RogerDuke

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.

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.




 

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. 

That's sharp!! I like that!    

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.

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:

 

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 wonder if it has anything to do with the Sponsorship being restricted? ( no more Winston, Marlboro, etc.) I don't really see how that could do it.....but you never know!

That would be two days before Denver's 101st birthday. 

Why Yes Roger....that's exactly what I meant! LOL!!  

https://m.nascar.com/news-media/2018/02/01/nascar-new-2018-inspection-process/
Daytona 500 tv viewership hit a new low, just 4.4million viewers this year https://www.jayski.com/2021/02/17/daytona-500-tv-ratings-2/ this is the first time since Daytona 500 has been live telecast, which was 1979 on CBS, that viewership has been below 7 million people which happened last year. Rain delay obviously didn't help and restarting the race after 9pm probably wasn't a smart idea either. This downward trend keeps up I can see a time when there won't be any Nascar races on free ota broadcast channels. 

This is a great idea. For the moment I can't think of a better date but it will be almost a year before we can celebrate. We could always use Skipper's help to promote it on Facebook. It's too bad we can't think of a day in the summer instead. 

Oh, you must mean if a NASCAR driver compliments a horse jockey or an Olympic swimmer says nice things to a dirt bike racer? Everybody should love all racers.

Of course they will because NASCAR fans love races! 
(I don't care who you are, that's funny right there)

They were talking about this on a financial show today. They have the same problem in the summer when people are running air conditioners a lot. People don't drive a lot in an ice storm but they drive a lot in the summer so are going to be charging their cars a lot.  Proposing changes make folks feel good but they don't mean anything if they can't be implemented practically. 

They were talking about this on a financial show today. They have the same problem in the summer when people are running air conditioners a lot. People don't drive a lot in an ice storm but they drive a lot in the summer so are going to be charging their cars a lot.  Proposing changes make folks feel good but they don't mean anything if they can't be implemented practically. 

Just unofficial companion 

Cousin Rog I think she had same kind as Fred.

I'm surprised more cars didn't fail inspection since I read Nascar is using a new laser scanner to check the body tolerances out this year.

Of course they will because NASCAR fans love races! 
(I don't care who you are, that's funny right there)

I'm partial to Swamp Molly's truck myself. 

Thanks. That would be a interesting episode. I was so happy to fine it. There was also a little Monster truck looking General Lee but I knew I couldn't get a good picture.
The guy that painted the car had over 3,000 hours of work on it. He's in Ripley's Believe it or not.

Hello Cousin K-Duke15! Did they have a Sanford & Son truck there?