My crawler project has begun... *pics*

[offroad]

Well guys, I said I would do it so I am. there is definitely no turning back now . At this current time I am almost done with mocking up the links for the front-end with all the bracketry in place. Once I get everything the way I want it (I have made a few mistakes, and improvements) then I will just dupilcate it on the rear.

here are some pictures so far

First thing i did was lock out the axles


Here are the tires im using on the axles


And the wheels im using (yet to be mounted on the tires)


SCRAPS! (this pile has become a lot larger since this was taken lol)


Here are the chassis plates before i bent them


Bent and mounted (yes i know that i made my chassis a little weird but im confident what i have planned will work just fine)


Estimated length


Shock/Lower link mount


Upper link mount


Chassis link mounts


and last but not least (For now ) the side view of the links, I think that the way i have them set up will be perfect, from twisting it around i gets roughly 40-45 degree's of articulation, thats just in the front too


Anyways, I have been making really good progress, by wednesday night im hoping to have all the links cut and finished (only have the rear to do yet) and i also have to make all the brackets for the mounts on the rear axle. If i have time i will try to make my shock mounts on the chassis end. I need to run to Ace to get some more threaded rod and screws for the shocks before hand.

Well thats all i got for now, stay tuned, ill try to update you guys as much as i can. And i would also like to say that non of this would ever have happened if it weren't for your guys's great inspiration and the awsome information on this board, oh and i cant forget to mention that my dremel played a large part in this :-P . I have been paying really close attention to detail and trying to teach myself as much as i could and then i just went for it.

BTW, any advice is MORE than welcome while im still in my "mock up" kinda stage.

THANKS!
-offroad

[rockspaz]

[offroad]

I take it that you like what you see so far???

[WRMorrison]

Looks good man! One suggestion/observation though: It looks like you have your upper and lower links mounted on roughly the same plane at the chassis. Is this the case, or are my eyes fooling me? If they are, (not my eyes ) you may want to separate the upper/lower links vertically by about an inch or so, and have about 1.5-2" of separation at the axle attach. point. Just my limited opinion. Overall though, looks like you're off to a great start!

[bubbacheechee]

looks good so far keep us updated

[offroad]

Thanks for the responce guys!

WRMorrison, they aren't on the same plane, i just realized that those pictures do make it appear that way. There is i think right around an inch seperation at the chassis. I may increase that later on, im not sure yet.

well i got some more pictures to share, i worked pretty hard tonight to get the rear end completely done... and here is what i got.

Over head shot of completed links for rear-end


WRMorrison, this picture shows the seperation a little better at the chassis


Here she is on her wheels (the chassis needed help though :-P ) and my bronco body is sitting on it. Im going to use a bronco body and cut it up, i didn't have the heart to cut this one i like it too much


The wheel base as it sits is 16.5", i have to make a few minor changes and i think it will end up a little closer to 16"


here is further back picture of my temporary work area, and just an idea of how big that thing is.


let me know what you guys think!

OH, btw i just measured the verticle distances between link mounts, the chassis end is about .75", and the axle end is 1.75". i have a feeling that .75 is going to cause me trouble. i think i can pretty easily make it about 1-1.25" which would make a huge difference, but im afraid it might lower my ground clearance... will it or not?

thanks guys,
-offroad

[WRMorrison]

Looks sharp! I see what you mean about the links, but I think that they'll work out just fine. For a minute I was wondering if you were gonna have trouble fitting the body on there with the chassis plates being that far apart, but I guess it was just another optical illusion because it seems to work just fine. By the way, I'm also gonna try out the savage tires. I've never heard any good reviews of them though... :?

[noy007]

very very nice dude...
looks great!!!
whan i buy maxx axles?

noy

[mike]

looks good. looks like the chassis could be trimed some to lower the body down a bit more.

[offroad]

thanks for the great replies!

mike, yea i think i may cut a little off the top so to speak. originally i planned for the shocks to be pretty far out on the end but that idea changed so now i have a good .5"+ upward once i get the shocks mounted ill see about trimming it. im not really that worried about it though, if it becomes a problem i will fix it.

WRMorrison, ya i know it looks wide , but i took specific measurements for the bronco body so the chassis would fit into it.

keep the replies rollin!

later
-offroad

[TwistedCreations]

looks good, but the only things i personally would change are..

the links- i would make them thicker

the way you locked out the axles- i would take off the stock shock tower and fab up a new piece that is lower and not so bulky.i see your uppers are connected to it also, but if you fabbed up a new piece,you could still run it that way.

if you did that, you could lower the body and not possibly have the problem of the shock towers smacking the body during articulation.unless your planning on hacking up the other body pretty good. but still, it just looks to bulky to me. but it's your truck

sweet! definitly don't cut up that bronco body, its too nice!
Im building a maxx crawler too.
If ya got any helpfull hints, send them to fubar131@juno.com[/email] they will be much apreciated thanks.

[crunk crawlin]

what links are those

[offroad]

thanks for the responce guys,

okay, 2 things to clear up...

1) the link issue: those are not my final links. they are homemade links with 6-32 threaded rod. i have 1/4 x .035 rigid alluminum tube that im going to slide over the threaded rod. if you look at my lock out links that is what they will look like. i didn't do that yet because i wanted to be able to adjust the lengths of the rods if i needed to.

2) the body: The body wont actually ride that high. it was just sitting up on top of the shock towers for the picture. I am also not going to cut that body up .. im going to buy a new bronco body and paint it and cut it up for tire clearance. I just took a picture of where the body should sit and it looks a lot better.. i dont have time to upload it right this moment but i WILL have it up sometime tonight.

later!
-offroad

[offroad]

Here is the picture i took after i put the body right about where its actually going to sit. you can also see the lock out links pretty well which the 4-links will eventually look like. again im not using this body, im going to buy another bronco body and hack it up.




later!
-offroad

[mike]

looks good
the screws coming through the bottom of the chassis look like they will get hung up on the rocks

[bubbacheechee]

Looks awsome definately dont cut up that body it does look like those screws on tthe bottom of your chasis could pose a potential problem going over the rocks

[offroad]

mike and bubba, i was thinking the exact same thing. i only did that temporarily because it was easier to get on and off while i was adjusting the ends of the links. in the end i'll try to have everything pointed inward to resist hang up.

WELL GUYS, i got some GREAT news... i now have a ROLLING CHASSIS!!!

Here is a picture of the shocks after i got them mounted


OMG ROLLING CHASSIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!1


Quick articulation shot, the shocks at either end still have about 1/2 in em'. plus i think i will get more travel once i put my offset rims on the tires.


it can't even move yet and its already posing!


let me know what you guys think!

later!
-offroad

[ScaleCrawlersINC]

That is awesome, This has just made me want to build a maxx crawler. That is awesome! Very very nice job man!!

[offroad]

scalecrawler, Im glad i could influence you!

its definitely hard work planning it all out but it is very worth it in the end.. although i am not finished yet, i am getting closer and closer everyday.

next on my list is steering, gotta do servo mounts for the front and rear. I also have to measure and cut the alluminum tube for the 4-links. then i can start on electronics ( i have the ESC, i just need to find a integy 55t) then i think she will be ready for a test run. OH i gotta get a body too

Quick question for anybody who wants to answer.. The stock turnbuckles are to short to use for the steering. but i would like to use something of equal strength. And the 2.5 maxx ones arent long enough either. should i make some links that are just like what im using for the suspension and lock out links? or is there another way to do this...

thanks!
-offroad