Superpeterbilt

Nice work

Here is an idea Ive been tossing around for awhile, A hot rod old school Peterbilt. Inspired by some 1:1 builds that were more of a street rod with a Pete cab, I wanted something that more resembles a truck. I used most of an AMT Calofornia Hauler kit with an IH walking beam suspension made functional because of the drastic drop of the front end. I chose a walking beam so the chassis would lean down toward the front without having to modify an airbag suspension. I made a custom drop axle for the front, and modified the front leafs to lower it down. I narrowed the 359 grill to fit around a Paystar radiator with a custom fan shroud. The truck has a Cummins 250, and the hood top is made from a Diamond Reo hood. The hood sides are styrene sheet. The cab is a Jimmy Flinstone with the kit stacks and ac unit. It will also get a Farr air cleaner from the DR kit. I used the kit rims with revell tires. The paint will be the CH box art. Showing the chassis angle Drop axle

Lookin great!

Thanks guys. Im going to order some resin six spoke 11 X24 rears from AITM, and that should get it looking correct. Thanks for the positive feedback.

Small update on the Autocar: I started working on the mixer drum. The truck in the photo has a chain driven drum, so I will be replicating that. I found some 3d printed scale roller chain and sprockets on McMasterCarrs website that I will be trying out. Ive used Tamiya scale motorcycle chain in the past, but I want to see how this stuff will work. For now I have ot sitting on some resin wheels that I took from another Autocar project until I order the ones for this. They wont be as big as the wheels in the pic. I have to say, with both front and rear susp functional, this truck stabilizes itself nicely.

My 10 year old cousin Ben has been wanting to build models since he came to our local model club show. I bought him a few snap kits, first a Pete 352, and then a 1/25 KW if he did well on the Pete. I helped him along since this was his first, but he did most of the work. I tought him to sand off all of the part seams, sand the tire tread, and how to test fit everything and cut off locating pins if the parts dont align. This is a snap kit, but we glued it all together just to assure tight fitting parts, and no gaps etc. We did this in a few hours, and there is still a little more detail work that Im going to do with him when he comes back to visit, like darkening the grill, painting the roof lights amber, etc. The lowboy isma new ray 1/32 that we painted to match the truck. I told him I would post it here and he was very excited.

I guess I need to check my local Hobb Lobb and see if they have em!

Dude, did you buy a store?

Sure man, Id like to see them.

The water well in his town dried up and they were having to truck in water. They had to relocate, after they had just moved there. Im sure he will be back once he gets set up again.

Cool deal. Thanks for the info Ed. This is why I love modeling. There is just so much to get into.

It would work, it just wouldnt be anything like the frame in the tractor kit. Ive built a tractor using the shorthauler kit. I just made it a single axle,shortened it, and added a 5th wheel.I should have angled the rails at the tail, but I may eventually. This is an old build.

I was looking at those as well. The MK8 only had a few mins left when I spotted it, and it was cheap so I threw a bid and got lucky.Ill be grabbing a M8B as well.

Thanks Bill and JC, that really helps me understand the diff versions. I know this isnt a GT 40, but while hunting one I scored this kit for a great deal. Im really getting into these type of cars and At the prices I normally spend on truck models, I can get way more cars!

That looks like a great kit, thanks for the info. What MK would this represent? MK II, MK IV?

Thanks for posting this. I just read most of it and I think I know where to start.

Thanks Brian

Thanks a lot Bill, I was looking at the Fujimi. It looked like a good kit to me. I appreciate it. Wasnt trying to start a new one, just looking for a lil,help. Thanks!

Hey guys, can anyone recommend a Ford GT 40 kit based on accuracy, detail, buildability, etc? Im a truck builder with a small collection of muscle cars and super cars. Ive been wanting a GT 40 and saw a that there are several versions available. Any info on which ones a great or which are terrible would be greatly appreciated.,

Wow! What an amazing build. Ive been a machinist for 15 years, and this blows me away. You are a true craftsman. Excellent work.

Youve outdone yourself on this one Dan. This is a top notch build for sure. I cant say enough good things about it.

This hits it on the head for me. I consider myself a collector in the sense that I have a ton of kits, but they will all be built. I approach a build as if Im building the real thing. I love doing research on a truck and planning out a build. I love challenging myself to get better, only because I enjoy that. Some trucks I build with the hood glued shut, but theres still a motor in there. I collect lots of reference materials because part of what I enjoy about trucks is the engineering that goes into them.I dont build any show pony Peterbilts, but I will build plenty of ugly iron Autocars. I have defintely "advanced" since I started building, but Im not going to rate myself as a builder. I have fun, and I love doing it. I love when another builder raises the bar and makes me want to try that detail on my own build. My down fall is I only finish about 5% of what I start, but Im ok with that. I can always come back to them later. The only thing that matters is that we are each happy with our own builds, and some other peoples builds! Theres a few trucks on this forum that I wouldnt mind having!

Just a tip on the GGMC generals, the cab sits too high out of the box, which causes the hood to be angled. The cab mounts need to be filed down to get it all evened out, test fitting is your friend. On the Ford, the snowplow/dump truck and tractor are the same frame. The short hauler kit has completely different shaped framerails. They are taller and longer than the others. I will try to pull one out and snap a pic of the rails.

The pic under the cab is a pic of a model built with the cab. They are exactly the same cab

Thanks for addidng the new pics. I like it even more now!