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Scratchbuilding the winch was a challenge since a lot of it was guesswork. As far as the brace/frame (not sure the correct terminology), I discovered I didn't have to guess the width; apparently it should be the same width as the chassis frame, which makes sense from an engineering standpoint. Then, the more I built, the more extra details I'd discover in the photos. This was a long, long process. The tow booms were heavily modified from those in the MPC Datsun Monster Truck kit. Both ends were totally scratchbuilt to bring it all together, after careful study of my reference photos. The booms will be removable until after painting. The thin bar atop which will support the rotating beacon also has two round "shoulder" lights. These were made from slices from a clear styrene rod of the appropriate diameter. Wires were added from various thicknesses of copper wire.

I think I noticed but like the air head I am....it went throught me!!

Hey y'all, Been away from you too long, working on what I thought was an impossible project that I almost gave up on. I'm now ready to begin posting an amazing (and frustrating) journey to build the most accurate Cooter's Tow Truck ever done. Maybe. First off, there were several tow trucks used over the series. Here's (mostly) when each appears: -Season 1: Brown Chevy, simple tow rig -Season 2: White/Blue Ford with Red Holmes wrecker -Seasons 3-4: Big Yellow Ford -Late Season 4 through 7: White/Blue GMC with Red Holmes wrecker By far my favorite is the GMC. There was also a similar White/Blue Chevy with a much wider wrecker rear that showed up in a handful of episodes mid-series. THE PROBLEM: Not only is the MPC kit of Cooter's Tow Truck completely fictitious, but there is NO kit or conversion available in existence to make the correct Holmes wrecker (everything aft of the cab). This would be the most ambitious scratchbuilding project I've undertaken to date. Let's begin with a photo of my target subject, the GMC with Holmes wrecker:

I know what Skipper's signature will be......."a three hour tour, a three hour tour...of Hazzard"

That's sharp!! I like that!

Thanks Hobie! Looking forward to it!

The real nightmare of this project was the wrecker. I knew almost nothing about tow trucks, and there are no tow truck models or conversion sets for anything even close to this type. I was told it was a Holmes wrecker, in the 400 series....but amazingly, Google searches with that info yielded nothing! So I went the hard route. I went through countless Dukes episodes on DVD, pausing them to photograph any good views of the unit. Yep, that's right, I photographed the TV screen, and had photo prints made. The dozens of photos I took gave just enough reference material to build this. Although dozens of episodes provided good material, by far the most useful episodes were "Play It Again Luke" (S6 E15) and "The Fortune Tellers" (S6 E21). I was able to find sheet styrene with Diamond Tread pattern molded in. It was shockingly brittle, but I was able to fabricate the bulkheads and decking. I also used photoetched metal Diamond Tread for the curved wheel well tops and other details. Also detailed the rear with openings for the tail lights and more.

Oh Yea! Coming right along! Great Job! Come by the car lot sometime after work and I'll give you some of my finest!

The entire chassis has a very toylike appearance, with almost every detail molded right on as one piece. So it was completely cut apart down to the basic frame and rebuilt. Front suspension was improved a bit, rear suspension completely rebuilt, and exhaust system with mufflers was scratch built. This would have to be mostly redone a second time when I realized the wheel base needed lengthening to accommodate the Holmes wrecker. I won't tell you what I said when I realized this.... The interior was made as dirty and grimy as possible, as a working country tow truck would be. Scratchbuilt CB radio installed.

There is a long out of production kit of a GMC pickup truck. I found one built junker on Ebay, along with a very similar junked Chevy pickup. Between the two junked models, I had enough salvagable parts to begin. The better of the two cabs was treated to multiple paint strippings and sanding. The engine was rebuilt, but without the air cleaner and upper parts; the hood will be sealed shut for this. An opening was made in the forward bulkhead to put a radiator, as it would be slightly visible with this type of grill. There is a ribbing pattern that should be on the rear of the cab. This area was thinned, then the ribbed pattern built with styrene. After priming it was airbrushed white and blue.

After more than 10 years on HNet, I decided to change my signature last week - it's another Waylon quote. Just curious if any of y'all noticed?

F1 has also stopped all tobacco sponsorship (Ferrari still appear to be getting money from Philip Morris for its Mission Winnow initiative), but they seem to have found new revenue streams from other industries. Having said that, there are quite a few of the newer sponsors that I've never heard of.

Some of ya'll were recently asking if we had an app for mobile devices. Mufn reminded me that we do have an app for iPhones. It's free and you can download it from iTunes. Just do a search for "hazzardnet" on the iTunes app section. Please note that if you don't already have iTunes installed, you'll need to do the free download first. Then do your search. At this time, we don't have a universal mobile app, such as thru android. That's a whole different can of corn. We apologize for any inconvenience. Meanwhile, we hope that the iPhone app helps some of you out. Thank you, as always, for your input and comments, as it helps us with future planning for HazzardNet!

Awesome Brian now I'll have HNet wherever I go Thanks so much to Brian,Mufn, and MaryAnne

Pizza means mozzarella cheese! Hot, gooey, bubbly cheese.... The best way to grow pizza is to dial up an order for delivery. Extra cheese.

From the country that now thinks pizza is a vegetable, this does not surprise me. Can anyone tell me the best way to grow pizzas, I'm not sure if the climate in Ireland is suitable .

Ok, I'll look for Wallace and Gromit on the label. I might have tried a knock-off brand, or again maybe it was just old. There's a number of cheese stores n' gourmet food shops in my area, so I'm sure I can find it and maybe some of these other ones. Spray can cheese is not cheese. And I hate to say it, but "American" cheese makes me cringe. That's not cheese. It's mostly oil. (inside cheese monger tip: if it contains "milk protein concentrate" or "whey protein concentrate", those ingredients are industrial waste products that are salvaged from the inside of dairy production hoses and the like. It's not, technically, recognized as a food, but the FDA has been looking the other way on this for years. Check the labels of everything from Cheetos, Doritos, to Junior Mints to Cheez Whiz, to cream cheese, and sour cream packages. It's becoming harder to avoid. This cheap substitute for real milk has contributed to the collapse of raw milk prices and has led to the loss of family farms around the U.S.) Ahem. Pardon the soap box there, but cheese is a food of the gods and should not be trifled with. Dang, I'm gonna halfta break into the block of sharp cheddar I was saving. I need to think about something other than cheese for ten minutes.

Genuine Wensleydale is only made in (you guessed it) Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, England. The name to look for would be Wensleydale Creamery. The manufacturers are trying to get 'Protected designation of origin' for Yorkshire Wensleydale, which would mean an end to manufacturers from outside the area using the name - for the time being your Wensleydale may have been made elsewhere. Other cheeses like Dorset Blue Vinney already have this protection (it's a great accompaniment to Dorset Knobs, but that's another story ). Incidentally, the cheese rolling in the T-Mobile commercial is based on a real annual event where a round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down Cooper's Hill near Gloucester with competitors chasing after it - read all about it here. I found some websites that offer British/Irish cheese in the US - I have no idea how good they are: www.igourmet.com www.finecheese.co.uk somerdale.co.uk I was given a can of 'spray cheese' once, but I never dared to open it, although it did allow me to authentically recreate .It's good to know that coyotes don't like smelly cheese - I'll leave some outside if they ever give me any trouble .

I love that two-can trailer. Yeehaaw! Not sure what bar ya found in your google search Hoss, but evah-dently St. Practice Day is all over the place! Meanwhile, my local Irish tater restaurant has this on the menu: Traditional Bangers and Mash Irish brats slow cooked in Guinness beer and then fried with thin layer of olive oil to produce awe inspiring bangers on a mountain of mashed potatoes,topped with onion gravy. Now, this might be a stretch, 'cause I don't think the Irish brought bratwurst recipies with them to the New World. But I wasn't there at the time, so who knows. MaryAnne, you got a good point about the British and cheese. Which made me remember "Wallace and "Gromit" as another fine export from across the pond. Which, after watching an episode, led me to try some Wendslydale cheese. And no disrespect to our British cousins, but...it was like eating plaster. I've sampled dry cheeses before, but man alive, this stuff was like baked clay. Could have been the brand, (it was imported but I can't remember the label) but I haven't found the will to try it again. Now I have to take a break here and go raid the fridge. I've got a nice block of colby that's suddenly on my mind.

Since you asked Hoss (on your bottom line) I do have a stereotypical opinion of Irish and English people.... The ones who like The Dukes of Hazzard are smart and the ones who don't like Dukes are stupid. Hmmmm, now that I think about it, I have that same opinion of folks from every country.

I think it has more to do with fans sick of the B.S. changes over the past 15+ years especially the championship format that supposedly rewards race winners. The "car of tomorrow" with it's ground effect kit and wing really put a dent in the fanbase.