Classy Shak

[Dreamweaver]

Hey All!!

I really didnt like the first A/C unit so I built another one.










Now I got the doors cut off and I am just waiting on my hinges so that I can do my "Special" opening doors.

Rick (Rogue) sent me a box of goodies the other day (Thanks Buddy) and among them was some Wedico seats. I wanted these cause they look sooooo much better than the Tamiya seats. So I got them but in temporarily of course, because I still have to make the Marble floor....



Also in the package was one headlight for fitting purposes...

If you look at the original drawings I was going to mount the headlights on a tube that went in front of the grill. I scratched this idea after getting my hands on the headlights I am going to use. Instead I decided to put them on the side of the hood.

Now the lights come with a short tube (Mounting Bracket ?) so I tried them with that first.




And was not to sure about them. So I then tried it with out the tube, right against the hood.



I liked this better but think they need a little space between them and the hood. So Rick suggested that I use a cone washer.

Boy that Rick...... He is good for an idea now and again.

I decided to tackle the grill last night (because non of my supplies have got here yet, so i have nothing else to do), I removed the bars and built up the inside so that the grill would be moved forward in the grill shell where it is supposed to be.




I then made new bars and installed them, then gave the Bare Metal Foil a shot...

Nice stuff, I just wish it looked more like chrome.

Here is what I got... Not 100% on it so might be ordering a new grill and going at it again.



Well hopefully all my stuff will be here Monday so that i can get started on the house.... I mean sleeper...

-Mike

[Dreamweaver]

Howwwdy..

Well today I decided I wanted to lay some marble tile in the cab...

WOW do you know how hard it is to find 1:14 marble tiles...

Ok it's impossible so I had to make it my self... Man that is a pain in the butt, you got any idea how hard it is to cut marble let alone into that small of pieces..


Well actually I am going to share with you how I did it..


Step one:

Get some Transparency Film. Like the stuff they used for the overhead projectors. Cover one side completely with blue painters tape to protect that side from any paint over spray.



Step two:

Chose a few similar colors in different shades. I used Poly-scale paints. They are water based. I used SCL Hopper Car Beige, and Earth.

Then you need a Stone color, or a darker gray color. I used a special paint for making stone scenery on a RR layout.. (Might as well, I got thousands of $ worth of RR stuff filling 16 good sized boxes in the basement, why not use some of it)

Take the lighter color first, dip a fairly soft brush in the paint and then tap the brush on your other hand about 6-8 inches above the film. This will cause droplets on the film. Then I took my air gun on the compressor and blew the droplets in basically one direction.

Repeat this with the second color. Then when that is all done cover the entire thing with the gray color.

when it's dry turn it over and remove the tape and see you marble.



Step three:

In order for it to look like tile you have to make it tile... 1:14 scale is roughly 13/16 for a scale foot... Get cutting.



Step four:

Take some of this stuff.



Before you pull the backing off of it in the front side draw your grid to help aid in the placement of the tiles..

This stuff is EXTREMELY Sticky. if you put a tile on it you will most likely not get it off.. In fact I tried one and I got the acetate off but the paint stayed on the sticky paper...





Step five:

Spray both the underside of the now completed flooring and the floor you intend to tile, with spray glue. Super 77 is the best.

Allow to set for a minute then put the two together..

Step six:

Trim to fit.



I then added the seats and made the Gear shift floor cover. Next I added the shift boots.. YES BOOTS the "S" belongs there.. This is a real truck after all...



I then made the much beloved (In my book anyway) Peterbilt cup holder stand.







There Ya go.. scale marble flooring... If ya don't have the budget for marble then you can make linoleum. Just first don't blow the colors with the air gun and second don't cut it up. Just glue it to the floor hole..


-Mike

[Dreamweaver]

Ok now there is no better way to visualize the magnitude of this truck without seeing it.

So I got the rails today. They are 35" long that's a 490" wheel base I believe.



Those are stock KH rails next to mine.



The box is the proper length but a little higher than the sleeper will be. However it is just under 13'6" as it sits...

There is still 13" of frame behind the sleeper. that's 182" 15"





-Mike

[Dreamweaver]

Howdy all.

Ok a few posts back I said that I was going to do something special with the doors and that is why I cut them out..

Now I am sure some of you were thinking... "What a moron, don't he know several guys have made opening doors."

Well YES I do know that.. However have they ever made them like this....

SUICIDE DOORS








If some one has done suicide doors, I have not seen the model.

-Mike

[Dreamweaver]

I started building the sleeper this evening. (wait yesterday evening since it's now Monday)

I started the day off getting my doors hung, and then I made some big pipes!!!









I'm starting to think that I am going to have to lower the truck from stock, not sure if that would be a good thing with the length though.

At least it should not get high centered on anything at stock height.

-Mike

[Dreamweaver]

Hi All..

Well I got the sleeper built. It measures 12"L (168") x 6"H (84") x 65/8" W (92.75")









I built a mock-up step so that I can get the running boards built as well as the hood.



It's moving right along for now. I need to take a break, or rather I should say I need my wallet to take a break from it for the rest of the year though, with the holiday's here.

-Mike

[Dreamweaver]

Howdy!!!

Well another day gone to modeling. Today I got a lot done. The problem is I am running out of cheap things to do... I almost have all the styrene work done.

I have the hood to finish and then the running boards and rear fenders, but can't do that till I have some suspension..

Well to day I built the whale tail, both boxes, mocked up some fuel tanks out of a paper towel roll and hung them with the stock tank hangers Rick (Rouge) gave me. The funny thing is a paper towel roll is exactly the size I need.. Except to short. I cut it in two and got 5.5" tanks and I need 8" tanks. Or probably some 5" fuel tanks and 3" water tanks.










The light bars I will be making are 1/4" so I built the boxes so they hang 3/8" below the bottom edge of the sleeper.









The boxes are built so that they will be flush with the side of the house...
I was thinking of making them open but I really don't want the un-sightly hinges messing up the view. I will probably cover these with the Parma Chrome.. or I might get them made out of billet. I plan on mounting the switches in the left box so I did not build a back on them.








-Mike