Scocrawler's 2.2 sss-r

[Scocrawler]

Not sure this will truly count as a build thread, more of an Extreme Makeover Crawler edition. First a little bit of background... Bought a stock, used ax/10 18 months ago. And like most I crawled the crap out of it and mod'd as I went. Move the links inboard, 4-linked it. ESC, motor, xr steering, and so on. Well I Got the point to where I felt it was time to get more serious and step up a level. Always considered it a budget build but not sure I can any more. Here are a few pics of its' evolution.

[Scocrawler]

Here is a fast run down.

BWD SSS-R

CC Sv2 ESC

HH 35t Torque master sport

3s g-force lipos

UD/OD gears

Xr chubs and knuckles

Creation Fab splined tubes

Crawler Innovations DD foams f&r

Hot Bodies Rovers (white dot)

Stampede shafts

Stock rims but narrowed

Stock Trans

Flysky gt3t

CC BEC

Hitec 7950 (Man I hope my past servo woes are over)

Parma X-citer (self painted please be kind)

Gunnar mounts

Well I am sure I am forgetting a few things but this is where I am at now. Still awaiting a couple items. Will post more pics soon

[Scocrawler]

I got my chassis a couple days ago (thanks Don for making it happen! ). Now that I really see how the chassis gets its flex I am concerned about using the Gunnar mounts. Appears they will make the chassis really ridged and not allow much suspension movement. Anybody tried to use Gunnar mounts on an SSS-R that is not sprung? Anyway on to the pics!!

Oh and as always any input is appreciated

[Gfresh]

I just finished my SSS-R build a few weeks back, comped with it a week or so ago - it did ok for a first outing - performing along side the usual xr10 and bergs (ran it in 2.2 pro class (or whatever its called)).

Points worth considering with this chassis:
It needs to flex and articulate freely, check for ANy points where the links touch etc. I filed and sanded the links at various points. 1mm shaved here and there really frees up the chassis. (any binds will stop the flex and result in a wheel lifting earlier than expected). I had issues with the rear upper links' rod end at the axle palte would bind well before max articulation - used bent rod ends and a bit of filing to sort.
Weight - I initially built my rig to 3.9lbs (ncie and light), but this was too light for the torsion chassis. I found it needed 2oz on each rear wheel and about 3oz on each front (thats jus my build, each is different of course)!
Go easy when driving,. This rig can easily wrap itself up in a tight bind, delrin is strong and able to bend, but tight binds can stress the chassis to the edge. It teaches you to drive the courses to your chassis, planning ahead a little and knowing when to back off, On the plus side, the bendy chassis will "pop" out of some binds (between rocks etc) due to it ability to bend a little, where a rigid chassis may not do so.

Tuning of the chassis is easy but a tad confusing. Try to find a good balance, then fine tune with weights. The BWD setup instructions on the site are pretty close I would say.

My build is only amaature and now way the best, so take my words with a pinch of salt!
heres alink to my build on our UK site, it may give you ideas of things to do/not do with this chassis. (or you can laugh at my efforts - I dont mind!)

(GFresh) Gavin's new build. - 2.2 Crawler Builds - rccrawling.co.uk

Have fun with the superb SSS-R, its a funky alternative choice. I look forward to updates on your pages.

[Scocrawler]

Originally Posted by Gfresh

I just finished my SSS-R build a few weeks back, comped with it a week or so ago - it did ok for a first outing - performing along side the usual xr10 and bergs (ran it in 2.2 pro class (or whatever its called)).

Points worth considering with this chassis:
It needs to flex and articulate freely, check for ANy points where the links touch etc. I filed and sanded the links at various points. 1mm shaved here and there really frees up the chassis. (any binds will stop the flex and result in a wheel lifting earlier than expected). I had issues with the rear upper links' rod end at the axle palte would bind well before max articulation - used bent rod ends and a bit of filing to sort.
Weight - I initially built my rig to 3.9lbs (ncie and light), but this was too light for the torsion chassis. I found it needed 2oz on each rear wheel and about 3oz on each front (thats jus my build, each is different of course)!
Go easy when driving,. This rig can easily wrap itself up in a tight bind, delrin is strong and able to bend, but tight binds can stress the chassis to the edge. It teaches you to drive the courses to your chassis, planning ahead a little and knowing when to back off, On the plus side, the bendy chassis will "pop" out of some binds (between rocks etc) due to it ability to bend a little, where a rigid chassis may not do so.

Tuning of the chassis is easy but a tad confusing. Try to find a good balance, then fine tune with weights. The BWD setup instructions on the site are pretty close I would say.

My build is only amaature and now way the best, so take my words with a pinch of salt!
heres alink to my build on our UK site, it may give you ideas of things to do/not do with this chassis. (or you can laugh at my efforts - I dont mind!)

(GFresh) Gavin's new build. - 2.2 Crawler Builds - rccrawling.co.uk

Have fun with the superb SSS-R, its a funky alternative choice. I look forward to updates on your pages.

Thanks for the advice And I will for sure check out your thread! My rig used to weigh 5.75 lb I hope to shed a pound but I am not going for all out weigh loss. But really I have no idea where it will end up. Hope to know soon though.

I did come up with a way to run the Gunnar body mounts without binding up the chassis. Hope the pics show how it works. I used a few "L" brackets with a nylon washer between them and left the bolt that holds the "L" brackets together a little loose so the brackets could swivel on each other then ran the cross bar per normal. I know it is not the sexiest set up but looks like it will do what I need.

[Gfresh]

Cool idea on the gunnar mount, mounts!
Keep an eye on the flex, mine likes to really distort the whole chassis, it feels like any binding at all, limits the movement and articulation - to the point where my shell affects the cycling of the suspension and articulation (I mounted my shell using the SSS-R side beams predrilled holes (fitted body posts to these points)).

other:
In a bid to lower COG, I found I could lower the tranny down into the skid plate by about 1/8" (I pocketed the skid using my (t)rusty old pillar drill and an end mill bit)).

Also, I found the chassis takes a while to bed in. First built it is a bit stiff and springy, after a few hours use it "relaxes" a little and seems to work even better.

[Scocrawler]

Thanks! Yeah I was surprised at how much the whole chassis flexes. My original plan was to just bolt the Gunnar mounts in like you would a sprung chassis but quickly realized that would lock the chassis up solid. The set up I have on it now really is smooth but I imagine it will wear down the nylon washers pretty fast, time will tell. Got the electronics mounted up earlier today but was sort of a rush job at work. Not real happy with it. May have to de-case and smash them but that will mean I can't run for long periods at a time like a do now. Tough call though. I want it to perform like a comp rig and still crawl for 90 minutes straight.

Seeing how I have been waiting for funds, parts, build time, and without another crawler for a month or so now I am ready to put it together and get some scratches on this thing!

[Scocrawler]

Ok, got this thing rtr and set it on the scale and was a bit bummed. 5lb 4oz just seems heavy still. Nearly half of that weight is in the rims and tires. 2lb 8oz. I will shorten some bolts and wires, move the electronics lower if I can , and pull some weight out of the tires and see what happens.

For those who are still running weighted rims and tires how much does your set weigh?

I have some knuckle weights that I am making out of an old Ford Pilot bushing but they only weigh 2oz each. More on those later.

On a side note the chassis has no issue with flex at this weight

[Scocrawler]

Well got the crawler back out on the rocks. Right off the bench it is as good as the old set up was tuned. My bracket for the Gunnar mount rubbed on the spur gear when fully flexed out. But otherwise it was a great maiden voyage. Of course as soon as I got home I decided it was time to de-case the ESC and get the electronics off of the tranny. Hoping if I get the CG a bit lower and a bit forward I can yank some weight out of the front tires and lighten this thing up some. A few pics of it as is.

[Scocrawler]

Short update, I shaved the sides of the tires like the cool kids do, Moved all my electronics forward and off the top of the transmission, I also took all the weight out of the front tires and put my knuckle weights on. I need to re work my knuckle weights though, they wiggled and backed out the lower knuckle screw so back to the drawing board on those. Plus they were not heavy enough to keep the front end planted on the bigger climbs. I took out about 10oz of wheel weight, knuckle weights were 4oz, weight of electronics forward was not as balanced of a move as I hoped. Did have the rig down to 4.75lbs though. I put 4oz back into each front tire and headed out this morning to see how it does. Need more build time to knock out something sexy for knuckle weights. Did also get a Dub Topper for it. The plan is to run the body only during comps and the week or so leading up to it. Comps are so rare in my area I just can't see beating up the body for nothing.