Radio Control and Models > General RC
Tamiya 6x6 Bullhead Clodbuster Build
Mark:
I've been wanting to build an old school styled 6x6 Clodbuster for a long time now. I ordered up a Bullhead kit and robbed an axle off my Clod to get me started. This rig will eventually have a snow plow mounted to it so I wanted a heavy chassis so I'll be building it from 16 gauge steel. To start the layout for the chassis I measured the stock one with a caliper at various points for all the key suspension mounting points.
New Bullhead kit
I built the Bullhead and laid out the rear tires to get an idea for the wheelbase I wanted.
Using my mad MS Paint skills for a rough rendering :lol:
I took my measurements and laid them out on 1/8 fibre board and made a mock up chassis. I used a jigsaw to cut it out and and some wood for the cross members. I just wanted to be sure of fitment before building the metal chassis.
Once I was happy with the setup I transferred it over to 16 gauge steel that I cut out with a grinder with a thin cut off disc and finished with some hand file work
Pieces all tacked together using a mig welder
In the above pics you can see the mill scale is still on metal, I did grind it away at the seems for the tack welds. I wanted to remove all the mill scale so I submerged the chassis in vinegar for a few a hours and this dissolves the mill scale and you can simply brush it off with your finger or bristle brush which is amazing considering how tuff the stuff is to remove short of using a grinder which marks up the surface.
You can see the light grey area with the mill scale removed showing the bare steel
I also made a stand from 2x4, helps for working on the truck and will also be for display to keep the tires from flat spotting on the shelf.
More to come...
Mark:
Some body work to the rear of the Bullhead
Filler pieces
I also have reinforced the body under these panels to prevent flex but forget to get a pic
I'll be relocating the exhaust stacks and filling the original mounting holes
Holes all filled and sanded smooth using styrene
Sunroof deleted and filled with a piece of styrene and sanded smooth. I'll be adding roof lights and air horns.
I moved the exhaust up and rearward using mounts I made from angle aluminum, these will be polished later on.
Made my own sun visor from aluminum. Fairly easy to build, cut from aluminum sheet and make bends using a vise. This will be polished also later on.
More to come...
Mark:
I polished the new exhaust mounts and made a roof spoiler to tie it all together for a finished look
Also added some mirrors I ordered from rcmart.com
I polished the sun visor
Im pretty happy with how these parts turned out
I'm doing away with the chrome wheels using Easy Off oven cleaner to melt away the chrome.
Yellowish plastic in the Bullhead wheels
And black plastic from the black edition Clodbuster
Wheels primed and painted white using Tamiya spray paint
Converting to a split window and adding wipers from a Grand Hauler kit
More to come...
Mark:
Onto the paint work and masking, oh how I hate masking...
Although I dont enjoy the process it is very satisfying removing the masking tape and seeing the end result. Tamiya masking tape works great. The colors and paint scheme are those from a local heavy hauling and crane company, I'll be adding their logo and some other detail stickers later on.
Mark:
Thanks for the compliments
I printed some decals that I think turned out pretty good for just using a cheap printer. I used Avery 22822 clear labels which worked good for the KW logos where the background shows through the clear, but if you want white lettering or background like on my Irving Equipment decal then I had to print the same logo on white stick on labels and then the clear over top it.
I made some aluminum plates for under the door and step, polished finish.
Started building the snow plow mount
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