After 14 years out of the hobby, BoilermakerFan is back! And building an Enduro Kit

[rnagenetics]

Guess I should update my thread now. Enjoy the pics.

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[Stormin2u]

Welcome back! .. dezfan is right .. "There is no cure for this sickness."

Coming from the TLT period to one of the newest rigs on the market fourteen years later is like forward time traveling. You're going to really like how far the hobby has com, enjoy !! ..

[BoilermakerFan]

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Welcome back!

You've picked a great rig to start with. Nice bundle of upgrades too!

Can't go wrong with the Samix. The fit and finish of these parts are really nice. I've been running the Samix on my Enduro, TRX-4 and SCX10.2 and have had zero issues with any of the parts.

Looking forward to following along with the build! Subscribed!

Thanks B-MOW71. I'm curious, in which order did you buy your TRX-4, SCX10.2, and Enduro? I had my choices narrowed down to those 3 rigs, then it was between the TRX-4 Sport kit and the Enduro kit. A few more hours watching YT vids and I made my decision. I ruled out the SCX10.2 kit pretty quickly since the Enduro was so similar but came with the better transmission and shocks that don't leak like an old H-D.

Originally Posted by rnagenetics

Guess I should update my thread now. Enjoy the pics.



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Have you tried other shock positions on the Samix mounts? Just noticed you're running the Vanquish tube bumpers. Our trucks are going to be really similar. I love those bumpers, especially for the price. I forgot to include mine on my last Amain order.

Originally Posted by Stormin2u

Welcome back! .. dezfan is right .. "There is no cure for this sickness."

Coming from the TLT period to one of the newest rigs on the market fourteen years later is like forward time traveling. You're going to really like how far the hobby has com, enjoy !! ..

Thanks Stormin.


Old man voice,"Bah! Back in my day we didn't have all these fancy kits! We had to fab our own chassis, mod the kits, or wait for Bender to get his designs done. We didn't have a huge selection of tires or beadlock wheels. We had to cut 2.2 MT wheels to narrow them! We had to piece things together from Traxxas spare parts and hoped the actually fit once we got home to try it! You kids have it easy now..."

But seriously, it is super easy to build a competitive, highly capable scaler or rock crawler now. And they turn in less than a 10' radius!

I've been off the RCC for 14 years, but I haven't been completely in the dark. In 2001-2004 time frame I became good friends with a group of guys from the MaxxTraxx, RCC, and One18th forums. We all had basically migrated to the old 1/18th forum and hung out in the OT area to stay in touch. Several of us were here on RCC, but others weren't. The One18th thread was the Monster Hang Out in the OT area. Things got a little nasty in late 2004 in the thread, physical harm threats were made to a minor, and then One18th was going away so we took it off line and to that new email thing called GMAIL back when I had to send invites for everyone else to be able to sign up. We had a Google group back then too so we had control of who was included and we could moderate it. Then we just migrated completed to email.

I've been friends with the core guys from the MHO thread from One18th every since. We still email each other at least every couple of days. I've met a half dozen of them in person. Over the years the guys have bought and built RCs, but I didn't really do much. I did snag the re-released Tamiya VW Beetle and the Sand Scorcher as soon as they came out, but they had been sitting on my shelf, NIB, for years. YEARS. Just recently one of the guys was building his Capra 1.9 Kit using the HW AXE system and sharing his build with us... After my son built his car, I was hooked again. My wife encouraged me to get my trucks running again too so we could run together and bring them camping with us... the rest, as they say, is history.

[BoilermakerFan]

Tonight I finished building the links and got the axles attached. I forgot how much it sucks to build stock links...




I didn't realize the kit included the metal ends for the drive shafts. Are they metal on the RTRs too? I thought they were plastic and almost ordered them before my kit arrived. Then I decided I'd wait until I figured out what metal drive shafts I was going to run. Glad I waited. That saved me $40. $40 I can put towards a second set of the Samix drive shafts which are being ordered on Tuesday along with the Vanquish tube bumpers and an aluminum fairlead for it...

A packaged arrived a day early today, so here's a teaser pic:



That body with the chrome SSD 5 slot wheels, chrome covers, and scale center caps is going to be so rad!

I need to figure out how to make a scale tonneau cover for the bed. Haven't researched it yet, but the body definitely needs a tonneau cover so it looks more scale. And if anyone can point me to a super scale CB radio antenna that has a metal wire whip, LMK. A plastic base is fine, but I want a metal SS wire for the whip.


And I ordered a FlySky GT3C radio from Amazon this morning so it will be here Sunday. Take that Government holiday!

[rnagenetics]

She is still a virgin so I haven't messed much with the shock configuration.

Are builds are similar even down to the radio although I'm running the GT5 now.

Here is a pic of the pitbull clutch raceline rims. I love the look but hate how they mount.

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[BoilermakerFan]

Originally Posted by rnagenetics

She is still a virgin so I haven't messed much with the shock configuration.

Are builds are similar even down to the radio although I'm running the GT5 now.

Here is a pic of the pitbull clutch raceline rims. I love the look but hate how they mount.

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I do like those wheels. What about the mounting do you not like? I need to jump over into your build thread...

My Enduro is going to be my scale trail rig after I pick up a Vanquish VS4-10 Pro kit so I'm going to run the SSD chrome 5-slots for the period correct look with the '76 F150 body.

The GT3C is to get me by until I grab a Futaba 4PM radio. The GT3C will be used on the HR Rock Racer builds for my son and his friends.

[rnagenetics]

Originally Posted by BoilermakerFan

I do like those wheels. What about the mounting do you not like? I need to jump over into your build thread...

The use six screws to attach the rim to the hub instead of having a nut. Makes it a pain to take on and off. Last time I went to put one on the screw snapped I believe due to some locktite residue that was left over.

I'll need to update my thread but it's about the same as yours except I've got the new pics here..lol

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[BoilermakerFan]

The PL Class 1 Hyrax tires are giving me fits on my RC4WD steelie beadlocks...

Even after 2 hours in the freezer.

I'll post pics later Sunday morning.

[Milby76]

I really like the F150 body and wheel combo, it just screams old school cool! Im looking forward to the finished results.

[BoilermakerFan]

Originally Posted by Milby76

I really like the F150 body and wheel combo, it just screams old school cool! Im looking forward to the finished results.

Thanks Milby. Welcome to RCC.

When I first started the process of deciding what I wanted and how I wanted to build the truck, I didn't really have a clear direction. The further into the build plan and building I've gotten, the more it's migrating to a dedicated scale trail rig.

Once I found that I could buy the '76 F150 body and stretch the wheelbase to accommodate it, that pretty much set the direction for the build plan. I'm seriously considering ordering a second body for the rig so that I don't have to change the WB to run other bodies. The second one wouldn't be built with the chrome bumpers and I can do a non-stock paint scheme on it.





Last night I built the drive shafts and installed the Club 5 center skid plate.






I dug into my old stock of parts and pulled out some old school goodies! You would have to have been in the hobby for a while to recognize a couple items, especially the red pistons for the shocks. They are RPM 2-Stage pistons. I measured the stock piston and the red RPMs are the exact same 1.2mm hole size so I'll have stock compression, but fast rebound. I have three spare red pistons and two complete sets of their green pistons which are a little heavier damping. The MIP blue seals are the best. I can't believe they are no longer made. Fortunately I have two sets plus I can steal them out of my AE shocks that were on my TLT crawler.


I'm not building my shocks until a few more parts show up. I have some aftermarket goodies on the way that I think will fit, so I trying them to see if it works.

I had a set of TLT OE shocks so I just tossed them on the truck to keep the rear axle in place. I didn't feel like digging through my spares to get the pivot balls for the tops out so I can't run the truck this way.











I think it was Harley that took a battery tray mount brace and put it on the rear of the chassis to brace it, but since I had the original brace, I put it in too. I'm really glad I ordered the hard plastic versions because I stripped a screw in the stock soft plastic and I was barely tightening it. I'm not sure that it really helped that much, but it was a free part so why not.









Now on to the tires...






Sadly, it didn't.




After several attempts with the tires frozen, the front finally looked great:









Then I flipped it over:











More swearing and then I called it a night.

[jason02ws6]

You may need to get the blue proline rings that are sold separately. Some tires are almost impossible to mount unless you get those.


https://store.rc4wd.com/19-Proline-T...gs_p_2878.html


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[BoilermakerFan]

Originally Posted by jason02ws6

You may need to get the blue proline rings that are sold separately. Some tires are almost impossible to mount unless you get those.


https://store.rc4wd.com/19-Proline-T...gs_p_2878.html


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I think you're right. My wheels aren't listed in the notes specifically, but I'll try to find those rings in stock somewhere.

[B-MOW71]

Originally Posted by BoilermakerFan

Thanks B-MOW71. I'm curious, in which order did you buy your TRX-4, SCX10.2, and Enduro? I had my choices narrowed down to those 3 rigs, then it was between the TRX-4 Sport kit and the Enduro kit. A few more hours watching YT vids and I made my decision. I ruled out the SCX10.2 kit pretty quickly since the Enduro was so similar but came with the better transmission and shocks that don't leak like an old H-D.

I built my SCX10.2 back in 2017. I pieced it together with upgraded parts instead of buying a kit or RTR. It was and still is a very cable rig.

I bought a TRX-4 Chassis Kit in 2018. I ended up locking the front and rear diffs, but kept the 2-speed trans. After adding the Samix bits and pieces, it has been an awesome rig. So it is basically a Sport with a 2-speed trans.

I bought the Enduro last year when they first hit the market. At the moment it is still a work in progress! Here is a link to my thread if you want to check it out: B-MOW's Enduro Journey!

Your Enduro build is looking great so far! I really like the Club5 front brace! I've been thinking about ordering one for mine! It is a lot like the alum front brace that came stock in my VS4-10 Origin.

[BoilermakerFan]

Originally Posted by B-MOW71

Your Enduro build is looking great so far! I really like the Club5 front brace! I've been thinking about ordering one for mine! It is a lot like the alum front brace that came stock in my VS4-10 Origin.

Thanks B. I'm super impressed with all my Club 5 parts, but the front servo/bumper mount is a thing of beauty and perfect tolerances. Definitely going with his high clearance links and diff covers.


Last night I realized the part I ordered for a custom mod isn't going to work as I hoped. It was a different shock shaft for the shocks. So I just built the stock shocks last night and let them sit over night to get all the bubbles out of the oil. I have several weight of oil on hand, but even the 30wt felt too heavy with my 2-stage pistons for the rear.







My wife and son were off school today and it was a company holiday for me as well. So after my son and I went rock climbing at our gym we headed to the LHS. He needed to pick out his paint for his Tamiya VW Beetle build. I needed paint for the F150, lower weight shock oil, and new tires.


He picked out PS52 Metallic Dark Blue for his car. I grabbed PS-22 Racing Green for the Ford.




And the LHS has Pitbull Rock Beast in the Komp compound in stock so they came home with me too.





Only one put up a fight initially so I sent it to the freezer to chill... and success!










Now that it is a roller I test fit the bodies...








No surprises with the PL Ambush 12.3" since my rig is at 12.3" right now.



I suspect that depending on the tire one was running, the F-150 could work even on the 12.3" WB without too much trouble or a little trimming.






But you can see that it does need the stretch to be perfect:















It might be hard to see, but I modded the body posts in prep for magnetic body mounts. I still need to drill the top of the body post for a screw to help hold the magnet on the post.






I found these aluminum DJX beadlocks today. Never saw them before now, but I think they are sweet and look even better than the chrome SSD 5-slots. For the price, I'm going to try them. Worst case, the just become jewelry for the shelf queen body.










My GT3C radio did show up on Sunday too, but I wasn't anywhere near ready to install it and go for a maiden run. Tonight while test fitting the bodies, I realized I will need to remove the servo horn and recenter my steering servo too.

[JatoTheRipper]

I'm looking forward to seeing this one completed. It should look bad ass with those tires and body combo.

[BoilermakerFan]

Thanks Jato. My WB extension kit arrives tomorrow so I can finalize the rear link lengths and get that info to Club 5 for the custom stretched high clearance rear links.

Then I have a few more parts to order for the build to finish it up. Thanks to B-Mow, I'm ordering the inner fenders. I didn't realize they were available from AE. There are a few more upgrade parts I still need to order too, but I'm really happy with the parts and build as it sits right now, except the sliders... those need to be replaced once I find ones I really like.

I have decided to keep this rig on a 12.8" WB so the Ambush body will just have to go on the next one. I suspect my son will want one of his own, but his will probably be built more stock.

I'm going to order a second '76 F150 body for the basher body. I'm going to detail the one I paint green. Planning to add LED lights, a tonneau cover, CB antenna, and a few other things. The basher will get the decal lights and not run the chrome parts. Those will be spares for the first body.

The late '70s F150s with the round headlights is one of my all time favorite trucks. I've considered getting a full size one to restomod, but I don't have the room for it, nor the funds to build it the way I would want, so 1/10th scale is perfect. My full scale toys are late '70s to early '80s Honda and Kawasaki motorcycles so I'm fine with just having a scale model of the F150. Eventually I'll get around to trying my hand at scratch building a pop-up camper trailer to pull behind the truck, or at least pose for pictures. We have an early '90s Coleman right now, so that will make it much easier for me, except scale wheels might be a harder to find.

[BoilermakerFan]

My WB extension kit arrived today along with the brass link balls and the scale decal sheet.

[soze]

Looking good man! I can't wait to finish up my Trail King so that I can move onto my Enduro Builder's kit. I've been wheeling my modded Enduro Sendero since it was first released in July, and it's been my go to rig for over half a year now. Myself and another local have these Enduros, and we're able to do some pretty gnarly difficult lines with them at CDM. What is crazy is that aside from the servo and esc (DS3218 and HW 1080s) both of us have not done much outside of adding weight to the front of the rig at the axles and running Pro-line BFG Krawlers with dual stage foams. Neither of us have added any additional bracing yet, and it's doing so well out there.

My Sendero is running a BOM rear cage and I plan to keep it that way, but I plan to go for an even better performance setup with all the mods I've done to the Sendero with the addition of the bracing, etc. for the builder's kit when I get to it.

[BoilermakerFan]

Nice soze!

I can't wait to get mine out for the first run. I'm hoping I can get the F150 body painted this weekend so I can unveil it to you guys. I need to pick up a PL Classic interior piece too.

Jeffrey is going to prototype my stretched high clearance links this weekend. Hopefully there will be no clearance issues, but he said he should have them ready sometime next week.

I haven't even run the truck yet, and I'm already planning to replace an aftermarket part.


I found these:







I need the front knuckles so they'll match the rear:







The scale brake rotors for front and back hooked me.

[soze]

With the Enduro, a good amount of front weight down low + good tires and foams goes a long way. Also on 12% overdrive setup btw.