Shuklis’ ’40 Ford

’40 Ford Pickup (Restorer: Mike Felix)
Before Restoration
After Restoration

This model was particularly filthy and had many parts that had become detached from the body over the years. Dave utilized massive quantities of glue to assemble the custom cab/box assembly and to attach that assembly to the fenders and then that assembly to the frame.

Repairs: The front and rear bumper brackets had been broken and repaired previous to my receipt of the model. Those repairs were crude and performed probably more than once. The reassembly of these brackets and bumpers was done in such a way that the radius of the bumpers (when viewed from above) is that of normal bumper/brackets and that they are parallel to the ground. So the visual effect is that of normal bumpers/brackets, however upon close inspection, it is obvious there has been work performed on them. (keeping in the spirit of the restoration as to not make the model better than the way it was built) The sidepipe on the drivers side was in multiple pieces and reassembled.

Paint: Some minor touch up was given to the frame and the interior.

Replaced Parts: The felt lining of the bed and running boards were too dirty to be salvaged, so it was refitted with new felt. Three of the tools in the bed were almost chrome less (pliers and two wrenches) and were replaced . The rear window was replaced with new sheet plastic and was cut and glued to replicate the originals position and stray glue mark.

Comments: The interface between the plastic cab and cardstock bed is in a delicate state. A piece of scrap plastic (hidden from view) has been added to the area on the drivers side to help reinforce it. Care should be taken not to apply more than slight pressure to the area as tragic consequence may result. The completed body assembly does not fit as snugly on the frame as one might suspect. This replicates the way it appears Dave had put it together. He routed the wiring between the frame and body assembly and therefore could not secure the two assemblies snugly. (note in the Rick Hanmore photos how massive quantities of glue were used to bridge the gap in the assemblies to hold the two together). Significant effort was needed to keep the cab/box assembly together during the disassembly for cleaning and the reassembly process.