Caboverdose

[Rockford]

I've already admitted I'm a trailerholic, now I'm suffering from a Caboverdose. I scored this for less than £20 off Extortionbay in August. It's a bit grotty, first job was to give it a scrub in the sink. Chrome is in poor state but we can deal with that. 

In the middle of about four projects I found myself stripping everything off the chassis and marking and cutting the cab down from a double to a single sleeper. The chassis is 184 inch. It's not being shortened, should I add a little to it? 

Edited November 3, 2024 by Rockford
Photos

[hct728(Bob)]

That's pretty cool! Variations on a theme, I applaud your imagination

[Jürgen M.]

Oh yes, I agree! 

It's like in a good restaurant. Variations of cabover, presented in top quality! 

[RoninUtah]

It must be Peterbilt cabover season! Looks like this one will be a worthy addition to your fleet. Nice clean job cutting the cab. I'd leave the chassis long, it looks like a West Coast rig of the early 70s.

[Jürgen M.]

Absolutely!

How did you cut the cab so precisely? Nice job!

The long chassis looks great.

[Rockford]

Thanks lads.

I worked my cuts out as the distance between the rear edge of the locker doors, about 18mm, then used a square on the roof and the lower edge making sure the lines all meet so they were square. Brand new saw blade and just allowed blind terror to ensure careful cutting. I cut to the outside of the lines then just carefully filed the edge down until they mated pretty well. Holding the seam up to a lamp let's you see the high spots. 

Edited November 5, 2024 by Rockford
Text corrected

[Jürgen M.]

Nice job! ? 

Thanks for the description! 

[Rockford]

Managed some time on the Pete today. 

Opened the doghouse grille at the back, started some rear cab mounts so I could cut away the snap fit location. 

Removed all the deckplating and the slide plate for the fifth wheel and started making a functional one. Also, deepened the rear wheel dishes which spoil the look of these trucks. 

I should really be working on my LTL9000!

Edited November 5, 2024 by Rockford
Text editing

[Jürgen M.]

That's gonna be another beauty!

[Rockford]

Got my fifth wheel fitted this morning and then couldn't resist getting a trailer on it to see how it looks...

[BK9300]

Off to a great start on another refurbish!

[TopherMcGinnis]

Looking mighty fine!

[Pete68]

On 11/3/2024 at 5:02 PM, Rockford said:

I've already admitted I'm a trailerholic, now I'm suffering from a Caboverdose. I scored this for less than £20 off Extortionbay in August. It's a bit grotty, first job was to give it a scrub in the sink. Chrome is in poor state but we can deal with that. 

In the middle of about four projects I found myself stripping everything off the chassis and marking and cutting the cab down from a double to a single sleeper. The chassis is 184 inch. It's not being shortened, should I add a little to it? 

Steve looks like you have added another Orphan to the family. Excellent job on this one for sure. 

[Pete68]

On 11/6/2024 at 1:40 AM, Rockford said:

Got my fifth wheel fitted this morning and then couldn't resist getting a trailer on it to see how it looks...

Nice but let’s see it hooked to one of you awesome Reefers. 

[Rockford]

I'm away at the moment but once I get home I promise I will put it in front of a reefer. 

[Jürgen M.]

We'll wait! ?

[Rockford]

Here goes lads,reefers as requested.

I thought I'd include a flatbed.

Here's my inspiration for this truck. 

Could actually be longer, should I?

I have never had a good explanation for why people would run a cabover on such a long frame. This doesn't look like it's been a "drom"because of the position of the pogo stick and fifth wheel. Why so long and not a conventional? I suppose you could say Freightliner didn't make a conventional at the time but these trucks aren't alone. 

[Biggu]

That refer unit is beautiful! Great details, Steve !! And all that in 1/32 scale ! 

[leafsprings]

Great work on this cabover, a big fan of the longer wheelbase tractors and sure this one will come out looking fantastic. Trucks were custom built to customer specifications, IMO, most of these long wheelbase cabovers were originally bought to transport oversize long pieces, so the overhang was more on the truck frame instead of rear of trailer. Others may originally had drom boxes. The WF in the photo is probably with its second or third owner, pogo stick could have easily been relocated.

Edited November 16, 2024 by leafsprings

[BK9300]

Super detailed reefer, Steve - looks great!

[Jürgen M.]

Nice pics! That rig is going to be so nice! I think the length is perfect but it's your model and your inspiration! Do with it whatever you like! It'll turn out great! Like always!

[Chariots of Fire]

That's nice work.  Like especially the refer addition and the depth of the rear wheels.  Great stuff!

[Blue Monday]

Your work on 1/32 scale snappers is inspirational. That scale seems a little more manageable than 1/24 or 1/25. It seems odd that there are relatively few truck kits in this scale and most are snappers. I have yet to build a truck kit and I was leaning towards 1/25 Revell snappers but looking at your work, 1/32 kits look like an attractive alternative. Keep up the great work.

 

BM.

[Rockford]

23 hours ago, Blue Monday said:

Your work on 1/32 scale snappers is inspirational. That scale seems a little more manageable than 1/24 or 1/25. It seems odd that there are relatively few truck kits in this scale and most are snappers. I have yet to build a truck kit and I was leaning towards 1/25 Revell snappers but looking at your work, 1/32 kits look like an attractive alternative. Keep up the great work.

 

BM.

I am odd, I do seem to have attached myself to 1/32 now. I do enjoy seeing other 1/32 builds, helps ease my scale isolation, but I would build 1/24-5 if I had the space. There's so much more detail right out of the box, chassis detail, engine, axles, brake chambers, steering. There's also a host of aftermarket parts available and the kits are generally cheaper than 1/32 kits on Extortionbay. I do have a few AMT 1/25 kits to build because they're very special to me, kits I built in my youth, but I can't afford the space to build any more than those. I'm happy for others to chip in on this page with their feelings on the matter. I would not want you to make a choice that disappoints you. I know others have. 

[Blue Monday]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I had noticed that you mentioned elsewhere that if given the choice, you would build in 1/25 scale. I wondered why but having done some digging into the 1/32 side of things, the kits appear to be pretty rare and consequently they appear to be going for crazy money on the usual retail website. I will take your advice and start off in 1/25 scale with a Revell 359 semi-snapper. I will try to add a bit of detail but primarily aim for a clean finish overall. 

 

It really is a pity that 1/32 doesn't have the same appeal and variety in available subjects as the 1/25 brigade enjoy because, as you say, it makes for a slightly more sensibly-sized collection. I find it amusing that so many marvel at your work in 1/32 scale, stating how small they feel 1/32 is! It is only fractionally smaller than 1/25. Try building 1/100 or 1/144 scale aircraft -now they are small scale! Your skill lies in building these 1/32 scale simplified kits and ending up with a result that looks just as good as most 1/25 scale semis. Cheers.

 

BM.