Subaru Impreza WRX SCX10

[DieCastoms]

Ok, so here's the craziness. Someone asked me to repair their kid's "EZTec" Subaru Impreza WRX toy RC car. It looks like it might have been a 'quick' car but I have no idea. I can tell you that it had no digital steering, and probably only fast forward and reverse for speeds, maybe fast and faster, and reverse. One of those ...

Anyways, the chassis was broken in several places (stepped on? crushed? dunno) and he had no radio or battery(ies) for it. Being a $30 - 40 car NEW, inluding the battery, charger, radio and radio batteries, I told him it was trash. He could buy new for less than all the parts he'd need, AND paying me to rebuild it.

So he said just trash it.

I kept the wheels for either the trailer or the weight transfer sled that I am (never) going to build, and I kept the body, and threw everything else in a box.

The body length is perfect, but the wheel base is not. Since I want to be able to easily drop the Honcho body back on this thing, I decided to cut the fenders instead of changing the links (especially since I am about to get custom Titanium links).

the rear arch looks and fits fine, now, but the front arch still has issues with the tire touching at the front, but only when compressed and turning toward the bumper. I am debating whether to cut it more, or leave it the way it is, as I was able to go everywhere I could with the Honcho body without the rub stopping me...

anyway, here's some action and I will post a link to the full album at the end. P.S. As is my way, any shot that I could not drive away from was deleted. All these pictures are action shots, not posers!

Before any cutting, just rested on tires (This one is posed, obviously...):


after cutting, and on my 'mountain':


Back arch is perfect:


Not enough axle weight to flex enough for the front to touch, 99% of the time (same pose as previous, from the other side):


with the wheels straight, this still is not actually touching the body:


Not touching here, either:


Just for shits and giggles, can I back UP the shed?

Why yes. Yes, I can.

I stopped only when the Honcho bumper started to touch the cement:


Can I DRIVE up the shed?
No ... not really ...

maybe a little more torque?
Uhm .... no.


time to go, then..

With the Honcho body, I tend to roll forward over the bumper and end up crashing all the way down the stairs . . . With theImpreza body having more weight over the back, this does not happen ... I can't wait to get heavier wheels and weights . . .

that was most of the pics I took, here's the rest if you want to see:
Impreza WRX crawler? - Imgur

[DieCastoms]

Thanks to a friend, I'm now getting a set of RC4wd steelies, and Irocs. They are used, but they are also about half the price of new, plus I am getting two pairs of steering nuckles (but no hubs), and FIVE sets of dogbones and cups ..

I will need a servo and mounting posts and plate, and will be able to convert to 4ws! Looking for ward to that.

Also, finally got the trade box sent out, should be getting my titanium links sometime next week!

If I can find the transmission cover, I think I will un-mirror it while all the links are out, and put the cover back on.

[DieCastoms]

well I got 'like'd but still no comments ... not even 'you're an idiot' ..

I am somewhat sad ..

[TacoCrawler]

ok, I'll play

why's the rear body post sticking up thru the back window ?

[DieCastoms]

Because that's what I was using to help locate the post holes in the body, since the posts are a fixed-width on that 'tree'. I will swap that out with regular posts (when i figure out which pill-bottle I put them in so I wouldn't lose them) and put the glass and fake huge stereo system back in under the glass, probably with my LiPo alarm fit in among the 'amplifiers' somehow, and some blinking LEDs in the transparent red plastic speakers, just because

the square hole on the roof will have a 'hood scoop' to cover it, but I left that in the house so it would not fall off outside, somewhere.


Edit: Hey, awesome, my 100th post! :P Now I'm a pebble pounder instead of a rock-stacker

[DieCastoms]

Ok, thanks to trades and contributions of several friends, I will be getting the full set of links on Tuesday, and also RC4WD steelies and Iroks, knuckles, and axleshafts, sometime next week. All that will be needed is chubs, which I have a spare pair of, a servo second servo plate, and a servo and I can have 4ws! It will take a little while, but someone is going to make me a pair of custom Aluminum servo plates. I will also eventually get the Ti tie-rod and drag link for the rear axle.

Please note that I have a *STOCK* GT3c radio. I CAN NOT AFFORD an Overkill Hack, or a HeyOK controller, at this time. I will barely be able to afford a SERVO at this time!

QUESTIONS ...
Channel 3 on the GT3c has a trim setting on the grip. Would it be possible to steer the rear axle just using the time setting, or will this only afford you 30% of the servo's range (trim is in steps up to 30, not up to 100)?

I suppose I could test this just by plugging my front axle into channel 3, but my radio is buried in the bowels of my truck and takes me quite some time to get at it to just swap the plugs around... I haven't bought servo extensions yet to get the radio plugs outside the radio box . . . .

any input would be awesome.

[sgtbham]

Its not everyday you see an Imprezza crawler

[s.p.crawler]

That looks pretty cool to me wish I could find an Evo body to fit mine that's what I drive daily and my ford lightning is my garage queen

[DieCastoms]

Originally Posted by sgtbham

Its not everyday you see an Imprezza crawler

That's the whole point! :P I was amused at first at pictures of 30 or 45 trucks at a get together and 55% are Honchos, 35% are Axial jeeps, and what's left is 'everything else' .. I did not want to have the same body as half the population..

Originally Posted by s.p.crawler

That looks pretty cool to me wish I could find an Evo body to fit mine that's what I drive daily and my ford lightning is my garage queen

I got this off a department-store RC. Was about a $30-$40 'toy' with only left, right, forward, and reverse controls. Actually, for that price:
Tamiya EVO Body: Cars, Trucks & Motorcycles | eBay


These new tires, the Iroks, I just looked up again, will be a third-inch taller than the Ripsaws ... I might have to do MORE cutting.. I am glad they are beadlocks, though, because with MORE height, and the heavier body, I am going to have to put about 4 pounds of weight in each wheel . . .

can't wait till Tuesday

[jeepscx10]

Why are you gonna put 4 pounds of weight in each wheel? thats alot of weight for the stock motor to be moving you will kill your motor in no time with that much weight in the wheels

[DieCastoms]

I was exaggerating. Being an ass.. There's no way I COULD put 4 pounds in EACH wheel..

But with the Wraith shocks and the Irok tires, I am adding about 3/4 of an inch in height, and a more-top-heavy body, without widening the track at all... I need to bring the Center of Gravity back down, besides, weight in the wheels will make my axles droop better, without squatting the overall ride height like adding chassis weight would..

[TacoCrawler]

Originally Posted by DieCastoms

That's the whole point! :P I was amused at first at pictures of 30 or 45 trucks at a get together and 55% are Honchos, 35% are Axial jeeps, and what's left is 'everything else' .. I did not want to have the same body as half the population.

I resemble that 55%

but my honcho is not built the same way...
as every other honcho one might see.

besides,
regardless of which body is utilized...
it's what's underneath... that really matters

I'll give you points for fitting that car body...
But I'm not a fan of car bodies mounted on a 4X truck chassis.

Maybe garnishing attention at some bling car show...
But not something I see on the 1:1 trails too often.


looks like that body will allow you to wheel the chassis
to it's near full potential...

Sooo... if it works for you !?

...that should be all that matters

[6sharky9]

Don't listen to taco

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAPQyC1v_yU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDDBaHYxMM4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98UTFbyuEQc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMAcUNqPV2I


They are everywhere....lol

[DieCastoms]

This was the discussion I had with my wife that made the decision whether I was going to cut the WRX body to fit the Honcho chassis:

Michael:
TURBO SPOOL?? FAST DODGE!!! - YouTube

Tobia:
Looks suspiciously like your new body.

Michael:
*nods* Only that's a dodge, not a subaru, but .. proof of concept?

Tobia:
Hee

[DieCastoms]

I just realized ... I'm expecting all these parts on Tuesday and still have not ordered those Revo ends >.< Those Titanium links will be useless >.<

Will have to wait until Friday to even be able to order them, now ... and the LHS wants $27.99 for the regular pack of 12 ends . . .

[jeepscx10]

That has happened to all of us lol

[Hulldiver]

I think its pretty cool. Put some tracks on it and it would look like the real one.

[R2j]

Hats off to thinking outside the box! Build what you like is what I say! And good job on trimming the wheel opening to fit.

[DieCastoms]

here's a teaser to a longer post to come tomorrow!



;)

[DieCastoms]

Ok, so .. I meant to do this days and days ago, but I just ..... 'haven't'.

So here goes:

Left:
Axial 1.9 Ripsaws on Axial Walker-Evans licensed 1.9 wheels, unmodified.
Right:
RC4WD 1.9 Irok Super Swampers on RC4WD (old style) 6-lug internal-bead-lock stamped steelies, with custom foams
Below:
Yes, it's an electric toy keyboard .... Why my wife's grandmother's girlfriend bought me, a 33 year old, a $6 toy keyboard is beyond all of us :/



I will have to do more cutting, because the Iroks do touch the front fender/wheel-arch, as in my previous post. I found that they touch even when on flat ground, when turning sharp or when moving fast enough to body-roll at all...



$50 for the wheels, tires, and shipping, and "five dollars more" for all this other stuff the seller no longer needed:


I have 7 sets of dogbones-and-axle-stubs, 8 knuckles (2 not shown, only 2 with bearings), 4 c-hubs (2 not shown), two straight-axle shafts, a random sampling of 5x11x4 bearings, and a tie-rod which I believe is aluminum.

Also not pictured, and from an unrelated deal, are the full set of solid Titanium links, tierod, and drag-link that I got as a trade deal for my original Tx/Rx set, and my original Honcho shocks. I do not have rod ends, yet, so I have still not done anything with them.

So here's some update shots with the Iroks and Steelies, as well as the back window back in place, and the roof scoop.





The two blue lights flash, randomly, which made it fun trying to take a single picture while BOTH were lit.


The truck isn't as good on the Iroks because with the non-vented wheels, they bounce a LOT more than the vented ripsaws did, and with no oil in the shocks it's a pain to drive.

But all in all, the cat-scan came back acceptable. Thanks, Fluff.


DieCastoms