More work done on 1928 Pierce Arrow Dump

[Chariots of Fire]

Since my last post which was a while ago I've made some progress on the truck. Engine is now complete and temporarily installed and the cab is finally painted. Latest is the body which is complete except for some rivets on the tailgate. Still to go is the running gear and the mechanical parts to raise and lower the body. Also have the gear shift and brake levers to do in the cab. But it is coming along, slowly but surely.

[mountaindewd]

Chariot,

Beautiful work. That engine looks like it was tedious with all the small pieces.

Thanks for sharing!

Les

[mackinac359]

Just amazing !

Tim

[Chariots of Fire]

Not really, Les. It was just a case of adding bits and pieces and scrounging around the parts box for some things thatl looked right. Used a bunch of brass wire for bolt heads. Was fun to build, actually.

[mountaindewd]

Chariot,

Is the hood embossed from the inside? What kind of tools do you use to render these results?

Les

[Chariots of Fire]

Chariot,

Is the hood embossed from the inside? What kind of tools do you use to render these results?

Les

Not embossed at all. That is wire that was soldered on the outside. I wish I had enough knowledge and experience to emboss it. The effect might have been better.

[Eshaver]

TRYIN TA PASS DAT OFF AS W I P ........... That sir is a piece of art ! It belonges in a meuseuem where it can be admired and respected for the beauty that it has. I don't mince words either . You go up to the " General " or " On the Workbench" or Dioramas .......... I say what I mean and I mean what I say . That is an outstanding piece of craftsman ship if I ever saw a piece ! Ed Shaver

[Chariots of Fire]

TRYIN TA PASS DAT OFF AS W I P ........... That sir is a piece of art ! It belonges in a meuseuem where it can be admired and respected for the beauty that it has. I don't mince words either . You go up to the " General " or " On the Workbench" or Dioramas .......... I say what I mean and I mean what I say . That is an outstanding piece of craftsman ship if I ever saw a piece ! Ed Shaver

Thanks for the kind words, Ed. It's been a fun project so far.

[Kostas Parchas]

:o :o :o

Kostas.

[Modelmartin]

Very nice work and a very interesting subject. It's models like this that I love seeing and remembering. Thanks for sharing.

[The Modeling Hermit]

That's a fantastic build on a fantastic truck.

[airhorn]

Absolutley an AWSOME BUILD. I'm sure there has been a lot of time, planning, talent, blood, sweat and tears put into it but will be well worth it all when it's finished.

Win

[Chariots of Fire]

It's been a great learning experience, Win. The real truck was a joy to see and work around while I gathered photos and measurements. These old trucks have so much detail that is exposed to see that it just has to be included. I have to remind myself that even tho' the truck is over 80 years old there is still a lot of craftsmanship and design that went into building it. Surely the designers did not have the sophistication that we do to day to get the most strength out of a minimum of materials but that is what makes it so interesting. Everything is just big! An amusing thing also is the builders plate that is on the frame. It states that if the truck exceeds 15 MPH when fully loaded, it voids the warantee! My last trip to the museum will be to gather details for building the mechanical hoisting equipment that raises the body. It is cool!

[mardtrp]

Charlie, absolutely fantastic, I will agree wholeheartedly with Eshaver, beautifull workmanship SIR !

Now this is something that others on this forum should aspire to making, instead of all these so-so outta-da-box builds.

Mark

[Chuck Most]

Good God, man... this thing is beautiful!

[Chariots of Fire]

Charlie, absolutely fantastic, I will agree wholeheartedly with Eshaver, beautifull workmanship SIR !

Now this is something that others on this forum should aspire to making, instead of all these so-so outta-da-box builds.

Mark

Not everybody likes scratch building or the amount of time it takes to get something like this done. I started out building out of the box just like most modelers do but in order to build something other than the box stuff it kind of forces you go look elsewhere. I have done kitbashing and making small parts for fire apparatus which is really my first love. There are only so many times you can build an AMT LaFrance before it gets a bit boring and there is precious little else out there except for the few Italeri kits and the Trumpeter ALF. My interest is more in the older pieces anyway. It all boils down to some experience and being willing to experiment a bit. What really got me started on the brass is the rather poor results I had making a truck frame in plastic. Although I was able to complete the project the fact that the frame was so fragile it gave me fits along the way. Kit frames are extra thick on purpose for that very reason. So I decided to make the frame from brass stock that would be rigid and present a good base for locating and attaching other pieces. It just began to grow from there. HaH! I tend to ramble on but it's fun to discuss with other modelers!

[Bryan H]

My compliments on your fine work. Did you create the frame rails by soldering flanges to the web or did you start with commercially available brass channel? Also, what tools do you use to fashion the brass pieces with "free-form" shapes, such as that mid-ship driveshaft bearing?

Thanks,

Bryan

[Chariots of Fire]

I first drew out the frame shape on paper and then transferred the shape to a piece of strip brass. Since the frame is not the same depth throughout its length I had to solder the flanges on separately. I did make the flanges continuous by bending them where the frame depth changed.

The only non-hand tools I have used so far is a drill press. All of the other parts and pieces such as the piece you mention were made by cutting out shapes with a dremel fitted with a cutting wheel. Thank goodness for a variety of tubing and strip stock that is available.

Pieces such as the tow hooks on the front were made with brass rod and brass strip stock which were soldered together. The front axle is made of strip stock also with the top and bottom flanges soldered in place. The ends are made with brass tubing of different sizes that fit one inside the other. A number of #90 brass nuts and bolts have also been used to hold springs in place as well as the turning points on the front axle.

Cleanup of the brass stock has been done with the dremel and cutting wheel, an assortment of files and a K&S tubing cutter.

[Foxer]

Nice to see you did most of the brass work with a Dremel. That frame really stuck out after googling on the engine for awhile! You've been obviously accomplishing much in your brass working. I've not done any significant brass pieces yet but I'm always fascinated seeing this stuff done. I never thought of cutting sheet with a Dremel cutting wheel when I've needed an odd piece for something!

Please feel free to ramble on as you go .. the rambling is the best part of all these workbench threads.

[RyanSilva]

Beautiful!

Pure art, specially that engine.

[Harry P.]

Now this is what modeling is all about.

Fantastic work. Anyone who can scratchbuild at this level gets an A+ from me.

This would make a very nice magazine feature... (hint hint)...