Nick's 379 build

[Brian in PA]

Looks good Nick, you nailed the Pete look!

Brian

[Snowman]

Aww thanks guys, I was starting to doubt myself. Still need to tidy up the bodywork, cut out the windshield, mount the headlights, finish up the fenders, make a drop visor, mount the running lights....
So much left to do!

[straightpipejakebrake]

Well get going lol keep those updates coming!

[Espeefan]

If you ask me, it's looking really nice, and definitely has the Peterbilt look. I admire your patience. Had I the same body working skills, maybe I would have stuck it out with the King Hauler I used to have.

[Snowman]

Thanks Nathan, you mention body working skills, I gotta tell you, I had no skills to speak of, I was just inspired by the other builds out there. I have taken a "shoot first, ask questions later" approach to this build by just cutting pieces off the king hauler and then worrying about how I was going to modify the body to get the right look. It has meant a lot of time and patience, but it has forced me to develop the needed skills. I had a very clear picture in my mind of what I wanted the end result to look like and the box stock king just doesn't cut it. But it makes for a great base.
Ok a little more progress.
Mounted the headlights. Need to finish routing the wires for the left headlight and also a bit of fine tuning to get everything mounted level and straight. The bumper there is temporary, just clamped 2 pieces together to simulate the overall dimensions of the bumper I have on order.



Also I finished up the fenders. They bolt on to facilitate the painting stage when I finally get there. Here's a detail shot:

[sneaky-pete]

Nice work Nick.....the truck looks great!

[Snowman]

Thanks Troy! Any progress on the KW truck on the far right of your sig pic? And what about the one on the far left, looks cool, don't think we've seen that one?

[nztrucker]

thats mad looking pete

[Snowman]

Here's a long overdue update
Mounted the qtr fender, steps and tanks on one side and fitted Russ' cool air ride suspension. Was hard work getting the steps and tank right. Now I have to mount the other side exactly the same! Still working on the ride height of the rear suspension. Would like it to sit a tiny bit lower. Still to do is to mount the qtr fender, steps and tank on the other side, mount IHB's cool air cleaners (and wheels when I get them), mount stylin's big pipes, mount the bumper and fab a drop visor. Then there's the marker lights and headlights. Oh and then finish up the bodywork and paint it. Urgh, not much left then!

[Stylin n profilin]

Nice job Nick...This is going to be one badazz ride when its done.

[Brian in PA]

Thats a great update Nick!! The stance looks sweet! Keep up the good work!

Brian

[cabrover]

Looking good Nick, cant wait for more updates!

Tim

[AZLIGHTNING]

Great looking Build, I can only Imagine how nice it will look once your Done. it will be stunning when it gets some paint and custom wheels.

[BRICKNICK]

I'm really liking this Pete, its got the perfect largecar look going on. Keep it up.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Stylin n profilin

Nice job Nick...This is going to be one badazz ride when its done.

thanks John, glad you like it, I hope it turns out at least half a good as your trucks!

Originally Posted by Brian in PA

Thats a great update Nick!! The stance looks sweet! Keep up the good work!
Brian

Thanks Brian, coming from the master peterbilt builder that means a lot!

Originally Posted by cabrover

Looking good Nick, cant wait for more updates!
Tim

I'll try and get some updates to show soon!

Originally Posted by AZLIGHTNING

Great looking Build, I can only Imagine how nice it will look once your Done. it will be stunning when it gets some paint and custom wheels.

I can't wait to see it done too!

Originally Posted by BRICKNICK

I'm really liking this Pete, its got the perfect largecar look going on. Keep it up.

Thanks man, largecar is what I had in mind!

[sneaky-pete]

It's looking very cool Nick......now hurry up and finish it.
Do you know what color it's going to be?

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by sneaky-pete

It's looking very cool Nick......now hurry up and finish it.
Do you know what color it's going to be?

Thanks Troy, I gotta get back into my workshop then!
I do know what colour it's gonna be. Ok so I was gonna keep it a secret but stuff that. Top half black, bottom half & frame a kind of seville orange/red.

[Espeefan]

Great work, Nick! I like the stance. She's got a little rake to her, but maybe a trailer on the back would level it up? Or, from the looks of it, the front end could be raised just a tad. The wheel isn't exactly centered in the fender, unless you are going for that front end on air bags, dropped look? Either, way, it's a beautiful ringer of a Peterbilt truck. I like the extended hood! What tires are you running? They look like some nice low pros.

[Dreamweaver]

Lookin Sweeet Nick. Good job on the styrene work.

[Snowman]

Originally Posted by Espeefan

Great work, Nick! I like the stance. She's got a little rake to her, but maybe a trailer on the back would level it up? Or, from the looks of it, the front end could be raised just a tad. The wheel isn't exactly centered in the fender, unless you are going for that front end on air bags, dropped look? Either, way, it's a beautiful ringer of a Peterbilt truck. I like the extended hood! What tires are you running? They look like some nice low pros.

Thanks Nathan. Yeah it does have quite a rake but I'm still playing around with the dummy airbags on the rear axles. It's a complicated operation of cutting down springs, squeezing them into the rubber gaiters, bolting the end caps to the suspension and stretching the gaiters over them, then standing back and taking a look to see I need to start over again. Kinda takes it out of me each time! It does squat a little bit under weight, I tested 8kg on the back. For now I'm just going to have to keep it at that ride height, any lower and the qtr fenders get torn clean off when driving around my house! Ideally I would like some working airbags but that's a long way off. I can always drop the rear for shelf queen/photo session duties. The rake only shows at eye level, not when it's driving around on the floor.
I spent ages perfecting the drop on the front end, there's no way I'll be raising it! Actually I lowered the front axle a bit but also dropped the fenders too, it's all part of the low rider look. I think that's what makes the hood look so big. I've not added anything to the length of it, just lengthened the cowl by about 5mm. The lack of breathers makes it look longer too, but that will be rectified soon. The body also sits a bit lower due to the modifications I made to the shape of the hood, it meets with the cab higher than the original kh hood. The biggest challenge will be engineering the flip up bumper but I think I have it nailed (in my head at least). My challenge with this build has been the trade off between having it slammed to the ground but still having enough clearance to drive it about the house. This baby's not going to see much action outdoors! Not many places I can take it where I live.

Originally Posted by Dreamweaver

Lookin Sweeet Nick. Good job on the styrene work.

Thanks, that has taken the most amount of time out of everything. But you know all about the headaches of styrene work with your classy shak!