B-MOW's Enduro Journey!

[B-MOW71]

Stopped by my LHS today and picked up the new Element Enduro Sendero RTR.

I was lucky enough to see these in person at the Team KNK TTC6 last month. These trucks performed very well. Most of the trucks were out-of-the-box stock with the exception of a couple that had swapped out wheels and tires. After seeing these I knew that I had to have one.

I was torn between buying the RTR or the Kit. I myself prefer the kit versions as I like to build them and get familiar with how they go together. I decided on the RTR because I really liked the idea of the box that turns into a scale garage. Great idea Element! I have been thinking about making a scale garage for awhile now, but never had the time to sit down and make one. The other reason I decided on the RTR was the stock tires. After seeing them perform at KNK and watching numerous videos of them I knew that I had to try them out.

My plans are to run this stock for a few months and see how well it does. (running a rig stock has never lasted more than a day, so we'll see how it goes!) I will probably throw a quick paint job on it just so it doesn't look like the other countless Enduro's out on the trail.

Here is quick shot of the box. Don't pay any attention to my disaster of a workbench. I've got too many projects going on at the same time that I need to finish.



More to come later...

[soze]

Alright!

[Topher Builds]

Nice B! Looking forward to seeing what ya do with the paint, and how long “Keeping it stock” lasts.

[Shinchu]

Ah man you got yours! Nice!
My LHS called at while I was starting dinner, I said cool when do you close?
Six.
I said what that's in an hour! Uhh see you tomorrow I guess :(
RTR was also the roite I went because I have a tenancy to start building stuff amd not finishing. It was the same with custom lightsabers. Anyway... Yeah lots of the RTR stuff here is fantastic! Tires, Less, its even servo winch ready!

My benchbis also a disaster haha we have a lot in common but I am positive both of pur enduros will have very much their own flavor!
Cant wait to see your progress!

[soze]

Originally Posted by Shinchu

Ah man you got yours! Nice!
My LHS called at while I was starting dinner, I said cool when do you close?
Six.
I said what that's in an hour! Uhh see you tomorrow I guess :(
RTR was also the roite I went because I have a tenancy to start building stuff amd not finishing. It was the same with custom lightsabers. Anyway... Yeah lots of the RTR stuff here is fantastic! Tires, Less, its even servo winch ready!

My benchbis also a disaster haha we have a lot in common but I am positive both of pur enduros will have very much their own flavor!
Cant wait to see your progress!

At least you guys have benches?

[dezfan]

I hate you!😝

Waiting on the kit.🥺

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by soze

Alright!

Originally Posted by Topher Builds

Nice B! Looking forward to seeing what ya do with the paint, and how long “Keeping it stock” lasts.

Thanks...hey, who is the new guy? Oh, it is the guy formerly known as Pant Danza! Nice to see the name change. It makes sense to keep it the same across the board! The paint may not be nothing to fancy, just something so I don't lose sight of mine when I'm out among the other Enduro's. Yeah, stock never last very long!

Originally Posted by Shinchu

Ah man you got yours! Nice!
My LHS called at while I was starting dinner, I said cool when do you close?
Six.
I said what that's in an hour! Uhh see you tomorrow I guess :(
RTR was also the roite I went because I have a tenancy to start building stuff amd not finishing. It was the same with custom lightsabers. Anyway... Yeah lots of the RTR stuff here is fantastic! Tires, Less, its even servo winch ready!

My benchbis also a disaster haha we have a lot in common but I am positive both of pur enduros will have very much their own flavor!
Cant wait to see your progress!

Bummer you didn't get yours yesterday. Well now you have something to be excited about today! Looking forward to seeing yours too!

Originally Posted by soze

At least you guys have benches?

Yeah, benches make it easier to work on things!

Originally Posted by dezfan

I hate you!😝

Waiting on the kit.🥺

That is the other reason I got the RTR. I'm terrible at waiting!

[mikemcE]

Originally Posted by dezfan

I hate you!



Waiting on the kit.

We will have more fun if the kit ever arrives..... Meanwhile I keep stocking parts, I’ve got steel balls now!


Hang up and Drive

[traxxas79k5]

My body is ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Shinchu]

Originally Posted by mikemcE

I’ve got steel balls now!


Hang up and Drive

Originally Posted by traxxas79k5

My body is ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah I've been slacking on stockpiling parts. i should have at least ordered the dodge grill from Knight engineering by now.
all in due time...

any expected progress this long weekend?
im gonna go give this thing hell on some shakedowns in stock form with my son who asked to hit some local spots.

have a safe and patriotic 4th!!!

[dezfan]

Originally Posted by mikemcE

We will have more fun if the kit ever arrives..... Meanwhile I keep stocking parts, I’ve got steel balls now!


Hang up and Drive

Element RC replied to my inquiry this morning.

Supposedly, next week! 🎊🎉⚡️👍🏼

[mikemcE]

Originally Posted by dezfan

Element RC replied to my inquiry this morning.



Supposedly, next week!

Oh Yeah!!!!!!!!

They originally planned for 7/11....



Hang up and Drive

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by Shinchu

yeah I've been slacking on stockpiling parts. i should have at least ordered the dodge grill from Knight engineering by now.
all in due time...

any expected progress this long weekend?
im gonna go give this thing hell on some shakedowns in stock form with my son who asked to hit some local spots.

have a safe and patriotic 4th!!!

I didn't catch on to the balls and body till you quoted them! Too funny!

I was slacking too! I didn't order anything for the Enduro. In fact I really wasn't planning on buying the Enduro till later on this year since I had just pre-ordered the VP VS4-10 Pro. But after seeing and hearing all the great things about this rig, well I had to have it sooner than later!

As I type, I'm doing some modifications to the bumpers and body to make it perform a little better. My plan is to get the Enduro out on the rocks this weekend, if the weather is decent!

Happy 4th to you too!

[B-MOW71]

I took the Enduro out for a drive down my driveway and back to get a feel of how it handles. I must say I'm impressed! The suspension is so smooth and this rig is super quite with the 48 pitch gearing. I haven't run the 48 pitch gearing in about 30 years since my days of offroad racing with my RC-10's. I'm hoping that these gears will hold up to the abuse of rock crawling. We'll see!

Here is the very first pic in it's stock form:


The more I look at the Enduro, the more that I am liking it! The body is really starting to grow on me. With the right paint scheme, I think it's gonna look even better.

I'm spending some time tonight working on the body and bumpers. Hoping the modifications that I'm doing will help it performance a little better. I'm not saying that this rig doesn't perform well. I'm just making some tweaks here and there without completely going crazy on expensive upgrades.

The first issue I had with it was the body. The one thing I hate is to hear bodies that rattle and make awful noise as it's going down the trail. Tires rubbing the body also irritates me too. The videos that I have seen of these rigs with the body rattling around drives me crazy.

So, I've done a little trimming and taping. I like to use Gorilla tape on all my bodies where I know there will be rubbing or body tearing. I added tape around the bottom edges of the inside of the doors and rounded off the cuts where the sliders run through the body. I put tape at each body post to help tighten up the body when the clips are attached. I also added screws down at the bottom where the bed and cab meet as John Shultz has recommended. Good tip John! It really does stiffen the whole body up nice. With the tape and bolts attached, the body feels really solid now and there is no sign of the body rattling at all.

Here is a few pics of the body:




Next I tackled the bumpers. I removed and threw the front bumper as far as I could throw it! In my spare parts, I had a front bumper from a Gmade GS01. It attaches the same way as the stock bumper, but the mounting post were not long enough to reach out past the front of the body. So, I removed the rear bumper mount and placed it in the front. That gave just enough clearance for the bumper to sit right in front of the grill. I think it looks really good and it gives a much better approach angle. It will work for now till I find a better solution. I may try the new ScalerFab bumper that they are currently working on.




The rear bumper for now is just temporary till I figure out what to do with it. I took the front bumper mount and placed it in the rear and slid the rear bumper in as far as it would go. It doesn't look pretty, but it will do for now.




That's it for tonight. More to come later...

[bikepilot]

Lookin good brian!! I was on scalerfab's web site yesterday and they have the front bumper posted up for sale! It looks good too, super clean and tucked!! Keep up the great work, following this!!
brian too.

[dezfan]

I like that bumper and the body trim.

Maybe flip the rear bumper mount(now the front) to gain a little more height and even better approach angle?

[soze]

Holy crap! I totally forgot about the GS01 bumper, and I have one sitting in a box unused! Damn! Nice find! I actually really like the look!

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by bikepilot

Lookin good brian!! I was on scalerfab's web site yesterday and they have the front bumper posted up for sale! It looks good too, super clean and tucked!! Keep up the great work, following this!!
brian too.

Hey thanks Brian!

Yeah, I do like the looks of their new bumper design. It sits high and tight and will have the fairlead built in. I’ll check out their website today.

Thanks for following along!

Originally Posted by dezfan

I like that bumper and the body trim.

Maybe flip the rear bumper mount(now the front) to gain a little more height and even better approach angle?

Thanks Dez!

Thanks for the tip! My tired mind last night was all out of ideas. I’ll give that a try today.

Originally Posted by soze

Holy crap! I totally forgot about the GS01 bumper, and I have one sitting in a box unused! Damn! Nice find! I actually really like the look!

Yeah I think it looks good on there too! It was hard to get a good pic of it. It looks even better in person.

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by dezfan

I like that bumper and the body trim.

Maybe flip the rear bumper mount(now the front) to gain a little more height and even better approach angle?

Hey, Dez. I must have read your comment wrong. I was thinking you were talking about the rear. I was up to late last night and still tired!

Anyways, I couldn't flip the rear bumper mount that is now on the front. If I flip it, it puts the bumper post mounts into the grill area. The only way around that would be to drill through the grill for the mounts or raise the body. I'm not doing either of them, so the bumper will have to stay where it is at.



I took another look at the rear bumper. I ended up flipping the rear bumper upside down. Now it sits right inside the rear of the body perfectly.

I am not sure if I like it but I will try it. I tried to get a good pic of it, but this was all I could get.


I just watched ScalerFabs live video they did on FB. They were showing the new bumpers and sliders for the Enduro. I'm thinking I may go with their new Incognito front and rear bumper. I'll get the front with the fairlead so that I can install a winch.

[dezfan]

Bummer on the bumper idea, I guess it was worth a shot.

Just sitting here twiddling my thumbs while I wait for my kit.

Seeing how far the rear of the body extends, I would be tempted to bob the bed.