Wroncho Baja Bug - Wraith, SCX10, Yeti

[bilinvic]

I have some work ahead of me!!!

[Chris-NL]

Originally Posted by bilinvic

I have some work ahead of me!!!

LOL, looks like you had a lot of fun

[JatoTheRipper]

Awesome looking rig!

[bilinvic]

I just started the clean-up and discovered the rear steer servo (HiTec 7950) has failed, although it turns with power, it cannot be turned by hand when their is no power. Maybe I will just go back to front steering for now....ugh!

[rustneversleeps]

isn't there still some resistance even though it unplugs.normally it's the other way around.....did unplug your servo and then try it....

[bilinvic]

I already opened up the servo...the center pin has snapped. The servo arm couldn't be moved by hand whatsoever in either direction.

[bilinvic]

All cleaned up and detailed!

You may notice that the Wroncho Bug has changed a bit since Sunday. At one point this rig was an incredible crawler and lately it has been just a pretty good crawler. I'm not sure where or when things started to change, so my quest is to get this machine back to favorite status! The first thing that went is the 4 wheel steering. Yes, 4WS was incredibly fun and at the same time, very challenging but all that extra weight out back wasn't helping with the steep crawls. I also felt that I had to tip-toe too much because I didn't want to break servos and/or four (expensive) steering axles, especially with the overall weight of this rig . Undoubtedly, I will build another 4WS RC because as far as I am concerned, a 4WS rig is a must have in my collection.

My good buddy nostopinLucR (from Youtube) has built a Wroncho F100 truck that has absolutely set the bar for crawling performance around my neck of the woods...this is my inspiration to emulate. https://www.youtube.com/user/nostopinLucR

I removed the Proline Powerstroke shocks in favour of the RC4WD Short Course 110mm King shocks. These are the big shocks, not the small skinny King shocks that most folks are familiar with. The rears are filled with 50wt and the fronts are 30wt. I added 3mm internal limiters and external limiters/bump stops. The added ground clearance will be very helpful for our sharp rocky terrain. I have some Traxxas 2362 Shock Rebuild Kits coming and I will replace the o-rings with x-rings.

I also adjusted the anti-squat geometry on the rear, I felt I had over-exaggerated the height of the upper rear links anti-squat position, so I lowered them to a more realistic position in relation the lower link's mounting points

The next step was getting a little longer wheelbase. For now I used the longer rear SCX10.2 rear lower links with RPM Jato length link ends. I have a MIP Yeti rear driveshaft on order as well as Incision Yeti 1/4 Stainless Steel rear upper links that I will use as lowers. Wheelbase is now at 13.75 inches. The WB will be a little longer when the new parts arrive.

We already know that the Proline Hyrax tires are superior for crawling, so that change was a no-brainer!

Fingers are crossed that all these changes will prove to be successful in the hopes of getting my Wroncho Bug back to a "Rock Star" crawler!

[k goodrich]

Looks good, I like the 13.75 WB. Are you running 50/50 set up on your shocks, up travel to down travel? Can't tell from the pictures. I like 40% up travel with super soft springs to set the ride height and 2000 wt oil. It slows the shock down and helps with unloading. From there you can adjust the shock angle for fine tuning.

[Ltd.yfz]

Following. This is sweet. I'm building a wroncho and nostopinLucR was the inspiration for mine as well. Good job!

[bilinvic]

Luc has done lots of changes to his F100 over the last 6 months. Before the changes, this truck really crawled the rocks great (in fact, really great), then it took some time to get 'er dialed in once the changes started and for a while the truck was struggling.....but now, he has it performing like a champ. Great guy to crawl with too!

[Ltd.yfz]

Ya. I've been watching his videos. It blows me away what your guys trucks can do. Plus you have some beautiful scenery up there. Hopefully I'll get my wroncho to perform like your guys!

[calcagno45]

Bil, the chassis panhard mount, is that a cut down VP mount?

[bilinvic]

Originally Posted by calcagno45

Bil, the chassis panhard mount, is that a cut down VP mount?

Yes it is.

[bilinvic]

I received the MIP Yeti rear driveshaft and Incision Yeti 1/4 Stainless Steel rear upper links today. The Yeti links were used for the rear lower links. Turns out those parts are going to work out perfectly as far as I can foresee. There is zero binding with the panhard link, front and rear driveshafts or any parts of the frame with any of the corners in max compression.

I also lengthened the front links about a 1/4 inch. Total wheelbase is now 14.13 inches. I orientated (rotated) the front and rear lower links to provide maximum ground clearance.

I swapped out the stock upper springs front and rear for red stripe P-L SC springs; the stock springs were fully compressing too easily. I also lowered the front shocks upper mounting point so that I could get a little more articulation up front; I backed off the pre-load and the ride height matches the rear. The pictures may show the front just a touch higher, but the weight of the battery will bring it down to level.

This "re-build" is turning this bug into a MONSTER!

I'm sure looking forward to getting the Wroncho Bug out for some shakedown trials...I have a feeling I will be very happy.

[Ltd.yfz]

Did you have beef tubes in your vanquish axles?

[bilinvic]

I have Beef Tubes in the front VP v1 AR60 axles only. The rear is v2 and will not accommodate beef tubes due to the much thicker axle tube walls.

[Ltd.yfz]

Thanks for the information!

[bilinvic]

With all the changes that have been made, I finally got a chance to get the Wroncho Bug out for a good 6 hour crawl / test session today. Performance has definitely improved...but there's some tuning to be done. nostopinLucR's F100 was out today as well and I was able to get some good crawling comparisons as I followed his truck. His still set the standard but I'm not far behind.

I had some sputtering at first, but I think one of my 3S 5000mAh batteries is the culprit, never happened again after I changed batteries. I also tried a 8200mAh 2S battery with the Tekin 4000kV motor and was very happy with the wheelspeed. I have a couple of these batteries that I used for my Summit (it's sold now) and so it's nice to know they can be utilized again instead of sitting on the bottom of my .50 cal ammo box.

I'm going to stiffen the rear shocks a bit and change up the front;s mounting location or even switch back to the shorter 103mm P-L Powerstroke shocks up front...I will have to do some experimenting.

I'll get 'er all cleaned up again first....

[Gunner1]

Awesome thread and build. Thanks for the detail shots. I am getting lots of ideas.

[shiftauto]

This rig has been on a heckuva journey. Great thread to check out