Jeremy's 2011 Rebuild - MiniJuice

[JeremyH]

I have been working on this truck lately and I have it about 99% complete. I am still not happy with the tie rod and it contacts a rod end before full lock. However, I will likely run it as is for the meantime and see what I can come up with for a tie rod. I am now running the narrow Wheel Works wheels and Losi clamping hexes up front which put me just under the 8" max track width. You can see that the weights tuck in nicely to the WW wheels (I did grind down the inner ring slightly to be certain that there was no contact with the weights). Here are some pics:



The steering setup (finally, a servo with some torque):


Front shot:


Weights tucked in nicely:

[RickM]

I really like the mounting rings. I did not get those myself but I do like them a lot. Nice work on this thing.

[4xFord]

Sweet! That front end looks beefy. Amazing how much work these little cars are huh.

[JeremyH]

Thanks guys!

Shelby, yeah, I spend more time working on this little truck than I do my 2.2 or super....

[RickM]

Funny how that works. I spend way more time working on my MRC than my Berg. Granted my berg also comes home from comps in one piece and my mrc usually does not.

[TC09mini]

Very impressive front end. Probably the cleanest I've seen.

[Erik D_lux]

Originally Posted by TC09mini

Very impressive front end. Probably the cleanest I've seen.

Agreed.

I gave up on the BTA because its such a compromise. This is looking clean AND functional. Good work mang!

[JeremyH]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, the BTA is a PITA! However, I think I've got everything worked out and it now has plenty of steering. It'll hit the rocks tomorrow morning!

[JeremyH]

I put a few packs through this truck this morning and I must say that I am impressed! Here are two climbs that this truck used to struggle on and now walks right up:

[Erik D_lux]

Were you able to take all the weight out of the wheels? To add to the question, are you running the same amount of weight?

When I first put my 1.9 together before I figured out how to run knuckle weights I thought it was crazy what the wheel/tire/foam acted like with as much weight as I wanted inside the tire. I couldnt even get the weight I wanted without having zero foam. This might really change it up and be able to tune your foams much differently.

[JeremyH]

There is no weight in the wheels pictured above.

The wheels I was running in the front before did have an internal weight system that did not interfere with the ID of the foam. I cannot remember how much was in there with that system, but I can pull them out and measure them this evening. I can get a total weight of the old wheels and a total weight of the new wheels including the knuckle weights. I am pretty sure that they are very similar in total weight.

BTW, In the tires pictured above, I am running full width Crawler Innovations foams (softs in the front and mediums in the rear).

Also, I am EXTREMELY happy with the new steering setup. The torque from the full size servo is amazing...and I dont even have a BEC hooked up! I still need to tune the drag link to get more throw, but that will only be some more icing on the cake!

[4xFord]

Those steel pins in the OMF wheels add 2 oz.

[JeremyH]

Originally Posted by 4xFord

Those steel pins in the OMF wheels add 2 oz.

Yeah....and I am sure that the actual wheels weigh quite a bit more than my delrin Wheel Works wheels. I'd bet that the weight setup is quite similar....

[4xFord]

I bet your right. I need some wheels like that now.

[RickM]

Well Jeremy. After building about 17 different drag links, I have finally come to the conclusion that this drag link setup behind the servo is just not going to work. I also realized after being stumped a bunch that by adding aluminum knuckles I just gave my idea of attaching the drag link to the knuckle weight a new chance. I am getting closer but this is one cool setup. I am a little stumped at how you pulled this off on your end but you did. Good stuff.

[JeremyH]

I just gave it to my two year old and he figured it out in a matter of minutes.

[JeremyH]

Ok...here are the weights for my front setup.

New:
Wheel Works Beadlocks (as pictured above) = 2.5 oz
Dlux Weights = 3.3 oz
Total = 5.8 oz

Old:
OMF Beadlocks (with all pins inserted) = 4.7 oz

So, there is a difference of about 1oz with the new setup.

However, I should note that there is also a difference with my previous rear wheels and the ones that I am now running. Here is my rear wheel setup:

New:
Wheel Works Beadlocks = 2.5 oz

Old:
Axial Beadlocks = 2.1 oz

If you consider only the wheels, their weights and the knuckle weights, the bias is 70% toward the front for both!

[JeremyH]

As I was looking for some rod ends for another vehicle, I came across these 1/16th Revo ends and thought I'd pick some up.


They seem to fit the MRC well and are hopefully a bit stronger:


The only downfall is the plastic ball. Time will tell if it hold up. The stock aluminum ball will work, but has a good amount of play.

[4xFord]

Nice find on the mini revo ball ends.

[RickM]

Alright Jeremy. Nats is over so any chance you are willing to flush out just exactly how you got this steering setup to work? Your pics just touch on it but lets let the cat out of the bag.