Ford F350 HD All-Pro Expedition Pack Rack Build

[stelerzman]

Maybe look for a stock set of Wraith wheels and tires, there 2.2 and they should be pretty cheep. They are glued to the rim, but in the event you strip a wheel hex, you can 2 pt epoxy a hub into the wheel.

[cmbscx10]

Originally Posted by stelerzman

Maybe look for a stock set of Wraith wheels and tires, there 2.2 and they should be pretty cheep. They are glued to the rim, but in the event you strip a wheel hex, you can 2 pt epoxy a hub into the wheel.

I will probably do that to get her set up. From time to time some Wraith take off's come up for sale so ill keep a look out.

[cmbscx10]

Happy 4th Everyone. Enjoy the day.

Since this will be a long time frame to finish up should i start a build thread for the rest of it or just keep it here?

Question for the experienced builders. I am mocking up the mounting of the chassis to the body. How far should i set the frame rails? I would like BPC to make me boat sides and not sure if i have to take that into equation or not. See pictures. I have a 3mm space from the back shock hoop to the underside of the bed. I don't want to cut the bed for the hoops to come through. Is the way have it ok?

[cmbscx10]

[QUOTE=GraniteBandit;5255828]Nice work there. LOVE that trailer!/QUOTE]

Thanks. You don't see many in builds which is odd. Maybe because i expedition camp i had to have one. For the $$ they are very detailed. I did a few runs with it behind the SCX10 Rubicon i had and with the correct weight in the bed it acted just like the real thing.

In case you want to read up on it Lights Out R/C Off Road Trailer Kit

[Norton]

This might help...

[Norton]

Here's another of the height, keep in mind I'm running 2.2 Swamper XL's.
You can see how the chassis is lower than the top of the sliders.

[cmbscx10]

Norton,
Thanks for the pics. It helped out a lot. I can always lower the chassis but as of now the top of the chassis rail is just about inline with the bottom of the cab. Once i start mocking up items as i have them i can adjust according. Sorry for the crappy photos. Cell phone sucks.

Side Note:
Next time i have BPC make me a chassis i will keep in mind where the bumper will mount. I should have checked but another inch would be ideal for the bumper supports. Total support length will be 2.5 inches. I checked off that one in the i learned something column.

[Mike Flea]

Originally Posted by cmbscx10

Happy 4th Everyone. Enjoy the day.

Since this will be a long time frame to finish up should i start a build thread for the rest of it or just keep it here?

Question for the experienced builders. I am mocking up the mounting of the chassis to the body. How far should i set the frame rails? I would like BPC to make me boat sides and not sure if i have to take that into equation or not. See pictures. I have a 3mm space from the back shock hoop to the underside of the bed. I don't want to cut the bed for the hoops to come through. Is the way have it ok?

1) Keep the build here
2) Frame looks fine the way you have it, if you're happy with it, and it's not protruding through the bed, I say it's a go!

[Norton]

You can always extend that out to where it needs to be. A little steel or aluminum, drill and some fasteners. Even better, have somebody weld a ext on. Also if you notice I shaved a bit off of the top of my rear shock hoops to get the body where I wanted it.

[cmbscx10]

Originally Posted by Norton

You can always extend that out to where it needs to be. A little steel or aluminum, drill and some fasteners. Even better, have somebody weld a ext on. Also if you notice I shaved a bit off of the top of my rear shock hoops to get the body where I wanted it.

Great idea and during mock up i may shave my shock hoops as well.

While the bank of funds is accumulating for axles etc i am going to attempt a very simple rear bumper. Don't want to go too far out of my comfort range. So far this is what i have for a paper template. One of the goals is to hide the rear frame from the side and the other is to blend in the upwards cut of the back of the bed. I think the dimensions are pretty close scale wise.

In the 2nd picture the top part of the box will be the width. Ran out of box for the lower portion.

Opinions, Thoughts or directions appreciated?

[Mike Flea]

Looks good, what material are you going to use for the bumper?

[cmbscx10]

Originally Posted by Mike Flea

Looks good, what material are you going to use for the bumper?

Thank. I think it will work out for my first bumper. Definitely Sheet steel. Would 18ga be to thin?

[Mike Flea]

As long as you can't bend it between your fingers, it should be sturdy enough, like if you have to use a couple pairs of pliers, or a vise to bend, it should be good to go.

[stelerzman]

May I suggest you shorten up the rear bumper? I say this to keep it closer to the tailgate so when you have to climb/decend something with a steep angle the bumper won't drag and hang up. Don't get me wrong, it looks great, very scale.
Just a thought. Great build.

[cmbscx10]

Thanks for the tips and suggestions guys.

You are correct on moving it in a little from the Kardashian look.

With the change it got me thinking a little more about it. Trying to hide the frame from the sides and back makes for an awfully big bumper. I am going to flat spot the shock hoops to bring the frame closer to the body and probably flat cut the upwards cut in the body. If i do that i can use 3/4 square tube, notch it at the back of the bed and bring it forward to the wheel well. Basically making square U shape. How does that sound?

[Mike Flea]

Instead of flat cutting the rear fender, how about trying to wrap the bumper around the outside of the fender?

[stelerzman]

I agree with Mike, also, are you able to space out the frame rails to fit inside the fender wells? This will allow you to mount the chassis closer to the bottom of the body.

[cmbscx10]

Thanks for the comments guys.

I am a visual type of learner so bear with.

If i try to use a single piece of 3/4 square tube and do a 45deg bend at the corners, the tube would roughly be 1/2in on the outside of the body and look kinda goofy. I think i'll scrap the idea of using the 3/4 square tube to save some over engineering.

If i follow you correctly it would be like the pics. Extend the width a little, make the 45deg bend and bring the material outside of the body. If that is correct, i could use 3/4 channel with relative ease.

As suggested, I am going to shave the shock towers and bring the chassis a little closer to the body. If i shave them i will loose nearly 8mm and making "hiding" the chassis a little easier. I think if i paint the bumper supports and the back half of the chassis black, it would be hard to tell the chassis is there. It would be so much easier of course if the body wasn't cut but i will work around it.

[cmbscx10]

Had a few minutes tonight to be able to make some of the changes discussed. Shaved the Shock hoops flat and now the bottom of the chassis is 2mm from the lower corner of the wheel well cut and level with the bottom of the cab front to back. You can see from the old mounting holes on the tabs how much it moved up. Perfect. Not going to mess with it any longer. Now i can concentrate on the bumper over the next few days.

I had a SCX10, Yeti and a Wraith before i built my Yeti XL. It was hard at the beginning to gauge the size difference from my previous rigs. While taking measurements tonight i laid out my build next to my other rigs. Wow this thing is going to be huge. It longer than my YXL.

[Norton]

I think I may have told you this already. I have a extra set of BPC sliders you may be able to use. These are just a hair smaller than the ones on the Gladiator.