Reference material for building the Italeri kit #746 Peterbilt 378 and 3857

The Italeri kit can easily represent either a 357 or 378, depending on how you want to build  it.  

Combining  parts from other kits can create many variations.  

Adding in resin parts and components opens the door for even more configurations.  

Example: Swap the 63" stand up sleeper from the Italeri 377 onto the 378 kit and you have perfect highway tractor - this is how Italeri made the 378 "Long Hauler" kit.

Example: Use a resin cast rear wall and create a daycab tractor.  Add some wide floats to the front and you have a heavier tractor.

Example: Use resin cast wide front tires, the mixer body from an AMT Paystar Rex Mixer and you've got  357 transit mixer.

Example: Lower the suspension slightly, scratchbuilt racks to match a Revell of Germany car carrier for a 378 car hauler.

The possibilities for the kit are as diverse as the many thousands of real trucks built by Peterbilt.

1991 Specifications

Material copyright Peterbilt Motors Company

1987 357

The 1st 357 was the short hood 111" BBC as shown in the Successors brochure.

 The 357  debuted in late 1986 as a 1987 model.  The 378 wasn't released until mid 1987.

The 378 shares the 357 cosmetics and was developed for cost-conscious fleets who wanted the looks of a 379 at a cheaper price.

Detroit Diesel engines were available until 2002.

 1988 Brochure

If you look at the photo of the front springs, you will note that it is much thinner than the kit springs.  Italeri blessed the 378 and 377 kits with a larger spring pack.  Ideal for a heavy spec 357.

1996 Brochure

2003 Specifications

357 and 378 continued until the end of the 379-family in very early 2007.  For most of the 2005 models, new door windows, door release handles and mirrors were installed.  The door windows lost the vent window and post, and mirrors moved to the side of the cab.   For the 2006-2007 model year the doors and windows changed  with a slanted lower ledge.   In the 2002-2003 time frame the SBFA hood was reworked with larger fenders and a more graceful slope to the hood.  The 111" hood was also freshened in the late 90s sharing the grille with the 385.    The 357-123 ended production in 2004.  The last 357 built was in April of 2007.

Reference photos of 378 and 357 trucks - 2005-06 models -copyright Tim Ahlborn

Pre-04 357 and 378

357 and 378