Originally Posted by ZoSo (Post 5497665) Great job guys looks awesome we need a Willy's GTG! we have a few more being built in SoCal

Originally Posted by Big Mike (Post 5498562) This is looking excellent. I've been away for a while, it's good to see some work still being done on some 1/6th Jeeps..."thumbsup"

Originally Posted by 2JSC (Post 5498568) Excellent cage design, gives me lots of ideas. Great work. Love the hip bars and the rear spreaders.

Originally Posted by HahnsB2 (Post 5499656) Very nice. Very much like how I'm planning mine. Highly debating gutting my Wraith drivetrain for the build as funds have become tight.

Originally Posted by Mike Flea (Post 5500123) That's neat, Can you show a pic of the hinge?

Originally Posted by Mike Flea (Post 5500140) Check's in the mail, :lmao:, thanks, simple enough "thumbsup"

Originally Posted by twissted (Post 5500364) Looking good. I like the tire hagging out on the Jeeps it works like a cushion when they hit something. Wrapping the tire just gives you more weight and something to hang up on. It is pretty though.

Originally Posted by twissted (Post 5520898) I broke the wimch line on mine the first time I tested it. I bought some 100 pound Kevlar line to use. You may want to look into that. ]

Originally Posted by Mike Flea (Post 5526973) ^ That's a good idea! "thumbsup"

Originally Posted by viper6171 (Post 5528386) nice work Shane .....one of these days I may have to get one of those big jeeps

July 3rd, 2016 was the last post to this thread. :shock:

I knew it had been some time, but nearly three years. :shock:


When Shane, Jesse, Gavin and I met to discuss this project many years ago, these large Willys were not that popular. Seemingly, once the project got started, many other companies were doing the same thing. I didn't care for it, especially when I knew the effort going into this Willys was going to be of a higher degree than others. I was not about to display a new vehicle that multiple people had put work into, for it to be glossed over by content saturation by others. That is reason #1 this project has taken so long.


With that out of the way, lets pick up the story. Once Shane had finished the chassis work, I brought the Willys to Jesse of JWalker Design. I do not recall how long it stayed with Jesse, but it was a while since there was not a projected finish date. I do not recall the timing of when I got it back from Jesse. The body work, custom paint and detailing Jesse did look great. So great, that I displayed the Willys on a rack in my office for so long now that it has accumulated these on it:


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The time and desire came this weekend to dust off the cobwebs, and get to work. More to come...

Originally Posted by Mike Flea (Post 5917363) Go figure. Guess it's about time to continue the build

Originally Posted by MrSquiggles (Post 5917400) Love the color, and all the top shelf work done on this rig. If this style/ type of crawler has gone out of fashion... I'll be happy to take it off your hands and put it to good use somewhere besides a shelf. [emoji106] Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Passion. For whatever reason, this build has tested my passion for this hobby. I know that I have it, and this project has brought out aspects of my character that I'd not considered before. As I age growing older, my time seemingly becomes more limited and selective. When building custom rc's they seem like a vacuum for time, creative thought, construction and deconstruction. This rig has proved no different.

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I guess to start with, I had assembled an aluminum transmission for this build using a collection of mismatched manufactures parts. The trans case was an anodized green that was hideous and my son protested it's use. So I rebuilt that trans into a different case. I installed that trans with a Tekin Pro4 motor, and did not like the abrupt torque startup and low speed resolution.
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Out came the transmission and motor for a second motor to try. This time I thought I would try a lower KV, still four pole, 3mm motor shaft so I could gear down further. A Teking ROC412 2300KV;
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One thing to note, removing the transmission and motor is a bit difficult and time consuming with this custom crawler. Thankfully Szczerba built a rear trans brace that mounts to the body. This greatly strengthens the trans mount keeping it secure, but it adds to the difficulty to remove the trans. Also the front axle blocks the trans bolts. So this entire motor swapping, tuning, and initial test run on it's way to consuming its first battery pack took several hours :ror:.


The ROC 412 still had the abrupt torque start and not enough low speed resolution for this build. This had me stumped. I fully expected to enjoy the ROC 412. Since this is a custom build, I am limited on my under hood clearance in regards to motor can length. A Tekin Pro4 HD will not fit under the hood due to the longer can. This custom crawler is extremely heavy to, so a motor with torque is required. Time to try something different.

I decided to try a Trinity 17.5 two pole motor for this build. We have been using a lot of Tekin 13.5 motors on 4S lipo in our scalers for years and always enjoy them.
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The transmission is Vanquish Products aluminum case in black. It is filled with Vanquish Products steel gear set, Robinson Racing Products 60T hardened steel spur gear assembly, Billet Works Design aluminum motor plate, MIP steel drive shafts, Geared 60T spur / 9t pinion, 32pitch.

Electronics; Castle Creation One Cell Mamba Max Pro ESC; Castle BEC, Trinity 17.5 motor, running on 6S 3300Mah 60C lipo battery.

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So to recap, so far this Willys hasn't completed it's first 4S battery pack, and it's already on it's 3rd motor and now second transmission because the first transmission I assembled somehow ended up with an aluminum idler gear between a steel top and bottom gear. :ror: It didn't last long and I had to remove the trans again and install the new VP complete VP gear set.

Once the trans was set up correctly, the proper motor and gearing was found, next came this :x:
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From the first pull of the throttle trigger, this build needed some weight down low and it was going to need strength. I have not found anything that holds up to our custom builds in the stock style. It doesn't matter the brand or quality of that brand. Steel breaks under heavy loads and high performance. I specialize in creating traction. So obviously my builds are going to test for the peak performance. It is my nature to work for the best.

With that said, this build has a heavy cage and giant spare tire out back. To counter act that, Dlux Fab knuckles were installed. I started with full brass but it was not heavy enough. I ended up using drilled brass knuckles filled with tungsten slugs and weight rings added:shock:.
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I also purchased the Dlux Fab FBA wraith/bomber 4340 Steel axle shafts after I had broken the set I made from Kyosho.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7878/...8148fb9c_z.jpg


Front axle re-assembled and ready for install;
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A quick tip about ring and pinions; there should not be any in or out movement of the pinion in the axle case. To prevent movement, add steel shims to the pinion between the bearing and drive shaft yoke.
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Originally Posted by dav57 (Post 5924306) New to Forum and finally have a 2001 Hasbro Jeep on the way to build. Your axles look great! Are the Wraith axles still preferred for these Willys builds over all the axles available these days? Thanks.

As a Thank You to you, the valued customer, whose product support makes it possible for Crawler Innovations to be a manufacturer in the RC hobby. Use the discount code "iamworthy" on your next Crawler Innovations order for 11% off.


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Originally Posted by Nova's Ark (Post 5924321) I can't speak for others, but these Vanquish Products Currie Rock Jock Axles are working great. Plenty of strength, especially when combined with Dlux Fab steering knuckles and axle shafts. The AR60 width has worked well on the rocks and I am please with the scale look of them. This Willys was built for performance first. Function over form.

Originally Posted by dav57 (Post 5924334) Thank you for response. Have you or anyone tried the alloy SCX10 sets from Ebay or are they not strong enough? https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Complete...oAAOSweptcjztx

Originally Posted by CM9000 (Post 5924359) Punisher 17.5... a beast of a motor I must say. I'm glad you have taken a liking to the trinity motors. They have been my go to for the past 4 years. How is that 17.5 holding up on 4s?

Gavin created this video for Crawler Innovations and it features the newly completed Willys. This custom built rc crawler is the combined creation of many talented builders. Szczerba Built, JWalker Designs, Ayala Metal Works, Vanquish Products, and Crawler Innovation all contributed to this build. The detailed build up and its story are on the RCCrawler Forum:
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/large...lys-build.html

Gavin drove the Willys, captured the video, and edited this video for Crawler Innovations. In this video, the Willys is using a 6S 60C 3300Mah Lipo battery, combined with a Castle Creations One Cell Mamba Max Pro ESC, Castle Creation BEC, Trinity 17.5 Punisher 2 pole motor, and a Hitec steering servo.

The tires are discontinued RC4WD 2.2 Mickey Thompson Baja Claw Radial version. The tires are super soft, very thin with short lugs and no internal ribbing. The foams are all Deuces Wild Heavy Weight, P/N; CWR-1325 in front, CWR-1326 in rear, with CWR-3315 in each wheel foam added width. The 2.2 bead locks are discontinued Vanquish Products KMC wheels in negro.

Thank you for watching. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe, like, or comment for more.

#crawlerinnovations #ayalametalworks #heavyweightfoams


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Originally Posted by BigSki (Post 5924927) Nice to see this Jerp come back to life. "thumbsup"

Willy on the rocks;
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