1950 Kenworth Needlenose

[Claus]

Nice work again Nathan, I see something in the background, looks like a BRIGHT future.

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by Grainfarmer

Nice build! Looks really great.

Thank you Frank!

Originally Posted by Claus

Nice work again Nathan, I see something in the background, looks like a BRIGHT future.

Thanks Craig. Good eye! Something is brewing. I did play around with some lighting. Just testing some LEDs. The front bumper has been drilled for a while now. I've got some of Lynn's bezels, just waiting to find a home in it. Hopefully it will be a really bright future!








Illuminate.



Deluminate. (A little movie trivia mixed in there)



I really like chicken lights. I don't know how many more I'll be adding, but you can probably count on me adding a few more yet.

[JAMMER]

Nathan that was a very nice job you did on the axle looks factory. As far as all the lights that is up to the eyes of the beholder my personal opinion is there are to many overkill but if that makes you happy that all that counts like I said it's my opinion and it don't count. Having said all that you are doing a spectacular job and keep it up. Ed

[scalelover]

Off topic a bit, but may I ask what the pic of the locomotive is being used for? Or is it just a random pic laying on your table.

Back to the truck, that axle looks great and you can't even tell its been modified.

--Dan

[Brian in PA]

Nathan, this is an exceptional build!! I must say, at first i was a bit skeptical, it just didnt look like it would fit. but if anyone could pull it off it would be you! The narrowing of the front axle is that final touch that just adds to the whole build. keep up the great work ! any ideas on paint??

[ihbuilder]

hope you don't mind Nate , this is giving me some Ideas for some 16th scale trucks I got for christmas Good job on the milling

[fhhhstix]

All I can say is I like it!!!!!! Some of these toys can make some really nice trucks. It is nice to see the guys who sell these are interested and happy with what your doing with the truck. I took my Smith Miller MACK to Indy this year and the RC Truck guys liked it but the vendors selling the Smith Millers we not so happy about it, I got some really dirty looks from them.


Travis

[dabears]

Looks great with those lights!!! Cant wait to see more on this one!

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by JAMMER

Nathan that was a very nice job you did on the axle looks factory. As far as all the lights that is up to the eyes of the beholder my personal opinion is there are to many overkill but if that makes you happy that all that counts like I said it's my opinion and it don't count. Having said all that you are doing a spectacular job and keep it up. Ed

Thanks Ed! I do agree that some trucks can be over done, if they have to many lights on them, but I don't plan to go to crazy with this one. I will keep it tasteful. Not many vintage trucks have a ton of lights on them.

Originally Posted by scalelover

Off topic a bit, but may I ask what the pic of the locomotive is being used for? Or is it just a random pic laying on your table.

Back to the truck, that axle looks great and you can't even tell its been modified.

--Dan

Dan, the photo of the locomotive is just under a plate of glass on my workbench because I like it. I'm also a model railroader. I use the glass for cutting styrene, soldering, and writing/drawing plans for parts. No other reason. Thanks for the comment on the axle!

Originally Posted by Brian in PA

Nathan, this is an exceptional build!! I must say, at first i was a bit skeptical, it just didnt look like it would fit. but if anyone could pull it off it would be you! The narrowing of the front axle is that final touch that just adds to the whole build. keep up the great work ! any ideas on paint??

Thank you Brian! I had my initial moment of doubt too, when I first recieved the cab, but once I threw a narrowed axle underneath it and saw how well it fit, I knew I could make something work.

I have about three classic KW paint schemes I like right now. Seminole, Yosemite, and Midnight Sun. Not really sure on the colors. Probably some sort of red, silver, and black, or maybe purple, silver, and black.

Originally Posted by ihbuilder

hope you don't mind Nate , this is giving me some Ideas for some 16th scale trucks I got for christmas Good job on the milling

Steve, I'd be happy to see you convert some of those models to RC. What have you got? Maybe I'll be able to borrow some of your ideas too!

Originally Posted by fhhhstix

All I can say is I like it!!!!!! Some of these toys can make some really nice trucks. It is nice to see the guys who sell these are interested and happy with what your doing with the truck. I took my Smith Miller MACK to Indy this year and the RC Truck guys liked it but the vendors selling the Smith Millers we not so happy about it, I got some really dirty looks from them.

Travis

Travis, thanks for the comments! I guess you can't please everyone! I don't know why anyone would be upset about seeing someone do something different with their models. I think it would be good for business. Do they still make new Smith-Miller trucks? Some of their trailers would be a nice match to my KW.

Originally Posted by dabears

Looks great with those lights!!! Cant wait to see more on this one!

Thanks Aaron! Lights are good.... Speaking of which, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the headlights. I really want to find a way to make the All American Toys KW headlights functional. They are so Kenworth. I thought maybe I could mill an opening inside the housing, and fit a lense over the top. If that fails, I'll have to try and adapt something else. There are some other options out there. Maybe not many vintage KW looking lights, but still...

[ihbuilder]

Oh some KB5's the cabs are real nicely done but the rest looks like it'll snap with a penny placed on it .

[dirthalr]

I agree Nathan on the flamed out blue one, alittle much. But it looks good with the monster stacks, and texas bumper.
Jimmy

[9W Monighan]

If I ever built a road truck this is the cab I would be using. I too inquired a couple years ago about getting one of these to convert. Needle nose weather a KW or Peterbilt wins my attention.

Travis, I hear you about converting Smith Miller trucks. I talked to a big collector (who has several custom trucks Autocar ect.) before and he seemed to tell me to use one of the Smith MIC cabs to do a conversion. I assured him I wouldn't take a rare Mack cab and cut it up. I have a beat up L model cab and was thinking how to build a heavy dump truck version. I don't know the proper model but one of my friends had two 1:1 trucks we used at our construction show. He has since sold them so getting measurements would be tough now.

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by ihbuilder

Oh some KB5's the cabs are real nicely done but the rest looks like it'll snap with a penny placed on it .

Steve, if these are the 1/16 scale KB5 models I am thinking of, they are really detailed models. Get to it! I'd love to see one of those converted!

Originally Posted by dirthalr

I agree Nathan on the flamed out blue one, alittle much. But it looks good with the monster stacks, and texas bumper.
Jimmy

Jimmy, I hope to get some bigger stacks for my truck too. Because it is a vintage truck, I'll probably keep the lights on the front and rear bumpers, the cab clearance lights, and maybe some lights in the back of the cab, but the way it looks, lights under the cab, on a skirt, are probably not going to work so well. Not much room there. I'd like some breather lights too, like the flamed KW you posted, but we'll see if I have the room. Sometimes I just like a clean truck, that's shaved of most all the lights. That look has started to grow on me.

Originally Posted by 9W Monighan

If I ever built a road truck this is the cab I would be using. I too inquired a couple years ago about getting one of these to convert. Needle nose weather a KW or Peterbilt wins my attention.

Travis, I hear you about converting Smith Miller trucks. I talked to a big collector (who has several custom trucks Autocar ect.) before and he seemed to tell me to use one of the Smith MIC cabs to do a conversion. I assured him I wouldn't take a rare Mack cab and cut it up. I have a beat up L model cab and was thinking how to build a heavy dump truck version. I don't know the proper model but one of my friends had two 1:1 trucks we used at our construction show. He has since sold them so getting measurements would be tough now.

Monigham, my friend Craig (Claus) and I talked about trying to build a truck like this probably 3 years ago too. At the time I thought it would be fun to try, but I had no idea I'd ever attempt it myself. I thought it would be to difficult. Funny how that works. I was getting really bogged down with my Peterbilt project, and wanted something a little easier to put together, and then the needlenose KW idea popped up again. While not exactly 'easy' to put together, I have been making better progress on this build, and hope to have a finished truck before summer! Hope I can keep the ball rolling. I think it's a unique model, and I like that it is different. I too like the needlenose trucks!

So from the sounds of it, Smith Miller trucks are not being produced anymore? Their website just has restored trucks, listed for sale, more less?

[dabears]

From the looks of it if you could mill out the buckets you should be able to even take some thin plexi glass and heat it slightly to get the bow and scribe the lens pattern on it.... I dont think it would be all that bad? hmmmm i just figured out how to make some of the lens i need to make see you helped me trying to help you gotta go test that theory now.

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by dabears

From the looks of it if you could mill out the buckets you should be able to even take some thin plexi glass and heat it slightly to get the bow and scribe the lens pattern on it.... I dont think it would be all that bad? hmmmm i just figured out how to make some of the lens i need to make see you helped me trying to help you gotta go test that theory now.

Aaron, I plan to take a ball nose end mill and see if I can't hollow out the headlight housing somehow, without destroying it. I've got a few readily available clear lenses that I think may fit the housing. It's something I'll get to a little later. There are lots of more important parts I'd like to machine first. Headlights will probably be one of the last things to worry about!

[Espeefan]

A small update for the weekend. I've now got a tail light panel in the rear of the KW, along with a nice frame taper, and cross member. I tried a few different ideas and settled on this design. I didn't think the truck would look good with a t-bar rear bumper, since I will not be running full fenders. Most likely the KW will get a set of 1/4 fenders, and that's a bit more of a dressed up working truck look.











I'll have to make some mudflap hangers a little bit later, but playing around with Lynn's light bezels has been fun. They look really great. I am sticking with all clear lenses, everywhere on the truck. What do you guys think?

For those with the sharp eyes, the cab doesn't have a rear window in anymore because I messed up the original, which did! I had to order a new cab. Something about drilling to many holes in the first, for an excessive amount of cab clearance lights, and then changing my mind, so I could back to 7. Don't ask!

[RCP57]

What happened to the cab with the back window cut out?????

That's a lot of bolts in the back section. You must be planning to abuse this one!

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by RCP57

What happened to the cab with the back window cut out?????

That's a lot of bolts in the back section. You must be planning to abuse this one!

Reg, man, you post fast! I edited my orignal post, explaining the rear window missing. The first cab, that I milled the window in, was a bit of an experiment. I was going to try and fit 11 cab clearance lights on it, but changed my mind and wanted 7. I had to get a new cab. Suppose I could have plugged the holes, but that would have bothered me forever, so a new cab it was.

It does have a lot bolts, doesn't it? When you can't tig weld aluminum, you have to resort to bolting.

[RCP57]

Haha! I just happened to look right as you posted I think! I had to look back through your thread to make sure I wasn't dreaming about the window being cut out. Then I was like...OH OH something happened!

[TRUCKMAKER]

Nathan, it's looking real good. Keep the updates coming!