Bullhide Wraith

[Sevastra]

Been interested in crawlers for awhile now. My experience with RCs is from about 10 years ago with a nitro truck I had at the time. Nice change to get back into it, and the electric cars are a major plus in my boot. Can run them indoors.

Bought this Wraith about a month ago now, and have been beating the snot out of it as a full fledged (if not somewhat scale) crawler over at Larry's RC in Sterling Heights, MI. For those not familiar with the course, here's a couple pics:





My Wraith has come a long way since I bought it, in a relatively short time. I started with the following:

Axial Wraith Kit
35t Integy Lathe / Crawler Motor
Torquemaster Brushed ESC Waterproof
Hitec HS-5646WP Waterproof Servo
Spektrum DX2E Radio & SR200 Reciever
DTX 4600 mAh NiMH Battery

Had it assembled and ready to go within 2 days. Played with it in the house for about 5 min, then headed back to Larrys for upgrades. Another $100 later I had the following added:

VP upper links, Axial 6x98mm lower links. This stretched wheel base aprox 3/4 - 1 inch.
3Racing AX10-12/GR Shock Absorber
Axial 1.32lb Soft Spring set AX30213

Installed them there at the course, and ran it on the track for the first time. Within 20 minutes I smoked the windings in the motor Had read on the forums that people were running them for about a hour or more, learned the hard way about breaking in brushed motors and the demands the above course puts on it. I keep a temp gun in the parts box now, and limit crawl times to about 15 min between cooldowns.

[Sevastra]

Within the first week the truck was scraped up pretty good on that course. Never got some before pictures, but here's a couple at the track during that first week:

We'll start with the ever popular poser shot!




And yes, these rather poor photo's were taken with a cell phone. I'd apologize for the quality, but I've got better things to invest in than a camera

List of upgrades within that first week:

VP Aluminum steering links (Stock plastic links suck!)
Hardened Steel transmission gears
Replaced Pinion & spur gear with 14T/87T. Tons of low end torque now.
Fried Integy motor, replaced with 35 turn Tenkin

I had read and commented on a thread here about too much flex being bad, and how being able to float a wheel helped drastically. Went out to the track with the intention of getting some example pics, but got distracted with the slash 4x4 that day so this is what I ended up with.

[Sevastra]

Stripped gear in servo. Flipped it 180 degrees till I can replace servo, works great!
Added 3 Oz lead weights to both front tires, combined total of 6 oz. Good rock crawling traction!
Relocated battery and electronics under hood. Re-adjusted shocks to compensate. Will travel places it wouldnt before, amazing difference!
Improved waterproofing for electronics box
Added half inch spacers between front stinger and mount, servo not clears stinger bottom to tuck up underneath.
Hinged hood in front, velcro closes in rear.
Added sunroof & rear side windows with clear plastic.
Added clear plastic windshield.
Added roof mounted fog lights.
Painted shift levers & steering wheel.
Mounted driver to front seat (Jonah Hex.) Had to modify front seat.
Front splash panels added.

Noticed earlier this week the stock plastic driveshafts have a noticable twist to themm. Ended up snapped arear driveshaft yesterday in the yard.. Through trial and error I was able to create a substitute that will stand up to the torque until I order a set of MIP shafts. CA Does not hold the male splines together, even with tube inserted and glued. Ended up cutting off a male section, and one of the female splined tubes from the connector to connect two female ends with the male section glued half and half in between. Works well.

Added a couple small spacers to bring stinger out about 1/2 inch. Tires still protrude infront of it, aproach angle isnt effected. Car will now stand on its front end instead of flipping over, pretty pleased with that. Plus, now the servo horn doesnt hit the bottom of the stinger, will tuck up underneath.

For the past couple days the Wraith has been under surgery, getting some new skins. I came across an old felt coat in the basement that had some paint stains, so I attacked it with the scissors and ended up with the following.. Netting came courtesy of some old shoe holders.

I know its not Bullhide, but the name sorta fits with a western theme and sounds much better than the Felt Wraith. xD















Next two are just a couple shots showing ride height, and how much downward travel this actually has. Didnt think about getting a compressed suspension shot.. And the two containers below the Wraith are the same height as a coke can.

[Sevastra]

Today I ran it around the yard for a bit, and tried climbing a steep two foot bank across the street before getting cold and coming indoors. Set it on the kitchen floor and was toying with it for a moment when the rear driveshaft broke. At first I thought it was the glue'd shafts coming apart, but this is what I found:







This really took a beating. Had to do some sanding to smooth out the ball so it would swivel in the socket, and had to take a small hammer and punch out the remaining pin. I replaced it by cutting a straight section from a body pin and sliding it in place, its roughly the same diameter as the origional but with the damage the ball has taken there's alot of play.

Ah well, it'll get me by till I order a set of MIPs.

Coming soon:
HR Sway Bars
MIP Drive Shafts
Upgrade lockers
Cargo panel / drop bucket?
Axial Dig Unit
High torque steering servo w/ hardened gears.
Metal servo horn
4 channel controller & reciever
Lighting kit

Ah, side note. Tore apart the rear end and inspected the shafts and locker. They're holding up well. I noticed a couple chips missing from the rear ring gear, but the pinion gear is in great shape. I may end up going with a complete Vanquish housing setup front and rear, but the diffs are getting upgrades sometime soon. Had thought about 4 wheel steering, but I think for the crawling I do a dig setup would be the better choice between the two.

Also considering over / under driving the front / rear diffs so the front spins a little quicker.

Did a little research yesterday, so far this qualifies as a Class 3 rig. Going to try and keep within those specs. We'll see.

[Daddydancool]

now we need a video

[Sevastra]

Originally Posted by Daddydancool

now we need a video

Oh hell, I can imagine it now. Terrible driving 101 Will see if I can get some next time I'm at the track. I've got a feeling this rear drive shaft fix wont stand up to any real abuse.. Suppose there's one way to test it tho. Use to be able to sit in a rolling chair, put my foot out and let the crawler push me down the carpeted hallway. Probably what did the drive shaft in.. Great excuse to upgrade tho. Guy's at work (some of the above pics taken there) seem to love it, always stopping to as what the latest mods and such are. Pretty lucky I can work on it and toy around on the internet while collecting a pay check.

[Sevastra]

So it's been a long time since I've last posted, and many things have happened along the way.

Lets see if I can sum them up..

Lots of physical body modifications, alot of tuning, and some rather handy discoveries on the way. Pics will explain quicker than I can type it out..

One of the biggest things to happen was my Wraith was stolen one day while I was at work (Auto mechanic). Left it on my toolbox while I was in another building, and a customer walked over and snagged it! Guy's at the shop asked me about it when I returned, lady had claimed she spoke with me and bought it on the spot. After some research I got ahold of her number and called her on it. She said another guy there sold it to her, so I asked her to return it and point the person out.. She said she would, then never showed up. Called again two hours later, only to get another story.

I ended up calling the cops, and thanks to a good friend I got her address. Sent the police there and they retrieved the Wraith for me, but unfortunatly during the process the controller was lost, so I'll have to replace it.

After all this happened I ended up moving to upstate Michigan. Love it up here. Just dug my Wraith from storage and found the front steering arm that connects to the servo got bent (aluminum upgrade), and one of the front bumper mounts at the frame was broken during the move. All in all it's fairly unscathed, just needs minor repairs and a new radio / receiver.

So, on to the pictures! (Note: These were taken before the theft and move, hence the remote, but it's still the current setup. No longer have the Slash 4x4 either, Mac Tool guy wanted it for his kid so I traded for a good impact.)











Look, MIP Drive shafts hiding down there now! Not sure how I ever lived without them.



And of course.. the flex shot!

[lostonthetrails]

Dude nice Wraith and Nice Track. I wish I had the room for a Indoor Crawlspot like that.

[Sevastra]

Thanks for the compliments!

I cant take credit for the track tho. That one belongs to Larry's RC in Sterling Heights, MI. Great place to hang out. They've several different tracks indoors for short course trucks, crawlers, and slot cars. Can see more at Larrys Performance RCs. I really recommend checking it out if you get the chance, they change the courses up once every month or so.

[Sevastra]

Teardown time. I'm noticing alot of broken connections with the stock wraith chassis.. This hog is heavy, and the plastic just isnt up for the challenge of keeping this 15 lb pile of parts connected as it bashes its way across rocks and off the floor.

To be honest I'm not too concerned about the weight. It climbs well and sticks to just about anything. And yes, I'm a complete amateur.. I know those lighter weight rigs will go places mine wont without toppling over.

Since I'm going to do a teardown anyway, it's time for another round of upgrades. Lately I'm thinking of finding a set of RC4WD Renegade lockable differential axles and having the tubes cut and machined to accept some of the Currie axle tubes. Any thoughts on this?

A set of sway bars for the front and rear are also a must, along with a good set of wheels that'll handle the weight and abuse.

I'm a bit concerned about the alluminum pieces catching on the rocks vs the plastic ones. Can anyone with more experience chime in? For instance my lower links are alluminum rods. They're pretty gouged up but dont seem to snag, atleast not yet. However I'm not so sure alluminum axles will do the same..

[Sevastra]

The to-do upgrade list thus far:

Front & Rear swaybars
Locker Upgrades
Ring & Pinion upgrade: Overdrive the fronts / slow down the rears.
Chassis mounted steering
Panhard kit

And I'm seriously considering installing a 2 speed transmission along with a motor / esc upgrade and a 3s lipo.

[Sevastra]

I've stripped it down to do a damage assessment and see if there is anything else I need to order.

Chassis is broken in 3 spots, two breaks in the front bumper / mount area and one in the rear.

Rear differential gears are showing excessive wear. Dont see much grease at all remaining in the case either.. Front diff looks good. Factory lockers look great, but those are getting replaced anyway.

The 87 tooth spur gear I've been running has developed a bad spot, and my slipper looks glazed. Think I'll go with the 32p gears and slipper Harley suggests.

Found a broken screw that holds the front steering arm on the drivers side. Not sure how that happened, the head is completely gone. Easy enough to remove the remaining portion, enough sticking out to grab with pliers.

The MIP shafts have been rubbing against my spur gear cover. A little clearancing is in order..

The Pro4 and a 3s lipo are looking better and better coupled with the AX2 two speed transmission.. I've got to get a new radio & reciever anyway. Looks more and more like I'd be better off just building a seperate rig. Might be throwing some parts in the for sale section soon.

[Sevastra]

Placed a couple orders tonight. Should be expecting packages from Rc4wd and RPP soon.

Gotta admit I'm a little bummed. Been watching RC4WD for a couple weeks hoping the XR4 Radio / reciever would get re-stocked.. Ended up ordering a XR3 to use till they restock. Will get me by just fine, only using 2 channels at the moment. Still, a 2 speed trans and four wheel steering combo sounds awfully fun.

Will post some pics once the boxes start arriving. Probably going to have about 3 more waves of orders coming within the next couple months. 'Course at this rate I'll have to start bunking with all those "home wrecker" build guys. Wont be able to afford much else

[Sevastra]

Over the last few days I've ordered a boat load of parts, and I've decided that this build is officially finished.. Tonight I sat down and tore it to pieces; needed to do that anyway. I'm going to start a new build from the ground up and use parts of this Wraith as the platform.

Will post a link here to the new build once the parts start arriving. For now I've got the chassis stripped down and ready for some sanding / paint. Should be interesting, there's quite a few interesting items going into it.

Will say this has been a great learning experience! Lots of trial and error (more fun that way, eh?)