Project: Zed Head Dread

[redsawacs]

This past winter I built a Wraith with this theme but I just couldn't resist building an SCX G6 with the same style thread. So, I started with a stock G6 and walked through a few upgrades. Hope you enjoy and are able to get something from this.



Just a few standard upgrades


For my SCX builds, I really like the soft springs AX30205. This allows the shocks to sag and actually gives a much better ride as well as articulation. Another benefit I have found with these springs is that it lowers the truck a bit and lowers my CoG. When building my shocks, I sand the pistons so they fit perfectly inside the shock body and don't drag. This makes the shock much smoother and more predictable. Also, I use team associated "green slime" on the "lower cartridge" o-rings to massively reduce leaking. 30wt oil gets the nod for now...no reason to break tradition.


On to the front end Love:
As we all know, the stock C-hubs can be the Devil, so...out they go. I had a set of Axial C-hubs laying around and they will get used!


OK, I'll "Overdrive" the front end! This is a really simple way to improve the steering and climbing capabilities of any rig. I choose to just do the front end and not both to just take the edge off the "push" to see when steering as well as the rear end push when trying to climb rocks, which I do a lot. Now, I could do both front and rear, but I like to run stock gears in the transmission and I didn't want to stress the trans gears too much by changing the ratio between front and rear wheels. Plenty of schools of thought on this, but this is the one I choose. I get slightly faster front wheel speed which pulls the truck up rocks and keeps the front end from being pushed in the turns...happy median for my taste.


Need to improve steering so I started with Universals....I think the only options are Axial (42° for 35$) or Vanquish (50° for 95$)...I couldn't justify the price of the VP for 8° of steering. I will need high steer knuckle or a modified steering link if I want to get more steering from these universals but for now, I'm good with stock knuckles. I beat them weekly and have only broke one...full speed into a stump (bent the servo horn too, ouch!)


Keeping with tradition, I really like the way black wheels look on a dark paint job look so, axial wheels are a great choice for the budget minded fellow suck as myself. I use 3 screws in the lock rings on both sides to reduce time, wrist pain and weight....like 3 screws makes any difference on weight...LOL! I just cant stand bead-lock rings and I have reduced the number of screws I have to deal with by 24 and they still hold great! ZERO Slip!


I am not a fan of how the Treppador tires fold over when off camber and I could really use the lower CoG so I decided to use my spare Ripsaw tires. I had an old set of hard inner foams from old 2.2 tires and they fit the inside of the rippers perfectly! So, I have a set of hard rear tires and I wrapped the foams in the front tires with a soft outer band I cut from spare stock foams. I get a little softer front tire allowing me to flex the tire and grab a little more than normal while maintaining a super firm sidewall for off-camber action! I like it! The front wheels Also get 3oz of lead tire weights for break over climbing - works for my driving style.

More to come as I get photos - still trying to find someone to duplicate graphics for me without breaking the bank...

[Dan M]

"Hope you enjoy and are able to get something from this"

I appreciate the thrifty initiative. Thanks for describing your reasoning for each mod. It helps me put a plan together to buy my first axial.

[redsawacs]

Ok, let me start by saying this servo was acquired in a trade and I had to pay NOTHING for it....only reason its in this build thread. But, since I have it, I suppose I'll use it and be happy for now. It is waterproof so, incase I ever decide to make everything else waterproof, I'll be ready....LOL! It is digital....thats about it. It is TOO SLOW, lacking in power, BLUE, and SAVOX (yuck). BUT, when I install a BEC (which I never do on my SCX10 builds) I can run it at 6v instead of 5v and get a little more speed and torque out of it. I simply find that with the SCX10, the tires aren't that large and there isn't enough strain on the steering to justify copious amounts of steering torque for 90% of driving activities....I was in a comp this weekend and I took second place. I think at 2 points, I stalled the servo out of 200 gates......but I suppose it works just fine for now. I have already bent the Integy servo horn but it was because I hit a root at full 3s speed....LOL!
OH, Traxxas mounting screws ROCK! They have about 4 different sizes, #3931 or #3932, I cant remember; one has a larger head and won't fit.



A lot going on in this MOD but I'll try to capture all the details and put them in a logical order...."Try" is the operative word here.

As you all know, the front pinion angle is too low and, not only do the drive-shafts bind a little, but also sit below the lower links and drag on everything. I proposed a fix to this by extending the front upper links (hand made from 3/16 aluminum tube). IF you have a 3 link in the front (most do) simply add a larger spacer in front of the "wishbone" to achieve the same effect...Just make the top longer and it will push the axle over reducing the extreme angle and giving you more clearance and smoothness. I am not sure how this effects drivability, but I can tell you, I have little issues other than reduced caster thus reducing "steering stability" (greater wander).
Here is the side view of my pinion angle and links

NOTEWORTHY: When you do the above, you will need to remove the front battery mount crossmember because it too pushes the servo over into that path and will hit your crossmember if you dont remove it. I suppose you could opt for a chassis mount servo, then in that case you will be using a different crossmemeber brace...I dont think you need one since you have the front bumper brace so close. While I'm here, I'll mentions that I used double sided tape to mount the winch controller to the top of the servo.


Now you can move your electronics to the rear and get them out of the way so you can move your battery down onto the frame rails in the front....

[redsawacs]

TEAM BROOD SPECTER 25t!!!!!

I picked one of these up for my wraith back in the winter time and fell in love with the capabilities over stock! When I talked to Eddie at TBR, he suggested that I use the same motor for the SCX....Alright! I was able to gear it up (20/87) to make the SCX a bit faster since the SCX is easier on the motor than my wraith (weight and tire size). Motor temps stay around 110°. The torque is outstanding! I will have to say, I expected more wheel speed from a 25t motor, BUT, I will never complain about torque from this motor! 2s lipo will give me about a 2" right wheel stand at full throttle from a dead stop. When I let off the throttle....it stops dead in its tracks and even lifts the rear tires off the ground if I am at full throttle when I let off the gas...I'm at about 30% drag brake...if I recall correctly. TORQUE MONSTER! I appreciate it when I rock crawl with my SCX.



Added a few accessory power points for running them off the battery...winch, LEDs, BEC, cigarette lighter, hand warmer, toaster, beer cooler...you name it!!!



Here is the LED set up. I am having some issues with it, maybe if someone actually reads this, I'll get some feedback how to fix it. I currently have 2 axial (2 port) LED controllers wired together (positives terminals together and negative terminals together). I am powering all 5 LEDs in the roof light bar from one controller and all 4 front end LEDs off the other controller. This leaves one port on each controller free for a 2 LED strand. WELL, here is the issue, when I plug in my 2 LED strand into those existing ports, they are really dim. I have tried several different LED strands, and multi-configurations, all with the same result. Why are all the LEDs bright except the 2 LED outputs??? Anyway, on with the trashy pictures...

P.S. I LIKE SHOE GLOO!!!





OH, got the body painted up too....almost forgot!!


Traxxas body washer on top and bottom glued in place with shoe gloo...takes the "rattle" out and keeps the body clips from damaging the body.

[redsawacs]

Pictures to come...

I built this rig with some modifications to the ride height for better performance and it handles like a dream on Axial Ripsaw 1.9s!! The only complaint I have is the rippers are just a hair too short for my taste.

So, after seeing the Growlers on a Rubicon SCX, I ordered a set and they are HUGE for this rig! I get tons of fender rub, horrible and jumpy steering. Decided the Growlers are just way too big and they came off the truck.

I found the Vaterra #VTR43018 and like these tires. I use these tires for Trail Comp Class style comp trailing/crawling. Here is what I posted in the Tire section about them.

Tires setup - Axial 1.9 beadlocks, 3oz per front tire, CI dual stage 4.5" soft front, med rear.
Terrain - Loamy rock formations and occasional granite (dry)
Comparison tires - Rippers R35 and Pitbull Growlers

Stock foams are dual stage with a rather firm inner (not as hard as CI) but were oversized to "pack" the tire. The inner isn't large enough to give great sidewall support, but its there....a little. I did not run the stock foams in this tire so I will refrain from commenting about the but I think they will work great for my wife's Treppador tires, we'll see.

These tires smelled like automotive floor mats - I had little hope. I was wrong. They work great. Perfect size, great looking, standard great design. My Ripsax R335 tires were my favorite until I found these....but, I'm still not 100% convinced. Ripsaw tires just work but are too short for my G6. Growlers obviously work but are WAY TOO BIG! These tires are a great fit in between the two. They fit great and work as well as the Ripsaws. I have yet to break them in (about 1.5 hours so far) so I am hopeful they will start to perform better each time I take them out.

There is no data about the compound or how to compare it to any other tire compound but its not bad. It is not as soft as the R35 or the SSx2 but so far, it has not disappointed.

[redsawacs]

Am I describing everything perfectly or is it that no one cares to discuss?

[Munkycrack]

Nice build. Seems like we both think alike in the tire foam and gearing situation. My wraith I have two stage foams. Medium in rear which I think is the perfect stiffness so it has some give and don't bounce and soft in the front. Only issue I have is the two stages seem to drift a little with the voodoo 4u tires. Thought about getting the sidewall foams to keep from drifting or small amount of superglue between the two layers.

As far as gearing I plan to speed up the front. Just need to do some searching to see what the rtr honcho and rtr wraith have as far as gears in the axles.

[redsawacs]

Look in the manual and you will find the gear tooth count. Axial sells an overdrive set and an under drive set for their cars. Well worth having!! The overdrive is listed above and the underdrive is 43/13...I think