Cloudswimmer's Bully II Build

[cloudswimmer]

Ok starting this thread to keep everything neat and in one place. My Bully II RTR just arrived. I bought it direct from RC4WD, and the shipping was ultra fast as in overnight as we are both in Calif. The box arrived in perfect shape, and is some of the best factory packaging I've seen in the 5 years I've been doing this hobby.

Ok plans for now include:
Replace receiver with Sanwa (using MT4 radio)
Replace Esc with Hobby Wing 1040 Esc
Replace Esc XT60 plug with Deans
Replace BEC with Castle 10a @ 7.4v
Replace Servo with Hitec 7955TG
Install Holmes motor guards
Move motor wires to upper terminals
Relocate electronics as low as possible
Trim wires where possible
Grease axle gears with Vanquish Star Lube
Punch vent holes in stock tires
Replace foams with Double Duce from CI
Install RC4WD Knuckle Weights
Replace bearings with Fast Eddy's
Paint body panels and sticker up
Charge batteries
Place finished rig on shelf and have cold beer
Then practice practice practice on home course till desert weather cools off.


My batteries on order are 2 Brood 3c 500mah and 2 850mah, will be here Thursday. The Esc is suppose to be here Saturday. So for now I will study the rig with cold beer and music, and commence work Sat. night after ESC arrives. Obligatory pic below

[nzcrawl]

Cool. Swapping the ESC will make a big difference. The outcry esc is, in all honesty quite horrible for crawling.
How are those shocks setup? They look to not be setup for droop, but I cant see any exterior springs?

[cloudswimmer]

Originally Posted by nzcrawl

Cool. Swapping the ESC will make a big difference. The outcry esc is, in all honesty quite horrible for crawling.
How are those shocks setup? They look to not be setup for droop, but I cant see any exterior springs?

Thats a good question on the shocks. I'll play around with the shocks when I get home and see, but I'm probably going to swap in some Dravtech's if only cause I like the looks

[tapped-out]

Remember we have a comp this Saturday you should drive out and see what we are all about.. best place to see what your new toy is for

[84yoda]

A few more little things to do. Loctite every screw going into aluminum, so basically everything on the housings. Pick up some 2x11 pins for axle pins and then replace the pin in the gears as well (2x11 for the gears will need to be cut down and ends rounded). The stock pins are total garbage and to short. Then shocks and knuckle weights. After that, your rig will be good to go until you decide how far you want to go with it. And last, have fun!

[cloudswimmer]

Originally Posted by tapped-out

Remember we have a comp this Saturday you should drive out and see what we are all about.. best place to see what your new toy is for

Totally looking forward to checking it out. This Sat. I'm wrentching on my 1:1 XJ in the morning, and hopefully my ESC shows up so I can wrentch on my Bully in the evening. Will you guys be out there the following Sat? Ohh and whats the name of your Facebook page .. I'd like to check that out as well

[tapped-out]

https://m.facebook.com/borderlinecrawlers/

Not much action on the FB page. Sat is our season final. New season starts October. But I'll post any gtg practices here on rccrawler over the summer.

[mikemcE]

Good pins and Dlux knuckles .... nuff said!


Hang up and Drive

[cloudswimmer]

Originally Posted by mikemcE

Good pins and Dlux knuckles .... nuff said!


Hang up and Drive

You mean good pins as in pin tires? Are the ones that came with this going to be decent enough for a comp noob?

[tapped-out]

Don't over stress what tire is the best the bully tires will get you running. The stock foams probably suck..

Watch this video
https://youtu.be/yElUpxivbAY

[nzcrawl]

I think they mean the pins that transfer the drive from the axle to the wheel hex.

If you take the wheel off, you will see the wheel seats on a hex.
If you take the hex off (it just pulls off) you will see that the power from the axle is transferred to the hex via a small pin that slots through the axle and the hex seats on that.

Im not familiar with the last one for the gears.
Spares would no doubt be a good idea, especially if you are taking it out on a serious mission. You don't want to be out of the game early due to such a simple failure.
In saying that I have never broken one. Maybe they changed them since the Bully 1? or maybe im just not driving it hard enough

[tapped-out]

Info here on bully tires.
Crawler Innovations Reviews the RC4WD 2.2 Bully Comp Tire

[cloudswimmer]

Originally Posted by tapped-out

Info here on bully tires.
Crawler Innovations Reviews the RC4WD 2.2 Bully Comp Tire

Good read and video .. thanks for that. So should I pick up a leather punch and vent the tires to begin with, or drive it as is to begin with? I also have some Double Duce foams in some wraith tires I've never used which I could cannabalize for the Bully.

[tapped-out]

I'd vent the tires now.. leather punch works awesome so yes I'd buy one.

[nzcrawl]

Originally Posted by 84yoda

A few more little things to do. Loctite every screw going into aluminum, so basically everything on the housings. Pick up some 2x11 pins for axle pins and then replace the pin in the gears as well (2x11 for the gears will need to be cut down and ends rounded). The stock pins are total garbage and to short. Then shocks and knuckle weights. After that, your rig will be good to go until you decide how far you want to go with it. And last, have fun!

Now im curious, and I think the OP may have overlooked this with the mention afterwards of "pin tires"
Were you talking about the pins I mentioned ie in the wheel hexes etc, or tires?
you must be talking about the hex pins with the dimensions you gave..just dont want the OP to overlook this with the mention of pin tires.
cheers

[mikemcE]

Hex pins, get 11mm long not 10 as included, the snap quick


Hang up and Drive

[cloudswimmer]

Originally Posted by mikemcE

Hex pins, get 11mm long not 10 as included, the snap quick


Hang up and Drive

Would you happen to have a vendor you could point me to for these pins? RC4WD is showing only the 10mm ones, and RPP, Dlux, and Tower Hobbies is coming up empty on 11mm hex pins

[mikemcE]

Tower had duratrax last I checked
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...1p?&I=DTXC8930


Hang up and Drive

[cloudswimmer]

Originally Posted by mikemcE

Tower had duratrax last I checked
TowerHobbies.com | Duratrax Shaft Pin 2x11mm Cliff Climber (6)


Hang up and Drive

Ordered a couple packs .. thanks Mike

[cloudswimmer]

Originally Posted by 84yoda

A few more little things to do. Loctite every screw going into aluminum, so basically everything on the housings. Pick up some 2x11 pins for axle pins and then replace the pin in the gears as well (2x11 for the gears will need to be cut down and ends rounded). The stock pins are total garbage and to short. Then shocks and knuckle weights. After that, your rig will be good to go until you decide how far you want to go with it. And last, have fun!

So the stock gear pin is too short? I just ordered the Duratrax 11mm pins from Tower, so is it just a matter of taking a smidge off the length on the grinder? What happens if I just leave the gear pin alone?