Muck Warrior

[cianhanrahan]

Just thought I'd post my current buildup here, seeing as how we now have a RCRC section.

Progress to date:

- TLT Axles, Diffs bound with AW grease
- Junfac Tracer links & sideplates
- KAmtec Landrover pickup body
- Tamiya Lancia 037 wheels
- Tamiya BFG tyres
- Hitec 645 MG servo
- Fully Ball raced (all bearings installed)
- centre Diff locked


To be done:
- RAM Spotlight kit
- LED Head & Light installation
- Body trimmed and clear windows installed
- Paint/decals to be applied
- 2 speed transmission installation, with on the fly shift.


http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5001/dsc00059jn6.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00059jn6.jpg)
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6839/dsc00060qy9.jpg (http://img215.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00060qy9.jpg)
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Since the photos were taken I've installed the steering servo, and electronics. Waiting for batteries to charge, so I can Sync my new DX2, and I should be able to start a few tests then... :D

[awnelson]

How come your pics look like you're taking it apart, not building it? JK What 2 speed tranny are you using to fit that chassis?

[bashin Maxxer15]

Looks like a neat build! I love those wheels....

[savage100]

I am not a big favor of those tiny tires on big bodys like that but i hope it turns out ok. Good luck :) .

[cianhanrahan]

imageshack does funny things to the order of your pictures sometimes!
This weekend I got the electronics test fitted, and finally got the truck running. Trouble is, the batteries are knackered. Since it's been a few months since I ran them, and they are a few years old, I wasn't expecting much from them. Luckily, Tower sent me a "$20 off $50" coupon to my alternate email address, so if I order with that address, then I might pick up a couple of sports packs pretty cheap. I also mounted the shell, and started cutting the arches and windows. they need a lot of work, but it's starting to take shape. I'm a little disappointed that the wheelbase is off, I may fix this later with some stock TLT links or build my own. With the body on, the BFGs look kind of anaemic, so I tried the stock TLT rims and tyres, which look much better, but not quite so scale. 2.2 time maybe? I'm wary of cutting the stockers down, as I've made a complete mess of cutting wheels in the past!
http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/6707/dsc00077tt2.jpg
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[savage100]

Yeah get the 2.2's. They will look a lot better.

[trxcrazy345]

if you want max grip and stability get the moab 2.2s and a smaller bodie

[balang_479]

Yeah 2.2 and a smaller body... not only will it crawl better, but esthetically look better too.... cool chassis.

[savage100]

It depends on where you plan on running it for which tire to choose. I am running masher 2000 on mine and even though i haven't had much time to test it i get some pretty good traction.

[cianhanrahan]

Well I'm building my house at the moment, so the ground outside is all dug up, with loads of spoil heaps and churned up earth. Just getting around a lap of the house will be a challenge!

[cianhanrahan]

Cleaned the cutouts for the windows last night, i went a little overboard withthe dremel, so I had to break outthe file to clean the sdges up a bit.
Good news is that the it looks like the window plastic is clear after all, it's the layer of peel off protective film that isn't (d'oh!)
I cut the pieces to shape, and for the curved corner pieces I used some "gentle" heat to get the plastic to curl. I won't glue them in until after I have painted the body, and to do that I need to find the rest of my rattlecans! Whiel I had the marker out I also had a go at colouring in the grille (don't worry I'll be spraying this properly later!
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/3221/dsc00082kj6.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00082kj6.jpg)
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/6922/dsc00085ag1.jpg (http://img122.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00085ag1.jpg)
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http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/7546/dsc00089iv1.jpg (http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc00089iv1.jpg)

[savage100]

That is going to look a lot better with the body lowered like that.

[shadowghost1]

Did you sharpie the grill?

[cianhanrahan]

Sharpie, that's a marker/pen? yeah, just messing about, I'll primer everything before I paint, don't worry I won't be leaving it like that!

[trxcrazy345]

looks a lot better with the body lowered

[cianhanrahan]

Dumb question time:
Up to now I have used Tamiya Polycarb paints on my ABS shells.
Would there be any benefit in using the Acrylic stuff instead?
Or will I just head into Halfords and get auto paint and primer...

[cianhanrahan]

Shakedown time! I took it out for a spin last night, using my crappy old stick pack, so I only had about 5 mins runtime. Still, it was enough to spot a few things I need to change.
The diffs are nowhere near locked with the AW grease. I think it's time to break 'em open and hot glue 'em shut for good.
The steering tie rod that connects left and right knuckles gets hung up on small stones quite a bit, so I'm looking for an easy mod/fix for this.
I moved the top mounts of the rear rear shocks further forward, the truck sits a little lower now, and looks a lot more scale with the BFGs. However the stock springs are quite weak, they don't return the shock to the neutral position. I tied a cable tie around each shock for preload, but I think I need to get something stronger. What's a good replacement spring?
It might also be that I suck at building oil shocks, these are the first pair I've had to build.
Swapped the stock motor for the 55T, so it's less Bowler Wildcat, more Mountain Goat! I never knew how noisy those little motors are!
Bought paint on Sat, but I haven't had a chance to spray yet.

[cianhanrahan]

Couple of more pics from this weekend. Body is matt black, with a flourescent yellow accent at the edge. The front grille is a gloss black, not easy to see this in the photos though. I fitted LED sidelights and tested RAM headlights. Originally I went with the RAMs wired to a 4x1.2AA pack, and the LEDs were running of a servo circuit board on channel 3 on my receiver. This setup lead to a lot of glitching, and the power to the RAM lights wasn't great. Also I noticed the transistors on the servo circuit board were getting warm. I'm no running the LEDs off the 4.8v pack, and I might connect the other lights to the servo, to see if it works. I fitted the glass panels using hot glue, and I started applying decals. I locked the diffs, and moved the mounts for the steering. Took a snorkel from a 1:18 toy, modified it to fit this body, before bolting it on.


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[B4 Stealth]

nice lights I like it :D

[savage100]

Are you going to get some pics of it in the mud? Looks pretty cool.

[cianhanrahan]

I hope to get some "proper" photos for the UKRCRC ROTM competition this weekend.
In the meantime, there's this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1Gs6Gdh34k
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW-EP6MyZk0&mode=related&search=

Not a lot, taken with phone cam, but it's the truck in action!

[MattHiggins]

Very cool project. I think with some different tires that truck would go pretty good.

[cianhanrahan]

Thanks, Matt!

Fitted the smaller, 1.9 BFG wheels and tyres again. To avoid making the truck look like it was on stilts I lowered the body as much as I could.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/152/406601865_28828bae80.jpg

Lowering the body involved trimming away at the back of the cab, grinding some material from the chassis plate and moving the body mount posts forward. While the front wheels fill the arches OK now, the rears are about 1/2" too far back. To fix this, I could either:
a) shorten the links and driveshaft or
b) cut the arches out with some extra material, and swap the left and right panels.
I think I'll hack the body.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/406601884_d8a5978078.jpg

A quick measure, I only needed an extra 1/2 inch from the front of the arches.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/406601897_7a32d46970.jpg

You can see how the wheel is too far back here.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/406601920_1b78b11206.jpg

90 seconds and a Dremel later, and here's the result. Try doing this with Lexan!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/156/406601932_395673e79c.jpg

I'm using green stuff putty as a filler and to bond the panels back in place. the two panels were pretty even, not bad for a noob.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/406601957_78f328fde3.jpg

I've applied it fairly thick, but i'll be able to sand off the excess later.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/132/406601977_3905fa3cd6.jpg

The wheel lines up much better now, I just have to wait and let the putty cure.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/175/406601997_a66e5f55c3.jpg

Hopefully once I've sanded and repainted it will look OK, I haven't tried anything this extreme before, so fingers crossed. I also added springs from a Tamiya Touring car kit, over the existing TLT springs, as the weight of the battery, etc. was too much for the TLT springs on their own up front.

[bashin Maxxer15]

Nice job, looks like a mean truck!

[cianhanrahan]

A few poser pics, now that she's mostly done:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/413945988_3198570747.jpg
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http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/413947781_db618671cd.jpg

[muted]

I like it, not much ground clearance but,it looks kinda real nice truck

[cianhanrahan]

I've tried to keep it fairly low, as most of the 1:1 LRs you see around here aren't lifted. As it is, it can handle most of the trails I run it on, though you need to pick your path more carefully. The Tracer kit has 6 mounting points for the shocks, so in future I may fit longer shocks and switch to 2.2s, but for now it will do as a scaler. I have put lead in all the wheels (it was leftover from building my house, I though I might as well use it.) I've run it quite a bit over the last few weeks, and the rollovers have taken their toll. The roof broke off, and I had to bolt it back on again, now it's even stronger than before! I also started brazing, using a butane torch and 1/4" brass tube. I suck at it, but I'm getting better, and I haven't started any fires in a week! :flame: Hopefully I'll have a rollcage soon, and a decent front bumper!