Post by Joris Scholte on Apr 18, 2012 11:53:54 GMT -8
In the Fall of 2011 I finished up on this Peterbilt 377 fleet tractor. I wanted to do something different on this one; compare it to that black 377 A/E I also built.
I wasn't sure exactly what, so I started out with the engine. I kept the Detroit Diesel 60 Series instead of turning it into a 'Detroitopillar'. Why Italeri puts the Detroit in the Pete kits and the Cummins in the Freightliner kits is a mystery to me; Detroit is/was, like Freightliner, a Daimler-Benz company. To me it would seem more appropriate to switch the engines around...
I initially thought about either a single stack or a frame mounted exhaust, but after asking members from another forum about ideas for the setup, Gator suggested a rack mounted exhaust. I really liked that idea!
I also used a P&P Ultracab roof, kept the tanks exposed, removed the air dam from the A/E bumper and painted it black, used two-hole wheels from KFS and scratchbuilt an exhaust rack from Evergreen material. Modeltruckin.com decals I used as logos and license plates. The horizontal exhaust pipe I extended with Evergreen pipe and cut up kit parts for connecting the exhaust pipe to the stack. The transition panels I scratchbuilt, but they could have turned out better.
I'm not unhappy with the end result, actually. Looks like an older fleet tractor to me, like one a company would send out a rookie team with; if they can keep it decent and in one piece for a couple of months, they might move up to a new 386 or 587, for instance.
Yes, that air duct from the turbo to the radiator is too short, I know...
This 377 usually is hooked up to this Great Dane boxvan.
I wasn't sure exactly what, so I started out with the engine. I kept the Detroit Diesel 60 Series instead of turning it into a 'Detroitopillar'. Why Italeri puts the Detroit in the Pete kits and the Cummins in the Freightliner kits is a mystery to me; Detroit is/was, like Freightliner, a Daimler-Benz company. To me it would seem more appropriate to switch the engines around...
I initially thought about either a single stack or a frame mounted exhaust, but after asking members from another forum about ideas for the setup, Gator suggested a rack mounted exhaust. I really liked that idea!
I also used a P&P Ultracab roof, kept the tanks exposed, removed the air dam from the A/E bumper and painted it black, used two-hole wheels from KFS and scratchbuilt an exhaust rack from Evergreen material. Modeltruckin.com decals I used as logos and license plates. The horizontal exhaust pipe I extended with Evergreen pipe and cut up kit parts for connecting the exhaust pipe to the stack. The transition panels I scratchbuilt, but they could have turned out better.
I'm not unhappy with the end result, actually. Looks like an older fleet tractor to me, like one a company would send out a rookie team with; if they can keep it decent and in one piece for a couple of months, they might move up to a new 386 or 587, for instance.
Yes, that air duct from the turbo to the radiator is too short, I know...
This 377 usually is hooked up to this Great Dane boxvan.
Looks great!! I like the 2 holes on it makes it look a nice fleet truck.