White Freightliner question

[raisin27]

For my second big rig build I am doing the single drive version of the AMT White Freightliner. I have heard some not very flattering things about this kit, one of them being that the front axle track is too wide. I want to correct this by narrowing the axle before assembly.  Can anyone who has built this kit tell me how much to take out of the width? I was thinking .080" to .100"?  Thanks in advance.

[James Maynard]

You will see that there are 2 extra break hubs that you can simply leave off and it will look just fine.

[shoopdog]

13 hours ago, James Maynard said:

You will see that there are 2 extra break hubs that you can simply leave off and it will look just fine.

That's my plan of action on my build.

[Mopar - D]

On my resent Frightliner rebuild I removed .100” out of the center of the axle and tie rod. The other item that I changed was the height of the front headlights. 

[TruckerAL]

I've done many. Yes, the front axle is just ever so slightly too wide. I'm not sure how much I remove from it, but it's only a few millimeters. The mirrors are challenging, make sure the mating surfaces are flush and free of chrome before gluing. The 3 piece cab is also challenging. Make sure you sand all the mating surfaces nice and flat so It all lines up just right. Use superglue and make sure to reinforce the inside seams with a thin sheet of styrene. Aside from those issues, the kit is fantastic. Any other questions just ask!

[Goodwrench3]

There was an article recently in the ATHS magazine that discussed this exact issue with the kit.  Here's how the author dealt with it (images from the magazine article).

 

 

[raisin27]

Thanks everyone, I ended up modifying the brake drums to narrow the track about .050 per side.

[GreenObsidian]

Great info! I was unaware of this issue.