ZNO-RC Team Car Build

[ZNO-RC]

So we decided to get one of our employees into crawling for the summer and wanted to promote the RS-10 locally so we hooked him up with an RS-10 and decided we would do a Team Build and run the different stages of upgrades on it to see how it performed in our local comps with a variety of other cars.

We have actually run this car for over a month now and we are in the middle of the Phase 2 upgrades but here is how Phase 1 went and the parts we used to accomplish it.

Phase 1 Parts List:

ZNO-RC Stage 2 Narrow Kit
ZNO-RC Wing Eliminator Kit
ZNO-RC Rear Steer Lockout
RC4wd Clear Wheels
RC4wd Mayhem Metal Gear Servo
Crawler InNovations Double Deuce 5.5 Foams
HotBodie Rovers Soft/White
8.4V Stick Battery

After the first Comp:
8T- Pinions
Hardened Steel Drive Pins
Spektrum DX3E Radio

Out of the Box






Wing Eliminator

Removing the factory wings and factory rod ends from the upper links.


Installing New 3mm Rod Ends and Stainless Hardware



Rear Steer Lockout


It uses the factory rod ends from the steering cross links.

It works best to tap the hole out to 3mm on the axle instead of forcing it.



Narrow Kit Stage 2



Drilling out the Factory Chassis plates to 1/8in to allow for the new 3mm Hardware

Installing the new 3mm Rod Ends

Installing the Nylon Battery Hold Down Bolt

Reinstalling all the Factory Electronics


Wheels & Tires

Weighted Fronts and Light Rears


Trimming the Steering Stops



We put a piece of flexible airline over the antenna to keep it from getting to much interference and coiled it on top of the upper links this worked good for the first comp but to keep from poking anyones eyes out we had him upgrade to a Spektrum DX3E. And we also mounted the factory on/off switch to the side of the chassis with some 2 sided tape which makes it a lot easier to get to.

We managed to get the car into our shop on Wednesday around noon and by 3:00 we were ready to take it to the comp we had planned for that evening unfortunately we didn't get the 8T pinions in until the next comp but the 8.4 V battery pushed it around pretty good and he managed to place 3rd in the novice class.

To get the low stance we moved the shocks out to the end of the lower links which gave it a nice ride height at a little more than 2.75 inches and we also trimmed the body as much as we could to make it sit as low as possible on the chassis without rubbing so it was able to recover a little better. But there is only so much you can do with a huge flat top .

Anyways here was the finished product.





And here are some pics of it running in the comp.







At the end of our 7 comp series he had placed 3rd overall in Novice out of 5 competitors that consistantly showed up. Not bad but still work to be done .

The Phase 2 upgrades are almost done now so we will have more pics up soon after some testing but here is a teaser of the new chassis.

[John82601]

I like it Simple, reasonable budget and very effective. Excellent example of what these trucks can do with a few of the right changes.

[ctracy]

gotta know one thing....you gonna put some 540 motors in it?

[crawlhog]

nice job ZNO i want bosses like you

[ZNO-RC]

I like it Simple, reasonable budget and very effective. Excellent example of what these trucks can do with a few of the right changes.

For sure . Dinocrawler and myself actually threatened to take it back a few times after he beat us on a few coarses. A low center of gravity and a light truck with good weight placement and traction is definately key. Besides that I've noticed if you just keep it simple it works pretty good.

gotta know one thing....you gonna put some 540 motors in it?

Actually we are working on a 540 motor conversion right now that should be a bolt on gear case replacement. We still have a few bugs to work out but it is definately something we will have in the near future.

The new chassis though really brings the center of gravity down since it is over 1/2 an inch lower than the factory and it has shock mounts out far enough to put the shocks on the axles while retaining all the factory links or making new ones. Not to mention that we managed to loose 3.5 ounces off the weight of the factory chassis with our narrow kit.

[major94]

Dang you guys comps look easy. We would never ahve gates out in the open rocks like that. I cant ever seem to beter that 12th or so. I think its because of our tough courses.

Nice looking truck though, I really like the chassis on the last pic, what is it. New product?

[ZNO-RC]

Dang you guys comps look easy. We would never ahve gates out in the open rocks like that. I cant ever seem to beter that 12th or so. I think its because of our tough courses.

Nice looking truck though, I really like the chassis on the last pic, what is it. New product?

Yeah that coarse wasn't too bad if you picked the right line but when you take into account the angle of the hill we were on it definately makes it more challenging. But we definately go through comps where we have easier coarses and then others that are nearly impossible. Never know what your going to get .

And yes the last pic is a new product we are working on specifically for the RS-10. The chassis is going to be available in both black delrin and clear polycarbonate(to keep with the clear theme ) We really want to cater to the RS-10 owners that want options so they can run almost any set up they want. If they want to keep the Factory suspension links and shock mounts they can or if they want custom links and shocks mounted on the axles they can do that as well. The best part is this chassis works with all our other products we sell so you can use a narrow chassis kit or keep the factory width and factory battery mounts. (Not that anyone should )

[JeremyH]

Nice work.....but why not inboard the lower links and mount the shocks directly to the axles??

Originally Posted by major94

Dang you guys comps look easy. We would never ahve gates out in the open rocks like that.

Pictures always make the courses look easy....

[ctracy]

thanks for the heads up on the 540 boxes. Just ordered new boxes from redcat to try the mod myself. So I i screw them up (which I prolly will) hopefully yours are just around the corner. Ordered motors and pinions from u the other day so hopefully I can start the attempt at the mod shortly. Thanks for all you are doing for the budget minded crawlers.

also....whats the chances of making a skid plate to allow the lower links to mount inside the fram instead of on the outside. Just a thought.

[ZNO-RC]

thanks for the heads up on the 540 boxes. Just ordered new boxes from redcat to try the mod myself. So I i screw them up (which I prolly will) hopefully yours are just around the corner. Ordered motors and pinions from u the other day so hopefully I can start the attempt at the mod shortly. Thanks for all you are doing for the budget minded crawlers.

also....whats the chances of making a skid plate to allow the lower links to mount inside the fram instead of on the outside. Just a thought.

Its good to put a person to the order and have some feedback on the forum . I actually had a question on your order so I'll PM you.

As far as the skid with the links mounted to the inside I have made a prototype to test the idea. It will definately be an option here soon, after we have finished the revisions to the New Chassis and made the New Motor Housings. The only thing I see being an issue though is clearing the lower links from the 540 motors after we make the conversion.

We'll keep everyone updated though.

[ZNO-RC]

Nice work.....but why not inboard the lower links and mount the shocks directly to the axles??

This pic was just to make sure all the factory links worked with the new chassis the way they were but after that pic we tore it back down and put on new 110mm shocks with losi gold springs and mounted the shocks to the axles instead of the lower links. We haven't made a new skid yet though to recieve the lower links on the inside of the chassis that will come later in the future.

[ctracy]

Looking good. Can't wait to see it. Next mod after esc (unless it hold up with the 540's) will be getting two sets of the steel gears and then a servo. Been looking at servos not sure which way to go on that though. The stock rear servo is already toast..only used it twice lol. I found that the stock servos have (6kg) 211 ounces of torque which should be plenty but he gears are terrible. redcat has a 352 ounce (10kg) servo that they say is very good (about 45 bucks) and it has metal gears. kinda leary going that route. but it is compatible with the stock tx/rx so I dont know.

[crawlhog]

whats up ZNO boys any time frame on the 540 conversions or the chassis. also gonna incorporate your skid plate on my bully build i,ll send you some pics when shes all together

[John82601]

Originally Posted by ctracy

Been looking at servos not sure which way to go on that though. The stock rear servo is already toast..only used it twice lol. I found that the stock servos have (6kg) 211 ounces of torque which should be plenty but he gears are terrible. redcat has a 352 ounce (10kg) servo that they say is very good (about 45 bucks) and it has metal gears.

Better take a second look at your conversion numbers there. Your torque ratings are pretty high. A general rule of thumb is 13.88 x kg.

As a reference, here is what Tower says about the Hitec 645mg:
Torque: 106.93 oz-in at 4.8V (7.7 kg-cm)
133.31 oz-in at 6.0V (9.6 kg-cm)

[ctracy]

i thought it seemed high but that is what they gave me via email. thanks for the info.

[ZNO-RC]

whats up ZNO boys any time frame on the 540 conversions or the chassis. also gonna incorporate your skid plate on my bully build i,ll send you some pics when shes all together

We are looking to have the chassis made here very soon hopefully in the next week or two. The 540 gear case conversion i put a deadline on so I would like to have it available labor day weekend but that is Dinocrawler's project so he is still working on milling out the conversion plate from 380 to 540 and making it a product we are comfortable selling. It should be a nice sweet conversion when we get it done now we just have to do it .

I am very interested in seeing your bully build though with our skid plate. What chassis are you using?

[crawlhog]

[
I am very interested in seeing your bully build though with our skid plate. What chassis are you using?[/QUOTE]
great news on your new parts (conversion kit / chassis ) i,ll be needing those. and i will be using the t1e chassis modified with your parts , they work so good on my 10 so i know they will work on the new build.
once the wife simmers down i,ll be getting a crap load of parts from you guys

[ZNO-RC]

i,ll be needing those. and i will be using the t1e chassis modified with your parts , they work so good on my 10 so i know they will work on the new build.
once the wife simmers down i,ll be getting a crap load of parts from you guys

I'm glad to here you like the parts so much. I understand how the wife thing goes though I think I finally have mine to where she tolerates this hobby without making fun of it all the time "all us grown men playing with little rc cars" oh well.

I'm actually running a T1E moon buggy chassis on my berg so if you would like a custom skid plate and component tray made to fit just let us know, i'm sure we can accomodate. We are also changing the narrow chassis kit around a little to have a thinner component tray and reduce weight from the top of the chassis. The new chassis we designed actually has this modification and that was one of the places we lost 1.5 ounces of weight, every little bit helps not to mention that the chassis itself is an ounce lighter. That way we can add weight where we want later and keep it low.

[crawlhog]

I'm actually running a T1E moon buggy chassis on my berg so if you would like a custom skid plate and component tray made to fit just let us know, i'm sure we can accomodate. We are also changing the narrow chassis kit around a little to have a thinner component tray and reduce weight from the top of the chassis. The new chassis we designed actually has this modification and that was one of the places we lost 1.5 ounces of weight, every little bit helps not to mention that the chassis itself is an ounce lighter. That way we can add weight where we want later and keep it low.[/QUOTE]
you read my mind i do need a different skid and a component tray i was gonna go with your stage one batt. tray for the 10 on the t1e. what do you have in mind for a component tray i would need it no thicker than a 1/4'' TO 5/16''preferably derlin or something of sorts i will contact you guys with the exact dimensions. if you guys decide to make it you can send it with my batt. tray i,m gonna order, still got you on speed dial done with goin to comps for awhile a few A- HOLES take all the fun out of it. so the 10 and the bully will be for me and my son to bash
THANKS ZNO

[ZNO-RC]

you read my mind i do need a different skid and a component tray i was gonna go with your stage one batt. tray for the 10 on the t1e. what do you have in mind for a component tray i would need it no thicker than a 1/4'' TO 5/16''preferably derlin or something of sorts i will contact you guys with the exact dimensions. if you guys decide to make it you can send it with my batt. tray i,m gonna order, still got you on speed dial done with goin to comps for awhile a few A- HOLES take all the fun out of it. so the 10 and the bully will be for me and my son to bash
THANKS ZNO

Our new component tray is actually going to be 1/4" thick instead of 1/2" thick on all the kits so that should be perfect for your T1E just shoot me some dimensions of what you are looking for when you get ready to do it.

That is too bad a couple people took the fun out of a group event. I hate stupid people . That is cool you are still active in the hobby though.