Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

No doubt some members here will probably remember seeing this build before. It's been on other forums, and it's still not complete, even after all the time that has passed.

I started building this truck a few years ago, and it was my first Wedico purchase. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into at that point. The build started off well enough, but I slowly ran into a bit of a 'creative builder's block'. To explain that further, there were certain things about the Wedico Peterbilt that I wanted to change and problems that I wanted to correct. Yes, you are hearing me right, they aren't perfect models! Some things would be easy to fix, some not so easy. I assembled the truck as far as I could, and then decided I needed to come up with some solutions to my problems, if I was to truly be happy with the model.

Here's a quick summary of the build, in the earlier days. Many things have already changed, so this is a story of evolution.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...nsassembly.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...srearangle.jpg

Starts with a bare frame and a 3 speed transmission. In the rear, the chassis already has a change from stock. Wedico trucks come with individual leaf spring suspensions, for each axle, which is not the greatest of set-ups. I immediately swapped that out for an aftermarket suspension, produced by Osswald.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...eafsprings.jpg

Osswald walking beam spring packs.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ammountcas.jpg

Close up of the rear walking beam suspension mount.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...wereforcra.jpg

Spring packs and the 4 links for the axles.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...xle4linked.jpg

Tandem drive axles, with the 4 links installed, and ready to be installed onto the chassis.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ontopangle.jpg

Put it all together and this is what you get.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ensionside.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...andemaxles.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sswaldflex.jpg

Great performance and a nice scale look to boot.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...iaandaxles.jpg

About the same time, I bolted up the front axle. I had planned from the beginning to make the truck a 6x6. The front Wedico leaf springs would later be swapped out for Osswald's front suspension too.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...alsandhubs.jpg

Then it was time for some wheels!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...mgoodness2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...mfasteners.jpg

It can never be to scale!

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Wow Nathan, did not know you were going for a 6X6. Nice! Keep going.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

To continue on.....

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...tiretreads.jpg

Different flavors of tires. Dual driven tires, super singles, and steering.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...wnposition.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...punderside.jpg

In going for the heavy hauler look, I wanted a lift axle. Wedico offered one, so I picked it up. Unfortunately, I was a bit let down by it. The travel of the lift axle was horrible, to say the least. There was enough travel to raise the wheels, but the downward travel was very poor. Once lowered, there was no travel left in reserve and the rubber barely met the road. Ultimately, I ditched this set up for something better.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...psideview2.jpg

I bought the Peterbilt 359 cab, in it's raw state, as I wanted to do a paint job of my own, rather then be stuck with the single color powder coat. I've seen a lot of the powder coat paint jobs show some pretty serious orange peal too.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...aboveangle.jpg

At this point, I realized the look of the truck was heading in the right direction, but I wasn't to satisified just yet. I hated the ride height of the truck. Especially that huge gap between the front fender and the tire. Something that all Wedico trucks suffer from, but even more so with the driven steer axle.

I also hated the lift axle being so close to the first tandem drive axle. It just looked cramped. After talking about the problem with a few fellow RC truckers, I decided I would push the rear drive axles back.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...maxlesback.jpg

It made a huge difference!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...eartandems.jpg

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Thanks Claus. Continuing on with the truck....

I received the Osswald front suspension for the truck, and it helped reduce some of the fender gap. I thought I could live with it, but later I would decide to lower the truck even more.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...dtoWedicoa.jpg

The Osswald spring packs - flat.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...endinplace.jpg

Installed with the front drive axle.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ardOsswald.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...swaldangle.jpg

A little better ride height, but still not as good as I hoped for, as you'll see later.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ndermockup.jpg

The next big idea I came up with for my truck was to fab up my own single, half round fenders. I made a tutorial on a couple different websites, when I got a lot of people asking me how I did them. These days, I see them popping up more and more, which is cool. They turned out to be really easy to make.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ndermockup.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...adefenders.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...adefenders.jpg

I was starting to feel a little better about my progress. The look was improving. Still not quite perfect, but getting there.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Now the Peterbilt 359 steps do match the steps that Wedico provides in the kit. Kind of. Wedico's steps are lacking some detail, and what I really wanted were some nicer looking steps. Something more along the lines of the Peterbilt 379 steps. I planned to get some machined out of aluminum, but to test the look and fit, for sizing, I mocked some up with styrene.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ecabskirt2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...rssidestep.jpg

Driver's side.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...tecabskirt.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ersidestep.jpg

Passenger side.

At the present, I still have not finalized any arrangements to have the steps machined from aluminum, but I do have some drawings made up. Now I have second guessed myself though, as I have started to consider the posibility of mounting the fuel tanks under the cab instead. Going for that vocational Peterbilt heavy haul look. We'll see!

About this time, I was getting frustrated with with truck. A little. Two major things, though they may not seem major, were really bugging me. The fender gap, and my Wedico lift axle. It took me a while to come up with a solution for both.

For closing up the fender gap, I had tried a few different ideas. Running fewer springs, getting rid of the driven front axle (something I really, really didn't want to do), and I even considered lowering the cab and hood. The biggest problem was that the stock hood hinge point interfered with the front suspension hanger. The two simply could not share the same space together.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ohoodhinge.jpg

This is a photo with the old leaf pack, but the mounts are still in the same locations.

Very briefly I thought I would try running the standard steer axle, but with some modifications. I milled the blocks off of the top of the axle, which helped a lot, but I just couldn't give up the driven front axle.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ofrontaxle.jpg

You can see the mill marks. The blocks used to be there!

Finally, I decided if I wanted to correct this problem, the best thing to do would be to make some custom parts!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...vsmachined.jpg

I made a new hood mount for the chassis, which would drop the hood about 5/16" lower. At first I planned to combine the hood mount with the suspension hanger, but space was a problem.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ingbracket.jpg

Instead, I moved the spring hanger back and away from it's original location, and the hood mount sits in the spring hanger's old home.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sionhanger.jpg

Combined together, the hood's hinge point, just barely clears.

Since I moved the spring hanger back torwards the cab, I had to make a new spring! The original ones were now to long.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...icosprings.jpg

I bought some brass sheet, which happened to match the thickness of the original Osswald springs, but I had to figure out how I could bend some nice eyes on the ends of the springs. I wanted them to be uniform, and the best way I could think to do that, was to make a tool.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...tinprocess.jpg

I tried a test piece and it worked out great!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...rtheWedico.jpg

After a little trial and error, I figured out the total length of the brass spring I needed, and how much it would shorten, given me wrapping the eyelets on the ends. I then made up two new, shorter springs, and milled the holes for the axle bolts.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...boowindows.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...owrider6x6.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...iconewlook.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ingforward.jpg

Then the moment of truth! The new front end suspension, installed with the driven front axle! The fender gap, greatly improved! I was really happy with the results.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

With a good solution found for one problem, I turned my attention to the next. The lift axle. I had this spare steering axle laying around, and it looked like it would make a nice lift axle. As a bonus, I figured maybe I could even make it a self steering lift axle. The knuckles were already there....

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...axlelinked.jpg

What I ended up doing was narrowing the stock steering axle down quite a bit. I milled a center section right out of the axle and bolted it back together. I had some spare 4 links laying around, which I used to locate the axle and allow it to have way more travel and float then the old set-up. Rock crawler guys will now just how great 4 link suspensions are.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...xlelinked2.jpg

In order to locate the lift axle, I machined an upper 4 link mount for it out of aluminum. The mount is captured between the axle halves and it's very strong.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...tsoftravel.jpg

Plenty of downward travel - more then I really need. My driveshaft will limit that some, once it is installed.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ticulating.jpg

Good articulation, for those off road treks too!

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...liftedtemp.jpg

Raised up. Lots of clearance, if I do need the room as well.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...edliftaxle.jpg

And down.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...tterstance.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...lllooklike.jpg

Couple more photos, from the side and angle.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...xle4linked.jpg

One from above. Yet to come is a lift mechanism of some sort. I'm going to go with a really simple design. Hopefully something as simple as a cable and winch system, or maybe just a servo to raise and lower the axle. I'd like to do air bags, but I'm afraid they would limit the travel and articulation. We run these scale trucks in a non-scale world, and expect them to handle some pretty tough obsticles at times.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Very nice clean build, you have talent for sure.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Some great solutions to the problems you found and corrected

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

The mods your doing Look good so far, can't wait to see it done!

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Holy WOW!!!
Thats all I can say.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Nathan very good you are doing an excellent job keep up the good work.Ed

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

very nice truck :)

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Whata great build and nice pics!

Brian

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Thank you guys. It means a lot to me to see your comments! Especially knowing the level of quality builds on this forum, and the company I am in. I hope I can reach that bar and make the grade. :D Thanks again.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

This is my favorite Wedico,the level of detail makes this an art piece!:eek:

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Sweet I love this build. I really like the heavy haul trucks.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Wow! Amazing work!

What will it weigh when it is complete?

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Troy and Snochaser, thanks!

Paul, thanks also! I haven't seen much of Wade these days. I know he joined the forum though. I really like his Peterbilt too. Did he ever get it out of primer? I'm kind of hoping one day I'll be able to make one of the meets you Central Plains guys host. Sure would be cool.

SmallHaul, thanks. No idea what the truck will weigh when it's done. Hopefully it will have some good heft to it. There are a lot more parts I want to add, and much of them will be (hopefully) machined aluminum pieces.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Nathan my friend, what can I say?

This truck is absolutely beautiful, even un-finished. Your attention to detail, along with your fab skills, is amazing. I have still yet to figure out how you narrowed that axle tho. I'm only seeing one seam on it. Care to share?

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Thanks Rick! I really appreciate that. Here are the details on the lift axle mods.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ksliftaxle.jpg

What I did was mill two notches or 'steps' into the center section of the axle. I did not cut the axle in half, but rather milled a notch on one side, flipped the axle and milled a second notch. Where the notches met in the middle, the axle became two pieces. Once the halves are over lapped, the axle is effectively narrowed.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sliftaxle2.jpg

I drilled some holes through the modified center section, and tapped the lower holes for some 3mm screws. When assembled, the two 'stepped halves' of the axle seat against each other, and the 3mm screws just keep the halves solid.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sliftaxle3.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...sliftaxle4.jpg

Now what I didn't think about was how I would make an upper link mount, and how I would secure that to the axle as well. Originally I thought I'd bolt a mount to the top or bottom of the axle, but I wanted to keep it really clean looking. So I went back and milled the center keyway into both axle halves. Then I machined the 4 link mount to match the keyway. When it's all assembled, the mount is totally captured in all directions and it's solid as can be, even though the screws do not pass through it. The whole assembly is 'lightly' press fit together and very strong.

Hope this gives you some ideas! If you have any questions, let me know!

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

I like it Nathan ;) I just may have to get a wedico front for the next steerable I do ;) when I made mine I didn't have the mill yet :(

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Hey thanks Steve. You know, I was thinking this idea would work just as well with a Tamiya steer axle too. They are pretty similar to the Wedico steer axle. No reason why it couldn't be done also! :D

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Do I really need to say it again?:D

Thanks for the inside look at this. Should be a bombproof design.

P.S. Your photo skills are just as impressive as your building skills. It really makes it a pleasure to watch your updates.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Nathan , the tamiya axle does not have the center drop like the wedico thats why I did what I did on my Paystar . It came out alright just need better links .

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

i just cant beleive the skill in this hobby. its a fun build to watch, plus great pictures and explanations.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Nathan wonderful job the way you sandwich that together. I had to take a second look look because I was looking for a plate but after taking a second look I see were you have one side of the axle milled so it's is the top for the other side good thinking. Ed

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Just found this build. WOW!! Your attention to detail is amazing! What do you have planned for it next?

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Rick, my friend, thanks. I appreciate that. I do enjoy taking pictures as well, but not as much as building trucks. I can't wait to share some really good pictures of the truck, when completed, sitting in a more natural setting. Hopefully it will make some people do a double take. I'm not a professional photographer, but I am learning.

Steve, it's been a long time since I had a Tamiya. I thought they also used a drop axle. My mistake. If you are looking for some better links, I'd suggest you buy some Traxxas rod ends, with balls inserted, and then simply use some thread rod, with a sleeve to make the link itself. Or just cut some small round bar to the correct length on your lathe, drill and tap the end for 3mm set screws, and then thread the Traxxas rod ends onto that. I used to make all kinds of 4 links for my RC monster trucks that way. They are beefy, look good, are very functional, and aren't all that expensive. I think your lift axle turned out well. Now that you have a mill though, and those skills of your's, I bet you could machine your own drop axle! :D

You and me both! A lot of highly talented guys on this forum and I can just sit for hours drooling over the work.

Ed, thank you. Yes, I managed to make the lift axle look almost like a solid piece. If it wasn't for the seams, which can barely be seen, it would look like a factory axle. Once painted, it probably will look factory.

Thanks! I have a lot of ideas just bouncing around inside my head! I don't always make the fastest progress, but updates will come little by little. I am thinking about ditching the Wedico transmission for a planetary gearmotor, and an RC4WD transfer case. My friend Rick, aka Rogue, turned me onto these gearmotors. I think I will give it a shot. I also want to make this truck as scale and realistic as possible, so there is a lot of detail to add, and a lot of custom machined parts I would like to do up! I guess I'm pushing myself to reach the bar that has already been set high by so many other guys on this forum!

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

yea I got the hole link assm from traxxas . as for machining my own ,thou shalt not jest :D with the mill the parts are endless :D actually after the paystar is done I'll be on my equipment . I been itching to start a couple and a gp38 in 1;14 ;) 1st of all finish the pay scrapers :rolleyes:

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

A very detailed chassis! Really enjoy your workmanship, but especially the innovative ways to address problems or changes you want to make. Looking forward to seeing more!

Ken

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

wow that's really nice got any idea what your going to do for paint you seam to have every thing els figger out.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Very impressive.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Thanks Rick!

Tim, thanks for the kind words. If it turns out half as detailed as your trucks have, it will be good.

Thanks Mog. I'm not real sure on the color yet. And not quite everything is figured out yet. There is a lot of thought to put into this truck yet, and I'm actually engineering and machining what I need, on the fly. But I am taking my time, so I do a lot of thinking along the way. My mind is usually thinking two steps ahead of what my hands are doing. :D

Thanks Paul! It means a lot to me, since you are one of the top builders here. And most ambitious!

Thanks Ken! More updates coming soon!

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Okay fellas, I have been working slowly on putting together a new drivetrain for the Peterbilt. I have no problem with the Wedico 3 speed, but space is tight on this model, and I'd like to have more room for other features. Thanks go out to my friend Rick, who introduced me to the compact and tough as nails Banebots planetary gearboxes. He was one of the first guys to use one on a truck and it looked perfect for my intentions! I'm giving up a 3 speed transmission for a single speed that is stronger and smaller, which is a big help. I really want to keep the interior of the cab, and the Banebots gearbox, with a standard 540 motor will entirely fit beneath the cab floor.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...tsNovak55T.jpg

Can't say I've ever heard of anyone tearing up a Wedico 3 speed in a truck application, but they have had some failures in the heavier Wedico 966G Cat. If we take a peak inside, just because I like seeing how things work, we can see some plastic gears and a belt drive reduction.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...dinternals.jpg

Other then the plastic gears and the belt, everything else does look pretty beefy, but for now, the trans is being pushed off to the side for this....

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...6driveline.jpg

I've got a Novak 55 turn motor, mounted to the Banebots P60 planetary box. It's running a 20:1 reduction and feeds my new transfer case, from RC4WD. I did the math for calculating the gearing and I should end up with the truck being about as fast as it would be in 2nd gear, if I used the 3 speed trans. If I run a little more then 12 volts, I should pick up a little more speed, or I can always swap the motor to a 45 turn. Something I couldn't do with the Wedico trans, as you are stuck running a Buhler motor, wether or not you like it. Can't change the pinion gears either, at least not without some custom machining.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ifiedshaft.jpg

I did have to turn down the output shaft on the planetary box. As it comes, it's about .5" in diameter! Huge. I turned it down to a more common 5mm size and milled a flat on the shaft for the set screw to grab.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...utputshaft.jpg

Here's a picture of the internals. This is only one stage of reduction. The 20:1 box uses two stages, but this is what it looks like. Just add another stage of planetary gears behind the other, and you'll have it. You can also see the shaft I turned down more clearly. It was huge! The bearings that support it are also monsters. It was intended for robots, so it can take some serious load.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...yinternals.jpg

Another picture, showing how it goes together.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y12...ansfercase.jpg

Finally, one shot of the RC4WD transfer case I will be using. It's a 1:1 ratio, so it provides no reduction, but it looks really scale, and cool. Intended for scale rock crawlers or trail trucks, but it will be right at home inside the Wedico. I just need to machine up some mounting brackets for both the transfer case and the planetary gearbox, and I'll be all set.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Wow love the eye candy them killers are works of art.. Very nice build Nate..

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Once again Nathan, i'm humbled by your work. How can I possibly step away from this hobby, when I have someone like you to keep my sights set on?

Killer looking combination you put together.

Re: Espeefan's slow motion Peterbilt Heavy Hauler build
 

Thank Paul. Yes, the Killer Transfer case is a beaut. I can't wait to get mounted between the frame rails. :D And maybe, just maybe, actually drive the chassis around! lol

Rick, I'm glad you decided to keep your Wedico. :D If I can somehow inspire you to keep at it, then I am only returning the favor you did me. If it wasn't for you sharing the Banebot gearboxes, I wouldn't have as cool of a ride here, now would I? Apparently we both keep putting each other's trucks in the cross hairs. :D