AMT "Pabst" Freightliner -- My first build process here, and first build in 23 years !

[Goodwrench3]

That's a toughy. If you heat up the frame rail and get it some what straight, you need to run it under cold water immediately. It shocks and basically stress relieves it so it will keep that shape. You could the super glue method 1 cross member at a time using the cross members, glued a little off of square to get the bow out.

The bowed frame rails are an AMT thing. I've 3 Ca Haulers and they all had bows, some better than others. The plated tanker I just finished those rails, both of them, we're crooked as a politician.

Thanks -- I'll do both.

I'm going to heat gun the bowed rail and when it flattens out, I'll stick it under gold water right away.

Then I'm going to immediately glue the crossmembers in with CA so there is no time for it to go back to where it was and I can hold it in place and "nail" it down while making sure it is straight. I think I got myself into trouble gluing one piece in at a time and waiting over night for the glue to dry before putting the next piece in. With these things, I think it's probably better to do the "whole picture" in one shot.

[gatorincebu]

Jeff,

I like what you have going on here.

KFS is still in business and it is not hard to oprder from Him. But I bought a couple of the metal front axles from gary Wallace when I went to the Fulton show back in November. But I do not have his contact info. There is however another problem with assmbling the frame. The cross memebers do not have true 90Angles on the ends. You need to sand them square very carefully. This angle is due to helping the parts out of the mold.

Personally I would heat the frame rails and then lay them on the becnh and put weights on them to hold then straight. And let them cool. That process has worked for me in the past.

I also put all the cross members in hold the rails together with rubber bands and then use Tenax or or solvent to weld the frame.

Don't give up man, hang in there.

Be Well

Gator

Edited April 30, 2015 by gatorincebu

[Goodwrench3]

Jeff,

I like what you have going on here.

KFS is still in business and it is not hard to oprder from Him. But I bought a couple of the metal front axles from gary Wallace when I went to the Fulton show back in November. But I do not have his contact info. There is however another problem with assmbling the frame. The cross memebers do not have true 90Angles on the ends. You need to sand them square very carefully. This angle is due to helping the parts out of the mold.

Personally I would heat the frame rails and then lay them on the becnh and put weights on them to hold then straight. And let them cool. That process has worked for me in the past.

I also put all the cross members in hold the rails together with rubber bands and then use Tenax or or solvent to weld the frame.

Don't give up man, hang in there.

Be Well

Gator

Hey thanks --

Much appreciate the tip about sanding those cross member ends square (both vertically and laterally). That's my biggest beef with this kit is that there really is no positive alignment provide by the cross members.

Oh well. I set it aside for the past few days and will go back at it tomorrow night.

Thanks for the encouragement.

[Goodwrench3]

Jeff,

I like what you have going on here.

KFS is still in business and it is not hard to oprder from Him. But I bought a couple of the metal front axles from gary Wallace when I went to the Fulton show back in November. But I do not have his contact info. There is however another problem with assmbling the frame. The cross memebers do not have true 90Angles on the ends. You need to sand them square very carefully. This angle is due to helping the parts out of the mold.

Personally I would heat the frame rails and then lay them on the becnh and put weights on them to hold then straight. And let them cool. That process has worked for me in the past.

I also put all the cross members in hold the rails together with rubber bands and then use Tenax or or solvent to weld the frame.

Don't give up man, hang in there.

Be Well

Gator

Re: " and then use Tenax or or solvent to weld the frame."

Can you explain why ? My plan is to glue all of the cross members in with regular cement (I use Model Master Liquid Cement for Plastic Models), make sure everything is straight and square, and then hit each joint with a drop of thin super glue to "nail" it in place.

So I'd like to understand why you would use Tenax or other "plastic weld" instead ?

Many thanks!

[gatorincebu]

Re: " and then use Tenax or or solvent to weld the frame."

Can you explain why ? My plan is to glue all of the cross members in with regular cement (I use Model Master Liquid Cement for Plastic Models), make sure everything is straight and square, and then hit each joint with a drop of thin super glue to "nail" it in place.

So I'd like to understand why you would use Tenax or other "plastic weld" instead ?

Many thanks!

Jeff,

I like the Tenax-7R or Same stuff from Micro Mark I also use the Testors liquid glue/solvent as well. It melts the plastic as if you were welding metal. yes you can use Super Glue to build up the joint and lock it in.

Some people do ot like using the plastic solvents. As they feel it does not dry or set up fast enough. And yes sometimes you need to put a part down and let things harden. I plan around that issue. While some people like using the super glues .I do not because I live in the extreme tropics. So I use the solvents or two part epoxy.

Some people don't like the solvent because you can knock the bottle over and make a mess of your modle and the area in general So many including myself make a more stable box or holder for the solvent bottle. I used to use a small cigarillo box with a hole cut in the top for the bottle to fit through. The box was about 2"X2" or a little larger. I have seen others use a block of wood with the hole drilled to hold the bottle. If you work at it a bit you will find what works best for you.

I hope this helps .

be Well

Gator

[Goodwrench3]

OK..  after putting this aside for awhile out of frustration (the entire summer), we're back online again and "hammer down".

I've got a true, straight, non-warped frame assembled, rear suspension attached, cab halves are glued, and will be priming and painting the engine block assembly and transmisson shortly.

Not giving up!

 

[gatorincebu]

 

   Glad tohear that you got the frame straightened out. That is a step in the right direction.

What process did you use ? To get the frame straight?

 

 

 

   Be Well

   Gator

[gino]

looking good !

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Glad to see you back on the workbench!! Looking good so far!!

[Goodwrench3]

 

   Glad tohear that you got the frame straightened out. That is a step in the right direction.

What process did you use ? To get the frame straight?

 

 

 

   Be Well

   Gator

Hunter Selby had a YouTube video on how to straighten the warped AMT Kenworth frame rails (warped like bananas!).  Worked great and was simple.  But I couldn't use his "rubber band" method when gluing the frame and cross members because the Freightliner cross members aren't like those on the Kenworth.  So I had to set up a kind of "make shift" jig to make sure the frame rails were perpendicular to the cross members when I glued it up.  The trick is that you have to glue all of the cross members with both rails all in one shot with this thing.  I previously had tried gluing the cross members to one rail, letting it dry, then gluing the other rail to it.  Not a good idea on this kit.

Thx!