Tread UN-lightly

[METALHEAD]

When I finished up The Chev Trug recently it made me really want to start another project. I wanted to do another rig from the ground up instead of just modifying an existing chassis or platform like the last few rigs I’ve built. This basic project has been in the back of my mind for some time, but I was unsure of where I wanted to take it.

After much thought I decided on a 1.9 scaler that’s more trail rig than crawler. I’m looking for maneuverability and a capable off road design. This is going to be damn near balls-on at 1:10 scale, and I want to stay with a good solid scale look. Some details are bound to change, but this is the direction I’m currently heading. These are the specs, thus far:

-Custom built aluminum chassis
-Novak ESC
-Integy 55T
-Axial Transmission
-RC4WD Killer Transfer Case
-T-Maxx 2.5 drivelines
-TLT Axles

I'm undecided on rims, rubber, shocks and a steering servo. I picked up a couple of those Tower Pro's awhile back and have read both good and bad about them. I may try one of those out and see what I think.

The chassis is 1/8” aluminum. The front and back cross members are ¼”solid aluminum rod and they are slightly countersunk into the chassis for rigidity. All the screws so far are also countersunk. One of my goals on this project is to maintain a really clean look.

Front:


Back:




It's a start.

[pantablo]

its a nice start!

[METALHEAD]

Thanks man. I always love to see a rig take form as it gets built up piece by piece. Especially when they aren't just plug and play, ya know? I love the fabricated shit. And, on that note, more pieces…

Some cross braces and mounting points for the carrier and the transfer case.



Here’s the carrier I built to mate the Axial transmission to the Killer Transfer case via dogbones from a CC01 and a Kyosho nitro rig. As luck would have it I was able to find a random ball bearing in my stash that worked. I just cut a piece of stainless steel rod, drilled a couple holes in it for the drive cups to mount to and used that for the shaft, stick it through the bearing, and there you have it.



Here are some pics of it all put togther.

From the front:



From the rear:


I wanted to keep the transfer case tucked up between the frame rails. This will obviously give me more clearance and still maintain the clean, uncluttered look that I’m going for.

On that note, here are a few shots of the donor rig. We’ll call it a 2006 GMC Denali XL. The question is will it stay that way?

[squatch71]

That is looking good Metal. Ever think about going with a different motor. I looked at my Yota and saw that it has a 35T motor, which is why I have more wheel speed than yours (thought I put the 55T in it)...might be just the ticket for this rig.

Good to see you using the TLT axles.

[rcjeepbuilder]

Great work MH. I like to see a build progress step by step as well! Thanks for sharing..

[bigdodge88]

Very cool so far. I'm subscribing for sure.
Justin

[microgoat]

Good start. You can cut that Denali down into a 2-door without a whole lot of effort.

[METALHEAD]

Thank you guys. I'm glad you're diggin the build. I'll keep up with the step by step. Squatch, I dunno where I'll end up in terms of wheelspeed with this Axial Transmission. I suspect I'll be pretty low geared, but I have this brand new Integy 55T that's been hanging around for a few months. I may swap it out for something with some more speed eventually, but I'm running with stock on hand...so to speak.

MG, I totally thought about doing a 2006 GMC "Jimmy Concept" and running with a 2 door. It would look bitchin in my opinion. As is though, I stuck it out with 4 doors, but dropped the XL. Here are some shots of the initial mock up, using Rock Stompers.



It's hard to tell from the angle this picture was shot at, but that is a 14" wheelbase.


So, it was time for some plastic surgery. In scale terms, to go from an XL to a regular Denali, I needed to section 2" from the length. But of course it's more complicated than just cutting it, dropping 2" and gluing it back together.

Here's a shot of what got cut and where it got cut from. The blacked out sections are what I removed.



And, before I glued it back together:





Glued up:











I didn't like the sides, with all the ground effects. Aside from that, talk about a bodywork nightmare. So, I cut them off and simplified it with some styrene. This look is so much cleaner. I cleaned the joints up and got some filler in them. Also, I cut the grooves around the doors and cut the seams along the roof. The bodywork is mostly done. It'll take a few shots of glaze here and there, and I'll have to prime the shit out of it, but this is better than the Frankenstein scars.







So, the new Yukon (sans the "XL") now has a 12 5/8" wheelbase. The bodywork was a pretty long process. I'm happy with the results but glad that I'm mostly done with it too.

Thanks for looking.

[microgoat]

Nice job on the chop Looks a lot better without the ground effects.

Might as well say it before someone else does: WARE DID U GET THAT BODIE????

[METALHEAD]

Thanks MG! The body came from some obscure online toy store. I think it was on clearance for like $30. The size was unclear and I decided to take a chance. I think I have the confirmation email they sent me, but it'd on my computer at work. I'll try and dig it up and see if I can find out where I got this thing.

[nascarkeith]

Very cool! Nice clean job on the chop.

[squatch71]

WOW..I suck.....

[pantablo]

mmm, cutting bodies. Love it. Nice work! should be a cool build. looking forward to it.

[METALHEAD]

Thanks for the enthusiasm guys! Squatch, not to correct you, but doing body work in 1:10 scale is actually what sucks. Pantablo, I guess you'd know a thing or two about cutting bodies... I actually used some of your methodology when I chopped this. I stuffed some of the "welds" with little shreds of styrene. It seemed to work pretty well. Good call.

Here’s the part where I hang my axles off the frame. I always intended to hang the TLT’s with four-link suspension, so I decided to make good with it. I’m just rolling with the all-thread for mock-up purposes, as I intend to use solid rod once I completely settle on the lengths and get the geometry exactly where I want it. The uppers and lowers are damn near parallel and the triangulation is plenty good enough to keep shit nice and tight.

Here’s the back end:



And the front end:



I also stole the front drivelines from my T-Maxx and installed them. I scored some drivelines off of cheesEbay for this build from a 3.3 T-Maxx thinking they’d be acceptable. The price was right, plus they have those cool boots on them. Sumbitch those things are huge! I guess a guy could make them work, but they are retarded large It’d look like gigantism of the drive shaft.

Anyway, here’s the rig with the front and rear four links and the drive shafts installed.





Everything is nice and smooooth…no binding anywhere. All indications are that this rig will have some pretty nice articulation.

The next logical step was to start on some shock towers. I’m gearing these towards some turned down TLT shocks that I have hanging around. Since those bastards are so long and inefficient, I figure I could re-drill the towers and go with some better shocks at some point.

So, I stripped down the engine/transmission cradle…



…and drilled some holes in the ears that extend above the chassis…



…fabbed up some shock towers that mount to the ears, leaving a nice clean extension that’s flush with the frame rails.


I didn’t realize it until everything was mounted, but it looks like Batman. I love it.

Here’s a shock all mounted up:



Teaser shot! Here’s a shot under the hood.



Up next, MH figures out how the hell to suspend the rear end. Tune in next time and thanks for checking it out.

[microgoat]

Nice clean chassis build but you're gonna need some stiffer springs to hold that piggy body up

[bigdodge88]

Nice job on this thing so far.
Justin

[squatch71]

11:46 am?? your doing this at work arn't ya....

that is going to be sick for sure...not much travel with those shocks huh??? and from the looks of it not much ground clearance. Going to have to stop by and check this thing out...maybe sunday if your around??

[METALHEAD]

Thanks MG, these springs actually came from Ace Hardware I believe. I’m not exactly sure, but I’m positive they aren’t RC springs. Anyway, they actually give me about the right amount of suspension.

Thanks bigdodge, so far I’m enjoying the build. I took the weekend off and currently I’m held up because I need to replace a bandsaw blade…so... Hopefully I can keep up my momentum, right now I wanna be outside wheeling, instead of at home building.

Squatch, you’s damn right I’m doing this shit at work! Well, the posting part...I doubt they'd appreciate me bringing the whole mess into my office and actually working on my bad boy here. I’m just sitting around waiting for someone to darken my doorstep, so I figure I may as well. Regarding the shocks, if you have the room to house them under the body, I think TLT’s are pretty decent shocks, especially if you can respring them. I lucked out with these guys. Clearance won’t be too bad and I’m actually happy with the travel. I’ll try and get some specs on this bad dude though.

Pics:









Here’s a shot with the body on. In this picture, it’s sitting too high for my taste. The rig’s mostly unladen though, so it’s sitting up higher.



When I put a battery in the back and a motor up front, it gets closer to where I want to be. There’s gonna be some more random weight too, so I think it’ll work out okay. Regardless, the flex and tuck makes me happier than a pig in shit.









In all those shots, the body is sitting on top of the chassis, right where it's going to be mounted. So, said and done, I'm pretty happy with what I have going here.

[luis]

interesting build. looks like you need a set of reduced 2.2 crushers or stompers

[bigdodge88]

Its turning out pretty well. The only thing I would change is how far the ground effects come down. Just my preference tho.

Justin