redneckrigger

Aw man, Jeff, did ya REALLY have to post that photo???? THAT looks very interesting! Maybe time to hunt down some manuals.............................!

Yellow, finally! Lots of assembly and details to attend to, but looks good!

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My SOP is to get the manual for ANY of the off the wall builds I attempt first............both operator's and parts manuals. They are priceless when trying to do something like this. I also try to find a real one to photograph and measure. And, by the way, I LOVE your engines and your dioramas....................something I have always wanted to attempt, but just have not pulled the trigger on yet.

The five ton military truck would be another real big project, though my inspiration is Charlie Rowley, (Chariots Of Fire), who made a beautiful brush fire truck build of one. I had an M54 for years, and parted ways with it when I closed my garage. It was a VERY handy truck that was just about indispensable around the shop. I have one of the old Renwal/Revell ones in 1/32 scale that could be scaled up rather easily, but, haven't made up my mind what will be next! Gotta get the yellow onto this old girl first!

The only problem with getting NEAR the end on this one is deciding what's next! Finishing a build that has stalled, or something new???!!! Got the Eager Beaver detachable neck lowboy to finish, a paver that is just a few manuals and dreams, an M52 five ton military truck, or any one of a dozen other dreams in progress! Perish the thought, but out of the box has become boring!

Ha! Don't do that.......your work is an inspiration to me!

Yup, and believe me, I seriously had second thoughts when I decided to try them! They surely gave my arthritic fingers a challenge, but, they came out well enough to at least be recognized as what they are supposed to be! Thanks!

Welcome to the forums, Bill. This is a great hobby, and the beautiful part of it is, that you don't have to please anyone but yourself. I build all kinds of stuff, and sometimes spend LOTS of time at the bench, and then go a couple months with no time at all spent. My builds are only to please myself. I like sharing my builds and experiences and ideas with others, but at the end of the day, only one person has to be happy with my efforts................me. Enjoy the forums, and the superb company found here!

Very nice work so far! The day cab is more interesting to me than the more commonly seen sleeper. Keep the photos coming!

PRIMER!!!!!!

Of course, there's always that one more detail to add..........gotta keep the lowlifes out of the tool boxes! Hasps and locks. A true test of patience! Add a couple steps and a drip edge on the cab and a boom angle indicator and I THINK I've got all of the details done!

Ready for primer and paint!!!

Spent some time adding details. Added grab handles to the cab, hinges and handles to the fuel tank and battery access lids, installed the engine, added fuel lines, coolant hoses, fan and shroud, radiator cap, air filter, door stops, mirror brackets, head and tail lights, made the exhaust system, (the muffler Is not hollow, but it's filled with a clear lucite rod to make it solid.....it just is an illusion), cable retainers on top of the boom, LOTS of nuts and bolt details to the axles, turntable, swing gearbox and everywhere else that looked naked, hook travel tie down, hydraulic and fuel tank drain covers, hydraulic fill cap, and a LOT done on the punch list! Getting VERY close to paint now! There will be a LOT of subassemblies to paint separately then a lot of assembly time but the light at the end of the tunnel is actually visible! Guess it's time to mix some Galion yellow paint!

Attached the gaskets to the cab......will paint them after the cab gets painted. Looks decent so far!

Thanks Charlie! I am going to experiment to see which one my shaky hands can handle but it does look like attaching them before paint and them blacking them later is the way to go.

Nice build Mike! Yup, detailitis is definitely a disease!

Nicely done Mike! Got any more photos of that build? Looks great!

Finished making the window gaskets. Now I have to see if I trust my painting abilities with a tiny brush so I can attach them before I paint the cab and then paint them black later. I feel a lot better about attaching them that way, but my hands shake so bad.....!!?? Also hinged the cab doors and started the latches. The farther I get with this the tinier the parts get!

Started making the window gaskets tonight. Got three of the seven done which is about all my hands can take in one session, but they are exactly what I hoped for. Charlie, (Chariots Of Fire), gave a great tutorial on how to make them, and I kind of modified the method a bit. I made a template from the window opening on card stock. The I cut it out smaller than the opening, transferred it to .030 styrene, cut the opening, and then cut the whole thing out as a gasket, larger than the template, resulting in a great gasket. I then rounded the edges. I plan on painting the cab, painting the gaskets black and then attaching them with CA cement to the opening, and then attaching the glass from behind. So far so good! This was the part of this build that had me most concerned, but I think it's going to be great. And a TREMENDOUS shoutout of thanks to Charlie!

Man, you keep those guys in your shop BUSY! They do nice work!

Looking great!

There is a drag link to the front axle, shown in one of the previous posts, as it has a mechanical link to the steering wheels. It also has hydraulic steering. The rear axle is either locked or allowed to steer hydraulically. None of the steering cylinders have been installed yet. It can do conventional four wheel steer or crab style steering.

Thanks Dennis......................I used work for a very large construction company and used to run the shop where we rebuilt heavy equipment in the winter time. From rust repairs to dump body rebuilds and complete teardowns and new cabs on Mack trucks to repairing rolled over cranes and everything else in between. The best way I found to make sure everything got done in a timely manner and in order was a punch list. When I ran my own body shop we used the same method. I guess some things just can't be forgotten! And, even better, it works!

Installed the boom swing swivel joint and the hard piped portion of the hydraulics for the winch, winch brake and the crowd cylinders. All the rest of the piping will be flexible hose after paint. On to the cab window gaskets and door hinges and tons of small details seemingly everywhere, and then the power plant details, and wheels and then paint! On a roll now!