Freightliner COE Questions

[TheSDTrucker]

14 minutes ago, Muncie said:

My Freightliner knowledge is based on what I saw in the later part of the 70's, but Freightliner didn't change the interior colors very often so I would say it was the same in 1971-73.

The diamond pattern upholstery in the AMT kit is the Brougham option.   Brougham colors available were blue, red (kind of a burgundy), saddle (tan), and  green (dark avocado - it was the 70's).  I don't remember black upholstery in Brougham but it may have been possible.  The dash and console on the tunnel were molded in black ABS (semi-gloss) with woodgrain instrument panels - black instrument rings.  There were custom shops that could stitch up interiors in other colors that were not offered by Freightliner.  Vintage Freightliner brochures on the internet are the best guide for detail colors.  The letter "C" stitched on the sleeper curtain is an option for a specific customer - it's a rare custom option so I wish AMT had left it plain diamonds.  Brougham came with a metalflake plastic steering wheel to match _i'm not making that up.

The Custom interior level had smooth pattern vinyl upholstery in black or tan. no diamonds.  The standard interior - only specced by a few fleets was able board - probably black in the early 70s - production changed in the mid/late 70's to turf tan.  Able board looked very similar to painted cardboard.  Custom level and standard interiors came with an ivory colored steering wheel.

 

I am doing my kit in the style of the burgundy brougham, I think that looks pretty sharp. As for the stitched "C", what exactly is it? Is it the letter of a last name?

[Muncie]

2 minutes ago, TheSDTrucker said:

I am doing my kit in the style of the burgundy brougham, I think that looks pretty sharp. As for the stitched "C", what exactly is it? Is it the letter of a last name?

I agree, the Burgundy Brougham was the best looking color.  No idea on the "C" - My guess and nothing that I can confirm, is that Freightliner provided a show truck built for Marketing purposes to AMT (or photos of a show truck) as the prototype for the kit.  Shows trucks were usually highly optioned customer trucks.  The "C" meant something to the customer but the reason has been lost to time..  I might cut that center panel out, leave the side panels so the sleeper curtain is open.

[TheSDTrucker]

2 minutes ago, Muncie said:

I agree, the Burgundy Brougham was the best looking color.  No idea on the "C" - My guess and nothing that I can confirm, is that Freightliner provided a show truck built for Marketing purposes to AMT (or photos of a show truck) as the prototype for the kit.  Shows trucks were usually highly optioned customer trucks.  The "C" meant something to the customer but the reason has been lost to time..  I might cut that center panel out, leave the side panels so the sleeper curtain is open.

I haven't quite figured out if I want it or not, it does look cool but it's odd to have it since is means nothing to me. I did notice something cool about the truck I'm basing my model after. It appears to have white diamonds on the sleeper curtains. 

[Muncie]

6 minutes ago, TheSDTrucker said:

I haven't quite figured out if I want it or not, it does look cool but it's odd to have it since is means nothing to me. I did notice something cool about the truck I'm basing my model after. It appears to have white diamonds on the sleeper curtains. 

those white diamonds are cool.  They could be original, or a replacement sleeper curtain.  Freightliner stitched their own upholstery in the truck plant at the time - something like that would have been easy if a customer knew how to get it.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Muncie

[TheSDTrucker]

20 minutes ago, Muncie said:

those white diamonds are cool.  They could be original, or a replacement sleeper curtain.  Freightliner stitched their own upholstery in the truck plant at the time - something like that would have been easy if a customer knew how to get it.

I will be adding the diamonds in my build, I've never seen them before and it looks quite unique.

[highway]

9 hours ago, TheSDTrucker said:

I always used to wander why some 71 series had 92 style valve covers, I guess that really makes sense now haha. As far as color goes, I couldn't find any model paints that I liked, so I decided to use alpine green engine enamel for my engine. I really like how sharp the alpine green looks on those old Detroits

I used Model Master USSR Fulcrum Gray/Green to hopefully get close to Detroit Green, and at least to my eyes, it is at least close. 

[TheSDTrucker]

5 hours ago, highway said:

I used Model Master USSR Fulcrum Gray/Green to hopefully get close to Detroit Green, and at least to my eyes, it is at least close. 

That is very close to alpine green. My only problem was that our hobby store (Hobby Lobby) has a very limited supply of anything. So I just headed to the local auto parts store and there it was, alpine green engine enamel. I guess that's just what happens in small towns haha

[Jim B]

Testors Model Masters RLM Grun 62 is very close as well.

[Force]

Otherwise you can get a spray can of Detroit Diesel Alpine Green at your local auto parts store.

[Jim B]

Maybe it's just me, but I find the Dupli-Color Detroit Diesel Alpine Green too dark for the older engines.

[TheSDTrucker]

26 minutes ago, Jim B said:

Maybe it's just me, but I find the Dupli-Color Detroit Diesel Alpine Green too dark for the older engines.

That's the one I used, and I do agree that it is quite dark for use on the older engines, especially the early to mid 71 series. 

[TheSDTrucker]

1 hour ago, Force said:

Otherwise you can get a spray can of Detroit Diesel Alpine Green at your local auto parts store.

Haha, that's exactly what I did. I am actually quite impressed with how well it covers the resin, it isn't as thick as I thought it was.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

1 hour ago, Jim B said:

Maybe it's just me, but I find the Dupli-Color Detroit Diesel Alpine Green too dark for the older engines.

When I was a kid my dad gave my brother and I a can of genuine GM Detroit green. You remember the cans that said: "Danger Contains Lead." We painted our toy metal trucks with it. I now have a can of Alpine Green that I have been using for close to twenty years to paint model truck engines produce by Parts Associates. It's not as dark as some of the alpine greens that I've seen, but it is definitely darker or at least less blue than the cans we used as a kid. The odd thing is that in many of the old Detroit advertisements, the engines also appeared to be the darker green. Long story short, I think that after you get some oil on them that most of those greens are close enough for me.

[TheSDTrucker]

1 hour ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

When I was a kid my dad gave my brother and I a can of genuine GM Detroit green. You remember the cans that said: "Danger Contains Lead." We painted our toy metal trucks with it. I now have a can of Alpine Green that I have been using for close to twenty years to paint model truck engines produce by Parts Associates. It's not as dark as some of the alpine greens that I've seen, but it is definitely darker or at least less blue than the cans we used as a kid. The odd thing is that in many of the old Detroit advertisements, the engines also appeared to be the darker green. Long story short, I think that after you get some oil on them that most of those greens are close enough for me.

Haha, as your profile name suggests, they were affectionately known as "Driptroit Diesels" and "Green Leakers" among other names like "Screaming Jimmy" and plain ole "Jimmy". As far as the paint you used as a kid, I do have one guess for the color difference. I may not be an expert, but I bet the lead had something to do with it! Haha

[TheSDTrucker]

As I was viewing some of my research pictures again, I noticed something on the frame above the fuel tank that I've never seen before. I circled it in yellow. Do you guys know what this is?

[DRIPTROIT 71]

That is the cab jack to lift the cab.

[TheSDTrucker]

5 minutes ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

That is the cab jack to lift the cab.

Oh, I see it now. Towards the right is where you would insert a jack handle. How good are these pumps at lifting the cab? Is it a pretty slow or quick process?

[Jim B]

2 hours ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

When I was a kid my dad gave my brother and I a can of genuine GM Detroit green. You remember the cans that said: "Danger Contains Lead." We painted our toy metal trucks with it. I now have a can of Alpine Green that I have been using for close to twenty years to paint model truck engines produce by Parts Associates. It's not as dark as some of the alpine greens that I've seen, but it is definitely darker or at least less blue than the cans we used as a kid. The odd thing is that in many of the old Detroit advertisements, the engines also appeared to be the darker green. Long story short, I think that after you get some oil on them that most of those greens are close enough for me.

And color photography in the 1970s wasn't all that great, either.  I've seen photos of the same aircraft that you'd sware that they were different aircraft because of the color differences in the photographs.

[TheSDTrucker]

1 minute ago, Jim B said:

And color photography in the 1970s wasn't all that great, either.  I've seen photos of the same aircraft that you'd sware that they were different aircraft because of the color differences in the photographs.

That is true. I can't say much because I was born into the age of digital technology, but I do agree that older pictures don't have the best color quality.

[DRIPTROIT 71]

43 minutes ago, TheSDTrucker said:

Oh, I see it now. Towards the right is where you would insert a jack handle. How good are these pumps at lifting the cab? Is it a pretty slow or quick process?

Not sure on these. An 1983 model was made very similar and they worked pretty well. Not terribly fast or slow if I remember correctly. I could jack a cab up at 13 with no problem, of course I had to slide in between the tank and quarter fender.

[TheSDTrucker]

10 minutes ago, DRIPTROIT 71 said:

Not sure on these. An 1983 model was made very similar and they worked pretty well. Not terribly fast or slow if I remember correctly. I could jack a cab up at 13 with no problem, of course I had to slide in between the tank and quarter fender.

Didn't the Freightliner cabs tilt out to a 90 degree angle? And how would you lower the cabs after you were done with any servicing you needed to do?

[DRIPTROIT 71]

19 minutes ago, TheSDTrucker said:

Didn't the Freightliner cabs tilt out to a 90 degree angle? And how would you lower the cabs after you were done with any servicing you needed to do?

Around half way (45 degrees) up on an 83 there is a safety catch. that was usually as high as we lifted them. Freightliner cabs were "supposed to tilt 90 degrees, but the times that we tried the cab would try to fall. My dad would run safety chains to the ladders to keep the cab from falling.

They have a release like a regular hydraulic jack.

IMG_7222 by Brian Smith, on Flickr

IMG_7221 by Brian Smith, on Flickr

IMG_7220 by Brian Smith, on Flickr

[Muncie]

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 12:43 PM, TheSDTrucker said:

didn't the Freightliner cabs tilt out to a 90 degree angle? And how would you lower the cabs after you were done with any servicing you needed to do?

Freightliner claimed the only "clyclomatic" dual action cab tilt pump.  The pump worked when the handle was moved in both directions so it actually tilted the can fairly quickly - like Brain said, not terribly fast or slow.   Once you got past 45 degrees, the weight of the cab would finish the tilt. There is a small valve, the thing sticking out with a crosspin above the cyclomatic valve, that controls up or down.

The horizontal location in the photo is more correct than the vertical position in the AMT kit. But it needs to be far enough ahead of a fuel tank bracket so the tilt pump handle doesn't hit the fuel tank brkt. 

Edited January 21, 2018 by Muncie

[vincen47]

This is a really great thread, lots of very detailed and useful information. No one has mentioned it so far in this thread, but if I remember correctly, the AMT kit’s headlights are too high up on the cab. I haven’t located the thread, but I think some people have corrected that error on their models.

[Jim B]

I seem to remember that, too.