I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

Way back when, I bought an Axial SCX-10 Jeep Wrangler RTR. Had some fun with it for a while, but then it sat on the shelf for the longest time. Started to see some things I would like to have gotten for it, like the Vanquish Currie Rock Jock axles for SCX-10, but by the time you add everything up for it, you're almost at $400 (axle assemblies, c-hubs, knuckles, the VVD shafts and the link kit). The Jeep sat on the shelf, occasionally getting dusted off to keep the big chunks of dust away.


Took it out a year or so later to show off to some guys at work. Was enough for a couple to go out and buy R/Cs of their own. At that time, I bought the Axial aluminum link kit and the Axial metal shocks. Played around with it for a few more weeks, and back on the shelf it went.



Fast forward to the other day. My oldest son, who is almost 17, is considering buying one of the SCX 10ii Jeep Cherokees. So, I decided to take the Wrangler off the shelf, washed and waxed the body, blew out the dust bunnies, charged up the battery pack (surprised a NiMH battery would still charge, much less hold a charge.. but it did!) and played around with it for a while... mostly chasing the dog around the house.


So I was killing time the other day at work, and started to look up some stuff. I found on the web, both VP axles, the c-hubs, and 8 degree knuckles for $150! Supposedly the packaging is water damaged, but the parts inside are not harmed. Now, I am wanting to do all kinds of things... new wheels... new tires... and then I started thinking about it sitting on the shelf again... but this time, if it's going to sit, I am going to go for the scale realism look... so now I want the scale shocks, inner fender liners, front grille assembly, new bumper with a winch, light kits, etc etc...


My g/f thinks I've gone nuts..

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

Sounds perfectly sound to me!
The gf thing is just something you have to live with.
Get a Lipo battery!
And good luck with the project. Sounds good :)

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

I actually have a new LiPo battery sitting for it at the house. Haven't charged it or discharged it yet as I am not ready to use it. Plus I need to figure out how to configure my charger to charge the thing!


I thought about changing out the wheels. I like the look of the "stock" Walker Evans wheels, but would like some that are a bit more scale looking..

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

Lots of good, cheap mods for the OG SCX10 these days.

SSD D60 axle housings look a lot better and are much stronger than the Axial housings and can be had for $18/axle.

https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/ssd00059.htm

Axial has metal transmission gears for $6.

https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/ax31585.htm

The Hobbywing 1080 ESC is as good as any brushed ESC on the market and its only $40. Lots of beadlock wheels in steel and aluminum available under $50 and tons of scale tires with way better performance than anything from 5 years ago.

The OG SCX10 can still be a great platform for a build, even if everyone has moved on to other platforms. "thumbsup"

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

Well, all the parts I ordered have arrived. This is what I have:


Vanquish Products:



Currie RockJock Axle Kit - Front

Currie RockJock Axle Kit - Rear

8 degree knuckes

8 degree C-Hubs

VVD Front axleshafts



Axial:

Heavy Duty 38T/15T Gear set x2

Metal gear set for AX10 transmissions

1.9 8 Hole beadlocks (chrome)



Proline:

Interco TSL SX Super Swamper tires x2



So far, I have the tires mounted to the rims, and have the rear currie axle assembled and installed. Since I didn't have time to finish tonight, I threw the new wheels/tires on and put the Jeep back up... wow.. these tires are a little small compared to the original Maxxis Trepador tires. Make the Jeep look a bit goofy with body so high. Also, because I was too lazy, I didn't install the new gearset in the rear axle. I have to take it apart again anyway when I get new bearings, so I will put them in then. (And maybe a different locker/diff... recommendations??) So, here are a few pics...



Rear Currie Axle installed. Yes, I ran into the reverse rotation issue here. Will be fixed with the new front axle. https://i.imgur.com/G7KbJaT.jpg This thing looks goofy like this! https://i.imgur.com/5LwRXAd.jpg An overall view. https://i.imgur.com/VPkuY81.jpg So, I am thinking about getting the XL version of the Swampers so it fills the wheelwells better. I will also probably buy another set of wheels as well, probably the same chrome ones... I need to get driveshafts. Cant decide on the Incision ones from Vanquish, or going with the old standby of MIP... (I remember when MIP first started selling RC parts!)

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

I'm about to toss every bit of this Vanquish stuff in the trash.

I started the assembly of the front axle last night. Got the axle assembled, but there is no documentation that tells you which way the knuckles get oriented. Then the VVD axleshaft on one side would not go into the inner bearing of the knuckle. Had to take the Dremel to it to get it to fit. Yes, I did try swapping both side to side. When I broke out the digital caliper, it was slightly larger than the other.

Then comes the links. There is no clear diagram on how the upper links get oriented. They are bent by the factory for clearance and there is a short end and long end. Right now, the short end is attached to the axle.

Now, the axle mounted servo is hitting the frame.

To top that off, the Axial Beadlock wheels are hitting the knuckles!

Ugh.... I'm seriously considering taking all this crap off and throwing it in the garbage and just run the stock stuff. Yeah, I love the look of the Vanquish stuff, but so far, I am not a happy camper....

Pictures later...

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

The knuckles get bolted on with the arms facing the front bumper, the drag link will get bolted to both of these.

The C-hubs get bolted on with the shorter arm/eye hole at the top of the axle.

The bent links are your upper front links (for driveshaft clearance), the short straight one are your lower front links.

The servo probably won’t hit the frame when you are playing with it, but probably does while you are cycling the suspension up & down. VP also has a CMS kit, it’s in one of their YouTube videos.

You can buy wider 12mm hex hubs, but I’m not sure you’ll find any that will be wide enough to stop the tires from rubbing on the knuckles.

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

Thanks.. the knuckles were self-explanitory, but the c-hubs were an issue. I redid them this morning and it helped some, but the beadlock bolts still hit the knuckles. I cut off the outer set of holes on the knuckles, and then re-oriented the steering linkage some, but I still had to add two 0.05mm spacers between the pin and outer bearing, and then another two 0.05mm spacers between the hex and the wheel.

The front uppers are an issue still. I don't get full compression out of the front because they hit the receiver box.

For the beadlocks, I think I am going to seek out some button head screws to replace the cap head screws. Would give me about 2mm more clearance.

I went up to a local hobby shop and picked up the teflon 0.05mm spacers.. and the Incision driveshafts. I think I am done buying parts for this thing. I am going to get it back together, and then save up for either an SCX-10ii or a TRX-4 Bronco... I still wish they made a late 70's F-150 body for 1:10 trucks..

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

You probably won’t ever see full suspension compression while you are playing...unless you’re jumping stuff. I think on late model scx10s you can screw the receiver box into the cross brace between the rear shock mounting hoops, if you take the stock battery tray off, and move it to the front...somewhere.

Re: I think I've gone nuts... NOPE!
 

I might end up moving the receiver... but then I have to extend the wire for the steering servo. Meh..

I was thinking about changing the cap screws on the beadlocks for buttonhead screws, and then maybe going with thicker hexes to clear the knuckles and space the wheels out some.

Bad thing is I took the Dremel to the VP Knuckles to remove the unused hole on the knuckles, and essentially ruined the things. Yeah, they still work, but they look like crap. At least I had a black paint pen handy to cover up the bare aluminum.