Chariots of Fire Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Finally got some work done on the Sterling. It took some fiddling to get the height right. Working with just photos is a bit more difficult than being able to adjust from actual measurements in the field. But we're getting there. The original cab casting had about 1/4" more material under the hood and doors. I cut that away the way that many of the trucks show in photos. Thinking of removing the hood and making it out of brass sheet with opening louvers. Probably the cab doors will open as well. The frame is from a stash kit but the back end needs to be cut off for a dump version. The springs are from an AMT ALF kit with the back ones modified with some helpers. The front axle is from a similar kit but has working knuckles with the aid of brass tubing. Tie rod and steering linkage still to come. The jackshaft is from the Mack AC kit. Sprockets and chains are from Micro-Mark. Wheels are from the AMT ALF kit and the tires are resin castings to a scale 41" diameter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutzie Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 Another great looking project Charles! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted June 15, 2020 Author Share Posted June 15, 2020 Got a bit more done on the frame and axle setup. Slack adjusters were added to the rear axle and the front axle now is steerable and the tie rod is set in place. I used a lot of little screws to put the brass parts together against plastic. Pretty solid. When it is ready for final assembly I will superglue the brass to plastic as well as the screws. But for the number of times I've taken things apart for fitting, the glue is on hold for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 WOW!!! Amazing work as always! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted June 30, 2020 Author Share Posted June 30, 2020 Progress has been slow on this one. LIttle things just seemed to get in the way. But we move on. The hood was cut clear of the radiator and cowl so that opening hood sides could be made of brass. The engine is basically done and represents a Waukesha 6 cylinder gas engine of the period. Now the cab and radiator have to be set with some locator pins for final fit of the hood sides. Fan belt pulleys are turned aluminum. A piece of electrical tape sliced into a thin strip can be wound around like a belt. The engine is painted and wired. The basic hood sides have been formed with a small piano hinge connecting the top pieces to the side pieces. A small brass tube was soldered to the opposite side of the top pieces and a stainless rod slides through into holes in the radiator and cowl. I painted the fenders with primer and then some Duplicolor general purpose green. But it took forever to set up. So I need to take a trip to the auto parts store and get some Duplicolor automotive paint. Much better to use. Hood sides have the louvers in place and the Sterling name plate above. Once painted a decal will be made up for the name plate using black and silver. We'll see how Molotow chrome works on the top of the radiator shell. The fenders have now been sanded down getting rid of the bad and rough glossy look. New paint should be a lot better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMuscleFan Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 I do love what you're doing sir! A real feast for the eyes and a good therapy for the well built and highly detailed models lovers... Another masterful build in the making!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorincebu Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 Charles , this is an interesting project ! Where did you source the drive chain and sprokets ? I could use some like that> Be Well Gator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, gatorincebu said: Charles , this is an interesting project ! Where did you source the drive chain and sprokets ? I could use some like that> Be Well Gator Got the chain and sprockets from Micro-mark. I used the #8 and #20 sprockets that have a 1/8" diameter center hole. Makes attaching to an axle real easy. The chain only is sold in 12" lengths but it comes apart easy and can go back to any length you want. Edited July 1, 2020 by Chariots of Fire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flynlo Posted July 1, 2020 Share Posted July 1, 2020 Outstanding work as always Charles. I love watching your builds come together and learn from each one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 1, 2020 Author Share Posted July 1, 2020 Thanks, Tim. We'll keep it moving! Right now I'm working on replacing the resin front bumper with one made of brass. The resin one does not have the curved ends like the ones I see in the Sterling Photos. More postings to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HJK Posted July 2, 2020 Share Posted July 2, 2020 Charles, it's always amazing to see your builds become true. It's really inspiring. May I ask what size the Micro-Mark chain is? I mean the pitch and width of the chain. Is it my bad eyes or does the chain seem a tad beefy? And my other question is about the Waukesha engine. Is it a resin-cast set of parts? Can one get it on the aftermarket? Or did you choose parts from different engine kits and sanded it together? I'm excited to see the update regarding the brass bumper. Thanks very much. Juergen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted July 2, 2020 You are right, Juergen. The chain is a bit hefty but it's all they have. Each link measures about 3.5mm in length and is about 4mm wide to the outside of the pins that hold each link together. It is much larger than what is in the kit for the Monogram Mack AC but I think it is more realistic and would be beefier than the AC anyway. No resin cast parts on the Waukesha. The block and oil pan were from a Peterbilt kit. The exhaust manifold is from the Mack AC (actually 2 of them glued back to back). The rest is plastic tubing, aluminum turnings for the fan belt pulleys and some craft wire. Fan is from one of the American LaFrance fire truck kits. The brass bumper is done. I just have to let the primer dry and I'll take some photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 2, 2020 Author Share Posted July 2, 2020 Here's the truck with the brass bumper attached. it is made of 3 pieces of flat stock soldered together with a bracket on each side behind that "bolts" to the sides of the frame.to the sides of the frame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 3, 2020 Author Share Posted July 3, 2020 And here's one with the headlights mounted. The AITM headlights are solid resin castings so I opted to cast some open ones from a previous build that had the same buckets and insert some clear lenses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HJK Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 Charles, thank you for the info. Although the Micro-Mark chain is probably nearly double the size of the Mack AC chain it doesn't look like it. I agree with you that the chain of the Mack kit is a bit too small. I thought about creating a chain on my own but being an older person the eyes aren't that keen any more and the size of my fingertips and their sensitivity sometimes refuse to follow the building wishes. Well, anyway. The bumper and the headlight buckets look really good. Casting parts is also something I still want to learn. The Waukesha engine looks gorgeous, although probably the parts from the other kits aren't identical with the corresponding parts of the Waukesha engine. Please don't feel insulted, you shouldn't take it as criticism, I would be happy if I could create the things you always surprise us with. In the end you have to take into account that I'm a kraut and that is lifetime burden itself. Thanks again for your answer. As always I definitely will follow your build. Juergen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermann Kersten Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 Very nice progress, i like the little details like the hood sides that can be opened and the modification of the axles. The open headlights with inserted clear lenses will be look more convincing imo then the solid ones. Hermann. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 3, 2020 Author Share Posted July 3, 2020 Right, again. Juergen: The parts are not identical to the real thing on the engine. Most of it will not be seen well anyway when the engine is installed in the chassis. Open the hood on any vehicle and we see mostly what is near the top. So I tried to make the top of the engine look close. We are not ever looking to reproduce in miniature the exact thing that is full size. If we could do that I would make the key that starts the engine!? So we look to make the eye see things that look right with clean building, some color, various shapes and sizes of materials and a weathering effect that brings out details. Military builders have mastered this part of building quite well I think. So to make a long story short do not feel that you are being critical. Not taken that way at all. Now I am working on cutting the doors open. Lots of scribing and sawing to get them separated from the rest of the cab. The effect will eventually be worth the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuces ll Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 4, 2020 Author Share Posted July 4, 2020 After a lot of scribing and cutting the doors came free and I had just enough of the piano hinge left over to do the hinges for each door. Unlike most trucks of the period that used butt hinges, the Sterling used a continuous piano hinge on its doors. CA was used to tack the hinge pieces in place. Then the holes in the hinges were drilled through and small brass nails were set in place. On one side the nail heads were filed down nearly flat so that the two sides would not bind. Fit was pretty good and only needed a bit of trimming and adding a strip of Evergreen to get back an even opening. Only the upper leading edge of the door and the upper edges needed a strip of plastic to close up the opening on the driver's side. The other side needed no shimming at all. ?!! The shim stock is hardly visible but will likely need a small amount of putty to clean up the edge. The piano hinge from the inside of the door jamb. The door edge is similar. I can still remove the pin in the hinge to take off each door for primer and paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim B Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 Great looking Sterling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deuces ll Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dutzie Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Great work Charles! You all definitely push me to do better on my builds. I can’t thank you all enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 5, 2020 Author Share Posted July 5, 2020 There comes a time when it is just time to paint! So piece by piece things are getting some color. The engine is now set in place and the fenders are set permanently. The radiator is in place but only temporarily. Paint needs to set a bit more so I can use some Novus on it and polish it up some. Windshield pieces and rear window are ready to go in as soon as the cab is painted. I added the fire wall from a Pete kit. It fit almost perfectly and perfectly and needed only slight adjustment along the sides and upper corners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gatorincebu Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 On 7/1/2020 at 10:38 PM, Chariots of Fire said: Got the chain and sprockets from Micro-mark. I used the #8 and #20 sprockets that have a 1/8" diameter center hole. Makes attaching to an axle real easy. The chain only is sold in 12" lengths but it comes apart easy and can go back to any length you want. Thank you for sharing that info . Much appreciated ! Be Well Gator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chariots of Fire Posted July 9, 2020 Author Share Posted July 9, 2020 made some real progress in the last day or two. It seems that once you get to a certain point in a build it comes together quickly. So here we are as of the end of the work session today. Still the body to build that is for another day.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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