Frame is ready

Yes, my resto project got a mile stone.

This part of work took more than a half year.

I did two frames apart, clean them up, sand blasted and pressed in all new rivets.

So, step-by-step.

I was afraid to start this work because of need to assemble all pieces back. I needed to re-rivet the frame with no experience of how to do it.

Discussing with most friends gave me a fact that nobody have it done before. I googled "rivet works" (in Russian) and found out that I need U-press and rivets of soft steel to heat them up to red light. Started to look for the U-press, found a firm, ordered, waited for 2 monthes and recieved.

Test rivets got me the mind I need fluid supply power station instead of the hand pump the firm sold me with the press. I asked and they gave it to me for a lease. Had to take it 6 times for a week during the work.

There were 2 frames I wanted to make one good from.

As I told I was afraid to part everything out without shure I can get it back. So I started on the first one in early June, after recieving the U-press. I took out a "butterfly" (bogie) crossmember, blasted it sand, painted at friend's shop and started to press rivets in.

Forgot to add, I bought 12 meters of 40 mm OD soft steel wire and ordered nearly 150 rivets of different lenghtes to fabricate of it.

Original plan was to clean up metal parts, paint and rivet them. Due to a heat influence I waited a paint burned off around rivet's heads so planned to re-blast assemblies and repaint. To my surprize and great pleasure paint got Ok after riveting, it made my way easier, without overpainting. Rivet's heads only.

My first steps:

Rivets, press and the power station.

And the crossmember ready

Looking good vlad !

After I see I can go well the second frame's time came.

It was in better condition so more parts came from.

Continue to sand blast and paint

Nice work Vlad!!!

wow , what a project , nice job a lot of investement but I guess it will pay off ! keep those Mack on the road !

Good job,Vlad!! You are going above and beyond what most of us would (or could) do!! Nice!!

After having most stuff green we started to fix everything together with bolts and continue to press rivets (oh, rivets!!)

I didn't end up with posting yet, have to part the tread out.

Too unpleasurant step was sand blasting of ready rivet's heads. Had to mask them around with plastic film and paper band.

Primered them and coated acrilic olive drab as everything else.

Needed to remove whole the frame from the cold shed into the garage because the cold time came.

Now it looks like on the last pictures, ready to put it on the bogie

Uhhh......

NICE WORK! It will be worth it on the end!

holy cow,,,what a project,,,hads off to ya,,looking terrific.bob

I'll second, third, fifth that................holy mackeral, that's a nut/bolt...................er, rivet restoration. Just like putting a REAL BIG model together. That is going the extra mile to make it perfect.

I'll say, if you could preheat the rivets like the old bridge building days, then slip it in and hammer it you would not have the heat issue with surrounding paint.

Thanks for warm words guys,

I try to do this job as good as I can and as it must be done on my mind.

Hope I'll have enough power to get it ended up one day.

Larry, you noted right, I'm model maker also.

And this truck looks to me as a kit of 1:1 scale.

As about rivets, first one I tried I bet with a big Hammer.

Not the way to go. Bad shape and didn't pressed well.

Hand pump got formed head but after 4 reheatings up to amber in the position.

Also not the way because everything burns off.

I planned to keep paint at least on inner surfaces.

For those who like power equipement I would say that the press working pressure is 700 bars with force of 14 metric tons.

Power pump of 3 phase 2kW motor supplied oil under that pressure, a rivet is pressed in and formed it's head in 5 seconds.

And it's a bit much time, better to make it in 3 seconds because it started being cold.

So no chances with averege hammer, bridge builders used pneumatic ones.

looks grate, good job

VERY impressive!

Yup, the old bridge buildings had two guys, one with air hammer, the other with a buck and a couple guys throwing hot rivets around in cups. Slow, tiring work.

Great work

Wow! That looks great!!

Tom

Cool!

Very nice work!

Very nice job! Keep up the good work.

wtf is with the line through my post??

Vlad, wonderful job! I can see you are indeed a craftsman.Nice!

Steve

Very nice work!