Semi Trailer Mechanic

Art This may interest you. The inspiration to build this came from work. I work for a Utility trailer dealership/shop running a service truck full time. One of my dedicated customers has some of the first WABASH trailers built stickly used for warehouse to warehouse shuttle. About 45 of the 50 they bought in 1990 still are road worthy. Fromwhat I've been told the first trailer WABASH built the last didgets of the VIN were L100000 those on the pictured trailer below are L101764. The reason I choose to make this a 28' opposed to a 48' was part of the frame got damaged at about the 37' point on it so I just decided to make it a pup. I'll post updated pics shortly. Here's a picture of one of them.

Here's my latest project. This a 1985 WABASH 28'x102"x13' 6" F.R.P. trailer. (fiberglass, reenforced, plywood). Original plans were to do a 48' but I decided to build it as a 28' to copliment this trailer here... THANKS FOR LOOKING!!!

Here's my latest project. This a 1985 WABASH 28'x102"x13' 6" F.R.P. trailer. (fiberglass, reenforced, plywood). Original plans were to do a 48' but I decided to build it as a 28' to copliment this trailer here... THANKS FOR LOOKING!!!

I agree!! I seldom see these cars except for when the GoodGuys show comes to town or if there's a cruise - in somewhere. In 89 I bought a rust free "STRONG RUNNING" 70 Chevelle for 600.00 I actually bought parts for that car at a local Chevy dealer after a fender bender. The parts catalog looked like an antique. I remember laughing about it along w/ the parts guy as he acted like he blew dust off of it. BUT HEY GM still had the parts available. I broke down and sold that car a little over a year and a half ago to a fella that's been trying to get me to sell that since 1993. Keep up the good work!!!

Lookin' Good!!! I like the way these old cars were set up between the 70's and the late 80's. I too had some PRO-TRACs on a 1972 442 Olds I had in high school. Try to find a 442 Olds w/ a flawless body for under $1,200.00 these days!!!

At first I thought it was a 3000R. You pulled a few of them. I run a service truck for a Utility Dealer.

If I'm not mistaken the trailer used in that series was either a HOBBS or a Timpte?

That is some of your best work yet!!!

NOW THAT'S FUNNY I DON'T CARE WHO YA ARE!!!

Years ago on the former MTDC forum one of the active members was a former employee at Stepp's Towing that drove/operated the CanDo truck (along w/ the other trucks in the Stepp's fleet. ) I vagely remember a couple threads where he disscussed the Can Do and it's spec's along w/ the other trucks. He also posted pictures he took doing different tows and recoveries. Recently that forum got some new owners and one of them decided to delete the group! Had that not have happened you could've done a search and found one of those old posts. What ya could do is just go to Stepp's website and email the questions you've got to them. What's the worst thing that could happen... You not get a reply. Good Luck.

Following up to my first post here are some more examples of how I used these rivets. Also a company called Grandt Line makes rivets as well. NOTE THE STEER AXLE LUGS ... I used these to simulate the round lug nut covers. Including the hub cap mounting bolts if you look close enough. On this one I used those rivets on the scuff liner and on the plywood.

I use Titchy Train Group's rivets. Granted they are slightly out of scale but I'm content w/ the results. Here's a Revell snap tite 359 I made a day cab out of adding rivets.

There's a song I haven't heard in a longtime!!!

Here's my work space. Here's where the stash is kept.

Bradley Here's a trailer I built a while back. It's a 48' not a 53' but maybe it'll give ya a general idea where to start.

What's goin' on... Some say it's a 71 series others say 92 series. I just rfer to it as a two stroke 8V Detroit Diesel and yes this has the Allison Automatic. As far as speed and model of trans I have no clue.

What's goin' on... I've built a few AMT K100s. Not a bad kit. I've got two R/G K100 kits in my stash but haven't built one yet. As far as shortening the WB start out building it as a glider then measure and mark the WB you want Assemble the suspension there and cut off the remainer of the frame. About four years ago maybe longer I sugested this idea to someone on the old MTDC forum. A few months later Evan Harmel used that technique on a project and made a write up on it in Scale Auto "Truck Stop" calling it the PRYER METHOD (Hence my last name) if you have this issue take a look at it. GOOD LUCK!!!

What's goin' on... Here's one of my interiors. I pretty much learned from Tim. Apply Bare Metal Foil to the face of the dash then use either Sharpe Markers or Acrylic paint. When dry take some fine sand paper and run it across everything you want to have a chrome finish. I like to use 5 min. Epoxy to creat gauge lens. I think it's Model Car Garage has a photo etch set of itnerior junk I used on this. Good Luck!!!

What's goin' on... 2010 already!!! Here's a recap of all the projects that's been on the workbench over the past year. Finished and incomplete. Have a good new year!!! Thanks for looking!!! DM600 Mack W.I.P. DIAMOND REO W.I.P. *DISCLAIMER* cam date slightly inaccurate. TRAILMOBILE 27' DUSTER CAMARO FORD 4x4 W.I.P.

What's goin' on... So much for the spell check working!!!

What's goin' on... Hey fellas here lately my on line time has been limited and what little time I've been on line I haven't followed the forums too much. Here's a little background on this project. From the get go this was supposed to be a quick project between projects. Simply take a Diamond Reo cab that's been in the parts box for a few years recon it swap out an Autocar cab w/ this (on the Autocar chassis). This was intended to be a day cab for a bottom dump trailer. Easier said than done. Nothing on the Autocar's chassis came apart w/out breaking. So it went from a quick weekend project to a not so quick project that began back in September and is about 85%completete. Frame rails are the extras found in the Paystar mixer kit. The suspension front and rear are from the Autocar dump truck. Battery/Tool boxes are scratch built. The drive shaft,yokes,carrier bearing all are scratch built. The engine is an AMT Cummins Big Cam and the trans is detailed like a Fuller 10 speed both from the parts box unbuilt pieces from god knows how many kits. The fuel tank mounts are those found in the K100 kit. Quarter fenders arscratch builtlt from a spray can cap (Tamiya Bare Metal Silver). The rims are those found in the Paystar kits highly modified. I used .060 rivets colored w/ a silveSharpepe marker to look like old acorlug nutut covers. On the steering axle I used .025 rivets to look like hub cap bolts. (at 25th scale the hex on a 1:1 5/16 bolt isn't going to be that obvious! The air tanks/mounts and u bolts arscratch builtlt. On the fifth wheel assembly I used angle styrene for the fifth wheel mounting flanges and added scale bolts. The mirrors arscratch builtlt. On the bumper scale rivets were added to look like bumper bolts. The seats too were from the parts box w/ black flocking. On the shifter (from the Revell snap tite 359) I used fine nylon wire to replicate the air lines going from the high/low range on the trans and the tires are the 10.00.20's from the parts box as well. I must have spent at least 20 mins sanding each one to look like they had road wear. The bunk is from the White Western Star kit modified. When I startemodifyingng it I was doing it for the hell of it. Even though the interior can't be seen now I wish I had detailed it to be mid 1970's period correct. That's about it. Here's a set of photos taken from the beginning of this project to-date. Thanks for looking... http://www.flickr.com/photos/9495602@N02/s...57622276811406/ Scott <DIV><STRONG>

What's goin' on... Still a work in progress... Thanks for looking!!!

What's goin' on... Thanks for the compliments fellas. As far as what truck I'll build for this I have no clue. I started building an old Diamond Reo but considering the truck now is nearly longer than this trailer I'll have to build another truck. Maybe make a day cab GMC Astro? The threshold plate warpage wasn't planned!!! Since the floorboards are strips of basswood I used Walthers GOO to attatch the diamond plate (Plastruct 1:100) but the glue was too hot and it warped it. I tried removing that and starting over but getting that off would've caused some damage so I left it. here's a picture I just took of the AMT Duster inside. This one is 25th scale so I'm sure a 24th scale car can fit too. To hide the warped threshold plate I was thinking about scratchbuilding palletized freight using cling wrap as shrink wrap.

What's goin' on... Here's something different. This is from the reissued AMT Trailmobile double header kit only I modified it slightly. Thanks for looking!!!