The Other SSD/RC4WD Build. Class 2 Rig

[Timmahh]

Ya, 14t seems to be the smallest with a 5mm bore from Hot Racing. 17t for Robinson Racing.

[Timmahh]

Ordered some Pinions. a 14 and 16 tooth Hot Racing, and a 17, 18, and 19 tooth Robinson Racing pinions.

This should give me a little room for adjusting a bit.
I'll probably start with the 14t.

[Timmahh]

Pinions should start arriving on Monday.

Took a little time and dropped in the new turny thing today after it showed up.


Just for mock up. I have a servo relocation mount on its way for both rigs to put the servo at the front of the chassis rails. Slight mod to both to get them to set Into the rails just a smidge. But this allowed me to center up the servo, set endpoints etc. Already set the Axe EXC for 7.4v bed. The new mounts will be a few days. Once that is here, and I get the final servo spot setup, I'll just need to put the limiting springs in the shocks, put a pinion on the motor and put it in (starting with the 14t pinion as its the smallest I can get for this 5mm shaft on the 3300kv AXE), then mount the body and clearance the front fenders however I am going to do it. Then its on to the body carnage. lol

Think I will use a set of these bent ends to give me a little more steering distance at full droop. The steering link shorts out as the front axle hits full droop. But that may change a bit when the limiting springs are installed in the shocks. Thats when I'll know if I need a bit more from a bent end or 2.



Just some pic porn.

[Timmahh]

14, 16, and 19t pinions arrived today. 17 and 18 should be here tomorrow. I put the 14t on the Axe, then installed it on the tranny. Took me a few times to get the pinion in the right spot so it wasn't so tight a mesh and it lined up well with the tranny drive gear.
Its kind of a blind job once the tranny in built and installed, but is doable. FYI. Just measure twice to ensure your pinion is at the right depth to mesh fully with the tranny gear. Then I barely snugged the motor set bolts so the motor would move, but with a bit of resistance from the motor plate. Then once you have a few securing the motor plate to the tranny, you can slide the motor down to fully mesh with the Tranny gear. Then you will roll a wheel and you can feel how tight the mesh is. It should be too tight after pushing the motor into place, so just tweak the motor so it comes up just enough and you can feel the mesh tension relax and it will become smooth as it was without the motor mounted. push it back down again, but this time with just a gentle tap. If you feel the mesh get tight again, stop. go back to where you were. the harder you push the tighter the mesh. Move the rig forward and backwards and play with the motor position so the mesh is smooth and not tight. Once its in the right place, remove the motor plate and tigent the motor to the plate. Dont forget the blue locktight when you put your motor on the motor plate. once you have the mesh right, you don't want to move that motor.

Resinstall on the tranny and your pinion/gear mesh on the tranny should be good. The manual calls for installing the motor as you build the tranny. I wasn't sure what she was getting at the time so hopefully this helps those in the same predicament. or just wanting to change motors and not having to unassemble the entire tranny. This can be done in rig without taking the tranny out, or apart.

Anywhos, I got the motor secured to the tranny, slide the esc on a few small pieces of double sided to hold it in place, zipped the 3s and Rx/wires in a secure place and took it out to the pile to test. I did really well for test runs. Had the steering horn screws loosen up a bit on me, didn't locktite them yet. And the horn screw holding the link fell out after about 10 or 20 minutes of play. I didn't have a body on it, so I didn't do nothing too crazy as al the electronics were exposed to hits if it fell. which it did a few times. lol Overall, for a test run, I am pleased with the initial run. Will wait for the new bumper/servo mount to get here, mod it, put it in place and move the servo all the way forward in the chassis rails. Then I'll locktite the horn screws to hold them in place. The horn is bumping the panhard mount in the stock position which helped loosen the screws as I didn't have them really to tight.

I'll get a bit of running vid on the next round out.

[Timmahh]

Oh, with the 14t and 3s on the Axe 3300kv 550 motor, top speed was really good. even though there were 3 TRXs, we didn't do a head to head yet. But will get one on Vid, but we all figured it was about the same speed as their TRX' in high gear. Don't have a GPS etc to check mph. Not yet anyways. lol

[Timmahh]

Doing some tweaking on mounting the body. Removed the rear shock tower, used the 2 frame extensions as new rear frame shock mounts. Playing with the location, but you can see they are a bit forward currently. I can move them back and set the rear shock more upright, however, this one isn't too bad as it has full travel without binding and is where they naturally go to angle wise (only have one screw in them atm) when the frame is level. I may move them back one hole in the frame, as that will bring the rear up just a bit. ATM it seems the rear is setting just a bit lower than the front end. Steering servo is the limiting factor in moving the body back farther. I may try to adjust it in the mount a little bit to move it back about 2 mm which would put the body in the perfect position I think.


Some current pics of body placement and determining the best way to to mount it without using the 2 screw holes in the sides. They'll be filled.

[Timmahh]

I'll have to figure out exactly what I want to do with the front lower fenders. Im thinking I am just going to heat them and fold them upward, and if that doesn't work out well, I'll try to trim them out enough to clearance the front wheels, or just trim them from teh top of the well to the front grill area.

[Timmahh]

Pics above show approximate body placement.
Today I figured out a simple way to mount it.

Details are in the Pics.
But to sum it up. 2 screws in the front bumper/servo mount hold the front of the body center. These holes were in the perfect spot once I moved the mount back a bit into the chassis rails, to catch the inside corners on the RC4WD body at the front. The body has 3 tabs hanging down to mount the front bumper, which I am not using. I removed the center mount to allow it to pass down in front and up against the steering servo. This allowed the front of the body to sit flat on the front bumper/servo mount. In the rear, I used the 2 short RC4WD Body mounts, trimmed them down by removing the bottom hole and stem of the mount, then used a screw through the rear bumper with a nolock nut to make a spacer and move the body post in a little on each side lining them up with the 2 rear holes in the bad of the Blazer body, which allowed me to use 2 clips to secure the back down, while tightening the 2 screws in front holds the body down up front.

Only thing left to do as far as body mount and being a ready to run rig (barring all thebody work I want to do) is to either heat and bend up or flare out the front lower fender areas, or just trim them out, which is what I am leaning towards now. A trim would look decent enough for a redneck like me, lol.

But to do it the way I want, I'll need to pick up a coping saw. Otherwise, it's loaded and cocked. Just need to make room for those front wheels and Its on to use and body details.

Shitload of Porn for your viewing pleasure.



How the front screws are used to hold the body down and tight. I will likely add a washer just to grasp more of that part of the body to secure it better.


Couple pics of the rear under the body




Rear bed body posts and clips from inside the bed area

[Timmahh]

Topper removed.

This is how we all drove around with our Blazers and Broncos in High School. The only difference is we had the bench seats out, 2 or 4 folding lawn chairs in the back, a Pony Kegger on ice and a baggy of Scooby snacks on a frisbee under the front seats.
Hey, it was the early 80's, and when in Rome, Do as the Romans do. Don't judge. lmao

and the CHHand/RC4WD Roll Cage for their Blazer Body. Pretty nice cage. One place is a bit off-center but it's only noticeable if you are looking under the spare tire as the center loop under the spare, is slightly off-center to the Drivers side just a bit. Not a big issue, however for the cost of the CHHand gear, it should be Perfect every time.




Setting in the bed


Mounted. This cage mounts to the holes that held the topper mounts to the bed. They lined up pretty well and was no issues putting in the bolts other than just a little push to center the hole and bolt. Put the spare tire in place and have it secured as well.




ready for front fender tweak.

[Timmahh]

Once I have the front fenders modded, I will turn to the body. Wont be a big job on this rig for major work, but I am going to put some years on the body, and other details period correct. lol I also need to put the engine together, get it painted and then mounted. Will need to make/print a small spacer. the 15mm spacer offered for the SSD kits is too much, and the 5mm one is too short by a few mm. So I will have to design one that is about 6 or 7mm wide, and raises the engine up about 5mm more, which will put the engine in a much more scale position.


Now that the body is mounted, I think the concept of a Redneck taking a 76 Blazer, and putting it on a 76 K15 Truck frame was pulled off pretty good. With the front wheels looking about right for how far out they are with the Blazer body.
Once I get the body work done, it should really look the part. I will have to relocate the Dash. the Very Worst part about these RC4WD Blazer Bodies is the Dash placement. That has to change even if I wasn't anally retentive on details. It just looks like it was an abortion of an afterthought to put a dash in , and any ole place sufficed.

[Timmahh]

On a slightly different note. As you look at the underside, you will see where I put the ESC for the time being. Its just setting where it is, upside down, being held in place by the battery tray mounts. I am not using the SSD tray or battery placement location as the body doesn't leave room for it.
However, there was "JUST" enough room, and the ESC went Just deep enough in between the battery mounts it is held tight. Once the body is mounted, you should be able to see the body just lightly pushed on the bottom of the sec, which secures it from moving at all. Its not the optimum place for sure. But I could leave it there which is fine with me, and just design and print a cover that will keep all the debris, mud, water, stones, etc from getting to the ESC, and still leave room for air flow.

I have a 3000 mah 3s Power Hobby pack (will problaby grab one more so I have a pair of them to use on this rig) that will slide between the top of the side covers, and just under the front drivers seats and buts up against the floor area at the front seat. Added a piece of foam that help 'pinch' the battery and keep it in place for now. I will make an easy setup to a rubberband type mount to hold the battery in place as well, just so it can't slide backwards out of its spot. I also need to redo the sliders and put them into a better position now that I have the body mounted up.

[Timmahh]

Whoops. I just realized I didn't take any underside picks with the ESC and Battery in place.
Will get those in a few.

[Timmahh]

Decided to trim the front lower fenders. Trimmed them a bit higher than I Thought, but not too much, though it's more than I wanted. Oh well. It will work out just fine.

However, when the shocks are fully compressed is where that additional clearance will play a roll. The internal springs keep the shocks about 13 mm from full compression.

[Timmahh]

Took it out for a little test. I say little as my battery fell out a few times ane the rear wheel rubbing as I noted above.
So I got to trim out the rear fenders for flex clearance.

If you prefer a short Slide Show.
https://youtu.be/t0ahSu08x4M


Coping sawed the area out and cleaned it up with the new cordless dremel. Turned out great. Just enough clearance.

Some Flex Clearance Pics.

Shot of the rear fender after trimming


Flex/Clearance Shots









Rear Departure Angle (didn't measure)


And Approach Angle in Front. Again, didn't measure

[Timmahh]

Few Action Shots after the trims and securing the battery with a Strap.
if you prefer a slideshow
https://youtu.be/fOvNvZ_veEA

[Timmahh]

Been busy over the last week. busy/lazy is there any difference really? LMAO

Only thing I did this last week was come across some small metal pieces that resemble picture hanging brackets but no 'nail teeth' on them, just smooth edges and a slight rise in the middle, bout 1/4 in wide and maybe 1 3/4 inches long. The holes at either end lined up perfectly with the holes in the servo mount on top where I was mounting the screws to hold the front of the body. I didn't like only having 2 washers under the screw heads to secure the front of the body.

The piece of metal makes a perfect front body capture. It fits like it was made to hold the front of the RC4WD Blazer Body down.
This will make battery swaps EASY. just remove the two rear clips, loosen the front bolts a few turns, and the body will lift forward, the metal bracket on the front holding the body down, allowing it to act like a hinge spot. just lift the rear body, add a support rod to hold it up and the entire underside is accessible.

I did secure the on/off switch with some double sided tape as well as the ESC. But I need to add a waterproof rx box to keep the rx waterproof.

Wont be but a few tweaks and the rest of the work will be body focused on this one.

Pics later on. Probably get some tomorrow.

[Timmahh]

still not much has changed so far. Been playing with a light bar for it. Don't fit. Will have to try a few things.

These slightly smaller RC4WD Bodies make sourcing the right scale size accessory a bit of a trick. Not undoable, just a bit of a trick.

[3030hoyle]

Your trail king is really cool !
I turn all my crawlers into old chevy’s.
This is kind of a off topic question. That one picture you have with that primer gray chevy in the background? What and where did you find that 70’s short bed body. I’ve only been able to find long beds . I dig it ! I would love to get one if you would not mind pointing me in the right direction.

[Timmahh]

Originally Posted by 3030hoyle

Your trail king is really cool !
I turn all my crawlers into old chevy’s.
This is kind of a off topic question. That one picture you have with that primer gray chevy in the background? What and where did you find that 70’s short bed body. I’ve only been able to find long beds . I dig it ! I would love to get one if you would not mind pointing me in the right direction.

That is the raw RC4WD Blazer body (just not painted) with the topper removed (it is a separate part that can be unscrewed)>

Basically these are the same bodies, just the one is painted orange and white.

[3030hoyle]

Originally Posted by Timmahh

That is the raw RC4WD Blazer body (just not painted) with the topper removed (it is a separate part that can be unscrewed)>

Basically these are the same bodies, just the one is painted orange and white.

Oh copy that. Thank You.