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Re-Bugged

Highway to a Knight Hauler.

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9 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

I’m still a bit undecided on body colour/s, and I’m keen to get the chassis tied up.

So today I sprayed the back of the battery/tool boxes to match the chassis.

I’m on the fence about the Fuel tanks... same colour as the chassis leaving the chrome straps around them, or colour coordinated with the body?

Or just leave them as is. How does the chrome fair over time is the question...


 

 

well i did the best of both world on my gh the extra ones i added i colour coded as i had to modify them to fit and the kit ones left chromeIMG_20180603_102521.thumb.jpg.9fc53f8b505c9b7f4b7619501829264d.jpg

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That looks really tasty :)..I like how subtle this colour coding is. A little customisation seems to work well on these rigs.

Also, Man, that colour really pops in the sun! Love it.

@Re-Bugged, great to see you working on this again now you have finished your stunning Scorcher. Exciting stuff!

Cheers 

Kurt

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Full steam ahead once I’d decided what I was going to do with the toolbox mount and fuel tanks.

I had @Mad Ax tips for big rigs ringing in my head today,

READ instructions THOROUGHLY at the start, as they have you jumping around all over the place, and check what parts need (want) to be painted early on. There was some other stuff too but the old grey matter is a bit frazzled now 😉

I’ve sprayed in some of the chrome plate that the Tool boxes sit on an the Tank straps to match the chassis. Trailer turntable and a few other last bits of chassis also got a coat of the remaining paint in the tin of Squirts I’ve been using.

I think I’ve actually sprayed the Euro Turntable rather than the American one (see previous tips above) but probably won’t make much difference, I’ll check that out later.

4119BC9B-D50B-438C-9BB9-7E0319F7FA13.jpg

F97CC3B9-7235-4E7F-A130-709762FD8948.jpg

It was a case of using what I have at home that made my mind up as I’m currently in self Iso as we got inadvertently caught up in the recent Brisbane lockdown. At least I’ve got some nice uninterrupted build time 👍🏻
 

Having reached the bird’s nest stage...time for a cuppa.

Any tips in a tidy route for the tail lights would be appreciated 🙂
 

E9EDFB2C-C8C7-4F7E-A70B-59D3E6D0AF61.jpg

The one very obvious apparent thing at this stage is, man it’s getting a touch on the porky side weight wise.

Still really enjoying this experience 👍🏻

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Routing the wiring for the tail lights is a compromise however you choose to do it.  For my first build I didn't bother to wrap my wiring, that means the wires can flatten out and if memory serves they can route between the chassis crossmembers and the fifth wheel mounting plate.  It's not obvious though and you might have to move things around.  The problem is you'll notice the coloured wires through the chassis and they look ugly, especially at the back.

On my second build I wrapped all the wires with spiral-wrap.  This is fiddly stuff and in retrospect that nicer braided stuff would have been better - I'll have to order some of that.  I looked a lot better, but it's bulky, so had to go under the crossmembers but above the axles.  It always felt messy.

On my last refit, I drilled out part of the crossmembers so I could pass the wires through.  It's fiddly to do with the wires bound but it looks the best.  Obviously if you change to alloy crossmembers later you'll have to rething (or drill the alloy).

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10 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Routing the wiring for the tail lights is a compromise however you choose to do it.  For my first build I didn't bother to wrap my wiring, that means the wires can flatten out and if memory serves they can route between the chassis crossmembers and the fifth wheel mounting plate.  It's not obvious though and you might have to move things around.  The problem is you'll notice the coloured wires through the chassis and they look ugly, especially at the back.

On my second build I wrapped all the wires with spiral-wrap.  This is fiddly stuff and in retrospect that nicer braided stuff would have been better - I'll have to order some of that.  I looked a lot better, but it's bulky, so had to go under the crossmembers but above the axles.  It always felt messy.

On my last refit, I drilled out part of the crossmembers so I could pass the wires through.  It's fiddly to do with the wires bound but it looks the best.  Obviously if you change to alloy crossmembers later you'll have to rething (or drill the alloy).

When I did the trailer lights and the wiring for my Globe Liner I did a half way house. I cut little pieces of heat shrink about 3 - 4mm long and spaced them out along the loom about every inch or so. Then shrunk them to fit.  Still allows the loom to move and be flattened, but also keeps it neat and gives it a bit of shape.

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Loving the blacked out tread plate, gives the tanks more depth... almost tempted to steal your idea, as my KH might be coming apart again soon for a refurbish 🤣

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Be my guest @berman, that will keep you busy refurbing one of these. But at least it will keep your mind off M-chassis’s for while 😉

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In an effort to hopefully hide most of in not all of the electrical gubbins from being seen through the cab windows, and also avoiding anything be attached to the cab itself (apart from the roof lights) making removing a bit simpler. I utilised half of the included redundant speaker box from the kit.

A bit of Dremmeling and a trip to Bunnings for some M3 x 25 nuts and bolts and this is what I came up with..

Dry fit...

9482C108-71AC-4736-906C-F181BB58B23B.jpg


Holes drilled and bolts locked in with a bit of thread lock..

276E0D98-95F2-4D91-A3C0-2DA76A29B257.jpg


That should do the trick...

5DCDA3D8-36B9-4306-ADAE-9D3AD5376218.jpg

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you could always put a bit of black material  behind the seat to hide everything from the cab view 

i used some thin metal sheet i brought from my lhs on my grand hauler 

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Man alive I think my entire house has less wires than one of these things.

Just about there, front and back lights fed through to where they need to be. There is a handy gap under the seats for wire routing too. Roof lights wrapped around at the top for the time being. I’ve put the receiver semi concealed behind the seat so I can see if it’s got power if I need to. Cab slips over everything nicely 👍🏻
 

83F5DE0F-A5F3-48A4-9CBD-9457FB5D8039.jpg

E7687A8F-EC13-467B-A3CA-8C6AEE6DB410.jpg

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A quick power up/test in the kitchen.

Shaker turned down to minimum as it just about shook the house down on factory setting. I’d like to turn the indicators off, it can be done via the app but still makes the tick tick noise 🤔 Instructions say there is something on the ESC that turns that off, just can’t see it?

Other than that pretty good (sorry about the dog).

 

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12 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

A quick power up/test in the kitchen.

Shaker turned down to minimum as it just about shook the house down on factory setting. I’d like to turn the indicators off, it can be done via the app but still makes the tick tick noise 🤔 Instructions say there is something on the ESC that turns that off, just can’t see it?

Other than that pretty good (sorry about the dog).

 

How is the G.T power pro unit that you use, I have ordered one for my MAN truck,  how hard is it to program ?
 

I see you use flysky gt5 6 channel radio, I have only 2 radiolink 4 channel wheel radio's, do you use more then 4 channels on your radio ?, I am thinking about buying a 9 channel stick radio or does it work with a 4 channel radio?

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i have disconected the the vibration unit in both of my trucks and removed them completly as i am not a fan tbh

it sounds pretty much the same as the mfu but that is one of the good points of these yank trucks as thier is plenty of room to hide stuff.

my merc 3363 was and still is a nightmare as i still have to propperly clean the wires up in that but the cab only tilts and dont give any room to get your hands in there so it is easyer to remove the cab completly but i cor be bothered atm i really have to bee in the mood to do it i spose that day will come eventually.

but yours seems to be working ok and seeing as it as the dogs approval you can carry on with the build:lol:

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5 hours ago, dannymulder said:

How is the G.T power pro unit that you use, I have ordered one for my MAN truck,  how hard is it to program ?
 

I see you use flysky gt5 6 channel radio, I have only 2 radiolink 4 channel wheel radio's, do you use more then 4 channels on your radio ?, I am thinking about buying a 9 channel stick radio or does it work with a 4 channel radio?

Considering the GT Pro & the Flysky GT5 where cheaper than a Tamiya MFU by itself I think it’s great value for money. I haven’t used a Stick Tx for over 15 years now so suits me, and I can use the GT5 for more cars too. (Another 19 in fact, My Mini is already on it!) And the as the Truck will be an ornament 99.9% of the time makes it easier to swallow the initial outlay.

I only use 4 of the 6 channels on it, channel 4 operates the Gear Shifter servo that needs a 3 position switch. It is possible to operate the gearbox with a 2 position switch but you will only be able to use 1st & 2nd or 2nd & 3rd.

I had to adjust the End Points & the  Servo saver attachment so it wasn’t trying to push the selector in the gearbox to far.

A Stick Tx will give you more options for functionality but I like the simplicity of the Wheel Tx and didn’t want to have to relearn how to operate everything each time I used it.

The GT Pro was more or less plug & play out the box. I haven’t programmed it much at all other than turn down the Shaker (can’t bring myself to say ‘Vibrator’) on the ESC so it wobbles a bit on start up & shut down but hardly wobbles at all when running, that’s with the smallest weight installed.

Most of the other settings are done via the app on a phone. It does seem to revert back to original settings though once you turn off and power up again. I haven’t worked out how to save new settings yet. I’ve also yet to work out how to sound the horn via the channel 3 button.

One thing I did find with mine was the Yellow & Green wires for the Motor on the GT Pro were opposite polarity to Tamiya’s. I had to solder wires to my 55t anyway so just soldered then on to match the GT’s wires so the motor was spinning the right way as per the direction arrow on it.

Plugging everything in spread on the bench to see how it all works and getting to know it was much easier than when it’s all installed on the Truck to see what it all does.

Hope that’s some help mate as I’m still learning myself 😉

 

 

 

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Today’s mission was to tidy up the wires going to the back lights.

The before

ABA6ABAC-A7B0-43AE-9A77-7F2D8F8AE332.jpg

Primed with some great ideas above, this morning I had a recollection of stripping electrical cables as an apprentice to salvage the copper inside and sell. The outside sleeving would hold its shape if cut carefully down the centre. I had some black lighting cable from an old side light to try out.

8EDB3D52-22BA-4655-AA87-62BBCB62F609.jpg

Feeding 2 wires in and it all held together nicely. A small Zip Tie on the ends and in inconspicuous places was just the ticket.

I reshaped a spare rear cross member that is now a cover for the wires above the reverse light on the inside.

The after,

A9EB6941-D259-472B-9577-A67C17D9EF12.jpg

Pretty happy with that, I cut a piece of spruce to help lift the wires up enough so they don’t get squashed by the front drive axle. Job done.

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9 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

Considering the GT Pro & the Flysky GT5 where cheaper than a Tamiya MFU by itself I think it’s great value for money. I haven’t used a Stick Tx for over 15 years now so suits me, and I can use the GT5 for more cars too. (Another 19 in fact, My Mini is already on it!) And the as the Truck will be an ornament 99.9% of the time makes it easier to swallow the initial outlay.

I only use 4 of the 6 channels on it, channel 4 operates the Gear Shifter servo that needs a 3 position switch. It is possible to operate the gearbox with a 2 position switch but you will only be able to use 1st & 2nd or 2nd & 3rd.

I had to adjust the End Points & the  Servo saver attachment so it wasn’t trying to push the selector in the gearbox to far.

A Stick Tx will give you more options for functionality but I like the simplicity of the Wheel Tx and didn’t want to have to relearn how to operate everything each time I used it.

The GT Pro was more or less plug & play out the box. I haven’t programmed it much at all other than turn down the Shaker (can’t bring myself to say ‘Vibrator’) on the ESC so it wobbles a bit on start up & shut down but hardly wobbles at all when running, that’s with the smallest weight installed.

Most of the other settings are done via the app on a phone. It does seem to revert back to original settings though once you turn off and power up again. I haven’t worked out how to save new settings yet. I’ve also yet to work out how to sound the horn via the channel 3 button.

One thing I did find with mine was the Yellow & Green wires for the Motor on the GT Pro were opposite polarity to Tamiya’s. I had to solder wires to my 55t anyway so just soldered then on to match the GT’s wires so the motor was spinning the right way as per the direction arrow on it.

Plugging everything in spread on the bench to see how it all works and getting to know it was much easier than when it’s all installed on the Truck to see what it all does.

Hope that’s some help mate as I’m still learning myself 😉

 

 

 

The G.T power pro was cheap, I paid 100 euro including the shipping cost the tamiya units are 3 times that price and this is my firts truck and I did not want to put to much money in it, because I bought it for the build and I know it is not going to run a lot.
 

For now I am going to try my wheel radio first, the third  channel on it is a 3 way switch so I use that for shifting and I wil see how the rest of it works with the radio.

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1 hour ago, Re-Bugged said:

Today’s mission was to tidy up the wires going to the back lights.

The before

ABA6ABAC-A7B0-43AE-9A77-7F2D8F8AE332.jpg

Primed with some great ideas above, this morning I had a recollection of stripping electrical cables as an apprentice to salvage the copper inside and sell. The outside sleeving would hold its shape if cut carefully down the centre. I had some black lighting cable from an old side light to try out.

8EDB3D52-22BA-4655-AA87-62BBCB62F609.jpg

Feeding 2 wires in and it all held together nicely. A small Zip Tie on the ends and in inconspicuous places was just the ticket.

I reshaped a spare rear cross member that is now a cover for the wires above the reverse light on the inside.

The after,

A9EB6941-D259-472B-9577-A67C17D9EF12.jpg

Pretty happy with that, I cut a piece of spruce to help lift the wires up enough so they don’t get squashed by the front drive axle. Job done.

It looks nice and clean with the black sleeves on it, this is going to be a challenge for me 

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On 16/01/2021 at 4:08 AM, Re-Bugged said:

A quick power up/test in the kitchen.

Shaker turned down to minimum as it just about shook the house down on factory setting. I’d like to turn the indicators off, it can be done via the app but still makes the tick tick noise 🤔 Instructions say there is something on the ESC that turns that off, just can’t see it?

Other than that pretty good (sorry about the dog).

 

That dog looks as daft as mine

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10 hours ago, Wetman said:

That dog looks as daft as mine

As soon as she hears the motor buzz she goes off. But she’s getting on a bit now at 11 yrs old and struggles with hard biscuits on her teeth so I’m never to concerned about her doing any damage. Funny old things ain’t they 😉

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16 hours ago, Re-Bugged said:

As soon as she hears the motor buzz she goes off. But she’s getting on a bit now at 11 yrs old and struggles with hard biscuits on her teeth so I’m never to concerned about her doing any damage. Funny old things ain’t they 😉

Definately.

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2 hours ago, Wetman said:

@Re-Bugged With the GT Power mfu do you still need an esc if you don`t mind me asking

It’s an all one unit, it does everything, Lights, Sound, Shaker, Steering, Gear changes & powers the motor, no separate ESC needed.

Lights, speaker & shaker all come in the box.

Just add x2 servos & 4 channel receiver (one channel on your Tx will need to have 3 positions for the gearbox) & a battery and your good to go 👍🏻

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4 minutes ago, Re-Bugged said:

It’s an all one unit, it does everything, Lights, Sound, Shaker, Steering, Gear changes & powers the motor, no separate ESC needed.

Lights, speaker & shaker all come in the box.

Just add x2 servos & 4 channel receiver (one channel on your Tx will need to have 3 positions for the gearbox) & a battery and your good to go 👍🏻

Cheers. One more question if i can. How does it link with the auto 5th wheel from the trailer leg kit?

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1 minute ago, Wetman said:

Cheers. One more question if i can. How does it link with the auto 5th wheel from the trailer leg kit?

You just reminded me!! It also has the switch for the 5th wheel coupler in there to, you will need (another servo as well for that though)

I haven’t fitted it to mine. It’ll be a long time (if ever) that I’d get a trailer.

I believe GT Power now do the Trailer unit as well?

I don’t recall seeing anything else in the box relating to the trailer?
 

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1 minute ago, Re-Bugged said:

You just reminded me!! It also has the switch for the 5th wheel coupler in there to, you will need (another servo as well for that though)

I haven’t fitted it to mine. It’ll be a long time (if ever) that I’d get a trailer.

I believe GT Power now do the Trailer unit as well?

I don’t recall seeing anything else in the box relating to the trailer?
 

Cheers. I already have a trailer, just the basic Tamiya semi but am wanting to do the all singing dancing rig so will be trying to fit the trailer leg kit and 5th wheel set. Presumably the trailer lights will have t be led on some kind of cable extensions and y leads as there wont be a specific plug for the trailer light kit?

Just ordered the Scania 6x4 today due to being lucky enough to have had a birthday recently, and I can get the cab bits to start building, servo`s bearings etc on pay day but it`ll be a while before i get as far along as ripping the trailer apart to retro fit lights and legs so plenty of time to figure it out

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