Peterbilt 352

[k100]

This a great looking rig , all the scratch and  modified parts that you have added is simply amazing .

I have a few of these 1/32 scale kits this really makes me want to starting building one , but I know it turn out any where near this .

[Rockford]

Thanks for all the kind comments gents, you are a very magnanimous bunch. I've still got a few things to do before I reach the painting stage. Really wish I had a real one to play with but that's life. 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Rockford

[Rockford]

Nothing major today. Made a sun visor out of sheet aluminium. Dead easy really, just cut a strip from the sheet I have, bent it over the cab roof, then positioned it where I wanted and tapered the ends to suit. Drilled two holes either side and will locate it with cutoff straight pins so they'll look like rivets. I've just wired it on for now.

Decided to add an aircon condenser box on the roof. Just square rod and card. Found a custom chrome inlet manifold off the Mercury Park Lane kit that cut down to a decent grille. I'll add a strip of plastic to mimic the conduit for the AC lines down the back of the cab. 

Piped up my brake chambers, running from the relay valve to the quick release valve and the feed to the spring brake chambers. 

Oh, added fuel lines to the tanks. 

[tbill]

This is an impressive build, well done so far!

[Jim B]

Looking really great, Stephen.

[Rockford]

Made some front shocks and rear hubs for the Pete today. 

Ditched the chrome stack and made one out of hollow styrene tube. Was most pleased that my exhaust pipe from the turbo to the stack fitted. Not bad considering it's a piece of sprue bent using a candle! It's actually was less trouble than some kit pipes I've tried to fit in the past.

Decided I really don't like the kit bumper.

I would prefer the thinner version too so I marked one out on a sheet of aluminium. I used a Sharpie instead of engineers blue. Sadly my 5mm drill that I used to finish off the spotlight holes was as blunt as could be, leaving huge burrs on the holes and distorting the piece slightly. However, even in a slightly mangled state it looked better than the kit piece. I will try again but I may just use styrene sheet instead. The ali is too thin. 

[Rockford]

I got two bites at the cherry this week. Wanted to sort this bumper situation. I laminated three strips of plastic card together and let them set properly. Then I shaped the basic bumper but I was hesitant about drilling and shaping the tow lug cutouts because they're very close to the top of the bumper. So I made it 1mm smaller than required, filed two notches for the tow lug holes and then put strip of card across the top. Rounded all the corners off and it looks ok.

Then I decided I wanted the spotlights too, so I took the kit bumper and cut to the top off, then let the tow lug holes in again and put a strip across the top. Rounded the edges again and I think this is the one I'll be using. 

 

It looks a lot better than the kit piece, but the kit piece looks ok on the double sleeper because that's a more showy truck I think. 

 

[Gary Chastain]

Really nice build, love the detail

[Mopar - D]

Stephen it’s amazing the amount of extra details that you are able to come up with and implement on these plan kits. Can’t wait to see how awesome it’s going to look when you start painting it. 

[Dutzie]

Moving right along. Like the updates. 

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Very impressive work going on here!

[Rockford]

I don't like the way the grille juts out proud of the cab shell. It doesn't do it on a real Pete. It's because of the snap nature of the kit.

I cut the backing plate out, fitted two strips of plastic card either side of the grille opening and then refitted the backing plate with card behind to sink it in. Had to drop the locating tab on the chassis back too. Fitted the grille and it makes a bit of a difference when compared to the other kit I built out of the box. 

[DRIPTROIT 71]

Looks good!

[Mopar - D]

Nice improvement on the front grill Steve. 

[Rockford]

The miserable, wet weather is starting to pass now here in Liverpool so thoughts have turned to painting the Peterbilt. First I thought I'd do the interior and get my Cummins painted. I know it should really be white but I only ever worked on Cummins that were buff coloured so they look right to me that colour. Let's just pretend that the original white engine was having an in-frame after a million miles and they found a crack in one of the top lands for the wet liner on cylinder three so a replacement engine was sourced. Anyway, it looks ok to me, it'll only be seen through the gaps under the cab so does the job. 

Painted the interior, used BMF on the clusters then washed in dark brown to mimic the faux wood veneer. Didn't want to do too much because you can't see much once it's in place, but again, good enough. 

[Mopar - D]

It’s all your little details that’s making this a awesome build Steve. They all look great. 

[Rockford]

I know I've got one and a bit pillows on the bunk and he'd probably sleep the other way around so he doesn't bang his head on the intake tube but it can't be seen through the tiny windows. 

[Dutzie]

Great detail work! Looks great. 

[Rockford]

Just to confirm to myself that this isn't stalling, I'm trying to finalize a few things before I start painting. Glued the AC box to the roof and ran a small strip of plastic card from the unit down the back of the cab to depict the conduit that takes the pipework down into the doghouse.

[Butter 1]

Nice detail work on the frame.  I am going to steal your procedure for making u-joints.  Very clever and realistic. I need them on steering columns on my 1:25 car builds.

[Mopar - D]

Nice progress updates Steve. 

[Rockford]

On 4/25/2022 at 3:00 AM, Butter 1 said:

Nice detail work on the frame.  I am going to steal your procedure for making u-joints.  Very clever and realistic. I need them on steering columns on my 1:25 car builds.

Good to know I've helped someone. Thanks mate! 

[Rockford]

I think paint is the scariest part of any build for me. 

The weather has been bright but really cold for the time of year, down to 3C of a night. In the sun it's great of a day but as my "paint shop" doesn't get the sun it's been too cold to paint. Anyway, this weekend it's warmed up so I moved the car out of the way, set up a table and got to work. 

Chassis turned out great except for corner of the battery box that decided to play a contact sport with something before I noticed. Then I noticed I hadn't painted the front bumper I made but by that time I'd run out of primer. 

The cab has turned out ok. The joint between the two halves isn't invisible but it's not like the Grand Canyon. I think the casting thickness tapers toward the rear and I made the inner faces level. Oh well. At least I didn't drop it OH YES I DID! Broke the corner of the lower apron off on the passenger side. I'm not filling and sanding anymore on this job. It got glued back on and a dribble of Tamiya white. 

I'm resisting the urge to fidget with it and try mock ups because the paint is dry but still at that jelly like stage where it's still got a lot of gassing out to do. Couldn't resist dropping the engine in though. 

So, other than everything that went wrong, it went alright. ? I think.

[Rockford]

I can't believe what's happened to the cab of the 352 since I painted it. 

The paint was hard enough to handle the cab with no issues. I stood it on a shelf and next to it was some of that non-slip matting you can get. This was just touching the cab it seems. When I picked it back up today there were little pieces of the mat embedded in the paint! I rubbed it off with a cloth but it's left a sort of "burn" in the places where it touched the cab( ringed in the photo). I'll see if I can polish them out in a few days. I'm so annoyed. First of all I drop it and now this! 

Spent the afternoon doing little bits, painting the inside of the cab and the doghouse, washing the grille, colouring the wheel studs etc... Couldn't resist a quick mock-up, even though I said I wouldn't. 

Edited May 2, 2022 by Rockford
Edited text

[Mopar - D]

Looking good Steve. Hopefully you can buff out the black marks and not have to repaint.