primed

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Parts have been primed. Several small flaws need to be repaired and than a second coat of primer will be applied.

1941 Chevy Pickup parts primed with several small flaws

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Parts have been primed. Several small flaws need to be repaired and than a second coat of primer will be applied.

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Some additional parts that need primer and the flip side of previously primed parts need to be primed.

1941 Chevy Pickup additional parts primed

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Some additional parts that need primer and the flip side of previously primed parts need to be primed.

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I started assembling the front suspension. So far, the hardest part was keeping the tie rod in place. A tweezers is being used to hold the tie rod in position while the glue sets up.

1941 Chevy Pickup tie rod being held in place

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This is another view of the tweezers holding the tie rod in place while the glue sets up. It's also easy to see one of the front shocks.

1941 Chevy Pickup tie rod being held in place while glue sets

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This is a-bit out of focus but shows the steering box mounted.

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It's difficult to see; however, the front right shock has been installed.

1941 Chevy Pickup frame with front right shock

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In this photo it's easier to see one of the shocks, the drag link and the steering box/column installed.

1941 Chevy Pickup frame showing front shock, drag link and steering box

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The frame has been painted, the front suspension and steering rod is mounted, the exhaust pipe and muffler are installed but not glued. The exhaust pipe and muffler had to be installed before the rear axle and leaf springs. I did not glue it in place so that I can insure the pipe will correctly line up with the engine exhaust manifold. The rear shocks still need to be installed.

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According to what I found online, the factory engine was painted grey. All I have in my paint stash are flat grey's. I wanted either a semi gloss or a gloss. I bought some Mission Model Paint MMRC-010 RC Gray and painted the engine block, oil pan, engine front and valve rocker cover. The transmission and flywheel housing will be done using Model Master Steel. The engine will than be detailed. (Sorry the image is a bit blurry. I need to invest in a close-up lens).

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The rear shocks have been installed and the frame of the truck should now be finished and awaiting the engine and drive shaft. At this time I'm still detailing the engine.

It's amazing what can be seen by the camera that I missed with my naked eye, but I see another injector mark that needs to be removed. Ug!

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I'm in the process of detailing the engine. I have my scratch built distributor in place; however, it is not glued. I'm not sure if I want to use spark plug boots or ring connectors at the spark plugs. I've seen pictures of this engine with both connection types. Some pictures that show boots are straight and some are right angle. At this point I'm assuming that in '41, the connections were made with rings, but I'm not sure and need to do more research.

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I mocked up the engine, exhaust and drive shaft in the frame to make sure everything lined up correctly, especially the exhaust pipe to manifold.

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I mocked up the engine, exhaust and drive shaft in the frame to make sure everything lined up correctly. this also shows the spark plug wiring.

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The next two photos are a close up of the engine highlighting the spark plug wiring.

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This photo shows the spark plug wiring and the front side of the engine.

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The fenders are sprayed with Tamiya X1 Black. I have some orange peeling on the front right fender that shows up under the bright light for the camera. I'll take care of that later.

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The front view of the radiator and the radiator shroud were glued in place. The wheels are not glued on yet.

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The back view of the radiator and the radiator shroud were glued in place. The wheels are not glued on yet.

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Now that the radiator and the shroud in place, I dry fitted the lower body. The orange peel that was on the front fender was fixed (reduced) using 3000 grit wet sanding and Novus #2 Fine Scratch Remover and #1 Plastic Clean & shine.

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The upper and lower radiator hoses were made and installed. I used Detail Master DM-1425 Coolant Hose . I used it a-bit different than what some modelers use it. Since this coolant hose is simply, about 18 AWG (American Wire Gauge) wire, I removed the wire from the insulation. I than inserted 18 AWG solid soft drawn copper wire. The solid wire gives the hose some rigidity and also allows the hose to be more easily formed. The 18 AWG solid wire also fit's better into the mounting holes on the radiator and engine block.

Once I have the hoses bent to shape and adjusted to proper fit I install the hose clamps. The clamps I used are photo etched parts from The Model Car Garage MCG-2001 Vintage Hose Straps . I simply wrap the photo etched strap around the hose and apply a small drop of Loctite on two or three locations. When the Loctite is dry I install the hoses.

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The inside of the firewall has the interior floor board and pedals installed. The heater blower unit is also installed.

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I had to put the cab in a 91% Isopropyl (IPA) bath to strip the pain. The clear coat I put on ran. I tried sanding it, repainting, sanding, repainting and applied another coat of clear, but you could still see where the runs were. That's when it went into the bath.

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The dash board is finished and ready to install. The gauges are a decal with a clear plastic gauge cover. I simply used a small black sharpie to put just a small highlight on the knobs and a silver sharpie for the button on the glove box. The crank on the top of the dash is for the vent cowl.

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The truck bed consists of six separate parts with the tailgate capable of opening and closing. The only why to assemble it was to tape everything together and then glue. After all the parts were taped in place, I used Tamiya fast dry liquid glue to join all the pieces together.

I was not intending to use the bed bottom and therefore it wasn't painted. I'll be brush painting the bottom of the bed.

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Everything was glued and is waiting for the glue to cure. The balsa wood bed I'll be making will cover the bare styrene bed.

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I plan to use balsa wood strips for the bed. Here I have the wood laid into the bed. They are not trimmed to actual length yet. When the wood is laid in place I plan to use the photo etched seam covers that came with the Detail Master DM-2900 Real Truck Wood Bed Kit . The kit comes with a sheet of balsa wood, but I think it looks better with individual boards. The balsa that I'm using is 0.25"/6.35mm wide by 0.066"/1.67mm thick. In 1:25 scale, the boards would be close to 6" x 1.5". They are the same size as what is molded into the bed floor.

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I built the wooden bed by first cutting a piece of heavy paper or thin cardboard the size of the bed and approximately 0.015"/0.39mm thick. Make sure all sides are square and parallel and that it fits snuggly in the bed without distorting. I then clamp my combination square to the edge of the bench, place the cardboard into the corner of the square and tape the exposed corner to the bench; tape not shown.

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This photo shows the completed bed. I purposely selected Balsa wood that had a lot of grain to make it look more realistic. Balsa wood is very porous and absorbs glue and other runny materials like a sponge, so I use Elemer's Washable School Glue. It's a stick glue, which is a paste. I rubbed it onto one side of each balsa wood strip before placing the balsa word on the cardboard form.

This photo shows the completed bed; however there are some simple calculations involved to get the wood strips to fit properly. In this build my truck bed is 1.9" wide. It takes 7 strips of 1/4" balsa to spread across the bed: 7 strips x 0.25" = 1.75". That leaves 0.15" left over. There are 6 joints, so I calculated the gap size needed between each board to make up the difference; 0.15" / 6 = 0.025". Using a 0.025" shim between each strip would spread the boards evenly across the bed; however, again, balsa wood is porous and will expand and contract over time, therefore I also left a gap between the side of the bed and the wood. That makes for 8 shims. I recalculated the shim size as 0.15" / 8 = 0.019". I didn't have a 0.019" shim so I used a piece of the cardboard I used to make the base, which is 0.015" thick as shims. I cut 8 strips of the cardboard and used them as spacers between each strip and the bed while gluing the strips to the cardboard backing. The result is shown in this picture.

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Here is a close up of the finished bed that is also trimmed to size. I simply used a sanding stick and my combination square to achieve the proper length. I personally really like the grain on this wood. I was going to spray a clear coat on it to seal it; however, I tested some clear coat on scrap balsa and it did not fare well therefore, I'm leaving it as is. Maybe later I'll try using some wood oil or some wood finish on it.

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As I stated earlier, balsa wood is very porous and absorbs liquidity fluids. I need to glue the bed seam covers in place and knowing the glue needs to have a high viscosity, I experimented attaching them with Elemer' stick glue, which I knew does not dry clear, but has a bluish/purple tint. I wanted a glue that dried clear so I did another sample using canopy glue.

The top photo is a seam cover glued in place with Elmer's stick glue. It's difficult to see on the photo, but there is a light blue tint when the glue dries. The strip is firmly attached, but I don't like the bluish tint.

The bottom picture is the seam cover glued in place with canopy glue. When the glue dries it literally disappears and when I tried to remove the seam cover it also lifted some of the wood, so I'll be using canopy glue for the seam covers.

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This photo shows the process of gluing the seam covers to the bed. I put some canopy glue in a small plastic cup and used a microbrush to apply the glue along the wood joint. I then simply eye-balled the location of the seam cover. I used a Q-Tip to press the seam cover to the surface. The Q-Tip leaves a little mark on the seam cover, but after the glue dries, running a damp Q-Tip along the cover removes the mark. When the glue if fully dry, the ends will be trimmed. The seam covers are made for an 8-foot bed and the bed of the '41 is 6-foot.

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I let the glue on the bed seam cover strips set for 24-hrs. I then took a exacto blade, turned the bed, seam covers down, and trimmed the exess material.

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The bed of the pickup is finished. These pictures show the finished bed with the tailgate closed and the tailgate open.

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While the glue on the truck bed was drying I worked on the truck frame. The rear bumper supports need to be mounted; however, the mounting surface is very small and not well defined. The next photo shows how I made sure the bumper mounts would be in the correct location to later mount the bumper.

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I taped the bumper to the mounts and then glued the mounts to the frame. This should insure that when the bumper is glued in place, the mounts will be in the right location.

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Way back at the beginning of the build, which seems like an eternity, I had cut the cowl vent open. In this photo I'm starting to build the screen mesh that shows when the vent is open. I used Model Car Garage MCG 703 Stainless Steel Mesh to make the vent screen.

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Before gluing the top of the cowl vent to the mesh I inserted two Evergreen #175 0.100" x 0.100" Opaque White Polystyrene Strip cut even with the top of the mesh so there would be a more firm place to glue the cowl cover in place.

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This photo shows the vent cover glued to the vent mesh, along with a dusty windshield.

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The frame is positioned into the lower body half, glued and clamped in position with some cloth pins.

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The chassis and body bottom are ready to accept the cab and bed.

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When the cab was placed on the frame and the hood put in place, it was very apparent that the cab was leaning toward the back leaving a gap between the hood and the cab over the firewall. Also, the radiator brace did not fit and was not long enough to reach the radiator housing. When I held the back of the cab up, it not only leveled the cab, but it also made the hood and the radiator brace fit perfect. To hold the cab in, what I think is the correct position, I placed two shim blocks between the cab floor and the back of the cab, as shown in this photo. The block I used is Evergreen #175 0.100" x 0.100" Opaque White Polystyrene Strip . I made them slightly longer than the cab floor because when the bed is in place they won't be seen.

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The cab is placed on the lower body and the radiator brace is installed.

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This and the next photo show the cab, the bed and the hood in place. When all the glue dries, the only things remaining are the bumpers, door handles, gas filler tube, windshield wipers, side mirror, head lights and license plate holder(s). These items are ready to go and will take only a few minutes to install, completing the model.

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This and the previous photo show the cab, the bed and the hood in place. When all the glue dries, the only things remaining are the bumpers, door handles, gas filler tube, windshield wipers, side mirror, head lights and license plate holder(s). These items are ready to go and will take only a few minutes to install, completing the model.

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I installed the grill and the front and rear bumpers. The only parts that need to be installed is the windshield wiper, the side mirror, the hood handles and the rear license plate holder with tail light. This truck will have a Pennsylvania truck license plate on the rear holder. Pennsylvania does not have front license plates and therefore I'm either going to leave the license holder off or mount it and leave it blank.

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I make my own license plates by finding a picture of one that I'm looking for. In this case I wanted a Pennsylvania 1941 Truck plate. I found a picture online that was of decent quality. I then use Gimp to enhance and resize the plate. I normally increase the number of pixels to 1080px. I then adjust the size to fit the license plate holder that came with the kit. Sometimes, especially with old plates, the image cannot be scaled to fit the plate holder while keeping the perspective correct. In that case I make my own plate holder and also make sure everything is properly scaled. In this case the plate holder measured 0.490" x 0.238" (12.45mm x 6.05mm). In 1:25 scale it is: 12.25" x 5.95" (300.15mm x 151.13mm). That's almost exactly what an actual 1941 PA plate measure's. I print the plate on my color laser printer, cut it out and use Elmer's Washable School Glue to glue it to the holder.

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The 1941 Chevy Pickup is FINISHED!!!

This photo starts a series of photos of the finished build. I also attempted to place the finished model into a pictorial scene, but some of the angles were not correct.