RC Truck and Construction - Back to the Fifties

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Re: Back to the Fifties

Frizzen... That's a good idea about drilling some hole for tie-wraps.. I just don't lay things out wisely...I lay it out and it looks like it makes sense but when I start sticking it down.... not so much...
Yes there is a tab on the back of the cab and I thought about cutting it off but if I drop the cab much more I'll have tire clearance issues, the wheel wells are already opened up a little. Plus if I drop the cab then the bed would need to come down then the bed rails or even the bed itself would rub on the tires....I'd love to get it lower but it opens up a whole can of worms....I try to get the lower edge of the body down to line up with the top edge of the wheel itself ( not the tire)that seems to look ok without a bunch of cutting and hacking
ddmckee54.. don't make a lot of work for yourself, I'm just curious ... by any chance is it an Ertl big farm...???

Re: Back to the Fifties

This is what I got. https://www.3000toys.com/New-Ray-Toy...CABEgJNJfD_BwE

I fer-sure didn't pay that much for it, the link is just to show the truck. I know I got it around Christmas, so maybe the price was a get it off my shelf special.

Don

Re: Back to the Fifties

Sorry jerry, didn't mean to bring up the diminishing returns of creating more work for you. i mostly just like throwing out bad ideas...

That rear tab on the cab also has a horizontal slot that seemed like it could be a good place to do a latch to lock-out the Tilt Cab feature for driving.

Re: Back to the Fifties

Frizzen... Brain storming is always good....I have the floor pressed tight against that tab on the cab so it's kind of a friction latch...
ddmckee54...Ahhh... new ray I gotcha now... I'll keep my eye out ... says 1/18.... does that look accurate... or is it a little bigger or smaller.... we know they play fast ad loose with scale...

Re: Back to the Fifties

Ok....I'm kind of new at scratch building small detail pieces with brass stuff so some of this may look a little amateurish to some of the builders ....
A builder on another site was kind enough to send me some rear view mirror files these are the ones I chose for this truck cause I liked the art deco looking detail on them
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e2678257_z.jpg

These are just remixed spring hangers for the WPL springs and axles they drop the axle about 1/8 of an inch... I screw one end down and let the other slide in this mount.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2b7d0d72_z.jpg

This is just a frame spacer for the rear if you just want a flush rear frame...I either use WPL self tapping screws made for plastic or run a 3mm bolt thru the top or bottom of the frame rail, threading the aluminum to hold the screw this stops the frame from spreading or the block from slipping out.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...16df54a4_z.jpg
This crazy looking thing is my mount for the bed lift actuator, the first one I made and installed didn't have any way for routing wire past it for lights or anything else... so I made some space... this piece doesn't actually take all the thrust from the lift actuator, there is a 3mm rod all the way thru it that goes thru the frame this just supports the rod and takes the flex out of it...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...51e73b5b_z.jpg

These 56 cabs didn't have anything inside ...heck they didn't have a windshield...so I remixed a steering wheel and mount. For the windshield I cut clear plastic from a Diecast Masters box and bent it to the shape of the cab and hot glued it in...( sorry no picture of that)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...17c1c25b_z.jpg
This is what it looked like with the mount before I cleaned it up and added some paint.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...a72d2259_z.jpg

This is a test mounting of the cab after paint.... you can see the running boards/battery box steps...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...9d34de36_z.jpg
The cab sides should be straight but they taper back to the rear of the cab, this made putting running boards on it a little tough. Getting the taper angle was giving me a hard time so I just squared up the steps with the side of the frame, not the exact look I wanted but ....
I wanted those boards on the bed sides... so I made some up... I believe these are scale 2x12s...
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1d7c27da_z.jpg
The supports should be about a scale 6 inches across
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...cfb2fc03_z.jpg
I did the bed in a semi-gloss black I didn't want it super shiny.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...6d492c33_z.jpg

So here are a few shots of it in the sun for the first time.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e9127dab_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b9296fa4_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d03d9fc7_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4743a84f_z.jpg

I did 3d printed mud flaps just to try them plus I wanted some kind of logo...I printed these in white, then shot a heavy coat of primer on the back to fill the lines a little. Then I sprayed them flat black, let that dry over night and dabbed blue in the low spots in the oval. After that dried over night I carefully sanded the raised parts of the logo to expose the white underneath, I tried painting them white by hand but it looked like crap.... This came out way better.
One final shot...I'm really happy with how this one came out.... I learn a little more each time I do one
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f2d2c425_z.jpg

I think this truck needs a friend.....
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...b216ccb8_z.jpg

Re: Back to the Fifties

That's a clean looking truck!
I'm *really* digging the sideboards on the dump box, those add a lot to the look.

That rear shot looks like it's ready to work. Stealthy latch to keep the tailboard closed when going uphill. Any plans for adding some chains so you can try "tailgate spreading"?

Well, the painter Bob Ross always taught that everybody needs a friend. Should be fun to see what you've got in mind with that one too
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Post 21, i went to dig around in garage not sure about any others, but the Ertl 'big farm' Peterbilt has very angular cab marker lights 0.717" long at base, 0.685" long at lens, 0.333" wide at base, 0.240 wide at lens. The amber part is solid & painted. I really wouldn't be feeling that style on a Ford BigJob

Re: Back to the Fifties

Thanks....
The latch is something "smallHaul" thought up years ago, as the bed goes up a spring pulls the latch down then a bend under the bed pushes it back up as it comes back down all mechanical.
I haven't found hooks the right size or style to use... they have to be pretty small to look right but big enough to get at least a 2mm bolt thru... Otherwise you would have to bolt the chains directly to the bed...
Yeah I have 2 of the Ertl big farm Peterbuilts, one will become my heavy haul rig one day and the other is a rollback.. I look at their cab lights and horn too...lol

Re: Back to the Fifties

What a awesome model! Nice work :cool:

Re: Back to the Fifties

Thanks..... it's really fun bringing these Tonkas to life...

Re: Back to the Fifties

I thought that l,oked like the Smallhaul L gate latch. Ok, i'd wondered about the purpose of the spring above chassis rail

How much infill % are you using on these truck parts?

Re: Back to the Fifties

Anything that takes any stress at all I do 100% infill....to me it's not worth trying to save a few feet of filament....

Re: Back to the Fifties

Great looking trucks. Good choice of wheels they all compliment the paint colors nicely. :popcorn:

Re: Back to the Fifties

I love how your restored Tonka fleet looks together out on the dirt!!!
Have you gotten much chance to get some runtime on them this summer?

If someone were thinking about making WPL based really long-wheelbase vehicle, do you know if there are any kind of driveshaft carrier-bearing setups available.

Re: Back to the Fifties

I haven't had them out much....It got hot fast here.... I don't do heat and humidity LOL...
I don't know of any WPL really long driveshafts, but they are pretty easy to make.
I don't think there are any WPL specific carrier bearings... but I think they would be pretty easy to make....
3d print a housing/mount then use a 3mm shaft and some WPL axle bearings (I don't remember the size off the top of my head) That's just one simple way to do it...I'm sure there are others...