1926 Mack AC Dump Truck

[Ace-Garageguy]

Man. What a bunch of knockout models.

[Jim B]

Managed to get some work dome on the Mack AC over the last few days.  The frame is essentially complete, so the next step is the cab & dump box.  Fingers crossed the decals done disintegrate once they hit the water!

 

Edited January 24, 2019 by Jim B

[Lordmodelbuilder]

Looking good so far! Love those old Macks.

[Jim B]

Thanks.

[tbill]

Looking good Jim, keep on it?

[Jim B]

Thanks.  Want to get some more assembly done on the box in the next few days.

[gotnitro?]

Looking good Jim ! 

Good color choice too 

[Jim B]

Thanks, Jeff.

[Chariots of Fire]

That's a good color for the chassis, Jim.  Here's another thought for the chain drive.  Dry brush the chain with a bit of metallic silver, especially on the sides just to highlight it.  Then cover that with a dry brush of gloss black to give it an oily look.  NO rust!  They oiled these chains on a regular basis so it would not be rusty by any means unless it had been sitting for a very long time.  JMHO!

[Jim B]

Thanks for the idea, Charlie.  I might just give that a try.  Do you know what they used to grease these chains?  Was it something like chainsaw bar oil, or was it actually grease?

Here is what she looks like now with everything just sort of placed on the frame.  The cab, hood, & fenders are assembled & ready for paint.  The body is in the assemble process now.  I'm finding the green plastic not nearly as bas to paint as the red or blue plastic.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Jim B

[Chariots of Fire]

To the best of my knowledge, Jim they used heavy weight oil.  I don't remember the AC in particular but the AP's had a small round oil reservoir mounted on the frame just above the small sprocket.  The reservoir had a cap on top and a small drip line coming from the end that was curved downward toward the sprocket.  The oil dripped one drop at a time onto the chain as it went around and kept it lubricated.  Here's a photo of the AP that I did showing what I mean.  In the photo the long tanks to the right are air brake tanks.  The small tank to the left of them is the oil reservoir.

[Jim B]

Thanks for the info, Charlie.  That's a great build.  There is nothing like that molded onto the AC frame, and this truck surely doesn't have airbrakes.

[Lordmodelbuilder]

Here's a pic of a real truck & you can see the small tank & line going down thru the chain guard.

[Flat32]

Since Jim B got me hooked on the 1926 Mack I've acquired the four Monogram kits.  Did a bunch of research and got more hooked. Now the pic Brad posted has me really enthralled with the beauty of them in their various forms and especially the different wheels.  I want the earlier wood spoke versions and won't rest until I have the ones in Brad's pic.  I don't expect to find them already made so I'll be making my own via computer modelling and 3D printing. First step is tracking down actual examples to measure in detail.

[Jim B]

I think the ones in Brad's picture are just steel wheels that are different from the kits, but I could be wrong.  Supposedly, AITM has a 1914 back date kit for this kit, but it might not be available right now. 

[Lordmodelbuilder]

Here's another sweet looking Mack. I do believe the wheels are steel.

[Flat32]

Sorry for the confusion.  I want both, the early wood spoke wheels with the solid rubber tires AND the pneumatic tire version on steel spoke wheels exactly like Brad's pic shows.  I've seen a pic of demountable pneumatic tires on a five spoke wheel that was maybe a converted solid tire wheel.  Seems like there were many options for the AC wheels over the span of years it was produced.

[Sam I Am]

Oh wow, now I will start looking for one of my own. 

You guys are not nice....

[Warren D]

Just to get some of you drooling, there is this little gem:

[Jim B]

That's interesting.  Do yo think that's factory or aftermarket?

[Chariots of Fire]

I think only the real early AC's in the teens had the wood spoke wheels.  The wheels in the kit are definitely steel, both front and rear.  Below is a 1917 American LaFrance rig I built years ago using the Stutz Bearcat kit as a basis.  It has these wheels (wood?) in the kit.  The rear ones have a bit more beef to them than the front ones do.  Jeff Harper recently did a 1907 Mack that has the wheels you are looking for as well.  Here is a photo of his work.  He will have it with him at NNL East in April.

 

[Jim B]

Yes, those are the wheels, or pretty darn close to it.

[gotnitro?]

Really like how your build is going  ! I never realized how many options these trucks had 

I could swear I saw these type spoke tires on shapeways,  but now cant find them...sorry 

Edited February 14, 2019 by gotnitro?

[Chariots of Fire]

There is another option for the wheels as well.  Yat Ming (Signature) made a 1/24 scale 1923 Maxim pumper with spoke wheels.  They are not wood, however.  By that time even the heavy spoke wheels were made of steel.  You may be able to pick one of the Maxim's on e-bay for a reasonable price.

[Jim B]

So, it's been a little while, but I managed to get some decals onto "Ole' No. 25" today.  I'm not entirely happy with how they look, but I am grateful that they didn't just disintegrate once they hit the water considering how old the decals are.