AMT Peterbilt 359 California Hauler Wrecker

[Tory]

Many thanks again for all the kind words. Seeing how so many of you are masterful builders, these compliments carry a lot of weight.

Good catch on the narrower body JT, another bit of advice given to me by my buddy Mike. The only drawback with that is the 50 gallon drum no longer fits in that corner. But otherwise having the tires flush with the sides of the body really helps the aesthetics.

Tory

[Petetrucker07]

Again, job well done. Just a small suggestion, if I may. I'd put a little foil on the units storage doors.

[Tory]

Again, job well done. Just a small suggestion, if I may. I'd put a little foil on the units storage doors.

Thanks for the advice Clayton, I assume you mean on the handles? I also went back and forth on foiling the trim strip down the hood. I've seen it both ways, but for a rig that has as much bling as this one, I thought it might have been overkill!

Tory

[landman]

Last question in the first post:" Hope you all like it." Well, we all sure do as you can see by the response. It is gorgeous. If that is your first kit since you were a kid, I can't wait to see what's next.

[Petetrucker07]

Thanks for the advice Clayton, I assume you mean on the handles? I also went back and forth on foiling the trim strip down the hood. I've seen it both ways, but for a rig that has as much bling as this one, I thought it might have been overkill!

Tory

Yeah, that's what I meant. Thinkin faster than I type. I hate when that happens, it leaves out a key part of the comment sometimes. I did the same ghing, couldn't decide to foil the strip on the hood on the Pete I just redid. I decided not to. Edited June 27, 2015 by Petetrucker07

[angelo7]

This is my first official truck build since I was a kid...

Your first build????? Man, this looks like it was built by veteran of many years of experience. This is a beautiful, excellent build!!! I did one recently in the black and white version of the box art.

[Tory]

Let me clarify this statement a little, I've built hundreds of models since I was a kid, however this is the first "big rig" I've done in a very long time. Sorry if that statement is misleading!

[kevjoh]

How much did you have to narrow the body, any photo's or tips on how you did it?

Edited June 28, 2015 by kevjoh

[scummy]

I wonder myself about how the tow body was narrowed .

[Petetrucker07]

On mine, I was gonna take about 1/8 inch out of the middle. But I switched the rims and tires out for Moebius and didn't have to cut anything.

[Tory]

Here is how I narrowed the body:

1. I removed 1/8" from each side of the deck.

2. I cut 1/4" out of the center of the front upright wall. This also requires removing 1/8" from each side of the opening on the bottom to clear the frame rails.

3. I removed 1/8" from both sides of the rear panel between taillights and license plate recess. See diagram below.

[gatorincebu]

Great job on the body mods.I will have to keep those in mind .When I rebuild my old Pete wrecker.

Be Well

Gator

[checkmate]

I've got the original issue here and have looked at the box art dozens of times and pondered how good a model would look done the same I now have the answer. Exceptional.

Love the paint scheme, fit and finish and all the smaller details, she's a real credit to you and your modelling skill.

Well done mate.

[Mr Stock]

Fantastic work Tory, narrowing the bed has made a huge improvement, and that paintwork !, seriously good masking work there.

Im very slowly building this truck at the moment its my 1st big rig kit ever (Ive built loads of cars/vans) you have given me some serious inspiration here, but Id never get the paint that good! Lol.

[Tory]

Again, many thanks for all the kind words on my Wrecker. I agree, narrowing the bed makes a huge improvement as the wheels and tires sit right at the edge of the body where they should. I've seen other builds of this kit that didn't narrow the body and the wheels and tires look a little odd sitting in so far. And if it wasn't for my buddy Mike Capasso letting me in on this little trick, mine would have had the same issue!

"Checkmate" Rob, I toyed with painting the inside of the wrecker body and boom orange but decided to stick with the blue for no other reason than I ran out of orange paint and was too cheap to buy more LOL! In the end, I think the blue works better and kept it closer to the box art. But I still wonder how it might have looked with the orange...

[kilrathy10]

Again, Tory.....What a fantastic model.....I was able to pick it up as I'd built quite a few of these over the years, and it wasn't until I saw Tim A's version of one where he had narrowed the body in a "Trucker's Corner" article, did I decide to give that a try......Like you, if somebody hadn't suggested it, I never would have thought of it.....(Thanks Tim) The way you did yours was just as he had described, and it worked like a charm...I guess great minds think alike.......Awesome......I really like the way you did your model, as it has that bling factor that I like to see on a truck....Swapping the fuel tank and battery box was the ultimate idea, though......Made a good model into a GREAT MODEL.....And I hope you keep building them.....You've got the knack for it......

Edited July 1, 2015 by kilrathy10

[72 Charger]

That's a beauty I like the small amount of weathering you've done to the chassis and I like how you did your manifolds . What is your method for doing them could you tell us please ?

[Tory]

Thanks again guys!

JT, I agree that swapping the fuel tank and battery box really gives it that little something extra. Again, this was a suggestion from my buddy Mike who also supplied me with these parts. I can't thank him enough for his help on this project!

Dave, for the exhaust manifolds I stripped the chrome and primed them with Plastikote sandable gray auto primer. They were airbrushed with Floquil Tuscan Red (a model railroad color) and then given a light dusting of orange artist oil pastel. I also did a little Floquil Grimy Black wash around the mounting bolts to blend it into the engine grime.

Hope that helps.

Tory

[Dave Van]

great build, perfect detail painting and color choice!

[kevjoh]

Thanks for the info re narrowing the wrecker body. The more I look at it the more I like it, everything has been expertly done, especially the detailing and weathering

[ChrisR]

Looks great. Nice weathering!

[Tory]

Thanks again guys!

The more I look at it the more I feel it needs a little more "clutter" in the back. Since the kit came with a bunch of accessories, I've decided to paint them up and add them to the wrecker body deck to "busy" it up. Also, I think the 50 gallon drum needs to be secured somehow, any of you truck experts know how this would be done in real life? Would they wrap a chain around it? Bungee cords? Any suggestions would be welcome. As a matter of fact, if any of you think it might benefit from other things added (chains, cables, tools, etc.) let me know.

Thanks.

Tory

[Petetrucker07]

The barrel would usually be strapped to a wall. The jerry cans and tool box would be in a cradle and bungeed down for quick access. The chains would be in box or in a chain and binder holder.

Here's a shot of how my stuff is in the back.

And outside.

I haven't made chain holders yet.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Petetrucker07

[Tory]

Thank you Clayton, that is extreemely helpful. Are more photos of your rig posted here? I would love to see all of it, looks like a beautiful model!

[Petetrucker07]

Here's the under glass link.

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=101417&page=1