Old Albion

Fair comments Ray! The sellers really know what some people will pay. After all they are running a business, probably people into house clearances that sort of thing. I,ve just had a quick look through Ebay and have seen some interesting kits. Prices at the moment quite low with not long to go. We,ll see how they go. Just out of interest the one kit that seems to be in the spot light is the Revell Bill Signs Pete 359. There are quite a number of AMT and Revell Pete 359s for sale and some at very low prices. These are just as good if not better and more versatile. What is it that is so special about the Revell Bill Signs Peterbilt? Its not a kit that appeals to me. I have a number of Pete day cab trucks planned for the future. The AMT and standard Revell 359 kits will be the base kit combined with scratch building and aftermarket parts to produce my own unique truck. Its a war of attrition between the collector and the genuine enthusiast. We just have to hang on in there and be frugal with our hard earned cash. The big Autocar and Payhauler shows that in time all good things come to those who wait. Best Wishes.

Ray, Good to hear from you. Hope you get things sorted soon. Good Luck!

P.S. What will the gross weight of a truck like this be?

Kurt, This is going to be very impressive. Good choice for engine. A Cat Diesel Power decal on the side of the hood with the horses available would look cool. I notice that both Peterbilt and Kenworth seem to prefer Caterpillar engines. They must be good, they certainly sound good. Good Luck with the rest of the build.

Excellent work everyone. The number, type and variation of trucks and trailers is impressive. Its also good to see that there are new releases to look forward to. Yes I was having withdrawl symptoms as well and feel inspired now to get on with another project.

Anthony, My thoughts exactly, it's not the same without Ray's enthusiasm and knowledge. Keeps us all on our toes!! We can only hope no news is good news and Cummins sorted the engine out and Ray and the Old KW are back on the road earning their living.

This is going to be very impressive when its finished. Look forward to future progress photo's. Superb!

Tim, Thanks for the Info. I really like the look of the 383 its so unusual and differant and would certainly be a challenge. I like the look of the 357 looks a bit like the RG Alaskan Hauler. I notice in another discussion about the RG Alaskan hauler its actually closest to a 353 or should be. Was the 353 a 359 with Pit Fenders and butterfly hood or was it a unique truck model on its own? I am looking at my next truck build and thinking of building both the Kenworth and a Peterbilt Alaskan Hauler together as a pair both in the same colour scheme and both as Heavy Haulers with Cummins KTA 600 engines. (My Alaskan hauler will be built as a 353.) After seeing the standards of the builds and the craftsmanship at work on this forum I feel inspired. Thanks Again.

This is a hot topic for discussion. I agree the prices are becoming a little exagerated to say the least. Its noticeable though how many of these kits do not sell. That is the real test. The market determines the price not the seller. I wonder how many of these kits never get built, just put in a cupboard and saved as part of a collection??? The way to beat the dealers is not to buy straight away but wait patiently your time will come. Another way is to saturate the market with kits. A good example of this is the eagerly awaited Autocar re-release. Watch how the prices come down. Look what happened to the ERTL International Payhauler. Interestingly a week or so ago I purchased an original AMT California Pete 359 in Excellent condition. I paid $ 37.00 for it, shipping was $ 12.00 . When the guy went to post it he found out that the postage was more expensive so I sent him an extra $ 9.60 Not bad all the way from California to the UK. As my Mother used to say "We live in hope and die in despair".

Dominique, This looks great. Like the colour, greens and blues are my favourite.

Tim, PS With regards to possible, future builds I was looking through your photo's on your Web Site. One truck that interested me was the one shown below. According to the caption, it was designed by Jim Overmohle, it is a Pete 383 6 X 6 designed in 1966 which was exported to Hawaii. This looks an excellent contender for a future build and certainly one which i am planning in the future. Would this have been a tractor or a straight truck? It has quite a hefty transmission and PTO system what was it designed for? And were any other 383's built? Many Thanks

Tim, Superb! Another great piece of Model Engineering. Certainly different from the average box stock. There's a lot of talk about the price of kits these days and justifiably so!!! When you look at the trucks on this forum and the innovation, ideas, the skill, the craftsmanship it makes you wonder why you would pay some of the ridiculous prices seen. Exceptional Workmanship!! Well Done Tim.

Dave, Try this web site. They do 2 hole steer and drivers. http://www.kitformservices.com/tq.html Parts TQ59 and TQ60

Chris, This is an impressive project a great idea for a truck. Cab Overs appear to be the flavour at the moment (And older classic ones at that). Your Pete is starting to look like the real thing. I had no idea about the differences between the Pacemaker and the Unilite, I'm just glad we have Tim on board with his wealth of enthusiasm, knowledge and expertise to keep us on the straight and narrow path. Look forward to seeing how you progress with it. Good Luck with the Project.

This custom build would look good with the V16 Detroit Diesel installed from the Payhauler kit and built as a Pulling Truck. Nice Paint work.

Ray, Just occured to me. Did the cab tilt on this model of Freightliner? Or was it fixed? The engine is not under the cab but mid way along the frame rails. There for there is no advantage in having the cab tilting. Was there any special removable panels in the cab for access to the radiator hoses fan etc? I can imagine that the weight of the cab with the sleeper on top would have put quite a load on a tilting mechanism if it was fitted. The photo of your mock up looks like some of the old trucks we used to have in the UK. But these would have been straight trucks and some would have pulled a trailer.

Kurt, I'm looking forward to seeing the latest updates on this one. Good Luck!!

Ray, The mock up looks good the sleeper, cab and drom look in proportion, great start!

Kurt, From my own experience Exhaust Pipes and Air Intake pipes from the kits never fit properly without some adjustments. I use as much of the pipe as possible. But to get the right bend angles so the pipes run in the right direction I first take a piece of round plastic tube the right diameter. Then I cut lots of little pieces all at varying angles. Once this is done I glue the different angled pieces together to make the desired bend. Finally when the glue has set I use some filler and then sand it so the bend looks smooth. Tedious but it works for me. Good Luck with the project.

Ray, 3 weeks is a long period of downtime for any machine, truck or whatever. When you're on your own it hurts your business more so because its your only way to earn a living. On a good note though maybe it wont need the money spending on it to turn it up?? Perhaps the performance was down because of the problems you highlighted. At least you got some great work done on the Autocar. Either ways, Good Luck and take life easy.

Kurt, This is superb. It looks like its in the fabrication shop after final welding, just awaiting finishing. I will certainly be looking forward to further posts. Great Craftsmanship.

Great news, I have an original A64B ready for building some day, but the odd one or two extra would be nice and for half the typical Ebay price. I will definitely be looking out for this one.

Brandon, Interestintg problem, When I painted my Pete Ovals for the 351 and the 380 I just painted the red inside the oval first. I waited for the paint to completely dry and then I very carefully rubbed the letters with some card. This was abrasive enough to remove the paint from the letters. I don't know if you can use some very, very fine grit paper. I'm not so good on these fine details. Check Tim's web site I think he gives some info on some of the trucks as to how he painted the Red Ovals.

Anthony, This looks superb. Great colours, works well with the chrome. Nice details. I like the little historical notes adds to the flavour of the project. Great Craftsmanship!!!

Matt, Interesting comments about the 80 degree engine and the frame rails. From your comments it looks like one or two of the other truck manufacturers built a similar truck??? This is one of the projects that really interests me. The research, the engineering, scratch building, yes it has it all. I'm really looking forward to seeing Ray's progress in the weeks or even moths to come. Its a big project, but having seen Ray's Autocar and his dedication to his hobby I have no doubt that this will be a great rig when finished. Good Luck Ray.