Just a stocker 80's monster truck....

[cogfounder]

I got another set of axles from the first run of these BEASTS, way back when they first came out.
I am going to beg some help when it comes
to making a crawler out of them too, BUT....

A while ago I mentioned what a great deal I got on
a NEW Chromie Super Clod with a Futaba 3PL and a bunch of extras. ($125 for EVERYTHING, BRAND NEW!!)

Some folks still like to beat them around like they were out of the box, and I am one of them, yet I got one of the
steel Sassy Chassy re-pros on ebay because after I bought this puppy off of Craigslist and ran it just ONCE,
I busted the hell out of the "problem areas" in the OEM
center chassis area. (I didn't beat on it much either??)

Anyway, just for the hell of it, I hoped you all might get
a kick out of seeing another Olde Skool Clod,
but with a Sassy Chassy box frame and a first run Axial SCX10 body on it.

I think it came out fair, and its a sincere reminder
of the way things started out, way back when.....

> Full Chrome body (set aside for preservation)
> Home painted/detailed SCX first run body on it now
> Stock Super Clod ESC
> Stock motors (but brand new and fresh)
> Dual AS-2 servos w/Axial servo savers
> Castle 10 amp BEC, power split between both servos
> 8 Wheely King shocks with 30wt oil
> Ebay steel powder coated Sassy Chassy clone box frame
> Home made steering links on...
> Custom axle servo mounts. (styrene CPE copies that were just for testing. getting REAL CPE ones soon!!!!)

Past that, its a SLOW, HEAVY, BOUNCY, Monster Truck
that drives like a cinder block just like the trucks in 1980's, with full time 4WS. (turns on a dime now tho)

And its a BLAST to drive around!! ... IF you remember
how these trucks were, way back in their day...........

[JavelinSST390]

Sweet! I always wanted a stock clod, ever since I saw the ads in the back of my boy scout magazines back when I was a kid. I loved 80's monster trucks. Back when a monster truck was still just a regular pick-up truck with the biggest, baddest tires you could stuff under it and the biggest engine you could get under the hood. Nowadays, they all look the same to me.

But, the buy-in on a clod back then was too high (the LHS quoted my folks $400 for the truck, radio, reciever, etc. back in the day, they were like no way.) so I got a blackfoot instead. In fact, the buy-in on a new clod is STILL too high to justify buying one new. But I keep looking for an OG or even a used Super clod stocker but so far no dice. I'll still get one one day, just don't know when.

You know though, it makes you wonder, what ever happened to all those monster trucks that we used to love. Were they gutted for their parts and scrapped, or are they still laying in a field somewhere on a set of transport tires, slowly sinking into the ground.

[cogfounder]

OH MAN... dont bring me down like that......

All I see now is old trucks sunk into the mud over their axles and covered in bird poop.................

AWW NUTS...

Your right tho. Back in the day they were built around the tires. 4 of them would cost ya more than a blown motor
and two sets of Rockwells.....

Youtube is acting up. When it settles down Ill
post a vid.

Anybody else having youtube issues of late???

I tried to post one up, but it pasted the wrong damn vid ?? Showed the right vid/link, but posted a diff one??

I dont get it...........

[cartronicshn]

Look really nice, yeah i remember when this truck came out ,back in 89-90 i saw it at orange blossom in miami, but i had already bought several rockets and afx track that time so i could only buy the blackfoot and a couple nice motors back then, it was until 06 that i bought a couple of clods and finally got to assemble them and drive them

[Erock]

I always wanted a Clod in the 90s, but yea way too expensive when i was 13 lol. Then the Juggernaut came out and I wanted 1 of those even more due to the more true scale features, at that time I was working and I would go to the LHS every month and almost picked it up. I still always watch for a good deal on a Jugg or TXT-1, but they are still pretty pricey.

[cogfounder]

Ill try getting that vid up again. Nothing special, just its first test run
and a bit of slow-mo so I could watch the suspention.......

HD Cherry Crusher car crush test - YouTube








.

[cogfounder]

Cool. Looks like it finally posted up correctly.

If somebody could watch it in HD and tell me what they think about the video quality I would be greatfull.
(not my poor video skills, I know that part sucks LOL, just the vid quality)

I just bought a new vidcam and am trying to upload HD vids now,
but had no idea it would take so much longer!!!

I am trying to see if its worth the exta time so LMK please.

FWIW the vid looks a little washed-out to me, but it was very overcast out
and I had the cam set on AUTO everything.

[malibulvr]

Great looking Clod, I have bought and sold more then I can remember. I think I may have to get one and run LIpos, would love to bash one with a longer run time. Last one I had was running a IV chassis, can't remember the name though. Damn i'm old, lol.

[cogfounder]

Originally Posted by malibulvr

Great looking Clod, I have bought and sold more then I can remember. I think I may have to get one and run LIpos, would love to bash one with a longer run time. Last one I had was running a IV chassis, can't remember the name though. Damn i'm old, lol.

Was it something like this ClodZilla IV setup?

ESP Product 3

I really like the looks of it, modern like I want my next build, past the super class crawler I want to build too,
but would like to know from someone how it stands up to
HARD BASHING/FREE STYLE, over racing??????????

Its a bit of cash tho, and I think I could do as well
for an all-out, beat-the-crap-out-of-it basher
by buying the Ground Pounder chassis parts from CPE,
and all the other 4 link stuff offered there.

OH!!! and dont forget, the BullHead just got RE-released.

TowerHobbies.com | TAM58535 58535 Tamiya 1/10 Bull Head 4WD Kit

(or is it re-re-released? cant tell with those goofy Tamiya
bastards anymore.....)

Clod bodies are fairly easy to come by, but that Semi body might be worth getting just for holding onto.
Makes a great base for military/Monster/six+ wheelers!

I think there was, or at least I wish there was,
a lexan body replacement for the BH????

I have a first run BH body, but misplaced the OEM mounts. I dont run it anyway because its heavy as hell,
but would LOVE a lexan replacement.

That vendor thats doing the wraith body variations,
Dynamic Concepts, could probably do up one, but I think the market might be limited, and only a project dear to heart for the few that want such a thing.

Then again, ALL the people in the world that would buy such a thing hang out around here............!?!?!?!?

[malibulvr]

I actually bought a Bullhead when they first came out, wanted something different then the clod. The body is very top heavy and I wasn't all that impressed with the color of the shocks etc. I still have my Super Rooster that I kept out of my Clodzilla. I was reading that I could use this with Lipo's, I may have to pick up a Dingo kit and use the Rooster in it. We shall see.

[JavelinSST390]

That vid is great. Mind telling me where you got/how you made your crush cars?

[cogfounder]

Originally Posted by JavelinSST390

That vid is great. Mind telling me where you got/how you made your crush cars?

The crush cars are made from Pink Rigid Foam Insulation sheet that I got from Home Depot.

It came in a 2 X 8 foot sheet that I cut in half to do two 4 foot sections, one of which is in the vid.

Then I cut a 7 inch section length wise to cut up for the "roofs" of the cars.

I cut the bigger piece and roof sections every 8 inches,
which makes the crush cars 17" x 8", and you get an even dozen cars out of the sheet.

I used one of those cheap hack saw in a handle type
saws to cut the stuff, works great and I used it to shape
the "roof" secton windshield and side window angles.
A drywall saw would work well too.

After I hot glued the roof sections on, I took the cars out on my rock test course and melted them down a bit with a propane torch to make them look dented up.

Next I went to the craft store and bought some 1" foam that they use to make padded cushions for lawn chairs, and some of that cardboard-over-foam poster/project board.

I cut 1" strips out of the cushion foam and used spray adhesive to glue them across the bottom sides of the cars where the tires would be, but across the whole length of the cars.

Then I srayed the bottoms of the foam strips and glued everything down on the poster board, leaving a small space between the cars for free movment.

The whole idea of doing that was so the cars were "reactive" when the monster truck runs over them,
like I remember them from the real world back in the early 80's, before they started covering them up to the windows in dirt like now-a-days.

The lexan crush cars are about $20 a piece, so 12 cars would cost you $240 !!!!!!!

I think I spent 75 bucks on this project, counting the hot glue refills, spray adhesive, and cheapo hacksaw.

One thing I didnt do in the vid was secure them to the ground. I use gutter nails in the four corners and it dont move any at all. You can even fold them up to fit in the trunk better, but its a good idea to beef up the folded poster board crease with some duct or packing tape.

This is a great project to do if you have kids old enough to enjoy doing it with you, just keep them away from the propane melting part.

>>>The stuff gives off toxic fumes when it melts/burns.

Its just a lot more fun, IMHO, to run over these because of the fact they ARE reactive, and dont just sit there like the lexan crush bodies do.

And its A LOT cheaper, with just a bit of effort to make these up!

Hope that helps ya out!

Look at the vid again, and you will see how simple everything is. Took about an hour to do the one in the vid, so 2 hours for 12 cars !!!!

(and a $165 bucks stays in your wallet!)

[JavelinSST390]

Thanks for the info! Those look great. I wondered about the foam after I watched the vid again. But it was the "reactive" part you talk about that had me intrigued. I noticed that they moved like they were still sitting on the tires, which is what got me to wondering in the first place.

Great Idea! I'm gonna have to get me some stuff and make some.

[cogfounder]

Originally Posted by JavelinSST390

Thanks for the info! Those look great. I wondered about the foam after I watched the vid again. But it was the "reactive" part you talk about that had me intrigued. I noticed that they moved like they were still sitting on the tires, which is what got me to wondering in the first place.

Great Idea! I'm gonna have to get me some stuff and make some.

Have fun with it!

Its a great little time-killer project that gives you 12 crush cars...
for the price of 4 ugly, "lazy" over-priced lexan type cars.

[malibulvr]

I keep checking out your thread and now I'm thinking I may have to pick another one of these up again, lol. Just love the stance and with some hotter motors they do move out pretty good. I had a buddy with a USA-1, the only positive thing about that truck was that it would smoke my Clod.

[cogfounder]

Originally Posted by malibulvr

I keep checking out your thread and now I'm thinking I may have to pick another one of these up again, lol. Just love the stance and with some hotter motors they do move out pretty good. I had a buddy with a USA-1, the only positive thing about that truck was that it would smoke my Clod.

>>>>>>>>>>>


I remember the USA-1. (kyosho something, right?)
Me and a bud at work both had Clods we would race around the parking lot at lunch when nobody wanted to play vollyball in the heat or cold for 1/2 an hour. (dead of summer/winter/etc...) (1986-ish???)

Our boss bought a USA-1 truck one day, because
he had a hard time getting along with anybody, and thought he could chum in with us two RC guys.....

I liked the bosses USA-1 truck, but all I remember was him having to order a new MEC every week?? because
they kept burning up on him.
(all were 6 cell nicad 1200's, top of the line back then
LOL---LOL!! on stock rigs too)

Hey, it was 10 bucks cheaper than a Clod at Tower back in the day, right? LOL!

[malibulvr]

Yeah, the USA-1 was faster but it sure did suffer from breakage. I know we did a lot of mods to the steering just so it would work correctly.