bilinvic's Ultimate SCX10 '73 Bronco Build

[bilinvic]

A little bit of a back-story to this build....

I originally built this SCX10 last Fall with the ProLine F250 Body and it became a shelf queen. At that point, I have never crawled with an SCX10 platform before and didn't know what I was missing. I tried to sell the whole deal, but it didn't sell because of the amount of $$$ I had invested.

I then decided I was going to give it a go on the trail and instantly loved how the machine performed; and that was with the stock Axial motor and ESC. I knew that this rig was no longer going to be sold and decided it needed a sensored brushless system if it was going to remain in my stable of RCs. I also reworked all of the electronics and where they were located.

I liked the F250 body, but wanted something that appealed to me more....that's when I decided the '73 Bronco body was the one. I wanted to keep it classic looking with the orange and white paint scheme. The window trim was masked and sprayed internally as well. The rear three windows were tinted with Tamiya Smoke.

I am absolutely thrilled with how she turned out and can't wait to get it out on the trail....although I'm not so excited about getting the first scratch on the body!

Here's the specs:

Axial Honcho RTR
Proline 1973 Ford Bronco Body

Vanquish Axial SCX Front Bumper / CMS Mount Black
Vanquish Axial SCX10 8 Degree Chubs Grey
Vanquish Axial SCX10 8 Degree Knuckles Grey
Vanquish Currie Rockjock SCX-10 Front Axle Assembly Grey
Vanquish Currie Rockjock SCX-10 Rear Axle Assembly Grey
Vanquish Currie/SCX Titanium 10 PCS. Link Kit
Vanquish SCX Front Axle 3 Link Conversion
Vanquish SCX-JK Panhard Bar for Vanquish SCX Currie Axles Grey
Axial AX10 SCX10 Competition Universal Joint Drive Shaft Set
Axial Heavy Duty Bevel Gear Set 43T/13T (Rear Axke)
Junfac Hardened Universal Shaft for Axial Honcho
Locked Up RC FI Spools (Front and Rear)

Vanquish Method 1.9 Race Wheel 101 Silver/Silver
Vanquish SLW 475 WHEEL HUB
Modified Axial Wheel Hub Covers
RC4WD 1.9 Interco IROK 1.9 Scale Tires
RC4WD Foams
Locked Up RC 4-40 Acorn Nut Wheel Studs

Castle Creations 1/10 Mamba Max Pro ESC Smart Sense
Tekin ROC 412 Professional Brushless Crawler Motor 3100kV
Castle Creations BEC 10A Switching Regulator
Associated 32P 56T Spur
Robinson Racing Hardened Pinions (Various Sizes)
Hitec RCD HS-7955TG V2 High Res. Ultra Torque Titanium Gear Servo
Axial Racing Aluminum Servo Horn 24T Hitec (Hard Anodized)
Traxxas Parallel Battery Connector Y
Spektrum SR410 4-Channel DSMR 2.4 GHz RECEIVER
Spektrum DX4S 4-Channel 2.4 GHz Radio Transmitter
Relocated Electronics
“The Source” Project Box for Electronics
Fabricated Aluminum ESC Mounting Plate
Front LEDs Relocated to Bumper
Fabricated ABS Battery Mounting Plates x 2
Dual 3300 3S 30C LIPOs
MG Chemicals Urethane Conformal Coating (Servo, ESC, Motor)
Butyl Rubber for Sealing Electronics Box

STRC Aluminum Front Shock Towers
STRC Aluminum Rear Shock Towers
ProLine PowerStroke Scaler Shocks (Assorted Springs Used)
Gear Head Wraith Lift Kit Plates for Rear Upper Shock Mount
RC4WD Jeep JK Rampage Recovery Bumper
RC4WD Bumper Shackles
RC4WD Tough Armor Side Bars
SCX10 Stainless Steel Hardware Kit
Traxxas Battery Hold-Down Kit Pins for Rear Body Mount
Fabricated Supports for Rear Body Mount Tower
Axial 5 LED Light String (White LED)
Axial Simple LED Controller x 2
Axial Universal 5 Bucket Light Bar Set
Axial 1/10th Scale Rear Plate Bumper Set
Axial 1/10th Scale Fender Flare Set

Paint:
Tamiya PS-7 Orange
Tamiya PS-1 White
Tamiya PS-5 Black
Tamiya PS-31 Smoke

And here's the pics....





















....and this is what she looked like before with the F250 body:

[bilinvic]

What an awesome day with the brushless Bronco shake-down run. Didn't even have to open up the tool bag once on a three hour + run of crawling.

[big_bumpkin]

Both of those bodies look great but the Bronco is very eye catching! Great job there; I'm feeling inspired to slap some fender flares on Jimmy my deadbolt.

[ScGRaceR]

AMAZING BUILD! Great craftsmanship!

[bilinvic]

Thank you ScGRaceR....this machine performs as good as it looks too....my fully built Wraith may end up taking a back seat to this Bronco now!

[bilinvic]

As much as I like the 1.9 Vanquish Method 101 Wheels and RC4WD Super Swamper IROK tires on my Bronco, I wanted something a little more period correct....So I picked up a set of Axial 1.9 Falken Wildpeak Tires and RC4WD Chrome Steelies. I added JunFac Hubs to complete the look.

I've read many good reports and reviews with the Wildpeak tires and have been wanting to try them out. The height is almost the same as the IROKs, but they are skinnier (which is what I wanted). I don't think I need to say much about the chrome steelies...they just look perfect with the 1973 Bronco.
With everything mounted up, the tires tuck right up into the fenders when flexed.
Now I just gotta get out and put them to the test!!!!

Before:



After:

[bilinvic]

[bilinvic]

[Kauasy]

Originally Posted by bilinvic

As much as I like the 1.9 Vanquish Method 101 Wheels and RC4WD Super Swamper IROK tires on my Bronco, I wanted something a little more period correct....So I picked up a set of Axial 1.9 Falken Wildpeak Tires and RC4WD Chrome Steelies. I added JunFac Hubs to complete the look.

I've read many good reports and reviews with the Wildpeak tires and have been wanting to try them out. The height is almost the same as the IROKs, but they are skinnier (which is what I wanted). I don't think I need to say much about the chrome steelies...they just look perfect with the 1973 Bronco.
With everything mounted up, the tires tuck right up into the fenders when flexed.
Now I just gotta get out and put them to the test!!!!

Before:



After:

Love the method 1.9's man. They looked amazing on the bronco. Jut ordered a set for my Comanche build.

[bilinvic]

A little update....

I didn't care for the pin style hubs on the back of the RC4WD wheels, so I ordered the hex version with a +3 offset. Combined with the Yeah Racing Aluminum 12mm Wheel Hex Adapters, this adds almost a 1/4 inch per side, which will obviously result in more stability. I also lowered the body about a 1/4 inch since I wasn't experiencing any body rub with the wheels.

The rear bumper was too flimsy with the stock plastic rear bumper support, so this has been replaced with a aluminum frame/bumper support from STRC, as well as the rear "H" brace being replaced by STRC's aluminum part.

The whole rig has been waterproofed using Urethane Conformal Coating, silicone, butyl rubber and dielectric grease and as you can see from the pics and video posted previously, I can now tackle any terrain in any amount of water....I love that part.

There's really not much else I can do with this Bronco now, it is bullet proof with the basically the best of the best. It performs incredibly well and is fast becoming my favourite rig in my growing collection....and to think I was trying to sell this machine before it's maiden run; I'm so glad it didn't sell!

I still want to fab up some inner fender wells though.

Here's the updated specs:

Axial Honcho RTR
Proline 1973 Ford Bronco Body

Vanquish Axial SCX Front Bumper / CMS Mount Black
Vanquish Axial SCX10 8 Degree Chubs Grey
Vanquish Axial SCX10 8 Degree Knuckles Grey
Vanquish Currie Rockjock SCX-10 Front Axle Assembly Grey
Vanquish Currie Rockjock SCX-10 Rear Axle Assembly Grey
Vanquish Currie/SCX Titanium 10 PCS. Link Kit
Vanquish SCX Front Axle 3 Link Conversion
Vanquish SCX-JK Panhard Bar for Vanquish SCX Currie Axles Grey
Axial AX10 SCX10 Competition Universal Joint Drive Shaft Set
Axial Heavy Duty Bevel Gear Set 43T/13T (Rear Axle)
Junfac Hardened Universal Shaft for Axial Honcho
Locked Up RC FI Spools (Front and Rear)

RC4WD 5 Lug Chrome Stamped 1.9 Steel Wheels
RC4WD 5 Lug Wheel Hex Hub +3 Offset
Gmade 1.9 RH03 Wheel Hubs
Yeah Racing Aluminum 12mm Wheel Hex Adapter Set
Axial 1.9 Falken Wildpeak Tires/Foams

Castle Creations 1/10 Mamba Max Pro ESC Smart Sense
Tekin ROC 412 Professional Brushless Crawler Motor 3100kV
Castle Creations BEC 10A Switching Regulator
Associated 32P 56T Spur
Robinson Racing Hardened Pinions (Various Sizes)
Hitec RCD HS-7955TG V2 High Res. Ultra Torque Titanium Gear Servo
Axial Racing Aluminum Servo Horn 24T Hitec (Hard Anodized)
Traxxas Parallel Battery Connector Y
Spektrum SR410 4-Channel DSMR 2.4 GHz RECEIVER
Spektrum DX4S 4-Channel 2.4 GHz Radio Transmitter
Relocated Electronics
“The Source” Project Box for Electronics
Fabricated Aluminum ESC Mounting Plate
Front LEDs Relocated to Bumper
Fabricated ABS Battery Mounting Plates x 2
Dual 3300 3S 30C LIPOs
MG Chemicals Urethane Conformal Coating (Servo, ESC, Motor)
Butyl Rubber for Sealing Electronics Box

STRC Aluminum Front Shock Towers
STRC Aluminum Rear Shock Towers
STRC Aluminum Rear Bumper Mount
STRC Aluminum Chassis “H” Brace
ProLine PowerStroke Scaler Shocks (Assorted Springs Used)
Gear Head Wraith Lift Kit Plates for Rear Upper Shock Mount
RC4WD Jeep JK Rampage Recovery Bumper
RC4WD Bumper Shackles
RC4WD Tough Armor Side Bars
SCX10 Stainless Steel Hardware Kit
Traxxas Battery Hold-Down Kit Pins for Rear Body Mount
Axial 5 LED Light String (White LED)
Axial Simple LED Controller x 2
Axial Universal 5 Bucket Light Bar Set
Axial 1/10th Scale Rear Plate Bumper Set
Axial 1/10th Scale Fender Flare Set

Paint:
Tamiya PS-7 Orange
Tamiya PS-1 White
Tamiya PS-5 Black
Tamiya PS-31 Smoke

Here's some updated pics:

[Hammer!]

wheels look good on it!

[bilinvic]

Great crawl today, but it didn't end well....took a bad tumble on the rocks and snapped the Axial universal joint right at the pin. Walk of shame back to the base!

[bilinvic]

The Bronco has morphed into a 1979 Ford F150 Regular Cab.....

[DickyT]

I like all 3 versions of this rig

The SCX's are certainly a blast to drive.

[ScGRaceR]

love the F series looks insane!


loving the new wheels too!

[Szczerba]

oh, yea, the Ford setup looks great.

[billy bones]

I'd like to thank you for the battery location in parallel operation.
I've been going back and forth with the front mount rear mount thoughts, your setup ended my search.
I already have two nice even 3s = mah and c rated lipos that will fit the bill perfectly.
Looks like I'll be soldering up a parallel connecter tonight.
Your rig is sweet my friend!!!

[bilinvic]

Thanxs guys. I've actually changed the whole electronics set-up on the SCX10 frame. I'll get some pics up shortly.

[bilinvic]

Here's the pics of the chassis now that I have "rearranged" the layout. I'm between motors right now, trying to decide if I want to use either the Holmes Hobbies BL PRO 540 or the Torque Master Pro 35T. All my machines are sensored brushless so I ordered up the HH brushed motor. I would like to see how a good brushed motor compares to brushless, since I have never run with a high end brushed motor before. Normally this rig has been powered by a ROC412 3100kV (which got relocated into my Wroncho Bug).

I fabricated the battery tray from sheet ABS so it could easily accommodate my large hard case SPC 5000mAh 3S battery(s).

The front bumper is also new, a RC Rock Armor Slayer Winch Bumper. It's extremely well made and has some good heft to it.

[bilinvic]

The performance improvement of underdrive 43T/13T rear gears is quite significant, but I have always kept the front diff gears stock (38T/13T). Now I've gone a little further with my SCX10 F150 and threw in some overdrive 36T/14T gears into the front Currie axle. This machine doesn't see pavement, so I'm not worried about the wheel speed difference. I'm looking forward to seeing if the performance improvement is noticeable, which I'm sure it will be.