The 1100 Cab

In the 1972 brochure "Conventionals" and in the 1975 "Class of the Industry" brochure, Peterbilt displayed the 1100 Series Conventional Cab in a shell-only photo spread. The cab was only partially built, with the then-new cab features highlighted in red.

I was bored one evening, I really wanted to build something, but didn't want to start a new project, and wasn't in the mood to finish a current one. I was rummaging through a parts box when I came across a couple of AMT Peterbilt 359 kit cabs. Just the cab and firewall (and one cab with a nasty gouge in the passenger door and cowlside). I had used the rest of the kit for a donor platform for a 362 or someother Pete. This is when the idea hit me. How about making the cab shell? Hmmmm. I dug up the 2 needed brochures and set out to studying the photos.

I took the AMT cab with the gouged door, cut out the center of the roof, the doors, the vent doors, the top of the cowl and the original firewall panel. With strips of scrap plastic, Evergreen and Plastruct channels I made all the rear wall bracing, the roof bracing and supports, the door sills/jambs, the instrument panel support, the header and the firewall. I drilled 4 holes into the firewall/cowl as the real one would have. I cut the header for the AM/FM radio and the opening for the low-air wig-wag. I sanded off the incorrect roof cap and rear wall seams that AMT molded in.

A quick shot of primer and white (I didn't have a bright enough silver on hand to replicate the color in the photos), then painted the braces and jambs red.

My door jamb could have had one more layer of plastic strips added for the proper bulkhead look.

The real firewall looks wider due to the camera angle and lense that I use for photographing models.

Not bad for a 3 hour, no cost project! Granted it will never be on a chassis, or have fancy paint or chrome, but it's still a model!

Bored the last day or so, and convinced that I could make a Peterbilt 379 cab out of an AMT Peterbilt 359 cab... I commenced to slicing on two AMT cabs.

Left: 379 cab with newer style doors, window ledge, handles and peep window.

Right: Stock AMT cab.

The 379 cab has a fiberglass roof that has more contours to it than the metal roof of the 359 cab.

I sanded and recontoured all parts of the roof.

Yes, these are both AMT 359 cabs..

Bottom photo has the rivets toned down slightly.

The inspiration to cure my boredom is in the background of the cabs. Real '06 cabs.

I cut two AMT cabs, the first was cut right at the center of the roof, the second cab was cut 1/4 inch left of center. I then mated the halves. The windshield opening was reshaped, the leading edge of the roof/windshield mask was sanded to the 379 shape. The center post now leans back to the right rake.

The cab on the left is an AMT cab that I chopped up to make the demonstration cab seen in the 1973-76 brochures, I made this cab several years ago.. The cab on the left is my 379 cab.

Since I knew this was just for fun, I decided to add the huck rivet detail, but not wanting to spend weeks and weeks on a weekend project, I painted the rivets on. You can sure tell I have a shakey hand! I gotta cut back on the coffee.

The next morning I redid the rivets and toned them down, then put a light coat of clear over the cab. The clear needs to be dulled a bit as it is too glossy.

Left is the AMT cab, right is my 379 cab with Unibilt mounts and rear window opening.

My rivet detail went a bit askew (okay, a lot askew) on the back.

I redid the rivets and toned them down a bit.

Rear of model cab looking through windows to photo of the real cab.

If you're bored and don't want to start a fresh kit.. just grab something from the parts box and start cutting and gluing. You never know what you'll end up with.

11/4/06

11/5/06