Resin kits

[txdieseldog]

Does anyone know of a resin buider producing a Sterling conversion? Our TX Dept. of Corrections uses them as a three truck convoy and I figured it would be a cool build.

Thanks

Barry

[Jim B]

No one that I know of makes a Sterling conversion, so your sort of on your own. I suppose that you can start with the AMT Ford LN8000 or LNT8000 and modify the hood, change the engine, etc.

[txdieseldog]

No one that I know of makes a Sterling conversion, so your sort of on your own. I suppose that you can start with the AMT Ford LN8000 or LNT8000 and modify the hood, change the engine, etc.

Thanks Jim. I can go with that option as well for the set up I am looking for. They have some of the Fords but they are the older trucks in their fleet.

Barry

[Paul T]

Barry,

the only person that I know of is Illini replica conv you can reach him through AITM at www.aitruckmodels.com at the bottom of the page. hope this helps.good luck Paul T

[Aaronw]

No one that I know of makes a Sterling conversion, so your sort of on your own. I suppose that you can start with the AMT Ford LN8000 or LNT8000 and modify the hood, change the engine, etc.

Our roads department has the older Ford LN like the kit as well as the later Ford / Sterling so I took some measurements from both with the idea of converting the kit to the later truck. What I found is there is little in common between them, about the only thing useful would be the chassis and perhaps interior tub.

[clayton]

In the start it was FORD/Sterling. From what I under stand at one point(OR year) the Sterling is a mix of a lot of trucks like a junk yard build. A friend of mind the guy he worked fore had one and finding parts was job. the Sterling book would lead too FORD then too Volvo(SP) then Freightliner.If I remember rite even some of the parts would have different names.I don't know if those trucks are still on the road or not.

[highway]

Barry, depending on what year Sterling those trucks are, I think you might be able to modify Italeri's Ford Aeromax into the Sterling. Here are a couple earlier model Sterlings I found doing a quick "Bing" search.

The second truck I found at this site:

http://www.americantruckbuyer.com/index.php?mod=listings&function=show_list&id=6250#

and it is listed as a 2000 Sterling AT9500.

If I remember correctly, when Ford was getting out of the heavy truck market in the late part of the 90s, Freightliner bought the division (I have no idea where Volvo fits in) and to keep the trucks unique, to my knowledge all Freightliner changed on the early Sterlings was the badge in the grille. Freightliner designed the Sterling oval to specifically replace the Ford oval. I also checked Sterling's website, and from the way it looks, the heavy Sterlings were only built from 2000 to 2009, as for 2010, they were referencing which Freightliner or Western Star truck was a comparable match to the Sterling models.

http://www.sterlingtrucks.com/

I also found a 2007 model at the same site as the 2000, and it even looks like you could probably use the Italeri Ford Aeromax as a good starting point.

[impcon]

They are a pretty looking truck - strong and proud looking. I have always liked the design - but then, I see some charm in most all big trucks. They work hard and have short lives and are far too under appreciated in my own ever to be humble attention. They each seem to have a personality of sorts when I look at them. It amazes me always at how many miles many of them travel in their short life before they are relegated to the salvage yard or go into secondary duty...

[Old Albion]

Matthew,

I'm sure Ford own or owned Volvo at one time.

Dave

[Aaronw]

There were at least two Sterling trucks. One was a medium duty based on the mid-late 90s Ford Louisville, the other a heavy duty truck based on the Ford Aeromax. Obviously the conversion I was looking at was the medium duty Louisville based truck, but you are correct the Aeromax was used for the heavier Sterling. In both cases the Sterling and Ford it was based on were very similar. The problem with converting the Louisville has to do with the fact that in the mid 90s Ford put the truck through a major overhaul, so the kit shares little with the later truck (or the Sterling).