Rebuilding mine from the ground up, suggestions?

[dreadshawn]

Hey guys, As of this winter I have a bit of extra cash lying around, and that combined with the fact that I have gone to a few comps has gotten me hooked on rebuilding my trail TLT up into a beefier rig. I have a nice little wishlist set up so far, but I am now gonna open this project up to you guys to see what sort of parts and pieces you would wind up going with...

In any case, here is my TLT as she stands now:





The specs are as follows (though most will be gone):
-traxxas turnbuckle links, shocks, driveshafts, ESC (the XL1 or something), 'pede tranny, and rx/tx
-Moab XL on Axial beadlocks
-Integy 75t lathe motor (slow but torquey)
-Dynamite 2200MAh NiMh 7.2V over-axle battery
-Hitec 645MG steering servo
-Axial Betty body, dovetailed

The overall plans would be much better explained by telling you what will be left over: the axles, chassis, servo, body, and tires/wheels. This will be a pretty big stripdown, lol! So far this is my list for the rebuild:

-hack the crap outta the body for a more performance-biased shape
-dremel-sipe the Moab XL tires for improved flexibility
-wheel weights, poor-boy style: on-axle or inside the rim
-FX-R ESC/motor package w/ CC BEC
-RC4WD steering knuckles and axle-C's
-Derlin lower links
-Losi crawler shocks
-new traxxas driveshafts (Jato-style?)
-R2 transmission w/ dig setup (the 645MG will go here)
-Heavier Duty steering servo (any suggestions? I am browsing the electronics section in the meantime)
-cheapie 2.4 rx/tx setup, such as Bigoffroader or DX3E

Possible extra stuff:
-beefier upgrade to my steering links
-RC4WD rear axle blocks

That's my general idea, with the overall purpose of this build being to create a baseline comp rig without completely blowing all my money (I have to eat on-campus, lol!). What do you guys think? I am still short on the total number of posts here on RCC to use the sale forum, but I've been a longtime lurker, I just don't like posting for any old reason...

[grob23]

All I can think of when I look at your rig is how ugly the stampede is! I ran an R2D for a while, and it worked good for a while, but now I've got an Axial trans. I must say it's a better buy, it plain works...

Also, as opposed to siping those tires, I would suggest keeping your wheels, but getting different tires. Once you get access to the For Sale forum, you'll be able to find some awesome deals on tires

On my Axial, I run Jato shafts. They're HUGE compared to the stampede shafts. They took some modding to fit the tranny outputs, but I think they're nice. I ran stampede shafts with steel yokes for what seemed like forever without problems, so Jato shafts might not be worth the hastle... but that's really your call

just my .02

[XyRoS]

I would recommend to buy a lipo. Perhaps some rear lock-outs. Good luck with the build!

[dreadshawn]

Grob>> yeah, I can agree with you on the size and ugliness of the stampede, ! I forgot about the Axial trans, I am gonna have to look into that setup; I assume you can get a dig setup with that? I do want to get another set of tires eventually, and I'll have to talk to the LHS here in Bozeman as to the hot setup, although a good number of the rocks here are freakishly grippy!

Xyros>> I also REALLY want to upgrade to a LiPo setup (lockouts will be machined by me, most likely), and I already have a charger for it (a superbrain), but I often find myself going crosseyed when I try to become knowledgeable about the specs, charge rates, etc.. I really should just sit myself down and go through a few FAQs and make a real attempt at it. Sheesh, I am an engineering student, and I can't make heads or tails of LiPo!

Overall I will continue to look into the Axial trans and different tires, but a new question for me has come up:

Axial crawler shocks or Losi?

[ToTheMAXXcrawler]

I say if your on a budget (which sounds like to me you are) just stick with the NIMH batts for right now. I still run them and im perfectly fine with that due to the fact i`m quite the dummy when it comes to lipos myself, and plus money is an issue of course lol Also you might want to look into some cheap Traxxas big bore shocks.....in my opinion, nothing beats those (if your looking for a poor man`s shock to use.)

[rhett314]

I didn't see if you have done anything to the internals of the axles. I would highly suggest some MIP CVD's, especially if you are going to comp with the TLT's. They are much stronger. The stock gears are fine, but I would suggest the Traxxas shim mod. Allows the gears to mesh better. And some aluminum C's and knuckles. I Comp'd for 2 years with my TLT's, and loved them. Just upgraded to bully's, so now they are the wifes comp axles.

As for the tranny, the axial is very reliable. And there are plenty of dig options for it. I would suggest some HD outputs for it though.

[grob23]

If rocks are offering traction, maybe you could find a set of "somewhat outdated" tires... something along the lines of Losi Rock Claws

I still run NIMH batts too... I eventually will "upgrade" but can't seem to figure out exactly what I need, or what it all means. No sense in getting something ya can't understad

I say you're off to a good start, even if it is only an idea at this point.

[dreadshawn]

The purchasing has already begun, lol! Just ordered up my FX-R and CC BEC from stormer (love those guys), everything else will likely come from my LHS, as I do want to do my best in supporting the local brick-and-mortar.. I just can't reconcile the $50.00 price difference between the two for the electronics setup. On top of that, I live close enough to Stormer that basic ground shipping almost always arrives the next day (how sweet that is!!).

Maxxcrawler>> I do agree that the Maxx shocks are great, but I seem to have a weird leakage issue that reoccurs with even brand new shocks.. Although, I do have a LOT of Maxx shocks laying around (15 or so..) so I may just choose the best four, rebuild and put some 20wt (for starters, I likes da droop!) with some Losi white springs to soften things up a bit.

rhett>> that is a great suggestion, picking up some MIP outputs! Plus, the money I save from not buying all new shocks can easily be put in that direction! The biggest reason why I like your idea though, would be that the MIP axles will give me the option to widen the axles by 0.5 inch, an upgrade that was needed for a long time...

Overall, I am ditching the R2 for an Axial tranny with a dig setup now (proving that the axial tranny does not exceed the total price of a R2 dig tranny at $80.00!). I also have to admit, I am sorely tempted to say "to heck with the consequences" and go for both the Axial and the VF dig setup. I also talked to the LHS guys, and they refreshed my memory that a lot of local crawlers like using the Moabs themselves, so I am gonna go ahead with the sipe job (eh, it puts a few more miles on an already decent condition tire), and I am also gonna stick with the NiMh batteries, as they are super-punchy on my 1/18th brushless cars! Oddly enough, I have NOT run the 2200s on my crawler.

[rhett314]

Hey dread; not sure if you've seen this sale:

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204553

But it is a great price on a great working dig, and all said and done you should be around $70-80 total for the axial tranny with dig. Plus the axial uses the normal 48p gears which are usually easier to come by.

I ran the MIP's with the longer hex, and with some 0 off-set wheels and it put me right at 10 1/4".

And you'll love the FX-R. Great drag brakes, and lipo ready if you ever choose to go that route. Just make sure you get the cap on good. Mine managed to break off once and my rig started acting odd, and luckily I found the problem before anything major happened. Good luck with the build.

[dreadshawn]

rhett>> now THAT is something I didn't know existed, but now I must own! I kept hearing about the DNA kits, but I haven't found anything personally on them.. Looks like the Axial/ DNA setup is the way to go! Wow, thanks so much! I do like that about the 48pitch, it is a better way to go..

Now, to pick what color I should get....

[grob23]

That gunmetal one looks sexy