The Black Cat 'hops up' the Rey, Baja style

[Hellllll]

Sweet build! I’m gathering parts for my rock rey build. My ocd wouldn’t allow me to not use the stock ESC mounting holes lol. So after some research I found a 3D printed mount for the Mamba X that would use the two mounting holes with no gap underneath, if you trim the 3D printed part a little. (search christian94 mamba x mount) I also put in an order for JEC Racing trailing arms. I was eyeing those Vitavon trailing arms too. How’d they feel? Any sloppiness on the ball ends?

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by Hellllll

Sweet build! I’m gathering parts for my rock rey build. My ocd wouldn’t allow me to not use the stock ESC mounting holes lol. So after some research I found a 3D printed mount for the Mamba X that would use the two mounting holes with no gap underneath, if you trim the 3D printed part a little. (search christian94 mamba x mount) I also put in an order for JEC Racing trailing arms. I was eyeing those Vitavon trailing arms too. How’d they feel? Any sloppiness on the ball ends?

First, regarding the Vitavon Racing parts, they are all spectacular...perfect fit, no slop, well-designed, "beefy", etc, etc, etc. That being said, while I do have the lower A-arms, I'm currently not using them, as I'm using the Metal Concepts lower A-arms (the Vitavon parts are held as 'backup', should I ever need them).

As for the ESC, and mounting it. I DID user the shock mounting holes. As chance has it, the Slash 4x4 & Baja/Rock Rey have IDENTICAL hole spacing for the ESC mounting holes. I used the RPM's Mamba X mount for the Slash 4x4 (RPM73762...although, they also make a blue one, RPM73765). Again, even though the ROM part is designed for the Slash 4x4, it PERFECTLY firs the Baja/Rock Rey's stock ESC mounting holes - NO modification needed.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Hellllll]

That's good to hear! Based on your recommendation, I ordered the Vitavon parts as well. While I was putting the Vitavon transmission case together I found that if I tighten down the screws the gears inside would bind up and not move. So I had to loosen the screws so there's about 0.5mm gap between the two halves of the case to allow the gears move smoothly. Did this happen to you? Think we have the identical internals, I used the Exotek diff case too.

[Panther6834]

First, an update. In programming the ESC, I discovered I had the motor reversed (motor was 'reverse' on ESC, and 'standard' on Tx). So...back to programming the ESC, I went. Changed the motor's direction to 'standard' in the ESC, and set it to 'reverse' on the Tx. Now she's running "proper". With the 3100kV ROC412 HD, and stock pinion, she's hitting 43.7mph...NOT that I was trying to make her 'fast...I was trying to show her down a bit in going from 2S, to 3S. After all, that's why I had gone with a lower kV motor.

However, the ESC programming isn't quite finished, yet. The brake is good, but the drama brake needs to be lowered slightly. Even though the brake is good, I'm thinking I need to adjust the breaking curve (increasing slope, currently 30% at '50'). As for the throttle curve (an 'S' curve, with first point of 20% at '40', and second point of 90% at '80'), that's pretty well set.

There's still some other upgrades waiting to be installed - tires, foams, wheels, etc - but I have replaced the Mint 400 body with the Fox Shocks body (the Mint 400 body is now safely stored in a Ziploc bag, until I return home from Las Vegas). In the meantime, my step-dad & I took out trucks (he has a 2WD Slash) out to a huge dry lakebed south-east of Vegas (south of the Hoover Dam), running through 2 pack each (one 2S & one 3S for me, two 2S for him), and put both trucks through some serious off-roading, Baja-style. Let's just say, the width of our faces couldn't contain our smiles.

Originally Posted by Hellllll

That's good to hear! Based on your recommendation, I ordered the Vitavon parts as well. While I was putting the Vitavon transmission case together I found that if I tighten down the screws the gears inside would bind up and not move. So I had to loosen the screws so there's about 0.5mm gap between the two halves of the case to allow the gears move smoothly. Did this happen to you? Think we have the identical internals, I used the Exotek diff case too.

With any of the Vitavon housings (transmission, axle, etc), they always recommend tightening, and then backing off a half turn. As long as you remember to use Loctite, you're good. Everyone who purchased the trans housing for the Capra (myself, included) experienced the same thing. Call it "overly-tight tolerances", if you will.

As the transmission isn't something to be regularly seen, if you're worried about any sort/dust getting in through that skinny crack, you can always run tape around the seam. Personally, I don't think it will be a problem, especially as the opening where the motor/pinion enters the transmission is considerably larger, especially along the bottom. But, again, if you're "worried", just tape up the seam. If be surprised if my 'gap' is any larger than 0.2mm.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Hellllll]

Ahh I see. So it's a tolerance thing with Vitavon. I'm not too worried about dust getting in, just feel uncomfortable with untight case. It may be OK since both pieces of the case are screwed on the chassis plate too, which would minimize the "play" from untight case. Didn't expect that motor to get it to 40+mph! I could barely control my brushless Slayer at 45mph, can't imagine BR doing that kind of speed. I was planning to get a HH puller pro 2700kv but it's sold out everywhere I looked. Now I'm leaning towards the ROC412 HD motor. I'll probably gear it down to 10T pinion. You can put in Rock Rey pinion and ring gear(12T/42T vs 14T/40T) in the diffs if you are looking to gear it down any further.

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by Hellllll

Ahh I see. So it's a tolerance thing with Vitavon. I'm not too worried about dust getting in, just feel uncomfortable with untight case. It may be OK since both pieces of the case are screwed on the chassis plate too, which would minimize the "play" from untight case. Didn't expect that motor to get it to 40+mph! I could barely control my brushless Slayer at 45mph, can't imagine BR doing that kind of speed. I was planning to get a HH puller pro 2700kv but it's sold out everywhere I looked. Now I'm leaning towards the ROC412 HD motor. I'll probably gear it down to 10T pinion. You can put in Rock Rey pinion and ring gear(12T/42T vs 14T/40T) in the diffs if you are looking to gear it down any further.

If I decide to "slow it down" (unlikely, as I can easily control max speed by my finger), there would be two ways I could go about doing it. As you already stated, I could gear down (as JRH says, "Gear down, and Volt up.")...I've already done the 'Volt up' part. As I like the acceleration, and it certainly doesn't need additional torque, I could limit (via ESC programming) the maximum rpm.

In Castle Link, on the 'Power' tab, one of the options is "Max Power". Presets are in 10% increments, but the user can, alternately, set their own choice in 1% increments. However, what needs to be remembered is, as you decrease the Max Power setting, the reverse speed is automatically adjusted accordingly. If you have a "Reverse Percentage" (also on the 'Power' tab) set anything lower than 100%, if you want to only decrease the forward speed, as you decrease said forward percentage, you also need to increase the reverse percentage...although, said increase/decrease is NOT on a 1:1 basis.

~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

I'mmmmmmm back. Ok, technically, I've been back from Vegas (again) for 2 weeks...but, instead of getting more work done on my Baja Rey, I've been busy working on the boats (yea, I got those, too...what can I say, I'm an RC addict). For those who might be curious, here's a photo of the most recent addition - a ProMarine Skater X2, for NAMBA P-open Class:
Anyway, back to the subject at hand. While I was in Vegas, the Chinese import piggyback shocks arrived. Honestly, I no longer remember the length, but I do remember I ordered the longest length they had. The piggyback is NOT just for looks...the reverse-pressure IS functional. Initially, my plan was to just put a little oil in...the lightest I had (20wt)...just to keep them lubricated. After all, I'm not using them as actual "shocks", but more as "stabilizers". Anyway, I decided to completely fill them.

While in Vegas, my step-dad and I took our trucks to a dry lakebed approx 45min south-east-south of Vegas. The truck ran fantastic...even better than I had expected...except for two very minor 'problems'. The first was that she was running much slower than expected (we're talking, just barely over 20mph), and she ran faster in reverse than she did when running forward. I'm sure everyone reading this knows exactly what caused this. To make a long story short, it's been corrected, and she now tops out at slightly more than 42mph.

As for the other 'problem', while the rear end was a little "loose"...which I expected, due to the stabilizing (ie. piggyback) shocks not being installed yet...I also noticed that the compression was a bit "soft". Most of this I corrected by increasing the preload. However, to "finish the correction", that's why I decided to completely fill the shocks. Without further adu, here they are, in all their not-so-glorious glory, complete with the piggyback canisters 'mounted' (two zip-ties each):

REAR AXLE & DIFF UPDATE: In the main Bala Rey thread, someone asked me (this morning) about how I had gotten the diff fluid to stay inside the diff while assembling the remainder of the axle, and also inquired as to whether the diff fluid has, since, remained inside the diff, or whether it was splattered all over the inside of the third member (not the exact wording the person used, but I reworded it to better explain what he was asking). I told him I'd check, and reply later with the results (which I just did a few minutes ago)

After installing the piggyback shocks, and getting the body reattached, I flipped the trick over, and proceeded to access the axle. As everyone can see, by the photos below, the did fluid has successfully (so far...keeping fingers crossed) remained entirely inside the diff.
It seems that my "trick" of 'plugging' both ends of the diff with waterproof grease has done the job I was hoping it would. It's not intended to be 100% "foolproof"...as long as the great majority of the diff fluid remains inside the diff...which, it appears, it had done...then I'm happy. When Maxima says their waterproof grease "sticks to metal", it looks like they really mean it.

The tires are prepped, and the foams are inside the tires, but I haven't finished the wheels. I've had the new lightbars since before I headed back to Vegas, but the lightbar mounts didn't arrive until after I departed. After seeing how the truck ran in the desert, I'm now debating on whether, it now, to install the gyro...it could possibly 'use' it, but I no longer see it as a "necessity". As for the body, I did (temporarily) replace the Mint 400 Limited Edition body with the King Shocks body, but the true final body is still being worked on. I'm not 100% certain...my brain has been primarily concentrating on boat stuff lately...but, I believe those are all the upgrades that remain to be done.

Anyway, I hope to have more updates soon. I'm the meantime, have fun, and stay safe.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Stormin2u]

It is a terrific build thread, no question. I've enjoyed the commentary, photographs and all those extra goodies. It will be fun to see the completed truck. I have to admit I wasn't very knowledgeable about the Losi Rays but your work has been informative and inspiring, nice work!

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by Stormin2u

It is a terrific build thread, no question. I've enjoyed the commentary, photographs and all those extra goodies. It will be fun to see the completed truck. I have to admit I wasn't very knowledgeable about the Losi Rays but your work has been informative and inspiring, nice work!

Thank you. Honestly, while I got back into surface RC less than 2yrs ago, one been having a blast...started with a Rustler 4x4, then for into off-road race vehicles. Got into crawlers only 8mo ago, and now I've added boats. There's so much to learn, but also so much to do.

The great thing about RC is that it doesn't matter what and you are...8 year-olds & 80 year-olds can not only have just as much fun, they can have fun together. I've learned so much over these past two years, but I've also gotten to enjoy passing along knowledge to others. We're all here to have fun...and, we're all here to help each other.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[meatmonkey]

Great thread. Keep it up. If you had to choose only a couple upgrades for the Baja Rey to increase durability, which would they be?

I've never seen a BR, but have played with a Rock Rey a little bit. I couldn't stand how sloppy everything in the bellcrank was. Are the steering setups the same between the two? Is this why you upgraded the bellcrank?

[Panther6834]

Originally Posted by meatmonkey

Great thread. Keep it up. If you had to choose only a couple upgrades for the Baja Rey to increase durability, which would they be?

I've never seen a BR, but have played with a Rock Rey a little bit. I couldn't stand how sloppy everything in the bellcrank was. Are the steering setups the same between the two? Is this why you upgraded the bellcrank?

Can't claim to know about the RR's steering assembly, but I believe both vehicles share that part. As for choosing "only a couple", a "couple" wouldn't cut it. With the exception of the lightbars, tires, & wheels (all three of which I still have to get to), and the custom-painted body (which the painter is working on), none of the other upgrades were 'cosmetic' - they were ALL functional, and about increasing durability (especially for running 3S, as opposed to 2S).


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[JDM74]

Originally Posted by meatmonkey

Great thread. Keep it up. If you had to choose only a couple upgrades for the Baja Rey to increase durability, which would they be?

I've never seen a BR, but have played with a Rock Rey a little bit. I couldn't stand how sloppy everything in the bellcrank was. Are the steering setups the same between the two? Is this why you upgraded the bellcrank?

I think the bell crank parts are the same between the two but the whole front suspension, knuckles, and A-arms are different between the two.

[Panther6834]

Alrighty... finally have an update. The custom-painted body is finally finished. The guy painting it just sent me this photo:Can't way to receive it, and get it installed, along with the new lightbars.

~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

Here's some more photos of the new painted body.Since I am in Vegas (for the third...or, is it fourth (I forget)...time (so far) this year), instead of having it shipped to me, I'll be picking it up (tomorrow, hopefully) in-person.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[B-MOW71]

That is a great looking body! Your paint guy did an awesome job!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[Panther6834]

The new BR Raptor body will match the new paint job on the hull of my ProBoat SonicWake.
This done by someone up in Oregon.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

Finally, a REAL update. I've been quite busy with my boats the past few months, which is why I haven't worked on the Baja Rey. However, now that I finally have the custom-painted body, I can finally get to work on finishing the upgrades. Before I continue, huge, Huge, HUGE thanks to Chris, of RC Bombshells, in Las Vegas. Check out their website at https://rcbombshells.com.

Here's the next upgrade...although, to be completely honest, this is really just a "teaser"...I will post info, and more photos, tomorrow.
At the same time, the remaining upgrades will take longer than they should. While I was running a couple of my boats this weekend, one of my boats decided to "run" me...as in, the propeller attempted to "run" through my thumb.
For those who consider RCs as just 'toys', and can't be truly dangerous (except for LiPos, which most understand can be dangerous)...PLEASE, take this as a warning - RCs are NOT just 'toys', and they, most definitely, CAN be dangerous. I'm lucky I still have a thumb (especially considering it is my right thumb, and I'm right-handed).


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

As promised, here's an additional photo, as well as the 'info'. The wheels are from Vitavon Racing. I know a few others have mentioned them in the main/"official" Baja/Rock Rey thread (which is how I found out Squeegie & Arthur had come out with them), and a few others (in that same thread) asked how they are.

Over the past 1-1.5 years, I've purchased several Vitavon Racing parts, and everything has been outstanding. For those who've been following my Baja Rey build thread, you already know several Vitavon Racing parts were used (rear axle, front upper A-arms, rear trailing arms, transmission housing...maybe others as well, I'm blanking right now). Anyway the quality appears to be typical for Vitavon Racing...in other words, outstanding.

In ordering the wheels, they were to have come with silver outer beadlock rings. I messaged Arthur, and asked if he'd anodize them blue, to match the farley blue on the Red Bull body. These are 'true' beadlock wheels - not only do they have outer beadlock rings, they also have inner rings. While the outer rings are held in place with the usual 24 bolts, the inner rings are held with only 12 bolts. Honestly, for a scale wheel, it shouldn't need any more - the outer rings use twice as many mostly for scale appearance.

In regards to the 6-bolt "hub", the six bolts are non-functional, and six are for scale appearances only - there is NO sperate hub (ie. these are not SLW). As for "hub thickness", I'd guess they're probably closest to the .185 hubs sold by LockedUp RC. Finally, as to the design, they probably come extremely close to matching the Method 703.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

I finished installing all 4 tires on the wheels, and decided to do a test-fit, to see how they look, and to determine if there are any clearance issues. Just curious what people's thoughts are, based only on the appearance.
Obviously, the custom-painted body hasn't been installed yet, as there are still a few things needing to be done inside the vehicle, something to be done to the cage, and a serious increase in diff fluid weights front & rear (currently 15K & 80K, I'm thinking of increasing to 80K & 1M...maybe even 2M).

As for the tires/wheels, these are the Pro-Line BFG Baja T/A KR2 tires mounted on the Vitavon Racing machined aluminum Method 703 (NOT "officially" licensed, but the best match I can compare them to) silver, with blue anodized outer beadlock rings. Outside-to-outside track width is 11.375". For those who care (I realize few people probably will), the inside-to-inside width is 7.5".

I REALLY like them...the wheels, as well as the tires. The tires are 3/8" wider than the stock tires, giving the truck a more "aggressive" stance, as well as more ground contact for greater traction. I know there were a few who balked at my tire choice when I originally mentioned what I was going with (in the main Baja/Rock Rey thread), saying they were to small in diameter. While they might be smaller, they're only slightly smaller, by 3/16". Personally, I think they also give the truck a more "scale" appearance (compare mine against an actual Red Bull Ford Raptor TT).
Nothing else, for now, as I need to get back to installing accessories on the motorcycle. Next month, instead of driving to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving week, I'll be riding. With a round-trip distance of over 1,100 miles, this will be my first "touring" ride on the new (ok, not-exactly-new, as I bought it a little over 2.5yrs ago) bike.


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place



~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place

[Panther6834]

Today's upgrades are fairly...ok, incredibly...minor - I swapped out the plastic steering knuckles (aka "front spindles") for the Losi Aluminum Front Spindle Set (LOS334001), plus I installed a new brake caliper, and attachment piece holding the caliper to the steering knuckle. Honestly, what led to the steering upgrade wasn't so much that I wanted, or even planned, to do this.

Truth-be-told, when last running in the Vegas desert, I noticed a problem with the rear-right wheel (it was wobbling)...plus, during one of my rolls and/or crashes, I lost the front-right brake caliper, as well as the tiny brackets attaching the caliper to the spindle. The wobbly wheel turned out to be caused by the hex pin holding the Exotek SS 'disc brake' hexes. As I believe I previously mentioned, the pin cracked in half near the hex driver end. I didn't realize it at the time, but the pin wasn't fully inserted into the hex, thus causing the wheel to not be properly seated flat against the hex.

In testing, to see whether the broken pin was the cause, whether the disc hex was slightly out of alignment, or whether something else was the cause, I decided to swap the front & rear right side hexes. That's when I discovered the missing brake caliper & attachment piece. Regarding the broken hex pin, I knew it had happened when initially installing the hexes...but, I had completely forgotten about that, as it had occurred months earlier. Anyway...time for the latest upgrade info.........

Starting with the caliper adapter plates, I ran into my first problem. Each is held in place with a single screw. When attaching them to the plastic pieces, M2 screws are used...however, with the aluminum spindles, the holes are for M2.5 screws. Well I didn't have any M2.5 black oxide screws, I do have quite a few M2.5 stainless steel screws...so, that's what I ended up using.Moving on to installing the calipers, themselves, I decided it best to stick with the SS screws, so as to (somewhat) match the 'coloring' of the spindles.Interestingly, the 'color' of the spindles is slightly darker than the 'coloring' of the upper & lower A-arms, even though all are aluminum. Knowing that the upper & lower A-arms are 7075, I'm suspecting that the Losi aluminum front spindles are 6061. Nevertheless, I'm happy.Thanks to a recently created (by someone what) thread about lexan body reinforcement, and some replies/info provided by Squeegie, I've decided to reinforce searching areas on the underside of the body panels, and add some HVAC aluminum tape to the "tire rubbing" areas.

On a side note...and, to clarify, I am NOT 'advertising' these "for sale" (at least, not yet)...since the only pieces I needed from the LOS232006 & LOS234005 packages were the calipers, hex pins, and caliper attachment plates, I am now left with four brand-new aluminum hexes, four brand-new plastic rotors, and a pair of brand-new left/right steering spindles. I will probably end up listing these for sale in the classified section...but, in the meantime, if anyone happens to be interested in them (ie. all 10 pieces), feel free to PM me, and we can discuss the possibility of "ownership transfer".

COMING SOON: New lighting...and a surprise, or three. To be continued..........


~ More peace, love, laughter, & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place