Custom Peterbuilt Wrecker, Kenworth Conversion

[Romell R]

Hey fellas I just wanted to add this here as its already in "On the Workbench".This is my first Semi since i was a kid the plans are to build a heavy hauler with full working lights and full details. Im starting with the Revelle of Germanys Peterbuild Wrecker, Im a Kenworth man so I bought a T-800 cab and hood conversion this will give me a more modern truck and will require me to move the front suspension back 7 scale inches(or 7mm). This will be a multimedia build I will do some modifing and some scratch building, I have also purchased some products to enhance the out come. Anyway Nuff said enjoy the pics.

I started with this....

im outta my realm with this one so this will be the first time in 20 years that ive used the instructions (this is good too cause the instruction book is 35 pages long)....

here you see the cab that comes with the kit, and the resin cab and hood I purchased.....

some of the goodie I bought....

Here I have the front suspension moved back 7 scale inches

Man! look at how long this frame is...

This is the bracket that holds the power steering unit I had to remove it from another frame to replace the one I had to destory when moving the suspension back.

Edited October 14, 2010 by Aftashox

[Romell R]

Here you see the bracket has been removed and ready to be filed down....

and here its been relocated.....

AHHHH the wheels are in the right place

these wheels require that you put the lug nuts on.....

here a pic of the finish chassis almost ready for painting, I figured I'd put it all tigether because it all painted black

[Romell R]

Well I decieded that if I was gonna build a more modern Kenworth I have to make some changes right off the bat, so in this installment I was able to modifiy (not scratch build) the cab and sleeper. The resin cab i bought fell short of being Kenworth correct so follow along as I make some corrections......enjoy

this is the resin cab as it came....the windows are wrong and the cab hieght is also wrong so we'll fix that now....

here the window has been corrected , I removed the post in the window and I also reshaped it i also added 5 scale inches to the bottom of the cab. Not quit done yet but its better

the front window had a seperator in the middle also so i removed it , here I have the sleeper that came with the kit ready to be modified

This section had to be cut out because the more modern sleepers are intergrated onto the cab.....

See where Im going???

Edited August 31, 2010 by Aftashox

[Romell R]

Heres where the fun starts I need to reshape the roof of the cab and the sleeper so they are more in line with a modern cab/sleeper please dont laugh ....well feel free to laugh I did when i looked at what I was doin LOL! enjoy

This is how I went about getting the shape I need.

ok laugh now while you have the chance....

I know you guys are like what the heck is he doing!!!???....

Ok you can stop laughing now! LOL its starting to come together....

Heres another small update.....the wheels dont fit the kit spindles so I had to make brass fittings for them.....enjoy

Stay tunned to the Pro Modlers Channel for more to come....

[Romell R]

Ok Fellas heres the next installment remember I said I wanted to model a more modern wrecker?? with a body like this one

but the kit is like this.....

notice the wrecker I want to model has a longer rear end that has two large doors and about a foot of space between them. So guess what my next mission is? you guessed it I need to scratch build that extra door and space, and at the same time I have to strech the frame. alrighty then! heres what i have done so far.....enjoy!

I decieded the easiest way to do this was to copy the section for the big door directly from the instruction sheet. So i pulled out a sheet of styrene and traced the parts from the tree and made a whole extra set.

new parts from styrene.....

Now what I did was put the first box together using kit parts and one of the sides i made so that the kit side could still connect to the wrecker rear.

heres the two seperate door boxes, one scratch built and the other kit build or kit modified.....

once the two boxes were built I had to connect them as one piece with a scale 12inch center piece....

heres what it looks like connected to the wrecker rear.....

[Romell R]

OK well i added about 49 scale inches to the wrecker body so that meant i had to add 49scale inches to the chassis so i cut the frame in half and grafted in 49 scale inches of frame from the extra frame that came with the kit....enjoy

Stay Tuned for more to come...

[Romell R]

Hey fellas Im back with another installment of the MAD MODELLER!!!! LOL! anyway as you know Ive been working on the rear of the wrecker I opened up all the storage compartments and lined them with coragated steele and I made some doors I just have to figure out the best way to go about hinging em. And I added another 6 scale inches to the overall length of the truck body which means i have to add another 6scale inches to the chassis (thats what happens boys and girls when you dont do your math homework) well I hope you enjoy the photos....

heres one of the kit compartment doors and the doors i made on the second pic...

here i cut all the compartment doors out....

as you can see the doors are raised so all had to be smoothed out or sanded down....

here I started to add the coragated steele to the boxes

And heres a mockup for ya enjoy......

[Romell R]

Just wanted to show you this 50% mockup enjoy.............

[Romell R]

Well i decieded i was gonna go ahead and add another steer axel to the project so while im waitin on supplys I figured I'd try to get the wrecker body done. I added side pieces to build up the sides and make it look a lil closer to the truck I was modeling it after. In the process I fixed any pits or dents or just bad sctrach building LOL! Its in primer now but I still have few small things to do before I can put it on the done list.

here I have added the side pieces and putty to fill any gaps....

I was also able to complete the compartment just forward of the wheel wells...

In primer so i can see where I need to work next.....

Please stay tuned for more to come.

[Romell R]

Hey fellas heres a quick update I cut the doors off the cab and added the sleeper passage to the back of the cab. Once the doors were off I added a small strip of styrene to close up the gap and make em air tight again enjoy.....

[Romell R]

I'm really enjoying watching this come together. You are a very versatile builder... shiny, dingy... supersized...

Hey thx Rick and youre correct on one point I am a lil dingy for even attempting this build LOL! thx for the compliment bro!

herea a small update fellas I added the door trim to the cab because it wasnt very defined in the resin. I used Evergreen styrene strips to handle this job...

you probably cant see it but the strip is added here and goes around the door its just a subtle detail

heres the cab in primer

[cowboysevens]

for as much work as you have to do to get where your goin with this biuld you sure are movin right along!! lookin good so far, wow what alot of custom work. gonna be one heck of a tow rig when she's done.

dennis

p.s. my 66'GT350 stang enjoys straitning out "ties" before sitting down for a bowl of rice!! hee hee lol

[Mr. Moparman]

Ah I see you want Joey's Mistress. Great KW!

[Jim B]

That's looking really nice. The GW Trucks cab that you have is pretty good. I'm pretty sure that it's a copy of the Revell USA Kenworth W900 Aerodyne cab. I like the daylight doors the you made. I'm not brave enough to hack my GW Trucks W900S conversion for daylight doors (and that's exactly what it would be: hacking! )

[Romell R]

p.s. my 66'GT350 stang enjoys straitning out "ties" before sitting down for a bowl of rice!! hee hee lol

Thx Dennis for the compliment on the build, but you would only give your 66' GT350 a serious complex by pitting it up against my Chevelle let me provide you with a lil insight as to the beast that lurks within....

[cowboysevens]

Thx Dennis for the compliment on the build, but you would only give your 66' GT350 a serious complex by pitting it up against my Chevelle let me provide you with a lil insight as to the beast that lurks within....

wow i really like that hi rise!!! ive never seen one like that, but in the state that chevels in right now i wouldnt even have to start the great blue oval up, id just need my flip flops on!! lol , just kiddin round with ya. my stang is out in madera ca right now, maybe when i go to pick it up and bring it home we can get together and go show off in sac town or reno. it will be a while caus ei still havent got electricity or concrete in my shop here yet!! you are into some great biulds and i cant wait to see both of them when they are done.

dennis

[Romell R]

wow i really like that hi rise!!! ive never seen one like that, but in the state that chevels in right now i wouldnt even have to start the great blue oval up, id just need my flip flops on!! lol , just kiddin round with ya. my stang is out in madera ca right now, maybe when i go to pick it up and bring it home we can get together and go show off in sac town or reno. it will be a while caus ei still havent got electricity or concrete in my shop here yet!! you are into some great biulds and i cant wait to see both of them when they are done.

dennis

Hey Dennis that would be kool with me let me know when youre out this way....Oh and the chevelle is in alot better condition these days that pic was taken right before it went to the body shop. LOL! take care and talk to ya later. Romell

[The Modeling Hermit]

Thanks for the progress pictures. That's an impressive build.

[QCDOC]

Looking good...have you figured out the hinges yet?

[Romell R]

Looking good...have you figured out the hinges yet?

yeah I'll be making wire and tube hinges for all the doors on the wrecker body, but I'll use the kit hinges for the cab doors or I'll uae em as a patteren to make them from aluminum.

[MoparWoman Jamie]

Looking very very good Romell! Sorry I haven't posted sooner, been busy and trying to take care of things in life recently is all (that's why I haven't posted much for). I'm just now getting caught up on your build progress here and love what I am seeing so far man. Maybe you might know, the answer to this question, what re the small led lights called in the windstream 4300 ethernet modem? I heard that was no bigger then a cloth pin shaft in size.. and that they are really bright.

[Romell R]

Looking very very good Romell! Sorry I haven't posted sooner, been busy and trying to take care of things in life recently is all (that's why I haven't posted much for). I'm just now getting caught up on your build progress here and love what I am seeing so far man. Maybe you might know, the answer to this question, what re the small led lights called in the windstream 4300 ethernet modem? I heard that was no bigger then a cloth pin shaft in size.. and that they are really bright.

Hey Jim I have no idea what any of em are called. When I go to my supplier I just look at all the differant kinds and pick what i need. I know what they do and how to hook em up. As far as what you call em....you got me LOL!

Edited September 1, 2010 by Aftashox

[mountaindewd]

LED's? Light Emitting Diode

Edited September 1, 2010 by mountaindewd

[Romell R]

LED's? Light Emitting Diode

Thx but we know what LED stands for....he just wants to know what type a certain one is.

[Blake Rogers]

i love what am seeing romell keep it up buddy