Cornbinder Posted October 19, 2015 First off, a little history.Republic was founded in Alma, Michigan in 1913. They quickly became the world’s largest truck manufacturer- second only to Ford in output. At one point they owned the Torbinson Axle Company, which still exists today as Eaton Corporation. But a series of bad decisions and other factors led to the company merging with American LaFrance to form LaFrance-Republic in 1929. Two years later this company was bought by Sterling, and the Republic nameplate ceased to exist. A parts warehouse existed in town until 1957, and the factory they put up to build Liberty trucks during World War I still stands. While American LaFrance faded away (struck down by Daimler just a few years ago), Republic just burned out. Today, few people in Alma even realize that the city once played host to a legendary pioneer in the trucking industry.But I wondered what a more “modern” Republic might have been. Suppose that merger with ALF still happened, and the “game plan” adopted was that the LaFrance side would continue specializing in the building of fire and emergency vehicles, while the Republic side would focus on the commercial side. Or, perhaps LaFrance decided to revive the Republic name later on for a line of commercial trucks. Working off that LaFrance connection, and having an incomplete AMT kit at my disposal. I figured that Republic would share quite a few parts with LaFrance to cut costs, so the main cab parts and chassis from the ALF pumper would work just fine with a few tweaks. Or more than a few. So… call it a “might-have-been” ’73 model. Call it a prototype. Call it a flight of fancy from a guy with a little spare time and a lot of spare parts. I call it a CTC-8500… compact tilt cab, 8500 series. This would be something that would be comparable to a Ford C800 of the same period.The color scheme will be the “traditional” Republic scheme- yellow chassis and wheels, and a black body, with green pinstriping on both. The interior will be done in green, just because I feel like it. It is going to be weathered- it could be a factory prototype pressed into testing and evaluation duties, or maybe it’s a privately-owned unit that gets a lot of use. It won’t be in shiny, clean, as-new condition.I managed to scare up just enough of a Detroit 8v-71 to fill out the doghouse. The cab won’t tilt on the model, so only I (and anyone reading this) needs to know the parts-box-special Detroit is missing a ton of parts. As of now, the cab sits on the shortened ALF chassis. This pic shows Ford C600 wheels and tires- I'll be using the wheels and tires from a Diamond REO reissue on the final product. I also cut the cab down quite a bit, and removed the canopy to make way for a new rear wall. The fenders were moved forward, and parts of the doors were cut away for new wheel arches.I will probably do a minor "facelift"- perhaps Republic's management would not have wanted their product to be such a dead-ringer for the famous fire truck. I might even add a grille. Quite a bit is still up in the air, but I already have more than a few ideas I'd like to try on this one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joris Posted October 19, 2015 Interesting story, and it's gonna be a unique build. I'm gonna follow this! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cornbinder Posted October 19, 2015 Here's a further-along progress shot I forgot to put up last night... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cornbinder Posted October 26, 2015 Progress from today...The intake, exhaust, and related ductwork are in place. The Detroit was also "oiled up" quite a bit. A hole was cut to fit a cut-down Freightliner grille. The stock ALF headlights were moved down and outward from their intended position. I believe some small side steps will go underneath the doors. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Joris Posted October 27, 2015 Awesome work! Those kitbash-builds are always fun. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cunuk truckbuilder Posted November 16, 2015 love the concept Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cornbinder Posted November 21, 2015 Cab is "glassed in" and only needs a few more doodads to complete. The Republic nameplate was taken from an online photo of a vintage Republic dealer sign. I reduced it in size, printed it on photo paper, then cut it out and blackened the edge with a permanent marker. This prototype was loaned to Outward Bound for research purposes, so that Republic could get "real world" R&D data on the feasibility of offering the Detroit 8v-71 in the CTC-8500 model. It is said that, due to it's low weight and high-powered engine, the Outward Bound drivers quickly nicknamed this tractor the "Hemi Cuda". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
