Capra America: A Super Build by SVT

[JSterrett]

Originally Posted by svt923

After installing many, many, 18mm screws, you end up with this.

Right? I don't even want to think about trying to build the cage with a manual driver, lol.

Originally Posted by svt923

Pretty sure it was Krylon. The can said "crystal clear" which was clearly (pun intended) a lie.

I've had Krylon get a little weird on lexan also. Not so much with the more opaque solid colors, but stuff with more clear for sure. Tamiya makes a PS Flat Clear, can't recall the actual number off the top of my head.

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[Topher Builds]

Originally Posted by JSterrett

Right? I don't even want to think about trying to build the cage with a manual driver, lol.

I did just that, it was not fun.

I also made the mistake of painting the interior last, had to undo a decent amount of work to get it in side the cage.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by wblteen

I'm thinking just the cover. I really like the truck. I only assembled one for my local HobbyTown so I don't own one, but this is my biggest issue with the truck.

Great build log so far, very entertaining and informational. Lol

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If there's an issue with the trans case I'd be surprised if Horizon doesn't revise it somewhere along the line. But it's still too early to tell if it's a common issue or a fluke.

Originally Posted by Topher Builds

I did just that, it was not fun.

I also made the mistake of painting the interior last, had to undo a decent amount of work to get it in side the cage.

Damn you must have arm pump! LOL I would, but I'm a pencil pusher. I prefer my Craftsman driver to arm pump.

[svt923]

I had an idea so brilliant that I needed to abandon making dinner to see if it would work and it did so I'm still ignoring the dinner that is likely burning at the moment to share.

I thought the transmission idler gear was rubbing on the gear cover and when I popped it off:



I was right.

No surprise there.

Now for the brilliant idea to fix it: shims.



These are 3x5x.1mm shims in the pocket where the idler gear shaft fits into the gear cover. The theory with placing the shims here is it effectively makes the shaft longer so it prevents the gear cover from being overtightened and rubbing the idler gear. I ended up installing 4 or 5 shims and voila, no more gear rub even with the cover fully tightened.

You may thank me for this moment of brilliance by sending pizza to make up for the dinner that died for this post to live.

[MaX-D]

Pizza is on its way, what's your address?

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[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by svt923

I had an idea so brilliant that I needed to abandon making dinner to see if it would work and it did so I'm still ignoring the dinner that is likely burning at the moment to share.



I thought the transmission idler gear was rubbing on the gear cover and when I popped it off:







I was right.



No surprise there.



Now for the brilliant idea to fix it: shims.







These are 3x5x.1mm shims in the pocket where the idler gear shaft fits into the gear cover. The theory with placing the shims here is it effectively makes the shaft longer so it prevents the gear cover from being overtightened and rubbing the idler gear. I ended up installing 4 or 5 shims and voila, no more gear rub even with the cover fully tightened.



You may thank me for this moment of brilliance by sending pizza to make up for the dinner that died for this post to live.

I really like the shim idea, and will give it a try, as I've done the same thing on certain race vehicles. But, I have an interesting question first, which I know it'll make sense to most. It looks like you used metal shims. Why not use Teflon shims, instead?

~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[svt923]

Originally Posted by MaX-D

Pizza is on its way, what's your address?

I’ll PM it to you.

Just make sure the pizza comes from a place run by a guy from NY or NJ. Since you’re in Florida, that should only cover 2/3 of the state’s population.

Originally Posted by Panther6834

I really like the shim idea, and will give it a try, as I've done the same thing on certain race vehicles. But, I have an interesting question first, which I know it'll make sense to most. It looks like you used metal shims. Why not use Teflon shims, instead?

The material of the shims is irrelevant since the idler gear shaft doesn’t spin and metal shims is what I had on hand. They only serve as a spacer to push the gear cover away from the idler gear.

[smog]

Fun build thread! My girlfriend regularly reminds me that I am a nerd, but thanks for confirming. I like the quality of your choices in electrics and upgrades, she’s gonna be a hot goat on the rocks

Thanks for pointing out some tolerance issues. Curious to see whether these consistently turn up in build threads

Cheers

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by svt923

I’ll PM it to you.



Just make sure the pizza comes from a place run by a guy from NY or NJ. Since you’re in Florida, that should only cover 2/3 of the state’s population.







The material of the shims is irrelevant since the idler gear shaft doesn’t spin and metal shims is what I had on hand. They only serve as a spacer to push the gear cover away from the idler gear.

Originally Posted by svt923

The material of the shims is irrelevant since the idler gear shaft doesn’t spin and metal shims is what I had on hand. They only serve as a spacer to push the gear cover away from the idler gear.

Understandable...but, doesn't that mean the idler gear is still up against the shim? While the gear shaft isn't spinning, the gear, itself, is. The metal-on-metal contact, with the idler gear is spinning, crates a lot of friction, thus heat. That's why, in my race vehicles, I use Teflon shims in areas like this.

~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[wblteen]

Originally Posted by Panther6834

Understandable...but, doesn't that mean the idler gear is still up against the shim? While the gear shaft isn't spinning, the gear, itself, is. The metal-on-metal contact, with the idler gear is spinning, crates a lot of friction, thus heat. That's why, in my race vehicles, I use Teflon shims in areas like this.

~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

No, the idler gear runs on bearings on the shaft. He is just making the shaft a touch longer with that shim. Nothing will be spinning against that shim, if it is, there are larger problems. Lol

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[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by wblteen

No, the idler gear runs on bearings on the shaft. He is just making the shaft a touch longer with that shim. Nothing will be spinning against that shim, if it is, there are larger problems. Lol

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You mean, beyond the other problems that already exist...lol

It's ok...I REALLY like this build, even when trying to figure out what's going on in the manual. I'm almost finished...completed everything though 'G', except installing the interior, which needs to be painted, and installing electronics.

~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Lashlee]

I'm digging the gold!

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by svt923

I had an idea so brilliant that I needed to abandon making dinner to see if it would work and it did so I'm still ignoring the dinner that is likely burning at the moment to share.

I thought the transmission idler gear was rubbing on the gear cover and when I popped it off:

I was right.

No surprise there.

Now for the brilliant idea to fix it: shims.

These are 3x5x.1mm shims in the pocket where the idler gear shaft fits into the gear cover. The theory with placing the shims here is it effectively makes the shaft longer so it prevents the gear cover from being overtightened and rubbing the idler gear. I ended up installing 4 or 5 shims and voila, no more gear rub even with the cover fully tightened.

You may thank me for this moment of brilliance by sending pizza to make up for the dinner that died for this post to live.

I thought about trying this, but I'm not convinced it solves the problem. The gear itself can still move freely and hit the cover, correct? I think we'd need another shim, like what is included in the kit, to prevent the gear from hitting the cover.

Is my thinking wrong?

Originally Posted by smog

Fun build thread! My girlfriend regularly reminds me that I am a nerd, but thanks for confirming.

Ha! I hear this all the time as well for playing with "tiny cars". I corrected her and told her they are "tiny trucks"!

[smog]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

Ha! I hear this all the time as well for playing with "tiny cars". I corrected her and told her they are "tiny trucks"!

that’s it man! A guys gotta stand up for himself...


...I mean c’mom, who knew growing up would be so hard...

[MaX-D]

Originally Posted by smog

that’s it man! A guys gotta stand up for himself...





...I mean c’mom, who knew growing up would be so hard...

Yeah, it's a rough life we all live isn't it? LOL

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[svt923]

Originally Posted by smog

Fun build thread! My girlfriend regularly reminds me that I am a nerd, but thanks for confirming. I like the quality of your choices in electrics and upgrades, she’s gonna be a hot goat on the rocks

Thanks for pointing out some tolerance issues. Curious to see whether these consistently turn up in build threads

Anytime you need external validation for the claims that you are a nerd, you know where to find me.

Originally Posted by wblteen

No, the idler gear runs on bearings on the shaft. He is just making the shaft a touch longer with that shim. Nothing will be spinning against that shim, if it is, there are larger problems. Lol

Exactly. With the few shims, the idler gear shaft now serves as a spacer to maintain the distance between the motor plate and the gear cover needed to allow the idler gear to rotate freely.

Originally Posted by Panther6834

Understandable...but, doesn't that mean the idler gear is still up against the shim? While the gear shaft isn't spinning, the gear, itself, is. The metal-on-metal contact, with the idler gear is spinning, crates a lot of friction, thus heat. That's why, in my race vehicles, I use Teflon shims in areas like this.

What wblteen said.

Originally Posted by Lashlee

I'm digging the gold!

It is more of a metallic orange, I'll see what I can do for some better pics.

I'm getting into the home stretch of this build so let's bring it home in style.

So we have taken our test subject, injected him with mega steroids, and now it is time to expose him to radiation in what will be either a magnificent success or horrible failure.

I do believe the last part to button up the chassis is to install the electronics/battery tray. This is my preferred electronics location because it allows the ESC and receiver to be removed together with 2 screws versus the rear bulkhead and fuel cell locations. The downside is the available space in this location but I had a good plan: a tiny ass ESC.



The good, old Tekin FXR is perfect for spinning the Holmes Crawlmaster Magnum and is super small. It is absolutely swimming in extra room on that electronics tray. The receiver is my favorite Futaba R204GF-E because it isn't too large and has no antenna to worry about. The Capra will be controlled by my Futaba 4PV because Harley uses one and he is my hero. That is either biting sarcasm or a deep internal truth, you decide.

We interrupt this update for an important announcement. It was at this point electronics were tested and I noticed the rubbing noise coming from the transmission. While it wasn't running too rough, it didn't sound good and felt like there was too much drag. I took the truck back apart, swapped the SSD overdrive gears for the stock gears and did the idler gear shaft shimming from my previous post. Once everything was back together, the drivetrain was 1000 times quieter and smoother. Also I stole a 12T pinion from another truck and installed it while I was in there. Now back to the build.

There isn't much left to do with the cage, lower assembly, and body panels complete so I guess it is a good time to introduce them.



I'm a fan but I was a fan from just the concept of this truck so I'm really a poor judge of these things.

Once change I made was to swap the stock hexes for Wraith style hexes. This gives me a tad more width for the wheels to clear the portals but mostly all the wheels I would run have hubs designed for the Wraith style hex. I know SLW hubs and the like work with the flat face hexes but I'm never happy with the space it leaves between the hex and the wheel nut.



The Wraith hexes are a direct fit, it just leaves a little space between the axle spacer and the hex. A couple 5x7mm shims will take care of that little bit of space but I ran out.

Now for a moment we all have been waiting for.

A decision we have all agonized over before

One of the great joys of any build thread.

Wheels and tires!

And the winner is:



Proline Krawlers on SSD Rock Racer wheels!

The SSD wheels were a simple choice because they look super appropriate for a rock buggy and I already had them. How can you go wrong with something that looks good and requires no money being spent? As for the tires, nothing could be more appropriate of a WERock unlimited class buggy than a set of BFG Krawlers and the Proline version also happens to be a damn good tire. These are the G8 versions stuffed with Proline dual stage foam.

So nice, even if pics of black wheels never come out good.



Oh, if you were curious, here are the stock wheels.



They seem nice enough for plastic wheels but we all know what everyone is going to do with them.

And we are mounted up.



Damn, I love this already. More pics!





I know everyone has been wondering what the ride height is like with the Dravtech shocks.



To me it is perfect, exactly what I had in mind when I ordered them. This is with the medium springs in case anyone wants to pick up a set for themselves.

The last thing I want to share is my choice of battery.



These are Helios 1500mah 3S packs in case the label wasn't enough of a clue. This bad boy is a crawler, lightweight packs are where it's at when the battery is the highest mounted piece of electrical equipment on the truck. 1500mah will be good for over an hour of driving easily.

Speaking of driving, this is now a functioning truck. I had the chance to drive it around my house for a bit and first thing you notice is the Holmes Crawlmaster Magnum is smooth as hell. Even with the relatively tall 36ish:1 gearing, this moves as slow molasses in a snow storm (it is October and it was 95* here yesterday, let me think about cold weather). The dig is functioning nicely. I have it set as a 2 point of locked and unlocked and it is obvious locking the rear is going to be fun.

And now our origin story is complete and our hero has been forged. Stay tuned for stories of his unending battles against the rocks!

[svt923]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

I thought about trying this, but I'm not convinced it solves the problem. The gear itself can still move freely and hit the cover, correct? I think we'd need another shim, like what is included in the kit, to prevent the gear from hitting the cover.

Is my thinking wrong?

Yes, I did stick another shim on the other side of the gear. Forgot about that part.

I think the shims at the end of the idler shaft would help either way. The idler may float over and make light contact with the gear cover but it is no longer being forcefully pressed into the gear case.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by svt923

Yes, I did stick another shim on the other side of the gear. Forgot about that part.

I think the shims at the end of the idler shaft would help either way. The idler may float over and make light contact with the gear cover but it is no longer being forcefully pressed into the gear case.

Let us know how it works!

[forty2]

I would definitely like to know how that 16T motor goes for you, I went with a 13T Crawlmaster and am finding it to be too fast. I'm changing motors for sure, just not settled yet on with what.

[themountain]

Originally Posted by svt923

...1500mah will be good for over an hour of driving easily.!

I have a 3500 mah 120C battery and get like 40 minutes out of it....max.