If I had a real Pete

[Biggu]

13 hours ago, Gary Chastain said:

Wow, you are all in on this build, will be watching. And yes, the aftermarket parts world is changing our hobby in a big way. We spend 50 bucks on a kit and then spend 200 hundred bucks on aftermarket parts. Love how you are building your way. 

Thanks Gary. Boy you are sure right about the aftermarket and I am a victim of that. For all the years of building out of the box which is really someone else’s ‘vision’ so to speak, we can now build our own vision. And in some cases much more realistic and each kit can now be different. I have been on this site for a while and have watched a lot of builds and none really box stock and even the slightest modification inspires me to try new things and make my builds a personal thing. There is no wrong way to build and building it ‘your’ way is spot on. That’s why I spend hours here looking at the current and past builds and I gather all sorts of ideas and see new techniques. Love this place. Thanks for you kind words. 
Jeff

[Biggu]

10 hours ago, gotnitro? said:

Excellent work Jeff ! 

I can't get over the details on the Detroit engine, compared to kit offerings this is a huge improvement. I order from Paul quite a bit, very pleased w his selection 

Thanks Jeff. The engine detail is fantastic. I’m trying not to make a pig’s ear out of it. I was a bit pricey but as you mention head and shoulders over the kit one , but with that said I think my next one, I am going to see if I can kick that kit engine up a notch or two. Might be a fun challenge. Maybe … lol. I’m glad to hear you order from Paul too. The more of us that do the better it will be for all of us I think. I see he now has the KGS Loader and excavator. And getting more conversions, looks like I will have to save my paper route money, allowance , lemonade stand money too. Lol. Thanks for checking in I appreciate your comments. 
cheers

Jeff

[Biggu]

So I have progression on the engine. It is a little jewel. It takes a little delicate painting of fittings etc but if my big fat puds can do it anyone can. With careful detail painting the brass fittings come out nicely. I have added some details but nothing like Randy and his build. His engine detailing is hugely inspiring. ( Floater truck thread ) so here are a few pics of what I was able to put together. I had to add a scratch made dip stick tube which is actually an aluminum tube that had to be bent to ‘spec’ to fit in the fitting in the block

[Biggu]

The engine kit comes with a set of VERY small decals but incredibly detailed. So this is about as far as I could go with it out of the truck. Again sorry for the lousy pics, I’m fairly new at this game but you get the idea. The Bendix decal on the compressor is VERY small and you can still READ it ! Now thats detail !

[Biggu]

And here is a pic of the engine and transmission finally mated getting ready for frame install. Note that I didn’t put the filter decals exactly the same as they never are in real life , at least never were when I did an oil change. I think it adds just a little dan of realism. Also airline for the range selector

[BK9300]

Great progress, Jeff!  I get the part about needing it to be in the truck to finish detailing.

[Biggu]

Ok. We’re in … holy moly that was a tight fit !!! I teat fitted it 3 or four times buy was VERY careful not to break any protruding fittings. To follow the instructions they suggest to remove the small tab on the front engine crossmember so that the engine sits down flat rather than with a front lift. I did that and the engine sits nicely flat on the front cross member and the corresponding rear engine mounts. Looks good , BUT a lot of the finer details are hidden by the frame rails, sadly. All fuel and oil filters and ECM box are tucked away and can only be seen from under the truck. The engine looks every bit the part of the real deal. Also in hind sight or if I were to do this again, I would most definitely sand, or trim, or shave down the top part of the inner frame rail ( as it wouldn’t be noticed anyway) to facilitate an easier and less stressful engine install . As it is I installed the oil filters as close to the engine block as I could as there is a little wiggle room but the filters are still hard against the frame rail. Never the less I shoe horned it into place and it looks good . I dos this install without all the front bits on . I think I can install all the pulleys, fan, a/c, and alternator as the engine sits  or I HOPE I can otherwise I may be diddled.

 

Edited August 14, 2024 by Biggu

[Biggu]

My next thing is the steering box…. I added CTM fittings to the box so that I can hopefully connect power steering lines. And made some caps instead of ‘heat swage’ the pins for the working steering. I have never had lick with the hear swage thing

[Biggu]

Steering box is in and power steering hoses attached. I will let this set up and then probably the front pulleys and a/c and alternator. Then rad. Thats the tentative plan anyway. 

[BK9300]

Looking good, Jeff - how much will you be weathering this truck?

[Biggu]

29 minutes ago, BK9300 said:

Looking good, Jeff - how much will you be weathering this truck?

Probably not a lot this time Brian, it will be clean but not as clean as my Corvette. Ken said I need to slop up the engine with big oil leaks …. LOL 

[Rockford]

Steering box looks great, and it's had a recon pump! Make sure you bleed it properly.

[Biggu]

So somewhere along the line I mentioned I was going to add a little pe to this build. I use the CTM stuff and I find it really nice and I’m not a hugely experienced pe guy but it sure adds to the build. So this is big upgrade set I will try to use mostly

[Biggu]

I used the small interior upgrade set for the dash parts, I like the results. Even had to add the Peterbilt decal on the glove box door

Edited August 16, 2024 by Biggu

[Biggu]

And this is the basic inspiration for this build altho not the same colors but some of the same bits here and there. The light blue and red trucks were parked at a rest area near Revelstoke BC back in June and the fellow in the red truck was from Quebec and couldn’t speak very good English , but was over joyed when I asked if I could take a few pics of his Pete. He was very proud of it. He was heading to Vancouver Island. No one around the light blue one bit it was REALLY nice. 

[gotnitro?]

I wish I had seen those CTM hose fittings after making mine, so much nicer. 

Your interior looks great, those PE sets make a world of difference, especially in the office. Armor builders have been treated to PE forever, glad it is finally making its way to rigs

[Biggu]

25 minutes ago, gotnitro? said:

I wish I had seen those CTM hose fittings after making mine, so much nicer. 

Your interior looks great, those PE sets make a world of difference, especially in the office. Armor builders have been treated to PE forever, glad it is finally making its way to rigs

Thanks Jeff. The fittings really do look good and are well designed bit are just a touch fiddly with big fat fingers but I sure will be getting more. And you are right about the pe. And I am really glad us truck guys are getting it as well. What a great time to be a scale modeller !!

Jeff

[ShakyCraftsman]

Hey Jeff 

 Remember I told you the oil pan should be turned around into a rear sump pan? Do you see how close the front axle is to your oil pan, if you hit a bump your going to destroy that fine engine.

From your pal Ron G 

[Biggu]

1 hour ago, ShakyCraftsman said:

Hey Jeff 

 Remember I told you the oil pan should be turned around into a rear sump pan? Do you see how close the front axle is to your oil pan, if you hit a bump your going to destroy that fine engine.

From your pal Ron G 

I do recall that , pal but with all the research and the instructions ……. I will avoid the bumps as they are very hard on spring packs and king pins…….. just like I did with the real trucks. 

[Gary Chastain]

Just catching up, wow, that engine detail is outstanding, well done. Interior looks really good also. 

[vincen47]

Excellent progress. I’m enjoying this build.

[Biggu]

2 hours ago, Gary Chastain said:

Just catching up, wow, that engine detail is outstanding, well done. Interior looks really good also. 

Thanks Gary. I appreciate your comments. I must confess that CTM pe is really nice and fits beautifully.  The engine has printed details that are fabulous. It is a bit of a shame a lot is hidden away . Hopefully another update in a few days. Thanks for checking in

Jeff

Edited August 19, 2024 by Biggu

[Biggu]

24 minutes ago, vincen47 said:

Excellent progress. I’m enjoying this build.

Thanks Victor. I’m glad you are following along. Always interested to hear from anyone following along. Shot some paint on her today so when it cures and hardens up a bit maybe a pic or two. Comments are always welcome. Thanks again

Jeff

[Biggu]

Tiny update, doesn’t look like very much but translates into a fair bit of bench time. I didn’t care for the chrome air cleaners as there are many builds with them as kit stock chrome. So wanting to do something a little different, I stripped the chrome, cleaned up the seams which is very difficult with chrome. Then painted them in can color, added my go to automotive tape for the hold down straps and then added the CTM photo etch intake mesh. Personally I think the pe mesh really makes the air cleaner  much more realistic. Not sure the pics will do it justice. In real life it is beautiful. 

[Biggu]

Another very minor update. I decided to enhance the rear sleeper supports and shocks by adding some bolts. 8 on each side and under a splash of paint should be a subtle detail. I love Meng bolts

Edited August 21, 2024 by Biggu