TreyS1's CC01 Bronco

[treys1]

I was looking to add a more scale option for the trail rides that happen almost weekly here in N. Ga. and jumped on a sweet Bronco that popped up in the sale section.

Step 1. Take everything out:




Step 2. Install Stuff:

Holmes Torquemaster Expert 55t & Waterproof BR-XL:



I cut the little tray over the stock battery location flat:



And added a Wraith battery tray:





Tidy up the light wiring:




Step 3. Go ride with some friends:










Now on the trail ride I had a few problems but the little truck did great after a few quick repair stops. I should have known to check all the fasteners upon receipt of the truck.

I went through and tightened everything, replaced a few screws that got bent from being loose & dropped a couple o-rings in the diff outdrives for better dogbone engagement.




I decided to add some weight in the very front as low as I could get it. There is 4oz there:








I moved the BR-XL under the battery to get the weight of it a little lower. I may try to get the battery down there in the future. My objective with the batteries is to run the same ones I run in the wraith, so they are a little big.






My next step is to address the steering. I have a BLS452 on the way to replace my temporary HK servo that usually goes in my basher. I also need to find a steering kit...I would get the GPM kit, but it seems people have just as much bad to say about it as good.

[derb]

Sweet rig mate, definitely try and get that battery as low as possible. There are pros and cons to each steering setup you go with.

GPM setup has the nice ball-bearing shaft setup so that will never seize up from dirt or anything, however the issue most people have is the screw backs itself out of the bottom of the shaft where the actual steering linkage goes. Most people just JB Weld or locktite the screw in, but sometimes it comes out anyway.

Yeah Racing kit just replaces the steering linkage and leaves the shaft untouched. I use this setup. It does remove all the slop in the stock linkage, but some don't want to maintain the shaft by keeping it full of grease. I ran mine dry for a good three months and when I tore it down both the shaft and the hole were scored up real bad. Since then I clean it out every 2 months and repack it with marine grease.

I still reckon the GPM kit is good, I was just scared off as my mate kept having those screw issues and was constantly cursing it out and then switched to a front mounted servo conversion. Which also has its pros and cons. The strength of the servo is delivered much better and it will 'walk' sideways by switching left/right, but it also didn't have as much angle as my Yeah Racing setup. Steering is the one beef most people have with the CC01.

[treys1]

Do you know off hand if cutting the little bar off that holds the stock battery door degrades rigidity of the chassis too much? My batteries will fit without that bar there.

[carried away]

I'm not sure what sized battery you run. I run a standard sized 2c lipo and mine fits in the stock spot. I just trimmed the rounded lip off where the battery is supposed to go. Slide it in backwards and down.

[treys1]

I run 3s 4000's I trimmed all the round corners out and it still wont fit. For it to fit the bar has to come off.

[derb]

Oh you mean cutting the top of the 'door' hole for battery? If so, cut away, I did the same to mine to fit my 5000mah 2s packs. Since it's a tub chassis you'd have a cut a hell of a lot out to reduce regidity.

[treys1]

Yeah the top of the battery opening that has the 3 molded holes where the battery door slides in and clips.

[wheelstoo]

Saw it Saturday afternoon.Its a wicked little truck.

[derb]

Originally Posted by treys1

Yeah the top of the battery opening that has the 3 molded holes where the battery door slides in and clips.

All good dude, start hacking!

[treys1]

I decided it was time to get serious on this little truck as I am enjoying the change from the Wraith.

Got the battery lower. I didnt even have to remove the whole bar on the side, just a little more than half.








My servo came it. It (and the lights) works perfectly fine off the BEC in the BR-XL in case anyone was wondering.




I decided to mount the BR-XL with zip ties as it is too tight to use servo tape and get it all the way to the bottom of the tub. I wanted it as low as possible so this was my plan:








I made a little receiver tray since I was moving everything back up front.










I made a little loop to velcro the power leads back so they stay out of the way of the servo arm.






And finally, I took the extra (non Bronco) stickers off that the PO had on there.





After doing all this I took half the extra weight back out of the front since everything is as low as it can go now, and everything but the battery is up front.

I also took the adjustment collar off the rear shocks as they were way too stiff without any weight back there. Feels good now.

I love this little truck. It's a blast on the not too hard trails, and it handles pretty well around the house and in the street too!

[treys1]

Mini update.

Some of the bottom lines on the body were cut kind of wavy so I cleaned that up.

The Junfac wheels looked nice and stock-ish, but two cracked after my first outing.

Axial 8-Hole beadlocks replaced them:

[LR3]

looks real sharp. If you ever sell LMK because I would love to have another CC01

[treys1]

I got some used satin chrome 8 hole beadlock with Flat Iron tires off the classified here so I went to work reseating beads & replacing the front inner beadlock hardware with button head for clearance.

After that was all situated I opened the fenders up a bit by taking about 1/3 of the black area off with a Dremel.

[derb]

Looking good man! I know some people don't like the size of the Flat Irons in terms of scale looks, but I really think they beef it up just enough before looking ridiculous. Plus they are a fantastic tyre for all the conditions that I've thrown mine at.

[treys1]

Thanks!

Yeah I would stay under 4" on the tires if anyone made some in a compound that was worth a damn! It looks OK to me though and it should perform a whole lot better.

I was thinking about buying some MTZ's but technically they are only .01" shorter than these that I got for a good deal.

[csb510]

Nice build. Coming along fine! Nice touch with the balancing weights!!!

Any plans for a GRU?

I too find the GPM steering kit to be a PITA

Also is that color Tamiya Copper? I'm thinking about spraying my Mog that color, Gold or Champagne Gold Aluminum. Though the last color is double the price.

[treys1]

Thanks!

I'm not planning on a GRU right now, I actually kind of like the speediness of the 55t on 3s.

As for the color the PO painted it so I have no idea what color it is. The paint IS one of the reasons I bought the truck though.


I had a chance to check out what the Flat Irons could do, they really let this little truck drive over some stuff you would think it has no business driving over!




I got my HeyOK light controller in the mail so I will get that added shortly.

Next up will be a servo winch. Today I ordered a HeyOK controller and drum, and a MadDogRC winch kit with the fairlead and line. I will be making some brackets to mount the servo between the front fenders right behind the grill upside down. That way it will only be ~1" from the fairlead to the drum.

[treys1]

The truck did really well this weekend on the new tires!

[treys1]

I got some work done on the Bronco tonight.

Last trip out I completely broke the front body mounts to pieces on a roll down a big rock. Rather than spend ~$25 and wait a month for one to get here from China I decided to fix the one I had.

I super glued all the pieces back together bought an $8 (shipped) sheet of 1/16" acetal and made a couple braces. The lower brace ties the actual body posts to the center holes and the upper brace ties those same center holes to the chassis mount.

I had to cut a couple pieces off to get a flat surface on the bottom:




Next came the bottom brace:






Then the top:




And all mounted up:





The I put my servo winch together and got it all mounted up. I used a HeyOK 3 position controller & bobbin, Mad Dog RC Winch Upgrade and a $6 HobbyKing servo I had hanging around & It should be plenty for this little truck and I will use it until it dies.

Take the parts out you don't need, and cut off the stop pin:




And put it back together:




Trim the bumper for the fairlead:






Trim the front of the truck for the winch line. I also had to trim some on the side for the extra bolt holding the servo:




And assembled:








I tested it by lifting the truck off the ground and back down with it and it held up just fine. I took a video clip I will try to post.

[treys1]

And here's the test:

Winch - YouTube