Start of a new Deadbolt project. Lets call it Project: Cheapbolt

[Prime]

Thanks guys.
@Woody - I went with the Traxxas box for two reasons. The first is because it is more waterproof by a long shot when compared with the stock Axial box. And secondly because of it's smaller foot print.

So I decided to make a top for the Deadbolt. Thought a nice vinyl style soft top would look sweet on it.

First thing I did was to make a paper template to see what I had and to see if I would like the look or not.



I really liked the way it looked so I was off to find me some material that would work. As luck would have it I had a old Mead Five Star note book with a plastic cover on it. The cover has a textured surface and is made from a light weight, flexible, and tough plastic.



Used the template and cut out the top. Gave it a test fit.



Made my mounting holes and gave it a coat of black engine paint followed up with a coat of semi-gloss black wheel paint.



Got it all mounted up. Used zip ties as the top straps. Since the top material is so flexible it gave it the look of stretched vinyl.





Since I have seen some tops and bed covers with logos made into them I decided to add this Ford oval to the top for a bit of flair.



That is it for now. Next up will be a set of bead locks. I found the rest of a set of axial 8 holes from an old project in a spare parts box so I think I will put them on this truck.

Thanks for looking.
-Prime-
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[Prime]

Thanks guys, glad you like it. This little truck is proving to be a blast. Probably the best R/C purchase I have ever made.

I did make a slight change to the truck. I decided I wanted some fancy wheels and had these left over from an older rig. It is a set of Axial 8 hole bead locks like the one I am using for a spare.



Since these had Flat Irons on them and I am sticking with the stock tires the Flat Irons had to go.



I shot them black so they would match my spare's wheel (and because I think it looks cool).



Using Harley's method I got them ready to stick in the old oven to break down the glue.



And from the oven, the worse tasting cookies ever! Actually this method worked great, best one I have ever tried for removing glued tires.



All together. I like the way the black with the gun metal rigs look together.



On the truck. I dig the way they look on it. Gives it a nice "macho" look I think. They added a bit more weight down low, I hope it is enough. If not I may add a little more to the front axle.




Thanks for looking. I am not sure what will be next.
-Prime-
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[Tomy]

Lots of nice mods going on here. Nice work!

At what temperature and for how long did you keep the tires in the oven?

[Prime]

Originally Posted by Tomy

Lots of nice mods going on here. Nice work!

At what temperature and for how long did you keep the tires in the oven?

Thanks.

I used Harley's method on the rims/tires from his "$50 a week" Deadbolt built thread. Here is his instructions,

"325 Degrees for 20 minutes on side 1
Remove bead on side facing UP
Flip Tire over and place back in oven for 5 mins
Remove from oven and remove wheel from tire."

I followed them to the letter and it worked flawlessly. Just make sure you have good gloves and be careful if there is any water in the foams, it gets really hot and makes a lot of steam lol.

[fastfordtruck04]

I used his system on removing tires also but I guess my toaster oven sucked it took 8mins on each side at 400 lol but it worked flawlessly

[Jimmy1971]

Did you guys do this in an oven that you use for cooking food or one specifically used for removing tires off of the rim?

[simp]

Also real nice job on the top, might steal that! to match my bass pro cooler and jack! Hey how about painting your rear plastic hub gun metal grey too.

[Prime]

Originally Posted by Jimmy1971

Did you guys do this in an oven that you use for cooking food or one specifically used for removing tires off of the rim?

I guess you could probably use the same oven that you cook in, I mean you use oven cleaner in them and that stuff is pretty harsh. So the tire glue is probably less dangerous than the cleaner.
I used my neighbors old kitchen oven that he has for powder coating though to do mine.

Originally Posted by simp

Also real nice job on the top, might steal that! to match my bass pro cooler and jack! Hey how about painting your rear plastic hub gun metal grey too.

Thanks and feel free to "steal" away.
I think I may give the hub trick you messaged me about a try here some time in the future. Thanks for the tip.

[Prime]

A small upgrade. I had ordered a metal servo horn off eBay from a China seller. Figured at $5 shipped it was worth a try. I ordered it in gunmetal since I really like that color and my beadlock rings are that color. Granted it took a while to get here but it finally arrived.

Out of the package it looks pretty good.


Here it is next to the stock Axial horn. It is a bit longer but will use the top hole since the stock axial length works with my current setup. Once I add more steering I will move it down a hole.


Since I was working on the servo anyways I decided to make it a little more waterproof. I packed the front with grease and coated the servo in liquid electrical tape. Then put the new arm on. It fit perfectly, better than I expected given the price.


And back in the truck. A little bit of bling added and a small upgrade of a weak part.


In the future I will replace the steering link with a metal one though I may leave the plastic one from servo to link just to have a soft spot in the steering incase it gets to bound up. Atleast till I get a servo with all metal gears since the x45 the truck comes with has a plastic gear in it that is prone to failure. I figure a servo replacement will be in my future at some point.
Next thing I hope to do is a set of metal lower links. I could not find what I wanted in the states for the Deadbolt so I had to go the China route again. If they are the right ones I will add them to the truck once they finally get here.
Thanks for looking.
-Prime-
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[simp]

Hey I`m glad your testing this stuff for me But I believe some of this has to be good, Just have to find the right vendor. Cnc is cnc as long the bits are sharp and the program is good tight tolerance

[inertia]

Great write up! Those tyres came off perfectly, will have to try the same with mine.

[Prime]

@simp - That's how I feel bout it, some of it has to be good and considering a lot of parts are made there anyways......
@inertia - I was really surprised at how well it worked but they came off perfectly.


So I took the Deadbolt out for the finial run of the season in one of my favorite spots. When the lake is at it's winter pool there are a lot of really nice rocky areas exposed that make for some great rocky trail running. They are starting to hold back water for the summer pool so by this weekend this area will be under water again until next winter. The truck did very very well. The weight of the bead locks made a difference. It still needs a bit more but I am not going to add any until after my links get here and I see how much weight they add.










You can't really tell it in the pics but there is a bit of a slant to this area by it being the lake bank. The only damage was some scuffs and scratches and a spot of paint got knocked out of the left front inner fender. A stick got jammed in and busted the paint up in there. But that is a minor thing and easy to repaint. Better a stick jabs it rather than the guts of the truck.

Thanks for looking. Hopefully more updates soon.
-Prime-
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[Prime]

Thanks man. I am really surprised how scale looking this rig has become. A few more tweaks should really get it there.
The Deadbolt is an awesome rig, I am beyond happy with it.

[Prime]

I picked up a sheet of metal today. If all goes well I am going to turn this into a battery mounting bracket and mount the battery crossways in front of the trans, behind the front wheels to get the cog lower. Progress hopefully soon.

[simp]

You done yet!

[Prime]

Not quite yet, but I do have the truck apart and a cardboard template finished. I should have it done by morning.

[simp]

Just rassing ya, I`m sure it will be good. I cant find gunmetal gray servo arm on ebay. I guess going with black.

[DTB1]

Looking good, I believe I may order a deadbolt now. Some very solid ideas you have had.

[Prime]

@Simp: I got mine from a seller by the name of raidenracing. It wasn't listed by color, just as a servo horn but you picked your color when you ordered. Shipping was average China speed but the seller communicated well.

@DTB1: Thank you and I say go for it! This Deadbolt is the most fun I have had in RC for quite sometime.

[simp]

Hey thanks prime, I entered it all kinds of ways but I figured it was something like that