Custom Crawler Buildup: Where to Start?

[reaps]

I want a project and I think a custom crawler would be something fun! But where to start????

1. Frame, I can draw something up with CAD and get it made, thinking stainless steel, or ALum. It will be an AX10 style frame. Question is, does anybody already have this part drawn up in a CAD program, or have proper dimensions for mounting points? If so, where can I see/get it?

2. Making suspension links is easy enough, no problem there.

3. Axles. I guess I must purchase these 2nd hand, what is out there?

4. Tranny. I guess I must purchase these 2nd hand, what is out there?

Any tips or direction for where I can look? Help would be greatly appreciated!

[Mnster]

On a scale rig I usually start with the body and tires. Then build or order everything under it to fit by mocking it up physically as it insures everything fits and works properly.

If it's a comp rig I find that I focus on proper chassis dynamics and running gear more then anything else.

[allgm1]

Originally Posted by Mnster

On a scale rig I usually start with the body and tires. Then build or order everything under it to fit by mocking it up physically as it insures everything fits and works properly.

If it's a comp rig I find that I focus on proper chassis dynamics and running gear more then anything else.

X2 most people running a stock chassis will modify some of the link mounting locations so duplicating it doesn't make sense, the whole idea of a custom chassis is to over come the short falls of a stock one. Like mnster said you really need to gather some parts to get started with, I bought an ax-10 kit, put it together and ran it for a while then figured out what I didn't like about it and made a chassis to correct it. The first thing was the shocks, I wanted to run maxx shocks (cuz I have tons of them) but if you put them on a stock ax chassis you'll be dragging the belly, so I built a chassis that I could run them on and maintain good belly clearence. Heres a pic of my current rig (my local crawling buds call it the school bus), the motor/trans are slid forward 1", droop front susp. and sprung rear.


and my scaler chassis, built to fit a specific body (proline 80's chevy w/ 10 3/4" wheelbase)


and the completed scalish chassis (I don't like to call it a scaler after looking thru the 1.9/2.2 scale builds)

[caymin last]

Building a rig from scratch, or even selecting various parts that can be used to build a vehicle to 'order', requires lots of research and often turns out to be a kind of hit and miss deal, and not at all inexpensive.
First, decide 'exactly' what you are after, comp rig, true to scale or just a general backyard crawler. Second hand axles although cheaper, would probably need a rebuild. There are so many options out there, and some parts will need modification while others are cross compatible wth other manufacturers.
I suppose a good place to start would be to get a WB jig and some axles, then you can decide on the frame trans ect. or choose the body you prefer first and then gather the suitable parts to go from that direction.
My personal choice would be to get an RTR and use that as a foundation, it will have everything you need and you can part out what you don't need and trade or swap these for the desired equipment.

[Reflektr]

Why not build a Super? You can start off with clodbuster axles then go from there... I'm building a tube-frame and have about 10 bucks wrapped up in materials for my chassis. Then again, I already had a clod from wayback... The clod axles are easy enough to come by, and almost any upgrade parts for them are readily available. With clod axles you have a front and rear motor and there's no need for a tranny or driveshafts. They're pretty much a blank canvas for whatever you can design/build. The scale chassis are without a doubt some of the most awesome r/c vehicles I've ever seen, but they can get expensive. If you want something that can crawl mind-boggling terrain on a relatively simple platform, super's the way to go. If you want a realistic looking rig, then scale/1.9/2.2 may be the way to go? I have an all-original Tamiya Mountaineer I got off ebay a while back, and that was fun to mess around with. Great platform for a scale build. As of now, it's hanging out in my closet....Probably wondering when someone will want to run it again.......lol.

[stirlingnut]

I've built my first crawler,the "junkyard dog".junkyard dog
First I read,and searched this site pretty well and found all the info I needed to build a neat but cheap crawler. I already had radio gear,motor and esc so that helped a bunch. Still, I only have about $100.00 in the chassis/driveline,and it was a TON of fun to build.Surely not comp worthy,but better that I expected.
'nut

[Michaele]

Originally Posted by reaps

1. Frame, I can draw something up with CAD and get it made, thinking stainless steel, or ALum. It will be an AX10 style frame. Question is, does anybody already have this part drawn up in a CAD program, or have proper dimensions for mounting points? If so, where can I see/get it?

Hi!

I may not be of much help here, but were at a quite similar point some time ago. I started with an Axial RTR, which I would not suggest now. Too many crappy parts in there, but in the end it was a complete basis to start with.

With being a CAD buff, I took some time to design some parts as well, to figure some things out without having to try every single step on the model itself.

Here is an example of what I do have:



If you were interested in the files let me know, and tell me what file format you were interested in. Maybe we can trade files later on

Michael