S&M Trucking open for bizz nizz !!!

[Supermario]

Got a small update on Susan's Black Passion build ( Personally, i like to call it "Black Ice" because the way the body shines and looks wet. )

Sorry Dwayne, no truck pics. Im building this one from the ground up, chassis first, then the body.... To be honest, I'm almost scared to start the drilling, wiring, mounting and all the handling of the cab I will deal with that later.

the latest is a new rear deck plate made from 0.032" aluminum. I didnt want any mounting screws visible so the plate is secured by the rear of the sleeper mount at one end, and the 5th wheel mounting plate at the other.



Next was work on installing the 5th wheel servo. I learned from my truck that a standard size servo barely fits what a pain it was, so. I purchased a mini servo this time. I was about to start cutting a slot in the deck plate for the servo arm when i thought what else could i do?
I suddenly remembered seeing a build thread when i first joined the forum where someone modified the lever to go under the deck ( I think it was Dreamweaver? not sure ).
this truck has custom aluminum crossmembers and the design is what gave me the idea to come up with this.........









Next is build a mounting plate for the MFU switch box. It too will be concealed and not in the battery box step.



I will post a video of the micro servo in operation once i get the chassis wired.
thanks for looking....

Mario

[Kaf343]

Very nice work, really like what I see. Can't wait to see more, great idea with the fifth wheel servo.

[Mama Sue]

You all know there where be a new build once my truck is done! LOL He's working hard, having fun and and I enjoy watching him doing it!

[YoungGunz]

The truck looks great, Mario. This will be a very nice edition when it is completed. The deck plate looks kinda foggy, maybe try and polish it? That way it matches the whole look of the truck. Great idea with securing the deck plate, that is the way I did mine, and it gives it a clean look.

Keep up the great work, Ill be watching this one!

[Supermario]

Thanks for the compliments Kaf343 and Young gunz

Yes JD, your right about the plate is foggy. I realized I need to learn the proper way to polish the plates now the cutting and fitting is done. I went to the body tech section and found a post from Dabears asking about how to polish and got lots of good tips from the masters of the trade
Wish I would have seen the thread a few days ago before I went and used Mothers polish. Just as stated, the stuff made the plate foggy.

Mario

[1985 kenworth]

wow mario and sue nice build going on there my friends.very clever about the servo arm and the deck plates ...pretty cooooolif we keep this up our trucks might be better than the ones at clifford

[dmess62]

WOW Mario! I ve been wondering how to mount a deck plate with out visible screws also, pretty cool idead, and I like the servo setup for the 5th wheel. I havent got to installing my MFU yet, but I didn't think about putting it between the frame rails.
Good job keep the updates coming

[Supermario]

Thanks D , and your right our rigs will have more WOW factor than the 1:1 trucks

Thanks Dave. I really like the way the 5th wheel servo worked out. I will definitely do the same thing on my truck in the future
The MFU idea can only be done on Sue's truck thanks to the new PMD GRU mounted directly on the tranny my truck has the frame mounted version and there is not enough room in the frame rails to do both the servo and MFU .
Another benefit of the new GRU guys!

This will be my first small step into styrene work. I got my Zona saw and some plastic to work with. Plan on making a box to cover and protect the circuit board. Then I think I will just mount to rail with 3m double side tape?

Mario

[glorydays24]

Mario, I love the idea of hiding all of the components such as the 5th wheel servo and mfcu control box to make these trucks look more realistic. You are doing a fantastic job my friend. Keep this up and S&M TRUCKING will have enough rigs in a short time to have a convoy.

Big John

[plow jockey]

Thats a great idea for the 5th wheel.Excellent job looks great!!!

[Supermario]

Thanks guys . I'm really enjoying this build compared to when I bought my truck and it was more of a open the box and put it together kind of build.
I seen and learned so much from everyone on this forum, the hobby is just getting more and more fun for me and Sue.
CAN'T WAIT FOR NEXT SUMMER!

Mario

[Supermario]

Thanks Adam. I'm real happy how it turned out. The kit from SS tronix arrived and i can now complete the 5th wheel work and continue the chassis. I'm still waiting for a bunch of stuff from PMD Front bumper, pete style steps, sleeper lights, step lights... then i can put the chassis on the shelf and move on to the cab. I dont have enough room to do both projects at once
getting anxious though so heres a few mock up pics..... so much work to do, the list is long.......

enjoy







thanks for looking.

Mario

[plow jockey]

That is one sweet truck!! Cant wait for the updates with the new parts!! Great job!!

[Kaf343]

Mario, awesome job, I really like where this going. Looking very cool. The new parts will top it off.

[Claus]

Things are coming together very nicely!!

[BRICKNICK]

That's the start too a nice high top Pete. I had the same one.

[rcman]

great looking truck so far! what kind of rims are they? they look great

[Supermario]

Thanks for the compliments guys. This is my wife's truck. I kinda had a different vision for this truck at first but after listening to Susan and understanding what she wants this truck to look like, I'm totally onboard and into it. This is going to be one sweet Pete

Rcman. To answer your question. The rims are built by the king of wheels, IHbuilder ( see vendor, IHB scale models ) you just can't build a pete truck without a set of Steve's ovals.

Mario

[Supermario]

Just a small update....Still waiting for a few key parts to continue the build but should be here soon. Suffered through a 4 day Flu and then moved right into a brutal cold for the last 5 days.I managed to get the headlamps mounted on a spare grill as a test run for look and fit. Susan had purchased some PMD air cleaners and air cleaner lights at the Indy show and was anxious to see how they look...... but there was something i been wanting to do since placing the body on the chassis.... hook it up to the lowboy!!








The front bumper is just for mock up and the rear fenders are just laying on tires. Speaking of rear fenders, we wanted to stay with a clean, conceal what you can , look to this truck which immediately made me think of a idea i saw Dabears use at one point during his Globeliner build, mount the fender to the axle instead of the frame rail which allows you to make a low tight fit to the wheels. Thanks Aaron!

Using the leftovers of the 0.032" aluminum plate which is real easy to work with and yet is quite strong by the way:cool I came up with this.......











Thanks for looking and any comments and suggestions

Mario.

[Tamiya Cowboy]

Looking good Mario keep up the great work..