Squarebody Wheels

[Mike Slapattack]

And a Chevy version...

[Mark C.]

Looks great on CAD.  Looking forward to your prints!

[Mike Slapattack]

Great news! I ran another test print and things are heading in the right direction.

I'll start off with a picture of the front and back wheels posed up with some tires from the MPC Turtle Wax Dodge Van kit. These tires fit like a glove and are easily accessible as this kit is pretty much everywhere. I highly suggest them as a compliment to my wheel kit. They are pretty darn close to what the real standard factory spec trucks used, and have some nice period correct detail. I will be making another post with them posed up in a mockup with a Deserter kit body so you guys can see how they fit proportionally.

Keen eyed observers will also notice some new detail... I was successfully able to print both the Chevy and GMC logos on their respective hubcap variants! This is too cool, I wasn't sure if my printer was capable of such small detail, but it is! This embossed and engraved detail will hopefully make the logos pop a bit more than simply using a decal. Just make sure to get a good pair of magnifying glasses and a quality fine tip brush when you paint them. Below you can see both variants with a Canadian Loonie for scale. 

I will note though, please excuse the rough edges and broken parts, I'm still perfecting my post processing techniques and trying different things. I thought that removing the supports after curing would be a good idea because the parts would be more rigid but in actuality it wasn't good because the supports were too rigid and hard to cut off without chipping a part. I just learned about a method that involves dipping the uncured model in hot water and removing supports before curing that seems to work for a lot of guys doing super delicate wargaming figurines, so I'll be trying that on my next test print.

Another success I made in this test print was fixing the out of round issue I had on the rim backs. After consulting some forums I found it to be as simple as adding more supports to the edge of the rim closer to the build plate. I tried that out and it worked! You can see a before and after here. It's hard to capture in a photograph but look at the left before model and right after model, I'm sure you'll see the difference (just disregard the flash lol, and the scratches on the inside of the rim are from the flange on the rim front). I also have a picture of the front and back rim held together, and I think this is where the real demonstration of the fix is. They slide together super nicely.

I'm really excited to share this stuff with you guys. Its satisfying to dive into a completely new technology and slowly see improvements as I go. It will still be a long learning curve to fully become proficient with this machine, but I'm at the point where I have a basic understanding of what it's limitations are.

Since I'm still learning and my results are a bit inconsistent, I'm toying with the idea of just printing off a small number of good bucks and resin casting the wheels I will actually sell, at least until I can fully dial in the machine. This way I can get more repeatable results. I found a good local source for quality Smooth-On resin for about the same cost as the printer resin I'm currently using (standard grey Elegoo resin), so that is definitely feasible.

 

 

 

[Mark C.]

Looking great!  I’m very impressed by how well the logos came out on the caps!  Thanks for sharing the process of creating these parts.  Someday I’m thinking that I might try the digital printing thing (for personal use, not making parts for sale) and this is a nice window for us to see how it all plays out.

[Mike Slapattack]

Here's a quick mockup. I used to think the wheels looked a little small but they actually look right to me! I looked at plenty of reference photos of factory stock Squarebodys with 15x6 rims. The truck might be sitting a bit too high too I'll play around with the stance. Let me know what you guys think! Of course, you can use whatever tires you can find that'll fit. I'm just using these Dodge Van kit ones because they're easy for anyone to get.

Here is a picture of a truck I found on my local Kijiji in the same sort of spec that this mockup would represent. I don't know what tire size they're running but it looks close!

Edited November 12, 2024 by Mike Slapattack

[Mike Slapattack]

I drew up a 4x4 wheel back with the automatic locking hub option today! It's pretty self explanatory, just doesn't have a knob.

I also added some better detail to the manual hub.

Edited November 12, 2024 by Mike Slapattack

[Mark C.]

I think the mockup looks great!

Are you still planning to do your own tires?

[Mike Slapattack]

2 hours ago, Mark C. said:

I think the mockup looks great!

Are you still planning to do your own tires?

Yes, I will do my own tires, but I will also sell the rims on their own for cheaper. Someone requested that I make sure they fit kit tires, which makes sense to me.

But yes, I have already been messing around with some tire designs.

[stitchdup]

would you consider an 18 inch version to use your hubcaps?  they seem to be fairly popular in the real world but they only seem to be in 20+ inch rims as prints. also the hot water trick works but on delicate parts its best after alcohol washing but before curing. you need hotter water than you would use for warped styrene. and if your rinsing in the sink, dont forget to put the plug in. i've lost many small parts down the drain

[Mark C.]

7 hours ago, Mike Slapattack said:

Yes, I will do my own tires, but I will also sell the rims on their own for cheaper. Someone requested that I make sure they fit kit tires, which makes sense to me.

But yes, I have already been messing around with some tire designs.

I think both are a good idea.  The more options the better.

[Mike Slapattack]

Sorry about the delays everyone. I've been very busy with school and I'm setting up a proper ventilation system for my printer.

[Mark C.]

No worries there.  School is more important than anything else.  We can wait for parts.  Besides, perfection takes time!

[leafsprings]

Everything looks great, sorely needed items, wheels are correct all the way back to '71 Chevy and GMC when GM went to disc brakes. Hubcaps are correct starting in '76. Look forward to seeing these become reality!

[Mike Slapattack]

Good news everyone! Test printing will recommence tomorrow. I'm completing my printer exhaust system tonight.

[Mike Slapattack]

Hey everyone!

I have a great update. I made some tweaks to the parts for better durability and changed up my 3D-printing workflow a bit and I ended up with an excellent round of prototypes. These are fitting a lot better, and they even fit the truck perfectly with ZERO modifications to the truck's axles! The only "modification" I've made to the kit was just not putting in the lifting blocks that come in the box, so no parts were changed at all. I did chip a couple when removing supports, but overall they came out far cleaner than my previous pieces. I'm going to play around with the supports a bit to help reduce that happening. Of course, when I do ship parts they will all be inspected, and I will not ship any damaged parts.

Anyway, please click the Flikr link to see photos of the progress! I'm not sure why, but I am not able to post photos on here at the moment, so I have posted them in this album here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBYZ5n

As you can see, the most major modification I made to the assembly was making a different type of steel rim front for those who want to use hubcaps. For those who like the bare steelie look, do not worry! I will still offer the fully detailed steelies in kits without hubcaps, and another round of prototypes of those will be printed soon. The reason for this change was that when I designed the hubcaps to fit over the fully detailed steelies, the edges were too thin and fragile for practical mass production and shipping. I damaged almost every one I printed. If I made them thicker they looked too big. This unfortunately is just a sacrifice that has to be made, but it has not affected the look of the assembly, and is very robust. I'm not the first to do this, as many of the kit manufacturers already make steel wheels specifically designed with a flat spot in the middle for hubcaps, like the MPC Monaco police car for example.

Another change I made was making the hubs separate from the wheel backs. This is just for easier printing.

For those wondering, the kit is the MPC Deserter 1984 GMC K1500 short bed kit, which is the most recent re-release of the Fall Guy tooling. I haven't checked yet, but these should also fit the Sod Buster Chevy as well, for those wanting a stepside. The wheel setup is representative of what would have come standard on the truck, which would have been 15x6 steelies with bright hubcaps. The tires are from the MPC Turtle Wax 1982 Dodge B-Series van kit. I chose those for fitment tests as they are a commonly available light truck tire in the model world.

Edited January 23 by Mike Slapattack

[Mark C.]

Looking good!

[Mike Slapattack]

Hey everyone!

I've began batch testing of the wheels.

Unfortunately I had too many defective parts on my first run. The sole problem was that the flanges around the rims were too fragile and would snap off very easily while I was removing parts from the printer. I solved this problem by adding a bevel to the inner side of the flanges to give them more strength! Only 2 parts got damaged out of the 28 I printed, and I can live with that defect rate, as it's less than 10%. It's inevitable that some parts will get chipped, but I just won't ship those parts. I may even make some discounted scratch and dent grab bags for folks who like to model beat up trucks haha. Ideally I'd want to get that down to 0, but I'm still learning. 

I double checked and the bevel does not affect fitment of the rims into kit tires. However, as I've been test fitting I've been noticing that the MPC Turtle Wax Dodge Van kit tires are a bit too wide for these rims. You really need to squeeze the back and front together hard, and even then sometimes the tire will start to pop out over time with handling. These tires are a little bit wide for what would have been standard on the truck, but I would like to keep the rims dimensionally in scale so I will not change the rim width. The tires in the Dodge kit are still one of the most common styles of light truck tire in the model world, and I realize that I cannot design my rims around every model tire out there and there may be other nice looking light truck tires that are a little too wide. So, I have made an executive decision to remove the flange from the wheel back! It won't be seen easily anyway, and this way you guys can play around a little with different tire widths without having to squeeeeze the front and back together and risk damaging the wheel flanges. Alas, I will still be making my own tires, but I don't want my rims to be "exclusive" to using my tires. Below is an image showing what I mean.

Some other of 3D-printed rims I've seen on the market are like this, and I think it's due to the versatility. Heck, many of the old AMT and MPC kits didn't have wheel backs!

 

 

Please see the link to the Flikr album for photos of the actual batch testing so far!

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBYZ5n

Thanks!

Mike.

Edited January 29 by Mike Slapattack

[Mike Slapattack]

On 1/5/2025 at 1:53 AM, leafsprings said:

Everything looks great, sorely needed items, wheels are correct all the way back to '71 Chevy and GMC when GM went to disc brakes. Hubcaps are correct starting in '76. Look forward to seeing these become reality!

Yes! I see you've also done your research! The hubcaps were optional in '76 and '77 I believe, but standard on certain higher trims. After that they were the standard until '91 on the Squarebody trucks and '96 on the G-Vans.

Edited January 29 by Mike Slapattack

[Mike Slapattack]

Alright guys, very good news for you all. I am happy to announce that product wise the wheels are ready for sale!

I recently did another several test prints and everything is going smoothly. I have a good small scale production workflow going. Here is a picture of the bare half-ton rim kit for your curiosity:

I have just found a source for cheap small Ziploc bags to package them in and I am setting up a WIX website to sell them on. It will be a pretty straightforward online store, much like what a-lot of the aftermarket guys are doing. Shipping will be done with Canada Post flat rate boxes to ensure no hidden shipping cost surprises, so my recommendation is that you buy a few wheelsets at once and save on shipping! I will also be selling through Facebook Marketplace and offering local pickup to those who live closer to me. I will not divulge my exact address for safety reasons, but there are several public areas where I would be happy to do an exchange near my home. I live in Mississauga, Ontario, which for my American customers is 1-2 hours from Buffalo, NY depending on the day and time of day. Therefore those living in Southern Ontario or Western New York State may find it convenient to just meet up.

Next major task will be labelling. Each label will provide a brief assembly instruction and a clear statement as to what kit(s) the wheelset will fit. The first run of sets will be designed to fit the MPC Squarebody trucks, but I plan to roll out sets for the AMT Chevy Vans soon afterward. Thanks to SolidWorks variations, such a change is easy! I want these wheels to be plug and play, with no trimming needed on the axles or wheels for fitment.

I'm very excited to finally roll these out haha. I will drop the link here once everything is sorted! 

Edited February 5 by Mike Slapattack

[Mark C.]

Excellent news.  Looking forward to purchasing some of these from you.  I’ll be watching for when your website is up and running.  🙂