RC4WD Chevy Blazer body... Help decide on a scale chassis.

[SleepyC]

Hey guys, first post!
I'm fairly new to scale crawlers, but not new to RC Cars or RC in general. I raced 1/8th scale on road for HPI back in the day and have been heavily involved with RC since 1986. I actually worked for RCGroups (I know, I'm sorry if anyone want's an awesome story PM me!) and ran flyinggiants (giant scale airplane site) for almost 8 years. So I have a great background of RC and RC cars, just not in Scale trucks!

Anyways, I got bit by the scale crawler bug by getting a Redcat Gen 7 pro. It's a great truck and a fun one to drive, but now I want to go full on scale. I HATE looking at a lean body... SO I purchased a RC4WD Chevy Blazer body and will start the painting soon. I'm going with a "been in an Arizona desert getting sun beaten and wind blasted for years" weathered look and will be taking my time with it. (I live in Ohio, so the dark days of crappy weather and basement hobby time is setting upon us)

Since buying the body I have been going back and forth on what chassis I want to stuff under it. The obvious choice seems to be the RC4WD Trail Finder 2 chassis, as it looks really scale, I like size of the 1.5 wheels and the wheel base is correct with no mods.

But since a lot of you guys have probably built a ton of these rigs, am I missing some options that would be a good choice and not require to much body modifications? (I'd like to not chop into the body too much to fit a slightly larger wheel base.

I have been reading and researching all the usual suspects and it seems like a few come close to the proper wheel base and some don't at all.

The other chassis that caught my attention was the SCX10ii with it's adjustable wheelbase fro 11.4" (just .1" too big, should be fine) to 12.3".

To modify the wheelbase it seems as easy as getting new rear suspension linkage.. but trying to find that seems to be alluding me.

SO.. in all your experience, am I missing options?

I want a scale rig, I don't care about the worlds best climbing ability I will have "play trucks" this will be my finish, then decide I'm not happy and adjust and make it more scale, and learn more paint techniques and tweak and adjust etc rig.

I literally had the "buy it now" button selected on the RC4WD Trail Finder 2, is that the right choice for what I want to do?

Thanks in advance.
SC

[OSRC]

I think if you want a scale rig, the TF2 chassis is really the way to go. I'm sure most truck chassis could be made to work, but the TF2 is going to be the best bet for a scale oriented build.

[TheLetterJ]

Gmade Sawback is a good contender. 11.3" wheelbase, leaf sprung, Dana 44 looking axles (a lot more appropriate than Toyota axles!) but you'll definitely need to get creative to move the motor/trans forward. https://www.amainhobbies.com/gmade-s...a52000/p292249

Here's a build to give you some ideas: Slow sawback/rc4wd blazer build with front mount transmission

[SleepyC]

I snagged a TF2... can't wait to start, but I'm going to take my time...
I've been too long in hobbies where it became a job (literally and figuratively) So this I want to keep enjoyable and not feel any obligation to it...
Just a time to chill out and enjoy when I can.

[Ironhide13]

If you want to go full scale for a Chevy Blazer, a TF2 kit is a good choice, since it'll be leaf springs, and not a 4 link suspension like your Red Cat. Remember the leaf sprung rigs will not be as easy to crawl with like a link suspension.
Also, if you're really looking for scale, notice there are U-bolt kits out there to replace the bolt-through-leaf that comes standard on the TF2. And like TheJ said, Dana 44/60 or the stock 14 bolt axles. Bowhouse RC makes a series of NC60 axles that look great, but since they run a higher final drive than the TF2 Yota axles, you might want to adjust for the higher gearing.

I picked up a TF2 with a Blazer body a couple of months ago, and I'm taking my time rebuilding it to what I want. Looking forward to see how yours comes out!

[SleepyC]

Thanks for all the replies. This will be a constant work in progress. Tf2 chassie for now. Weathering V1 for now... I'm open to new tech, ideas, suggestions and all. I'm not rich so some may be logged, some may be used but all will be I fo towards the progress of this adventure. Thanks guys!

[Rickleo]

I love the Rc4wd blazer body but I went extreme. I created a crew cab long bed pickup using 3 bodies. The TF2 chassis in my opinion is the best chassis because it's truly scale. Mine has been stretched to fit the wheelbase.You can also install the rc4wd V8 engine and R4 transmission for even more scale realism. I believe you're really going to enjoy building this rig. I did and still am

[SleepyC]

Originally Posted by Rickleo

I love the Rc4wd blazer body but I went extreme. I created a crew cab long bed pickup using 3 bodies. The TF2 chassis in my opinion is the best chassis because it's truly scale. Mine has been stretched to fit the wheelbase.You can also install the rc4wd V8 engine and R4 transmission for even more scale realism. I believe you're really going to enjoy building this rig. I did and still am

I poured over both your build threads in the scale section. Amazing work. And yea that truck is awesome. You earned that one, the amount of work was insane, but the results speak for themselves.

[SleepyC]

Also, finally going to get some good use out of my 3D Printer!
My Brother In Law is the CEO of Makergear and he keeps "his" personal M2 printer at my house indefinitely.
The M2 can make insanely clean printed pieces that look production ready. I have made and sold 100 Zumo 660 GPS shades for my ADV friends (I ride ADV bikes, my other hobby) so I'm already trying to find or 3d design some inner wheel wells, milk crates, gas cans.. it's limitless!!

[Rickleo]

Originally Posted by SleepyC

I poured over both your build threads in the scale section. Amazing work. And yea that truck is awesome. You earned that one, the amount of work was insane, but the results speak for themselves.

Thanks for the compliments. Truck is going through a little rebuild right now. Decided to take out the V8 and drop in a scratch built Cummins diesel

[SleepyC]

Originally Posted by Rickleo

Thanks for the compliments. Truck is going through a little rebuild right now. Decided to take out the V8 and drop in a scratch built Cummins diesel

DANG MAN.
NICE.

[SleepyC]

So my Makergear M2 has been running non stop.. roto packs, milk crates, coolers, air tanks... and a rear window holder for my Red cat...

Does anyone have decent .stl files for a V8 that goes around a 540 motor?
The M2 is a very high end printer and the results I am getting is fantastic! I want to try to print a motor!

[mudbeast2]

Originally Posted by SleepyC

So my Makergear M2 has been running non stop.. roto packs, milk crates, coolers, air tanks... and a rear window holder for my Red cat...

Does anyone have decent .stl files for a V8 that goes around a 540 motor?
The M2 is a very high end printer and the results I am getting is fantastic! I want to try to print a motor!

I have a nice file of a chevy 350, block ,headers, valve covers, intake carbs and so on. pm me if your interested.