Zeee..... Row..... Deeeee.

[Trubble]

Nothing important going on yet, just reserving a spot, really.

So anyway, here's the story on how this build came to be.

I was going to use my annual production bonus to go brushless and LiPo in hers and my Slashes. I already have ESCs and BECs for them, just need motors, batts, and I was going to get a power supply and stout charger.

Well, then I stumbled onto Conflict's XR thread. I was hoping that that little glowing ember would just fizzle out as it worked it's way to the back of my mind. Nope. The fire was lit.

I looked at what I had for money, and had to face the facts that if I wanted to buy an XR, it was going to be at the low end of the used truck spectrum. And/or incomplete. I was almost out of the proverbial woods, when I got this stellar idea! "I know, I'll order each individual piece, and put me together some new axles!"...... Really? MmHm. Looks like TCS has everything in stock to do so, except for the RC4WD gear set, but going that route would've been actually slightly more expensive than many of the rigs I was looking at buying. And that's for relatively 'stock-ish' axles.

Okay, so the wildfire was just about out between my ears, all I hadda do was close out the tabs I had open and go on about my merry way. Well, okay, but why not take one last zip through the classifieds, right? Maybe pick up something nice for one of the three shafties I already have. Then...........

Stumbled upon a guy who had an XR10 put together, but didn't look like it'd ever been finished. And for a price that I was certain was not right. I PM'ed just to find out if he still had it. He did and really wanted this thing to move. So, I foolishly decided, "the Slashes haven't seen the light of day in 4 years, and I don't have brushless motors anyways....... Ach, what do I need with a better charger and bigger batteries?" At that point, curiosity finally got it's claws deep into my back, and previously earmarked money went instead into this smokin' good deal. I don't want to throw numbers out there, but the price I paid for an entire rig was around half what it would've costed to piecemeal two axles together.

IIRC, I paid this guy, like on a Wednesday after work, (which would've been in the wee hours on Thursday), and this........ is what I had waiting for me when I came home from work the following Monday.

[Trubble]

I suppose next I should divulge where I pulled the name from. You're gonna think this is lame...... 'cause it is. But.....

The wife and I were at OfficeMax, and she was picking through the Clearance rack, which was hugely dominated by all the One Direction (the boy-band) stuff. Notebooks, folders, blah, blah, you name it. All with the requisite '1D' emblazoned all over them.
Fast forward several hours, and here I am sitting in the recliner trying to think up a catchy/cool name for my build. Only I have NO idea where this thing's going to wind up. I love the look of the bodiless rigs. My R/C budget says, 'yeah, I don't think so. Yer rollin' stock, Homey.'
So, since I have no idea where to go with this, I have, therefore, no clear direction. Or, as the youngster set would say, 0D (zero D).

Congratulations, you're 90 seconds older, and no better off for it. Y/W.



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Question is, do you subject yourself to further torture and read one more post, hoping it gets better?



[sarc] Oh no, I'm sure this thread will get better as it goes on. Absolutely certain of it. [/sarc]

[Trubble]

Alright, next in my "Thread-building for Dummies" book, it says I should go over an 'ingredients list' of some sort, stuff I've either bought, or am planning on getting. Hrmph. okay.

Bought a slider!



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(nope, apparently not through being an idiot yet.)



.




.




Okay, stuff I have laying around...........

Got the 4PL and a receiver. Haven't exactly mastered the radio, but should have just enough grasp on it to make it work. Hopefully.

ESCs, I do have two AE-1 ESCs laying around. I know, horrible choice. Not really worried about running LiPo with those, as I do have an LVA. I have two Slashes I could pull the XL-5 ESCs out of. I know, even worse choice. OR, since I don't have brushless motors, I could use the two Sidewinder ESCs (V1, bought at Castle's 'Garage sale"), which were supposed to go in the Slashes. Better option, I suppose, but a bit large for the tight confines of an XR. I'm really not willing to raid the Poison Dart and the CUCV to k-ball the Sidewinder Micros out of those two.

BEC, Got two of those, which were, again, bought for the Slashes. But since they're not likely getting upgraded, they won't need those, right?



So, on the list to buy:

Tires: leaning towards white dot Rovers.
Servo: 98.74329% certain it'll be another Holmes brushless servo.
Motors: Want.... a pair of Brood Apocalypses. Budget will probably limit me to RC4WD sealed cans. Or Integys if I can score 'em on sale.
ESCs: I really should think about getting some micros (either Holmes or Castle). Guess I better hope the Missus gives me my half of the income tax refunds.



So my biggest problem in this is going to be budget. I'm down to my last hunnert buxes from my annual bonus, and I fully intend to renew my blue star this summer. So since my budget is so slim, this could wind up being a shelf queen for the better part of '14. Which would be why I opened this thread with the line about pretty much simply reserving a spot. Just forewarning you that this thread could (will) stall out pretty quick-like.

But, hey, thanks for stoppin' by.

[BliB]

Since you are on a budget, make sure to replace all the 5x8x2,5 bearings with bushings, if you can afford the upgrade motorplate or if you can drill the stock for 9mm bearings and do the 2 screw mod to the rear axel so you dont need to buy new gears 2seconds after power up;)

[Curcal]

What he said^
Also being on a budget... set a little money aside each month of what you'd be willing to spend right now and roll it over after a couple months you'll have the funds you need.

[Trubble]

Nothing exciting, my OCD just needed a place to drop post #1200.

Looking forward to making some updates, I did have a few parts roll in. But I've also had my 4 day workweeks rescinded, and am now on the hook for Fridays. Ya know, in addition to the ugly hours I was working.

Thank you so far to Conflict and TTS Hobbies (Australia).

[GRIMGREG]

If you want cheap motors, go with the Integy, at least they are rebuildable and upgradable.

[Trubble]

Originally Posted by BliB

Since you are on a budget, make sure to replace all the 5x8x2,5 bearings with bushings, if you can afford the upgrade motorplate or if you can drill the stock for 9mm bearings and do the 2 screw mod to the rear axel so you dont need to buy new gears 2seconds after power up;)

Done, sort of.

Originally Posted by Curcal

What he said^
Also being on a budget... set a little money aside each month of what you'd be willing to spend right now and roll it over after a couple months you'll have the funds you need.

Good idea!

Originally Posted by GRIMGREG

If you want cheap motors, go with the Integy, at least they are rebuildable and upgradable.

Yeah, I've got a battery discharging rig here that has excelled as a motor killing ground. Integys, Fireballs, no-name sealed cans, and even some 'not real high-end' stock class motors have all been subjected to the torture. While I doubt I'll laud Integy for their high quality and performance, to be honest, they're not the worst, either.

But in hanging around the Brood website, I found out Eddie has come out with something he calls the Foresaken, which is basically the same as the Apocalypse, but supposedly can be configured and built similar to the Conflux. Since I wanted to go with stronger magnets anyway, a configurable build may be the best way for me to go. I've filed an application with the CFO here (wife), and although initial reaction was less than positive, I do see that arrangements are being made to earmark funding. As was mentioned by a wise man above, just gotta give the plan some time to work.

[BliB]

I cant see motors beeing number one priority!
I'd rather buy a fast n strong servo and stick to the integy motors.

[Trubble]

Alright, being that I'm down waiting on parts again, suppose it'd be nice if I gave you guys an update.

Although overtime at work has been doing an outstanding job of decimating any time I've had to work on this thing, the little bit of extra money has allowed me a few upgrades.



and,



I elected to start on the rear axle, let's see how that went.

[Trubble]

Originally Posted by BliB

I'd rather buy a fast n strong servo

Wouldju just, jsh,jsh,jsh,jsh. C'mon Man, you're gonna blow my cover.

I had to file the app for the motors funding, as that is a rather significant expenditure. However I was going to sneak in the Holmes brushless servo under a different justification.

Usually I use the reasoning that I don't smoke or drink, so money that would normally go towards that stuff should be available for me to spend on my R/Cs.
For the servo, I was going to do more of a 'better to ask forgiveness then permission' type of deal. If she gives me any flak, I can point out that I've been shying away from withdrawing any 'pocket money' for the last few weeks. Throw in the fact that this has kept me out of the vending machines at work (so I'm sneaking in less junk food), and I think that may just be enough for me to slip out with little more than probation, and perhaps a stern warning.

Yeah, it's kinda tricky navigating the mental jungle we have set up here, but once ya learn the rules, positive results can be had.

But, yes, I do plan on a decent servo.

[BliB]

Don't know what kind of deal you and the wife got and it's none of my business, i'm just saying that i think its better for you to get a hitec 7950 right away than spending cash on both motors and servo. A fast and strong servo will be more usefull to your rig if you already got motors that work, servo allows you to wiggle the front!

I'm not a pro actually i'm a noob, but for me the biggest improvement i noticed is the chassie and the servo.
I went from integy 45 to holmes hobbies puller 500. Sure there is a huge different and improvement but still the hitec 7950 servo (had savox 1268 before) and Hulksta chassie (had wedge before) is what made the biggest improvement on the rig.

And looking back what really make a rig expensive to build is to buy "wrong" parts and thats why my advise to you is to keep the working motors and upgrade the servo!

But what is most important is to keep a good wife, they are hard to find and even harder to catch ;)

Good luck with building and enjoy it!

[Trubble]

Here we go kids, hold onto your meat-helmets,



As we can see, this axle's about to get some Fast Eddy bearings, some Vanquish motor plates, and the heralded "Two-bolt/Long-bolt mod". I elected to stick with the stock gearboxes primarily because I wasn't having any luck finding new Vanquish gearboxes in black. Not entirely convinced I'd need those right off the bat, anyway. Time will tell.



For the long bolt, I drilled clean on through the housing, right at the existing bolt hole at roughly 11 o'clock position in this picture. The shorter bolt doesn't have any such place to go, so I had to choose a place that was as convenient as possible. I chose to put it down in that valley just simply so I didn't have to find/make an angled washer that I'd need had I put it closer to the housing's centerline.



This is where the holes came out on the bottom of my housing. Woulda probably been nice if I had drilled the holes nice and straight on the drill press, but meh, I just punched 'em in by hand and let it fly.



In the lower housing, the holes pass through (pretty much) non-vital areas. Looks like I had some room, I coulda monkeyed around with getting that short bolt's hole (right) in a little bit better spot to make my OCD happy, butcha know what? Sometimes 'good enough' is good enough.



Now, in the upper housing, the short bolt's hole (left, in this pic) is still in a nice, out of the way, non-vital area. The long bolt's hole uses an existing hole in the housing, so this is where it comes out. Don't get nervous about it creeping into the void there, it doesn't really have anything that needs to be there. Plus, the housings are more than likely going to be bolted together, so you won't know about it 'til it's already done.





This is your (well, my) reward. Hopefully this should keep the housing from separating and letting the two final gears get unmeshed. You can see why I put that short bolt where I did. The nut bridges a small valley, and so doesn't need a tapered washer. I just put 'em in snug, I don't think these should need a ton of clamping force. I'm of the impression these are more of a separation limiter, and those who try to use these as clamps, could wind up squashing the housing out of shape and causing themselves more headaches. So, good enough.



It's kinda hard to see, but I threw in a spare motor with no pinion and ran it as far in as I could get it, just to see if the short bolt was going to be hitting the motor. Like I said, impossible for you to see, but even all the way in it clears.



And that, in a nutshell, is the rear axle.

Thank you also goes out to Conflict for his assistance.

[winnerone23]

Blib, I'm a Hitec guy, thru and thru.. Like 4x 7980's an 7-8x 7950's. It's All I ran.. But I'm with Trubble on this one.
Not only is the Holmes V2 Stronger and Faster then a 7950.. It's Half the price!

I had a 7980 in my pro rig simply not work on plug in at practice at the NENQ a month or so ago. I swapped in the HH V2 and Haven't looked back! It's Way faster, just as strong, and I have had Zero brown outs with it.
I'm thinking my sporty is getting my other one.
And still.. Half the price! ;)

[Trubble]

Originally Posted by BliB

Don't know what kind of deal you and the wife got and it's none of my business,............. But what is most important is to keep a good wife, they are hard to find and even harder to catch ;)

Don't I know it!!! I compare our time together to a 15 year long game of chicken. The two of us are (figuratively) forehead to forehead, and both unwilling to turn away or back down. Works for us, and provides entertainment for those who ain't us.

Originally Posted by BliB

but for me the biggest improvement i noticed is the chassie and.......

Got something coming up on the horizon on that front, too.

Originally Posted by BliB

A fast and strong servo will be more usefull to your rig if you already got motors that work, ..............and thats why my advise to you is to keep the working motors and.......

AH! I see where you're coming from now. I don't currently have working motors for this, I was more just defending Integys as 'not the worst option out there', in case that's what I needed to buy to get rolling.

I'll keep an open mind on the HiTec. I do run that brand in JUNKFOOT, and have previous experience, so I know they're good. But I also love the Holmes (v1) that I have in my Poison Dart, it may take something pretty significant to dissuade me from another Holmes.
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In other news,

The front axle I didn't take any pictures of internally, as that was basically just a rebuild, with more Fast Eddy bearings and another Vanquish motor plate. The mod I have planned for that is waiting on parts, so I'll try and get some pics of that when it happens.

And,

Earlier this spring I bought some Castle Micro ESCs and a BEC from a member on here. Unfortunately for me, it was only after having them replaced by Castle that I found out the most current firmware version wasn't going to work for me.
My bad, shoulda checked that before sending them in, the old ones were more than likely fine. Live and learn.

Chassis:

Like I said, I got something coming on that, but don't want to tip my hand just yet. I'd kinda like to get some links mocked up first. Actually, the rears are already done, but can't do the fronts yet. Soon. Maybe even before the snow flies........ probably. (well, possibly, might be a more accurate term)

Hmmmm,
what else, what else, what else? OOOH!

[Trubble]

From the DCW shop.......





Couldn't resist the urge to get custom wheels made. I went with the Vanquish hubs, but I forget, I think they may be 225's. TCS had the XR style rings on super-clearance inventory reduction sale, so I went with those. (Gorgeous color= bonus!) The tires are white dot Rovers bought off a fellow member. I had originally ordered the stock Rover foams from Crawler Innovations, but after these pics were taken, I went back and ordered some firm/soft 5.5 inch Double Deuces. Also picked up some hub protectors/reinforcers from Calderwood Fab, but have yet to get those installed.





Went pretty skinny on the wheels. I was hoping the tires would also turn out tall & skinny, but as you see, that didn't happen with the stock foams. The Double Deuces filled 'em in nicely, though.
The rings presented a snafu, too. They have a land (lip) on the back that was causing some problems. Luckily Duuuuuuuude was able to hack that right off there for me, and make 'em work. Thanks, Bud.





I like 'em sitting a little more outboard than the stock setup. And I've got plenty of room around the knuckles and such. Coming up soon, I'll get some pics up with the new foams in the tires, these are still the stock ones.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I think that's all I got for now. But that's what I've been able to squeeze in when I'm not at work.
Steering work is slated for next weekend, and then I can start measuring up for the front links.
I'll try and see if I can't come up with something rather "interesting" to show you in the coming weeks. Pop back in next month and check it out.

[Trubble]

Okay, not quite next month yet, but time for an update.



Got in a package from Crawler Innovations, thank you.







The Double Deuce foams are significantly larger than the stock foams! This is fine, as I wanted my tires tall and skinny. As you can see the new foams fill out the tires much better than the old ones did. Could I have stood to have gone with a 6.0 inch foam in a custom narrow width? Probably could have, but I think these will get me by just fine. Had no problems whatsoever getting these foams installed, and the wheels were again an absolute dream to work with.

Thank you's out to Crawler Innovations and D.C.W.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Also got in a shipment from C.W. Crawlers. Thanks, Bud.

I sent in a drawing for these arms I came up with, and got some seriously sweet works of art.







I'm sure the BTA setups work just fine, but I just wasn't interested in going that route. Every other vehicle I have has the steering out front (Sportsman style), and to the best of my knowledge I've never been stung because of it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now...... about that 'interesting' part.



I picked up an ECD Ringer 2.0 chassis. Beautiful and stout, IMO. Thank you Evil Twin.
I do still have the wife's Scorpion RTC hanging on the wall, and it's almost back together, so I could have k-balled that thing (again). But I was already head-long into this XR build, and didn't need yet another hole to pour money down. So, I decided to just go ahead and use this shafty chassis with my MOA axles.

First thing I did was set up a sort of a backwoods/shadetree style setup jig.
I drilled the holes 2.75ish" from the bottom (1/2 the tire diameter), and at the customary 12.5" wheelbase. Once I had the axles sitting where they were going to end up, I stacked some blocks to get the gearcases where I wanted those, and then some to get the bottom of the chassis at the height I wanted it.
Initially, I wanted to go with something radical like 70/30 or so on the suspension links. In the end laziness reigned supreme, and all I did was set the chassis at the height I chose, leveled it, and then for the fwd/bckwd positioning, I just got it to where all the shocks appeared to be at roughly the same angles and extended lengths.







From there I started doing some measuring, and guessing, at where I wanted my links. After I had a crude X,Y,Z chart laid out, I downloaded a conversion program to get my L,R,A's. Gave that info and some 3mm threaded stainless to a buddy at work, and let him have his way with them. I trimmed them to final length, got 'em adjusted & installed, and they look 'not overly shabby' to me.
My buddy, (and perhaps you, too) may be wondering how flimsy, springy little 3 mm rods are going to hold up to the rigors of suspension duty, as well as how threaded rod for the rear lowers are going to slide over anything. Truth be told, these were built simply as quick & dirty samples to see what would fit where. Now that I have workable examples, hopefully I can find a top-notch experienced link maker who can get these made out of more appropriate materials.


After all that trial and error, did a crude alignment check, threw the springs back on the shocks, and checked my heights.





All that's missing are a couple of poser shots, and......... oh, wait. I'm sorry, I thought we were done here..... my bad.





Okay, now! This is where it sits.

Left to do:
-obtain servo, finish steering,
-have links remade,
-might look into getting the springs retained on the cups somehow,
-buy motors,
-mount the electronics I already do have
-mount and paint the body,
-still have yet to modify and install my Calderwood wheel braces/protectors thingamajigs
-then I can start designing an indoor crawler course similar to what we ran on in Oshkosh (not quite that elaborate/big, just a couple tables). That's some ways down the road, though.

Anyway, thanks for stopping in and checkin' out what's goin' on.

[Trubble]

Exciting news coming up soon, (maybe even this weekend).
But for now, let's put that over here and stick a pin in it, we'll come back to that later.



Question for the more experienced, though.

Let's just say I get lazy, (Ik,R?)
and let's just say I hack off some 5/8" sections of nitro fuel tubing, to use as internal limiters inside the shocks.
And in true laziness spirit, 'I just can't even deal with' taking the piston off the shaft. So I get the bright idea to cut these tubes lengthwise and wrap 'em around the shock shaft.
As soon as these shock try to go back to full extension, are they just gonna blow them spacers off the shaft, like I think they would?

And has anyone used the dual-stage pistons?
If so, would I be better off with slowed compression, and quicker extension?
Or, on a crawler, would I maybe be better off letting the shock compress quickly, and slow the rebound so my tires don't wander into ghost-holes?

Oooh crap, gonna be late for work on my day off, gotta scoot! See ya soon.

[Trubble]

Originally Posted by Trubble

Exciting news coming up soon, (maybe even this weekend).
But for now, let's put that over here and stick a pin in it, we'll come back to that later.

Okay, Ladies, time for an update.

Got in some nice new shiny stuff!



Spiffy lookin' no?

I ordered 'em up with the following:

35 turn HHK-R arm. (larger wire, thinner webs)
Epoxy balanced
Ground & polished to fit the optional magnets
I always order stand-up brushes (quite frankly, if milled were an option, I'da gotten those too)
Got the big 10mm comm.
Bearings, brush material and springs are just stock units which have performed flawlessly on my shafty motor (Apocalypse).

Speakin' o' which.....
It probably wasn't very nice to do, but I threw a world-class hissy fit and whined and cried 'til I got my new motors with Apocalypse stickers on them.
Some customers are just like that....... whatever.
Looks nice, though, don't it?



Now, you'll notice I only photographed one motor. I was fairly warned by my builder that one of these motors was to remain in the box, and I should be very careful and only install one motor at a time. I was also warned to be careful of anything on the bench that could get into these motors such as filings/shavings, small screws, etc.
What happened next was a comedy of errors, and I must apologize for not getting it on video, sorry.
I set my new motor down on a rag on the bench, and when I went to pick it up, found out there was needle-nosed pliers and a diagonal cutter under the rag. So as my feet dodged those, I went to set the motor on a relatively clear spot on the bench...... next to the box......... with the other motor still inside. So, after a gentle reminder on a couple fingertips, I was looking for a place to set this thing down, and it was like out of a cartoon. A small steel rule, a dental pick, and a few hex keys were among the items flying up off the bench. Luckily, my CowRC screwcatcher mat held onto all the screws, nuts, and small sections of tubing. The rest of the install went along without as much hilarity. They're in now, hope I ain't gotta mess with them things again anytime soon.

Rear:


HooooWee! Little snug back there!


Front doesn't have any more room:


That shock just barely clears! See now why some people like running the Stubby motors!
The reason I have my shocks inboarded like that is so my tires don't try and tear my springs and shocks clean off.



I checked over everything and it looks like everybody's going to play nice. Certainly making use of all available space, though.




I think next on my to-do list is going to be to whip up some plates for mounting the electronics and battery, perhaps set some body posts, modify and mount the ESCs, BEC and receiver, while waiting patiently for servos to come back in stock.

[Trubble]

Small update:

Nothin' fancy, but here ya go..............





Just whipped up an electronics plate. Original idea was to let one edge rest on top of the chassis, and just run the two clamps/mounting tabs. However, a slight brainfart prevented that. I would have needed to shorten one of the smaller 'washer plates' (for lack of a better term), or drill my hole a little off center. In the end, I just peeled it back to where everything fit, and decided to just let the two clamps handle the plate.













As far as holding down the chosen electronics, I suppose servo tape is an option, but I think I may weasel some small holes in between components, and use some small baling wire or fishing line to hold everything on. I had thought about cutting some more aluminum up and making something like a T-bar clamp, but the material I have to work with is pretty soft, and I think it might just bend instead of imparting any pressure at all. I dunno, I'll look at that idea down the road.


I couldn't help it, I got excited and HAD to slap some leads on the motors, and get them turned on and checked. Just for the record, 213% drag brake on these motors is just a wee bit too much. Things have got some snap to 'em, though.


Aaaaaaand I was going to do some customizing on the Micro Sidewinders ....... but that didn't go so well. Long story short, I sent one in for yet another 'out of warranty replacement' because I couldn't leave well enough alone. So now when the new one gets here, I have to decide if I'm willing to run these things in their stock form, or if I want to sell them off and get myself a pair of Holmes BR Minis. I haven't heard anything about servos being back in stock yet, so I got some time to think about it.


Other than that, not much else going on. I think next challenge I'm going to tackle may be getting the body trimmed out and start looking at what I can do for body mounts. I got a couple ideas for paint, but not committed to anything yet. Spare time has also been in mighty short supply this year, and the thought of cleaning an airbrush, urf! Duratrax has their new line of spray paints out, might just have to rattle-can it a solid color and let it be.



If anyone's got any experience with those BR Minis, I'd like to hear your opinions on them.

See ya back here when I get something else completed.