Elements: An Enduro kit build by SVT

[svt923]

Normally, a witty greeting would grace this space but serious matters are afoot.

You will be spared that whole dance of "I'm making a build thread but I'm going to pretend that you don't know what it is" when clearly you already know from the title and section. This thread is mostly about building an Enduro kit but more importantly it is a challenge. Not a challenge to build some kind of cool and unique truck, anyone with massive amounts of talent and skill can do that. The real challenge is to fill this thread with as many chemistry related puns as possible! So brush up on your periodic table because things start now.

Yesterday I received an important call: my son discovered Facetime and had to show me what he was watching on TV. Later on a text came that said to make it to the hobby shop, post haste!



A box came home. It is a simple box, fairly high atomic mass for its size and a nice carbon like finish.

Some help was enlisted to inspect the contents.



My assistant was unimpressed by the contents blocking our nice, new scale alley. He found the bags rather boron. (Expect a lot more quality dad jokes like that or get out now)

A better look at all the bags, the contents appear well organized but you can barely cesium the important stuff underneath.



We got all the junk cleared out and got a better view.



Now I have an alley in my garage or is it a garage in my alley? I guess technetium-ly that makes it Schrodinger's dollhouse?

Hey, some of this stuff looks useful.



The major assemblies are packed together which will make thing go much better once build commences. I always appreciate when companies don't hafnium-ass their packaging.

Speaking of building, it is about time to crack open that first bag. Is there anything sodium satisfying as starting a new build? NA.

Wait! The box said builder's kit, not assembler's kit. I really should do something bold yet potentially unnecessary as this is a new kit. What would Codyboy do in this situation? Oh, I got it!

Cut something out of scrap metal!



Then add fire!



Panhard flex has been a common complaint I've heard about this truck. Is it a real problem? Don't know and don't care, metal panhard mounts are never a bad idea. Builders gonna build, this is RCC after all.

A little clean up on the belt sander and things are looking pretty good for an idea that had very little time to develop.



Some not so precise measuring went on but the panhard bar will end up within a MM of the stock location. Niobium big deal, close enough.

Hit the chassis with some paint and things are looking pretty good. I could have smoothed things with a file more but this should be way stronger than the stock mount. Hopefully, I have done Codyboy proud through my use of repurposing and brazing as well.



I say "should be" because as I was laying awake last night, a new idea for an even stronger mount popped into my head. This version may not even last the day because my ideas are way harder on my trucks than my driving.

That is where I stand as we come back rhodium to the point where it is time to start building, again. So essentially, this thread consists of "look what I bought" but it was totally worth it for all the quality element puns.

Come back for some more quality content you can't potassium up! K?

[GA Dawg]

I hope nobody starts throwing out chemistry puns towards you. You'll barium.

[svt923]

Originally Posted by GA Dawg

I hope nobody starts throwing out chemistry puns towards you. You'll barium.

I'll selenium how things go.

[Lashlee]

Element number 104 Su has been added: The element of Surprise!

[svt923]

Originally Posted by Lashlee

Element number 104 Su has been added: The element of Surprise!

Good effort but #104 is Rutherfordium which was named after New Zealand physicist Ernest Rutherford. I cannot and will not have anyone dismissing the accomplishments of Ernest Rutherford in my thread, good sir!

The commitment to obscure references runs deep around here.

[DukeMinnix]

This thread is atomic number 79

[B-MOW71]

Chemistry and that table was never my strong suit way back in high school, so I'll just follow along and watch what amazing things you do to the Enduro!

I do like your panhard mount!

[CODYBOY]

Originally Posted by svt923

Normally, a witty greeting would grace this space but serious matters are afoot.

You will be spared that whole dance of "I'm making a build thread but I'm going to pretend that you don't know what it is" when clearly you already know from the title and section. This thread is mostly about building an Enduro kit but more importantly it is a challenge. Not a challenge to build some kind of cool and unique truck, anyone with massive amounts of talent and skill can do that. The real challenge is to fill this thread with as many chemistry related puns as possible! So brush up on your periodic table because things start now.

Yesterday I received an important call: my son discovered Facetime and had to show me what he was watching on TV. Later on a text came that said to make it to the hobby shop, post haste!



A box came home. It is a simple box, fairly high atomic mass for its size and a nice carbon like finish.

Some help was enlisted to inspect the contents.



My assistant was unimpressed by the contents blocking our nice, new scale alley. He found the bags rather boron. (Expect a lot more quality dad jokes like that or get out now)

A better look at all the bags, the contents appear well organized but you can barely cesium the important stuff underneath.



We got all the junk cleared out and got a better view.



Now I have an alley in my garage or is it a garage in my alley? I guess technetium-ly that makes it Schrodinger's dollhouse?

Hey, some of this stuff looks useful.



The major assemblies are packed together which will make thing go much better once build commences. I always appreciate when companies don't hafnium-ass their packaging.

Speaking of building, it is about time to crack open that first bag. Is there anything sodium satisfying as starting a new build? NA.

Wait! The box said builder's kit, not assembler's kit. I really should do something bold yet potentially unnecessary as this is a new kit. What would Codyboy do in this situation? Oh, I got it!

Cut something out of scrap metal!



Then add fire!



Panhard flex has been a common complaint I've heard about this truck. Is it a real problem? Don't know and don't care, metal panhard mounts are never a bad idea. Builders gonna build, this is RCC after all.

A little clean up on the belt sander and things are looking pretty good for an idea that had very little time to develop.



Some not so precise measuring went on but the panhard bar will end up within a MM of the stock location. Niobium big deal, close enough.

Hit the chassis with some paint and things are looking pretty good. I could have smoothed things with a file more but this should be way stronger than the stock mount. Hopefully, I have done Codyboy proud through my use of repurposing and brazing as well.



I say "should be" because as I was laying awake last night, a new idea for an even stronger mount popped into my head. This version may not even last the day because my ideas are way harder on my trucks than my driving.

That is where I stand as we come back rhodium to the point where it is time to start building, again. So essentially, this thread consists of "look what I bought" but it was totally worth it for all the quality element puns.

Come back for some more quality content you can't potassium up! K?

Dang, you beat me to it, I must be getting slow in my old age! Very nice start to a great truck!
Ernie

[Shinchu]

BRAVO!!!
your build threads are always highly entertaining, and this one delivers accordingly.

nice work on the panhard mount. cant wait to see whats next!

not even going to try any puns. i'd be way out of my element.

[wheelhaus]

It'll be fun watching you Iron out all the kinks on this build, seems to be a popular kit lately. How much does this kit Sulfur? After buying my TRX4 all my dollars Argon.

[DukeMinnix]

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

It'll be fun watching you Iron out all the kinks on this build, seems to be a popular kit lately. How much does this kit Sulfur? After buying my TRX4 all my dollars Argon.

excellent work

[svt923]

Originally Posted by DukeMinnix

This thread is atomic number 79

You mean 80 for mercury as prolonged exposure to this thread will cause madness.

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Chemistry and that table was never my strong suit way back in high school, so I'll just follow along and watch what amazing things you do to the Enduro!

I do like your panhard mount!

Be glad they didn't call it the Differential Calculus Enduro.

Originally Posted by CODYBOY

Dang, you beat me to it, I must be getting slow in my old age! Very nice start to a great truck!
Ernie

Don't worry, I'm sure you will still win on execution and root beer brown paint jobs.

Originally Posted by Shinchu

not even going to try any puns. i'd be way out of my element.

There you go, I knew you could do it.

Gotta hone those embarrassing dad joke skills while the kids are still young.

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

It'll be fun watching you Iron out all the kinks on this build, seems to be a popular kit lately. How much does this kit Sulfur? After buying my TRX4 all my dollars Argon.

Keep saving those nickles and you will have the 2.3999 x 10^2 dollars for this kit faster than the half-life of curium 242.

[HumboldtEF]

Dude, man, looks excellent Bromine I mean my bro.

Entertaining as always, Very nice CAD work there (cardboard aided design)

[svt923]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

Entertaining as always, Very nice CAD work there (cardboard aided design)

It was actually less (or more) sophisticated than that. The stock panhard mount was roughly traced onto a piece of sheet steel then 2 pieces were cut. I clamped them together and went to town on the bench grinder until it got to a shape that looked like a panhard mount.

[soze]

Nice a SVT Enduro thread!

[svt923]

Anyone feeling nostalgic this fine Friday morning?

Great! Let's take a trip back to yesterday when I made that panhard mount. A little audience participation is required because you will have to scroll back to the first post. Such good times.

Unfortunately, that panhard mount didn't survive the day. It had to die so that a new generation may sulfide (Yes we are still doing this). My condolences to everyone that said they liked that panhard mount.

Presenting Enduro panhard mount version 2:



The major improvement is going from 2 pieces of sheet metal to a single hunk of 1/4 square steel stock. Version 1 was supposed to be a more rigid upgrade over the stock mount and it definitely accomplished that goal. Version 2 goes beyond a little better and into bombproof territory.

And we get to here after a little cleanup and shaping on the belt sander to make it a little less boron (OK, I used that one already but it's my thread so I make the rules and I can molybdenum).



Going to the larger square rod gave me greater contact area for the silver solder to bond the 2 parts. If this fails, the rest of the truck is long gone.



And some paint once again to make it look like a real part. While that dries, I'll be moving neon.

So a little tech tip here: this book included in the box isn't just how to assemble your scale alley. It actually has some helpful ideas on things to do with the other stuff in the box.



Let's see, step 1 - chassis.



(Checks paint, not dry)

So let's build a transmission!

I mean, the transmission is the biggest development in center mounted transmissions since Axial replaced locked Stampede transmissions with Associated's ......eerrrr.....their 3 gear design.

The heart of the Stealth X transmission is the gears and the kit version does not disappoint with these heavy, massive chunks of steel.



I dig the nice etched numbering so you can tell exactly what gears go together. These things will definitely outlast the truck and probably all of us. Did I mention they are heavy? Holy crap they are heavy. My point is the transmission gears are really strontium.

The steel outputs that make all this overdrive magic happen, nice and beefy as well.



Here we have the complete bottom gear assembly with more steel than an entire SCX10II Deadbolt.



Which gears did I go with? That is an astatine question: 11% obviously. The answer for this truck should always be 11%.

What transmission gears are you running? - 11%
What pinion are you running? - 11%
What shock oil? - 11%
What body? - 11%
What do you want for lunch? - 11%

Are we clear on that?

WRONG! The answer is 11%!



The kit version also includes this inverse topshaft for assembling the transmission in different orientations but I'm using to illustrate one of the more under-appreciated points of this transmission: the 1 piece top shaft. This eliminates all of that in and out play common in Axial transmissions because of the pin driven top gear.

With all that fanciness done, time to grease it up and stuff it all in. Anyone want to hit us with a "that's what she said"?



Fun fact: Even though it is says the transmission has adjustable front overdrive, it's actually adjustable rear underdrive. The front gear ratio stays the same while the rear gear ratios are either 5.7% or 11% more reduction than the front. I guess overdrive is the trendier buzzword for marketing.



The case is held together by 5 very long screws and you can actually tighten them down without causing the gears to bind unlike certain other 3 gear transmissions that may or may not be from companies that rhyme with faxial.

Here is the massively beefy motor plate.



How big is massively beefy? The fact it is standing on it's edge unsupported should tell you a lot. Its either 3mm or 1/8' thick aluminum, I didn't put the calipers to it so I can't really tellurium.

We have arrived at a very special part of the build: the first hopup!

Drum roll please.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.


Its the Factory Team aluminum spur gear plates! The kit version of the transmission has likely indestructible components inside of it but plastic gear plates on the outside? Might as well be ridiculously strong outside as well, right? Also, aluminum is the post-transition metal with the lowest atomic number so that is an important consideration.

Here it is all mounted up with the 87T 48P spur.



The manual says this is an 87T spur but unlike every other Associated spur I've ever used, this one isn't actually labeled.

Time to bolt up a motor to this marvel of tiny truck transmission engineering. I was going to go with a brushed motor but then I remembered how much more awesome brushless motors are for everything and grabbed this from the box of motors.



The classic version of the Tekin ROC412 in 2300kv will be our powerplant of choice. 2200-2700kv on 3S is my preferred motor range on a 1.9 scale truck, the result is a little more wheelspeed than most brushed setups, more torque, cooler operating temps, and significantly more run time. Plus I get to tell you how it has a neodymium rotor and neodymium is called a "rare earth element" however it is as common as cobalt, nickel, or copper in the earth's crust.

A 16T Robinson Racing pinion will be transferring the motor shaft rotations to the spur gear.



Everything has been sealed up with the nice, thick gear cover.



And that is a transmission.

It only took a turn or 2 by hand to work out any rough spots and feel how smooth this thing is going to be.

Which brings me to the first area where this truck can really really be improved.



The transmission and motor are raised waaaay up. This is where the goal of maximum compatibility becomes a drawback. A skidplate and transmission case designed specifically for this truck could have brought things way down for better CG compared to making it SCX compatible. The aftermarket will be on this soon because there is much to be gained from getting the motor and trans more polonium.

You are now all caught up with my progress. Sorry I didn't accomplish more, I was busy hand fabricating things out of steel stock and joining metal with fire but the fact you were able to screw your kit together in a night is totally much more impressive, internet guy.

Since we reached the end of the rhodium on this update, live long and phosphorus everyone.

[HumboldtEF]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed how high the tranny ends up, I measured and it seems like its about 20mm higher than a typical tranny. I'm thinking theres the possibility to drop it down maybe 12mm by cutting down the mount on the bottom hopefully leaving room for shorter screws and maybe adding a new mount point on one or more of the pass though holes (where the longest screws go). Maybe a new skid with a recess to help get it down low as well,
I'm just spitballing at this point.

[B-MOW71]

Nice version 2 panhard mount!

Glad you got that IRONed (Fe) out!

[CODYBOY]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed how high the tranny ends up, I measured and it seems like its about 20mm higher than a typical tranny. I'm thinking theres the possibility to drop it down maybe 12mm by cutting down the mount on the bottom hopefully leaving room for shorter screws and maybe adding a new mount point on one or more of the pass though holes (where the longest screws go). Maybe a new skid with a recess to help get it down low as well,
I'm just spitballing at this point.

There you go FISH, how about you give us a nice new upgraded skid that has the tranny sitting down on the skid!!!!
Ernie

[svt923]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed how high the tranny ends up, I measured and it seems like its about 20mm higher than a typical tranny. I'm thinking theres the possibility to drop it down maybe 12mm by cutting down the mount on the bottom hopefully leaving room for shorter screws and maybe adding a new mount point on one or more of the pass though holes (where the longest screws go). Maybe a new skid with a recess to help get it down low as well,
I'm just spitballing at this point.

I think a lot of people haven't really noticed because their RTRs have not been taken apart yet. A simple skid shape change could drop the entire thing 5mm easily (puts the bottom of the trans case on the level of the current mounting surface), some creativity can drop much more in height. Lowered skids should be the much more popular option for this truck than flat skids.

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Nice version 2 panhard mount!

Glad you got that IRONed (Fe) out!

Thanks, I'm much happier with this one and it is super solid (as opposed to a liquid, gas, or plasma).

Originally Posted by CODYBOY

There you go FISH, how about you give us a nice new upgraded skid that has the tranny sitting down on the skid!!!!

I think the early aftermarket adopters of this truck are going to be very happy with sales, much like the small businesses that jumped on the TRX-4 right away.