Coming soon .....GMADE GOM-GR1 Rock Buggy

[soze]

Originally Posted by thewildblue77

G

There are no proper rocks near me locally so I jumped in the old Porsche and blasted 50 miles to a place I hadn't been before.

Whatcha got? 964,993,996,997.1-2,991.1-2?

[HumboldtEF]

Originally Posted by soze

Whatcha got? 964,993,996,997.1-2,991.1-2?

And where do you manage to stow 3 rigs in it?



The Mamba X should have no problem providing a strong drag brake, so my guess is you're on the money with it being the motor. Though make sure you have the Rock racer/crawler mode set up right, I struggled a bit to get that mode working right initially.

I used that same ESC with the HH puller pro 540 (in my Wraith) and at 100% drag bake its too much for everything except for going uphill, I have it set to 50% for everything else and 0% with reverse lockout for bashing.

[thewildblue77]

Originally Posted by soze

Whatcha got? 964,993,996,997.1-2,991.1-2?

944 S2...Its a late one with Bridge Spoiler. Bought it in 2013..its cost me a fortune but I love it. Only 4 left in this colour in the UK. Took it to the ring last year which I really enjoyed.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[thewildblue77]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

And where do you manage to stow 3 rigs in it?



The Mamba X should have no problem providing a strong drag brake, so my guess is you're on the money with it being the motor. Though make sure you have the Rock racer/crawler mode set up right, I struggled a bit to get that mode working right initially.

I used that same ESC with the HH puller pro 540 (in my Wraith) and at 100% drag bake its too much for everything except for going uphill, I have it set to 50% for everything else and 0% with reverse lockout for bashing.

I have the Mamba monster X in my bomber with a 2200kv with the aux mode setup the same and that doesn't budge. It can fit 5 trucks in quite easily. Handles really good aswell, pic is from a track day last year at Bedford...... At the ring my 1st ever lap was wet and I spun at Kallenhard. 2nd lap was wet and I still managed a 10:10 according to the gopro. First dry lap was number 3 the next day and it was a 9:16 and my 2nd dry lap gave me a 9:06...not bad for only 200bhp in a 25 year old(then) car and so few laps.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[thewildblue77]

Well Ive just picked up a ROC 3100 412 so Im hoping that will work well with the mamba...bit more torque than the Castle and hopefully a better drag brake. A Savox 2270 and castle Bec are accompanying it, so my son will get my JX 5932 and I will run the savox. Not sure what to do with the BEC as yet though....

[soze]

Originally Posted by thewildblue77

944 S2...Its a late one with Bridge Spoiler. Bought it in 2013..its cost me a fortune but I love it. Only 4 left in this colour in the UK. Took it to the ring last year which I really enjoyed.

Gorgeous! Sorry for the thread derail.

[thewildblue77]

Just had this through from Junfac....new CVA joint to try. To be fair with glue and heatshrink I'm yet to break another pin.

Dear James


We send out your replacement part today by Korea Post.*


We send you new joint part so you can try it.*

New joint can hold the pin by socket set screw,*

and also include some repair pin's and ring's you can use for repair.


Hope you like the new joint.*




Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[RcAnt]

Originally Posted by thewildblue77

Just had this through from Junfac....new CVA joint to try. To be fair with glue and heatshrink I'm yet to break another pin.

Dear James


We send out your replacement part today by Korea Post.*


We send you new joint part so you can try it.*

New joint can hold the pin by socket set screw,*

and also include some repair pin's and ring's you can use for repair.


Hope you like the new joint.*




Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

Good to see they are trying to fix the problem and just fob people off


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tvih]

Man. It's not my favorite rock buggy body on this thing, but I'm starting to feel like I should've gotten this instead of the Komodo. For one, the retailer I bought the Komodo from actually has this for a bit cheaper price than the Komodo, but I only noticed it after having finished the build. Secondly, I found myself wanting a desert racer too. Started looking at the FTX Outlaw, but this GOM would be even if not prettier, then better. Sturdier, better at crawling, etc. More expensive, but seemingly well worth the extra ~120€. Pretty much a do-it-all, combining what I do with the Komodo and would do with the Outlaw or other such vehicle.

I dunno. Maybe I'll just try to find the funds to get the GOM too. With a brushless setup it'd be a faster car with a different feel than the Komodo in the end, maybe more for solo bash-crawling where the Komodo would be good for slower-paced "group safaris".

EDIT: Did order the thing, should receive it tomorrow. I just wonder why is it that when when I was reading up on this it seemed to get lots of praise but ever since ordering I've noticed a lot of negative stuff, haha. Must've been that late-night delirium providing rose-tinted glasses? Well, I sure do hope I won't end up regretting this too.

[tachikoma1373]

Can someone please tell me the dimensions of the rear sway bars - hole to hole for horizontal and vertical arms if you please?

[thewildblue77]

New set screws from Junfac....:-)

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[tvih]

Working my way throught the thread... lots of talk of the CVA pins. I just ordered the CVAs themselves, I guess it might be wise to order some extra pins too. I was looking at 2x12 Xray pins, since it's only $3.40 plus shipping for 10 - should last for some time.

Originally I thought the 2-speed transmission would be cool. Well, I still think the concept is, but I find myself second-guessing its usefulness at least with brushless especially when contrasted to possible durability issues given the stock plastic gears. When I was testing the car with high & low on sensored brushless setup I wasn't really feeling a difference in slow crawling speed, so I imagine I'd be spending most of the time on the high speed setting at least if not for the switch servo constantly making noise as if it is stressing itself. I guess I ought to get a stronger switch servo (it's only 8kg). I also can't seem to get the shift exactly right with just the servo movement - as in, it goes to the gear I want but not fully the correct alignment, could just be the springs. Though fortunately when I give just a touch of throttle the gears do seem to jump into the correct place.

Then, as far as other upgrades. I've been wondering about metal universal shafts. Haven't seen too much discussion about the shafts. The stock plastic ones, do they break a lot? Seems they could be susceptible to impacts. Options would seem to be the Junfac ones for $34 or Xtra Speed ones for $20 (the latter meant for Yeti but seems like they'd fit, 130-160mm length).

Another point of some concern is the panhard mounts on both axle and body, but the price for both adds up.

Lastly while I'm not really one much for bling for bling's sake, I wish this had come with a spare tire. The rear of the car is so empty, and for practical purposes a spare wheel would've also added some weight and thus traction for the rear. Expensive to buy separately just for that, though. On that note the secondary shocks could look cool, but I'm doubtful if they'd help all that much considering said lightness of the rear end.

I just have a bad feeling I'm going to end up needing to put a lot more money into this than I want to. And to think I chose this because it was discounted, hah

[carlosii]

Originally Posted by OzarkCrawler

I loosened the bearing caps and unseated the ring and differential a little bit. This helped quite a bit but still seems a bit too tight compared to rigs I've built in the past. They seem to spin smooth and quiet with wheels/tires on but I can't spin them with only hubs installed.

Removed the gasket, that did the trick and now they spin freely and feels smooth as butter.

[tvih]

About a "practical" thing, what have people done with the battery compartment? I don't have the interior tray in yet so I can work the battery into place better, but... the rubber band that secures the battery into place is such that I can't just push the battery into place, I have to lift the band for clearance so I can push the battery all the way in without snapping the band because the end of the battery just pushes it along. Removing the band doesn't seem like a great idea since the battery would then be rather loose, even with the tray in place.

Another related thing is the battery connectors. As far as I can see with the tray in place the battery has to be connected while outside car so the battery wires have to be long enough to reach there, seeing as the ESC is on the "far side" from the battery door? I'm not even sure where I'm going to route them from yet. Though I also have to route the receiver wires since the receiver will be on the interior tray rather than under the hood.

Oh, and I did just put in a stronger 20kg steering servo because I thought the previous 13kg one was having trouble with centering. But seems that rather the perceived oddities in steering centering are related to bump steer? With unloaded suspension the wheels go to the left, with loaded suspension to the right. I must say I never noticed this on any of my racers, and the product description even says the effect is "minimized"... seems like it is anything but! I suppose it's not so critical in actual driving in itself but it does make it much harder to calibrate the steering angle optimally to avoid stressing the axles.

[jaybob]

Originally Posted by tvih

About a "practical" thing, what have people done with the battery compartment? I don't have the interior tray in yet so I can work the battery into place better, but... the rubber band that secures the battery into place is such that I can't just push the battery into place, I have to lift the band for clearance so I can push the battery all the way in without snapping the band because the end of the battery just pushes it along. Removing the band doesn't seem like a great idea since the battery would then be rather loose, even with the tray in place.

Another related thing is the battery connectors. As far as I can see with the tray in place the battery has to be connected while outside car so the battery wires have to be long enough to reach there, seeing as the ESC is on the "far side" from the battery door? I'm not even sure where I'm going to route them from yet. Though I also have to route the receiver wires since the receiver will be on the interior tray rather than under the hood.

Oh, and I did just put in a stronger 20kg steering servo because I thought the previous 13kg one was having trouble with centering. But seems that rather the perceived oddities in steering centering are related to bump steer? With unloaded suspension the wheels go to the left, with loaded suspension to the right. I must say I never noticed this on any of my racers, and the product description even says the effect is "minimized"... seems like it is anything but! I suppose it's not so critical in actual driving in itself but it does make it much harder to calibrate the steering angle optimally to avoid stressing the axles.

I placed a lexan piece under the rubber band just a little bit smaller than the battery tray. This way I can slide my battery under the lexan piece and it won't get caught on the rubber band

Sent from my SM-A520W using Tapatalk

[tvih]

Originally Posted by jaybob

I placed a lexan piece under the rubber band just a little bit smaller than the battery tray. This way I can slide my battery under the lexan piece and it won't get caught on the rubber band

Hmm, one way to do it I guess, even though it'd certainly lessen the contact of the rubber band with the battery and thus the "retaining power" especially for sideways movement. I wonder why couldn't they just make the rear-side edge of the tray higher? Oh well. Another thing I considered is making ramp-type piece that would lift the rubber band on top of the battery when pushing the battery in, but even messing with that every time that you remove/install the battery seems annoying.

But at least now that I also replaced the switcher servo and am testing the tray, I notice the battery wires are easily routed, not so why I thought the lexan might get in the way without extra cutting. A brainfart, I suppose

And reading further back the thread lead to the info that SSD's aluminum trailing arms fit this car. At that price I might not be able to resist, as the trailing arms do seem a bit slim considering they might get impacted a lot in rough terrain. The price of Gmade's aluminum arms put me off the idea, but the SSD ones are much cheaper. At that point could as well get the steel universals. Then additionally perhaps the axle parts tree set GM60019 for spares since it has various things that might come in handy, including the panhard mounting parts. Then file for bankruptcy. Then to wait for at least 2 weeks for all the stuff to arrive from RCMart, including the new ESC.

[HumboldtEF]

I use a "shorty" battery that works well with the stock rubber strap, since I dont have to fully push it in it has enough pressure pushing it to the side instead of down. I've also stuck my receiver on the far end of the battery compartment. My brother used a higher point to string the rubber strap across to make more room for sliding in the battery.

I've been wondering what people do to connect their battery after they've boxed in under the hood, must be some trick to make that work.

The bumpsteer isn't something I've noticed when crawling, but at bashing speeds its likely a lot more noticeable, its just something that comes along with a chassis mounted steering setup.

Dual shocks in the rear are pretty nice in combating a bit of the massive torque twist this thing has, but the anti roll bar does a much better job at that.

The shift servo only seems happy in 1st gear, it seems no matter how its setup in dig and high gear the springs are always pushing back against the servo.

Going single speed with brushless might be nice for the sake of simplicity, I guess it just depends on how you plan on driving, crawler or basher ect.

[thewildblue77]

I can fit a 5000mah 3s venom in mine..I just use a ruler to wedge it in under the rubber. I can then tuck the cables in behind the door. I do have an extension on my esc for the main power with a BEC wired in for the steering servo. When running on a 12T and the 3800kv I got nearly 2 hours and still had about 30% battery life left.

Havent really noticed much bumpsteer. The twin shocks seem to work ok.

Havent really had much luck with being able to get DIG...I can get freewheeling, but not quite full DIG. 2nd will go in usually on 2nd attempt when rolling at very slow speed.

With a 3800KV on 3S with an 18T pinion, you can crawl really well and have reasonable speed...havent noticed much difference in top speed on 1st and 2nd gear. I may just try and set for 1st and DIG see how I get on.

Still need to try a roll bar, but my 4 WS is finished...bar some bearings I forgot to order. I think it will be pretty potent once complete. I suspect I may need a servo saver for the rear if I decide I want to give it some welly as the servo is axle mounted.

Got a winch and suspension strut bar on the way as well. I may change the tyres after that at some point as really impressed with the Hyrax that Ive put on the bomber.

[tvih]

Originally Posted by HumboldtEF

I've been wondering what people do to connect their battery after they've boxed in under the hood, must be some trick to make that work.

Yeah, actually I just ran into this problem too. Connecting the battery before pushing it in prevents pushing it in because the connectors hit the cage. I even changed to low-profile connectors but those kinda fail at being low profile because they don't go fully into the battery but stand out an unnecessary 3mm or so, without that it'd work. I guess I gotta try to modify one of the connectors.

The bumpsteer isn't something I've noticed when crawling, but at bashing speeds its likely a lot more noticeable, its just something that comes along with a chassis mounted steering setup.

Kinda caught me by surprise, I've seen people discuss it with non-crawlers I have but as mentioned I've never noticed it on them myself when calibrating steering. And I've got 10 non-crawlers. I guess this type of suspension & steering setup really brings it out.

Dual shocks in the rear are pretty nice in combating a bit of the massive torque twist this thing has, but the anti roll bar does a much better job at that.

When I was testing the speed outside I didn't experience any bothersome levels of torque twist using a 3300kv motor with 2S (which is as fast as I plan to go), but of course traction was low on snow/ice which affects things. And well, I was driving 3WD at the time (axle issues out of the box, should be remedied in a few days). I have currently no plans for the roll bar due to the price plus probably not needing it that much for my driving. I suppose if twist turns out to be a problem in practise I could look at the shocks if they don't hamper crawling, they look cool and are half the price of the ARB.

The shift servo only seems happy in 1st gear, it seems no matter how its setup in dig and high gear the springs are always pushing back against the servo.

Thankfully the new shift servo (JX PDI-6221MG) seems to stay silent. The new steering servo, not so much. Maybe I'll switch that to a JX too when I get some more.

Going single speed with brushless might be nice for the sake of simplicity, I guess it just depends on how you plan on driving, crawler or basher ect.

All-around all-terrain, basically. I guess if the stock gears explode I'll look into how much it'd cost to go single-speed, or just buy the metal gears.

Originally Posted by thewildblue77

Havent really had much luck with being able to get DIG...I can get freewheeling, but not quite full DIG. 2nd will go in usually on 2nd attempt when rolling at very slow speed.

I get dig, though originally I didn't realize the rear wheels were supposed to lock so I only had freewheeling rear. But after reading up I realized it was meant to lock the rear and adjusted servo endpoint accordingly and it works fine. Maybe it's just my lack of crawling experience but I just honestly don't see when and where I'd use that mode. Dragging a locked rear around? Eh. I'd rather just have the FWD if need be but I'm not sure if that would cause improper partial gear contact and thus stripping?

With a 3800KV on 3S with an 18T pinion, you can crawl really well and have reasonable speed...havent noticed much difference in top speed on 1st and 2nd gear.

I definitely noticed the Hi/Lo speed difference with the 3300kv/2S even if it wasn't earth-shattering.

And jeez, why can't I ever keep my posts short & concise?

[HumboldtEF]

Figuring out where and why to use dig is tough, its a new concept for me and I need to get used to it. Most of the time I just use it to turn sharply. Dropping nose first into a little valley (a V shape) you can use it to hold your rear tires in place while your front tires claw their way up.

But check out some of the sporty/comp rig videos to see how they use it, those guys do some amazing stuff with it.