Roadway C-900 - On to the Trailer 4-15-17

[Tyler62990]

So I got a deal on this kit that I couldn't pass up. It's a bit rough, with the cab having a broken pillar and glass that's scratched pretty badly, but those shouldn't be very difficult problems to correct. Two strange things I noticed with this kit are the lack of chrome parts and part numbers on the trees. The chrome parts I can live without, considering I want this to be a well worn build and not a show truck. The numberless trees may prove to be a challenge, especially given the fact that this is my first rig and the instructions aren't illustrated even close to today's standards. One thing I'm impressed with is how sturdy everything feels. These old AMT kits seem to be made out of a different type of plastic that doesn't feel as flimsy as the newer kits from makers like Revell. ABS possibly?

 

I've always had a thing for p&d trucks, so I decided to make this one an old Roadway truck. The cab decals I'll get from the Mack DM-600 kit, and the trailer decals I'll get from Model Truckin' when the time comes. I'm not sure on where to find the right colors for this build (or something close), so any suggestions will be appreciated. Anyway, here's what I'm shooting for...

 

...And here's where I'm at. I'm pretty sure I got the frame about as square as it's going to get. The rails were a bit warped, but the crossmembers tie it together pretty well. It sits flat on my table, so it should be good to go. I've heard nightmare stories about the frames being just a bit off and causing lots of problems further down the road, so I've got my fingers crossed. I guess we'll see!

 

 

Edited April 15, 2017 by Tyler62990

[tbill]

cool idea for this build. the beauty of the old AMT kits like this is that nothing really fits anyway, so you're adapting as you go anyway, lol.  look forward to this coming together.

[Jim B]

I have one of these kits in the stash as well, and it just begs to be build as Roadway.  Seems like these Roadway C900 combinations were all over the place.

Hey, as straight & level frame is half the battle with an AMT kit!   One I frequently loose.

[SpreadAxle]

Cool project. I have one in the stash myself for a future build. I look forward to seeing how yours turns out.

[Tesla]

The Ford C900 was widely used by Roadway and it's a great way to build this kit. I look forward to your progress!

[leafsprings]

I believe the AMT Ford tractor kit is based on the 111" wheelbase. Many of these city tractors were ordered with the shorter 99" wheelbase. My next build will have a shorter frame. Also, this AMT kit has strange undersize rear axle hubs for a real life 22k or 23K rear axle. I recommend  larger rear hubs.

Edited November 11, 2016 by leafsprings

[Chu]

Hi, Im looking forward to see your progress. I built one of those ford c 9000 a few weeks a go and is challenging well probably because of my skills. For the color I used russoleum orange and navy blue. Question are you going to use the gasoline engine or diesel engine?

[Repstock]

I used Moline Gold (Tractor Enamel, it doesn't look gold to me!) for the orange, and royal blue for the blue. Both were enamels. This is an older build so I had to make my own trailer decals. Can't wait to see yours! I put a diesel engine in mine. As a side note, when i was at the Roadway terminal getting photos for the build, one of the drivers gave my young son a ride around the yard in an old Mack. Those Roadway guys were really friendly!

Edited November 16, 2016 by Repstock

[Repstock]

Don't forget, those areas behind the doors are vents. AMT didn't add them, they just left the area flat.

[Tyler62990]

I believe the AMT Ford tractor kit is based on the 111" wheelbase. Many of these city tractors were ordered with the shorter 99" wheelbase. My next build will have a shorter frame. Also, this AMT kit has strange undersize rear axle hubs for a real life 22k or 23K rear axle. I recommend  larger rear hubs.

Thanks for the info man. I have no idea where I would get hubs or anything like that, though. Since this is my first go at a rig, I'm just going to use what's in the box as to not complicate things any further lol.

[Tyler62990]

Hi, Im looking forward to see your progress. I built one of those ford c 9000 a few weeks a go and is challenging well probably because of my skills. For the color I used russoleum orange and navy blue. Question are you going to use the gasoline engine or diesel engine?

I'm sticking with the gas engine for this one

[Tyler62990]

I used Moline Gold (Tractor Enamel, it doesn't look gold to me!) for the orange, and royal blue for the blue. Both were enamels. This is an older build so I had to make my own trailer decals. Can't wait to see yours! I put a diesel engine in mine. As a side note, when i was at the Roadway terminal getting photos for the build, one of the drivers gave my young son a ride around the yard in an old Mack. Those Roadway guys were really friendly!

Wow, that's impressive! And basically the same thing I'm going for, just with a pup trailer.I couldn't find a suitable color anywhere, so I went with MM Go Mango lacquer. It's pretty close, but could've probably used a bit more of a yellow tint (pics below). For the blue, I'm probably going to end up using Testors Sea Blue or Dark Blue with a few drops of black mixed in, as most of the old Roadway rigs I remember seeing seemed to have a really dark tint to the blue. What color did you end up using for the trailer? That looks really good! Awesome work on the decals, btw. I'd love to do my own, but from what I understand you need a special printer to do white.

Don't forget, those areas behind the doors are vents. AMT didn't add them, they just left the area flat.

Well that sucks lol. I wish I saw this post before I painted the body. That's a great detail touch right there!

[Tyler62990]

Well, I'm really dragging my feet on this one, BUT everything is finally painted for the most part. I have two builds on the bench now, but for some reason decided to take on two more, one for a commission build and another for a build off lol. With that being said, here's a quick update:

The frame is mostly complete and (I think) square. I hit it with some flat black to prep it for loads of grime, rust and grease.

 

The cab was done with MM Go Mango lacquer. It's a little bit too orange, but it'll do. For the blue, I think I'm going to go with some Sea Blue, the same color I used for the engine after the MM Ford Engine Blue ended up being a huge disappointment. 

[extmcdriver]

Great start!

[Chu]

I Like it!!!

 

[Repstock]

 What color did you end up using for the trailer?

I think it was just regular Testor's silver enamel with a coating of dullcote. 

[Tyler62990]

Alright, after quite a long break from this one, I decided to get moving on it once again. There's not a whole lot to report on, but here's where I'm at.

The cab finally got its two tone. A cheap can of Rusto Navy Blue gave me almost the EXACT blue I was looking for. Needless to say, I'm very happy I don't have to mix up any custom colors now. I also brushed on a little flat black for the window moldings and started doing a bit of the detail painting.

 

I also decided to start weathering various parts. For the sake of not having to post 100 pictures of random parts, here's a pic of the wheels. Since this things supposed to look like it's seen some miles, expect lots of grease and grime.

 

I know I'm jumping around all over on this one, but the dash looked like a fun little challenge to take on. I'm a bit spoiled by the new kits with gauge decals, so painting the old AMT dashboards has always been a weakness for me. All in all, I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out.

 

Well that's all for now. I should have the engine done in a few days. It's taking a bit longer than expected since I can't find many reference pics. I might not even be searching for the right thing lol. From what I understand, the engine in this kit should be a 534 BB Ford. Any experts out there?

[gatorincebu]

 

   You have made a bit of progress and it looks pretty good . Your choice for the blue looks about righ. The orange is a bit off and seems to have a pearlescent effect. I used to use testor .

racing orange and a dark blue. Kinda like the Gators colors. The dash looks pretty good from here .

 

 

 

    Be Well

   Gator

[Mopar - D]

Nice project I like your colors and when you get done weathering it up some it willl look like your picture. 

[Tesla]

The paint job turned out nice along with the dash details.

[gotnitro?]

looks good !

[DRIPTROIT 71]

I like what you have come up with so far. It looks great! 

I've only ever worked on one of those engines and it was in a fire truck. I don't remember much about it other than this one had kind of a strange carb. on it. There's a few photos on Google though.

[Chariots of Fire]

That is some nice work!  Looking forward to seeing more!

[leafsprings]

Nice work! Fleet trucks are my favorites, I did a Willig C 900. Unlike  some other Ford kits , this one is labeled correctly as a C900. One of my pet peeves about the kit is the rear axle hub. Looks identical in diameter as the front hub, but with nuts, which can't be right. A C 900 would have a larger and flatter hub design when in the 22-23k lb rating. Here is a more realistic view of what should have been supplied with the kit.

Edited February 26, 2017 by leafsprings

[Tyler62990]

Thanks guys!

 

   You have made a bit of progress and it looks pretty good . Your choice for the blue looks about righ. The orange is a bit off and seems to have a pearlescent effect. I used to use testor .

racing orange and a dark blue. Kinda like the Gators colors. The dash looks pretty good from here .

 

 

 

    Be Well

   Gator

Yeah, for some reason a weird pearl effect shows up in photos under certain lighting, but never in person. I'm hoping the weathering will tone that down a bit. I'm fine with how it looks on the bench, but taking pictures is half the fun.

Nice work! Fleet trucks are my favorites, I did a Willig C 900. Unlike  some other Ford kits , this one is labeled correctly as a C900. One of my pet peeves about the kit is the rear axle hub. Looks identical in diameter as the front hub, but with nuts, which can't be right. A C 900 would have a larger and flatter hub design when in the 22-23k lb rating. Here is a more realistic view of what should have been supplied with the kit.

If only I knew that before I discovered there's just as big a resin market for trucks as there is cars, I probably would've tried to find a set lol. Eh, I'm not gonna get to nit-picky about this one, though. I'm more or less just focusing on making everything in the box work and getting the hang of building truck models. This has been a really fun project so far, so I can see myself getting into industrial-type models pretty heavily. I actually see a C-Series fire engine coming sooner or later. I guess we'll see...