KJ790

I got a lot of work done over the last couple nights. I still have to put the marker lights on and a few small details such as a hubometer, but it is starting to look like a trailer now. I shortened it 2 scale feet to make the overall length 51'.

Thanks guys. For the doors I used styrene sheet that had a "tile" pattern in it. I just turned the pattern 45 degrees and cut out the rectangle for the doors. I put bare metal foil over them to make them look like stainless. The reefer unit was made of sheets of styrene cut and bent into shape. Then I used .040" half round rod to make each rib on the top part. That was tedious for sure!

I picked up a couple Moebius Great Dane Reefers the other day and just started on one of them. I wanted to make a few changes though. I wanted to have quilted rear doors with 4 cams instead of 2, so I scratch built some. I also wanted to have a carrier reefer unit, so I scratch built one of those as well. The wheels are from Ben Wicker and should complete the look. More to come soon.

Your trucks looked great at the show today Tom! I really like that logger you built!

Awesome show, awesome turn out! Good to see some familiar faces as well as meet some new ones.

What have you guys found to be the best way to mount a model car or truck to the base of a display case? I have made little wheel chocks glued to the base in the past and then glued the wheels to them. What are some tricks you guys have?

It seems to me that the coiled hoses started gaining the most popularity around the early 90's. Today you can get either style, and it is personal preference. Each style has it's pros and cons. The coiled ones are more idiot proof, which is why you see most of the large fleets running that style. If the driver is too lazy to hang the hoses appropriately on the back of the cab after unhooking, the coiled ones are less likely to fall down into the drive shaft and get ripped off. The downside is that they can become a coiled mess if not handled correctly as well. It is kinda like dealing with 3 coiled phone chords together...

Thanks! Those are actually snap kit tires. The rims are from a snap kit also, but I modified them a little to make them look better.

I have a few finishing touches to make still, but this one is pretty much done. Managed to grab a couple shots out on the deck while the sun came out for the first time in months...

Thanks guys! I made some load bars and put them on a rack on the back of the cab. Now I just need to do my air hoses/electrical chord to hook to a trailer and this build will be pretty much done.

Finished up the intake piping and steering shaft. I tried to put a little "grease" on the slip joint of the steering shaft, but I'm not sure I like how it came out. I may have to play with that a bit.

Thanks! For the exhaust shields I used stainless steel shim stock and painted the holes and Kenworth letters with black paint. It actually came out looking pretty good. I used a piece of wire between the cab and sleeper.

If you are going for a 1992 model then the flat dash is fine. In the mid 90's (around 1995 I believe) kenworth switched to the easy-reach dash that wrapped the driver slightly better. Here is my modified dash for my W900L:

The sleeper is decent if you are using it to make a W900L. I am almost done with a W900L right now (pictures are in the workbench section) where I used a Revell W900 snap kit frame, suspension, and cab with the T600 sleeper. I modified the front of the sleeper where it meets the cab to be a more modern style aerocab. I also had to modify the roof of the cab to give it the slant necessary. The cab on the T600 works well if you are going for the one-piece windshield model. The dash needs to be changed as well to update it.

I honestly can't remember what he had for a motor in it. I was thinking it was a detroit, but I could be thinking of his Western Star. No changing it now, this model has a detroit Got a little more work done tonight, still plenty of details left to address, but it is starting to take shape.

Small update: I have made marker lights and horns, as well as added the windows and air filters. I made a visor out of styrene and covered it in bare metal foil. Most of the other "chrome" pieces are stainless steel shim stock. I used window tint from the autoparts store to tint the windows on the sleeper.

Looking good! Another option to replace alclad that is much cheaper and easier is Rust-oleum chrome spray plaint. You can get surprisingly good results if you use it correctly. There is also one called Spaz-stix chrome, but it is much more expensive than the Rust-oleum.

Yup, I just used .060" hex rod and sanded the end of each one to round it off. Pretty tedious, but it works out well. I hope to make it Justin, and I hope that I have all of the little bits and pieces done by then.

Thanks Justin! I got the exhaust from the turbo to the muffler done. I used styrene tube heated and bent into shape. The "flex pipe" portion is wire coiled around the pipe and painted. For the band clamps I used strips of .010" styrene wraped around the pipe. I also scratch built a Bendix air dryer mounted on the frame.

The minor details sure take a lot of time! I scratch built a bottle for the windshield washer fluid.

Thanks! For the engine I had to go to the local Detroit Diesel dealer and pick up a can of series 60 blue. It cost an arm and a leg, but now I have plenty for future builds. I then used some watered down black to wash it in an attempt to weather it with old oil and road grime.

Scratch built a davco fuel filter last night. I would change it a little next time, but for a first attempt I'm happy with it.

Thanks! For the atlas and magazine I just measured some real ones I had laying around and divided that by 25. I used the rulers on the top and side of microsoft word to get them close when scaling them.

Thanks! For the atlas and the magazine, I took a screenshot of the covers off of the internet, then printed them out on waterslide decal paper. Then I just put them over .010" thick styrene sheet.

A few more interior details today. I added floor mats, seatbelts to the seats, road atlas and magazine on the passenger seat, and a fast food cup in the cup holder.