GPD's build thread

[God prefers Diesels]

One of my co-workers talked me into getting this thing. It was on sale at Hobby Hut in Grand Junction. Right off the bat I loved the 90* articulation. It was useless, but it sure looked cool!

First thing I did was dropped the batt onto the front y-link and ESC on the back y-link. Then I bought a HT645, lead weights and Flatirons. Then Integy bent links, and steering links. Then Losi threaded shocks. Then 7/8 washer beadlock mod. HUGE difference in climbing ability, but the added rotational weight really made TT a forefront issue. So bad, in fact, I prob couldn't climb 45* without it twisting itself right off the board! It was so frustrating, I shelved it for about a month.

But the bug hit me again, and I got a GC3. Axial bent rod ends for the binding issue. Mounted shocks outboard to clear upper links. Axial 8-holes with Rovers. This thing will climb 65.5* while lifting front right tire maybe 1/8th to 1/4 inch! The new 1000mah LiPo is also a very nice touch.

GC3 out of the box.


I still love these flatirons. The washer mod helped alot. I started modding the tread, but my scissors gave up the ghost after one tire. WAY more aggresive!


The washer mod is beefy looking. Couldn't put washers on the inside front even with 8mm wide hexes. But got them in and out on the rear.








After the new chassis, I had the LiPo mounted on the rear, and the stocker on the front. Like having dual tanks on a pickup! One runs out, switch to the other, and keep going! But the overweight stocker mounted to the top of the servo up so high actually hurt my vertical by a few degrees! So it had to go.






Everything in stock(ish) trim and God, look at those link angles!! Sheesh!


Velcro is my new best friend.


I had to straighten the crappy Integy tierod to cure some of the toe-in it created. You'd think they would make a part at least the same length link to link as the stocker, but alas, that is too much for them.


Filling up both tanks...


New rims and tires. Rovers and Axial 8-holes.






The "ole reliables" are a pretty gnarley set and only got better with age. Once I get a new pair of scissors, I'll get them butchered up and throw them back on for a tryout.




Awesome token articulation shot. That's maxed out, and much more practical.


Got shocks flipped and outboarded at this point. Three m3 washers and an m3 nut per side to space out the tops, and outboard mounted at the bottom.


New tires sure could use some dirt and wear...
Their awesome traction actually lets them go the same places the taller FI's went!! What a buy!

[God prefers Diesels]

I added the larger Axial body mount posts to the front. Put rebound springs inside my front shocks to keep them from extending fully when climbing steep. Tweaked my link angles to get better driveline angle.



I like the flipped shocks. No worries about leaks, and a bit lower COG.




Axial bent 3mm rod ends helped immensely with binding.














Naturally I broke a screw off in my tranny with the GC3 install...


Next on the list is bent delrin lower links, metal lockers all-around, and probably a slider motor as well as another 1000mah LiPo and a REAL charger.

[God prefers Diesels]

More pics after moving the electronics around some.











Outboarded with 3 washers and a nut. This also limits articulation due to the shocks being closer to the tires.


And the bottom. That's a 16mm screw, but it's too short. I'd recommend 20mm or longer.


The longer Axial mounts let me mount the body higher in the front to help with rubbing some.


Couple vanity shots.














It's not Snap-On, but it gets the job done!

[Gfresh]

Nice build/progress thread.

looking good.

[birddog59]

Nice build thread and pics!

[God prefers Diesels]

Thanks guys!

The rig has made some progress. I inboarded the top links, and put my rear shocks back in stock position at the bottom along with silver springs. That added some articulation back.

Then I went to work on the BTA!!! The first pics are carnage pics from the first run.

When one of my steering linkages broke, it bound up and tore the drag link out of the tierod end. Hopefully glue will hold this part together until I can get some metal in there...


Another angle.


That's the link that broke. It's actually a body post. I should've known better. It was no match for a 645mg.


The cracked part mounted to the bolt in the forefront on the servo horn. It, in turn, linked to another horn that had a solid mount in the center. I used simple leverage to get major steering throw with small movements from the servo. The center mounted arm is short on the top where the servo horn mounts, and long on the bottom where it attaches to the drag link. So small input equals large output. That way I could have nice straight tierods and put the servo horns in between the top links.


See the four fasteners? The bottom one mounts to the draglink. The middle one is the solid mount that the lower servo horn rotates on. The top right one is where the "body mount" ties to the top of the lower servo horn, and the top left is where the "body mount" ties to the actual servo horn.


Yet another stripped tierod end shot...


My new link!


And what it's made from...exhaust pipe!


I had to mount my shock to the lower link to make room for the drag link to move back and forth. Due to the increased leverage against the shock, I need to tear them down and put stiffer springs inside, or at least longer ones. They are also in the way of the tires. I get full throw, but the side lugs rub the shocks now. What I want to do is get some micro shocks and mount them even farther back with even stiffer springs. How long are they fully compressed? Anyone know?


New electronics location. I like it. It's compact, and keeps less wiring traveling with the suspension. This is a shot with blue springs.


And the other side. I glued my on/off switch to the ESC awhile back. It's pretty pimp...


I love the shocks with interior springs. Keeps it low and still allows articulation. Also good for side-hilling. And I think it's a clean look.


The plastic in the middle of the shot is a brace I made out of an old servo plate to brace the lower servo arm. Turns out that brace needs to be stout if you want predictable steering!!! This is brace V2.01. Brace V1.00 sucked royally...


A picture of the brace from the front. Yeah, it's not going anywhere. For screws total in it, and it's solid!


The stud is where the lower servo arm rotates. Washers and a lock nut allow me to adjust tension and "wobbliness". Got to find a happy medium so nothing binds, but nothing is sloppy.


This is what the lower servo arm, "body mount" link, and draglink look like if you were looking at it from the front of the truck.


Here it is reassembled with my new link. It's steering now and the link looks crooked. But it's very important to have both servo arms straight, and the link perpendicular. Or else it will steer farther one way than the other.


A better shot. Have to use lock nuts throughout, or screw a bolt into the plastic so they stay put. Otherwise the steering loosens up and it won't return to center unless you're moving.


Another shot. Hope you can picture how it works.


I need to shorten the bolt going into the upper servo horn so I can tighten it more, otherwise it hits my lower horn brace. So right now, my link is crooked front to back.


Hopefully glue does the trick for awhile.


My son's pro crawler. I'm going to start a build thread on it too.


Another pic.


And another...


Bye bye tierods!! And I only had to move the servo up about 3/16 of an inch. It took less than one degree off my verticle.


Nice and flush with the front. And I could even move it back about 3/8 inch if I wanted to.


The Rovers finally got some use. Holy crap those things hook up!!


So questions--
--How long are the micro shocks fully compressed?
--Where do you get knuckle weights, or do people just make them? (I haven't researched this one yet, I'll admit)
--Are the pro Rock Claws the same as the Losi RTR tires? They feel the same. And I've read they were world champion tires, but I've also read they are the first thing you should throw in the trash.
--I just got my CC BEC today, and today I also read that if you run a 2s LiPo, you don't need one, you can just wire the servo into the battery. So should I still wire the BEC to the servo, or somewhere else? If I don't use it on the servo, what the heck does it do for the rest of the truck? Just output a constant voltage? BTW, this one is set at 5.1V and I don't have the software to change it.

Hope you like my steering! I've got about 14 hours in it so far, and some tweaking left to do for sure. It is pretty wicked though, and I've not seen anything like it yet. Zero Ackerman and CV's are next. Right now my steering dial isn't even set to half way, and the knuckles hit the axle housing!!! Can't wait to see what it will do with zero ackerman knuckles and CVs!! I can turn the dial up some and really get that thing to turn on a dime.

[Slaughter]

Most people just use stick on weights in their wheels, but a new option is close to reality... Feeler thread

Do not wire the 645 straight to the battery unless you want to buy a new one. You need the BEC, especially with that weak ESC. The BEC outputs a constant 5.1V in your case and has 10A of current available. The more volts, the more torque, but the 645 can only handle 6V, so you are not missing much.

The Losi tires are decent, but Rovers will take you places the Losi's have never seen!

[God prefers Diesels]

Originally Posted by Slaughter

Most people just use stick on weights in their wheels, but a new option is close to reality... Feeler thread

Do not wire the 645 straight to the battery unless you want to buy a new one. You need the BEC, especially with that weak ESC. The BEC outputs a constant 5.1V in your case and has 10A of current available. The more volts, the more torque, but the 645 can only handle 6V, so you are not missing much.

The Losi tires are decent, but Rovers will take you places the Losi's have never seen!

Thanks for the tips. I like those weights.

I guess I can break down and buy another set of Rovers.

So wire the BEC to the servo? Got it. I was worried I'd wasted my money there for a sec. Thanks again! What did you think of my steering setup? It is unreal in person.

[Slaughter]

Steering looks great. It's always good to see custom work. Follow the BEC wiring diagram exactly. Don't try wiring without it.

Originally Posted by God prefers Diesels

Thanks for the tips. I like those weights.

I guess I can break down and buy another set of Rovers.

So wire the BEC to the servo? Got it. I was worried I'd wasted my money there for a sec. Thanks again! What did you think of my steering setup? It is unreal in person.

[God prefers Diesels]

Worked on the BTA some more. And a few other things...

This is my old linkage setup with the new metal link I made yesterday. The bottom servo arm had too much slop in it. So I decided to make a new, more precise one.


Here is the beginning of a beautiful thing.


The blank cut out and ready to be trimmed up and drilled.


Near finished product. All else I did was sanded some more for clearance with the main servo horn. I also dropped the top link hole down closer to center to take advantage of more leverage ratio.


I ground the edges off some rod end balls and used them under my servo plate/steering brace as shims so I could actually tighten it down.






These are blanks for servo posts. The first attempt was a failure, but I'll get it next time.


Drilled holes in my knuckles for near zero ackerman. The ends of the knuckles were hitting the lower link mounts and limiting my steering. So they had to go.


New bottom tierod with offset rod ends.


And cut off and mounted.


This is the side the drag link attaches to.


Link and arm fastened together.


Flip side.


Drag link mounted.




Links in action.


WAY tighter steering. Now my stock cups are holding me back...


Yes, it is beautiful.






The tierods are nice and parallel(ish).


That hole in my knuckle is the beginning of RockHard's knuckle weight mod.


With my own twist. They stick out farther to the front than the back.


Interior shot.


I used a full washer, because I couldn't stack three thick so I left a whole one together and attached it to the new mounts.






Moved my shocks back. Turns out I didn't need micro shocks. And the added leverage makes them more responsive to the rocks as well as adding some articulation.


That's as far as the stock cups will let it steer. Time for some CV's...


I've got to get my servo mounts made. That poor thing moves all over the servo plate now and messes up my steering. It was fine for a few minutes, but when the single bolts loosened up some it was all she wrote. At least I finally upgraded my tierod ends to 3mm.

Next up are bent rear links and installation of the CC BEC!!

Hope you like my rig.

[mhflies]

thats a nice setup! to get more steering grind the cups to where
there about only 2/3 of what there is now! lala!besides that, this thing is going to be beast!

[God prefers Diesels]

Originally Posted by mhflies

thats a nice setup! to get more steering grind the cups to where
there about only 2/3 of what there is now! lala!besides that, this thing is going to be beast!

Will the balls pop out if I do that? Are there cons to it? I have 38* steering throw right now. Thanks.

Got some new pics up. I've done some body mods, added a Racer's Edge aluminum servo horn, and a CCBEC. Next on the list is a Hitec7950 because the leverage from my overdriven steering is too much for my 645mg such that it doesn't like to return to center unless you start driving.

Here's a few shots of the body trimming I did. Then I put the hood on the servo with velcro. It looks pretty cool in person. When you're driving, it flattens out and the two surfaces even up for a clean finish.






Here's where I finally found a home for the BEC.


New servo horn. I had to trim the bottom of it.








Where I cut off the ends of the knuckles and drilled new holes, this thing has HUMONGOUS potential for steering throw. The servo hardly has to move to get 38*. The drawback is that much leverage against the servo is simply too much for the little guy. The BEC didn't help much, but at least the ESC doesn't warm up now.




A shot with just the hood on.


Servo is next. Then the Traxxis driveline mod.
What do you guys think?