Peterbilt 6x6 Medium Hauler

[Tommy R]

Originally Posted by porky69

That's the neat part about building a class 8 type truck...every one of them is built to order so while some options may not be common does not mean that it was not available to everyone.

I wouldn't doubt that there are very few 359 6x6 out there but I am fairly confident they are out there.

That's good enough for me! Thank you!

Now if only my wheels/tires would show up. Until then I can't mount my fenders or set ride heights. But I may be done with the bodywork. Just need to place a coat of primer on it to see how it looks.

[Tommy R]

Finally got around to swapping out a bunch of hardware for socket head stuff. I really don't like Phillips head hardware! I need to order more of certain sizes and some shoulder screws don't have a replacement so they'll remain, but overall, it should be much easier to work on and look way better, IMO.




And the bodywork on the top of the cab is looking pretty good. I think I may be done after one more round of light sanding.

[Tommy R]

Trimmed the floorboard to accommodate the higher transmission location.


Had to remove the seat mounting holes and will need to trim the seat mounts, but no biggie. I'll just glue them in when the time comes.


Intrudes into the cabin, but if it's visible when the build is done I may just fab up a new floor to hide it.


While test-fitting the body I noticed an issue. One of the reinforcing plates I added for the hood sides is interfering with the floor. I could've (and should've) Dremeled away some of the floor, but why not risk screwing up and having to do some more bodywork instead? LOL!


Fortunately, I am one with my Dremel and no harm was done while making adequate clearance.


And the Axial trans has now been "extensively modified" to be a transfer case!

[Tommy R]

Body work on the front fenders is done.....well, unless I decide to add some lights on top. Not sure about that just yet. It took several layers of filler primer and loads of sanding, but I'm pretty pleased with the result. The veritcal sides of the fenders are still rather rough, but I have no good way to sand those surfaces. Hopefully it won't be too obvious after paint and clear is applied....


Sorted the steering, as well. Used a short Losi aluminum servo arm (I don't like using plastic bits) and put the tie rod under the knuckles. Bumpsteer is minimal and clearances under bump travel are good.


Took a file to the knuckles to get a bit more steering out of the TLT axle.




Ackerman looks pretty decent. My thumbs says hello!

[nenard]

Wow !! fenders look great. What primer did you use?

[Tommy R]

Originally Posted by nenard

Wow !! fenders look great. What primer did you use?

Thanks!! I just used some automotive filler primer I picked up from Advance Auto Parts. I'll see if I can get the manufacturer, but it wasn't anything special. But it did take about half a dozen rounds of priming/sanding to get it looking acceptable.

[Tommy R]

Since there have been no updates on the shipment of my tires and front wheels from Stella Models in Hong Kong, they suggested that I initiate a dispute via PayPal. On Friday I did just that and then ordered the same tires/wheels from Semi Joe. For the same overall cost I got it delivered in record time!! Great customer service and I'll remember that for sure.

All wheels/tires are made by Lesu. Pretty happy with them overall, except for a couple things.

• Maybe I'm just used to crawlers, but these tires are hard! But that's probably okay because I plan on making this rig heavy and also plan to haul heavy loads with it. Those stiff sidewalls will be needed at some point!
• The recess for the hex is too deep and needed a spacer so it wouldn't rub the knuckle.
• I wish it provided a narrower track width because the fronts stick out more than I'd prefer.
• The front tires could be a smidge wider. Visually, the just don't look that much wider than the rears. Not a big deal, though.

Here's the rears all mounted up.


Fronts mounted up.


Sorry for the crappy lighting, but I'm pleasantly surprised that the ride height looks pretty good. The front is only a bit higher than the rear, which is surprising given the front TLT axle. Once I add some weight in the form of electronics, battery, speaker, etc. then it may actually sit level! Schwing!


So I started mock up of the front fenders. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this positioning. Keep in mind the axle swings rearward under compression. I'll need to add some styrene under the hood sides, but I'll get to that later. For now I'm just interested in fender placement.


Again, sorry for the lighting, but here you can see just how far they stick out. It's not particularly awful given most heavy hauler or all wheel drive trucks' front ends are often fairly wide, but I'd hoped for better.


And can someone tell me what I did wrong with the install of my 5th wheel? Why is it angling the wrong direction?