Tips and Tricks Thread
 

Alright, I think ill try to start an official one. Post your stuff here. I have none at the moment.

factory honcho bumper mod!!
 

ok here goes my first write up!!!Well on my honcho the bumper stuck out and was to low for my liking..the goal here was to get it alittle higher and back some for better approach angles..so on to the pics
http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1318225547

ok once you have the bumper removed you will see the crossmember that holds the bumper.remove the crossmember and then set it on top of the frame,as shown in the pic.now is the time to take your measurments or like me make a pattern with the holes in it for quick tranfer over to your bracket material.

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1318225517

you will notice that the frame has holes already in it for the factory crossmember location.you will use these to screw your bracket into.the top back holes i drilled out once both sides were screwed together.just make sure you cut the small (nipples) lol off of the factory crossmember to make it smooth for your bracket.

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1318225565

this little bit of moving changes the approach angle enough to have fun not worring about hitting the rocks with the bumper way before the tires get close

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1318225866

with the bumper mounted you can see the bumper ends are way above the tires

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1318227934

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...r/100_0798.jpg
a get campbell soup can worth of clearance with this mod..

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...r/100_0802.jpg
this is the finished project..it pulls the bumper in and up and for crawling this will help...

http://i1116.photobucket.com/albums/...r/100_0797.jpg
well guys this is my tip hope it helps someone else.i realized i needed to take more pics but next time i will improve..thanks and enjoy

what did you make the bracket out of? would styrene hold up?

cut the spacers that hold the battery tray up in half so the batt. sits lower.

I thought about doing that, the only thing that I saw was that you had to watch out how low you got it if you have the box in the stock location.

i used some spare electrical boxes that i had from wiring my building up!!! just make sure you have a happy medium between sturdy and flexiable..you dont want it to break if its to hard and not so flexiable that it will just move around with slight pressure..."thumbsup" hope this helps

also you can take the bumpstops off your shocks for more articulation.they are rubber and you can slice them off with a razor blade pretty easy while they are still on the truck..i removed the tires to make it easyto get to.just reach in and pull the spring up from the bottom and slice the rubber and your done.set the spring back down in the spring cup...and your done except putting wheels and tires back on...lol"thumbsup"

Here is a picture of what this mod is describing...... "thumbsup"
http://nfbgwq.bay.livefilestore.com/...ren.JPG?psid=1

mine rests on the box and i see no problem, one of the best mods i did.

there is also-
weighting the wheels
4-linking the rear upper links
bump stops taken off (as mentioned)
MIP drive shafts
CVD front axle shafts
alum Knuckles and C-hubs

Yea resting on the box is perfect! I just wanted to make sure that ppl saw that it can't sit lower then the box, IF the box is still in that same stock location.

thank for the pic man glad someone else is taking pictures!!! lol:mrgreen:

and if you go much lower than the box your servo will hit the batt. plate at full flex.;-)

I know my post below is not a tip or trick but its stuff to get your scaler kickin good.

Mods that help and cost low amout of cash:
1) remove rubber bump stops
2) add sticky weights to inside of rims
3) locate as much weight over the front axle (battery, reciever, esc ect...)
4) remove the reciever box (hits upper links on a 4 link system)
5) for better clearance and aproach angles, take off the bumpers. Doesn't look to bad with dingo body.

Mods that cost:
1) get 2.2 tires at about 5.2" tall. They clear decent on the dingo w/out fender flares. Tires will run about $20-60
2)new high torque servo. Anywhere from $30-150
3)brushed waterproof esc from holmes hobby for $108
4)depending on if you want speed or crawlability, the motors gonna be from $30-80 (go holmes or go home) lol
5)if you want brushless you'll have to do your own waterproofing so I'm not goin into that.
6)transmiter...a lot of options but here are some. Spektrum dx3e 3ch (on budget) or the futaba 4pl. They are $100 or $200 but radios run between $30-a shat load
7)dig systems. VP is your best bet for $95
8)new gears for your axle like axials hd are about $30
9)new shocks like prolines are about $30-45 a pair
10)robinson racing trans gears.. about $60 for all 3
11)new drive lines mip, junfac, punisher run between $34-60 for both
12)new c hubs and nuckles. Axial high clearance with axial c hub will be your cheapest but nice at about $60 for all 4 items
13)better shaftes for axles. Axial universals are ok for $30 or super 300 which take mods are about $150
14) aluminum links and steering


I know I'm missing some stuff but that will get people goin

and this is how to take the shock apart
SCX10 shock disassembly.wmv - YouTube

then better yet, take the battery and mount it even lower like this by zip tieing the stock battery straps to your shock hoops"thumbsup" works pretty good and yes this mod works with 2.2 tires as you see here.
http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/HPIM1233.jpg
with 2.2's
http://i978.photobucket.com/albums/a...9/HPIM1262.jpg

Heres a quick easy one. Turning the motor/tranny center plate 180 degrees. Ive noticed alot less torque twist after doing that.

Another cheap on is a BEC ie Castle Creations. Powers up the reciever and servo's from the battery pack.

yes i've noticed a difference too.. cuts the torque twist in half..


another one is even though its not free but getting an esc with drag brake makes crawling on rocks a helluva lot easier!!:mrgreen:

Cost: buy new metal rock rails that won't hang up as much as stock ones.

Free: modify the stock ones. I trimmed mine down to the first bar and flipped them over so they sit right at the bottom of my honcho body

I also removed the bump stops and was very pleased with the outcome.

I live in Utah and my honcho was shipped from California, so when it got here the tires were puffed up like balloons. I let the air out, added weights, and drilled a tiny hole in each rim (backside where you can't see it.) The hole allows air to escape so the tire can form around rocks for better bite. Also keeps your tire pressure from changing with the seasons.

When i was building my Kit i mirrored the Trans hey, good and easy mod"thumbsup"