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Ford LTL 9000 Custom with Livestock Trailer


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The mirage paint will really set that truck off. I painted my trailer Model Master chrome (the kind you don't dare touch or the print's there forever.) and then dullcoated it for a slightly oxidized look. The front panel and roof are painted Duplicolor Dk Blue Metallic to match the tractor. Don't worry, my roof was a little warped too. I used ModelMaster Liquid Cement, the stuff in the black bottle with the needle applicator and LOTS of masking tape! I'll post pictures of it and the Titan here soon.

In the post about the 9400i masters, you mentioned snagging and pulling down a powerline. That bites. You missed it all those times... I'd say the line sagged, pole leaned or someone working on the line didn't get it tensioned back up. I'm in utilities now and I know that, by law, a minimum of 15' clearance under any line crossing a road must be maintained at all times. The first time I was in Eastern New Jersey, I made a wrong turn (because the directions given to me were wrong :angry: ) and went about eight blocks up a street that wasn't marked 'no trucks' and had no weight limit posted but evidently hadn't seen anything 13'6" in years. It looked low, but there was no backing back into that intersection. There was but one way to go... I trimmed numerous small treelimbs with the front of the trailer and pulled down about 6 cable TV or phone drops before turning around in a firestation parking lot. One of the fireman came out, told me I looked lost, jumped in their brush truck and I followed him down to where I needed to deliver (right instead of left and two blocks down <_< ). I told him about the services I hit and he basically told me not to worry about it, they'd clipped one with a retracted light tower on their heavy rescue before. :D

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In the post about the 9400i masters, you mentioned snagging and pulling down a powerline. That bites. You missed it all those times... I'd say the line sagged, pole leaned or someone working on the line didn't get it tensioned back up.

Yeah, I haven't been quite right since then, and was actually a little happy when I lost my job in June of last year. It's been hard finding something not involving driving, but I'm thinking about going back to school and actually LEARN something! The few months between the line accident and losing my job, I'd spend more time looking at the power lines than the road, and noticed lines in my hometown I never even knew where there! The people who lived in that neighborhood said about 2 days before I hit the line, someone else had crashed their car into one of the poles near there, and being in the 70s in February, I think it may have been a combination of all three things you mentioned.

I'll keep watching for the Titan and your livestock trailer, sounds nice!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been doing more work on the truck and trailer lately, the trailer is in primer as of today. I also went on line to get some pictures to use as a mural on the sleeper, but I need your help! This is what the mural will look like:

HPIM1765.jpg

but I need help with the size! Do you think the mural looks good the size it is, or should I make it a little bigger? Please help and give me your opinion!!

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That truc is long. I would hate to try and navigate that through Walmart

Yeah, it would be fun! :lol: The truck has a scale wheelbase of about 350 inches and with the 40 foot livestock trailer it measures a scale 70 feet long.

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WOW!!

What a Sleeper. :blink:

I think I saw something like that on Truckers Dream Homes. :blink:

I think the Mural should take up the whole side of the sleeper.

nice looking one too.

Nice work

Thanks, Zuk. It's definitely a "Trucker's Dream Home" being a scale 180 inches, compared to 70 for a stock sleeper. Thanks for the opinion on the size, too. That's why I asked for everyones opinions on it, because I'm thinking a little bigger, but the better half said it looks fine. :blink: It's amazing what you can find online, I "Bing"ed "lightning and mountains" in images, and that's one of them that came up!

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I did some work on the interior of the cab and got the interior pan painted and added some Bare Metal Foil to some things to dress it up. Any good trucker loves shiny objects!!

HPIM1768.jpg

I even made the pedals chromed.

HPIM1766.jpg

And a little to the steering wheel.

HPIM1769.jpg

More pics and much more chrome to come! It is going to be a show truck, after all!

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I finally got the trailer in it's first coat of paint, here's what it will look like after I get a few rough spots taken care of:

HPIM1770.jpg

HPIM1775.jpg

I found a set of Alcoa wheels to replace the trailer's five spoke wheels, and was also surprised and pleased with the look of the Krylon "Original Chrome" paint. Most of the chrome spray paints I have used in the past have not had this much shine, but still has an aluminum look to it.

I also found a set of toolbox steps that are not used in my Italeri Mack Superliner kit, so those will be mounted as the steps for the catwalk and headache rack, as well as being a toolbox and the other will be the APU generator housing. I will still have enough frame room left that there will be 3 fuel tanks per side, and the square tank on each side will be the sleeper's clean and gray water storage. Here's another quick mock up pic of the general idea of the finished truck, including sleeper mural.:

HPIM1776.jpg

Of course, I still have some more body work to finish on the sleeper.

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You asked for our opinions on the sleeper graphic length/size. Being it is printed off the computer versus being painted on, I would stop short of any surface irregularities that would cause issues with the graphic laying down smooth.

There used to be a trucking company called 'Circle C', and their trucks were completely muraled; some of the best-looking paintjobs I had ever seen.

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You asked for our opinions on the sleeper graphic length/size. Being it is printed off the computer versus being painted on, I would stop short of any surface irregularities that would cause issues with the graphic laying down smooth.

There used to be a trucking company called 'Circle C', and their trucks were completely muraled; some of the best-looking paintjobs I had ever seen.

Thanks, Brad, I was not planning on going past the storage door on the side I have the picture mocked up on because I don't want to mess with the irregularities. There is also an access door on the other side, and that extends to the first curve in the sides. I will be printing the picture on decal paper, but since this will be my first time making my own decals, I wanted to do it on a smooth surface.

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That's what I'm here for Matt. I may not know semi trucks well (you guys have been a big help to me so far), but I do know paint and graphics..........ok, maybe not so well either; but I do have a boatload of opinions I am willing to share!! :)

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That's what I'm here for Matt. I may not know semi trucks well (you guys have been a big help to me so far), but I do know paint and graphics..........ok, maybe not so well either; but I do have a boatload of opinions I am willing to share!! :)

Thanks, Brad, it's always good to have opinions to share! I have to agree, there are many talented truck builders here, many are very helpful, and I would hope to say I know a little when it comes to semis, I drove them for 12 years! I also worked for a towing company for a couple of those years, so I've been in, on, under, and worked on trucks in that time. I even worked on the wreckers and was under them a time or two! I haven't printed another test of the mural yet, but between your opinion and others from here and the "other" model site, and also my "artsy" mother in law, I've decided to extend the mural slightly and take it from about the end of the curve where the front wall meets the side to just before the doors in the back. I haven't decided yet, but may even add a different small mural to the hood as well. I'm not sure, though, because there is a small ridge in the hood, and sort of scared if I can get the decal to conform to it well or not.

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Large decals and flat surfaces scare me, let alone large decals and irregular surfaces!! I believe you can pull it off and make it look good, so no worries/no fears. The trailer came out looking good, all nice and shiny new aluminum!

Closest I get to trucks is dad drove off and on from 1970-81, and I remember some of his rigs. Luckily, his memories still remain so I can tap into them when I need to!

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I've not gotten too far since the last in progess pictures, I've been trying to source some extra parts, but I have finally gotten everything in the same color primer and have my fuel tank mounts glued to the frame and the front four fuel tanks mocked up.

HPIM1870.jpg

I still have to figure out whether or not to build mounts for the final set of round fuel tanks and the square fuel tanks I'm using for the water storage tanks, or just glue them to the frame after it's painted. I also found a set of battery boxes in my Mack Superliner kit that aren't used, so I'm mounting them behind the square tanks as steps to the rear deck plate, and one will serve as a toolbox while the other will be for the "hidden" generator.

I also decided I'm going to add a moose bar to the front end, I mocked it and the front bumper up with some tape.

HPIM1871.jpg

I may not use this one, I may scratchbuild one that fits the bumper better. I think the moose bar gives the front end adds some more style to a front end that is already one of my all time favorite styles.

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  • 1 month later...

Ok, I need some helpful opinions!! I showed in my last post I'm putting a moose (roo) bar on the front, and recently got a much better roo bar from the Revell AG Kenworth Australian kit in a trade with rronning84 (Ryan). The size of it fits the look I'm trying to get much better, but was slightly shorter widthwise and blocked the outer headlights. I started reworking the kit bumper last night and the roo bar to widen it, and laminated so flat sheet and sanded the front even with the center section of the bumper.

HPIM2089.jpg

I cut the main section of the roo bar bumper where the supports for the cross bars locate.

HPIM2090.jpg

I still have to add extenstion pieces in the widened sections, but this is what I have so far.

HPIM2091.jpg

I problem is this, should I build the rest of the stock bumper out to meet the roo bar's bumper? One of the features I have always loved of the Ford's stock bumper is the four driving/fog lights, so this feature HAS TO STAY! If I do box the rest of the bumper to match the roo bar's bumper, should I leave the lights where they are and add a screen panel level with the boxed section or move them level with the boxed section? Or, should I throw it out and just use a new stock bumper and scratchbuild a new moose bar more like a pickup's brush guard? Please help, I'm stuck! PLEASE, HELPFUL REPLIES ONLY!!!!

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im with you on keeping the stock bumper with the extra lights, i say biuld the moose bumper from scratch like a pickup brush gaurd it would match the shape of the truck better i think. good luck with this i cant wait to see this truck done, wow she is a big one. gonna look good pullin a bull wagon.

dennis

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I've been doing more work on the truck and trailer lately, the trailer is in primer as of today. I also went on line to get some pictures to use as a mural on the sleeper, but I need your help! This is what the mural will look like: to me it looks fine

HPIM1765.jpg

but I need help with the size! Do you think the mural looks good the size it is, or should I make it a little bigger? Please help and give me your opinion!!

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