i was lucky enough to pick up a set of blueprints a few years ago, they are in my garage somewhere.
i guess you have access to these already?
I now have the USCM Tech Manual - any chance I could convince you to part with a copy of your 'prints? With 30-odd years in straightforward automotive work, and 20-odd years in design and modification, I'd be happy to take the lead on doing plans for scale (as I've said before, this is probably going to be reduced slightly in scale to make it easier to move - and, hopefully - drive about.)
Per USCM Tech Manual, they're saying the original was just over eleven feet across - and there's no way you can get something like that moved about easily on roadways (driven, towed, or hauled) without some heavy permit action. I'd have to check, but I'm sure FMVSS limits to somewhere between 84" (seven feet) and 96" (eight feet) OAW, I'll verify this.
That's the dimension that will determine final scale (Spec width is 338cm/3.38m, or 11' 1.172" - or about 11' 1-3/16".) That's going to drive down to a scale of bout 13:20, which gives an OAW of 86-1/2" or so - which
should fall within FMVSS guidelines.
I'll have to see what parts of FMVSS would then govern things like rearview mirrors (would cameras be acceptable? Easier to hide the pickups) and how any signal lamps need to be hidden (I know the headlamps can be "exposed" - but what about taillamps? Side markers? With an overall body length of just over 28' original, about 18' 4" scale, side markers would be indicated. Tyres would present their own difficulty.)
Suspension? Wouldn't need a lot, but some would be necessary, and I still think a Dieselectric drive would be most efficient in terms of drive power relative to package size, and I'm sure most - if not all - of the components that would be used could still be COTS items (difficult to find - but not impossible.) I'd have to do some digging on specifics, so I'd need to dig up more information on tyres, rotating masses, rotational inertia, and the like.
Ditto steering - probably a ram setup.
As far as the basic chassis - I can't think of anything that would work COTS that would manage a correct installation and still be street legal - so that would likely have to be designed as well. The upside is that, with the reduced weight of false armour plating and efficient drivetrain packaging, coupled with no need for ballast, it would probably cost less to build the frame from scratch than to buy something
.
I'd need information - but this is something I've been kicking around for years anyhow, so it's already half-designed in my head. Just gotta put it all on paper and start crunching numbers to make it all work... (Honestly, I've wanted to build one of these since I first saw the movie - back about 1988 or so...)
)
