2000 Silverado/BLADE SMC

[Ratboy99]

Just a little project I'm working on while i wait for my micro Rok loxs.
Almost a 6inch wheel base. Shocks and leafs on all 4 corners and almost zero axle rap.
Inch and 3/4 before it gets a wheel off the ground under its own weight. 2 inches if i force flex it.
Still needs paint/fender flares/some sanding

[Yotaboy89]

Looks good man post some pics of how you stretched the chassis and how your body is mounted please I've been wanting to do something similar

[Ratboy99]

Originally Posted by Yotaboy89

Looks good man post some pics of how you stretched the chassis and how your body is mounted please I've been wanting to do something similar

I cut the frame right behind the trany mount.
Used the 2 screws on the tranny mount and drilled 2 more in the back half of the frame.
Used some flat styrene on the outside of the frame then T'ed it in once I had both sides perfect.
Shaved the legs off the plate that the electronics sit on. and fliped it upside down and used it to keep the frame from twisting side to side and work as a skid plate.
Theres also a small box inside that goes up and over the drive shaft right behind the tranny to hold the batts.

I also used the spacers that come with the SMC kit for the servo In between the leafs and axle to push the leafs out in the rear so the shocks would fit without any rub.

[Ratboy99]

after 4 years or so of playing with that truck and moving with it to 2 different states it was in pretty bad shape. the leafs where bent and twisted and could hardly hold the truck up anymore let alone hold it up strait.
Since my actual truck I modeled this after is going under the knife about to get all the IFS cut out and a strait axle (Kingpin dana 60) stuffed under the front end. I thought it was a good time to bring my mini truck back to life.

I still had the orginal frame to the model in a box so i decided i would use that and try and build it similar to how my 1:1 truck is getting built.

At this point its pretty roughly built and my skills in the micro world are not the best but I'll do my best to clean it up once I have it dialed in.

I built it off the model kit frame that i had.
Its got a stock micro tranny mounted up in the engine bay at a slight angle running just one drive line down to a micro gear box that's cut up and mounted sideways. this gives me about another 2:1 reduction in gearing. Not that i need the gearing but from a side profile looks more like the transfer case from a real truck and keeps the electric motor tucked up under the hood and out of view.

The rear axle is hung from metal leaf springs made from a nitro pull start coil. My 1:1 is also leaf sprung in the rear.

The front axle is hung with a 3 link and panhard bar set up. similar to how i am setting up the bigger version.
the front still needs steering and some sort of springs.
I've got the steering figured out in my head but i don't really have much room for the coil springs. I'll figure something out though.

Anyways here's a few pictures of the chassis

[Ratboy99]

Got the steering done.

[RootBreaker]

i like how you did the trans under the hood.. I may need to do that with a project i have... someday ill start it!
but mine will only be rear wheel drive so that works great for me!

[nylint pimp]

awsome build but why a track bar on a 3 link isnt the benefit of a 3 link not needing a track or (panhard) bar? And i think i wanna make my steering like yours its an awesome set up.

[MikeChino]

How did you mount the servo? im trying to see it in the pics. looks like it facing down? good job

[Ratboy99]

Originally Posted by nylint pimp

awsome build but why a track bar on a 3 link isnt the benefit of a 3 link not needing a track or (panhard) bar? And i think i wanna make my steering like yours its an awesome set up.

My links are all nearly parallel with the frame. if i did a triangulated set up i could probably get away without having the track bar but i wanted it to be similar to how I'm building the real truck so its got the track bar set up.

[Ratboy99]

The steering servo is mounted facing down with the steering arm pointing forward.
there are long bolts running up though the bottom of the steering knuckles holding the tie rod in place.
they are just long enough that i was able to thread a mini-t rod end onto the top of one of them. i cut the ball cup off the end of the rod end and threaded the brass ball that would normally be in the steering arm into the top of the mini-t rod end.
this would be similar to a high steer set up on a full size truck.
this also brought the steering linkage in line with the track bar so that when the axle drops i don't have any Bump steer effect.

I still have not got any springs in there to hold the front end up and disregard the crappy bumper that I'm making.

Everything is still very rough at this point. once i have the shocks in i'll go pick up some baking soda and fill in the gaps in the bumpers and the frame has some holes.

Off topic i work in a car dealership and i learned from one of the old timers that super glue (can't be the gel kind) and backing soda makes a very strong bond and fills gaps well.
It drys almost instantly and can be sanded as well.

[Ratboy99]

managed to get some front shocks stuffed in there. now i just need to find my battery charger.

Here's how it sits now. pretty good ground clearance.


My inspiration.

[nylint pimp]

Sweet here is my truck nothing to crazy have 2s lipo 12t pinion and mounted trans motor facing foward and 100 percent droop set up, rc4wd boggers.

scale 55 chevy micro crawler - YouTube