Gen7 Aluminum Knuckles Available!!!

[Jim85IROC]

The no name axle assemblies that are all over Ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-2pcs-Axl...IAAOSwNkJaDs6F

[Everest10Dad]

Originally Posted by Jim85IROC

My only issue is, by the time you buy the high steer knuckles ($20), the new CV Axles ($40), and the SCX10 ring gear & spool ($21), you're already above the cost of one of the all CNC axle assemblies that are all over the place now. Those are a drop-in solution that offer better steering, potentially better durability, more ground clearance under the pumpkin, and WAY better looks.

Point is, once you're willing to push that kind of cash into the steering, you wind up with a lot of alternatives.

I have to admit that I kinda wish I'd considered those axles you linked to in post #81 before I did this project. Never really considered 'no-name' stuff like that on ebay. If indeed they have better steering angles and geometry then I feel like a real fool for spending so much on my plastic housings and current setup. I'd be interested if anyone out there has these axles (or ones like these) and what they think about them and how they perform. A set might still be in my future. They sure look awesome.

[Jim85IROC]

There are a number of guys in the Gen7 Facebook group running them, but it's been a week or 2 since they posted their installations, so they're buried and I can no longer find them. I recall one guy breaking a CV axle on his first drive, but that may have been a fluke because I only saw that from the one guy.

Don't feel foolish for taking the path you did. The systematic approach is always more educational than the "all at once" approach. You have a much better understanding of what the individual limitations of the parts are, and that's always good to have.

I've never been a fan of the "replace the whole thing" approach, even though sometimes it's the right answer. I almost always piss more money into the "piece at a time" approach just so that I can have the more in-depth understanding of the inner workings (and limitations), THEN I replace the whole thing.

[Mikelangelo]

Didn't know there was a facebook group! I just asked to join. There's one guy I know that got that aluminum axle set from eBay. He loves it! I'm guessing it's a bit heavier, too which would be cool! But not sure I like the look of it just yet. I like black axles, myself.

[dodrillkyle]

After lots of searching and videos and talking myself out of doing this several times, I decided to go with the vader skid plate and upgraded the driveshafts with the pro version so everything will drop in place without modification. I couldn't justify spending twice as much of driveshafts that would require modification or replacing other parts to make things work. I may not get the steering angle I'm hoping for, but I think my goal is unrealistic without spending a lot more money than I'm willing, but it should be better than it is with the stock dog bones. Those cnc axles listed above do look pretty sweet and I even looked at some portal axles, but I'm not willing to spend that kind of money since it's not a comp crawler.

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[Smokin' Joe]

Originally Posted by Mikelangelo

Didn't know there was a facebook group! I just asked to join. There's one guy I know that got that aluminum axle set from eBay. He loves it! I'm guessing it's a bit heavier, too which would be cool! But not sure I like the look of it just yet. I like black axles, myself.

I decided to pull the trigger on one of these cnc complete front axles for my son's E10. It's black with a red diff cover. It was $51. I'll give an update once it gets here and we have a chance to run it for a bit (could be awhile, coming from Hong Kong).

[TheLetterJ]

I honestly haven't looked too closely at the backside of the front axle... has anyone attempted mounting the knuckles backwards and running the tierod over the driveshaft/under the servo? It would seem that the Redcat high steer knuckles would make that an easy(er) option, and would get a whole lot closer to true ackerman steering, making the inside tire turn sharper than the outside. I think the bigger hurdle there might be draglink routing, unless you went to a chassis mounted servo? Just getting the wheels turning, but I might play with that idea more when my son won't miss his truck for a day.

[nocturne1]

Newbie here - just got the new kit, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get the larger of the two bearings out of the previous steering knuckle. The small one just pushed out fine from the other side. Any tips for this?

Crap, threaded rod stuck in the steering arm too. Whoops, I'm in trouble now!

[Everest10Dad]

Originally Posted by nocturne1

Newbie here - just got the new kit, and for the life of me, I can't figure out how to get the larger of the two bearings out of the previous steering knuckle. The small one just pushed out fine from the other side. Any tips for this?

Crap, threaded rod stuck in the steering arm too. Whoops, I'm in trouble now!

I just did mine not that long ago; you'd think I'd remember. If there is any lip of the bearing protruding inward (toward the center of the hole) then you need to push from the side the small bearing came out of (the outside of the knuckle). You need to push evenly around the perimeter with something like a small flat screwdriver. After thinking about it for a few now I kinda think I mighta just slammed my plastic knuckles down on the table and they popped out. Hope this helps and please forgive my terrible memory.

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[nocturne1]

Originally Posted by Everest10Dad

I just did mine not that long ago; you'd think I'd remember. If there is any lip of the bearing protruding inward (toward the center of the hole) then you need to push from the side the small bearing came out of (the outside of the knuckle). You need to push evenly around the perimeter with something like a small flat screwdriver. After thinking about it for a few now I kinda think I mighta just slammed my plastic knuckles down on the table and they popped out. Hope this helps and please forgive my terrible memory.

Ah hah! The combination of slamming plus being a bit more persistent with a screwdriver to pry it away did it. Yeah, there was plastic on the inside, so a normal push wouldn't work. Thanks for your help!

Now for this damn rod....

[Jim85IROC]

To get the threaded rod out, run 2 3mm nuts down it and tighten the nuts against each other as tight as you can get them, then turn the bottom nut to back the threaded rod out of the link.

[nocturne1]

Originally Posted by Jim85IROC

To get the threaded rod out, run 2 3mm nuts down it and tighten the nuts against each other as tight as you can get them, then turn the bottom nut to back the threaded rod out of the link.

Certainly going to save this tip for future reference! Unfortunately, the threads are completely compressed now after trying for about an hour to STILL unsuccessfully remove it. So now I'm off to find something locally that will work. Redcat suggested to make a warranty claim, so worst case, I'll get a replacement rod from them.

Gotta find a fix before the long weekend!

[Smokin' Joe]

I mentioned I'd give an update once the cnc machined axle got here. I created a new thread for any who are interested:

CNC machined ebay front axle Install/review