Lonestar - Hot Rod custom

[LOBBS]

Got the base frame for the race hauler laid out in Solidworks. Not at all prototypically correct but I had to C-notch the frame to make clearance for the axles if I'm going to run the Super Singles on the trailer. The print that was passed along to me showed that the frame should be 17" from the ground but my axle centerline would be at 21" and I needed a few more inches to allow for suspension travel. I'm not replicating any particular brand of hauler but combining elements that I liked from several. They all seem to share similar proportions in their basic design of the exoskeleton. I'll likely end up 3D printing this once we get established in our new house next month. 

Not exclusive to this project but the I had searched high and low for larger opening wide hexagonal photoetch mesh material for my pro-touring projects and finally found some overseas that's a scale 3" on the openings. This will look great behind the grille of the LoneStar once I remove the vertical spines and in the front bumper opening.

[LOBBS]

Reworked the frame to eliminate the C-section. I'll just draw up some major drop axles to get the clearance that I need to run the standard height super single trailer tires. I don't need to pass a DOT inspection 😅. At this point, I don't actually see myself using any parts from the Moebius Smooth Side but it's good to have for taking reference dimensions off of. I don't claim to be an expert at trailer design but I am working from a few images that I've been able to find of "unskinned haulers". The floor is aluminum 2x4s on 12" centers with 4x4s at critical junctions. Basically, I'm just framing it in like I would a house. The wheel house frames are 2x2s on 16" centers as will be most of remainder of the trailer's structure. For printing purposes though, I may model the walls and roof as solid pieces exterior to interior. Also, if there's interest, I'll go back in and rework the structure around the wheel wells to the proper proportions for the more correct low profile duals setup and save it as a separate configuration. I'd just have to lower the upper part of the framework and maybe make the opening length wise not quite as big since the tires will be of a smaller diameter. Now on to the fun stuff of fleshing out the actual "race hauler" part of the trailer. I've got 3 weeks before we move so I'm hoping to have this drawn up by the time we settle in and I can get my 3D printer set back up since I really can't do much in the way of physical building at the moment.

[LOBBS]

Deck plate and flooring added. The math on the Featherlite print that I'm working from worked out to be .75" between whatever deck plate they're using and flooring materials. Almost looking like a real trailer now. Also went ahead and reworked the front corners for an 8" radius on the leading edge of the trailer.

Edited August 23 by LOBBS

[LOBBS]

Took a bit of a break this evening before getting the walls and roof shelled in. Next up will be adding detailing, the stabilizer legs up front and the between axle storage framed in so to finish up the exterior bodywork. My personal version will be a "double stacker" in the garage with a "full floor lift" so that I can have more living area in the front of the trailer. Basically, an internal four post lift would be able to raise a platform to make room for a lower car to be parked on top of the wheelhouses (slightly lengthened of course). Then I'll rollback the model some and draw up the more traditional fixed upper deck, lower workspace area. That one I'll likely put out on Cults3D or offer to print up to spec for the public.

Edited Sunday at 07:35 AM by LOBBS

[Rockford]

Clever stuff going on here. This will be an impressive finished piece. When I see the things you have to consider in design it builds my appreciation for the kit makers in the 70s! 

[LOBBS]

1 hour ago, Rockford said:

Clever stuff going on here. This will be an impressive finished piece. When I see the things you have to consider in design it builds my appreciation for the kit makers in the 70s! 

I've been in Quality for almost 30 years now. Currently the QA manager for ProCharger Superchargers, for the next few weeks anyways before I go back into aerospace on the defense side in St. Louis, so working with prints and reverse engineering are a few skills I've picked up. It's definitely a process though. I've only picked up actual CAD modeling fairly recently helping out our engineering team when they got too busy or were shorthanded. You do gain an appreciation for what they were able to do with far less powerful tools at their disposal.

[LOBBS]

On 7/29/2025 at 8:44 PM, vincen47 said:

Yes, the A&N “Red American X15” is the accurate engine for the Lonestar. Specifically, it represents a 2014-2018 CM 2350 Cummins, the ISX15.

The Auslowe “Signature” is a good representation of a slightly earlier Cummins, the CM 570, the pre-emissions Signature 600. It wouldn’t be accurate for a Lonestar, because Cummins made them from about 1998-2002, the successor to the N14 and the precursor to the EGR-equipped ISX-15, the CM 870.

There were two additional ISX-15 engine variations that followed the original ISX-15 before A&N’s version, The CM 871 and CM 2250 (the first with a DPF) but they are close in detail to A&N’s later version.

Currently, Cummins is making the next gen, the X15, CM 2450. One way to tell them all apart is the shape of the front timing cover.
 

@vincen47 I happened to pick this one up when I was on ST Supply's site grabbing some CTM photoetch lights they had on sale. It's also an X15. Curious as to what variant it is, they said it's correct for a LoneStar or ProStar, but it's at least a Cummins instead of the MaxxForce. I don't believe it's the one that you had mentioned but I also know that it's not the Auslowe engine. Maybe it's a new contender?

Edited Thursday at 06:28 PM by LOBBS

[LOBBS]

It's been a few days since I had a chance to sit down and work on the hauler. Getting close to having the exterior done. Really just working out dimensions at this point. I'll have to break it up into separate parts to make a printable assembly model.

[vincen47]

9 hours ago, LOBBS said:

@vincen47 I happened to pick this one up when I was on ST Supply's site grabbing some CTM photoetch lights they had on sale. It's also an X15. Curious as to what variant it is, they said it's correct for a LoneStar or ProStar, but it's at least a Cummins instead of the MaxxForce. I don't believe it's the one that you had mentioned but I also know that it's not the Auslowe engine. Maybe it's a new contender?

Yes, a new contender, and that’ll be accurate for a Lonestar, if it’s indeed what’s pictured in the photo.

I don’t have the ST Supply X15, but based on the image, it looks like the late generation cm2450 X15, made starting about 2018/2019.

The Lonestar wasn’t discontinued until the 2024 model year (the last ones were made in December 2023), so that’ll make for an accurate late model 2019 and up Lonestar.

Most importantly, it’s not a Maxxforce, as you said 😄. Any EGR-Equipped ISX-15, ISX15, or X15 will be accurate.

[LOBBS]

31 minutes ago, vincen47 said:

Yes, a new contender, and that’ll be accurate for a Lonestar, if it’s indeed what’s pictured in the photo.

I don’t have the ST Supply X15, but based on the image, it looks like the late generation cm2450 X15, made starting about 2018/2019.

The Lonestar wasn’t discontinued until the 2024 model year (the last ones were made in December 2023), so that’ll make for an accurate late model 2019 and up Lonestar.

Most importantly, it’s not a Maxxforce, as you said 😄. Any EGR-Equipped ISX-15, ISX15, or X15 will be accurate.

I'll take pics when it arrives and post them here