Rockford

The cab mods are really impressive, you're doing a fantastic job. It's amazing how jobs develop, one mod has a knock on effect on so many other things, you wonder if it will ever end. Then you look at a photo you've been studying for months and see something you've missed thousand times! I do have a new found appreciation for the manufacurers, especially in the old days before computers. How they got the kits to go together at all is a wonder to me!

Turned my attention to the driver's side of the block. Built an injector pump, drive, lift pump and governor housing. Bent up a set of injector pipes from 0.5mm wire, they're a bit rough but they're passable. They're so bent around because injector lines for hydraulic injectors (which all except maybe Cummins and Detroit were), should be all the same length to avoid injection timing differences. The longer the pipe, the more deflection in the wall of the pipe when the pump builds pressure and thus you get a later and shorter lift of the injector needle. Just a boring fact wandering around my brain. For the injector pipes I stripped the insulation off the wire and glued six pieces together, then cut a slot in the top of the pump to hold the row of insulation. Once secured, in could use them as sockets to receive the actual wire and keep it spaced neatly. Also built a compressor from plastic shrapnel lying in the bench. Added a fan pulley to the front cover, that's just turned up from sprue in the chuck of my drill. That's the beauty of doing these things, everything is so small I can just use all my offcuts strewn across the bench as raw material.

I know, it's madness really.

Very interesting project, excellent scratch building!

Good colour choice. The Hendrickson suspension does look the part though that would ride hard!

That under reach is immaculate. Excellent work.

I like the heat shields on the stacks and the wheels look good too. Going to be a very nice build.

Nice work so far mate. Looking forward to seeing this come together.

Thanks for the comments, I really don't feel I deserve them, maybe I'm just cheap! I've not the Diamond Reo. I am amazed with the work I see on here from the likes of The Brush and Jürgen, who approach things from totally different directions but are both achieving the same thing. The creativity and ingenuity within people is fantastic!

Don't know how he does it, puts me to shame!

Got a bit done today, built the waterpump and added the lower radiator hose, also the pipe u to the thermostat. Then the oil cooler and the oil filter and housing. Made an intercooler coolant pipe across the timing cover. Finished the top of the intercooler and fitted a turbo and charge air pipe. It's very hard to get the dimensions right when you're shrinking things to such small sizes, especially when your only real reference is 'for sale' photos. One side done!

Carried on with the engine today. Made a simple log exhaust manifold and added the ports from more of the same. Added flanges cut in 1mm slices from 3.2mm square rod. Also fitted the flange for the turbo. Double wrapped 1mm electrical tape around twice to form the joints in the manifold. Looking at photos of the 3406 manifold there's some brackets cast in so added them too. I might try drilling the unused holes in the brackets should I feel adventurous. Also fabbed a thermostat housing and top hose fitting. Looks ok. Slow going but it's great therapy. The water pump is lying next to the engine. That and the oil cooler will finish this side.

Excellent looking machine.

I don't know what to say, just too much!

Oh dear, easy mistake, just be glad it wasn't a kayak you were building!

Good set of long range tanks there, well done.

I think 8 years must be some sort of record for a paused build. Well done on getting it going again. Looking good.

Great seeing this back on the bench. Nice job mate, you'll have room to buy more kits soon!

Amazing stuff. It's really taking shape now. My dad drove mobile cranes most of his working life.

Watch screws! Incredible stuff. Excellent paint job.

Those are some knobbly tyres! Doing a good job there mate. Will you resist the urge to print?

Haven't had the time I usually get this weekend so didn't get very far. Used scraps and sprue to make the rocker covers, breather and oil filler cap. Then took about 4 attempts to shape the rocker boxes underneath them. They are a nightmare of conflicting angles. I found success by gluing the two together and filing the basic profile, then separating them and filing a taper into them at 90°. It's not factree but close enough. The ruler shows the size I'm working with. Next I'll do the top of the intercooler then start dressing the block.

It's probably available now, Jurgen kindly offered, it's just so alien to me and out of my price range. Using the Caterpillar spares website I got dimensions for the cylinder head, and the oil pan, I had to project the other dimensions from that. The sump was too small in the kit, so I extended that with some offcuts. I got a photo of the timing cover from eBay and cut that out of an old piece of van trailer. Made the charge air cooler from square rod and added 0.75mm strip for the ribs.

I've done it again. I can't seem to help myself. Spent half an hour cutting the sump out of the chassis. Obviously took the transmission with it which means the driveshaft will require reworking. Kit of tidying up to be done. Fortunately the cab still sits perfectly in relation to the grille.

I'm not sure Jürgen, I'm considering that issue. I did consider a restraint from some sort of thread or wire buf it's stopping the thing getting wrapped around the detail of the chassis and snapping things off when you raise the cab. It's an ongoing thing I suppose, it'll have to get in the queue.