Mini Giant Bronko Crawler

[toybuilder]

My kids use to to have fun bashing around with the Venom Mini Giant. Then I picked up a couple of Losi mini crawlers and now the VMG never gets any love. So I decided to try to build it into a respectable crawler. I am going to try to build this out of parts that I already have or can make. It will have a Losi Bronko body and Losi Mini Claws for tires, because I already have them.

I started the project off with a few beers, a pencil and my trusty engineering note pad. Soon I had a couple of chassis plates ready to go. I cut them out of .060" aluminum using a Dremel with cut-off wheel. I clamped the two pieces of aluminum together and cut both plates at the same time. I kept the chassis design as simple as possible to make it easy to cut out.

[JOOTZ]

interesting chassis you got there, gonna be looking into your build-up.

[toybuilder]

With the chassis plates cut out, I started on what I thought was going to be the most difficult part, the front servo/upper link mounting plate. After staring at things for a bit and making a few sketches, I came up with something that I thought would work well, and not be too difficult to make.

This is what I came up with using some more .060" aluminum sheet and some parts left over from one of the LMCs. It mounts to the axle using 2-56 stand-offs and screws through the axle case. I had to clearance the diff housing with the Dremel to make room for the stand-offs.

[bigdodge88]

Lookin good so far, keep it up.

Justin

[toybuilder]

Originally Posted by bigdodge88

Lookin good so far, keep it up.

Justin

Thanks!

Rear upper link mount. Same concept as the front using 2-56 stand-offs. I painted these parts flat black to see what it would look like. I think I'll eventually paint or powdercoat all the metal parts.

[toybuilder]

Here's a mockup shot with the body. Obviously, the body will sit much lower after it's trimmed. At this point I just need to figure out the upper shock mounts and build a draglink/tie rod and I'll have a roller. Then it's just detail work to finish it up. Wheelbase is 8 1/4".

[old man 52]

hey toybuilder what wheels and tires are those, are you using some king of an adapter?

[U$edUpH00ker]

i think those are the wheels and tires off of the losi mrc if im not mistaken

[toybuilder]

Originally Posted by old man 52

hey toybuilder what wheels and tires are those, are you using some king of an adapter?

Originally Posted by U$edUpH00ker

i think those are the wheels and tires off of the losi mrc if im not mistaken

Yep, those are the stock wheels and tires from a Losi Mini Crawler.

I am using some slightly modified Trinity TC Wheel Adapters to mount the Losi 12mm hex wheels to the VMG axles. I found them at the LHS and so far they are the only thing that I have had to purchase for this build. I just had to bore out the center hole a bit, and drill and tap them for a set screw. I could have also drilled the axle for a pin, as you can see the hex has a slot for it. I chose to go the set screw route because it was easier for me. The finished adapters look like this:

[old man 52]

very cool thanks for the info, i going to get those.

[washracer_11]

I can't wait to see it all done.

[toybuilder]

Mini Giant trans with LMC motor and 9 tooth pinion. It will probably be too fast. If it is I'll add a gear reduction unit later. I don't want to buy one unless I have to. I used some 4-40 stand-offs to mount one side of the chassis to the trans and the other side bolts directly to it. The stand-offs weren't quite long enough, so I Dremeled the motor mount a bit.

[C*H*U*D]

What's going on with this..........don't tell me you gave up on it. I like the "build with what you got" threads and you are letting me down :-(. More progress pics please!!!!

[C*H*U*D]

Hmmmmm......ignoring me are you?!? I guess I'll just have to grab a 12 pack, show up at your door and see it in person. Is that what I need to do

[toybuilder]

Originally Posted by C*H*U*D

Hmmmmm......ignoring me are you?!? I guess I'll just have to grab a 12 pack, show up at your door and see it in person. Is that what I need to do

I guess I'll go ahead and update the thread, I've grown mighty thirsty waiting for you to bring a 12 pack over....

Don't let the fact that I'm updating the thread stop you though.

I haven't had much spare time lately, but I finished the upper shock mount/crossmembers. The chassis is pretty strong, but I'll probably add another crossmember in the middle somewhere, after I finish the battery mount. Next up is making a drag link/tie rod and lengthening the drive lines. Here are some current pics:

[motorman1600]

very nice

[toybuilder]

Originally Posted by motorman1600

very nice

Thanks!! The feedback is appreciated, whether you like my work or not...

I finished the drag link and tie rod. Not perfect, but it works well. Let me know what you all think.

[finishline]

looks good, what electronics are you going to use?

[friscokidd]

looking good so far. Those are some nice cuts on the aluminum pieces.

[Big Mike]

Nice chassis. I like the "build with what you have" threads too.

I just painted a Bronko body for my Losi MRC. I was a little disappointed, I was hoping it would be a little bigger than the stock body, but it's about the same size. It's still good to not have a stock lid anymore.

Yours will probably crawl better, it looks like it has good articulation, vs. too much like a stock MRC...