Jürgen M.

OK, that axle was one I had planned to kick out but I must have forgotton to! ? It broke in the moment I put the truck on its wheels! ? Had to take it off again carefully without breaking the leaf springs, then disassemble the steering. Reprinted a few small parts but after all it worked out and the truck has a new and functioning front axle with steering! Now some pics of further progress! I think I hit the effect of a nicely but not professionally restored oldtimer quite well! The paintjob looks a bit bumpy but shiny! At least that's my vision of an oldtimer in that condition! (By the way, I discovered a few new tricks to improve the surface quality, which I will of course try out on my next project!) A little mock up to check the fit of the hood! Before I fit that for good I still have to do some piping around the engine. Exhaust line, air intake from air cleaner to turbo charger, ...!

I exchanged axles! Had one in my box from earlier projects when I actually needed a smaller one! Talk about quick repair! ? Just needs painting!

Yes it did, thanks! I just noticed though that the front wheel track width is too narrow. By using the new idea with the bolts the wheels moved closer in and narrowed the track. I had used a shortened front axle on previous models, seems now I'll have to go back to the original one! Got the interior finished though!

The interior is making progress. Seats and bed (if you can call it a bed) as well as the steering column and the steering wheel are in the "Paint Shop"! So are the cab and other body parts! The interior is actually very close to the original! I saw a couple of pics when I found the blue one I posted in the beginning!

Wheels mounted! Worked out fine! I think I'll keep that up.

What a great idea! Maybe I'll build a road train with three trailers full of beer! I'll be watching!

Brakedrums are mounted! Front wheels will be stuck onto the bolts. Rear wheels assembly as shown before! Hope it works! But the good thing about it is, it all can be assembled without glue! ? If something goes wrong, I can Take it apart without risking damage! The wheels are ready: They´re supposed to look old but over worked with a new paintjob on a weathered and processed surface. Semi professional repairs I´d say. Of course there are people who make even such old and used off trucks look practically factory new but I would say that doesn´t happen that often. Anyway, the whole truck will hopefully look like someone found it after decades in a barn or so and did what he could to turn it into a respectable vehicle. That was the vision I had about building this model as soon as I had seen the pictures of the two Autocars that I posted in the beginning of this thread! Maybe the next project will be the complete opposite, like a show truck or so! ? I also began printing some of the interior:

Yes, the MB was a really nice truck to drive. In the army they let me drive the 1017 4x4 a few times even though I never had a licence for it but it was only out in the "German Outback"! That was fun too but the engine lacked torque.

I never had a class 1 licence, the 7.5 ton truck I was allowed to drive with my car driver´s licence. Meanwhile it turned into a 10 ton + trailer licence. Maybe I´ll give it a try again someday! The only really big truck I ever drove was a Scania 76 Vabis with a cement silo trailer on it. Weighed 32 tons at that time. I drove it at 16 (a friend and I always visited the cement factory because of the big trucks and we were allowed to accompany the drivers once in a while). After a couple of times on tour with them they let us drive a round across the factory area. You can imagine how much fun that was as a teenager! It was one like this in light blue.

OMG! I had problems posting the last thread and now it's in here three times! Anyone know how to delete them?

I was able to delete everything but the smiley! ?

?

Thanks Jeff, actually it's a 1960 model if the info coming with the net pics is correct! I'll put in the same engine as in the Conco, the NTC 290. At least something close to it. I'm glad that you're curious! So am I concerning the builds here! Always ask, if I can answer, I will! ? I keep asking about truck details like engines, suspension, ...! It's fascinating. I was a truck fan since I was twelve and back then in my teen years I was actually quite well informed about how things work and who makes what. At 21 I began driving a truck for my neighbor's company. It was a Mercedes Benz 814 with a tandem axle trailer like this one. I don't have any pictures of it anymore but it was a rig like this one except that it was red and had canvas side walls! I drove it for three years, then I was cured of driving trucks proffessionally! Still I never lost the passion for trucks!

This is how I'm putting the wheels together: These are the parts for one double: Adding the bolts: Inside rim in top ... then hubs ... and finally the outside rim! This method might be a bit complicated on first sight but it enables having bolts and rims in different colors without much effort and it also makes centering of the rims on the brakedrums easier!

The chassis is taking shape! I also designed and printed the fenders and the bumper! Not processed yet. Just to get an impression how it will look!

Great Pics! Thanks for posting! I was on the road the other day and saw an old White Road Commander from Romania! Gray with blue stripes and extremely aged! I couldn't take a pic though cause I was driving and using my mobile as a GPS! That was the first American truck I had seen in ages!

Thanks guys! ?

Really awesome rigs! Could you post some Pics of those trucks that inspirated you? I'm always interested in the real life trucks!

Steering is completed! The hardest part to me is making the tie rod exactly the right length so the wheels are straight. The brakedrums are just fitted on to see if everything works! They turn perfectly and without wobbling. They'll be fixed on the axles by rings. You can find them on the picture with all the printed parts. Still I'm not sure If I'll use the brakedrums with the printed bolts! If they break during assembly that would be awful. As a plan "B" I actually cut a 1.5mm Allen key to short pieces looking like chromed bolts. The brakedrums would then have fitting holes to hold them. I'll prepare one and show you. Plan C would be the printed 6-edge rods to be Cut down to size. Easier than cutting a hardened steel Allen key but also fragile. ?

Here's the beginning of the front axle assembly with steering components:

This is the "stopper"! A simple but useful part. May not be an original component of this truck but I think it looks pretty good! In its position! Not glued yet. By the way, I reprinted the hood tops in a different position which gave them a nicer surface and the tunnels for the tilting axles came out perfect. (Please excuse if I use terms that are incorrect or just descriptions of what I mean but I don't know all the correct words for all parts! I did learn a lot of them by reading your threads but sometimes the Kraut in me dominates and I just can't think of the right words. Of course I do look some up in the net but not all translations make sense!)

Nice work! These Things are really worth putting effort into. That rig is gonna Look awesome!

I see you're into a lot of wheels on a rig! Awesome collection!

Little mock up to see if the hood fits in! I'll install some kind of "stopper" for the Back of the cab to be sure to fix it in the correct position on the chassis! Don't want to see the hood falling through or not fitting in later.

? Will do! I'm sure it'll appreciate it! Thanks for your comment. You're absolutely right. Noone will see all the details later. Nevertheless I can understand why you guys still put so much effort in the details. Sometimes you look at the models and feel the happiness about how real they look. You feel satisfaction and pride about your work, you take it down from the shelf and look at each detail and you remember how much work it was and you resume practically every step of work. I know the feeling! I look at my Convoy trucks everyday, see them on the shelf and imagine them driving together for a cause, like in the movie! Nice feeling!