Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

I've been slowly gathering parts for this for a little while now. I want to build a fat tired, high powered Pro street dragster :twisted:. I picked up a Traxxas Funny car to use as a basis for the project. I have already ordered a handful of scale items as well as nearly everything else I'll have to use to make this vision a reality. The requirements...it has to be fast, look mean as hell and be somewhat realistic. As you may have guessed it's going to require ALOT of fab work to make this a reality. I'm shooting for a full on scale engine, full interior with a tubbed out rear cargo area, driver, wheelie bars and a ESS one sound module. I have a large sheet of delrin enroute for the chassis pan. The body is on it's way too. Other than that it's just a matter of making it all happen....easy huh :roll:. But enough talk, here are some pics.

The original plan was to use a Clod body for this, but it's about a inch to narrow at best.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pssb13okjm.jpg

It's just not going to happen.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psdo3bjxmp.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psp1mfuhkx.jpg

I pulled the rear end apart to see if I could narrow it. Short of having someone do some machine work and then rework the housing, it's not going to happen here either.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psz0aftbca.jpg

Any attempt to stretch the body or make things work just looks stupid..
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psoqqhsn7m.jpg

The profile looks cool though. But at this point I decided to buy a Ascender body.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psbpauwnwo.jpg

I've got a engine and trans from a Iroc 1/8th scale model to use.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psdqwksarx.jpg

I also ordered a set of custom made headers from Barts Parts.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psxl9aimjm.jpg

I whited the block out in preparation for the bright red engine paint.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psfi8wzbgl.jpg

A little paint work later I ahd this. I have to make some valve covers and a few other things to get the look I want.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps6ngspqaj.jpg

I picked up a Tamiya driver for it. I'm not sure how the scale will work, but I'll deal with that down the road.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psfwhbyntw.jpg

A few other scale items I'll try to use.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psh8ob66ir.jpg

I had to have these Weld racing wheels for the front. I'll paint the rears so they match up.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pscvcawfyb.jpg

Big boy 1/8th scale power on 4S should turn the tires.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pswzwubk8o.jpg

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

What an awesome project! Did you have any trouble contacting Bart's Parts about those headers? I wasn't sure he was still selling them?

Steve

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

This sounds very interesting. Subbed. "thumbsup"

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Oooooooooo I've been waiting to see if someone would build a prostreet with the funny car bits and peices "thumbsup".Can't wait to see this done

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thanks. Yeah, Bart was hard to get ahold of. Took me over a week and leaving 3 messages but he finally called me back. And yes, he is still selling them "thumbsup".

Thanks, it should be a fun project.

lol, thanks.

"thumbsup"

I've been wanting to build on since I saw the funny car a couple years back. Basically I just wanted the wheels and tires under a Clod, lol. But since that won't work I'm going for the Ascender.

The biggest questions at hand are...

* forward tilting hood/clip like the Clod
*regular opening hood
*wild paint scheme with brite colors
*more subtle stockish paint scheme
*take the top off and really go custom
*leave the topper and keep it looking like a normal K5 on steroids.

I was thinking a metallic dark grey and black two tone. But then again I also considered a metallic black, red and white paint scheme with some graphics.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Hey Hoosier there is a guy on ebay selling Clod body dually fenders and stepside kits. I saw them and thought about this build. I don't know if his work is as good as yours but it may be worth a look. I'll pm you the link.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Looks to be an interesting build, I'll be following this "thumbsup"

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Yeah, he's a vendor on here too. Thanks for the link. "thumbsup"

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thanks, it should be fun.

I did some detail work on the engine last night. I also made some valve covers out of styrene. Turned out pretty good I think.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psuxzpekse.jpg

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

It's crazy,just as you start this thread,I was cruising around town last night and theres a guy cruising in an orange pro street k5 blazer:lmao:. Harley orange with a thin black stripe on the sides and black wheels.didnt sound like much for a motor.

Is there a chance you can make the topper removable?and maybe make some caging for when you don't want the top on.
And maybe do more of a stock ish/no crazy graphics paint job.the lines of those trucks are so straight and timeless,it might complicate the overall look of a very clean/straight line truck.
And definitely do a tilt hood I think.


Whatever route you go it's gonna come out sick!!!!!!!"thumbsup"

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

So I have some progress to report. I've been working away on this as time allows. I installed my headers after a little modification to the mounting plate, made an electric water pump, pulleys and used a rubber band for the blower belt.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pssihv2b0t.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psrz1wtewt.jpg

The Ascender body showed up finally. I decided on a subtle black and Gun metal paint scheme with a red pinstripe.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pslbhledov.jpg

After removing the liquid mask I shot some Spaztix chrome on the trim and detailed it out with a fine point Sharpie. Since these pics were uploaded I've finished the grill and got it mounted up. I'll get some more pics uploaded this weekend after work.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pslso3qtur.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psyvurcmyu.jpg

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Subscribed

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

whatever you do, dont drive it once done lol. Stock on 3s they are sketchy

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

"thumbsup"

What about modified on 4S???:twisted: It'll have a pan chassis. That alone will add a ton of stability to the rig. I have a sheet of delrin that's 12" wide and 20" long to custom make it from.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

KILLER paint job!!!!!!! It's really turning out sick"thumbsup"

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Are the front wheels too small?

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thank you sir.

Seems like it huh? They're a 2.0" wheel, so it scales out to be around a 18" wheel with the overall size of this body.

I got some door panels printed up by a friend of mine on Facebook. He's making them for these and the Clodbuster too. Right now he's scaling up his Clodbuster dash to make some for the Ascender too.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pstmduraaj.jpg

They'll get trimmed and worked over once I get to the interior.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pstdcqrlr2.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psvhm6ddf0.jpg

I chopped up the funny car chassis and got the parts I need for the new chassis pan. I covered the delrin in masking tape to help protect it while I was cutting. Should go a little something like this.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pscpyu30au.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psndly61h8.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps6nspi4xe.jpg

My SSD front bumper showed up. The rear is on order. I'll affix the rear to the chassis. The front will get attached to the front clip with some hinges on each end to allow it to tilt forward.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psegldxvp0.jpg

I flipped the front spindles to gain some ride height and also added some 1/4" spacers to get a little more lift out of the front end. I also bent the chassis ends upwards to help fit the contour of the bottom of this Ascender body. I have some more delrin coming to make side panels and braces out of.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps0imsnokq.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psdjzhs7nd.jpg

The overall feel....:twisted: I'm still waiting on some more LEDs to come in so I can light everything up on the body. Once I get the mounts lined out for the body itself I'll get started on making the front clip move. I'm still trying to decide if I want to do a servo on it or just move it by hand. Right now I'm thinking servo.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psseail6hw.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pswuh0pkqc.jpg

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

I got a lot of work done last night thanks to my assistant Jack Daniels. I got the front end mounted. It sat really high so I pulled the 1/4" spacers out. I made some engine mounts out of some 2 part poly resin I have and glued/screwed that badboy in place. I plan on mounting the servo under the trans.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psbcq3mkjb.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psodha1zve.jpg

At this height the blower and scoop should just poke out from underneath the hood. I have to say that I'm not real happy with how the headers turned out. I may try to make a different collector to put the exhaust out of the front wheel wells.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pswn7khxjy.jpg

I've got a lot of brackets and delrin coming to do my body and bumper mounts as well as a bunch of wire to make some plug wires and finish up the rest of the wiring for the faux engine.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psbbua5izj.jpg

She's looking mean as hell so far.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psrvlono7s.jpg

A big boy sensored 1/8th motor on 4S should get the tires turning.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps12bpmiuq.jpg

It definitely added some weight to the back. Wheelies shouldn't be a issue for sure.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psaakvl1yr.jpg

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

MAN THAT THING IS SICK!!!!!! Iv been wanting to do the same thing with a solid rear axle and full tube chassis. AWSOME build

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

The truck is really turning out nice. I was planning on doing something similar soon, was thinking of using pan car parts though. I'm guessing u chose the traxxas drag car for ease since the rear end was already ready? I'm mostly curious as to what kv motor you are using and where did u find those tires when I search I keep turning up results of only foam tires

Awesome truck though can't wait to see the running video.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Looking real good, Hoosier!, you need to put a Line-Lock on them front wheels to get a good burnout!! "thumbsup"

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

this is awesome. sad to see the hardbody go, but the rig is worth it. cant wait for more.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thanks "thumbsup"

These wheels and tires are from the Traxxas funny car. I'll be selling them off except for the rear wheels/tires due to finding something a little bigger for the front. Shoot me a PM if you're interested in either of the front sets I have. As for the motor, I went with a fairly low KV since I change rigs as often as I do and I wanted to run 4S. I think it was mid 2000kv maybe? I'll take a look next time I do a update. As for the platform, I chose it because it was very close to what I wanted to build from the start. I like the simplicity of the rear axle setup and I could chop off the back half and use it as is.

That thought has crossed my mind. I thought about a servo driven line lock, but I want to make the hood open via servo so that knocked that option out. I might come up with something else though.

Thanks, me too. But with the scale of the motor and wheels I think that the Ascender body is a better fit. I ordered some Kyosho Scorpion front wheels/tires to step up the size by roughly 1/2". Plus they say Goodyear on them like the back so I think it'll be a better fit for the build. Now I have two sets of front wheels to sell off :roll:.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Man this is wicked!

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thanks "thumbsup".

I got a little progress done on the Blazer. Pretty much all I did was decide to cut the hood out and start planning the tilting front clip.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psp5ndq6r6.jpg

I bought some Kyosho Scorpion wheels and tires for the front. Right away I used a yellow Sharpie to make them match the rear.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps5i1gqcdy.jpg

I'm thinking it should look sort of like this...
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psd5e2tqqq.jpg

All of my LEDs showed up along with my ESC. Now I'm just waiting on my brackets to finish the body mounts for the sides so I can finish the bumpers and the bracket for the front clip.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psd5e2tqqq.jpg

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Way to go Hoosier!"thumbsup" Vroooom!

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

I dig the hood excited to see what you do next.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thank you sir :twisted:

Me too. I think it's going to be a very fun project.

So my plastic L brackets showed up finally. I scuffed them up and primed them in flat black. I left one side unpainted as I could. I'll sand it down to the plastic so I can attach my Velcro for the body sides.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pslo6q8i9v.jpg

I ordered some U brackets to make hinges from for the front but they won't work so it was back to the drawing board. While swapping out my rear lower links on my JK it hit me. I could use rod ends :shock:. The long grub screw threads right into the back of my SSD bumper and will give me a hell of a mounting point for it and the front clip. I'm going to use a total of 8 rod ends to make 4 hinge points for the front clip. I figure that will make things strong enough to handle what little damage the front may end up taking. Plus it should make for a very stable tilting action. I don't want the front clip to be all flimsy and shaky when using the servo to open and close it.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psfynfxrin.jpg

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

MAN......... MY JAW JUST HIT THE FLOOR!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is AWESOME!!!! I love the tilted front clip. Cant wait to see it finished. If this has already been asked, excuse me, but are you planning on an interior for it?

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

WOW!!!! Great build . Awesome paint work on the body as always

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Holy Crap....Sweeet build!"thumbsup"

paleblue46 Thanks for the heads up on this!!!"thumbsup"

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thanks "thumbsup". It'll get a full interior. It probably wont be a full depth interior as far as a floor board goes but who knows. I've got some video of the hood in action. I'll get it posted as soon as it uploads.

Thanks. It's been a fun project.

Thank you sir "thumbsup"

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Pics and video of the progress.

I used the 8 rod ends and some styrene to mount the front clip.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps7un3s0hn.jpg

It fits like this.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pspvjumhh9.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psg7xoyvdl.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps1ro9ngrt.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psufww0rgn.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pspkvqunjb.jpg

I made mounts using delrin and styrene for the radiator. THe lower mounts are delrin and are extended enough to use as the levers for the front clip too.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psncqs9u6y.jpg

I picked up some 4-40 all thread and rod ends at my LHS too. It runs in between the upper and lower a-arm.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psm9thqkfx.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psxqyzwvf6.jpg

I'll make a firewall and some support for the fenders to help everything line up on the hood. I'll probably use some small lightweight magnets to help keep the body lines together when it's closed too. They'll have to be strong enough to pull the panels together yet weak enough that the servo can pull them apart without a lot of resistance. I'm also trying to think of a way to dampen the movement to slow down the action to roughly half this speed. Anyway, enough talk...here's the video.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/83bVPubYjrU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Nice work and I really like the subtle paint. Reminds me of the 81 Corvette Pace Car.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

the 80s called...














and your totally rad

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Too bad there's not a way to put another steering wheel on your transmitter, that way you could control the speed of the hood servo, if you catch my drift

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thanks. I tried to keep it somewhat subtle. I wanted a stockish paint scheme and color combo.

Totally. The beans are definitely cool with this one :mrgreen:.

I gotta figure something out.


I did some wiring last night...
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psz4hcbqzq.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psepqow8wx.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps1aqonl8m.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psdudc80vz.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...pszajaieib.jpg

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

This is so cool

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Awesome build! I've always liked the square body Chevys.

Look for a servo speed regulator for your tilt servo. They make them for planes to control the landing gear speed.

Re: The Chop Shop- Pro Street K5 Blazer Project - Traxxas funny car meets Ascender
 

Thanks.

Thanks for the heads up on the regulator. I picked one up "thumbsup"

I got a little more work done, not much. I picked up some RPM wheel nuts. I had to hollow the fronts out to cover the nuts.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psgflathe4.jpg

The rears threaded right on. There was enough axle shaft sticking out to use them in front of the wheel nuts.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psoqjxvzht.jpg

Told you it was a little work, lol. The biggest issue at hand is mounting the rear bumper and wheelie bar. I need a rear height of 1.5" for the body itself. The delrin is way to flexible back here to use as a mount for anything but the wheelie bar unfortunately. So I've got to figure something out.
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...psqgusx9at.jpg