cbp27's Defender 90 Build

[aztitan]

looks great, i need to learn brazing so i can get started on mine

[cbp27]

Originally Posted by brazwewn

Why are you pitting junk on such a nice looking truck. really turned out great. Can't wait to see this one out on the rocks.

Wes

Thanks Wes. I think the cage is going in a different direction now...

Originally Posted by aztitan

looks great, i need to learn brazing so i can get started on mine

Thanks man. It's not that hard and you get better as you go.


Made some more progress today. Instead of adding a roof rack, I've opted for just a simple sturdy rollcage. Didn't clean the joints before the pictures. Just need to mount the front window frame, connect it to the rear cage, and add a light bar guard. I have a few other metal accessories in mind too.

[Gimp]

looking good

[Colorofkris]

looks good when you gonna make me one lol

[cbp27]

Originally Posted by Gimp

looking good

Thanks Chris!

Originally Posted by Colorofkris

looks good when you gonna make me one lol

Thanks haha If only I had some more talent...and money


I got a nice little performance part in the mail from RC4WD and made some appearance "enhancements" to the chassis. I'm on spring break right now spending time with my girlfriend and my family so no picture updates anytime soon. I hope to start back on the D90 next week though!

[cbp27]

Got the XVD installed, but noticed the rest of the chassis could use some TLC. Starting on that soon. Hopefully I can finish the roll cage and maybe have it powdercoated.

[cbp27]

When I said I was going to give the chassis some TLC, I really meant this...



Got an awesome deal on this Honcho on here from Baxter (thanks again!). It's in great condition and already came with some nice upgrades! I added Axial's underdrive gears in the rear, Gear Head 4-link truss, and a Hand Bros. CMS kit.






Tonight I got the wheelbase shortened to fit.




One thing I'm a little unhappy about is the axles are a hair too wide.





With my local club's first comp of the season being this weekend, I'm in a rush to get everything finished...again. lol
I need to figure out how to mount the body and electronics on top of finishing the cage work and other metal accessories. Wish me luck!

[Colorofkris]

Originally Posted by cbp27

When I said I was going to give the chassis some TLC, I really meant this...



Got an awesome deal on this Honcho on here from Baxter (thanks again!). It's in great condition and already came with some nice upgrades! I added Axial's underdrive gears in the rear, Gear Head 4-link truss, and a Hand Bros. CMS kit.






Tonight I got the wheelbase shortened to fit.




One thing I'm a little unhappy about is the axles are a hair too wide.





With my local club's first comp of the season being this weekend, I'm in a rush to get everything finished...again. lol
I need to figure out how to mount the body and electronics on top of finishing the cage work and other metal accessories. Wish me luck!

Good luck.

[brazwewn]

Just concentrate on the big stuff. Really looking forward to seeing this one.

Wes

[Jslick]

Get R' Done Clay.

[cbp27]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I think I can get it running, but it might not look very pretty.
I was having trouble deciding how I wanted to mount the body. Not a big fan of the velcro idea or putting more holes in the body. pardonmyn00b had a good idea cutting the hood off for battery access and attaching wheel wells to the body that screwed into the shock hoops. But I don't have enough time or patience to do that this week.



So now I'm thinking of a skid plate mount that uses the same mounting holes below the doors. All I need is some sheet metal (check) and something to bend it with (check). It's really that simple. I'd like to add some rod or tube bracing just to make it solid.

exesivefire has the right idea:


Now I need to get to work!

[Gimp]

Axle width looks perfect to me. May need some longer screws for your rear truss.

[IKke]

Why the chassis change ?

[gixxer6969]

man that looks really good i cant wait to see it finished it will look awsome i am working on a rig and soon i will be able to post pics and take coments about it i will keep checking in on the progress

[cbp27]

Originally Posted by Gimp

Axle width looks perfect to me. May need some longer screws for your rear truss.

Yeah I guess they're close enough. Gear Head actually said just reuse the old hardware, but longer screws are a good idea.

Originally Posted by IKke

Why the chassis change ?

I just want to say that RC4WD makes some great products. Some come out great, others not so much. With the Gelande chassis, it looks great but the quality of the parts is just poor IMO. They include spare driveshafts, knuckles, and axle cases, which for a kit as exspensive as this one, you think the parts would be of a high quality and not need replacements. But after a few minutes of driving the driveshafts broke, the Disruptor tranny ate a pinion, the steering geometry had severe bump steer, and after a few more runs I noticed cracks in the axle cases. I replaced the driveshafts with MIPs, the Disruptor for an Axial tranny, and used the spare axle cases. The axle cases cracking was the final straw for me. I knew I should have stayed with Axial even though the Gelande kit was tempting. Sorry for ranting. I just had bad luck with mine. I'm sure other have had better luck though, right?

Anyway, I'm sticking with the SCX-10 chassis. In stock form it's great. And with tons of aftermarket support it can become even better.

Originally Posted by gixxer6969

man that looks really good i cant wait to see it finished it will look awsome i am working on a rig and soon i will be able to post pics and take coments about it i will keep checking in on the progress

Thanks so much! Have fun with your build.


Well, today is comp day but I'm not at it. I just didn't have enough time to finish what I needed to.

I was able to make some skid plates. Unfortuneately, the thin gauge steel I used flexes too much under load so I'll have to use heavier gauge sheet metal. And while trying to bend out the mounting tabs on my ARB bumper, they snapped off. So I'll need to have them re-welded.

Here are my skid plates. Once I make version 2.0 they will perform a lot of tasks (body mounts, body protection, battery mount, and maybe electronics mount).

[Jslick]

Too bad you could not make it out to Palmerton on Sat. It was a great time. I hope you can make the others.

[Colorofkris]

looks good

[IKke]

Originally Posted by cbp27

I just want to say that RC4WD makes some great products. Some come out great, others not so much. With the Gelande chassis, it looks great but the quality of the parts is just poor IMO. They include spare driveshafts, knuckles, and axle cases, which for a kit as exspensive as this one, you think the parts would be of a high quality and not need replacements. But after a few minutes of driving the driveshafts broke, the Disruptor tranny ate a pinion, the steering geometry had severe bump steer, and after a few more runs I noticed cracks in the axle cases. I replaced the driveshafts with MIPs, the Disruptor for an Axial tranny, and used the spare axle cases. The axle cases cracking was the final straw for me. I knew I should have stayed with Axial even though the Gelande kit was tempting. Sorry for ranting. I just had bad luck with mine. I'm sure other have had better luck though, right?

Anyway, I'm sticking with the SCX-10 chassis. In stock form it's great. And with tons of aftermarket support it can become even better.

I fully understand that. I have also replaced one or two parts. But I haven't had any issues with the drivetrain and the steering is quite OK now in my opinion with the moved servo.
I just really get frustrated that the design fails in several points, most recent one is that the body cant be fitted without cutting the foot wells

[cbp27]

Originally Posted by Jslick

Too bad you could not make it out to Palmerton on Sat. It was a great time. I hope you can make the others.

I'm glad you guys had a good time. Get any rain? And somehow I was thinking the scale comp was on Sunday lol I don't think I should miss the next one though.

Originally Posted by Colorofkris

looks good

Thanks. That's just version one of the sliders. The new version will be a lot better.

Originally Posted by IKke

I fully understand that. I have also replaced one or two parts. But I haven't had any issues with the drivetrain and the steering is quite OK now in my opinion with the moved servo.
I just really get frustrated that the design fails in several points, most recent one is that the body cant be fitted without cutting the foot wells

That's good you're not having as many issues. Hopefully it stays that way. Do you mean your interior doesn't fit?


A while ago I made an order from Hobby King for some cheap LEDs. I saw their HPI Baja LEDs and thought I'd give them a try. The plastic housing are made by RamTech. They are ridiculously huge, but I'll only have them installed for night driving.

Just a mock-up.


Bright!

[IKke]

Originally Posted by cbp27

That's good you're not having as many issues. Hopefully it stays that way. Do you mean your interior doesn't fit?

Yes, the chassis lifts up the interior so the body can't be screwed to the mounting points