Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Nice bronco man.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

I appreciate it! Shes comin along and after gettin it out to play the other weekend Im itchin to get it finished up enough to start using it again regularly!!!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Matt, this is for motivation~

its easier to work on the 1:10 version than the 1:1!
"thumbsup"
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-x...o/IMG_5271.JPG

L.R. :mrgreen:

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

LOL I sometimes will agree man, my 66 Mustang can be a handful at times and ALWAYS has an attitude when it comes time to work on it. One day Ill add a Bronco to the mix, just gotta get some priorities taken care of fist (lame).

I finally took some time this weekend to play with some metal on the Bronco!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psgjfzjvsh.jpg

Ive tossed around numerous ideas on a roll cage and sliders for this thing and after seein it perform the way it did last time I took it out, I didnt want to hurt the balance it has by adding alot of weight up top. I grabbed some brake line which I never do and mimicked a common 4 point roll bar used on alot of Early Broncos. I ended up moving it forward a bit more than it is on the 1:1s in order to help protect the door window frames a bit but otherwise its pretty close! I brazed some studs into the "feet" of the bars and drilled holes in the floor for mounts. I will reinforce it a tad underneath but I can say its a stout little setup. It fell off my work table, hit the chair cage first did a roll and landed cage first on the ground and only one door window frame was broken slightly lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pshbh5mxir.jpg

I then jumped on another head scratcher...the rocker panels. I still have the lexan rockers but they were beat up from the abuse before i made sliders for it. I know alot of 1:1 Broncos delete the rocker panels entirely for clearance and I thought this was a good idea but then decided it wouldnt fit the look Im goin for. Instead, I got some 1/4" key stock from Jmel and got to work making a steel rocker/slider combo. I notched the ends to allow the lexan to stay in place and then painted it Blue to see if I liked it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pstlbx97n0.jpg

Heres a shot of underneath to show more of what I did. They are just laying in place and will be painted black before Im done. Dont laugh at the bent mounting tabs, they decided NOT to cooperate with me so we had a little talk using a vice and a hammer and now they line up juuuuust fine lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pso98lkgux.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psghc6fxju.jpg

The blue doesnt match up very well lol so I will either re-spray it black or just let it go...not sure just yet. She's ready to take some abuse now tho thats for sure!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

The slider supports are rough at best but its the best Im gonna do for now. Some black paint helped hide em a bit better and noone will see them until its on its lid anyways. The sliders themselves look a little better now with some trimming of the lexan around them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psizx368ay.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pspejfbbmt.jpg

I painted the roll bar and baked it for 10 minutes which always seems to make the paint last a little longer when abused. Getting closer, just need to get a battery sorted out so I can finish up the wiring and detailing underneath. I also have to hinge the hood then itll be ready for another shake down run!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Pretty cool! It looks really great with the doors off ;)

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

I'm digging the sliders!

L.R.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Thanks guys! Yeah the sliders came to me one day while staring at it and I randomly ran into my buddy (Jmel on here) at Lowes the other day and he happened to have the exact width steel key stock I needed to make em happen. Should be stout enough to get the job done. Only problem is in my (lack of) preperation, I forgot to leave space underneath for the battery to fit in the driver floorboard so Ill either have to move one support or make it easy to move out of the way to gain access. One way or another Ill get it figured out lol

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

more motovation: my trail rig fresh out of paint this past weekend-

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hpho...10181745_n.jpg

L.R. "thumbsup"

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Dang you and your awesome 1:1 broncos. All I want is 1 ugly trail beater Bronco, but for now Ill make a 1:10 version lol

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

keep after it, your 1:10 version looks great!

L.R.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Thanks man, its starting to come together. Worked on mounting the front seats a bit last night and will try to have them soon. Then really all Ill need is the hood mounted and a battery mount and I can start thrashing it again!!! I like being able to run them while Im working on em, keeps me interested along the way.

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

i see your in murpheesboro. if there is ANYWAY possible that you could get to Townsend in 3 weeks it would be worth your while. #1 my wife and I will be there. #2 there will be 200 EB there to drool over.

think about it.

L.R.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Townsend huh...might have to see about that. And prolly leave the wallet at home. And constantly remind myself that good things come to those who wait. And more than likely buy the first EB I can find for a decent price. LOL

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Got the seats mounted up finally. Was tossing around the idea of tryin to make some stock looking buckets for the front and a bench for the rear but had these Wraith seats layin around and figured why not, if I was doin a trail rig and had the cash Ide toss some better front seats in for sure! I mounted them up getting them close to the cage on each side like I saw in a couple 1:1 pictures buuuuuuuut that ended up not lookin right with the BlueBronco, too much space between the seats. I was annoyed enough by it that I couldnt say "good enough" and took it all apart (huge pain in the butt by the way). I redrilled some holes, replaced a section of floorpan on the passenger side and cut some aluminum tubing up for supports for the front of the pass seat. I didnt move them more than a couple MM but Im MUUUUCH happier now for some weird reason.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psdhhpd3cx.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psvuulrqfv.jpg

Shot of the bare supports. These will be painted black along with the nuts I used to space the seats from the floor down the road.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psrjc8nrha.jpg

Floor panel replaced. Old one was super weak when I drilled the new holes and I could tell one good roll and it would collapse. This time I bolted the seats in THEN glued it down lol. Im either gonna leave it black and make some weld marks/primed weld lines to look like a floor patch or paint it blue to match, not sure.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pss88tqvu6.jpg

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Sweet. Look at my stupid scale thread to see what I did to wraith seats to make them look better. (IMO)

There will be broncos for sale at supercel! Not all high end show trucks either- I almost bought an original 66' for 6,200 last year and it was in damn good shape!

L.R

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Wait wait wait...your tellin me the seats in your Blue superscaler were once wraith seats?!?!?!? Please...tell me how you did that so I can rip off...I mean steal...I mean pay homage in my build!!!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

its all in the thread~ have at it. it was EASY!



L.R.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Ok...I swear Ive been through every page of your build and the only thing about seats I saw was the black ones you got from AK? I must be goin nuts...can you tell me what page its on?

Thanks!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Page 17. They r not wraith seats though(I thought they were) the same thing that I did you can do as well. Trim em down and make the bolsters on the side less pronounced.

Easy project for you!

L.R.

Im just wondering if you could post some pics of your front suspension.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Check out Page 8 for full details on the suspension setup!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Got the Bronco out this weekend for another shake down run up at Shanty Hollow.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psnjq5bfdq.jpg

Had to make up an extension for the battery wires to reach the ESC (ran outta time to make my permanent setup before the ride) so thats why the hood doesnt fit right but otherwise she was in good workin order and itchin to hit some rough stuff!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psqrukpneb.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psc2hoakxb.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps2f5iqcyh.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pssj1utkhw.jpg

She ran like a champ all day despite a weird occasional hiccup from the ESC and made it a good ways on the 2200 2cell. I will be ordering a couple more of these soon! No broken parts, hit the trail like a champ and was a ton of fun to crawl. Lost the side floor panel where the battery access was made but I can make another no problem! Lookin forward to gettin it out again soon.

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Looks great man, love the transformation you've made with it.

How long do you estimate a battery pack lasted for you? I was running a 2200 2s in my F-250 with Holmes gear (BR-XL and 35t TorqueMaster Sport) the other day and got about 45 mins out of it, and that was with a lot of full throttle trail running.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Hour to an hour and a half of trail running! I'm running a MMP and 17.5 brushless which seems to be an efficient setup! I love the little setup and look forward to abusing it again soon. Would love to be able to put multiple packs through it!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Took the BlueBronco out to Fall Creek Falls this weekend. Had some tire issues that I forgot about till the night before and didnt have time to patch em up so I tossed on some RC4WD tires I had layin around and called it a day. They caused some traction issues but I eventually got around it and was able to crawl all day which is all that matters!

Decided to run the doors on this time around. Still dont have the top finished up just yet but will soon enough.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psykcwqjlm.jpg

Not far down the trail from the first pic she took a nasty roll (didnt go off the trail and down the side of the gorge tho which is good). Ended up bending the roll bar at the top and breaking the window frame off the driver's door. I picked up the pieces and will repair...altho Im eyeballing some 1:1s that remove them altogether. Doesnt look right with the top on tho I dont think.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psxk5elza7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps5p5rlesy.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psu4cgr75g.jpg

Eventually the battery ran out but rather than call it a day and get the Mule out, I tossed a 3 cell in the cab and carried on. I might put together something to secure the battery in the cab for future rides...maybe a center console or somethin.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pswupoky16.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps3okbpv7f.jpg

LOVE this picture. Rain storm blew in creating some cool little pools along the trail. This one happened to be RIGHT on the edge of the trail and a wicked dropoff to the creek below. Was fun to crawl through, just had to be careful!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psqps72d1t.jpg

Speaking of being careful. Realized that I hadnt taken any shots of the detailed underside. She was one more roll away from a long ride down the side of the gorge lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psn4oejpob.jpg

Had a great time and look forward to getting her straightened back up and out again soon!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

ok, the underside is the cats ass! great shot!

L.R.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Thanks! Realizing how often I found it on its lid I figured the extra detail underneath would get plenty of attention on the trails lol. Gonna hide the servo horn a little better down the road but otherwise Ill leave it pretty much as is.

Cleaned the ole Bronco off a bit from the last ride and got started repairing/reinforcing any damage or weak spots. Roll bar is straight again, rear body mounts are redone and bulletproof now. Need to repair the drivers door some and then start working on getting the removable top. I have an idea that should be strong and durable yet easy to remove and toss aside. I also need to come up with some better foams for the 3.5" TSLs. I need to tear the front two apart to repair anyways so Ill work on something while Im at it. Gonna add a better servo while Im at it then she should be ready for more abuse.

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

This is such a great little build - you've done a fantastic job on it.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Thanks man...its amazing how tough it is...especially considering I built it lol. I thought for sure it would A) Suck performance wise and B) be too pretty and have too much hard work in it to want to bash it buuuuuuut...both turned out to be wrong. The more beat up it gets the better I like it really and it crawls so nice I cant help but want to keep abusing it!!!

Tightened up a loose driveshaft between the trans and transfer case and got the Bronco out for some fun this weekend. Didnt last long as the 645 crapped out and I lost steering. I knew it was getting weak...now I HAVE to swap it out lol

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psfqxx341x.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psfabyiv2x.jpg

I fixed the broken window frame on the drivers door but it broke off again immediately. Might cut em both out not sure. What I am sure of is that I love this little rig, driving it is alot more fun that i would ever have imagined.

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Been kicking around some ideas on how to mount the hardtop and make it a) easy to put on and take off b) Strong enough to stay together on a nasty roll over and c) strong enough to handle the abuse Im gonna toss at it at all times. I put the aluminum tubing in the bronco body and finally got around to putting the slightly thinner tubing on the top last night. Unfortunately one of the rear posts decided to fuse itself to the inner piece (my stupidity) but thats an easy fix. Otherwise, the 4 corner posts are in and all I need to do is add some clips and guides to the windshield and front of the top to help line it up and keep it lined up. The cab and windshield arent entirely squared up (imagine that...somethin I built not square?!?!?!?) but with some tabs it will be perfect! Im also gonna add a lip to the bottom edges like the 1:1 just for stength and rigidity as well as toss some shoegoo into the stress points like I usually do with Lexan bodies for added strength. No, the top wont attach and reattach like a 1:1 but I honestly dont care. This will work better for the smaller scale and look just fine!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ps6rmiohdd.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psm8ftrlhf.jpg

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

That's awesome Matt. Looks like it'll work perfectly.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Hey man!!! Long time no see, how are things?!?!?!

Yeah its not entirely pretty but neither is the rig nor what I put it through so it should work great! Im gonna make some windows for the sides and leave the rear glass with all the decals for now. Im thinking bout hinging the rear like the 1:1 and being able to open it up. Not sure tho as the spare is in the way but it would still be kinda neat to swing the spare out and open the rear glass. Then Ide need to make the rear tailgate open but thats another thing for another day!

Matt

Im good man. A swing out tires carrier and fold down tailgate would be sweet.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

The tire carrier already swings out and a fold down tailgate shouldnt be too bad to put together, just have to figure out a way to strengthen the rear of the cab but then again...it might be pretty stout as it sits. Only one way to find out and thats to cut the tailgate out and see LOL

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Got the top mounted and the alignment/mounting tabs for the windshield section figured out. Not sure how strong it will be until I go and abuse it but so far so good!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psk2kiou8y.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psxav4yu3u.jpg

Small cylinders from an aluminum rivet and the pin of the rivet make up the setup. It hides well enough when the top is off and works great to line up the top and the windshield and hold it all together.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pswfoln5ku.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...pslgvvglzf.jpg

I also pulled the 645 servo out and swapped in a 7954 I had layin around. Should be PLENTY for the little Bronco. Just need the screw to attach the servo horn and Ill be good to go!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...psyv7kc00v.jpg

Was pretty cool to be able to pop the hood and do the entire job from right there. Didnt have to remove the body or anything else along the way. Looks like I accidentally made it easy and convenient to work on while I was at it LOL. The only thing I would need to remove the body for would be to work on the trans or motor. Not bad. Gotta find that stupid screw then Ill be able to see how strong my new top mounts are!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

The body work and interior are just amazing on this rig man. I have read this entire build thread more then once and I have to say its one of the best on here. Awesome job man!

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

I appreciate it for sure! I look up to alot of builders on here, now especially more than ever. I dont know if I have in me to do another to this extent and I also was afraid I would "baby" this rig with all the work I put in it...but nope, she is just as much fun to abuse and had held up really well so far. The more beat up it gets the better it looks to me too so Im all about it! Hope to have some fun with it this weekend so Ill be adding more pics if all goes well!

Matt

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

I have a scratch built 73 bronco build thread in the scx10 section. No way near the detail you have tho.

Re: BlueBronco budget build
 

Ive seen yours and most of the other Broncos on here, there are quite a few good ones! Dont worry bout comparing yours to anyone elses on here, its yours and so long as your having fun building, modding and abusing it out on the trails then thats all that matters!!!

Matt