Biggu

Well yeah , but I was also considering display space. Never ‘really’ considered leaving the box up, …… as that is not a natural thing on my truck world …. It’s that safety stuff ……🤔🤔I have a long way to go before that is an issue anyway, but it is always good to think ahead……

Of course …… that would work perfectly.

I ‘don’t think so ‘ but I might to make it look more ‘realistic’ and I am also contemplating leaving the box off …… the consideration of that is .. … IF I can pull off the plumbing that is any way half convincing, it won’t show if the box is on covering it all up….. so the jury is still out on that issue ……. Your thoughts on that?

Thanks , pal..... although not sure about 'expertise', more like, it looked crummy and needed fixing, but thank you for your kind words

So just a little detail but one that took some time and I thought it needed to be addressed. First off is the side plates on the rear frame plate/crossmember didn’t fit smooth, as shown in some of my research pics, so a lot of ‘adzing’ and sanding was required to make it all flush, but it came out fairly well. The other thing that is small but again I think will make a small difference is filling the void on the box hinges. Just a small thing, and may not be readily seen but if placed side by side with one that hasn’t had it done, it will be noticeable. The real ones are ‘filled’ which is a plate welded within the hinge support that would give the actual hinge box a lot of strength where nearly 100% of the load would be during the initial dumping process. So they need to be robust and strong….

Same here. No pic

I hated the carbide one way cutting edges. Longevity for sure but could not cut compact at all. I always opted for the old school cutting edges. We used to put carbides on the underbodys and they lasted well, but again could not cut compact. A couple of us decided that double ice blades ( serrated ) on the underbody was the way to go… so if the one way had a carbide it would be generating compact, the operator could drop the underbody and help cut the compact. A number of years ago the down pressure of the underbodys was lightened up from 1400 psi to 720. A management decision and not an operators idea …..

Actually 15-19 inches is all in the acceptable range. The bolts on the push frame that attaches the plow is also as you mention an adjustment to the correct cutting angle. There should be two of them as you show so accurately …. Outstandingly accurate , Brian !

The main plow adjustment of 47 degrees was usually set by the shop and was rarely ever readjusted unless the blade had to have some major work done and had to be taken apart. That was usually after an accident or hitting a bridge abutment, protruding man hole cover, horsing into the no post guard rail and bending the blade and or walking over the blade , anything that needed major repairs. The usual driver adjustments were obviously when mounting the blade to the truck with the chains. The other adjustments usually done by the operator are the plow shoes and foot legs. That happens when changing cutting edges, and shoes. Cannot change one without the other. Cutting edge and shoes have to ride on the road surface together. If the shoes are not adjusted with the cutting edge, the plow can effectively dig in on soft ground causing catastrophic damage.

The tube brace on the back side of the plow is usually the adjustment and the lower bolts on the push frame are usually part of the trip mechanism ….. also the lift chains have to be adjusted so that the toe of the blade ( the front corner bit ) has to lift first, then the heel of the blade ( discharge chute end ) lifts last. The chains should be as tight as possible , so as when plowing and coming to an obstruction you can lift the blade immediately and not wait for the lift ram to take the slack out of the lift chain thus hitting the obstruction causing damage to the plow and or truck ….. also the optimum mounting height on the truck is 15 inches from ground level to mounting pins. There actually is some science to this.

Adjust the cutting edge to 47 degrees for optimal cutting of compact and cleaning down to the black top............. we actually had a metal gauge back in the day

Call me anything you want just not ‘late for dinner’ 🤣🤣

That’s a huge milestone Brian. You’re getting close to the finish line !!

The rubber flap looks great. They worked well for keeping snow and slush from coming over top of the plow at speed and covering the windshield or all over the hood and into the grille and plugging air intakes mostly on the single axles. Although if one exceeded plow speeds it didn’t matter. The flap would flip back and the truck got covered …… an old tried and true Highways design.

Thanks Brian , yeah the primer really does make things, good and bad show up. I never used to use it but I am finding it is a great help, I think I’m moving along with this build then look closely … oh man there is a long way to go here. ….. thats ok and was expected but still ……….

Well, that was a marathon I hadn’t budgeted for ………some guy , the LAST guy to use my airbrush neglected to do a thorough cleaning on it and left it with some hidden guck deep inside the workings and what a P.I.A. To get it cleaned out and working properly, 4 complete tear downs with digging and scratching , thinking it was clean then fill color cup give it a go and🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 tear it down all over again , so what was to be a quick half hour job start to finish took 2 1/2 HOURS !! If I ever catch ‘that guy’ , he and I are going to have a serious discussion about using tools and keeping them CLEAN …… or else !🙄😉🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Annnny way , the deal was to het some primer on the frame, engine and some other bits to see what kind of mess I made of them before paint …… wanted to make sure I don’t have any mould seams or glue seams that shouldn’t be there. So far so good, even some of my ‘ bolt action’ is showing.

My dad bought me this kit when it was first issued Waaaaay back, and it was Prestige Auto Movers , and it included the tractor, a Pete 359 all decked out, the trailer and a 3rd gen Camaro and a 3rd gen Firebird …. I still have remnants of the trailer somewhere and the Pete is on my shelf. A very cool kit and can be a bit of a challenge to keep everything aligned but makes a really great model. I will be watching with interest for sure.

"That's ALL"????? Randy................. I have NO words, that can come close to what I am witnessing....... you have taken this to a whole new dimension............ you and Brian are in a class all unto yourselves, this is some of the MOST spectacular scratch building I have ever seen..... incredible.... mind blowing , buddy.... just fantastic ! you leave me thirsty for MORE ..

Don't you just hate when that happens??

I snagged some automotive spot putty yesterday.... the 'small' tube will be several life times of supply ..... I think if I use it sparingly , it won't melt any plastic.... I hear other guys use it, maybe more like the green putty I used to get back in the 'old' days before the 'experts' were concerned about me being 'safe'.....

Absolutely perfect, she looks like she just came off a pour and is heading back to the batch plant for another 8 yard load of 25 mpa concrete with a 3” slump! Awesome build ! Perfect weathering. Beautiful build

Are you serious?? Scratch build a Cat? Talk about raising the bar ! You scratch building guys are taking your kits to another level ! This is exciting to watch come together. You guys have incredible talents and thanks for sharing your incredible talents. Looking forward to your next post Steve.

A bit of a p.i.t.a. !

Sure could be, Ron, but like some one once said......" Instructions are just some one else's opinion" ................ so to me it is either way, especially if it is like that in the real world, I've changed oil on both, so who really knows if there is a hard and fast rule..... I like Scott's term of 'artistic license', that leaves the door WIDE open for interpretation.... which is ALL good...it would be ultra boring if everything was the same.... if it were, wouldn't even be having this conversation... and that's a bonus !