JimK's Cherokee X-Trail Revival

[JimK]

Well, with the fall weather here and more time spent indoors it's time to start working on a project I've been collecting parts for since late 2022. Like many of us do I have boxes of parts stored and stashed here and there. Some new parts and some left over from other build projects.





I have an old x-trail chassis that's from an old Axial Scorpion conversion I did years ago that I plan to use as the foundation for this project. The skid plate came with the chassis and I machined the chassis braces and battery tray myself. This chassis is fairly heavy and rigid as f@#k!!






I'll be removing the body mount posts as I won't need them. I'll see later as I progress if I will need to move or remove the battery tray?





Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

I have this sweet Injora Cherokee truggy body that is still new in the box. I'll get it slapped together and it will be the star of the show for this project.



Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

I have pretty much everything I need to complete this build except for a motor and esc. I'll worry about that when the time comes.

I've got an all metal transmission, Hot Racing servo on axle kit and several sets of links to choose from. Also some steel drive shafts and a nice set of aluminum shocks. I'll most likely go with the stainless steel links in the lower left for this build.



I've also got Axial AR44 axles, some extra bearings, Samix stainless pivot balls and a couple different sets of aluminum wheel hexes to choose from.



I've got numerous sets of wheels and tires laying around. For this rig I'm going to go with a set of Ottsix KLR M/T's mounted to 1.9" Proline beadlocks. I think the black wheels will go nicely with the black accents on the Cherokee cab.



Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

I decided to start by building up the Cherokee body. Fender flares and grill first followed by the back of the cab and then the roof.





Next was all the windows and all of the other details like door handles, wiper blades and the light lenses.





The instructions are pretty lacking but all of the pieces went together without any issues and everything is very well manufactured so far.

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

Next came the roll cage. Again, well manufactured and fit and finish was very good. No issues with any of the assembly.







Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

The cab and the roll cage fastened together with seven screws and nuts. All of the holes but one matched up properly and the one that didn't match just needed a little gentle persuasion. Overall I'm very happy with the quality of this body kit and I think it looks pretty good all put together.











Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[durok]

I've been waiting for someone to release a 3-d printed panel to close the lower rear of that cab - it's the ONLY thing I don't love about that body...

[B-MOW71]

Looks like a great winter project build. Following to see more.

I do like the looks of this body, but I agree with @durok, the cab corners do look weird. I remember someone had a fix for this, but I'm not sure if it was a 3D printed part or if it was made out of styrene. I also can't remember who it was, but I think I may have seen it here on RCC. If I can get my mind to remember I'll let you know.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by durok

I've been waiting for someone to release a 3-d printed panel to close the lower rear of that cab - it's the ONLY thing I don't love about that body...

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Looks like a great winter project build. Following to see more.

I do like the looks of this body, but I agree with @durok, the cab corners do look weird. I remember someone had a fix for this, but I'm not sure if it was a 3D printed part or if it was made out of styrene. I also can't remember who it was, but I think I may have seen it here on RCC. If I can get my mind to remember I'll let you know.

I'm not crazy about that either. There's a good chance I will make up a panel to cover that area once I get the truck done and the body is mounted to the chassis. I want to see how everything fits before I fill it in.

[JimK]

I started assembling axles tonight.



I separated the pieces for the front axle.



A good coating of grease on the gears.



I got the front axle together with the HR servo mount. I need to scrounge up some screws to put the rear axle together.



Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

I started sorting through and assembling suspension links but I was paying more attention to the Lion's game so I decided to set them aside for another time.



Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[rob5059]

I cut the front of the bed off to fill the gap.

[JimK]

That looks good Rob. Did that bed come from a different kit/body?

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[rob5059]

Originally Posted by JimK

That looks good Rob. Did that bed come from a different kit/body?

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

I purchased the pickup version initially, and the cage later.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by rob5059

I purchased the pickup version initially, and the cage later.

Oh, I see. I'll probably have to make some filler pieces by hand or maybe see if there is a 3d printable somewhere?

[JimK]

I got my suspension links assembled tonight. The link ends are a nice hard plastic so I was having trouble threading them onto the rods. I ended up tapping them with an M4 starter tap and they threaded on nicely after that.





Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

I scrounged around and came up with the fasteners I needed to assemble the rear axle. No issues putting it together and it feels nice and smooth.



A healthy coating of grease makes for happy gears.



Ready to go.



Now that I have both axles and the links assembled I can hopefully hang the axles on the chassis this weekend?



Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

These shocks were preassembled but I popped the ends off and added a glob of green slime before filling them with 50 weight oil. They have a nice smooth stroke but the springs are very firm. The Cherokee body is pretty heavy so these springs might be fine. We'll see once the whole truck is together and switch them out if need be.





Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

I pulled the transmission apart to see if it had any grease. Not much to speak of so I put a nice coat of Lucas Red and Tacky on the gears and slapped it back together. It spins smoothly by hand and the gears run nice and true.







Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

[JimK]

I took the old body mount posts off as I won't need them to mount the Cherokee body.



Next I mounted the transmission to the skid plate.



Sorted out the suspension links and attached them to the axles.



Got the axles hung on the chassis without the shocks in place. I need to sort through my spacers to get some frame clearance for the shocks.



Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk