Almost ready

That's Danny the panelshop boss partway through final touches to the new Superliner, getting a little tired and wondering what happened to the sleeperbox - wrong truck Danny!

Dog gone

I wasn't drunk when I took this photo showing the Superliner on a lean before it left the auction yard. It was the bloody camera, honest. I drove her for the first time yesterday over to the panel shop from Truckstops Wiri. The motor sounds real good, fairly quiet for this model so the rumours of a recent re-build are probably true. The gearbox and diffs are all sound and she really boots along when the turbo pushes full air. Quiet inside the cab, probably much quieter than the sleeperbox model. Seems like a good buy at this stage and I could just feel this truck wants to be working again. Danny from Trucksmash says the body is very straight, doors good and only a little rust around the aerial holes at the back of the cab.

The bumper is a bit suss, and one engine hood hinge is worn.

Driving it reminded me of what Bruce McQuoid's 2 superliners probably run like, all in spec, smooth and powerful.

The dog kennel made from stainless above the radiator where the bulldog usually sits is empty and gives the truck its current name 'dog gone.'

The day cab Superliner

The day cab Superliner being prepared by Truckstops Wiri for its journey back to certification and back onto the road. Note the turntable and subframe has been lifted off from the container locks that hold it into place. The truck is set up to run either as a tractor unit or as a tipper, having the turntable lifted off and a tipper body attached. Unfortunately the tipper body and locks didn't come as part of the auction however the intention is to use it as a tractor unit anyway. Note the massive diesel tanks and the two heads visible of the massive V8. Apparently she started easily after the mechanics wound it over on the starter to make sure it had oil pressure, pushed the engine stop cable back to the dash and fired up. The prognosis at this point is a chassis sandblast and paint, and a good run to see how sound the motor is. The branch Manager Nigel believes this truck had recent motor work which is good news if correct.

The doors on this truck are remarkably rust free, and open and shut easily. The top grill piece is new looking and in good condition, certainly doesn't look 25 years old - a bit like me.