Fellow Modelers,
I am currently working on custom building a 4x4 snow plow truck into the “Fall Guy” truck and ran into a problem… The original axles/springs are too thin and too small for the super swamper wheels that I would like to install on the truck, do you have any suggestions on how to lower the axle so that the super swamper’s will fit!? Any information will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
Armored Saint
I don’t usually model autos, but I do work on real cars a lot so I am going to go out on a limb here with my suggestion. I had to look up your subject, the fall guy truck. You need to lift your truck model just like you would a real truck. The easiest way to do this would be to add blocks under the springs to increase the height… I am assuming that your model has solid axles front and rear so that would be a prerry straight forward mod. You probably will need to extend the shock shafts and maybe the drive axles and links but that could be done easily enough with some stryrene rod of various diameters Other option would be to flare the fendors but that would not look like your subject. If anyone has a better solution please post as I am not an expert, just using my real world experience with lifting trucks. Good luck! John
For a vehicle with a leaf spring suspension, there are three ways lifts are accomplished to gain wheel clearance for the body:
add spacers between the frame and body
use longer shackles - the straight pieces of metal that attached the spring ends to the body
add blocks between the springs and differential(s).
You will see any and all combinations of those three mods on lifted trucks. There are also re-arched springs as well as additional leaves inserted to gain just a little more clearance.
Nice. I forgot about a body lift.
Thanks John for your advice! I can’t believe it but I never gave styrene rods a thought!
Thanks for the advice CrashTestDummy! 