Mack NR color

[Slava]

Some progress during the summer.
Have bought 11 brand new tyres and fit them up.
Also the frame is under construction.

[Slava]

Got the frame finished!

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 the good one 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:

[Slava]

More pictures - rivets, press and the power station.

[Slava]

The rivet under heating and ready crossmember

[Slava]

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 sandblast and paint.

[Slava]

After having most stuff green we started to fix everything together with bolts and continue to press rivets.

[Slava]

Whole the assembly on a display.
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.

[Keith Webb]

Wonderful to see your hard work Vlad... I don't think I have seen such a complete tear down before.

[maple_leaf_eh]

How are you heating the rivets? In a forge like horse shoes or with a torch?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

How are you heating the rivets? In a forge like horse shoes or with a torch?

I've done them just with a torch, you can see it.

[Bob Carriere]

Wonderful job Vlad.

The work you are doing is absolutely amazing ......and the size of that truck is mind blowing.

Truly enjoy reading and seeing your progress.

Bob C

[Private_collector]

Vlad, your work is unbelievably good!

I am humbled by your standard of workmanship.

[jack neville]

Very nice work Vlad. My son jake and I did a full re-rivet job on our Ford/ Marmon Herrington gun tractor a few years ago. I would have liked a big press like you used although a bit big for a Ford chassis. Had to do ours by hand.