Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build

[Espeefan]

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I appreciate it! It keeps me going. So how about an update?

The weather has been unusually warm, so it's hard to spend time inside, working on the Wedico. We hit 79 degrees today, and it's not even April yet. Normally, even in April, there is still snow on the ground, with some 30 degree temps, but it already feels like summer. Anyhow, I was having a hard time finding the movitation to work on the Wedico, but I pushed on, and got some back. Nothing like machining up some parts, and seeing some form of progress take shape. That was enough to get me going again, and I really hope to get this truck finished by the end of the year?!? Ha, we'll see.

So one thing I have been wanting to do is build some aluminum tool box steps for the truck, like these -



Here is what I've got so far -



There going to go on the truck something like this -





I intend to run the fuel tanks under the cab, instead of the more typical place, behind the cab. I've got a plan for making some nice tank saddles and tank steps, but first, I want to finish these tool boxes.



Now the really fun part is I intend to make the steps and tread plates for these tool boxes, and see through. I had fun drilling out 57 holes, per top tread plate. I haven't even gotten to the actual steps yet! I am in need of some small screws, to bolt it all together. I'm thinking 0-80 screws. They are a little smaller then the 2mm screws I have been using. Bolting everything together will be a little tedious, but it's the only way I'll have the detail of individual pieces, made into a complete tool box. It should be fun!

[ihbuilder]

looks good Nate I don't think you have enough chips laying around yet

[Izzy]

very nice machining indeed. well thought out and good planning too i'd say.

Chris

[Tamiya Cowboy]

Them are going to be very nice finished.. First class work as always nice job.

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by ihbuilder

looks good Nate I don't think you have enough chips laying around yet

Thanks Steve. Yeah, I have a lot of chips to make, before I'm caught up with you, but so far, I'm not doing to bad, considering my mill is smaller.

Originally Posted by Izzy

very nice machining indeed. well thought out and good planning too i'd say.


Chris

Thanks Chris. I appreciate the comment, considering your engineerng, and fabrication skills.

Originally Posted by Tamiya Cowboy

Them are going to be very nice finished.. First class work as always nice job.

Thanks Paul. I hope they turn out as nice as I picture them in my head.

Here are a couple more photos. I finished off the top tread plates tonight. I ordered some 0-80 screws, and thought I'd have to wait till I got them, so I could drill the last two holes and counter sunk relief for the screw heads to size. Instead, I found the specs for the head diameter and height online. I was able to go ahead and punch the last couple holes into the plates. The heads of the screws should sit flush or slightly below the tread plates, so it will look clean.





Definitely a labor of love! 59 holes a piece. Now to get the steps on the front, which thankfully will have a few less holes. The tread plates are going to be narrower, but scale. Hmmm, wonder if I should make a deck plate for my truck, and drill all the holes for them too?

[ihbuilder]

those are sweet Nate . careful now machining can get addictive . I have more then most here , but it's not enough I need a good BP for the stuff I don't need to put in the VMC . I dislike electronic hand wheels , no feel

[Dreamweaver]

Lookin SWEET Nate

[Claus]

Unbelievable Nathan! Looks like you drilled all of those holes perfectly without the use of a jig?

[plow jockey]

Incredible as always.Those boxes are the real deal. great job!!!

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by plow jockey

Incredible as always.Those boxes are the real deal. great job!!!

Thanks plow jockey.

Originally Posted by Claus

Unbelievable Nathan! Looks like you drilled all of those holes perfectly without the use of a jig?

Thanks Craig. No jigs used for the holes. I just did the math and planned out the pattern. The digital read outs on my mill let me achieve the accuracy of the pattern, although it was still very time consuming.

Originally Posted by Dreamweaver

Lookin SWEET Nate

Thank you Mike.

Originally Posted by SANDCRAFT TRANSPORT

Are my eyes deceiving me!!, dam its good to see back again building parts for the “slow motion Peterbilt” Nat, well done Mate.
Tim

Thanks Tim, and yes I know. It's about time I get back on this, right?

Originally Posted by ihbuilder

those are sweet Nate . careful now machining can get addictive . I have more then most here , but it's not enough I need a good BP for the stuff I don't need to put in the VMC . I dislike electronic hand wheels , no feel

It's snowballed a little, Steve. I find it very easy to keep spending money on tooling, but I won't be getting a new machine until I wear this one out, or until I build a workshop for something bigger. Still, I'm very pleased with this machine. It wasn't perfect out of the crate, and took me a while to dial in, but it's totally worth it. Thanks for watching the progress.

[tc1cat]

Very nice start on a great project! If you want to go even smaller than the 0-80 machine screws you might want to try www.scalehardware.com He has nuts and bolts down to .5mm. He also has taps for that size. I have only had the nerve to try 1 hole in .5mm. Came out OK but very nerve racking as it was the final detail on the part.

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by tc1cat

Very nice start on a great project! If you want to go even smaller than the 0-80 machine screws you might want to try www.scalehardware.com He has nuts and bolts down to .5mm. He also has taps for that size. I have only had the nerve to try 1 hole in .5mm. Came out OK but very nerve racking as it was the final detail on the part.

Hi Lynn. Thanks for checking out my work. Yes, I've looked at Scale Hardware's website a few times. Like you, I'm a little nervous about tapping something smaller then an 0-80 thread! I've done a lot of 2mm threaded holes now, but that's .078" diameter, roughly. 0-80 is smaller yet, at about .050". But .5mm at .0196"? Yikes! I'd be really worried about snapping the tap, if I just looked at it wrong. Though 0-80 screws are still a little large for what I want to do, I think I can accept that, since the idea of breaking off a tap, and ruining a part that I have a lot of time stuck into machining, is a poor trade off! Guess we'll see. I should have the 0-80 screws and taps I ordered, tomorrow.

Forging ahead! I got two more tread plates for the steps done this morning.



Here's another photo, that shows how I hope to tie the steps to the boxes. I've got some step side members machined, that will pretty much bolt together, like the 1:1 steps will. These are not finished parts yet. The front edge (lip) will be milled off completely, at an angle, to match the 1:1 steps. In the next stage of machining, they'll be finished. Sometimes you have plan how you are going to hold onto such small parts, for each step of the machining process. They are oversized right now, but will get trimmed down to size soon enough. The top step will be slightly narrower then the bottom step and the side members will be angled to meet the top step. One just has to look at the 1:1 prototype photo I posted to see what I mean.

[sparkycuda]

Nathan, the step plates look really great. A lot of drilling but sure adds a bunch to the detail. If the 0-80 is a bit large, maybe 00-90? I use this size a lot on brass, aluminum and styrene. Not really a problem, in my experience. Just take your time. I've had the best luck by holding both the work and the tap in my hands. Seems that both "move" together, as opposed to having the work stationary in a bench vise. I've never used a tapping block or fixture - perhaps they would be helpful. Keep up the good work!

Ken

[MoRockN]

My head hurts from the coolness of this project..... My GOD what an outstanding looking RIG this is!!

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by sparkycuda

Nathan, the step plates look really great. A lot of drilling but sure adds a bunch to the detail. If the 0-80 is a bit large, maybe 00-90? I use this size a lot on brass, aluminum and styrene. Not really a problem, in my experience. Just take your time. I've had the best luck by holding both the work and the tap in my hands. Seems that both "move" together, as opposed to having the work stationary in a bench vise. I've never used a tapping block or fixture - perhaps they would be helpful. Keep up the good work!

Ken

Thanks Ken. My order for the 0-80 screws should arrive sometime this afternoon. Just doing the math and sizing things up, they might still be a little on the big side, at least for bolting the steps to the side members. I'll have to see, once everything is in my hands. Good to know about the 00-90 screws and taps not being as fragile as I was thinking they might be. I guess they really aren't a ton smaller. Just a little. About .010 to .011" difference in diameter. They might end up being the hot ticket though.

Originally Posted by MoRockN

My head hurts from the coolness of this project..... My GOD what an outstanding looking RIG this is!!

Thanks MoRockN. Hopefully I can keep the standard going. I have a lot of other detailed parts to make yet.

[TRUCKMAKER]

WOW Nathan nice router work!, and what? no jigs or templates to boot! Must be that calibrated eye!. All seriouness aside, it looks very good and I can't wait to see it move a little faster, I mean done! Just one thing I'd like to see some one do is put rubber fender extensions on the front fenders when running super singles. Ok enough of my 2 cents. Keep up the great progress!

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by TRUCKMAKER

WOW Nathan nice router work!, and what? no jigs or templates to boot! Must be that calibrated eye!. All seriouness aside, it looks very good and I can't wait to see it move a little faster, I mean done! Just one thing I'd like to see some one do is put rubber fender extensions on the front fenders when running super singles. Ok enough of my 2 cents. Keep up the great progress!

Thank you Kent. Actually, I don't own a router either, otherwise maybe..... I don't think anyone wants to see this project done more then I do. I've been working on it for such a long time now, but I've gained some momentum back. I just have to keep it rolling. I'm doing a little every day, when I can, but more so on weekends. That's when I seem to have the most time to play with things. Funny you mention the rubber fender extensions, because it is on the list of things to do, but that list is quite long at the moment! Maybe what I need, to put the pressure on me, is a feline supervisor, like you have!

[SWAGGER]

Holy ..........those steps are out of this world!! Watching eagerly.

[Espeefan]

Originally Posted by SWAGGER

Holy ..........those steps are out of this world!! Watching eagerly.

Thanks Swagger. The tool boxes are coming along nicely. I'm a bit surprised at how well they are turning out, actually. I had a vision in my head and it's becoming a reality. I am really getting into this machining!

So, a small update. I've been finding the time before work each day to do a little more on the boxes. The last two days I've been working on the steps, which will bolt up to the tool boxes. The side members are all done! It was a tedious process to machine such small parts. I did run with the 0-80 screws, which seem about perfect for the task of holding things together. I'm glad I didn't go smaller. I think these are the smallest I would want to try and use for a build like this. They are so tiny! Drilling and tapping went without a hitch. I also milled the side members and gave them the proper angle on their face, to match the 1:1 boxes. These little buggers are really taking the time to make. I think I have 15 hours of work in them.

Pictures of the last couple days of work.





I think I'm on a machining high right now! Still more to do. I need to make the tool box doors themselves, and drill and tap a few more holes to bolt the steps to the boxes. Also, the top tread plate is still not bolted down either. This should be a simple job, after accomplishing today's work.

[rcguyfarms]

Nice work and attention to detail.