Diamond Reo Raider short tractor

[ap40rocktruck]

This was a quick builld for a customer about 10 years ago. A resin cast one piece cab & hood from Frank Gortsema (history to follow), on a shortened & modified D-R C-11664 chassis. Slid the front axle to the set back position, added RNK spoke & floats on the front. The rears are resin as well. Cat 3406B, wet line & a RNK cab guard.

History - Resin cabs, Frank Gortsema started casting select cab kits in the 1980's. At his hi high point he had cab kits for the D-R Raider axle back, D-T 950, 931, 921, 1000C, Marmon 110" COE & 57P Conventional, and 3 Autocar's being the DC, DK, and AT64F. During the last few years RNK Conversions was casting several of the cab kits for him. around 2004 Frank sold his line to RNK Conversions. In 2006, due to life changing events RNK Closed and all products just sat in storage. During 2007-08 the majority of the RNK line & all of the Frank Gortsema line was sold to AITM. Now Dave Natale, the owner of AITM who has the original AIM (Jim Etter) / MTFA (Doug Compton) product line has expanded and fine tuned everything into a fantastic product line for vintage 1/24 / 25 scale resin cast truck cabs, wheels-tires, and related parts.

www.aitruckmodels.com/pages/kitsparts.html

These days I have been reworking and going from scratch several cab kits for Dave to add to the ever expanding AITM product line.

more to follow....

AP40

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[ap40rocktruck]

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[gator]

Rick,
That is real nice, and one that I had not seen before.
I have to tell you. I was not happy to hear you had shut down your casting business.But I am glad to see you building and here on the forum.
I have used a few of Dave's parts. But a limited budget gets in the way of getting anymore of his stuff that I want.

Be Well
Gator

[Muleskinner]

Those Raider I think were the custom of the trucking industry. There was a guy up in Eugene who had one built into a mule train for hauling logs and drove it for years that way.

Great build there. I myself would like to get ahold of a hood for one of them also but like Gator said. Buget! Drive On!

William

[calscustoms]

I think its very nice. i have yet to build a resin truck( have a car), there just spendy. want a Cracker box and would love it if someone would do a Brigadier. cal

[ap40rocktruck]

Oct 20, 2011 17:13:37 GMT -8 calscustoms said:

I think its very nice. i have yet to build a resin truck( have a car), there just spendy. want a Cracker box and would love it if someone would do a Brigadier. cal

This biggest problem with resin cabs, is getting hooked. so many more building options over the standard kits.

The current version of the Raider from AITM has botht eh set forawrd front axle as well as this set back. The hoods are cast separate.

AP40

[Muleskinner]

Ive built one resin truck and that was a Mack LT which my son gave me. I built it into Gin Pole truck for Gypo Logging.

[bluemule75]

looks awesome Rick

[ap40rocktruck]

One of the neat things with the Raider, that big grille up front meant room for a big radiator, which meant the biggest power options of the time. It could be had with a Cat 1693T/A, special request thru engineering could get you a Cat 3408. The DDC 12V-71 was a drop in, and so was the 1150 cubic inch Cummins KTA-450.

It could be spec'd with a double rail 12" frame, up to 65,000K rear tandems and 12:00 x 24 boots. Most were built to order, with there own funky paint.

I have seen them as wreckers, log loaders, tractors, heavy haul, OTR & mixers.

Ap40

[Ryan Rønning]

THat is a very cool truck. I like it a lot

[Muleskinner]

Iremeber one of those rigs which was made into a logging truck up in Eugene area back in the seventies.

[ap40rocktruck]

the other big & heavy DR is the Giant. Looks just like the AMT kit, although 90% were built as a set back front axle & all wheel drive.

Ap40

[jimb]

Nice looking model. I've never liked the Raider grill. It's just too....something.

[bluemule75]

Jul 26, 2012 7:50:46 GMT -8 Muleskinner said:

Iremeber one of those rigs which was made into a logging truck up in Eugene area back in the seventies.

It'd be a prefect Idea for your model shelf, just sayin'