Topcad Wraithrod

[Tanqueray]

Figured some may want to see this, I had picked up a used wraith and decided to get a topcad steel cage for it.

not that anyone cares but here's the list of what it was...
-Axial universals
- Vanquish knuckles
- Vanquish steering links
- aluminum C-hubs
- GCM rear locker
- Axial HD locker up front
- Beef tubes in axles
- Tranny is all Robinson Racing
- Drop kit ****
- aluminum shocks
- aluminum bumper
- Full leds that can run right off the battery
-




From there the cage...


byebye station wagon look!


fastback done and flipped suspension mounts around to drop suspension height










suspension has been widened to 9.5cm between shock towers, it gives me more room for electronics and makes it about same stance for suspension as stock truck (except it's lowered with the mounts flipped over)

windshield bar is now straight versus curved, looks like retarded when a body is mounted then stock.

bottom part of front end has all been straightened out instead of being curved inwards, also has been fortified with cross braces to help with mounting electronics.

added a bar under the dash that prevents battery from sliding down too low/into the cab.








chopped the roof


had [s]a bit of fun[/s] lotsa fun welding



and that was only building a home to a pinion critter, I used some high teeth count pinions for it, since lets face it, I crawl, don't need no stinking 29 teeth pinions ;D He's even got a line sticking out of his ...



got the inside prepped and also the body panels, definitely the most annoying part of the build so far, lining up the damn nuts with the body holes

The body is not made to go on this thing
the hood is at least 1/4" too wide
the side panels feel like they too are about 3/8" too long
chopped roof means shorter windshield, F*** that, it's not going on.
Also had to chop the floor out where driver's seat is so I could lower the seat to allow the driver to get into the cab (due to chopped roof)

Some minor geometry problems, up front i have to move the shock towers forward, they're too far back which means that the shocks cannot get full compression without the chassis hitting the steering servo.

Anyways, here it sits as a roller (before i tear it all down again to adjust stuff)


she's alive, still some tweaking to do, but it's more then capable to take on some rocks, especially with a 13.5 in it now ;D

[2manyprojects]

I like it!


Sent from the lazy guy on the hard working phone.

[realsickclown]

Where did you get the alloy axle tubes in polished? Are they on stock pumpkins? that is some pretty creative welding it looks pretty sweet

[Tanqueray]

it's tube i had laying around that happened to fit on the axles, i figured hey why not, I was bored

[Calderwood]

I think all that modding was more work than starting from a pile of tube.

[ka1fornia]

The chopped roof looks sweet! I wish there was some way to do that with the plastic models

[67mustang]

Actually you can do alot of different stuff with the plastic chassis. With a little heat, it will bend at least 30 degrees without getting too weak. Get some allthread and a dremel little and the proper size bit and your imagination is your limit.

[Harley]

Nice work sir! Way to dive right into making that chassis better

[Tanqueray]

I agree it's lots of work compared to starting from scratch, but 50$ for a chassis that is straight and easy to modify, can't beat that. If i would of started from scratch, it would be all crooked to hell, and I had lots of fun doing it. This summer is the first time I did any brazing, buddy of mine is supposed to lend me his mig so it will probably get a makeover and be cleaner whenever I get around to it.

[Harley]

Originally Posted by Tanqueray

I agree it's lots of work compared to starting from scratch, but 50$ for a chassis that is straight and easy to modify, can't beat that. If i would of started from scratch, it would be all crooked to hell, and I had lots of fun doing it. This summer is the first time I did any brazing, buddy of mine is supposed to lend me his mig so it will probably get a makeover and be cleaner whenever I get around to it.

Brazing makes much cleaner joints than a MIG. A MIG just means lots of clean up after.

[Steelfish]

I like it a lot..

can you give more info on those chrome tubes?
I have my plastic chassis painted chrome and I wouldnt mind adding those beef tubes like yours, by chance do you remember the ID and OD of the tubes?

[Tanqueray]

the beef tubes are in the axles, the tubes you're seeing are just a very thin pipe I had laying around that was actually a very tight fit over the axle, no idea where it came from sorry

[evan03]

Nigel.

I think this chassis is awesome to build and modify to each individual liking. Starting from scratch is very time consuming and frustrating

I agree I mig all my stuff and welder set up my mood and how many beers I've had not to mention my mood all plays a role in how much clean up I have. . ohhh I started from scratch and then pretty much threw my first build in the trash