Coming soon: Mastodon

[crazydave]

Hey all. My first post here, so be nice.:lol:

Just here to show off the new WK. Only had it a few days, but soon it'll be "Mastodon". (I noticed a trend with people naming their trucks, so I'm rolling with it.) I've had a vague interest in crawling, but not enough to put forth the effort (apparently). The WK seemed like a nice short cut for me.

So far I've:
-Reversed the chassis
-Locked the diffs with a kneaded eraser
-Built a pair of Savage shocks for the rear
-Did the 4-40 rod/brake line tubing/Traxxas ball joint thing to stretch the rear by 2 1/4" and the front by 1/4", for a total wheelbase of 12".

I still need to mount my Proline early 50s Chevy truck body, and Masher 2000s that I have waiting. I also need to score me a lathe motor. With the diffs locked the stock servo seems really weak, so that's on top of my must have list.

So far other than the servo, I've had no performance issues, and a test drive around the apartment left me really impressed with its ability to basically get over anything.

So anyways, enough talk, here's my baby:

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk04.jpg

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk05.jpg

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk06.jpg

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk07.jpghttp://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk08.jpg



So that's it for now. I hope ya'll enjoy my company, because I think I could get used to it here... you guys got my little thumbs up guy. "thumbsup"

[crazydave]

why reverse the chassis?To put the battery and the weight in the front. I don't know, just doing what I've seen the crawler guys doing.


Lookin good, but, why put in the savage shocks?:-PBecause when you stretch the chassis, you angle back the shock, reducing ride height and ground clearance. I've seen people do all four Savage shocks, but that sits a bit too high for my personal taste, or I'd have to lay them down to the point where it becomes too long for my taste, or I could make custom shock towers, but this seemed like the best compromise of everything I wanted, and the 60/40 setup transfers even more weight to the front. I have to say, I'm actually quite impressed with myself, because it has proven extremely effective.

[Natedog]

Too much flex and the shocks are too long.

[Shaun]

Still looking good CD, I think his truck will perform just how he wants. Hes a smart guy.

[crazydave]

Too much flex and the shocks are too long.Well I'm new to this aspect of the hobby, so what are the negative aspects of too much flex. It was my understanding the more the better.

I like the way it drives. On flat ground the inside front wheel lifts during hard cornering, and that's kinda fun, but if it became a problem, I could with stiffer springs. Besides, I didn't think these trucks were really meant for running on flat ground. Out on the rock bed by my parking lot, I'm not even crawling, I'm just flooring it and its just sucking it up.

I think its really cool I can drive up to a wall and get my front wheels on it while the rear is still flat on the ground. Don't know if that's much use in real world crawling, but its really fun for me right now.:lol:

Hey shaun, thought I might see you here. I appreciate the smart guy comment, but I'm here to learn. I'll take any advice I can get, but for now, it does perform as I'd like, so people are gonna have to really convince me before I change it.8)

[getbent]

A lot of flex looks cool, but will often hurt you while crawling. Too much flex will allow a tire to fall into a hole that a rig with less fllex would just float across. The deep holes are the ones that you get bound up in, so if you can stay out of them it's better. I like about 45-60% flex in my rigs. I know it seems like the more flex the better (I thought so too at first), but try it with a little less flex and see what you think. It also depends on what type of driving you do, just experiment and you will find the right set up. Lot's of good info here, so Welcome and good luck!;-)

[crazydave]

Hey getbent, thanks for the useful advice, and welcome. I will have to take that into consideration.

So when you say 45-60% flex, what are we talking about here, degrees of articulation, spring stiffness, other?

[mrpink]

Hey getbent, thanks for the useful advice, and welcome. I will have to take that into consideration.

So when you say 45-60% flex, what are we talking about here, degrees of articulation, spring stiffness, other?

make it easy... a little over a pop cans worth of articulation is about right, anything more gets you in trouble with no real benefit.

[sg219]

Nice rig you got started on CD!!"thumbsup"

I do agree with getBent. I never really thought about that perspective, but too much flex will get you into jams. However, it is still up to personal taste and experience.

Otherwise I think you are definitely headed in the correct direction.

Can't wait to see the body!! I know you got some sweet paint job in the works and getting ready to drop!!:shock:

C-ya @ BP

[crazydave]

make it easy... a little over a pop cans worth of articulation is about right, anything more gets you in trouble with no real benefit.Well sounds like the WK had plenty of travel to begin with, but my train of thought wasn't to increase articulation. I was just trying to keep the ride height up.

The "too much flex" thing came up at my forum where I regularly post, and I asked this question that I'm gonna go ahead and pose here, since you guys obviously have a much larger information base on the subject. It was: Isn't it better I got the wheelbase where I want it, and kept the ride height so the tranny isn't dragging? Now I could just dial the extra flex out with some fuel tubing on the shock shafts, couldn't I?

[crazydave]

Sorry guys, I guess I jumped the gun on that one. I'm not used to playing the role of the newb, so you guys will just have to bear with me. :lol:

I got a little excited when I got it together, and got a little ahead of myself, but I've been refining it over the week. In retrospect the travel on those Savage shocks was ridiculous. I solved my problem by simply putting the stock WK shafts in the Savage bodies. I didn't realize how much higher the back was sitting, but it seems to be sitting level now. I was being thrown off by the optical illusion of the top bar's angle, but if you go by the bottom of the chassis, and the tops of the shock towers its pretty much level now.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk09.jpg


That helped my flex issue quite a bit, but I still need to dial out about an inch and a half with some fuel tubing on my shafts. I'm guesstimating about 1/4" on the front, and 1/2" in the back will get me right in the range.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk10.jpg


I made my under body antenna mount by drilling a 1/8" hole in the top bar of the motor's roll cage. I was pretty proud of it, but I needed just a drop of CA to secure it. A 7/16 hole might have been better to jam the tube in there.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk11.jpg


I had just snapped the Tmaxx shafts over the HPI drive pins, but I noticed the HPI ones are smaller and were creating slop. So I reamed out the hole of the HPI drive cup with a 1/8" drill bit, to use the Tmaxx drive pins, and its perfect now.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk12.jpg


I just got the wheels on for mock up. Still need to score some lead weights, and cut the foams before I glue them, but I did narrow up the set of stock WK wheels.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk13.jpg


Then finally the part that gets my panties in an uproar, test fitting the body. This is just a rough trim, still need to go over my edges with the dremel, at that point I'll open up the wheel wells more.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk14.jpg


Getting there, I'm gonna take it slower now that some of the excitement has worn off."thumbsup"

[danielk]

lookin good. i like your 40/60 style suspension. looks great and should perform well for using all stock parts pretty much. fuel tubing will work perfect to tone down that flex. the body looks great on there btw.

[AMorgan]

Lookin good, those things are scary with only a few mods.

[SkwerlB8]

good lookin truck..cant wait to see the body painted up an slapped on! I've got a similar set up (60/40) on my wk..but im having issue with shocks..cant seem to get a decent flex when crawlin. Any suggestions? Shocks are mounted stock position..but are maxx fatbodies.

[SACCO]

~60/40 here too. You rig is lookin really good.

[yarddog35]

Good lookin wk, the body looks just right on there.

Not trying to jack this thread but to answer SkwerlB8's question the maxx shocks are shorter than the stockers so mounted in the stock position makes you lose travel and articulation.

[crazydave]

Thanks for the positive feedback. I was hoping to have some more progress shots for you guys after the weekend, but I spent all weekend limiting the suspension, getting the body trimmed just right, and getting it masked up to paint. Just got the first few coats laid, and I have to say, its gonna be good."thumbsup"


Still need to cut my tire foams and weight my wheels. With the weights my wife brought home for me, I'm looking at 56gm-front, 28-rear, or should I do 49-front, 35-rear? Any recommendations?

My new servo should be here today. (Thanks SG) I also picked up a 15 tooth pinion to tide me over until I get a lathe motor, but I think I need a bigger spur.:???:


Soon very soon.... I don't have the patience for this kind of stuff. :lol:

[Shaun]

I had a 14t pinion and had to dremel the motor mount. worked great after that.

[getbent]

Starting to look really good! It's nice to see someone take others advice and use it instead of getting all wadded because they think they know everything. The pic you posted isn't too bad as far as flex goes, you could wheel it like that and probably never have an issue, but it sounds like you already tweaked it some more. Remember, he said a little MORE than a pop can, so don't limit it too much! Too little articulation is also bad, play with it some and you'll find that sweet spot. Everything else is looking great, nice work with using mostly stock WK parts. Now let's see that body painted. "thumbsup"

[scaryclownguy]

Yep that looks good. I hope that that I can take the advice I see in this forum half as well as it looks like you are

[admiket]

Sorry guys, I guess I jumped the gun on that one. I'm not used to playing the role of the newb, so you guys will just have to bear with me. :lol:

I got a little excited when I got it together, and got a little ahead of myself, but I've been refining it over the week. In retrospect the travel on those Savage shocks was ridiculous. I solved my problem by simply putting the stock WK shafts in the Savage bodies. I didn't realize how much higher the back was sitting, but it seems to be sitting level now. I was being thrown off by the optical illusion of the top bar's angle, but if you go by the bottom of the chassis, and the tops of the shock towers its pretty much level now.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk09.jpg


That helped my flex issue quite a bit, but I still need to dial out about an inch and a half with some fuel tubing on my shafts. I'm guesstimating about 1/4" on the front, and 1/2" in the back will get me right in the range.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk10.jpg


I made my under body antenna mount by drilling a 1/8" hole in the top bar of the motor's roll cage. I was pretty proud of it, but I needed just a drop of CA to secure it. A 7/16 hole might have been better to jam the tube in there.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk11.jpg


I had just snapped the Tmaxx shafts over the HPI drive pins, but I noticed the HPI ones are smaller and were creating slop. So I reamed out the hole of the HPI drive cup with a 1/8" drill bit, to use the Tmaxx drive pins, and its perfect now.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk12.jpg


I just got the wheels on for mock up. Still need to score some lead weights, and cut the foams before I glue them, but I did narrow up the set of stock WK wheels.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk13.jpg


Then finally the part that gets my panties in an uproar, test fitting the body. This is just a rough trim, still need to go over my edges with the dremel, at that point I'll open up the wheel wells more.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk14.jpg


Getting there, I'm gonna take it slower now that some of the excitement has worn off."thumbsup"
what body is that

[daven75]

i think its the chevy SSR body by hot body's

[Shaun]

Its definitely not the SSR

[crazydave]

The pic you posted isn't too bad as far as flex goes, you could wheel it like that and probably never have an issue, but it sounds like you already tweaked it some more. Remember, he said a little MORE than a pop can, so don't limit it too much! Too little articulation is also bad, play with it some and you'll find that sweet spot.Yeah, I realized it didn't have to be exactly pop can height, or at least that what I kept telling myself when shimming the shock shafts didn't help as much as I'd would have liked. It get about an inch above the can before the rear wheel lifts, I think that's good enough.


what body is thatIts a Proline Early 50s Chevy truck body. Part # 3106-01

I thought it might be fun to go with one of those SSR bodies, but decided to stick with something that would have came with a straight axle under it.:lol:


Updates? Sorry it took me so long. I've had the body painted for days now, but I was having issues cutting my tire foams. I tried to do the star cut on my foams, but got halfway through the first one, and realized I was wrecking it. Me and tire foams just do not get along. So I tacked it back together, and made mental note to get some softer foams I wont have to cut next time. I just did my usual cut I always did on my stadium truck tires to give them more sidewall bite, but in this case I think it just help them fit over the narrowed wheels better, since they suck in the tires sidewall.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk15.jpg


SG hooked me up with this TowerPro MG945.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk17.jpg

Its a little noisy, but its plenty torquey enough that when I tested it, it took about 10 minutes to yank the self tapping screw out of the steering bell crank. I just drilled it out and did the ol' 4-4o screw and locknut thing. It should be fine now.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk18.jpg


I took shaun's advice and just dremeled out the motor plate to let me use the 15 tooth pinion. he never mentioned having to take out the top of the tranny, but I got it. Just had to shave a little bit off. I like the extra power. It snaps when it takes off now.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk16.jpg


... and now the part I've been waiting for. Introducing:
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk19.jpg

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk20.jpg

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk21.jpg

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk22.jpg

I had intended to do hot rod flames, but at the last minute decided to challenge myself and do something based off the decals that came with the body, and I don't know, I guess it came out pretty good, but I wish I just stuck with the hot rod flames.


I'm gonna play with it for a few days, and maybe try to get some video this weekend.

[getbent]

Looks GREAT!!! The body turned out killer too. This should be an awesome first crawler to get you really hooked into the crawler world. Shows how well the WK can be modded into a crawler using stock parts with a little fabwork.Once again, great job. How ya liking it so far?

[crazydave]

How ya liking it so far?Well, I just got it together and still need to get it out to do some serious playing with it, but so far with the testing I've done along the way, I think I like it a lot more than I expected. I've always been a go fast and jump kind of guy, so its taking me some getting used to slowing down, but I think I'm going to enjoy this. I definitely enjoyed the build. "thumbsup"

[Shaun]

Looking great.

[scaryclownguy]

That paint job looks real good!

[crazydave]

Welp, just when you think you got it all together, you find another issue to deal with. :roll:

A friend pointed out it yanked that screw out of the bellcrank because it had too much throw, and that people with WKs have smoked their digtal servos like that. He suggested using my Iwaver radio with EPA, but I just used the steering D/R to cut out that extra throw. Seems good now. Didn't care much for that HPI Tx anyways. "thumbsup"

When I was adjusting it, and watching the bellcrank real close, I noticed how much the bellcrank mount actually flexes. Probably soaking up all the extra power from the servo. I'm gonna see if I can figure out how to brace that up, tomorrow.

[SkwerlB8]

Looks great..although as far as i understand this hobby..they're never really finished? i know im still working on mine as i play with it :)

[SACCO]

I think there is a cnc one floating around on the bay.

[crawler_king]

Hey Crazy Dave,
I may not be the prettiest but you may want to switch to an OTA servo mount.. I had the same kind of setup When I first stretched my WK.. Also Kreepys Links for the shock and lower link mounts are killer!! I didnt notice anyone else saying anything about the M2K's that you are running, but if you swap them around and run them backwards it'll give you alot more bite on the rocks... At least it does here in western PA.. Also the Axial Lizards are great on straight up rock, without alot of edges... Not knowing the terrain that you are running on I dont know if they would be a benifit to you.
On the foam inserts, I cut mine in half so that I got double the amount of inserts then cut a cog wheel pattern into the ones in my M2ks and just used half of the stock foam in my Lizards..
The body looks awsome!!

[shierkahn]

I'm new to this also, I'm thinking I'm gonna get me one of these. I love the paint job!! Looks AWSOME!!! "thumbsup"

[curdogexpress]

That thing i really alsome dude great work!

[JavelinSST390]

Man, that truck is SHARP! Was stretching the rear more than the front the only way to fit that body on there? Or did you do it that way more for trail ability? I only ask because I REALLY like that body, but I prefer a more "equal" looking stretch. (just a looks thing, that's all.)

[crazydave]

Hey thanks for the compliments guys, they are appreciated.:D

I think there is a cnc one floating around on the bay.Are talking about the bellcrank itself, or the mount that is part of the piece that the upper link attaches to? Because I did a search on ebay and around the net, and found Integy, and HR both make the bell crank, but couldn't find the mount I'm looking for. If someone made that. I'd be all over it.

Hey Crazy Dave,
I may not be the prettiest but you may want to switch to an OTA servo mount.. I had the same kind of setup When I first stretched my WK.. Also Kreepys Links for the shock and lower link mounts are killer!! I didnt notice anyone else saying anything about the M2K's that you are running, but if you swap them around and run them backwards it'll give you alot more bite on the rocks... At least it does here in western PA.. Also the Axial Lizards are great on straight up rock, without alot of edges... Not knowing the terrain that you are running on I dont know if they would be a benifit to you.
On the foam inserts, I cut mine in half so that I got double the amount of inserts then cut a cog wheel pattern into the ones in my M2ks and just used half of the stock foam in my Lizards..
The body looks awsome!!Judging by your mention of the cosmetic aspect, I'm guessing you might have realized the scale looks of the WK's chassis and wheels was a major attraction for me. I thought I'd try it this way, but I'm quickly seeing the benifits of doing it that way. If I get more serious about this, or if I have one more problem, I'll probably be moving it to the axle.:lol:

I was kinda waiting for someone to say something about the direction of the tires. I'm almost embarrassed to admit I haven't taken it out of the house in over a week (working out kinks), and they get too grabby on the carpet reversed. I'll be reversing them when I hit the rocks.

Man, that truck is SHARP! Was stretching the rear more than the front the only way to fit that body on there? Or did you do it that way more for trail ability? I only ask because I REALLY like that body, but I prefer a more "equal" looking stretch. (just a looks thing, that's all.)Nah this was just my way of trying to keep the tranny up higher than others I've seen. If you want the body to fit you just need to stretch it to an 11.5" wheelbase. I just went with 12" because every aspect of this truck is a compromise between scale and performance.

Ok now here's the update. I borrowed a couple ideas from crawler_king. I just flipped the axles over to make them work in reverse. Had to swap the hubs on the ends to keep the angles right, but it was relatively simple to figure out, and I feel a lot better about doing that, than swapping my motor wires, as I had done.

A nice little side effect is that I had to shave a tad off the bellcrank mount to match up with the new angle on the side of the pumpkin, with the axle flipped. Which braces it up solid on one side.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk23.jpg

Still had to brace up the other side a bit,
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk26.jpg

...but it don't flex now. Took me less than 5 minutes to do this:
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk27.jpg

That was an easy fix, I just filled it with glue. Its solid now. I ran down the remainder of the pack without any problems. So hopefully I got it.

Another idea I borrowed from crawler_king was his positioning of the rear lock out.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk24.jpg

I guess right after I did this, he had a problem with the screw bending. I don't quite remember exactly how he mounted his, but this feels really solid to me. I just used Traxxas ball joints, and I had a couple long screws left over from something. I think from when I took the wheelie bar off. I actually had to shave a couple millimeters off the end to let them screw in all the way. So they're in there pretty good, but my favorite part is how it cleans up the looks of the rear end.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk25.jpg


I had read a bunch of stuff where people were using 2/3A cells. So I borrowed the pack from my RC18 to try that out. Packed it in there with some cut up tire foam.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk28.jpg

Oh man, that has to have been the one thing that made the most drastic effect on this truck more than anything. I could feel in my hand how much lower the center of gravity is now. It wanted to pull my wrist side to side before, but now it feels totally stable. Though I can't say that made it any easier to keep it on its wheels, because it got crazy quick all of sudden. I was afraid the smaller cells would have less punch, but I could hear off the ground the motor just sounded faster. I knew the stock HPI cells were kinda lame, but, yeah, they're real cheapies. Its a hell of lot more fun now, and it has a lot more power with less throttle input. I think it'll be better if I practice a little throttle control.


Its been a long work week, I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed early because I can't wait to give it a good working over in the morning."thumbsup"

[lesannatrevor]

After reading your thread I did a little searching and found this. I believe this is the piece you are looking for.

http://rc4wdstore.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_71&products_id=628

Hope this helps.

Trev

[drumbeater]

I made my under body antenna mount by drilling a 1/8" hole in the top bar of the motor's roll cage. I was pretty proud of it, but I needed just a drop of CA to secure it. A 7/16 hole might have been better to jam the tube in there.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk11.jpg

The only thing I see that I`ed change is the way you wrap the antenna wire, when their wrap around metal it might make it glitch

[crawler_king]

Hey Crazy I had actually hooked up my rear lockouts to the central screw, as opposed to the two lower upper link mounts as you did, I had both lockouts stressing one screw as opposed to each one working one screw. Also I think the screw that I had originally used was like and inch and a 1/4 or so.. I just replaced it with a 3/4 of an inch screw and a shorter spacer, it seems to work fine, I had it out friday with no problems....
Looking good!

[crazydave]

After reading your thread I did a little searching and found this. I believe this is the piece you are looking for.

http://rc4wdstore.com/product_info.php?cPath=1_71&products_id=628

Hope this helps.

TrevHey, thanks for finding that for me. That's exact;y what I wanted. "thumbsup"

Only thing is now that my braced up one is holding up, the bellcrank seems to be developing a bit of slop, so I think I'm actually gonna replace that first now. :lol:


The only thing I see that I`ed change is the way you wrap the antenna wire, when their wrap around metal it might make it glitchSorry, don't mean to contradict you, but its not wrapped around metal. The WKs chassis is plastic. This is a little close to the motor for my taste, but it works and that's what matters. I'm a crawler newb, but I've been around RCs for many many years. ;)




Ok, update time... bashed it around all weekend around the apartment complex, and it held up extremely well. Just had a couple minor issues in the beginning, then it was good for the rest of the weekend.

After less that 10 minutes, I stripped the teeth out of the input of the servo saver. I just gave it a couple coats of superglue, so I had to jam it on the servo, and it works fine now.

The other issue is kind of a non issue. It was getting high centered at first, I made mental note I needed to put a bend in the linkage, but when I brought it in to fix the servo saver issue, I had discovered that one of the linkages had already bent, so I just bent the other to match. I broke out with a ruler and got it all evened out since I took this pic, but you get the idea.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk29.jpg

I would have put the bend closer to the axle, but that's where the curb decided to put it, and if the curb wants it bent, the curb gonna bend it where it wants. :lol:


Ironically I was watching HorsepowerTV or one of those Powerblock shows yesterday, and they were talking about brake line. I guess there's stainless steel hard line that needs a tube bender to be bent, then there's soft line that can be bent by hand. Judging by how easy this was to bend, I think they stuck me with the soft stuff. I just asked for "Stainless steel brake line", I guess I got to be more specific next time.


And then finally, the best part, I got video.8)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zodpWt53YPk

[drumbeater]

Sorry, don't mean to contradict you, but its not wrapped around metal. The WKs chassis is plastic. This is a little close to the motor for my taste, but it works and that's what matters. I'm a crawler newb, but I've been around RCs for many many years. ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zodpWt53YPk
Sorry, I didn`t know the chassis was made of plastic. I`ve only bought the axles by themselves

[crazydave]

Sorry, I didn`t know the chassis was made of plastic. I`ve only bought the axles by themselves
Its cool. I appreciate you trying to help. "thumbsup"

[EMX5636]

Not to add to the noob questions, but what benefits do you get with flipping the axles? I want to rotate the chassis, and extend the wheelbase to approx 12". I want a fairly capable crawler, but I still want to be able to bash the truck on jumps and stuff without bending/breaking things. Thanks,

Justin W

[crazydave]

Flipping the axles just makes it run in reverse as opposed to switching the motor wires to get the same outcome. I've never had a problem running motors in reverse, but many will tell you its not a good idea. I believe because of the angle of the brushes it may cause excessive brush wear. At any rate I felt more secure just flipping the axles.

[Hurley0706]

Looks like you have a real nice rig going. Nice and clean.

What is the gauge of the wire on your RC18 pack?

Getting the servo down on the axle will give you even better performance.

Best looking stock chassis'd Wheely Kings I have seen IMO.

Looks like you did your research"thumbsup"

[crazydave]

Looks like you have a real nice rig going. Nice and clean.

What is the gauge of the wire on your RC18 pack?

Getting the servo down on the axle will give you even better performance.

Best looking stock chassis'd Wheely Kings I have seen IMO.

Looks like you did your research"thumbsup"Thanks for the positive feedback.8)

The gauge of the wire on the RC18 pack? Way too small. :lol:
Seriously, I believe it is 22 gauge, which is too small for 1/10th scale, but they do punch better than the stock pack, so I left them in, for now. I'd like to eventually give the RC18 its battery back. I'm planning to get some KAN cells, and build a couple of my own packs. I have some 14 gauge Novak stuff I'll use for that. Lots of things I want for it, tight on money at the moment though. :sad:


I did do my research, but I also had a couple friends that gave me some one on one time. That helped quite a bit, but of coarse I like to think I brought some of my own experience to this project. :lol:

[crazydave]

Just didn't like the paint job. Had to redo it. I'm not sure it was worth my effort, but at least I think it looks cleaner."thumbsup"


http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/normal_wk31.jpg
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/normal_wk32.jpg

[karlos]

The flame job looks beautiful!:shock:

[crazydave]

The flame job looks beautiful!:shock:Thank you. I'm satisfied."thumbsup"
Since I'm lacking in funds for the goodies I want, I decided to improve on the cosmetic aspect of the chassis this weekend. Painted the frame rails with some Metal Flake Blue lacquer. Then I made some side plates from plastic backed with Spaz Stix chrome, and attached them with some screws from the Micro-T screw set.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk33.jpg

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk34.jpg

I'm really happy with the way it came out, because I think the side plates really add to the scale looks, and I dig how its all chrome sticking out from the bottom of the body, and then you can see some blue up in the wheel wells.

[crazydave]

Hey guys. Haven't kept this thread up because I didn't want to be replying to myself. I realize though my last couple post were cosmetic things, and I guess this isn't the forum for that. So I'll give it one more try now that I have some meat to add.

I had got a 45-turn Integy motor, and some Maximizer diff locks. That really made a huge difference in how my truck performs, and how I drive it. Its a lot slower, and makes a lot wider turns. My servo still has extra throw on it, but it seems the only thing stopping it are the axles. I'm wondering if CVDs would help. I also stuck more weight in the wheels. I just put a 3oz strip in each front wheel, and another 28gm in the rears, getting them up to 56gm each.

Recently I had a chance to take it along on a family outing to Papago park, and get it on "Hole In The Rock"

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/papago.jpg


It took a beating out there. Several 10ft tumbles. My mom was off with my camera most of the time, but I managed to salvage a couple little clips, to give just a taste of of the fun I had.
http://crazydavegraphics.com/images/wk1.wmv

I broke a couple ball links, but those were quick fixes, my day ended a little early, when I broke a 4-40 rod in the rear.

I finally got it back together earlier this week. I threaded a piece of 4-40 rod into a ball link and tweaked at it with a pair of pliers. I found they really shouldn't have snapped. They'll bend and twist long before they break. Judging by where mine broke I determined I wasn't getting enough threads into it. So I had to make all new linkages. I purposely made them longer, because I'll probably decide to put a bend in them.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk35.jpg

That should be more solid now. The steering has held up fine, but the threaded rod got a little tweaked. So I put some 5/32nd aluminum tubing over it. Looks nice too.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk36.jpg


When I got home and started going over it, I realized I broke the 4-40 rod in the rear, because the upper link had snapped. I was afraid just extending that 3rd link would be a weak point. So I went ahead and did the four link thing. I was wary of doing it before, because the upper link fits inside the hole, making the hole slightly over sized. These neat little brass spacers that come with the Dubro links solved that.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk37.jpg

They fit perfectly in the hole
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk38.jpg

I'm glad I did it, it looks a lot better, and feels a lot more solid. That little metal bracket should be pretty tough, took me about 4-5 hours, two tries, and a hole in my finger to cut and drill it. I also used some more of that aluminum tubing on the rear steering lockouts, just because it looks nice.
http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk39.jpg

And then just because the details have changed, one more vanity shot.

http://bitpimps.lixlink.com/pages/phpGallery/albums/userpics/10007/wk40.jpg

[karlos]

That's a nice looking truck you got there. I like the paint and especially the way you locked out the rear axle. I'll be stealing that idea from you for sure. The "Hole In The Rock" looks like a very cool place to crawl. Unfortunately nothing like that around here.

[DENNO]

Nice build. I just got mine and when I extended the wb I also flipped the axle mountso my shocks are moved and i was able to fit my servo mount without hitting anything. I like your antenna idea and may use it for mine.:lol:

[crazydave]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the compliments. Feel free to use any ideas I had, but I'll tell you I borrowed that rear steering lockout from crawler_king, even though I did it slightly different. That's what great about forums, people can build off of other people's ideas. "thumbsup"

[LST022752]

Looks good. Great job on both bodies.

[kurtz49]

Hey CD, did you have to prep the WK frame in order to paint it? Or did you just paint right over the chrome finish?

Awesome ride btw.

[SnoopMaxx]

Wow loads of ideas spinning around in my head after seeing how you
painted the frame "thumbsup""thumbsup""thumbsup"

Nice work ;-)

[ripper7777777]

Hey crazydave, I haven't been in the WK forum in a while, great looking rig, yea RCC is 90% performance, 9% bling and just to keep it interesting they throw in 1% BS.

You know sooner or later I'm going to get a HellCAT chassis under there, but go ahead a kick the snot out of that one for a while.

[crazydave]

Hey CD, did you have to prep the WK frame in order to paint it? Or did you just paint right over the chrome finish?

Awesome ride btw.I started to scuff it, but quickly realized how thin the chrome finish is. Since I was using a transparent metal flake color, and was too lazy to run to the store for a silver base coat, I just sprayed right over the chrome. Normally paint doesn't like to stick to chrome finishes, without some prep, but I guess this worked because its like a satin chrome.


@ripper, I haven't ruled your chassis out. My one gripe about how mine works right now is that the tranny hangs up on obstacles. I'm looking at your chassis, but you know I'm a DIY sorta guy too, so I'm still debating.:lol: