Help me setup for competition

[bigemike]

OK guys I am new to crawling but a veteran r/c guy. I want the ultimate comp scx10.

Here is what I have done so far, first I bought a rtr Honcho because that was all that was available.

Installed:
Mamba max pro full drag brake, instant reverse - no timing
castle 10amp bec
Upgraded servo (not great but better than stock)
added alum horn
3s 3200mah battery
17.5 novak ss motor - lowered the timing for more torque
Pitbull tires on axial beadlock rims on the front I added 3.5oz of weight to each front wheel I also added vent holes to the wheels. They hook up great

I left the stock wheels on the back so it gave me some front overdrive which helped with steering, this happened because one of the back rims was missing a bead lock ring

removed the shock bump stops

All in all it is quite capable but I am occasionally ripping a rear axle out

I also bought the axial high clearance steering blocks, but couldn't get them installed I need some new hardware for the steering links.

And I have some left over mip axial ax10 cvd's I am going to try, if they break I will get something else.

Ordered today
upgraded steering link setup Axial brand
1980 chevy proline truck body
hardware from mcmaster carr to upgrade my steering links and suspension
4mm and 8-32 threaded rod and revo rod ends, also delrin covers
ace ds1015 servo, its a monster and I know I like them
overdrive front heavy duty gear set (underdrive for the rear is out of stock)
mip center drivershafts
softer sprngs


Here are my questions:

What length links do I want? What is the best setup I can see I need to raise the pinion out of the axle it seems low to me.

What else do I need to upgrade?

What is the best setup on these stock shocks?

Help me out, I want the best scaler I can build.

[stanmondz]

looks like your on the right path.
iv never comped my trucks,but from what iv read scale comping relies a lot on the look of the truck. judges want to see something you would see driving around town(1:1 style)
i suggest a cms steering set up. you can build your own using stock parts and some of the link materials you got coming,or spend the money on a pre fab setup.
working lights,and interior.
maybe some rc4wd scale shocks with boots. white shocks and red boots look like rancho shocks,you can get tiny rancho stickers to put on em
a winch and some random scale tid bits.you can buy accessories or build stuff, you'd be surprised at what a trip to home depot,or a craft store can net you

i would hit ebay and find a clod grill for your chevy body. i put one in my 80 blazer and it made it 100X better lookin
before


after clod grill

got to have mud flap girls too

[bigemike]

No I am not looking for scale realism advice. I am looking for rock climbing performance advise. Where I will be running it is all about performance.

[yjbrad]

Traxxas big bore T-maxx shocks with SCX-10 springs

[Meatwad]

Originally Posted by bigemike

... Here are my questions:

What length links do I want? What is the best setup I can see I need to raise the pinion out of the axle it seems low to me.

What else do I need to upgrade?

What is the best setup on these stock shocks?

Help me out, I want the best scaler I can build.

Link length is all up to you and wheelbase desired, longer upper links will point the pinion up a little higher.

Other than that looks like a good start. Spring/shock setup really depends on chassis and wheel weight. Possibly changing up your electronics placement for better cog/weight bias and just driving to see what breaks first

Originally Posted by bigemike

No I am not looking for scale realism advice. I am looking for rock climbing performance advise. Where I will be running it is all about performance.

Copy/pasted from SORRCA rulebook:
"• Chassis mounted steering servo: -5 (front)"

It is about scale comping, a cms setup right will have the same performance as an axle mounted servo

[Armistice]

You might want to go look at the rulebook for what class you want to run and see what they require. If you want more points, you have to do it: 2012 SORCCA Scale Rules

For CMS, I'd say the RC4WD CMS. I'm using it and it seems to do pretty well. Very little body roll when turning, and a little bit of bumpsteer on compression. I've seen rigs with worse

[bigemike]

thanks for the feedback

[Perkolator]

Originally Posted by bigemike

All in all it is quite capable but I am occasionally ripping a rear axle out

what do you mean here?

i would just install all those parts you're ordering as well as install matching tires f/r, then just run it on a variety of terrains in order to obtain a baseline sense of the rig's capabilities and weaknesses. just changing the body might make a big enough difference in some area, who knows. tweak as you start to need a little more from the rig in certain areas, and make sure to test in between to see if it was a positive change. like others have said, a good place to start is by rearranging all your internal parts like battery and electronics placement for even better weight distribution.

also, next parts to order might be stuff not necessarily used for performance, but to beef things up to match your current upgrades - like metal tranny gears, axle parts like steering parts beef tubes, etc.

keep in mind though that the scx is still a SCALER and will never have the same performance as a true crawler setup, so there will always be some limitations to how much performance you're going to be able to get.

[bigemike]

thanks for the help I am going to do my upgrades and test them on friday / saturday and I am going to take it to its first comp on sunday

[jessejoe23]

You will need to upgrade your trans outputs.You'll find that once it hooks up really well your going to twist one of those outputs off.You really have several options to upgrade them. There is Robinson racing solid one piece output that has the gear built into it,there are several companies that make solid outputs that bolt up to the stock gear,or there is a homebrew version that involves 3/16 steel rod. Either way you will need one with the brushless motor in there.

[avanord]

I think that the most important upgrades to crawlability rely in a low cog and practice. Get your weight low and to the front. Then drive your truck. The more drive time you have the better you will do. You will start pulling lines that you never thought possible.