Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Thanks! Well, the output shaft of the 3:1 GRU is too small for the press-fit pinion that the Lesu trans requires (pics coming soon) so I'll have to figure something else out there. I was thinking 3:1 may not be low enough anyway so maybe I'll just get a 4:1 now. Given the tiny pinion of the Lesu unit, though, I'm concerned how easily it'll strip.

That's my '01 TJ. This is what it looked like when it was still on the road:
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...cB6jmsg-X2.jpg

However, it's currently under the knife as I do some major surgery. I'm adding 15" to the overall length (converting it to an LJ), adding one ton axles, and building all new suspension. This pic is a bit outdated. Frame is now lengthened and welded back together, but still have a long way to go!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...LqLhSDQ-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

WOW:eek: you are really into that TJ I see lots of travel in your suspension.

Here's my sons rig. 98TJ He drives it every day in the summer. Luckily he is 2mi from his work because he put 4:88 gears in it. Dana44 air locker rear,high pinion 35 in the front. Rubicon long arm suspension. We have a beater Cherokee too
Now is see why you just had to make that PETERBILT into a 6X6

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/3252/UBaI2q.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/4467/hKloik.jpg
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/5446/maTomz.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Nice rig your boy has there! That's the exact axle and locker combo I ran for years. With 35s it was great, but with the 37s I'd have preferred 5.13s. After wheeling the Jeep since '07 I decided to finally put some big axles in it so I no longer have to worry about breaking them. New combo will be Ford Dana 60 and Sterling axles with air lockers and 5.38s. Stepping up to 40" tires, too. I plan on keeping the good road manners as I drive this thing all the time and love taking it on road trips. :)
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...RDFRsH7-X2.jpg

And if you're interested, I'm documenting the Jeep build on my YT channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQg...uSHByWUvBjNK8w

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

The Lesu 3 speed AWD trans showed up. It's aluminum and pretty heavy! Comes with two sets of mounts (one higher and one lower), but the holes don't line up with the width of the Tamiya rails. *sigh*
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...PjSqGWG-X2.jpg

And look at the size of this teensy tiny press-fit pinion gear! I'm going to be feeding it with an 80t motor and a GRU so it's going to be subjected to a lot of torque. I'm concerned about it's longevity. :(
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...k75KrFB-X2.jpg

Here's the "highly detailed instructions" that come with it. :lol:
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...jXzV7r6-X2.jpg

The rod at the top is if you want to shift the trans from the front, instead of the rear. I may have to look into this further. I opened up the trans and tried to swap them, but it wasn't look like it was going to be worth the effort so I may just shift it from the rear. And judging by the short length of the shifter linkage, they must assume your servo is right next to the trans!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...3XnNLXC-X2.jpg

Mocking up the trans with the motor. Adding the GRU will require it to sit rearward just a bit more to clear the servo. The GRU will add about 3/4" overall.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...znFL4G2-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Truck looks great, but i'm guessing you'll take it back apart for paint later. Very nice looking trans

Cool TJ stretch project! Are you just going up to LJ length, or going even longer?

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Thanks! Yeah, I'll be tearing it apart again for what I hope will be its final paint job, but I'm waiting to have a better idea if I'm done with any fab work beforehand. Case in point, the front axle was sitting too far to the rear of the fender opening so I've been working on getting that aligned better. I'll get some more pics/updates posted hopefully later today.

Regarding the Jeep, the body will be LJ length so I can use an LJ top and cage. However, I backhalved the Jeep 5 years ago and got about 6" of wheelbase added to the rear, putting me at just over 99". With the extra 15" length of the LJ conversion added in, I'm hoping to have a similar wheelbase as a 4 door Jeep, which is about 116". I'll also be stretching the front a bit.

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Awesome thread! You've shown me all the steps I need to take to build my project haha.

I've picked up a grandhauler and want to build in into an tridrive 8x8. Based on the oil field trucks I've seen up here in Canada.

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Happy to help! :) Hope to have an update to share soon. Just been waiting on parts to arrive and also been doing some drilling and tapping....

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

My 4:1 RC4WD gear reduction showed up so I got it hooked up with the Lesu trans and the HH 80t motor. I was pleased to see how short the overall length of the GRU is, but was surprised to see so few gears inside. My biggest concern right now is if the gearing in the GRU and the trans hold up.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...KWQzSNT-X2.jpg

The front mounting hole on the frame rail was re-used, but the rear hole has to be drilled/tapped. Note that I'll lose the upper step mount, but I don't really care. It's not like it's gotta support the weight of a scale 350 lb. truck driver! :D
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...dmZkd3L-X2.jpg

I had mentioned earlier that I'd like a bit of a gap between the rear tires so I made up a little styrene spacer to sandwich between the rear wheels. It's about 1.5mm thick. It's ugly, but is only for prototype purposes.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...pzWgWrK-X2.jpg

Here you can see the gap created by the spacer on the far wheel set. The near wheel set is stock Lesu wheels.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...xm35XZD-X2.jpg

Ages ago I modified a set of front wheels to get them to tuck in farther. That was on the Lesu wheels I originally tried. These fronts are made by Hercules Hobby and they have quite a bit more backspacing so they tuck in better. However, I still have to run a 6mm hex for them. If I run a 4mm hex you can see the hub bottoms out against the knuckles. Also note I put some aluminum TLT knuckles on.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...n4NNGZs-X2.jpg

The issue with a 4mm hex on these wheels.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...mMnvqqR-X2.jpg

So I drop a pair of thick washers inside...
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...t6XTPTs-X2.jpg

Then out comes the Dremel! I rest the cutter flush to the washers and slowly cut through the hub. Be careful here. It's super easy to get hurt if you don't take the right precautions!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...QxDVXkT-X2.jpg

And the deed is done.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...3sQgB8f-X2.jpg

Now I have great clearance even with thin 4mm hexes!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...9cXxFWc-X2.jpg

Now the fronts tuck in really nicely. They're not fully tucked, of course, but this is the look I was after.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...qVfbQXW-X2.jpg

The other side still running 6mm hexes.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...RjCcK4R-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Some smart tips for others to use :)

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

I decided the front axle needs to move forward a bit to get better centered within the fender. So I drilled a couple new holes in the leaf springs.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...txcM8dF-X2.jpg

However, this moved the axle too far forward. So then I moved the hanger back and up just a bit. This would bring the wheelbase back a smidge, but also give me a bit more caster. By the way, you can see how poorly my paint is adhering to the self-etching primer. I recently picked up some touch-up paint and I'll definitely be needing it when I go to reassemble.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...5Lv5Z5r-X2.jpg

And here's my plan to put a little space between the duallies. First, I thread in some longer 12mm screws through the hub. I also added a dab of grease on the hub to hopefully prevent the wheels from bonding to the paint that seems to want to come off far too easily sometimes!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...WKdFXvp-X2.jpg

Install the inner wheel and then add nuts to the wheel studs. In this case, the nuts are 1.5 or 2 mm in thickness.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...6x2rw93-X2.jpg

Now with the outer wheel installed I have a reasonable amount of space between the tires. It's not excessive like a brodozer but it's just about what I was hoping for so I'm pleased.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...pM5RrrD-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Looks good, perhaps if you have someone local with a 3D printer they can make you some wheel spacers/shims? I know you can barely see the nuts but a spacer would look better and hopefully make it easier to keep all your nuts tight!
Im based in the UK but can help if youre interested, keep up the good work!

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

I see your tie rod in front of the drive axle, it should be behind the axle, it will steer far better behind. ;)

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Sorry if this is a double post. I swear I replied yesterday, but didn't see it.
Anyhoo...

Thank you so much for the offer! I do have a local friend who offered, but felt the nuts were a simpler solution. However, I would prefer a slip-on spacer that's printed provided the thickness can be held consistent.


Thanks for the input. I considered that, but my current knuckles don't provide for that. I would need to also move my drag link behind the axle, which would complicate things. So I'd either need to get a side mounted steering bell crank or fab up a bracket to keep the drag link up front and the tie rod in the rear. Not saying it won't happen, but it would take a bit of work.

Currently, my limiting factor on steering throw is the outside wheel. The knuckle kits the axle at full lock. However, if moving the tie rod behind the axle increases the Ackerman significantly, I could certainly see if providing a nice benefit!

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

You did reply, not sure where its gone though!

Some off road racers use reverse ackermann to help pull the front end around so for an RC it would be nice to have correct geometry but not critical, it may even help stop the double drive rear end pushing straight offroad?

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

LOL, after I posted the new message the old one appeared! So I deleted it. :)

I just did a little test and it does appear putting the tie rod behind the axle results in more Ackerman which would turn my inner tire more than the current setup. I think my limiting factor would be the dog bones in the front axle shafts. I wish CVDs were still available for TLTs. :( I think I found some in Germany, but they were too pricey and I couldn't justify the cost.

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Yea ive been looking for CVDs too but no joy!

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Sometimes you need to refresh the page to see recently made posts.

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Got a nice delivery of Lesu goodies today, but the only pic I have so far is the micro servo mount for the transmission. I drilled/tapped a bunch of holes on the chassis today for the other stuff that came in and all of it should get paint tomorrow.

Anyway, here's the servo installed. With the servo arm cut down just a bit it clears the bottom of the sleeper cab. I just had to clearance part of the crossmember for the shifter link.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...n7Q5ZCH-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Are you kidding me? That's amazing !!!!

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Thank you! :)

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

A few progress pics after some paint work.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...jwGZg5M-X2.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...8687QZ7-X2.jpg

Lesu rear suspension and some other aluminum goodies. I also should've installed the rear center caps. D'oh! :)
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...svzrxVW-X2.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...w9b8pdk-X2.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...7S7D5jr-X2.jpg

Scale hardware for the win!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...2crwfs3-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

That's good looking. I see you have lots of patience :) You're hired:lol:

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

LOL, thanks!!:D

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Very sharp looking truck!

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Are the leaf springs you used tempered..?? I saw you drilled new holes, did you have to anneal the spring or something... I haven't had any luck drilling leaf springs, any tips would be great.

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Thanks!!

I doubt they're tempered and I didn't temper them myself. They're just stock F350 springs and yeah, it was a pain to drill through them. :(

So we got a bit of snow on Sunday here in Austin, Texas. That's not a common occurrence for us so I figured I'd take the opportunity to take a few pics and see how it drives in some icy conditions. Well, it did great!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...vDPmTS3-X2.jpg

Then last night we got some real snow. Like....."are we even in Texas" kinda snow! Depending where you measured, we easily got 4-7 inches, which is crazy for us. Well, of course I had to test out the truck in deeper stuff today. Overall, it did really great and had plenty of traction. The limitation, as one would expect, is the low hanging front bumper and the overall low right height. Nonetheless, I was pleased!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...fvhtdTZ-X2.jpg

I also got some Lesu steps for the frame, but only have one installed at the moment.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...w7FPNQ3-X2.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...H5FqFdR-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Tamiya 9805522 is the part# for the rear leaf spring of Tamiya 4x2 trucks which are pre-drilled with the 12mm spaced holes, it may be an easier option?

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Oh, mine were drilled, but I wanted to move the axle forward a bit so I drilled new holes.

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Ah my bad!

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Might be a long time before you can take winter pictures again ;) Looks good in the snow!

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

I knew I'd want custom plates for this truck and rather than spend money on some custom ones, I decided to try my hand at making some. Being 1/14th scale, they're only about 1" long so it won't be obvious if they're not perfect. And it costs me nothing to try so why not? I went online and copied a few JPGs of license plates I'd want. I printed them and then trimmed them out. Here's a super close-up of what my mediocre printer could do:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...82_HEIC-X2.jpg

Then I adhered them to some .015" styrene with some glue.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...83_HEIC-X2.jpg

Then I trimmed them out with some clear tape applied over them to protect the ink.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...84_HEIC-X2.jpg

The thin overall thickness feels pretty realistic and from a short distance I think they'll look just fine.

Another thing I've been thinking about lately is the front bumper. I haven't found an aluminum one that I like so for now I'm going to use the stocker. I cut off the two "buck teeth" from under it to help the approach angle.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...87_HEIC-X2.jpg

I like weight in my scale RCs. They perform more realistically that way. In fact, I'm rather disappointed the Pete is only weighing in at about 9 lbs so far. So I decided to add some weight in the form of touring car weights glued into the front bumper. I Dremeled out some room inside the bumper, glued the weights in, and will paint them silver so they're less obvious. Those 80 grams really gave the bumper some heft!
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...86_HEIC-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Weight is good! Interesting way of making plates :)

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

I agree! And ideally I'd like to apply the plates to some super thin aluminum, but I just used what I had around.....for now. :)

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Snow pics look great

Soda can or aluminum disposable oven cookware (tooling foil) can make pretty good license plate backing.
Commercial rig with Vanity plates? (The LA plate took me a second to get.)

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

What can I say? The owner/operator is a vain guy! :lol: Great idea on the can for an aluminum source! I'll give that a try soon. Thanks!

I popped some holes in the dash today in preparation for backlighting the dash similar to how Bob at Hobby Concepts does it.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...Vq9HGBx-X2.jpg

And with paint and my marker job it came out looking like wood grain. Perfect!!
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...n2wksZC-X2.jpg

Primed/painted some other bits today, too. Ignore Cletus. I think he sniffed too much spray paint today.
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...djRSBzS-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

I picked up a pair of super single Michelins from RC4WD in hopes of maybe running them up front. Holy crapola, they're gigantic!
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...11_HEIC-X2.jpg

I mean....sure, technically they fit, but that wheel is way too narrow so these will be used another time. It's a bummer because they look amazing and are so much softer than the rock hard Lesus.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...12_HEIC-X2.jpg

I also started working on painting the driver. Never painted a person before so it'll be interesting to see how this dude turns out! But how do I mount him into the seat?
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...18_HEIC-X2.jpg

Not gonna lie. This felt a bit awkward.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...22_HEIC-X2.jpg

But I had my reasons to violate poor Cletus the way I did!
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...24_HEIC-X2.jpg

See? I told ya. This wasn't just for my own personal enjoyment!
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...25_HEIC-X2.jpg

Finally getting around to doing some detailing of the cab, too. Rolled the windows down to make it easier to see the interior.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...26_HEIC-X2.jpg

Got the orange lenses fitted to the cab clearance lights and painted the visor.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...27_HEIC-X2.jpg

I also painted the wipers and some window trim.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...28_HEIC-X2.jpg

Lastly, I picked up a Gear Jammer fifth wheel slider and a Lesu fifth wheel and did some painting along the way.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Hobby-Stu...29_HEIC-X2.jpg

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Lookin' good over there. I did shorten the front axle 19 mm. and moved the springs further in, a little tight for the gearbox. It looks pretty cool.

[IMG]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...bf3f86f0_b.jpgIMG_5576 by Bo Wallen, on Flickr[/IMG]

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

For super-single steers, probably consider making a set of cut&shuts? You'll need some Rubberized CA glue normally used for mounting racecar tires. I'd take off the parting line tread block, and maybe the one next to it.

We're not gonna judge you about what you were doing with the driver, if you're both concenting adults, be yourself.

Re: Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler
 

Thanks, guys! I've got a set of 30mm width wheels coming from Semi Joe. We'll see how they fit. I've done cut-n-shuts back in the day, but it's been well over 10 years. I may consider that, but we'll see...

As far as Cletus goes, things were a bit awkward between us for awhile, but we're all good now. :D

I'm happy to see the interior taking shape the way I'd envisioned. :)
https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...P4k7QKm-X2.jpg