redneckrigger

My bad........................it is actually a B83SX, not 87. Fat fingers, bad eyes, and an addled mind..................!

THAT is SUPERB!!!

The AITM cab does not have the surround line around the windshield and the rear window that delineates the rubber gasket. And I do NOT have the steady hand to scribe it into place. So, I devised a tiny tool to run around the inside perimeter of the window opening to make a consistent rubber gasket groove. Worked perfectly! Made it from a piece of sheet metal with a hack saw and a file. Woke up at three in the morning thinking about it and the miracle is I remembered it when I got up! Before and after photos of the windows are shown as well as the tool. Will cut the grooves around the inside later to install the glass, with a Dremel tool.

Yup, mine originally had a weed burner exhaust on it, and originally had a 6V53. The previous owner used it to haul crane counterweights and crammed a 6V92T with jakes into it. Was a screamer. The weed burner used to drive me crazy when I was running the rollback body so I changed it to a vertical straight pipe. Just a LITTLE loud! My wife could hear me coming up the mountain from over five miles away! Miss that old noisemaker! Sold it when I closed my garage to a local company who grenaded the engine about a month later. Timing is everything!

Thanks, it is a tough fit, but not a problem...............that's what they make Evergreen tubing and bondo for! LOL!. I got this one a LONG time ago, and it appears to be a copy of the Auslowe version. Has a few fit issues, but no problem. I usually build stuff looking like it just left the paint shop, but this one is going to be weathered, so that alone will hide some flaws!

Decided to use a Ford Louisville dashboard to convert to the GMC model. Cut it down, reshaped, and will redo the gauges after it dries.

Finished thinning the hood and trimmed the cab to hood surface. Cut the doghouse into the floor pan and assembled the engine. Thinned the grille to open up the cooling holes and converted a parts box bumper to fit. One step at a time!

Am going to make the correct dash and use the four light grille as that is what mine was. Got the nose cut off tonite and thinning started. VERY thick resin on this one! The roll back body was all steel with a diamond plate surface. Will be trying to duplicate the whole thing as best as I can. I have to search through a bunch of old floppy disks to see if I have any photos left. Hoping I do!

Time to start a new project. This will be a GMC 9500 with a 22' equipment body. I had a 1980 version of this back in the mid 90's that served me well. Unfortunately no photos of her can be found so this is a by-memory build! It starts with an AITM cab kit. It will use a set of frame rails and suspension from the parts box. It will have a Detroit 6V92 engine and a 5x2 driveline. I am changing the resin cab hood from a butterfly to a tilt and am going to cut it open to hinge it. Thought about doing this for the BRBO but at the speed I build at I wouldn't see it done in time for NEXT years buildoff!

1973 GTO, 1973 Grand Am, 1950's Willys pickup or station wagon, Jeep FC series kit, Fageol Twin Coach, GM Scenicruiser bus, Mack B61, Mack B81, all of the above in 1/25th styrene.

The above posters are correct, it's done with an assist from some lifting equipment or with a tractor that is equipped with a winch, and a tapered tail on the tractor to allow it to smoothly run up to the fifth wheel. The company I used to work for had a similar lowboy that they pulled with a tractor that had height adjustable rear suspension and they would lower the front of the trailer onto blocks, then pull away from it. Only problem was that if that tractor wasn't used the next time, they had to raise it or winch it.

Nice work, and a great use of the high top add on! Looks superb!

Finally brought this one to the finish line tonight. This is an old Jim Etter MTFA B81 resin cab with a lot of modifications, (built as a B83SX.....heavy spec with V8). I cut open the hood, chopped off the resin fenders and replaced them with modified front fenders from an MPC DM 800. I put it all on a DM 800 frame with the Mack single turbo V8 engine. I added an auxiliary transmission, a hydraulic powered winch from Moluminum, a set of old Mark Savage resin tires on Moluminum wheels, and put it all together with a bunch of modifications like a narrowed spread on the rears, a narrowed track on the front axle, and DM 800 chrome trim on the hood for the Mack and V8 emblems, along with a LOT of bits and pieces from the parts box. At the same time I was building this, I was also working on a scratch built removable gooseneck lowboy, also shown in the last pictures of this build. The two were built to be a matched set of hauling power for the various pieces of equipment owned by my fictional company, Readsboro Heavy Haulers. You can find the build threads for both of these in the "On The Workbench" forum. Am only awaiting arrival of the license plates............................the shop gopher has to get to the RMV to register the two newly restored pieces of the fleet!

This will be the last posting of the Mack here. The next stop will be in Under Glass. Got the rest of the chrome trim on, the lights, rear fenders, air intake and exhaust system, radiator hoses, winch cable and hook and vent windows. Still have to apply license plates, decals, light weathering, radiator support, underwood detail wiring, and go over it to make sure I didn't miss anything. It's about as good as it's going to get!

Nice build! The company I used to work for had a Mack R600 water wagon with a shop built water tank with a side mounted gas powered pump to spread the water out a bar at the rear. We also had an ex oil truck on a Ford LNT800 chassis that used the former PTO oil pump in the rear of the body to do the same. We had just obtained another Mack ex septic tank pumper with a vacuum powered pump to fill the truck, and were installing a gas powered pump to spread the water when I got injured and left the company. That build looks fantastic!

Thanks for the good words............I ALWAYS get carried away with the details! The avatar is a 1978 Yamaha XS-750 E, triple cylinder, shaft drive. I bought it new, and it still sits in my garage, right next to her replacement, a 2000 HD Electra Glide Ultra Classic, Geezer-Glide!

Well, typical for my projects, I had to go backwards a couple of steps. When I first mocked up this build, I used kit wheels and the stock DM800 front axle width was fine. Knowing that these axles are usually too wide, it seemed okay. However once I put the front tires in with the Moluminum wheels, which had a bit more offset, the tires stuck out way beyond the edge of the front fenders. So, back into the shop where the mechanics removed the front axle and shortened it by 3/8" and reinstalled it. Back to the finish shop, and she is back on schedule! Got the chrome hood trim all added, the horns, the mirrors, grille guard, wipers, and the headlights and marker lights. Have to install the vent windows yet , taillights and suzies. Still making up my mind about what kind of air cleaner to equip her with. Think shes looking pretty good!

Wow............I WISH! The loader is a Preiser G Scale railroad item, the shovel is by SpecCast, the Cat and the crusty Alice are First Gear. Have a bunch more too!

I've only got the shovel. I have seen the backhoe and the dragline and plan on getting them as well. I also saw a salvage crane with magnet, grapple etc. that should be added to my list. Did they make just a crane also?

Gregg, hope that stimulator works well for you. I have had two versions of that, the first one about 15 years ago, and then an updated one about 9 years ago. It is pretty much worn out now, the battery won't hold a charge. But, it worked GREAT, and I am just waiting for the insurance company to get off their duff to approve another update. Good luck sir! Pain sucks!

Only have the one Bantam, should get the crane and the backhoe one of these days! The orange dozer is a First Gear Allis Chalmers cable dozer. I also have a small IH dozer by Spec Cast, and a Cat D9 cable dozer by First Gear for ACMOC (Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owner's Club), and all of the farm tractors by ERTL as well as the JD310 backhoe. Never have enough!

Had what news channels would have us believe was the storm of the century this weekend..............was a flash in the pan, as we only got about 24" of snow. Where I live a blizzard is 40-50". Guess they must be sponsored by the super markets! BUT, the good part is that I decided to put some serious build time in on my B815 Mack. So, I finished up the interior, installed the glass, installed the wheels and tires, got all of the chrome trim coated with Molotow Chrome, painted the radiator shutters, fitted the rear fenders, finished all of the wiring and plumbing, installed the interior, and decided to answer all the questions about whether I had a load for my newly completed lowboy. Yup, we do. Readsboro Heavy Haulers is an old company that has been around for over 50 years, so we have lots of old iron sitting around. Here are photos of some of it................still have lots more! Still have to install all of the chrome trim and mirrors, the suzie lines for the air, the wet line hoses, front fender flares, paint the rear fenders and install them, install all of the lights, intake air filter and ducts, exhaust system, and various other fine details. But, got a lot done, and can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

I wish I could take all of the credit for this build. But, I found the started build on eBay years ago, and have no idea who started it. He or she did awesome work. I only hope to complete it with the same level of quality!

Having finished the lowboy shown elsewhere in "Under Glass", I had this one just sitting around waiting to be finished.......................so, here goes. I found this one on eBay several years ago, in semi finished condition. I dubbed around with it but seemed to focus on the other one instead. So this one is back underway. I have no idea who started this build, as it was for sale for a while online. I am now adding the operable pieces, such as the stinger, the hydraulics in the gooseneck and the trapdoor. This one will not be run from a wetline, but will have a self contained powerpack......(at THIS point, until I change my mind!). It has a very nice built in curvature to the deck. I added the twin cylinders in the neck tonite. Will keep photos coming!