Jim B

Looking nice so far. Frame is straight & level (always a plus); and the bed is square. Very nice start.

Thanks, guys.

That's one serious looking Autocar! Very nice work.

Thanks, guys. I'll leave it where it is then. Now, on to hacking up the hood!

I managed to get some more work done on the Bison this afternoon. Here is where I stand right now: I have shortened the frame & managed to get it partially assembled. The only problem is the part I cut out to shorten the frame had the engine mounts on them. Little oversight there! Not totally sure what I'm going to do about that, but I'll think of something. The plastic is really strange on this kit. Half is molded in that cream color, and half is in white. More on that later. (The little white rectangles inside the frame are Evergreen plastic I added as a reinforcer & are not part of the kit.) The Detroit Diesel 6V92T is coming along nicely, but I am having a problem with the cross-over pipe: it's too long on one side & too short on the other. Going to have to fiddle with this one a little before I come up with a solution. I did add some plumbing details. The "tentacles" you see in this shot are the fuel lines to the tank & the fuel filters (not included in the GW Trucks kit). Ok, so here is where I'm sort of going with this build: I am swapping out the air ride suspension that comes in the kit with the spring suspension from the AMT GMC Astro/95 kit (gray parts). The bed (other gray parts) is from the AMT Ford C600 Stake Truck kit. Opinion time: who here thinks the rear suspension is too far back? So far I'm please with the progress.

Ben, I think you take the record for the longest build (37 years). Excellent job!

Nice job on the suspension & hood. Looks like a parking lot in the background.

YEs, AMT only made three versions of the American-LaFrance: pumper, AeroCheif, & Ladder Chief.

Interesting. Right on the heels of the AeroChief if it's true.

Nicely done. I like your backdrop, too.

I'm pretty sure Gary Wallace has a 6-71 & the L10. He might even have a M11. If a Caterpillar 3208 conversion is being considered, you might want to make the parts to make it a 3208T as well. Just a thought. Rusty, your Ford diesel isn't the same as the Ford Diesels found in the later model (1987) Ford L/LN8000 series trucks, are they?

Very nice job. I built one of those a while back with my son. Nice kit. Wheels & tires suck, but otherwise a nice kit.

Looking nice, Brian.

Plan is to do it in a nice, pretty silver! A fellow member here made up some "92" & "Detroit Diesel" logos for the breather caps & valve covers. I actually just got home from my second job, and was getting ready to head down stairs to get it out of the Bleach White & get it ready for assembly.

Me too. Hopefully this weekend.

I'm sure you'll find good use for it, too.

True artistry, Juergen.

So, the 6V92T arrived yesterday from Gary Wallace, and as promised, here are a few photos. The kit comes complete with everything you'll need to make the 6V92T, and all of the parts are molded in a nice, white resin. Detail is crisp; although there is a small amount of flash. The engine block looks to be correct, with decent attachment points. There are no flanges provided to mount the engine to the frame; however, there are flat areas where these can be mounted to. Gary even provides the correct valve covers with breather caps: All in all, I am very please with this engine kit from Gary. Per his recommendation, I will be soaking this in Wesley's Bleach White today, so I should be able to start assembly soon. Here's to progress!

That looks awesome!

Yes & no. On the Charger, the assembly was easy, but the paint & decals were a nightmare. On this one I'm going with an easy paint job, but the assembly is more challenging. Doing a few things on this one I've never done before: shortening the frame, shortening the hood, & adding a resin engine. Haven't decided about a steerable front axle yet, though. I have done that before.

Great looking mixer. Well done.

Me too. Ordered the 6V92T from Gary yesterday. Hopefully it will be here soon.

That works!

Well done! Your dad had a really nice ride.

There is. The question is (to me), do I have a spare?