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Posted

The cab mods are really impressive, you're doing a fantastic job. It's amazing how jobs develop, one mod has a knock on effect on so many other things, you wonder if it will ever end. Then you look at a photo you've been studying for months and see something you've missed thousand times! I do have a new found appreciation for the manufacurers, especially in the old days before computers. How they got the kits to go together at all is a wonder to me!  

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)
On 1/22/2025 at 11:46 AM, Scott Eriksen said:

.........nice progress on the cab Brian! ,,,,I usually measure once and cut twice myself 😛 

Thanks, Scott - but I don't know about that - your fabrication's looking top drawer these days!

Edited by BK9300
  • Like 1
Posted
On 1/22/2025 at 2:39 PM, Rockford said:

The cab mods are really impressive, you're doing a fantastic job. It's amazing how jobs develop, one mod has a knock on effect on so many other things, you wonder if it will ever end. Then you look at a photo you've been studying for months and see something you've missed thousand times! I do have a new found appreciation for the manufacurers, especially in the old days before computers. How they got the kits to go together at all is a wonder to me!  

Thanks, Steve - been slow because not my favorite thing to do!  I've given in to that 'knock on' effect a lot in this build - especially when, like you said, I miss things right there in my photo research.  About the old days, those talented at hand drafting must have been in high demand.

I hope to get the cab all sorted in the next couple days, then more on the hood.  Thanks again!

Posted

In between working on the cab and hood, other items have been getting some attention.  The hood needs a set of extra lights - plow lights - that are mounted high up, at the front of the hood to clear the plow.  Also, the issue of a short driveshaft to power the hydraulic pump needed resolution.  Wasn't able to find anything suitable online, so I turned to Sketchup again, and, again, many thanks to Bren for printing these items for me.  Finally got the firewall filler in and the firewall glued back in place, and extended the firewall skirts slightly to complete the area surrounding the firewall

 

'Plow light" on real truck

Hoodplowlight.JPG.b4ff402c3ccc16d2cc48c9c205368818.JPG

 

I modeled the lights in Sketchup 

IMG_1699.jpg.f330d9ad6af4cac198afd345322e1850.jpg

 

Bren was also able to print the lenses I made, using clear resin. 

IMG_1711.thumb.jpg.8ffdec085de9a6393e5db579237c319c.jpg

 

Crankshaft pulley drive shaft to run hydraulic pump on front bumper.  I get that this is not an ideal operating angle for these type of drive shafts - I guess that when I installed the engine way back, maybe it sat a little high in the frame (but fan lined up with rad opening, so?).  Not enough thought was given to a better line up with pump that would have been required in real life.  As it is, it will be a little topic of conversation, should anyone ever notice the drive shaft's angle on the finished model!

IMG_1729.thumb.jpg.c27ef3b8a1afa6c74f25cc3b64aeb893.jpg

 

Made a paper template, then cut out the filler piece that needs to go between firewall and dash board support bracket

IMG_2625.jpg.6309bbd472501f36e3b07f6c7f3350e3.jpg

 

Filler piece glued in place

IMG_2638.jpg.3c00c9a81bd30c6dcbe47fd05af96333.jpg

 

Firewall glued back in place - top edge of firewall was replaced with a strip of 1mm plastic and scribed to match (mostly!) the curve of the cab - the small remaining gaps will be puttied; also, extensions added to side skirts to form a lip for the vertical sides of hood to close into.  Rectangular hole in firewall was for the Constellation kits's under hood air cleaner to mount - needs to be filled in. 

Now that the firewall has been fixed in place with the filler piece in behind, the interior floor pan now has location points on the filler piece and the back wall of the cab to keep it in its original position - it can be removed, worked on, and the fitting retested fairly easily before it needs to be glued in place.

IMG_2640.jpg.9dae8e0aed16fc14d4cada3ce76bf516.jpg

 

Skirt extension on driver's side still needs to have hole cut out for air intake plenum to pass through from air cleaner, and some finish puttying and sanding

IMG_2639.jpg.d721a60a3f2ff72e0e0827a09660ba2c.jpg

 

Like Steve said above, one modification can affect many other things.  Because I made the front plow bumper mount with lift arm, the kit's hood hinges, which are a bit oversized and have a very low pivot point, wouldn't let the hood tip very far before the front of the hood hits the front bumper.  I will need to make hood hinges that are similar to the real truck, so the hood pivots higher, just at the base of the front grill surround.  I'll need to detach the grill bars from the surround and mount them on the rad, so the grill surround will allow the hood to open fully and not impact the lift arm on the front plow.  Still lots to do, but, if the hinges can be sorted out ok, the rest of the work on the hood should go quickly!  I appreciate you looking in and thanks for commenting.

  • Like 4
Posted

"Because I made the front plow bumper mount with lift arm, the kit's hood hinges, which are a bit oversized and have a very low pivot point, wouldn't let the hood tip very far before the front of the hood hits the front bumper.  I will need to make hood hinges that are similar to the real truck, so the hood pivots higher,"  Truck manufacturers used to make a "snow plow hood" which tilted but also had "butterfly" doors so fluids could be checked ,,IH comes to mind . My wrecker build is going to have the same problem because of the front bumper winch Brian  

snow plow hood.jpg

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)
7 hours ago, Scott Eriksen said:

Truck manufacturers used to make a "snow plow hood" which tilted but also had "butterfly" doors so fluids could be checked ,,IH comes to mind . My wrecker build is going to have the same problem because of the front bumper winch Brian  

 

Hey, Scott - maybe you can do something similar as well!  I've attached a pic of the WS hinge set up - I hope to make something that at least works with the same hinge point.  I had the hood open for this pic and in the background and you can see the right set of ears for the lift arm support bar and other parts of the front plow lift through the grill surround opening.  If the angle of the pic was taken a bit more to the right, you would see the lift arm itself sticking up through the opening.  Should be fun to try and get all that lined up and have the hood close ok! 

 

DSC00250.JPG.45fde2da7bf45d5ec5dfa88e4c24b5f3.JPG

Edited by BK9300
Typo
Posted
1 minute ago, BK9300 said:

Hey, Scott - maybe you can do something similar as well!  I've attached a pick of the WS hinge set up - I hope to make something that at least works with the same hinge point.  I had the hood open for this pic and in the background and you can see the right see of ears for the lift arm support bar and other parts of the front plow lift through the grill surround opening.  If the angle of the pic was taken a bit more to the right, you would see the lift arm itself sticking up through the opening.  Should be fun to try and get all that lined up and have the hood close ok! 

 

DSC00250.JPG.45fde2da7bf45d5ec5dfa88e4c24b5f3.JPG

I had enough trouble getting my hood square to the cab,,,I'll let the mechanics worry about getting it tilted far enough......lol!!!! 

  • Haha 1
Posted

Brian, this build just keeps getting better. This is crazy!  Your attention to details is absolutely outstanding sir. We get snow soon so get after it! 😂  I tucked a few screen shots in my, “need to remember that trick” album. Great stuff.  The work you did on the hood is really impressive.

  • Like 1
Posted
7 hours ago, Scott Eriksen said:

Truck manufacturers used to make a "snow plow hood" which tilted but also had "butterfly" doors so fluids could be checked ,,IH comes to mind . My wrecker build is going to have the same problem because of the front bumper winch Brian  

snow plow hood.jpg

Scott, just recognized the plow lights on the truck in your pic.  2,800 miles between Prince George, BC (home base for the YRB truck) and the Township of Algonquin and both use same plow lights.  Must be good lights for both mechanical shops to use same ones!

  • Like 2
Posted
6 hours ago, Steve H said:

Brian, this build just keeps getting better. This is crazy!  Your attention to details is absolutely outstanding sir. We get snow soon so get after it! 😂  I tucked a few screen shots in my, “need to remember that trick” album. Great stuff.  The work you did on the hood is really impressive.

Steve, glad you found something useful here!  Hope my luck with the hood holds up during the puttying stage.  Thanks for having another look and  for your generous comments!

  • Like 1
Posted

Bit of boring body work going on today, but did try something that made puttying the hood a bit easier.  Been worried about how the do the join of the fenders to the sides of the hood, and get a decent curve to the putty line.  As a sidebar, we had some renos done awhile back and the countertop guy had a fellow who was a magician with a caulking gun.  So, could a 'tool' like that be used here?  Made a decent go at at mini 'putty gun' and it turned out ok.

 

I had some Lee Valley, plastic syringe nozzles left over from a furniture, glue repair kit

IMG_2642.jpg.9aae096a8c2a156066b9b3aa81e7c4a9.jpg

 

Scotch taped the nozzle to the putty tube as best I could

IMG_2643.jpg.4e28b302cc255ca1e4dbef727a787e36.jpg

 

Using the old hood I screwed up as a test, was able to do a decent line down the fender edges - never knew this but countertop guy said to always push the caulking gun forward and the nozzle will shape the bead line for you, so that's what I did - worked well!

IMG_2647.jpg.b6208967709a29d6836705032d7be116.jpg

 

Fender edges and other areas of hood have a first go at putty - might be set enough to sand a bit tomorrow 

IMG_2650.jpg.daf04d518a932af82b19a0e3d814191c.jpg

 

While this is setting up and some small repairs to cab are drying, going to spend some time thinking about interior control tower and how the rest of the interior needs to be finished.   Take care!

  • Like 5
Posted (edited)
23 minutes ago, Biggu said:

Another excellent tutorial. ! And an engineering class. Thanks Brian. 

Too kind, Jeff - just trying some things out to make this part of the build a bit easier!

Edited by BK9300
typo
  • Like 1
Posted

Brian your updates are always good stuff the hood is coming along nicely. I like the plow lights very nice thanks for sharing. 

Posted
20 hours ago, Pete68 said:

Brian your updates are always good stuff the hood is coming along nicely. I like the plow lights very nice thanks for sharing. 

Thanks, Lee - yes, the lights turned out ok - hard to find specific parts like that for a build, otherwise.

  • Like 1
Posted
15 hours ago, TrucksMT said:

Wow what a completely epic thread!  Incredible work!

Thanks, Dan - I appreciate you having a look!

  • Like 1
Posted
48 minutes ago, BK9300 said:

Thanks, Lee - yes, the lights turned out ok - hard to find specific parts like that for a build, otherwise.

Good glad it worked out for you 

Posted

For sure.  Thank you for posting it.  I love scratchbuilding and man this thing is some heavy scratch.  You seem to know this subject extremely well. 

  • Like 1

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