Spawn Rock Racer Kit - Build Completed

[Mendoza]

In the body shop. Masked up ready for final step. White roof first, then pin stripes for metallic green body. Not happy though. I was intending an olive green body with white roof but was torn because this green has that 70’s vibe.

Ended up choosing this green (backed it with gun metal to tone it down) and I’ve got some bleeding into my pin stripes which has really pi$$3d me off. Metallic paint seems harder to work with and I’m not sure about the colour now, wish I stuck with the olive green.

Anyhow no point bitching now, keep going and we’ll see how it turns out.

[Mendoza]

Gun metal backing done, fuel cap and white pin stripes painted in. I tried to scratch out the ‘bleeding’ with a blade but couldn’t get it all out. Hope to finish body today.

Blacked in and removed film.



Now for stickers.

[Mendoza]

Done. Bit rough and rushed but the shape of the C10 is magic... absolute classic. You could paint it pink and it would still look good. Definitely need the yeti hubs for clearance.

Proline please make a C10 body for the wraith!!!

[Mendoza]

Ok so Yeti hubs on ... Nice wide stance and I have clearance with the XLs! It handles a lot better at speed but now after thinking bigger is better with tires, and even though i like the swampers ... for some reason I want to get smaller tires like Ottsix Voodoos or PB Growlers.

Couple of Vids of the Chev Wraith crawling in my backyard ... i have flattened a lot of sandstone in my yard (about 10 tonne) so i have a lot of rubble around. Wife wants it gone... I am stalling because my son and I love it for crawling.

[Mendoza]

Hey! As a mere Rock Stacker I’m struggling to make a decision and interested in some advice from you crawlmasters out there. On the basis of where my wraith is now and mods below in terms of bang for buck, looks and overall performance...

Right now I’m considering:

1) a stiffy chassis upgrade (BGR or BMRC) - $200, over my budget TBH but love the BMRC version and the look it gives the wraith, or...

2) Stick with current fastback and go with BMRC stage 2 trailing arm set up - $94, is this really worth it or...

3) Stick with current fastback and get inner fenders and checker plate tray + fuel cell from shapeways - $100, or...

4) none of the above and just get new tires (smaller than my XL SS) and CI foams and throw a fuel cell in - $100.

Don’t hold back... give it to me straight!

[TheLetterJ]

First, what is it that you would like your wraith to do, or do better? What does it currently do that you wish it didn't do?

From watching your videos, and if that is typical of the terrain you normally drive on, it looks like you could really benefit from some weight up front. Sounds like you're working with a budget of $100? You could spend that $100 on a complete set of Dlux fab brass knuckles and it will improve your crawling performance more than any of your listed options would. Or, you can get a set of VP's brass knuckle weights that bolt on to your existing knuckles for $50. Maybe ditch those ProLine wheels (I vote to keep your current tires) and get some Chinese aluminum beadlocks to change up the look of your truck for $50.

[Mendoza]

Thanks for the advice.

Ina nutshell ... I want better crawling and better higher speed stability. That’s my backyard and I live next to a National Park which has great trails and lots of rock, so i would say I’m more of a trail basher that loves to crawl. Guess I’m trying to be a bit like a Bomber.

Budget $100-150 max.

Ok, so ill look at those VP brass knuckle weights and ill start the search for some alu beads. I’ve also still got a set of beef tubes I haven’t installed.

Are trailing arms really a big improvement handling wise or not worth the effort?

[TheLetterJ]

All else being equal, running trailing arms will increase your rear wheel travel as the shock is mounted midway along the arm which increases the axles leverage against the shock. That added wheel travel can really help at the higher speed end of the spectrum by letting the wheels absorb bigger impacts and stay in contact with the terrain longer before running out of travel and upsetting the chassis. You'd need to increase your rear spring rate to maintain similar driving characteristics, but you will still notice differences as compared to your current double-triangulated 4 link. Depending on the length of the arms, you can also gain some wheelbase (using Yeti/Bomber trailing arms) which will also increase stability, but at a loss of breakover angle, so while longer will help you at speed, it will get you hung up more often in the rocks. Trailing arms also aren't generally high clearance like your current links since the lower shock eye needs to be mounted below the center line of the trailing arms ends mounting points, to keep the arm from rolling/flopping side to side as the suspension cycles... there's ways around that, but I've yet to see anything commercially available that accomplishes it, so you would end up with a double whammy to your breakover angle (longer and lower.)

You can switch to a Bomber skid plate (either drill new holes for the wraith trans to mount, use a DMG adapter plate, or a 3d printed "bomber" skid that's already set up for the wraith trans) to make your lower links straight (which by itself will add to your straight line stability... as opposed to double triangulated which reduces axle "steer" which is better for crawling, but "looser" at speed) which will also make rear shock mounting easier when using trailing arms. You can buy Wraith length, or even Twin Hammers length trailing arms to keep the same/similar wheelbase as you currently have. Another benefit to a Bomber style skid is that the upper link mounts have multiple mounting options so you can raise your rear anti-squat which really helps push the rear tires into the ground (traction) and forces the front suspension down (helps keep it from lifting the front wheels during hard acceleration and steep climbs) but you can get the same benefit (adjustable upper link mounting points) by using a Dlux fab "U4" axle truss, which adds a lot of housing strength since it's full width, and a little bling.

The upper shock mount is probably the most difficult part of a trailing arm conversion to accomplish, but with a little creativity, you can definitely "home brew" something that will work before commiting to a $200 "back half."

Whether or not it is worth it is up to you. You'll give up a little crawling performance at the extreme end, but have a car that doesn't buck around (as bad) when speed picks up. I personally think you'd be better served to fine tune your current setup's spring rate, preload, oil weight, and maybe adjustable upper link mounts (via either a new skid, or new axle trusses) etc before deciding to make the switch. A dialed in standard link setup will handle better crawling AND at speed versus a poorly setup trailing arm suspension.

The knuckle weights aren't going to help at all at high(er) speeds, but luckily they're easily removeable if you decide that their crawling benefits aren't worth the tradeoff for you.

[Mendoza]

Thanks for taking the time to check my Wraith out and share some of your wisdom. You've given hope that I can improve it a lot without breaking the bank.

Ive short listed some alloy wheels on eBay and trying to get more info on the Dlux U4 trusses. Might go Bomber skid option instead - seems the easier path. Only because i dont know whats involved with the Dlux stuff in terms of all the parts i would need.

You also made me realise it doesn't make sense spending almost the same money on chassis swap/trail arm set up as it is to get a Bomber kit.

Your a good man

[Mendoza]

searching for wheels ... do you know if these cheaper imports have removable hubs as per first link? And can i use the axial plastic hubs to get the offset i want? Limited info on these postings/no responses to my inquiries.

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/l0QAA...UI/s-l1600.jpg

I'm not a big bling type of dude - and like this set of Matt Silver I've found - but do you think polished aluminium is the way to go?

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/p-gAA...q0/s-l1600.jpg

[TheLetterJ]

The Dlux trusses are pretty straight forward, just select front or rear and whichever color you prefer here: Dlux Fab and the only additional parts needed are a couple of Jato/long rod ends (traxxas 5525) and an extra ball from a traxxas rod end. The front truss is a bit more involved because the servo gets relocated behind the axle, so you'll also need to make a new draglink (8-32 all-thread sleeved with 1/4" tubing, or buy from Dlux when making the truss order.) If you don't have the desire to relocate the servo, it would still be worth changing the rear truss, but again, a skid plate change could net you (nearly) the same geometry change.

I know there's lots of 3d printed variations out there, but this is one example of a bomber style skid that is ready to bolt into a wraith: https://store.rcaddict.us/collection...ns-rear-facing Side bonus is that it will make the belly completely smooth/flat so you end up with about 1/4" more clearance than before. If you're happy with your current clearance, you can take advantage of the situation and lower your suspension down that extra 1/4", further lowering your center of gravity. Yes, you can run straight/wraith links (you don't have to run trailing arms) with the bomber skid. You can also use the dlux truss AND 3d printed skid, but you likely won't be making full use of all the link adjustment (and that's fine) when using them together.

The wheels in that first link are 5 lug, so even if the hubs are removeable, they won't work with Axial/SLW hubs. I would definitely recommend getting 6 lug/SLW compatible wheels, they won't strip, and you can change your offset as you see fit. I'm not a fan of plastic hubs anyway, and you can get aluminum SLW hubs up to .850" or use Shift hubs and go as wide or narrow as desired without having to buy new hubs https://www.tcscrawlers.com/lattice-.../sku186692.htm The second set of wheels look like the ever popular Method wheels, which would work perfectly with SLW hubs (or your plastic ones.) The color choice is all yours.

[Mendoza]

Thanks Legend ... i like the method look alikes a lot and what a great price! 4 of those are cheaper than my plastic PL’s

You’ve got me amped about the bomber skid and dropping it a further 1/4 inch. That will give me better CG and stability too. I just need to clarify some stuff before putting an order in:

- get the wraith ‘gearbox front facing or rear facing version’ of the skid?
- get standard bomber TA’s?
- can I keep my vanquish upper links?
- what about my MIP drive shafts? No wheelbase change?

Are there any other parts or considerations I need to make?

Don’t want you to think I’m lazy... I’ve had a look at the other threads on this topic but they’re short and don’t provide any detail.

[TheLetterJ]

It says that the "rear facing" version requires your diffs to be on the driver's/left side, I know both of my Wraiths are situated that way, so I'd have to assume that is the correct version.

You might want to get the skid installed before deciding on which length trailing arms to go with, again, you can just bolt your current links right to the bomber skid. If you go with bomber/yeti length, your uppers will be too short by nearly an inch. Several vendors here sell wraith and twin hammers length trailing arms which, in my opinion, is the hot ticket for what you're going for. You can always add a little length to your links/TA's by switching from revo to jato rod ends (about 9mm longer per end, so up to 18mm longer) if something is too short, but it's not nearly as easy to make the long links/ta's (bomber/yeti) shorter. JEC racing makes some sweet looking trailing arms (they would be my choice) from stainless steel, and you can also get their aluminum version through SuperShafty: https://supershafty.com/products/all...i-score-bomber

Your existing MIP's will work fine with wraith or twin hammers length ta's, but you would need a longer male end to match bomber/yeti length. I believe this to be the one: https://supershafty.com/collections/...-duty-cvd-bone

You're still going to need to work through some specific details yourself, but threads like this one should help get the wheels turning: New Member - Wraith Build

[Mendoza]

Thanks Pal ... Yeah mine are also on the drivers side.

I’ll be placing the orders shortly. That thread you posted is very useful. I find searching the forum doesn’t return many results for TA.

[Mendoza]

Update ... I’m committed!! Final phase of my build in progress.

Order placed:
1/ RCAddict Bomber / Wraith skid $52
2/ JEC 7075 Wraith TA’s $53
3/ Traxxas 5347 rod end balls $9
4/ 200x300 3K CF plate $12

Outstanding parts list when my budget (I mean Wife) permits:
1/ Aluminium wheels $40
2/ CI comp cut foams for my XL SS tires $35
3/ miscellaneous stuff like inner fenders, fuel cell. $20

Quick note on my TA conversion... i am officially over budget (can’t believe how quickly it adds up) so I’m going to take my time to get a factory looking result and the aim is to get my TA’s as straight as possible.

Also finally going to do my battery forward mod (with carbon plate) and waterproofing. Fit my beef tubes... they’re a bit rusty - sitting in my garage for 18mths and some shock tuning.

Now that TLJ has given me some direction - I’ll get some pics of build action ... I’m sure you guys are sick and tired of reading about my learning process. But I’m grateful for the advice and this forum.

[Mendoza]

While I wait for the skid and TA’s I started some other things and ordered some 2mm CF plate.


*Trimmed up tray to expose tube frame ... if I don’t like it, I’ll build one out of CF. Still trying to work out how to peg down the corners of the tray (might have to settle for zip ties).

*Moving batt up-front ... deciding if I box the ESC under the hood with receiver in the back, or both in a rear fuel cell. Wanted both upfront but there isn’t enough room for the batt if I do.

*Not sure about esc being fully enclosed in a sealed box ... if anyone has thoughts on NO ventilation for the ESC please share them.

*Made a template for upfront battery/electronics tray ... cut and mount this week. This will stiffen-up the front end as well.

I’m looking forward to getting it up to full potential with more weight up front, better all round handing and a more finished look.

[Mendoza]

[Mendoza]

Feel like I wasted time on this tray. Masking, painting and all the effort and it doesn’t look very good. I think I’m going plan B ... CF plate like up front and Bomber fuel cell on top.

[1fox2go]

I like this. Are you using the wheels from the kit for the Treps? How you like them?

[mewalsh100]

Another great improvement is ground clearance. The Wraith has a huge skid that can tend to hang up on rocks. There are two ways to go. Do the "tummy tuck" mod (there is info on the procedure here in the forums). Or, go to shapeways and purchase one of the 3D printed high clearance skids. (This is what I did as I'm running BGR rock sliders which I really like, and would have to bin them or do some pretty heavy modifying to run them with the "tummy tuck". I was amazed at what that extra bit of clearance will do - while still allowing you to run droop.

If it were me, with that budget, I'd do:

1.) Either the tummy tuck which is basically FREE minus your labor. Or, go 3D printed skid - roughly $50 US
2.) Underdrive the rear - I couldn't believe how beneficial this was for turning and climbing prowess - roughly $30 US - I run 38/13 up front and 43/13 out back. Amazing bang for the buck!
3.) if you want to "bash" with the rig, I don't think I'd run knuckle weights. They great for dedicated crawling, but not so much for trailing and / or bashing. I run mine on my 1.9 truggy when it's a focused crawl, but take them off for general trailing and farting around. For some more FREE mods, you could try and focus on packaging as much as you can up in front of the rig. I run my ESC, BEC, etc all up front between the shock towers. Nowhere near knuckle weight territory, but it's free and every little bit helps. The other thing you could do is just run BEEF TUBES Beef Patties versus knuckle weights. Again, not as much heft as the knuckle weights, but combined with the other mods, they add just that bit more weight up front. - roughly $30 us.

BTW - the rig is looking sweet!