Rockford Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 On 12/6/2022 at 8:51 AM, J.B. Customs said: I like Thank you sir, and all the others that have kindly commented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.B. Customs Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Carrier bearing and drive shaft 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 (edited) I must admit I have been a bit envious of you 1/24 guys with your sliding fifth wheels. It means that you can position any trailer where it looks best on your tractor. I'm stuck with these awful fixed units on my 1/32 junk. As if in a vision, the idea came to me, I can make a slider of my own! Bit late after about 10 trucks built but it just never occurred to me! I cut out a baseplate, added the rails from 1mm square rod with a 1mm inset from the edge. Then built a slide frame out of C-section. I took a 5th wheel and added gudgeons from hollow tube, then put a companion piece on the slider frame. Quick mock-up and it looks great! The installed height is actually lower than the fixed units I've built by 0.5mm so I'm really chuffed with that. There's a lot of finessing to do but I'm really happy with it. Edited December 11, 2022 by Rockford Text editing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.B. Customs Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 (edited) Man that is cool and don’t be too jealous all the 1/24 I have purchased the slide plates are one piece with the fifth wheel is slid all the way back but the fifth wheel moves. Great job now you have planted ideas in my brain and by the way what you are doing with the 1/32 is pretty impressive Edited December 11, 2022 by J.B. Customs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 1 hour ago, J.B. Customs said: Carrier bearing and drive shaft 👍 Thanks. Looks right to me. I need things to look right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 26 minutes ago, J.B. Customs said: Man that is cool and don’t be too jealous all the 1/24 I have purchased the slide plates are one piece with the fifth wheel is slid all the way back but the fifth wheel moves. Great job now you have planted ideas in my brain and by the way what you are doing with the 1/32 is pretty impressive I was thinking of the AMT kits of old that had operative sliders. I'm really happy with what I've achieved and any truck I build from now on will have the same setup. The double sleeper Bison will have it's existing setup removed to be replaced with this unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted December 13, 2022 Author Share Posted December 13, 2022 Couldn't wait to get the slider fitted to the Bison so tonight I cut out the kit slider plate, fabbed some side rails and mounted it to the chassis. It gives quite a scope of movement fore and aft and looks tidy, credible. There's still a lot to do to it to finish but it looks good enough for me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted December 17, 2022 Author Share Posted December 17, 2022 Using a steel rule laid against the rails as a depth limiter as well as my measure, I cut my teeth as close to 1mm each as my eyes would allow. Then I put a tiny piece of wire in the runners. These engage in the cuts and keep the fifth wheel in the set place. Added stops at each end, a release handle on the fifth wheel and it was finished. Holds position well and gives me a good range of adjustment. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted December 17, 2022 Author Share Posted December 17, 2022 I have no mirrors for this truck so I took a piece of aluminium sheet, cut it and bent it around a mirror head I'd shaped out of a piece of scrap. I use a black Sharpie marker as engineers blue. Filed the edges triangular and drilled a 0.9mm hole in each end, then slid a straightened paperclip through it. Drilled the door and fitted them. Look good. I want to triangulate the bracket but time has run out today. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted April 26, 2023 Author Share Posted April 26, 2023 I have had this poor truck sat on a shelf since November last year, waiting for a decent painting day and today, nearly the end APRIL!!!! it finally arrived. 13°C, sunny with 44% humidity, I couldn't waste the chance. If you recall, it bloomed badly last time. I had rubbed it down in November and I am so pleased that I've managed to rectify the situation. I ran out of the Ford™ Aztec Gold though, so I decided to paint the air filter and luberfiner the brown of the cab. I'll consider whether to get more gold and do the two tone on the cab. I'm pleased with the rear bulkhead that I built. This Bison lumbers onward! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennyg Posted April 27, 2023 Share Posted April 27, 2023 Looking good! Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted May 6, 2023 Author Share Posted May 6, 2023 I always intended this to be my first two tone paint scheme that would require a masking job. I masked it up and followed a suggestion from one of you gents on the site to shoot one coat of the base colour first, then your second colour. That way any bleed under the tape is the same colour as the base, in this case: brown. Seemed to work a treat, giving me a nice crisp line all around. It's not the gold I really wanted, bit too brassy, I'd have liked something more like Rockford's Firebird but it's ok. I might finish it off with a white pinstripe along the top edge. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted May 11, 2023 Author Share Posted May 11, 2023 (edited) Now starting to fit everything. Had to use BMF on the grille shell and headlight bezels because they had gone black in the sun. That ultra bright chrome BMF is not easy to use and not the greatest when it comes to adhering, but I managed it. Added a white stripe cut from a leftover decal sheet to part the gold and the brown. Added my rear drive hubs. Test fitted the stacks. I'm fairly happy with it. Edited May 11, 2023 by Rockford Text editing 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cifenet Posted May 11, 2023 Share Posted May 11, 2023 The truck is looking very good so far! Nice progress and I can see you are almost done! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennyg Posted May 12, 2023 Share Posted May 12, 2023 Very nice! Ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted May 13, 2023 Author Share Posted May 13, 2023 How's that for 3D printing!? All I did was type in 'Bison' and hit 'Ctrl+P' and look what happened! Anyway, enough garbage from me. Here's one of my Bisons on the cusp of completion. There was a visor I made for it but for some reason it no longer fits. Mind you, it looks good without, one of the few trucks that do. The other is the R Series Mack. Got a bit of fogging on the rear window from the superglue but never mind. Made up airlines out of elastic thread, draped them over the pogo stick and then used super glue to fix them. Added a grab rail from a paperclip. Just a few final pieces like license plates and rear lamps. I might put decals on the heatshields to mimic the perforations. I'm glad to have brought it back from ruination and got him back on the road again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRIPTROIT 71 Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 Looks awesome! You are the master on these trucks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted May 20, 2023 Author Share Posted May 20, 2023 The daycab of my two Bisons is all but done. Added my licence plates and bingo plate, rear lights, got the sunvisor to fit by shaping it around the three middle clearance lights, piped in my luberfiner, added some perforation decals I'd drawn up to the heat shields, and greased my fifth wheel (because a clean one ain't making any money!). He's already been busy with various loads. I've got to give it some badges on the hood and a company name. I've sat him next to his brother Longshanks, who he donated his sleeper to. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bennyg Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Very nice! Ben 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractoraholic Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 The Bison is coming along nicely, I've always been a fan of the general and bison. I have one of the 1/25 Amt Bisons from the 90's that I'll get to building someday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 (edited) Thanks Justin Although I have to jump through hoops to make these snappers look half decent they build square and straight which apparently, the AMT General or Bison doesn't, but many seem to end up looking good. I hope yours comes together ok. I built one nearly 40 years ago and was always very proud of it, but it's too long ago to recall what issues I had with it. Edited May 21, 2023 by Rockford Text corrected Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 (edited) 15 hours ago, Bennyg said: Very nice! Ben Thanks Ben Next job, back to the W900 and work out how to open up the hood and keep it looking straight. Edited May 21, 2023 by Rockford Text editing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted June 8 Author Share Posted June 8 It's been over a year since I last touched this truck in earnest. It's never been forgotten though. The weather has been so poor this year that I need to snatch any decent days for spraying. I knew when I primed this I'd see a host of issues with the filling job on the sleeper so I wanted to get it sorted today. Primed it, reskimmed the rough bits with stopper then rubbed down with 600 and primed again. Looks ok! (Until I topcoat it). Got to think of a colour scheme now. 🤔 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jürgen M. Posted June 9 Share Posted June 9 I'm Sure that will turn out great! Surface looks really good! Keep going! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockford Posted June 11 Author Share Posted June 11 Decided to use the cheapo white topcoat that I bought for my Trailmobile that turned pink. Mainly because the weather was kind and the can was staring me in the face. Ran over the primer with a Scotchbrite and shot the colour. I'm really pleased with the result. Laid down really smooth. Thinking of a chassis colour to work with the red plastic and maybe bring it up the cab to fender level. (I've mentioned earlier that to me, the proportions of this truck reminds me of Sonny Pruitt's Kenworth, and I did think of mimicking that and putting W.Chandler on the door, but Will would have gone for an Aerodyne wouldn't he?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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