NewBright JK Build GCM chassis Xr steering!

[Shinjari]

New Shoes! Loving these TSL XL's. Will post pics of their debut run this afternoon.

[Die-Laughing]

Awesomeness! I'm diggin' those outdoor pics

[Shinjari]

Test run at the local hot spot. Slight comparison with IROKs =)

[fr8cture]

Wow, this is a sick build. So the Poison Spyder light mounts fit on the new bright just fine?

[mtgrizzlymn]

How do you get front links to travel full amount without hitting lower part of mount? I feel like there is room to be used but can't, not enough flex for me.

[Arctic Fire]

EPIC hardbody save at 33 seconds in.. saved some cracks I think

[Shinjari]

Originally Posted by fr8cture

Wow, this is a sick build. So the Poison Spyder
light mounts fit on the new bright just fine?

Fits great, but you need to use a small spacer as it is just a hair wider than the Body. You can see the small spacer here at the top mount.

Originally Posted by mtgrizzlymn

How do you get front links to travel full amount without hitting lower part of mount? I feel like there is room to be used but can't, not enough flex for me.

Are you talking about the front motor mount? My links are sorta long and due to the low panhard/3-link mount it provides me with just enough space to not hit the motor/transmount. I'll try to get a pic. The shocks provide some limiting too but still great 'real' looking flex.

Originally Posted by Arctic Fire

EPIC hardbody save at 33 seconds in.. saved some cracks I think

Thanks! That was the 2nd outting for the rig so needless to say I didnt want to scratch it that much yet lol.

I have dropped this rig off some serious heights and have not put any cracks in it *knock on wood*. The part that tends to break is where the front fender and front grill meet. the material is too thin and if I snag it hard enough it separates and I have to reglue it.

[Shinjari]

Picked up some LockedUp hardware for the VP hubs. They are totally badass and really set the wheels off!

[Jeepfixer1]

Great build brosephus! Really enjoyed watching this and seeing what works for you.

[fr8cture]

Dang been a long time since I've seen this thread. Lol

[Bananaclip]

I'm happy to see this one brought back to light. Nice build and great comparison video my brother! Great looking JK

[Mr.Joshua]

This thing still exist?

[Shinjari]

Wow, i didn't even notice my own thread being revived haha.

Yeah this is definitely a fun rig. Needs a little TLC in the paint department but other than that it still runs like a beast. I keep telling myself I'll redo the steering so it binds less at full throw, but too many other projects to bother. So I just drive it as is and it still rocks =)

Maybe I'll get around to sprucing it up a bit with some scale hardware or new housings or something...no promises.

[Mr.Joshua]

lol, I almost posted that I heard you had sold all of your rigs to support your BeanieBaby collecting habit

Sweet that you still love it. Whats making it bind?

[Bananaclip]

Richard let's make a trade and I will fix her up!

[Shinjari]

I think it's simply the position of the servo arm/linkage to the knuckle. basically at full throw the servo arm and linkage are lined up, making the servo have to work extra hard to come back. But the other side, the servo arm doesn't have to struggle. Like if we consider the servo arm position relative to the rig like a clock....12 being facing the front bumper, 3 and 9 lined up colinear with the axle and 6 pointing towards the rear. The servo arm at neutral is point at about 1, then at full throw one direction its at 3....but full throw in the other direction its at 11. So when its at the 3 position its really fighting/using all its servo strength to get the wheel unbound. Not to mention, I'm not entirely certain if this Hobbico cs170 servo is up to par to handle the job despite claiming 333 oz @ 6v. Maybe all it'll take is a different linkage, but then it'll be a different length than my panhard, so that might cause me to have bumpsteer....list goes on and on. It runs like a champ besides that LOL.

As for trading it.....mmmmm I don't foresee that happening. This was my 2nd rig, but 1st custom build. Has a lot of meaning, especially after going through the painstakingly long time to get the paint and body just right. Who knows....Travis knows I have a new "toy" in my life that may suck up some money lol.

[Shinjari]

Well this rig is also getting some much needed attention. I picked up a new steering servo (hitec 7954) to replace the CS170 which i always felt was under powered. Also got the newer style thru-pin shafts for the GCM t-case to replace the set screw style. Lastly, I scored some Baja designs spot lights. They might just fit on the bumper to replace those fog lights that were just there for looks. Can never have too many lights haha.

Doing this will require some rerouting of wiring and hopefully when installing the new servo I can figure out a way to minimize/eliminate the bind at full throw.

As I've been looking at it, the custom wraith axle housings have taken a beating over the years and I'm considering building another set...only complaint is it'll take (3) housings to do so, (2) for the centered rear and (1) for the front. Unsure if this'll happen anytime soon or not. Oh and I forget if I already posted this previously but attached is a picture of the custom universals a buddy made for me for this rig. The original welded CVDs broke due to lack of strength at the weld. So I bought a set of wraith universals, we measured several times to get it right and he brazed a chromoly sleeve and made sure they were clocked correctly. So far they have survived these last few years. They are sitting next to a set of SSD HD CVDs. You can see the narrow side is just a hair shorter than the SSD.

[Shinjari]

Well after running this rig and coming across a sweet deal for some electronics I decided the brute needed to go brushless.

Before: BRXL w/ fantom 55t RHINO crawler motor (beast!) and Hitec 7954 servo. 87/19 gearing.

After: HH BLE sensored esc, HH Puller pro stubby 3300kv and HH SHV500 servo. 87/14 gearing.

Here is a terrible comparison vid I made. I had before and after pics of the electronics swap...but my phone died before I could upload them...and now I have a new phone without the pics =/



Youtube link for those that can't see the embedded vid.
https://youtu.be/v8oDeoRlOek