Sendero HD build....lets see where it goes...

[HaveBlue83]

I have been missing my old SCX10 for a bit now, and i wanted to get back into the scale game. I went to a hobbytown and found a bunch of elements, really liked the features compared to axial, and I picked up the HD Sendero red cap RTR. Last time my crawler was modded as needed to get around whatever i crawled around in.

this build will follow the same mantra. We shall see if it stays a peach or if she gets banged up

Mods so far:
-Cut rear body posts down 2 holes to allow the rear bed to sit on the frame and provide more stability for that floppyness. (prolly gonna add holes and bolts higher up into cab to stop that remaining wobble.
-Currentoy running a 2s big pack, until my 200mah venom 2s mini pack comes in, with the adapter plugs.

Mods I can see happening:
-trimming the front fenders to clear as they get hung up.
-bobbing in the rear tray cause that square body rear aint gonna work well for tight stuff. I already see how i wanna do it .
-front fender well liners.
-def some kind of interior work, prolly a roof rack, a lught bar, winch and some more lughting for night runs.
-might redo the foams in the tires. they are a bit stiff



-so far, with no runntime (poured rain since i got it setup), i love it more than my Scx10, and its already got more metal and better tires and controller is packed with features.

[Doom!]

Looking forward to seeing what you do with yours. I have really enjoyed mine, most of my mods have been cosmetic. I do recommend trimming the fenders a bit. I also put some bolts through the cab/roll bar.

[HaveBlue83]

yeah this thing is basically 90% at the level i had to get my SCX-10 to. I took it out with a 7000mah 2s and an adapter harness (the venom should be here tomorrow) abd even with a big pack it did great. i like the tires and the performance. its so neat.

ill be trimming some corners and adding some electrical tape to beef up the bottom where it goes into the sliders.

the lowered rear bed to the frame mod def helped stop the bed flex a good bit.

[ScaleLifeNewbie]

Looking good

Ill definitely be following this to see where you take it. The Sendero is a good truck, the only thing i dont like about it is the big pumpkins. Im sure they're not a problem for you coming from an scx10 though also i had tiny 3.65" tires on mine lol.



______________________________________
Veterans deserve a whole month too...

[smog]

Look forward to seeing where you take the rig. Lowering the weight, as you have done is always a good start.

I have been a bit of an Enduro junkie since I picked up my first one a few years back. I now have 3 There is a lot I love about the Elements, but the transmission is likely the standout. I love how quiet it is and the 12% overdrive out of the box. A lot of people complain about the unlicensed bodies, but I think they are great. The designs are good and it keeps the consumer costs down.

Keep us updated!

[OSRC]

I'm up to 2 and a half myself.... I've got a solid axle builders kit, IFS kit, and trans and axles grafted onto an old SCX10. The transmission is excellent, and all three are good performers.

Even stock, that's a good looking truck - and a nice wheeling spot too!

[HaveBlue83]

those pumpkins are fine by me! lol. honestly i dont wanna beat the truck up. the Honcho got BEAT. i like this body. i may need another body to not care about.

i did some lil things....

-got a dash made up, fits decent, gotta mount it solidly.
-added some spacers from the kit onto the shocks...it reduced travel BUT the body should be better off. i dont need it untralistically flexing into the body on this one.
-trimmed a tiny bit on the front fenders
-added black elec tape to protect the body when i assemble it.
-venom 2000mah mini batt and mini tray are in. its super light. took 39min to balance charge. iirc they last about 30-45min

[HaveBlue83]

decided to cut the foams a bit to give me some more sidewall flex. stock foams seem a bit stiff. went at it with a serrated knife and sharp scissors for the edges. i tried one and it gave me what i wanted. drivers side is cut foam and shows the flex i want. pass side is stock.

i didnt finish the job because these lil chromed screws suck. tiny head, didnt fit the allen key well at all, and almost stripped one out. Im gonna go to true value/work and get some good SHCS and either retap or use nuts on them. these gotta go either way. otherwise i do like the way they are put together.

[HaveBlue83]

-ok, i was able to use 4-40 SHCS and simple use a drill press/vertical drilling arm to punch a 4-40 thread perfectly straight through these. I did 3 at a time, pulled old bolts, then did the other 3. After this, they went right in. good length too. i love these wheels and how they assemble, so now they are super easy, and all black.

-i made it out for a bit to test the new battery, and new tire foam mod. i like the contact patch, not too much flattening of the tire under normal load, but when the weight is on them on inclines/declines as it grips for traction, then she flexes out a nice amount. reallly looks good, grabs bricks and roots and stuff nicely.

-the bumpstops i put on the shocks = zero hits on the body now. i never heard plastic. I can articulate well and it wasnt tippy at all. only side landed once from the brick pile i made from trash i found.

-i got a 5.9" light bar and 4 pod lights in today, and the roof rack is all printed up. gotta mark and drill holes for all that. thats next.

love this truck.

[HaveBlue83]

decided before i did rear lights i should bob the rear a bit...did 1" cut on each, angled out the hole to get the bolt straight, drilled and screwed it in. came out great. i did this to my old scx so this was easy.

also, heres the light bar and low roof rack in position....

[durok]

Nice mods, both for the wheels as well as the bed!

[HaveBlue83]

tried out the municipal dump off area ...found rocks, dirt, gravel, asphalt mounts, grasses and topsoil. about 35x15' play pen. mounds are 3-4' high.

-the light bar worked nicely. huge throw.
-the bobbed rear bed already cleared a bunch, its perfect.
-tires did well, love em
-small battery and low CG rrally let me go ariund a buch of off camber stuff.

-i def need a small flood light under front and rear to see axle and tire areas, imma try small spotlights under the body.

[HaveBlue83]

lotss work done this week....i got a bunch printed, painted, assembled and secured.

-milk crates, cooler, toolbox, roof rack, propane tank all printed and painted.
-got some fuel cans that came with mounts.
-underbody leds front and back to see axles, works very nice. gotta secure them qith a printed design.
-added 2 nice adjustable pod lights to illuminate the bed nicely.
-switch for light bar, headlights and rear pods installed.
-cleaned up the wiring, secured stuff with zip ties.
-found my tinkerbot logon, imported and modified the roof racl for more anchor points and printed another one.

[durok]

Those crates look nicely detailed compared to many I've seen for sale!

Nice build progress...

[HaveBlue83]

Originally Posted by durok

Those crates look nicely detailed compared to many I've seen for sale!

Nice build progress...

they came out awesome! super detailed and free

-im working on axle jackstands. have a design, just need it to adhere better. almost there.

- I grabbed some clear plastic pellets from work for scale ice ����

[Doom!]

Nice! Looks like your having fun with the detailing.

[durok]

That cooler with the sodas chilling on ice is a sweet touch!

[HaveBlue83]

did some more crawling, got the fenders painted satin black, and got the ammo cans painted ODG and put on the rack.

next:
-printing door handles
-Decals from Wngland came in....perfect, and precut!
-printed a front body mounting plate, removing the cotter pin setup amd went velcro.
-bungee cord and undergarment hook setup for roof rack
-printing another axle jackstand I made so i have a pair
-printed painted and secured a frame jack
-tinyRC honcho interior comes next week
-printed and painted locking hub covers with more detail.
-resprsyed the insude as Element didnt put enough on and tape was showing through. its good now. also used red tape to secure wiring and ut in a 4-1 harness for lights.


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[HaveBlue83]

i decided after looking up real setups that the roof mounted light bar wasnt right. I needed it forward and lower. I got my old sheet of aluminum and tin snips, and got to work. I used some very small light bucket self tappers to secure the brackets and filed off the backs of them to clear the roofline. aluminum blacked the brackets and it looks great.

i might remake the roof rack and resixe it on thinkercad. I have plenty of forward room now. Im gonna see what I wanna do there.









images upload

[HaveBlue83]

more work....interior came in so i rolled the windows down. I ad to do some rearranging of RCVR and batt box. made some things and mounted batt forward, esc box got from thingiverse and shrunk it down. used old batt tray as an interior support and antenna/switch mount tray. it all worked, time to go crawl.