Sterling Diff.

Welder Dave said: I've never seen that grill on a Sterling before. It looks good. Too bad Ford quit making big trucks. I think the Aeromax was one of the best looking trucks on the market. Freightliner should have kept the Ford designs like the Aeromax and LTL too. I thought Ford trucks were pretty popular. Click to expand... That ones custom this is what it had this hood /grill was only used in 08

I think you can see design transfer from the Sterling to the current Freightliner 114sd's Considering what Freightliner was building in 2008, the new stuff looks more like "Sterling" than "Freightliner" to me.

I never spotted that before id have to say your right⁰

Although It looks as though,, there is really no other designs/modification direction to head to. Similar yes, is it shocking no. Every truck manufacture has just about used up the bin of new design ideas, only so much can be done with a set back axle or even standard cab/hood/grille creations and stuff just keeps looking the same. It's like a house, only so many practical designs, what's unique to one isn't to the mass.

Do look more like Sterling but still not as nice as as the Aeromax or other Fords. The Freightliners don't look like as heavy duty of trucks. They look light weight more comparable to Ford F series or GM Topkick medium duty trucks. Maybe they are pretty decent trucks though?? Compact can be good.

Well--the fact sterling was reignited 1997 and extinguished in 2010 by Daimler AG. Designed under Freightliner---it's going to have a Freightliner look. But looks are very deceiving and are changed by just adding a wider/thicker looking grille surround and headlight doors. Which is a great trick in mock up for grabbing consumer attention. Which proves turds can be polished, many in the industry felt it was a move to revive without any real motives of sustaining. * The cat truck is another example, of manufacturing in a crowded market with 4 main companies offering lots of models, no need.

Tyler d4c said: Shining like a 18 year old penny View attachment 361281 Click to expand... Have you had to prop up the dash with 2x4s yet? If not, the day will come.

Truck Shop said: * The cat truck is another example, of manufacturing in a crowded market with 4 main companies offering lots of models, no need. Click to expand... Caterpillar built their own truck for one reason, and one reason only. To try an recoup some of the millions they spent on fines producing OTR engines. I could be wrong, but when they released their trucks, there was only one manufacturer that would still install a Cat in a new class 8 truck, and that was Paccar.

Shimmy1 said: Have you had to prop up the dash with 2x4s yet? If not, the day will come. Click to expand... No this one has all the updated supports and such and i did some extra work it is probably the nicest sterling dash aside from the new aftermarket ones there is it helps that it only has about 480000 miles on it too

Shimmy1 said: Caterpillar built their own truck for one reason, and one reason only. To try an recoup some of the millions they spent on fines producing OTR engines. I could be wrong, but when they released their trucks, there was only one manufacturer that would still install a Cat in a new class 8 truck, and that was Paccar. Click to expand... Somehow I doubt that, and if so it stacked up two disasters. It was some bad marketing ideas from the top. First year for Cat CT660 was March 2011, Last Cat engine installed by PacCar was Jan 2007.

Truck Shop said: Somehow I doubt that, and if so it stacked up two disasters. It was some bad marketing ideas from the top. First year for Cat CT660 was March 2011, Last Cat engine installed by PacCar was Jan 2007. Click to expand... Did paccar ever install any of the sdp/lee emissons cats the Sterling is a 08 with a lee/c13

Tyler d4c said: No this one has all the updated supports and such and i did some extra work it is probably the nicest sterling dash aside from the new aftermarket ones there is it helps that it only has about 480000 miles on it too Click to expand... Does yours have the Freightliner gauges? I was thinking the real late production ones had a slightly different dash and same gauge cluster as the Freightliners of the same era.

Yes its different then the 01 we has and its all can bus for engine stuff where the 01 was oil line and a seprate temp sensor

Tyler d4c said: Did paccar ever install any of the sdp/lee emissons cats the Sterling is a 08 with a lee/c13 Click to expand... Can't answer that.

Here's a low mile Sterling test truck for sale on FB, Salem Ore. *

I have already replaced the dash. I shook itself apart so replaced with a fiberglass replacement.