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Thought you guys would like to see what I am working on right now. A while back I was browsing plans online for a steam engine and I came accross some plans for a vertical engine that would go in a boat. Well as I was reading through those I saw an ad on the last page for a steam powered tonka truck kit and I thought that was pretty awesome and decided that I wanted to build that one day. So last week I finally started the project when I found a small beat up tonka pickup truck at an antique store. It was missing a grill, had a busted windshield and was kind of rusty so I would not feel too bad about modifying the truck so I bought it and I am currently in the process of restoring the truck as best as I can (windshield will still be busted since I can't find a replacement one of those and I kind of like it  :laugh: ) and am figuring out all the stuff that I need to do to make it steam powered. I have located a boiler that will fit perfectly in the bed of the truck and am currentl figuring out a design for a alcohol burner to heat the boiler with. The engine is based off of a design that I found in a magazine that my grandpa gave me and had built in school. Going to mount that in the engine compartment and have it linked up to the front wheels with some gears and have it mounted slightly off set so that the truck will drive in circles untill the steam is used up. I have a few pictures of what I have done so far. Currently all that I have done is taken it appart and started removing the paint but I will let you guys know when I get some more done.

How the truck looked when I bought it
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/394930_2822555957552_1068549444_32809200_367809109_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/390818_2822556597568_1068549444_32809201_561657121_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/375224_2822557117581_1068549444_32809202_220548264_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/394564_2822557637594_1068549444_32809203_478047906_n.jpg)
(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/386009_2822557877600_1068549444_32809204_1643891550_n.jpg)

Truck after I took it appart
(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/401385_2825197583591_782446265_n.jpg)

Parts after soaking in muriatic acid and using electrolysis
(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/396070_2837961942692_1148639440_n.jpg)

I look forward to seeing how you do on this... I have a pretty good Tonka collection, about 45 pieces sitting above my hot rod garage in storage and have yet to see one powered so this should be interesting!  8)

Cool!!
Creighton

Thanks guys! I will make sure to keep updating this thread when ever I make some progress on this project. Going to order a boiler in the next couple of days. Also might be able to machine a few parts at school if I get my current project (machining a crankshaft from a solid piece of steel) done before the quarter is over.

"What is this, a steam car for Ants?"  That Tonka turck will only fit maybe 2 or 3 people in it.  (A little "Zoolander" humor from Ben Stiller)

I look forward to the pics when it is done.

bc

Ordered a boiler for the truck today. Not sure when it will arive but I am guessing in a week or so. Almost got the paint all stripped off of the parts too. I also located a copy of the origional plans for the steam truck kit. I can't use it 100% since my project is built around a different tonka truck but it is a really good reference for my project.

Got the parts primed. Now just got to paint them. Also got to do some modifications for the steam lines, engine and burner before I paint them. (proboly should have made the modifications before I primed it but oh well. I can always re prime some of them.)
(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/395898_2867622764194_1068549444_32824881_1205107995_n.jpg)

Cool! I wonder how many of these me & my brother left buried in the old sand box next to our old house in Detroit? along with countless little green army men & as I recall a few full size G.I. Joe's too...hmm, I might have to go on an archeological expedition to the old lot.

I'd run it on baking-soda & vinegar for the "steam" ( CO2 power really) , no flame, no burn hazard & it would still power a small "steam" engine ( the CO2 gas that is)

Thanks! Thats actually a pretty interesting idea for a flameless way of producing power for the engine. I like it. My instructor for my machining classes was telling me about an idea he had about making a boiler that used chips of dry ice to create pressure to run an engine. He said he would need to do some work to figure out how much would be needed to run it safely but it sounded like a pretty cool idea.

Ha-ha! We used to have a big sand pit. The old Civil War centennial cannons were an awesone pair with the WWII Army men (those sets bring big $$ now BTW). Put a Black Cat firecracker inside the barrel with the fuse sticking out the rear cap, pack some rocks in and aim it at the army men. Those that got knocked over were dead! Burned the dead in a massive grave with Ronson lighter fluid - every time I smell plastic, I think of that time in my life. Good times!!

I get sad when I see things I know we buried in our sandbox, or blown up with firecrackers going for $$ on Ebay.

But dang, that was fun kids today have no understanding of

You got that right Kilroy!  I destroyed a lot of toys when I was young and had a great time doing it.  When I got into building models and painting them, I took to giving all of my Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars custom paint jobs.  That collection would be worth a fortune if I hadn't gotten the Earl Schieb bug!  :laugh:

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

Let me know what type of paint you use.  I normally use PPG automotive but I have seen some great rattle can jobs of late.

BC

I plan to use a can of Rustoleum farm equipment paint to paint it with. I found that the International red that they had was almost a perfect match to the origonal color of the truck. I ended up finding this little trigger handle that snaps on the top of spray paint cans at a garage sale for a quarter or something like that and it really helps at making spray paint look much better and does save my finger from getting paint all over it.

Cool project!  The little snap-in triggers for spray cans are great, make a huge difference when doing large areas or just getting the paint more consistent.  I did the entire front end of my Chevy Nova with rattle cans, it takes longer to harden, but if its not going into rough service that's not a problem.  They also make rattle cans with activator/hardener built into them, you press a button on the bottom of the can and .start spraying

Working on designing the burner for the boiler right now. Going to follow the design from the plans but will have to scale it up since everything I am working with is double the size of the origional kit that the idea came from. Also found online where people have made some using some empty bullet casings for the wick holders and they looked pretty cool. Might have to give that a go (just got to make sure there is nothing that can blow up in them, don't want anything to go off when I am soldering them). Also need to get around to actually ordering the keystock for the engine body. Figured keystock would be a good way to go since I won't have to mill anything down at school. 

Got the boiler in the mail today and it fits almost perfectly in the back of the truck. Only problem I may run into is the bolts on the sight glass may get in the way of the tailgate but I could always just leave that off when I put it back together. Now I got to figure out where to get a steam line for it since it.

(http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/426517_2887292015913_1068549444_32831630_661936296_n.jpg)

      If it's only the bolts in the way of the tailgate, maybe you could remove one at a time, countersink the hole and use countersunk screws? 
     Or, since you haven't painted yet.......modify the front of the bed to fit it in?

I don't think I can countersink the hole since the metal is very thin but I have not mounted it yet so maybe after it is mounted the bolt will clear the spot in the tailgate. I could modify the bed though. Also have to see if the tailgate allows for good air flow to the burner or not.

All you have to do is fabricate a bed extender like the one in the picture!  8)

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

Thats actually not a bad idea. That design even has holes for air flow

Did some painting yesterday and it looks pretty good I think. There are a few flaws in the paint (although I am not sure if some are the paint or some dents in the metal that I did not see before) but over all it is not too bad. I ended up painting it with a can of International Red Rustoleum Farm Equipment paint that I found at the hardware store and I painted the bed with a can of heat resistant rustoleum BBQ grill paint since that part will hold the boiler. The pictures are not the best because I took these in my garage and did not have the best lighting (some actually make the parts look orange) but they do give an idea of what they look like. Going to paint the other sides of the parts tomorrow and then I can focus on getting the boiler stuff figured out, making the engine, finding some small gears, and some other stuff I can't think of right now.

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/407616_2917443369678_853003335_n.jpg)

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/416929_2917448049795_1293365870_n.jpg)

I may have figured out the drive system now. I have a few mini machine tools like a drill press, punch press and a few other machines that you hook up to a steam engine and make a mini machine shop kind of like they had back in the 1900's and all of those tools are belt driven (supposed to be these spring belts that the company sells but it turns out rubber o ring material makes better belts that transmit power better) so after some thinking I believe that making the wheels belt driven using some pulleys and an o ring (or the 100' of the stuff that I bought from grainger for when ever I get around to building my steam powered shop :biggrin: ) willl work. I am thinking that will work better for me than gears just because of the fact that the only gears that I found that would work were made from plastic and I really don't want to have plastic gears next to the steam engine and I have had pretty good luck driving some tools with the o ring belts.

Painted the under sides of the parts on the truck and learned that you can't just paint one side at a time since what ever overspray you get on the front coat kind of screws it up and makes the shiny surface dull. Oh well just got to spray it again tomorrow

Blue painters tape be your friend to prevent paint in unwanted places.

Good source of metal gears is old windup clocks/can openers etc.. from the thrift stores.

Great project and thanks for the updates.
Creighton

Thanks! It is actually pretty fun documenting the progress on this project and I am glad you are enjoying it. Is interesting to see what it used to look like and what it now looks like.

I will have to check out the thrift stores for an older can opener and see if that would work for my truck. Biggest problem I am running into is that I have to attach a gear to the axle and the wheels are only about 1" in diameter. Now I have to redesign part of the body of the engine to make it fit in my truck. Mostly it is just going to make the body a little bit wider just so I can bolt it down sideways and have a part that holds the axle.

Ok, I understand. How about gears or pulley drives from an Erector set? Nice brass that could be machined to fit.
Creighton
 

Thats not a bad idea. I know I have some erector set parts somewhere. Will look for those tomorrow

The only other donor I can think of would be the old wind up toy cars. I would hate to part out one of those unless the body was trashed.
Creighton

I think I would feel bad about taking one of those appart to get some parts out if it. I do remember that I have an old rotisery motor that has a busted coil in it that I might be able to pull something out of. I know all the gears are metal in there. I actually am thinking about trying the belt drive just to see how well it works. I do know that one of the companies who make model steam engines has a steam powered tractor that is belt driven so it might work.

Belt drive would be easier. Away from the boiler heat some parts could be made from wood. Easy to lathe and cheap to replace.
Creighton

Got some pulleys ordered today and hopefully have painted the parts for the last time. Hopefully I can now concentrate on getting the engine figured out and built and figure out the type of solder that I need to get that won't melt from the steam. Also got most of the parts for the alcohol burner that will heat the boiler. In the drawings it calls for a few parts made out of brass but for mine I will be using a 9mm bullet casing. That way I only have to solder the hole where the primer used to be instead of having to solder the bottom of a tube closed. (And it will look cooler than a brass tube :biggrin: )

I always hang anything that I am painting, and hit all sides at once...there are times when my backyard had stuff hanging from every low branch and stretched across the hammock stand, but it works! 

Would brazing rods work for the boiler?  Usually you can use a propane torch and this will give you a higher melting point.

I did have the parts hanging up the second time I painted them but I really don't have any good places to paint so they are usually poorly lit, dusty or require the part to be moved somewhere. I really would like to build my own small paint booth in the garage one of these days.
Brazing rods might work. Do you know if they work with brass? The parts I have to connect are the steam line from a brass nut that screws to the boiler and I also need to connect the steam lines to the engine.

I would recommend Silver Solder for all the soldering. They make coils that are 35% silver that work great and flow just like regular lead solder. You will need white brazing flux to go with it. You could also use 15% silver sticks, but they don't flow as nicely as the higher silver. Not cheap stuff, but its the correct stuff. You could also use regular plumbing solder and flux, but the silver is better. We use it all the time working with 80-100psi steam on all kinds of brass and copper fittings and it works well. You can also use silver to weld dissimilar metals together as well.

Here is a link to Mcmaster - I think prices at the local welding supply would be a bit cheaper.. http://www.mcmaster.com/#silver-solder/=g25urd

Awesome! Thanks for letting me know what kind of solder to use. I had seen all over the internet people saying to use silver solder but none of them actually would say what kind to get. I will have to check out the welding supply place sometime soon to see if they have some. Also will just a regular plumbing torch with the mapp gas (or what ever the new stuff in the yellow tank is) work for it or will I need to take it to someone who has an oxy acetylene torch?

Repainted the truck parts for about the 4th time and finally got a pretty good finish on them. Turns out the step I was missing was wet sanding the parts between coats. After I did that I got a pretty darn good finish with only a few tiny flaws. I also put the roof on and put the busted windshield back in. I actually kind of like the broke windshield not sure why but I kind of do. I also can't find a replacement one so I have to keep it (would be awesome to find a rusted out beyond repair one with a nice grill and windshield though) I also finished up all of my projects that I needed to complete in my machining classes and we still have 2 or 3 weeks left of the quarter so maybe I can start making some parts for the truck like the engine and the nut that connects the steam line to the boiler.
(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/429721_2946392813396_642086950_n.jpg)

Ended up locating a steam line for the boiler. Turns out the company that I bought the boiler and pulleys from has steam lines that were designed for my boiler in stock but they only have a few of them because a different customer needed one so they don't offer them online and I have to call the order in. Pretty excited about that since that means I can now attach the steam line without soldering and it even has a nut on the end that screws on to the inlet of the engine so I can now just figure out what the thread size is for that and drill and tap the inlet and just screw it in. Only part I may need to solder is the exhaust since I plan to run that through a brass tube and have it let out where the real exhaust pipe on the real truck would be.

Got the pulleys for the belt drive today and they are a really tight fit on the axle which is really good. I just have to heat them with a torch to make them expand a little bit so that they will fit over that little area on the axle that has kind of a knurl on it so that the wheels have something to bite onto. Just got to make sure that I wait a little longer before I touch the pulleys after heating them and make sure they don't fall on the shop vac hose. (got a nice little outline from the hub on the tip of my finger right now from picking one up after it fell on the shop vac hose which surprisingly did not melt) Also got a picture of what the truck looks like right now. Still can't find my cameras battery charger so I had to use another camera so thats why it is a little grainy.
 (http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/409147_2973281605599_1068549444_32860887_1792850558_n.jpg)

Cut an area out of the font so that I can fit the engine and the pulleys in it. Also need to paint the chassis for about the millionth time but at least this time it is for a good reason and not because of a ton of flaws in the paint. I think this time though I will wait till after I get the engine built so that any more modifications do not make me need to paint again. I also emailed my instructor to see if he will let me make some of the parts for the engine in the last few class periods that we have of the quarter. Not sure if he will let me or not but if he does I will then get a pretty good start on getting the engine built and maybe if I work hard enough get the thing done and working. I also learned that I don't really care for the sound of a Dremel tool cutting through and grinding sheet metal :biggrin:

My kids run from the shop covering their ears when I do that!!  :laugh:

Haha sounds like me when I was 4 or 5 years old when ever my dad used the table saw  :laugh:

I got the OK to make some engine parts in class! Now I just need to see about finding some brass before class or maybe just figure out what parts can be made from steel and make those tomorrow and save the cylinder and piston for next time.

Also one question. Does anyone know if you can order things online from MSC and pick them up at the branch office like graingers Will Call option? I need to order some stuff from them for this project and was wondering.

Got to make a few parts today in class. My instructor thinks it is a really neat project and is really excited to see it done and running around. Today all I made was a flywheel (almost done just got to drill and tap the hole for the set screw) and the crankshaft (just got to press fit the parts onto each other and that will be done) I also drilled out and reamed the center of some of the pulleys and made them go from a 4mm diameter hole to something that will fit onto the actual crankshaft. I also picked up a piece of brass keystock from grainger today and will make the body and cylinder out of that. Now just need a piece of brass rod for the piston and maybe the threaded stud that holds the parts together. I think I can get these parts done next class or the class after that. Now just got to order some steam engine oil and a steam line.

      I can see the instuctor's point of view. Very educational!

Here are some pictures of the parts I made yesterday. The crankshaft is pretty much done except that it is in pieces and the flywheel is done except I need to drill and tap a hole for the set screw that holds it on. (also got to enlarge the hole since I really don't want to press fit it on the crankshaft incase I ever need to take the engine appart) Only problem I have right now is that I made the flywheel about .005" too thin. Don't think that matters too much but it still bugs me.

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/429928_2998408793763_292369586_n.jpg)

Looking good. Doubt the .005" matters on this application. Could be catastrophic on a jet engine.
Less flywheel weight may get you a bit more top speed.

Are you going to put on a RC steering chasis or attach to a wire?

Creighton
 

Thanks! I actually plan to attach the drive axle to the bottom of the engine and then mount the entire thing at about a 5 to 15 degree angle so that it will drive in circles untill the fuel runs out. I do like the RC idea but this thing is so small that I am running out of room inside. Maybe if this project works out I can one day make a larger one and make that RC. I am thinking about either finding or making a small trailer with a screw in the center that I can attach a digital camera to and maybe make a video of the camera riding on the trailer.

I'll email you the link. There are some great tiny camera's that write to the attached flash drives. Used on RC planes/helicopters/rockets.
It would mount to the truck roof easy.
Creighton

That sounds pretty cool!

Ordered the steam pipe today. Now I just need to order some brass from MSC for the piston and I can possibly finish up this engine in the next class period.

Go to www.boostervision.com (http://www.boostervision.com).  I have used this on my son's model rockets.  It records video and sound.  Then, it connects right to USB.

Oops, sorry Creighton.  Didn't see you were emailing the link.

Found my camera charger! Now I can get some better quality pictures taken. (Thinking about taking my camera to class and just taking pics in the class room every time I get another part done and uploading some right after class... wow I am REALLY excited about this project :laugh: )

Ordered a 6' brass rod today from grainger for the engine. Was going to order from another place that was cheaper but after I factored in shipping costs and the fact that they would only take a check or credit card I decided grainger was the best route. I also may be able to pick it up tomorrow if I read the website right which means I would be able to have it before class on thursday.

Awesome according to the tracking info from UPS my other parts I need for the engine (steam line and some oil) should be here tomorrow! If everything goes according to plan I may actually get this thing done with one week to spare! :biggrin:

Well got the steam line today in the mail. The brass I ordered does not seem to be in though so I will have to make that part next week.

Got a lot done on the engine today. I built the body of the engine, got most of the cylinder done (still need to drill the actual cylinder) and I got the part that connects the engine to the axle built. The brass I ordered will be in tomorrow so I will have that by next weeks class and hopefully will get all the parts machined.

Worked on designing a firebox today and I think I got it all figured out. Made a paper version just to check my math and see how it fits and holds the boiler and I am very happy with the way it fits (the parts actually fit together! :laugh: ) and I now just have to get some brass sheet metal from the hardware store and I can get a working version of the firebox made so I can test to see if everything is the right size. I think it all is but still want to give it a real test just to make sure. Here are a few pics. Also I have not mounted the engine or ran any steam pipes anywhere so the body is not connected to anything and the parts are just sitting on the chassis. Thats why nothing is sitting level in the side view picture.

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/395420_3050569977760_1068549444_32888125_1552252017_n.jpg)

(http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/423802_3050570337769_1068549444_32888126_1672917292_n.jpg)

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/396558_3050570577775_1068549444_32888127_29231856_n.jpg)

Second pic looks like a heavy load....better pump up the shocks!!
Too bad you couldn't make the boiler look like a soda machine! :tounge: :laugh:

Is it based on a half or 3/4 ton????

It does look like that :laugh: !

That would be pretty cool if I could have made the boiler look like a soda machine. Right now it kind of looks like a pick up truck with a big tank in the back. Will look much better I think once I get the firebox made out of brass and polish it all up.

I'm actually not really sure if tonka based it off of a half or 3/4 ton truck.

Re designed the firebox today and I am quite happy with what I came up with. Origionaly I thought that the firebox was too small and would not heat the boiler enough so I found some pics of the firebox that goes on the engine my boiler was designed for and based off some rough numbers I got from measuring pictures I ended up with the new part. Pretty much I lowered the boiler, widened the box and changed the angles at the top from 45 degrees to 60 and I am quite happy with how it turned out. Now to just figure out where to run the steam line, what to make the vent look like (need an easy to make grate or something so I don't just have a large rectangle hole), and get some brass sheet metal to make it.

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/408069_3063780108005_1068549444_32894497_1905004588_n.jpg)

(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/431581_3063780828023_1068549444_32894498_277164072_n.jpg)

Got the brass sheet to make the firebox today and allmost all of the fasteners that I need except some nuts and a spring from the hardware store. Hope to get the parts at least layed out tonight or tomorrow. Will pick up the brass rod from grainger tomorrow and will hopefully get the engine all machined on thursday. Hope to finish the truck by the end of next week since all I need to do is finish the engine and then all the rest of the stuff I can do here at home.

Well last day to work on the engine for the truck is thrusday so here are the Steam truck goals for thrusday
1. Machine two 3/16” slots on the body of the engine
2. Drill, ream and tap the holes in the axle support
3. Cut, square up and drill square mount block
4. Drill, and ream cylinder
5. Machine and thread top engine post
6. Machine and drill piston
7. Machine, thread and drill adapter for steam inlet

Hopefully I can get everything done in the class period but I think I can do it

Ok did not meet all of my goals in the class this morning (hope to try again in my class tonight) but I did make some pretty good progress. I think the biggest thing was that the set up on the milling machine just seems to take so much longer than the lathe. But what I did get done today was I drilled and reamed the cylinder, I drilled and tapped the holes for the axle support, I made almost the entire threaded adapter for the steam inlet (just need to put a 45 degree angle on each side and thread part of it) and I machined the slots in the body of the engine and enlarged and tapped the intake hole. The fun thing was how fast I had to run the drill bits in the machines today. It is kind of fun hearing the machine get up to speed when you have to run them at almost full speed. That lathe had an awesome sound as it was going up to speed :biggrin:

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/422955_3087662905060_1068549444_32904396_1734861120_n.jpg)

well kind of botched the piston so I have to make another one of those when ever I have some free time in class again and I screwed up the pin that holds the engine parts together by making it a few thousands too small when the darn thing was supposed to be press fit in there. Oh well, at least I got most of the engine made

Here is what the whole engine assembly looks like. I believe that what happened was when I was making the piston I got a little careless and stupid with the way I did the hole drilling so the piston slightly bent when the drill bit was drilling so the hole is kind of angled so the piston binds when it is about in the middle of the stroke. I am going to ask my teacher about the correct way to machine it so it comes out right and actually runs. Here is a picture of the entire engine. Actually came out not too bad concidering that I had to design almost 50% of the parts myself to make it work in the truck.

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/420987_3093948462195_1068549444_32907253_1009995543_n.jpg)

Here is the firebox for my engine. It was my third attempt as the first one I just cut out the pieces individually but did not like the idea of connecting them with rivets and having those show so I made another one but that was about .020" too wide so it did not fit into the back of the truck and just scrapped all the paint off the bed so I took .020" off of all the widths and came up with this one. Not exaclty sure why it is taller than the prototype since I followed all of the measurements on the drawing but it should work so I am not complaining. Since the inside and left, right and back sides won't show I don't really care that they are a little scuffed up or have some rough edges (inside) but for the front I do plan to hit them with a little super fine grit sand paper and then some never dull to make it look a little better.


(http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/430218_3112969337705_1068549444_32916148_1310622685_n.jpg)

I think just that whole boiler, firebox and bed assembly of the steam pickup truck weighs about as much as the entire truck did before I started. :laugh: Now to drill a hole in the back of the cab for the steam line to pass through and then all the truck will need is the engine finished up and the frame repainted and I can put it all back together.

Can't wait to see it run!

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

I can't wait either. It is funny that for the first time since I started going to school I actually don't want to be on break right now and want to be back in class so I can be machining some more stuff. I absolutly love doing this stuff!  I need to get my own lathe at home :biggrin:

Also anyone have any ideas for building a heat shield for the back window of the truck? After looking at the boiler placement I am a little worried that the heat might melt the back window.

Here are a few pictures of the boiler installed in the back of the truck bed. Still have not riveted it to the bed since I need to put a rivet into the bottom of the bed to secure it to the frame and I can only do that when the boiler is not in since the rivet gun won't fit if the boiler is in there. Also the reason the boiler strap is off on the left side is because the pop rivet would not clear the boiler if i bent it in any closer so other than that little problem the rest looks pretty good. Still got to sand the front of the firebox a little bit to remove some scratches and then hit it with some never dull.

(http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/430019_3116641589509_1068549444_32918630_904528237_n.jpg)

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/426200_3116632749288_1068549444_32918626_450858185_n.jpg)

Looking great! I'd just remove the rear window. Heat sink from an old computer might work but would look strange.
Creighton
 

I was thinking about doing that. Might also be able to just put a piece of brass or something behind it just so there is something between the window and the back of the boiler. It's kind of fun restoring these old tonka trucks. I think for my next one I will work on my tonka dump truck and backhoe that I have had since I was really young. Kind of feel I need to restore those since they have been through everything and were outside for maybe 10 or so years and refused to die and I think that if I could make that jeep look as nice as it does now I can get my truck looking close to new again. Just need to find some of the tracks for the backhoe though since those got lost years ago. Would also be cool to get some decals made to replace the ones that used to be on there.

You could replace the window with a piece of mica like they used in the antique wood burning stoves.  This place has it and it is not as expensive as I thought it would be.

http://www.antiquestoves.com/mica/index.htm

Not sure how thick that window is compared to the thicknesses of the mica available on this site, you might have to double it up to get the proper thickness or modify the slot that holds the plastic window.  I have never worked with mica so I don't know if it would be easy to cut to the correct size.  It would solve the plastic melting issue though.

The other option would be glass like they use in fireplace doors.  I think that would withstand the heat of the boiler but again, you might run into an issue getting the proper thickness.  Those are a couple of ideas that would probably work though.

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

Was thinking a little bit about this project and I think it would be cool if I made a small plate with the year and my name or something like that kind of like on a trophy. I will have to ask my teacher but I think we could engrave something like that on the CNC mill at school. Or if I want to go a little more elaborate I could build my model metal stamping press and make a die that would stamp all that into a piece of metal. (just another thing I want to make :biggrin:)

I might try finding a piece of glass for the back window. Thanks for the idea! Would a glass shop be a good place to look since I only would need a small scrap.

Found this site a while back...

http://www.toydecals.com/

might have something you could use as far as decals go.

They have some awesome decals on there! Funny thing is that while looking through their tonka decals I actually found some that would work for a template for the ad glass on my gas pump and I saw some decals that would work for another project that I am currently working on getting. (going to get another rusted tonka truck from criagslist and turn it into a Civil Defense siren mantinance truck with a scale replica of a Federal Thunderbolt siren in the bed. I think that would look really cool and go well with my civil defense collection)

Eric, that is a great find on the decal site.  I like to get the old trucks and redo them for the the grandson's and parts were very expensive on ebay.  That site is very reasonable.  Thanks

Got 4 or 5 weeks left of the quarter at school and in my grinding class I almost am out of things to grind and my teacher said that once I get those things done I can work on my steam truck again! I am really excited to get this thing done. Only thing I won't have is the grill but other than that I may be able to get this stuff all done in one class period since all I have to do is make one part and remake a few parts that I screwed up on. (really stupid mistakes like using the wrong sized reamer or accidently forgetting that brass is softer than steel and taking too much off with a file)

Just wondering but does anyone think that the bottom of the piston where it connects to the crankshaft would get hot enough to melt the silver solder that they sell for plumbing? I think the plastic reel said it melts at 350 or 400 degrees and I don't think that since that part is pretty far away from the actual cylinder that it would be ok but just want to make sure.

What is the temp at the piston top at full steam? I'd guess at least 300. Doubt there will be much heat dissipated unless the cylinder is finned and you have a good airflow. . Crank will generate some heat trivial though. As with most engineering it will maybe work, blow up or fall over. No matter, at the end of the day something was learned and there is always Rev. B :-)
If it is just soldered mounting points should be good. Pressurized soldered joints, cutting it close.
Creighton

Pretty much this solder is just used to connect a piece that hook the piston up to the crankshaft and does not come in direct contact with the steam (although it may get a little bit of the exhaust steam that may be blowing around) Pretty much the piston and rod are machined as one piece and the part that connects to the crankshaft is a seperate part that is soldered onto the end of the rod to make one solid unit (the cylinder oscillates on this engine so the piston needs to be one solid part) I will post a picture later tonight of the piston I made for an air engine back in high school (same plans just scaled up to double size) that shows how the two parts are put together.

Here is a picture showing the part that I am talking about. This is a picture of the same design engine but a larger air powered one that I built in high school. It is the exact same design just larger. The part I am talking about soldering is the part at the bottom of the piston. (which is brazed on this one but I don't have access to brazing stuff like I did in high school)

Kind of a crazy idea but I am really concidering designing and building a brass cow catcher to install inplace of the bumper and grill that I can't seem to find. I'm thinking that might look kind of cool (just got to design it and make a few cardstock models to see how it would look) If I like how the cardstock models turn out and decide to go through with making one I will post some pics otherwise I will keep looking for the bumper and grill.

Never mind did some experiments to see how it would look and it makes the truck look kind of stupid. Will stick with looking for or making a grill and bumper for it.

were you  modeling a steam train cow catcher, or similar to a push bar on police cars?

Something like a steam train cow catcher. It kind of made the truck look really weird

I was thinking more along the lines like this.

(http://ranchhand.com/image.php?src=PCF03CVLBL1-09.jpg)

Nothing like a surplus Crown Vic Police Interceptor with pushbar to clear a path in freeway gridlock.
Looked at one today. Not a bad car to have parked in front of the house either.
Production has stopped. Prices are already starting to climb.

Bet the bumper and grill will turn up in the last place you look :-)

Creighton

Found a grill today on ebay and bought it. I proboly over paid for it but what ever I really wanted that part. Would be cool if I could get the grill plated or something like that. I think chrome or brass plating would look pretty good on it.

That might be pretty cool to make something like that. I think I will wait till I get the entire thing done before I decide to add anything like that to the front though. Just to see if I like the look of it or not.

The grill for the tonka truck came in the mail. Looks pretty good and I can't wait to finish the parts so I can finally get this thing running. I worked a little bit on the parts in class last thursday but I did not make much progress. I redid the axle mount and that worked really well but when I went to make the engine mount it was flawless exactly perfect to the drawings but then when I went to test fit it I found that one of the bolt holes was about .100 to .200" off and after looking at the drawing the only reason I can think of why it is like that is because I made the drawings at 2 or 3 am. Got to revise that drawing and redo the part design. Next week I hope to do lathe work and hopefully get the actual engine working.

Here are a few pictures of the grill I got. I really like how this looks and I think it will make my truck look a lot better. I also think I want to get it chrome plated although I am not sure of any places that will just chrome that one little piece for me. Also figured out why my part design did not work for the engine mount. Turns out when I was drawing it I apparently made a dimension for how far I wanted the threaded holes to be from the edge but I never really went any further than that and just made the same dimension on both sides so I ended up being off by a ton. Revised the drawing and hope to try again on thrusday. Also plan to spend some time doing lathe work to get a new piston made, new engine post made, drill and ream a pulley and get the flywheel cleaned up since I got a nasty burr inside from the hole I drilled for the set screw. Maybe if I get everything right and slow down while I am working (I have gotten into a really bad habbit of working fast from my job) I might have a working engine by the end of the class.

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/292595_3560965137320_1068549444_33103543_2044244541_n.jpg)

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/528858_3560965457328_1068549444_33103544_1216664926_n.jpg)

Got to work on the truck today and I made some great progress. I drilled and reamed the engine pulley, I reamed out the hole in the flywheel, I remade the piston, I remade the post that connects the cylinder to the body of the engine and I think I will get this thing running next week in class. All I have left to do at school is drill a hole in the lower half of the piston so I can connect the parts (two piece part) and the rest I is stuff I can do at home like make the fuel tank, attach the burner, repaint the frame, reassemble the truck and run it.

Picked up a dremel tool polishing kit today at the hardware store and I think I am going to use that on the tonka grill. Have had pretty good luck with those in the past so I figured that would work pretty good. Going to test it out on the back of the part first just to make sure that it is not plated or anything like that but I think it will work pretty good. Also going to polish up the brass parts on the engine.

Used the polising kit on the grill and bumper today and it worked really good. After about a half hour it does not look like the same part and it is almost like a mirror. Only thing is those little dremel polising wheels are kind of junk and if you don't have them on just right they seem to tear the center out and you end up wasting it. I think I went through 5 for the grill and only really got any use out of 2 of them.

Figured it was time I gave you guys some pictures of my progress. I am very close to finishing now!

Overview of all the engine assembly, grill, piston and burner

(http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/536652_3599643344251_1068549444_33117377_1354193393_n.jpg)


Grill (It looks a lot better in person but the camera flash does not like to take pics of really shiny metal but it almost looks as if I have it chromed)

(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/534256_3599643584257_1068549444_33117378_1160200911_n.jpg)


Machined piston parts (all I have left to do on these is drill a hole in the part on the right and cut the excess material off of the part on the left and then solder the two together and I will have a piston)

(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/534256_3599643584257_1068549444_33117378_1160200911_n.jpg)


Close up of the burner (It is made from a 9mm casing and is soldered to a brass tube. later it will have a fuel tank soldered to the other end and mounted at the back of the truck. Will have a wick in the casing and alcohol will flow from the tank to the wick and heat the boiler.)

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/305543_3599644584282_1068549444_33117380_1252414613_n.jpg)

Made a fuel tank tonight out of some brass sheet and it is quite strong but I don't have any real sheet metal tools (only have some tin snips and a bench vise) so it kind of looks like junk so I am going to go another route and buy some brass strip that is the same height that my tank will be, bend it around a wooden form, solder it into a rectangular form and then solder a top and bottom onto it and just use the dremel to clean up the edges. I think that will make a much nicer looking fuel tank than the one I have now which does not look bad but I is just annoying the heck out of me that the darn thing is not square.

Made the fuel tank and burner tonight and it looks great and works pretty good too. I only was able to try it on rubbing alcohol though instead of denatured so I did not get a good test as the flame burned kind of sooty but I think some denatured alcohol should solve that problem. The only problem is the sides of the tank were kind of rough looking and there was a lot of excess solder that I could not sand off so I just painted the tank with some Hammertone paint to hide the imprefections and aside from a few edges that look a little wavy it looks quite good. Now just have to design a mounting bracket so I can attach the burner to the truck. I'm thinking some sort of "basket" to hold the fuel tank would work pretty good that way I can remove the fuel tank to refill and to replace the wick without having to take the entire truck appart. The paint is drying right now so I won't get pics till tomorrow but when it is dry I will post some pics to see what you guys think. I just hope that the fuel tank holds up since I did use some regular solder since I figured that if the tank got hot enough to melt the solder then the alcohol inside would catch on fire. Internet says that it melts at around 300 to 400 degrees farenheit and I would think by then the tank would be on fire or in bad shape. Hopefully I am right

Trimmed a little bit more of the frame down today and made room for front axle which is going to be angled and so far in the maximum position it should be running a 4 foot diameter circle and I can always adjust the angle to make it a larger circle or a straight line. (would be cool to be able to adjust it which I might have to do tomorrow when I am laying out the holes that I am going to drill for the engine mounting plate)

Well worked on the engine today. It looks nice but it does not run. There is a leak between the cylinder and the engine body but right now I really don't want to even look at the thing so I will figure it out in a few days or so. Either I need a new spring or the intake and exhaust holes don't line up or the engine parts are not flat or the post connecting the cylinder to the engine body is not straight.

Without even looking at it I am almost certain that it is a missaligned cylinder and engine body as the more I think about it I think that the holes in the cylinder are about .010" off or so. I need to take the inlet hose off and look through and see how the holes line up when the piston it at the bottom of the power stroke but if it is blocking the inlet before the piston is down I would think that would make it stop like it is. Dang even though I am mad at it I can't seem to stop trying to figure out what is wrong with it.  :glare:

SUCCESS!!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Diqg_MusGk&feature=youtu.be

I was playing around with it today and discovered that the crankshaft was a little bit rough so I took some sandpaper and put it down on the drill press table and chucked the crankshaft up in the drill press and then turned it on to full speed and lightly pressed the face of the crankshaft into the sand paper which gave me a nice smooth finish. I then cleaned all the steam oil off of all the parts and relubricated them with a thinner oil and the thing runs great! I still need to get a better spring for it but I have a running engine so I am pretty happy right now. Now I just have to test it on steam and see how well that does. I'm thinking it might be a little more powerful since I remember that little engine that I bought a year ago ran a 100 times better and had greater power on steam than it did on air.

Congrates!!
Creighton

Thanks! I am very excited to see this thing running!

Very cool!!!  Great job!!!

Thank you!

Tried out the boiler tonight but did not have denatured alcohol so I (stupidly) decided to use rubbing alcohol instead. Really stupid idea and I knew better but was dumb enough to do it anyway.  :darn: Never really heated up enough to make a lot of steam and put a thick layer of nasty soot on the boiler. It was so bad I had to use baking soda and a tooth brush to get it scrubbed off. Not doing that again. Will let you guys know when I get a real test on steam just as soon as I get some alcohol for it.

Did a run on steam tonight to see how the engine worked and I am kind of dissapointed. Turns out the engine is not as powerful as I hoped and now I am not sure if the engine can run the truck. Now I have to figure out if I want to keep messing with this engine or if I want to just put the engine I made away and make a larger and more powerful engine.

Just install a Mr. Fusion!  :biggrin: 8) :laugh: But seriously, you have a lot of time and energy into that project.  I hope it comes together!

 :drinking: Tim :drinking:

Haha! You know the people at school kept making back to the future jokes about my truck and one of my coworkers kept asking where the flux capacitor went.

I hope to do get the thing running some day. I am seriously thinking about going out and buying a pre made cylinder and piston assembly now and just building the parts to adapt it to my truck since I know that the specific one I am thinking of getting is designed to run a model steam powered tractor or a model steam powered car so it should work although after building an engine from scratch it kind of feels like cheating. Also think that I might have to rebuild the frame and jack up the suspension a little bit to make room for everything. Need a total redesign of everything besides the boiler and firebox if I want this thing to work.

Smaller truck?
Creighton

Maybe but I would then have to get a new boiler and firebox and find a truck that I could do that with (and I kind of have put a little too much money into this truck so I don't really want to get a new one just yet). Really leaning towards the pre made piston and cylinder idea since the boiler would be about the right size for the cylinder assembly that I am looking at getting. I think the best thing to do would be to remake the burner with some thicker brass strip (over thought the last one), get the cylinder and piston and make a mounting plate for it since the company that I buy parts from does not seem to stock that but it is only a flat piece with a few holes drilled in it so I think I can handle that, I have to remake the crankshaft which is actually not too hard since all I have to do is turn a piece of steel down to the right size and then cut the two outside parts out on the milling machine, make a new flywheel and make a few shafts with some pulleys on them to gear down the motor and hopefully get some more torque out of the new engine. I don't have any classes this summer so I might just spend it redesigning everything else. It sounds like a lot of stuff but the more I think about it there are really maybe only 4 main parts to this truck and I only have to redo 3 of them.

Say, it seems as though it would be easy enough to get some power out of a steam engine that size to make it run.  I don't know the physics behind steam, but to consider the small size of a steam engine on the stanley steemer compared to the size of the vehicle, it would seem there's a mathematical solution to the amount of power that can be pulled from a steam engine relative to the steam input, piston size, stroke length, etc.  If I have time tonight, I'll do some research and see if I can come up with any ideas for you.  Not to say that you haven't already done all that, not to insult your intel by any means.  You've done such a wonderful job and it took me a while to make it through all your pictures, I'd hate to see you give it up!!!  Like the others, I'd love to see you make it work!!!!

Ken

I did a search for some basic calcs awhile back. Didn't find much at this scale. Anything you can find would be great!

Alex, correct me if I'm wrong but think the issue with steam is high pressure and temp is required to make real torque. Hard to do with a small firebox.

The Stanley Steamers were very cool.
http://www.stanleymotorcarriage.com/GeneralTechnical/GeneralTechnical.htm

Creighton
   

I think the main problems with my design is the construction of the engine (I think some of the stuff is off a little bit) and the axle. Mostly I based the design off of an existing design which was for a much smaller vehicle and when looking at some of the engines that could power this model I noticed that the piston is larger than the one I have in my engine and I also noticed that some of the model steam cars had a set of belts and pulleys to gear down the engine and get more torque. I know I can get this thing to work I just need to spend some thinking this through. I do think I got the burner problem figured out. I have been looking at a lot of ebay auctions for model steam powered cars and tractors and have been using the pictures that the seller put up to get ideas on how the companies that make these things make theirs work. I really think that I could get this thing to work if I got the parts designed right and used a few pre made parts (Really leaning towards the pre made piston and cylinder so that I don't have to buy more brass since that stuff is extremley expensive!)

I think I got the engine design figured out! Check out the 2:00 mark of this video and it shows an engine that is using the cylinder and piston assembly that I am planning on buying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCbu3w14fw0&feature=related All I would have to do is recreate the frame of the engine and get a flywheel and do a little bit of work with some pulleys but if that engine there can drive that model steam roller (which weighs close to 4 lbs) then I think that same design might work for me.

Burner is redesigned (mostly just have to put dimensions on the drawing and design a holder) and it looks like my truck will have a lifted suspension which acutually is not too much higher and will just look like someone raised the suspension a little. Might look kind of cool.

I have figured out the frame design! I got it all thought up right now and have also found the dimensions for the commercially available steam powered car and so far my dimensions are matching up quite well. Only differences are minor things and I will be having the same type of cylinder and piston on my truck so it should be powerful enough. Now I have to make some drawings for some pulleys and a flywheel and the lower frame. I also think I will have to remove the axles from my truck tires and rebuild them or get some RC car tires or maybe some wheels from a larger tonka truck and use those since I will need to make my own axles now just to make everything fit better.

If you need brass, do you have the capability to melt your own and mold your own block of brass?  I know there are different qualities of brass, so not sure what quality you need.  You may be able to go to a thrift shop and buy some brass trinkets and melt them down to make your own block...if you have the capability.  I know at the auction I used to work at, brass stuff was selling for super cheap since nobody likes it anymore, but we bought it to sell it for scrap since I could buy it for less than what it's worth in weight.  Just a thought.  I have been thinking about your torque/gearing issue.  If you consider a snowmobile, they actually have a really cool system.  The clutch works on centrifugal force and changes the ratio as speed increases.  Maybe something like that would work for you rather than attempting to add a bunch of pulleys and gears...???

The burner is built although it does not look as good as I would like it too but it does look much better than it did. I am going to keep it though since it will stay inside the truck hidden from view so no one will get a chance to notice that it is not 100% perfect. Still annoying though

Figured out how to remake the burner and keep it mostly square. Just got to get more materials. I did test the other one yesterday and that thing is amazing! It made a nice even flame and a lot of heat. I just want it to look nicer so I am going to remake it.

It's very interesting to follow this project! I hope you haven't forgotten to install an over pressure relief valve.

or I'd have a bad felling about this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drkh0YLF8rI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drkh0YLF8rI)   :tounge:

.
:laugh: I made sure to install a pressure relief valve in the boiler. I did not want to go out and buy a ton of tools and supplies to make a small boiler so what I did was bought a pre made boiler from a company that makes model steam engines that came with a pressure valve and a sight glass. Figured that would be the best way to go since I don't have any real soldering equipment (besides a plumbing torch) and the only boiler that I know how to make easily without soldering is made from pipe fittings and weighs a ton.

Rebuilt the burner today and it turned out great. The only problem I had today was a seam not joining together (fixed that by just soldering a plate behind it and covering the opening in the front with solder) and this one piece kept falling off because the part was just warm enough that the flux would melt and fall off but I eventually got it cooled down and figured out (also accidently set my drawing on fire but got that out before anything was lost on it). Please be kind when looking at the solder joints in the burner. They are really nasty looking. Soldering this thing up was much harder than I thought it would be. They hold but just look horrible on the inside.

side view of burner
(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/318160_3690245849257_1068549444_33162155_650053428_n.jpg)

Top of burner
(http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/318160_3690245889258_1068549444_33162156_623330809_n.jpg)

Bottom of burner
(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/318160_3690245929259_1270350759_n.jpg)

You know what I really need is a press and some dies to make some of these parts on my own. That might be kind of a fun project for later on in my classes.

You soldering doesnt look bad. You should have seen my first attempt at stick welding lol!!!!!!!!!!!

Was working a little bit on my idea for a raised up suspension to hold the pullies that I need to gear down the engine and I think I need to find some wheels from a larger tonka truck since it kind of looks like a monster truck with those little donut spare tires on it.

(http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/576683_3704051034378_1723959170_n.jpg)

A larger Tonka, or maybe tires from a Remote Control car/truck?

Some Tonka wheels from a dump truck or crane would be cool.  Are they also white-lettered?  If so, that would look great.

Those are some pretty good ideas. I was thinking about the RC car wheels or finding some from a larger tonka truck or even just machining some out of metal. I think I need to take a trip to the hobby store and see what kinds of wheels they have and then if I don't like them or can't find any that will work I can try some tonka ones.

What do you guys think about these wheels? http://www.ebay.com/itm/parts-Tonka-XR-101-tire-2-3-8-diameter-1-1-4-thick-/200763786998?pt=Diecast_Vehicles&hash=item2ebe7446f6  I think those might give it that lifted suspension look that I need to recreate to make this look right.

i like, except the seller on has 2 :(

I found an auction that has 4 plus the axles but just did not want to post a link to it incase someone somewhere on the internet saw it and happened to need some.

Got the wheels bought off of ebay. Should be getting them in a few days. Now I guess I need to get started on the flux capacitor and have to find some plutonium to power it or maybe an old steam train :biggrin:

      This is kind of interesting.........

      http://redux.com/stream/item/2134517/Working-Model-of-Stephenson-s-STEAM-ENGINE-made-of-GLASS-Rare  (http://redux.com/stream/item/2134517/Working-Model-of-Stephenson-s-STEAM-ENGINE-made-of-GLASS-Rare)

Got the wheels for the truck in the mail as well as the piston and cylinder parts. Now I have to measure part of the engine on a model steam tractor so I can recreate the engine for my steam truck and then design the entire frame.

Thats pretty cool!

Well I started working on the truck again recently and I thought you guys would like to see some pictures of my progress. I ran into a problem when I first started where the first engine was not powerful enough so I went back to the drawing board and came up with a raised chassis that will house a series of belts and pulleys to gear down the engine and drive the rear wheels and a larger engine. I finally got the drawings mostly done and decided to make a full scale version out of MDF to check and see if everything would have enough room to work properly. I think I should be mostly ok but I do need to work on the front since I put a cut out for some steering stuff but it looks like I need to remove that and put the angled axle in a lower spot to allow some more room inside for the engine to work without hitting the underside of the trucks hood. Also need to design the pulleys and axles and also figure out where to put the support pieces that hold the two sides of the frame together and to the truck.

Here are some pics of my test fit. Was also checking to see if the higher truck would cause any problems with tipping over but it seems my idea to go with larger wheels worked pretty good at making it stay upright on the ground

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/534486_4471621143151_292169874_n.jpg)

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/32434_4471620983147_1401599263_n.jpg)

Awesome!! Waiting for the pics covered in mud after a trail run :-)
Creighton

That's a cool tonka. Nice work.

Maybe I should put some little mud flaps on it when I get done

Thanks! Can't wait till I get the bottom made out of metal and the pulleys and engine parts machined.

Took the chassis appart and looked to see how things would fit and I came up with a few things I need to do.
First thing is get rid of the cutout for the steering. It is too big and a simpler method can be figured out or the truck can just drive straight if I really need it to.

Second thing is I need to rethink how the pieces are connected. Right now the part holding the pieces of wood together (and the piece that would be there if I machined the parts out of a solid bar of aluminum which was one of my ideas) is in the way of both the crankshaft and the drive pulleys.

Third thing is design the valve block for the piston and then redo the drawings to reflect the changes I have made and make another mock up and check it all again and either find or buy a new piston bolt because I seem to have lost the one I had.

As long as I get this done in two weeks I should be ready to start machining when the next quarter starts back up.

Got part one of the drawings done today. Need to revise the dimensions on the right side of the page (they are all screwed up over there). Pretty much it will be machined from one solid piece of aluminum with some threaded holes in the center where the two halves of the frame will be connected. Engine will be inside with only two sets of external pulleys (if they were inside they would be sprayed with oil and the belts would slip. The front axle will be attached to the L shaped bracket on the front with a bolt which will allow me to have the axle turned at any angle I want. The burner will be secured with two high power magnets. Here is the drawing I have done right now. If you ignore the dimensions on the right that are all screwed up the rest looks good.

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/63131_4575135490945_1533399632_n.jpg)

Drawing 2 for the steam truck is done and revision B for the first drawing is being made right now. Had some dimensioning errors in the first one plus forgot to draw an entire view.

Here are the new revised drawings

Revision B of the frame section

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/167488_4580111055331_446780147_n.jpg)

The frame cover plate showing the location of the pulley axle holes and the screw holes for bolting the two sections together

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/480587_4580110935328_1898383326_n.jpg)

Was browsing ebay to see about possibly finding a trailer or something for this truck to pull (was thinking of hooking a camera to it and pulling that around) and came across a little rusty tonka wagoneer with no back wheels. Thing has a lot of surface rust and is missing the back wheels but it looks like it is just surface rust and dirt and I want to buy it to restore. I all ready have the back wheels and would only need to take it apart, strip the metal parts with some acid and electrolysis and then put it back together. Looks like a fun little project.  (maybe I will construct a model jeep showroom to display these trucks in :biggrin:)

Ended up buying it and it should be here soon. These little trucks are kind of addicting :biggrin:

Well I got the aluminum for the steam truck frame but after facing one section the computer on the milling machine crapped out on me (machine limits need to be reset which is something I can not fix myself) so I only have a aluminum block with one smooth side. Can't even lay out any of the other parts on this stupid thing because of that stupid computer because the part is still not at the correct size and if I layout the parts now I risk scratching off all the marks when I mill down the other side.

Here are some pics of the truck I bought to restore (pics from the ebay listing). Thing looks like something you would find on a farm field in deep weeds but I do see some potential for this to be a very nice looking little truck :biggrin:

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/316574_4584232998377_4533829_n.jpg)

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/67091_4584248958776_1522438102_n.jpg)

Emailed the manufacture of the CNC controls for the milling machine to see if they could explain that error to me. I got a response with instructions on how to reset the machine limits but pretty much they are blaming me for screwing up the machine. I had nothing to do with it getting all screwed up. At least the teacher knows I did not screw it up. Oh well off to design the flywheel and crankshaft now

Amazing! After one hour of electrolysis with the new car battery charger that rusted up tonka wagoneer body shows more progress than the steam truck's body did in 5 hours. Might not even need the acid dip after all (maybe phosphoric acid for corrosion protection but I don't think I need the HCl) Work on the steam tonka truck will continue on thrusday. Hopefully I the machine will be back up and running so I can have something worthy of taking a picture of (instead of a nice shiny block of aluminum with rough edges which I know everyone is dying to see  :glare: )

Spoke too soon. This truck needs the acid dip. No big deal. Just need to buy some new gloves and a few big boxes of baking soda.

Did not make much progress on the steam truck today but I did make some good progress. Got the aluminum block mostly squared up and part of it has layout dye on it. Really making me mad though since I should be much farther along but because of that damn computer issue I am so far behind schedule. At least next week the teacher will be there early and I will hopefully get at least one section of the frame done.

Well here is the block of aluminum that is destined to become the lower frame of the steam truck. Due to computer issues on one day I was very far behind and so far only have 5 of the 6 sides squared up but it is almost to the correct length and once that is done I can start machining the frame. I hope to have this part finished by next thursday.

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/1988_4759544061044_2038966608_n.jpg)

Hmm seems that the first 5 or 6 pages the picture links changed and were not displaying anymore. I went back through and matched the numbers in the image file links and I think I put the right pictures back where they belong

Almost finished machining the frame tonight in class. Still have to take .110" off of the frame to get it to the height of the valve block and then buy a longer end mill and machine everything else to the final thickness (everything else will be .250" thick) Then just drill and tap or ream some holes and then clean out the other piece for the frame, make the front axle and it will be ready to go

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/221838_4874956426281_1382574438_n.jpg)

Made a tremendous amount of progress today and have the frame just about all machined. Still have to drill, tap and ream a few holes for the axles and the bolts that hold the two pieces together and trim down the top (plan to do that after both pieces are made so I can make sure both are exactly the same height) Pretty much the square looking piece on the upper left is the valve block. The piston and cylinder will bolt to that and steam ports will be drilled in that. The part below it will have a small section cut out and the front axle will bolt onto that and will allow you to set the angle and have it drive in a circle. The areas on the right are (top) the area that holds the firebox and (bottom) the area that will later become the transmission where all the belts and pulleys will go.

(machined aluminum is a very hard surface to photograph so some pictures have some bright flash reflections on them but I think you can still see what they are. If not let me know and I can explain what any of them are)

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/578088_4983230413063_246899292_n.jpg)

View of the back where the firebox will go (top area) and where the belt drives for the transmission will go (bottom area)

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/163316_4983225932951_554986895_n.jpg)

Top view of the part

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/734694_4983226692970_2031209617_n.jpg)

Really good overview of the part showing the firebox in its location

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/538099_4983226852974_1160327443_n.jpg)

Hope all that goes well!! You must be double jointed cause my thumb will never make that angle.
Thanks for the updates!!
Creighton

Made some great progress on the steam truck last thursday. This picture shows the final height of the frame with the piston (on the left) and the firebox (on the right) The firebox will sit under the boiler in the bed of the truck and be held in place by two high strength magnets. I got the main frame section milled down to the correct height. Only thing left on this piece is to tap the holes, machine the front axle slot and put a spot for a magnet to hold the firebox in.

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/3432_10200300386886829_2065233359_n.jpg)

And a really bad picture of the truck body sitting on top of the chassis to kind of show how it goes together

(http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/602155_10200300386926830_2060800311_n.jpg)

Frame is almost complete for the steam tonka truck. Just have to mill that one side down to the correct height, get some shorter machine screws, mill out the section for the front axle, and put the decorative pattern on the sides that will both look nice and hide scratches. After doing all this the only thing I will have left to do is make a crankshaft, pulleys, a steam inlet tube, and a rear axle. I would hope to get this thing done within the next 2-4 weeks or at least running. So expect a video of this little thing driving around the floor in a few weeks.

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/581886_10200339846833303_1473585003_n.jpg)

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/424_10200339846873304_333066297_n.jpg)

Made some good progress since the last time I posted anything. I got the chassis almost 100% machined out. I think it's about 99.99% complete with just a steam inlet, the body mounting bolt holes, and a spot for the magnet that holds the burner in the firebox left to machine. I've spent the last few days designing the last few parts. So far I've designed an adjustable front axle and a rear axle and am now working on the crankshaft/flywheel assembly. After that the only parts I will still need are some drive pulleys and I'm thinking about just buying some premade ones for that then drilling and reaming them to convert them from what ever metric size they are to the 1/4" and 3/16" diameter holes that I need. Hope to get that stuff done tomorrow in class or at least get the steering axle made and the rear axle machined and ready for grinding. I will also have to drill out and possibly ream 3 of the tires and tap the other one. Not to worried about that since it should only take a few minutes on the lathe for that.

Chassis almost finished

(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531919_10200397826402756_1908665205_n.jpg)

Body sitting on top of chassis to roughly show where it all goes

(https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/734429_10200397826122749_262683473_n.jpg)

Rear of truck showing boiler, firebox and bed of the truck

(https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/17812_10200397826162750_818458000_n.jpg)

Steering axle parts

(https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/64872_10200408733675431_512592578_n.jpg)

(https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/734567_10200408733755433_2019273185_n.jpg)

Rear axle

(https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/483622_10200408733835435_962254342_n.jpg)

Got that steering block mostly made today. Turned out pretty good I think. Just need to drill and tap a few holes and this half of the steering axle will be done. Next part is just a piece of keystock so it's no big deal. Just clean the ends up, drill and tap some stuff and then it's off to the rear axle and crankshaft.

(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/524804_10200413309949835_353918174_n.jpg)

Have not had much free time and have been working on other projects at school so I had this project on hold for quite a while until now. I finally ordered the final parts that I need to finish it and if the arrive before my class I will modify them on thursday and then all I'll have is just some final assembly, some paint and some fine tuning of the engine. Hoping it all runs

Well the engine is not running BUT I did have it going a few weeks ago. Only problem is while I was testing it I did not have the screw holding the cylinder to the truck tight enough so it worked its self out which caused the cylinder to shoot off while the piston dropped and then struck a bolt and bent the rod. I now have to order a new piston and cylinder assembly since I really don't want to make a new one and it would be about the same price in materials to make it as it would just to buy it. I did how ever get the pulleys modified and the chassis worked on so that the axles all spin very smoothy and I also decided to play with some  of the things on the EZ-Trak on the milling machine (2 axis CNC system on a few of the mills at school and at my work) and I put a decorative pattern on the outside of the chassis. I told the machine to drill a row of evenly spaced holes and to repeat that row a set number of times. I then took an end mill that was slightly larger than the spacing between the holes (so the circles would overlap) and then just touched the surface of the part in each one of the "holes" I really like how it looks now. I think it looks more professional than it did before.

(https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/1560610_10202299002730976_1363678515_n.jpg)

(https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1545898_10202299002890980_1382197088_n.jpg)

Nearing the final stages of the truck. In this picture I'm doing a test fit of the wheels and pulleys to see how everything looked. Wheels are not attached right now but I do like how it looks. I do need to get a 3 or 4 inch long 1/4 inch diameter dowel pin for the rear axle though since right now the front wheels are sticking out much more than the rear ones and as they won't look right when I put the rest of the truck on. I really like how the pattern I put on the frame distorts the reflection of the wheels and it seems to have made it a little more shiny looking

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1554618_10202315015291280_1032094307_n.jpg)

Very cool, thanks for updating!

Thanks! Really hoping to finish this project maybe next week or so (or at least have all the belts installed or have a chassis that will move under its own power) as long as I get around to ordering the replacement parts I need.

New piston has just been ordered today and the rest of the parts are here. Just need to counterbore the frame plate for the 4-40 screws, install the new piston and cylinder, repaint the truck frame and install the belts. Also need a few parts for the axle but those are general hardware things I can get for a few cents at the hardware store. Here are a few pictures of the progress

Truck frame with axle installed
(https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/1622241_10202443519223798_1840354558_n.jpg)

Truck frame next to body

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/t1/1239746_10202443519383802_1324128566_n.jpg)

Assembled and tested the steam truck. Discovered a pretty big design flaw. Turns out by putting the flywheel and crankshaft inside the frame you can't get to the flywheel to flick it to start the engine. Thinking about either re locating the flywheel to the outside or just replacing the crankshaft with a longer pin and put a knurled knob on the outside that will allow me to turn the engine over to get it going. Other than that it looks pretty good I think. I also think I need to re make the front axle so that I can use some shoulder bolts for the front axle.

Truck body
(https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/p180x540/1901535_10202479784450406_130460793_n.jpg)

Drive system

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1/p180x540/1969140_10202479784570409_56573757_n.jpg)