Adopt me - SCX10 CR Wrangler Edition - Need Advice

[gonzo532]

Before you flame me, please understand that I have searched and searched and have learned a little bit of info before asking this question.

I know that everyone has their own custom likes/dislikes on how to custom fit a rig. What I don't see, is a basic set of instructions of step by step of what to upgrade first on my RC 12.3 SCX10 CR Wrangler.

I have about $340 to spend, it's burning a hole in my pocket and I want to find one vendor that can take care of all my needs.

I would like to get as much as I can and upgrade things like;

Shocks, tires, wheels, aluminum everything/links to start.

I installed a Warn Winch already and other than that, I have zero upgrades to my rig and would love your advice. Reading the NOOB forum I see there is a adopt a newb area and I would love someone to adopt me.

I'm 43 and my 9 year old son and I love working on the RC together.

Thanks in advance,
Mark

gonzo532

[Terrible1]

You're going to get a lot of different opinions here. Some may say to drive it until something breaks, others will have a laundry list of upgrades. I say figure out what's most important first. I think you're on the right track with looking at links but, wheels/tires/shocks, probably not at the top of the list to upgrade first. Those will serve their purpose and function to begin with. Depending on how you drive, what kind of driving (terrain, speeds, etc.), power (2s, 3s LiPo, etc.) are all things to consider when looking at upgrades. And of course in some cases, aesthetics. Just my opinion, hope that helps.

[seal20]

Get a complete set of links, a stage 1 kit from Vanquish and an Axial metal servo horn, upgrade your tire foams with crawler innovations and start getting all the weight you can low and forward on your rig. I use gmade steel bead locks and the weight helps. Doing just that will leave you with about 100 bucks to play with for shocks and maybe some metal drive shafts.

These upgrades will make a HUGE difference.

[Di_Spencer]

New metal links, good servo, clamping servo horn, toyzuki motor mount is a good upgrade, and xr mod axles.

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[Ditchrat]

If I had to pick one vendor, it would be rpphobbies.

If I was doing all my upgrades at once I would start with tires and bead locks the follow the drive train back to the transmission, fit links in there sometime. once that was bombproof I guess I would try and break it but adding more power, stronger servo, esc and transmitter. Then work on cosmetics.


Since you want to work with your kid (42 and 7 year old here) I would learn to make your own parts such as links. I have more fun working on them with him then crawling. OK that's not true, but I get more feelings of pride watching him work.

[gonzo532]

Wow - awesome responses so far!

Terrilble1 - I agree, I'm looking to crawl and wheel it without rolling on pavement. We seem to have a weight balance issue so I"m going to move weight to the front of the rig with the Lipo battery and winch battery.

Seal20 - I will get a set of complete links, I've been browsing Ebay and Amazon for days and my eyes are bleeding with the different options. I was hoping to find complete links, all metal rather than piece meal them together which seems to be the only option on those sites.

DJ_Spencer: So the metal links I will cover asap tonight. The steering servo and servo horn appear need to get upgraded too. I see that the plastic front end from the tie rod to the servo horn all bend when I activate the stock servo. I'm assuming that if I start adding metal pieces in there, the servo itself won't be strong enough or proper to run so a complete front end is what I'm looking for I guess? To include the servo, servo horn, tie rod and knuckles? I say this because I'm assuming that bigger tires will most likely require some beefier parts up front. Thank you! I had no idea the 'servo horn' was called that until you said so. I youtubed it and got an idea of what metal part I need to buy now. As for the motor mount and XR mod axles - I'm gonna hold off until I get above stuff installed.

Ditchrat - Thanks for the vendor, I will certainly look into them for a one stop shop. What size tires and bead locks should I go with? The stock tires seem small, the body is low and for some reason it just seems squatty to me. I want a proper lift as if it had 35" (or a little more) with a long arm kit (real jeep talk). For tires, I do want to crawl but I want an all around size that we can crawl and zip around the driveway, off curbs, through grass and other obstacles without rolling every sharp turn. I know there is a balance to it all and it seems that some folks have tires that are purely for crawling. Having a 9 year old sharing the controller, I want an all around good size and need some advice on what size tire and wheel I need for what I'm looking for.

Cosmetics would be last, I want to build the foundation of the rig first for all around good use (links/steering/wheels/tires/servo) then as things break, I can replace/upgrade as necessary. I totally understand that once I upgrade one part, the other parts will fail if not upgraded as well, so I'm trying to do this the right way through RC steps. I understand the steps on a real Jeep but can see this is a totally different animal.

I really appreciate all of your responses and advice. I feel like I stepped into a whole new world with RC hobby (not toy grade as I was chastized at my local hobby shop) and I appreciate all of your knowledge.

Sincerely,
Mark - about to live up to Jeep's acronym (Jeeps Empty Every Pocket)

[Thloftus]

I agree with getting your parts from rpphobbies.

I'd relocate the battery. Can make a big difference in the COG. Also lets you get creative with where you put the electronics. Great project to do with your son since it takes some planning and involves several parts of the truck, but is also inexpensive. There are lots of whys to do the conversion. I used a part from Kinght customs: http://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/kc-aj20001.htm. You can also see a video review of it here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLs...&v=wy48I1Ghn0c
I was very happy with how mine turned out. I'd also vote for the Vanquish stage 1 kit. It's spendy, but the parts are awesome and you get to take apart portions of both axles. I'd also switch the front axles to CVDs / universals. Options from Axial and Vanquish. I used Axial (cheaper), but apparently the Vanquish parts are higher quality. Changing the axles also a good one since you have to partially disassemble the front half of the truck, it's fairly inexpensive, and you'll improve the turning radius.


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[Terrible1]

Another option other than RPP is CKRC Hobbies. Both have great customer service. Are you in the Bay Area in California?

[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by gonzo532

Wow - awesome responses so far!

Terrilble1 - I agree, I'm looking to crawl and wheel it without rolling on pavement. We seem to have a weight balance issue so I"m going to move weight to the front of the rig with the Lipo battery and winch battery.

Seal20 - I will get a set of complete links, I've been browsing Ebay and Amazon for days and my eyes are bleeding with the different options. I was hoping to find complete links, all metal rather than piece meal them together which seems to be the only option on those sites.

DJ_Spencer: So the metal links I will cover asap tonight. The steering servo and servo horn appear need to get upgraded too. I see that the plastic front end from the tie rod to the servo horn all bend when I activate the stock servo. I'm assuming that if I start adding metal pieces in there, the servo itself won't be strong enough or proper to run so a complete front end is what I'm looking for I guess? To include the servo, servo horn, tie rod and knuckles? I say this because I'm assuming that bigger tires will most likely require some beefier parts up front. Thank you! I had no idea the 'servo horn' was called that until you said so. I youtubed it and got an idea of what metal part I need to buy now. As for the motor mount and XR mod axles - I'm gonna hold off until I get above stuff installed.

Ditchrat - Thanks for the vendor, I will certainly look into them for a one stop shop. What size tires and bead locks should I go with? The stock tires seem small, the body is low and for some reason it just seems squatty to me. I want a proper lift as if it had 35" (or a little more) with a long arm kit (real jeep talk). For tires, I do want to crawl but I want an all around size that we can crawl and zip around the driveway, off curbs, through grass and other obstacles without rolling every sharp turn. I know there is a balance to it all and it seems that some folks have tires that are purely for crawling. Having a 9 year old sharing the controller, I want an all around good size and need some advice on what size tire and wheel I need for what I'm looking for.

Cosmetics would be last, I want to build the foundation of the rig first for all around good use (links/steering/wheels/tires/servo) then as things break, I can replace/upgrade as necessary. I totally understand that once I upgrade one part, the other parts will fail if not upgraded as well, so I'm trying to do this the right way through RC steps. I understand the steps on a real Jeep but can see this is a totally different animal.

I really appreciate all of your responses and advice. I feel like I stepped into a whole new world with RC hobby (not toy grade as I was chastized at my local hobby shop) and I appreciate all of your knowledge.

Sincerely,
Mark - about to live up to Jeep's acronym (Jeeps Empty Every Pocket)

Vanquish sells a complete set of titanium links for the 12.3" wheelbase SCX10: http://www.vanquishproducts.com/axia...h-stock-axles/

Hot racing also has a complete aluminum set that's cheaper (and comes in multiple colors): http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...FROUfgodCs0BNA

For wheels, the SSD stamped steel beadlocks look awesome, are reasonably priced, and hold the tire well. You can also get aluminum wheels from Vanquish or Gearhead -- sweet overall, but expensive. If you decide to go with 2.2 wheels, the RC4WD Mudslingers have roughly the same OD as the stock tires, so you can use them without a lift kit. They're way more aggressive than the stock tires ... Not as specialized as tires designed for rock crawling, but decent overall. Depends on what you plan to do with the truck.


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[Rock Farmer]

Gonzo-
When doing your stage 1 upgrade (rear lockouts,c hubs, knuckles) may I also recommend axle tubes. They'll give a more solid foundation for all those bits to attach to, and if you got a lil wheelman at the trigger it could help in keeping all those nice bits on them axles! Many brands to choose from- beef tubes, burly tubes, kronik boom tubes, beef up rc tubes from rc bros, and many more I'm sure, just the ones I've had success with. For the $30- $65 youll spend on a set, worth every penny! Save from broken axle housings, and keep stage 1bits in place. I do believe beef tubes are available on RPP (FASTEST shippers in parts dept!)for sure, boom tubes go to either Asia tees or Boom Racing ( slow boat from china shipping- but u can pay for fast jet from Hong Kong).
Hope this may help in your now evolving quest for parts,parts,parts,parts,parts,parts........

[Di_Spencer]

For the xr mod axles that will cover the knuckles and c Hubs and you will need a new metal tie rod so that will be covered. For a servo the Hitec 7954 is good and i have heard good things about the Promodeler 420. For servos it is better to buy one good one instead of a bunch of cheaper ones.

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[wblteen]

I am going to get flamed for suggesting this. Take a look at Boom Racing. Yes it is Chinese made. Yes it is cheap. I myself own several upgrades from them and find them just as good as any of the other companies that offer upgrades. In fact, there was such a demand in my area the local hobby shop placed a $4,000 order. Most of it has sold within 2 months.

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[gonzo532]

Originally Posted by Terrible1

Another option other than RPP is CKRC Hobbies. Both have great customer service. Are you in the Bay Area in California?

Yes I'm in Bay Area ( Santa Cruz ) and my nearest store is about 35 minutes away. Nice folks, but spendy plus tax. I got some parts there and quickly found that I could have got the same stuff for about 30% cheaper online. I like to support local business, but I didn't like driving 35 minutes and the first experience wasn't the best.

Originally Posted by Thloftus

For wheels, the SSD stamped steel beadlocks look awesome, are reasonably priced, and hold the tire well. You can also get aluminum wheels from Vanquish or Gearhead -- sweet overall, but expensive. If you decide to go with 2.2 wheels, the RC4WD Mudslingers have roughly the same OD as the stock tires, so you can use them without a lift kit. They're way more aggressive than the stock tires ... Not as specialized as tires designed for rock crawling, but decent overall. Depends on what you plan to do with the truck.

k

Thank you for the links, that is exactly what I'm looking for here.

Regarding your wheel advice for wheels and tires, I want to crawl but be able to zip around too. I know that is tough to balance so I'm looking for advice on wheel and tire size, maybe links too? I'd hate to order the wrong stuff that doesn't fit.
thx
Mark

Originally Posted by Rock Farmer

Gonzo-
When doing your stage 1 upgrade (rear lockouts,c hubs, knuckles) may I also recommend axle tubes. They'll give a more solid foundation for all those bits to attach to, and if you got a lil wheelman at the trigger it could help in keeping all those nice bits on them axles! Many brands to choose from- beef tubes, burly tubes, kronik boom tubes, beef up rc tubes from rc bros, and many more I'm sure, just the ones I've had success with. For the $30- $65 youll spend on a set, worth every penny! Save from broken axle housings, and keep stage 1bits in place. I do believe beef tubes are available on RPP (FASTEST shippers in parts dept!)for sure, boom tubes go to either Asia tees or Boom Racing ( slow boat from china shipping- but u can pay for fast jet from Hong Kong).
Hope this may help in your now evolving quest for parts,parts,parts,parts,parts,parts........

Rock Farmer,

will these work for what you are talking about?

Beef Tubes STANDARD SCX-10 Beef Tubes - U4 - Aluminum

Originally Posted by Di_Spencer

For the xr mod axles that will cover the knuckles and c Hubs and you will need a new metal tie rod so that will be covered. For a servo the Hitec 7954 is good and i have heard good things about the Promodeler 420. For servos it is better to buy one good one instead of a bunch of cheaper ones.

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DJ SPencer,

Thank you, anyway you can send some links? I've been searching for what your talking about and either the Coors light is interrupting my concentration or my newbie mind is failing to understand.

It seems that building from inside out ensuring that everything is metal or upgraded is the way to go. I just don't want to order the wrong parts or leave a plastic piece in between two metal parts.
Thanks!

Thanks everyone, I have enough info to keep my busy for a few weeks. I will post up another thread with build and pics.

Much appreciated!
Mark
gonzo532

[Rock Farmer]

Yes sir those will work. Make sure to order 2 pair for the complete axle set (fr/rr). I'd recommend doing axles at the same time as youll have the housings open and accessible, if you wallet allows. Front uni's or a good cvd (locked up rc OT cvd, vanquish cvd) and IMO- Locked up rc 's rear axle shaft OT ver3- $40 -FTW!
GOOD LUCK sir, and remember if you eat an elephant- use lil bites to finish it all. (Go slow, research, stay within a budget, dont get overwhelmed-just a toy, HAVE FUN!)

[Terrible1]

Originally Posted by gonzo532

Yes I'm in Bay Area ( Santa Cruz ) and my nearest store is about 35 minutes away. Nice folks, but spendy plus tax. I got some parts there and quickly found that I could have got the same stuff for about 30% cheaper online. I like to support local business, but I didn't like driving 35 minutes and the first experience wasn't the best.

I like to support my LHS as well but, I also hate paying sales tax. If you plan your purchases online you can get great deals with discounts, no tax and free shipping. Another reason I like CKRC (Reno, NV) and shipping is fast.

[ElChupacabra]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/222216135339

I got this link set off the bay and honestly for the price it can't be beat. I've never seen this seller referenced on RCC and I can't believe it. I know not everybody is in love with aluminum links. I've been running this set for several months now with a lot of wheel time including finishing a Shred The Ledge event which is arguably one of the most brutal comp courses you can find. It's a 9 hour G6 style course designed to break your truck. Only half the trucks finish on average. The rest of the advice in this thread has been great. I just wanted to throw out these links as an option if you're on a budget.

[Di_Spencer]

Yes I will send you some links. The tubes you linked will strengthen the axles but for the xr mod you want tubes with splines for wraith knuckles. There are 2 ways to do the xr mod. One keeps thw width of the car about the same and the other widens it by about and inch.

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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by Di_Spencer

For the xr mod axles that will cover the knuckles and c Hubs and you will need a new metal tie rod so that will be covered. For a servo the Hitec 7954 is good and i have heard good things about the Promodeler 420. For servos it is better to buy one good one instead of a bunch of cheaper ones.

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+1 for getting a decent servo from the start.

I'd also look at the Holmes Hobbies HV 500.


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[Thloftus]

(null)
I've only owned a few tires, so I'd look around the forum for recommendations. I really like the Mudslingers, but others may perform better; I think Pitbull Rock Beasts are universally loved: http://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/pbtpb9003nk.htm

The 1.9 Mudslingers are much smaller than the stock tires, so I switched to 2.2. For Rock Beasts you'll want to use 1.9s.

For the links, titanium will be 60% heavier, but 2x stronger. Either will be light relative to the rest of the truck. The Vanquish titanium links also come with Traxxas Revo rod ends and should be basically bombproof.


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[Thloftus]

Originally Posted by ElChupacabra

https://www.ebay.com/itm/222216135339

I got this link set off the bay and honestly for the price it can't be beat. I've never seen this seller referenced on RCC and I can't believe it. I know not everybody is in love with aluminum links. I've been running this set for several months now with a lot of wheel time including finishing a Shred The Ledge event which is arguably one of the most brutal comp courses you can find. It's a 9 hour G6 style course designed to break your truck. Only half the trucks finish on average. The rest of the advice in this thread has been great. I just wanted to throw out these links as an option if you're on a budget.

This link set is sweet. Nice find -- good for all of us!


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