1971 Ford F100 Ranger XLT Pickup

Good to see you back on the the truck, Mike. It's lookin' sharp!

Thanks Mike!

The Story

The old man walks out of his house and he opens the gate, walks through it and closes the gate behind him.  He has on an old t-shirt, pants with a grease spot around his pockets, dirty white sneakers with velcro straps, an old cardigan sweater, a plaid flat cap on his head and a pair of glasses with thick frames.  He walks down to the local convenience store to buy his evening paper and he is walking at a slow pace.  At the store he buys his paper, folds it and sticks in his back pocket and walks back home past old houses, some abandoned and some old garages and warehouse-like buildings.  He approaches an old house with overgrown bushes in front and a young man jumps out and he tries to strangle and club the old man who flips the young attacker over his shoulder and he starts beating on the young man with blows to the face. 

The cops come running out of the shadows and up the street as the old man turns the young man over and he handcuffs his attacker.  The cops take custody of the attacker as the old man takes off his cap and glasses and it is McNally.  He was working uncover with the Police and they all suspected that the attacker would come out again in this area and McNally wanted to draw him out. 

The Build

Some foiling done on the Ranger XLT after I added a few more pieces to the engine compartment.  My foil is old so I used some Micro Metal Foil Adhesive.  I added the decals, some of which broke as I removed them from the backing paper.

McNally will return...

The Story

With the suspect handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a Police cruiser, McNally is driven by one of the detectives back to the old house where this adventure began.  He changes his clothes back to his usual pants and t-shirt.  He gets into his car after he puts on his shoulder holster and his gun and a shirt to cover the holster and gun and he drives down to Boston Police Headquarters to give his statement to detectives.  Inside Headquarters he gets his Visitors Badge and he goes up to the Detective Squad and he gives his statement to Sgt. Det. Alonzo.  The statement includes everything from when he left the old house in Brighton to the arrest of the suspect. 

The Build

I finished the foiling of the body and did a mockup to check my progress.  The cab still has a warp to it and I hope that when the cab is glued to the frame, the warp will go away. 

McNally will return...

That's looking really sharp.  Thought the tailgate was the real thing.   Awesome.  

Thanks John!

The Story

After giving his statement to Detectives at BPD HQ, McNally drives home and goes into his office and he fills out his report for Jesse Hawkins and himself.  A couple of days later, Jesse, his wife Rhonda and their new dog stops in front of his house and he walks off the porch and he goes over to Jesse's pickup truck.  McNally rubs the head and the ears of the dog who has been named Buddy and Jesse thanks the Boston PI and Rhonda hands him an envelope with some money in it.  The money was a gift from The Hawkins and their neighbors for finding the attacker.  McNally wanted to refuse the money, but Jesse and Rhonda insisted that he takes the money.

It was only $100, but McNally was thinking of someway to give the money back to those neighbors.  Maybe a block party for them, but he will have to see.

The Build

I have finished my '71 Ranger XLT.  I would like to thank all those who have viewed and commented on my WIP.

Oho!

        Now that is both a good short McNally story, and a great Pick Up truck build! Thank You Sir! 

Thank you Tanker-Builder!  I have pared the story down to fit the WIP.  It is part of a larger, but still short story that I have written last year.  Writing allows me to stretch my mind while being retired.

Well; 

 You See, a Kick B%$%% detective who does for the little guy as well as his wallet is the kind I can get behind. McNally is a refreshing bit of detecting in this rather bland world. Plus you build beautiful models too!

I tried to make McNally a different kind of detective.  One who loves cars and more as he matures.  An older gentleman with a limited income has appealed to McNally's inner soul and he didn't want to do this job as a "freebie", so he charged Jesse Hawkins a dollar just to make the transaction legal.  He would rather kick someone in the nether region for disrespecting someone than to let them get away with that disrespect.

PI's and detectives today on TV or movies or in the literary world has issues and foibles galore.  McNally is the kind of person who will take on a job and show respect until that person doesn't show respect to anyone else and it doesn't matter if that person or persons has money or not.   

I Have to ask;

    Is McNally like me? When I do something well, at the end I sit down with a good book and a small glass of the finest Brandy I can afford!

Tanker-Builder

I Have to ask;

    Is McNally like me? When I do something well, at the end I sit down with a good book and a small glass of the finest Brandy I can afford!

Oh, I hope not!  No offense, but like I said previously, McNally is a different kind of detective.  He does a good job, but he would rather sit down with a cold beer and watch TV unless he is working on or driving his father's '57 Ford Custom.  He doesn't read a book and drinking a fine Brandy unless it is case related..