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Old 06-02-2020, 09:23 AM   #1
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Default TOT's TRX-4 Build

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum, and crawling in general. But I've been into R/C since I was a kid. When the COVID craziness hit and my employer started to make us work from home I decided to pick up a TRX-4 Chassis kit to help keep myself occupied. And since I had several nice piles of rock on my apartment complex's property I figured a rock crawler was the right move given the circumstances.

I don't really have a particular direction I plan on going with this build but I figured I would start documenting the modifications I've been making to help me keep track.

The TRX-4 Chassis Kit is the fully featured spec with 2-speed transmission and locking diffs. It just comes without a body and battery.

It went from a pile of parts to it's maiden crawl in about 2 evenings of work.





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Old 06-02-2020, 11:11 AM   #2
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I decided on the 2017 Ford Raptor body from ProLine to fit the 12.3" wheel base. This required me to change out the fenders for the narrower sport version fenders. Could I have cut the original ones to fit? Sure, but I am lazy and this was easier.

Here it is cut out and sitting in approximately the final position. The final position ended up being a bit lower than what is pictured here.



From poking around the forums during this build I knew I wanted to do the "bumper flip" modification. The rear bumper cross member in the stock position drops down fairly far below the chassis rail, and the front bumper cross member only has a minor drop. So in order to get the maximum approach angle and due to how the body sat on the chassis, I took it a step further and moved the rear bumper cross member to the front and moved the front bumper cross member to the rear. As well as flipping them upside down. But the rear bumper sat out way to far for my liking so I flipped it around so it was facing the other way, allowing me to tuck the rear bumper very close to the chassis rails.

Here is the front bumper, with the rear cross member flipped upside down.



And here is the rear bumper with the front cross member flipped upside down and backwards.



This did require additional trimming of the body. Most of the front grill area is gone now to fit the front bumper.

Side by side shot comparing the front bumper in the stock position and how it sits now.



Side by side shot comparing the rear bumper in the stock position and how it sits now.



I also ended up cutting the side skirt area of the body so that I could raise the rock sliders up 10-15mm. Still have to grab the needed spacers in order to raise them but that will be coming soon.


Next I chose a Light Sand for the main body color, Black for the bed, hood cowl, and fender flares, and a Smoke color for the windows to give them a tint. I don't really like completely clear windows on RC bodies. I masked off the required areas and got to painting.
***Note: I accidentally used the wrong type of paint for the sand color. It is not meant for lexan bodies and will likely start to crack and chip away***
I'm not too worried about this though because since the beginning I kind of wanted to go with a cab only body and rear back half cage. Now I'll have an excuse to do that when the paint starts looking like garbage on this body.



All painted up! It doesn't look too bad from 4 feet away, but any closer and you can see paint bleeding where my masking job wasn't up to snuff. This was my first time painting a RC body though, and ultimately came out better than I expected.


Last edited by TheseusOfTroezen; 06-02-2020 at 11:15 AM.
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Old 06-02-2020, 07:15 PM   #3
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Default Re: TOT's TRX-4 Build

Looks sharp. My story is very similar to yours. I built a Sport Kit with my boy and didn’t intend to do too much modding...but you spend a little time on this forum and next thing you know you’ll have a Holmes Hobbies motor, portal weights, lights, and multiple sets of tires. ��
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Old 06-02-2020, 07:19 PM   #4
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Default Re: TOT's TRX-4 Build

Sounds like you’ve done your research and you’re off to a great start.

Welcome to the forums!
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Old 06-03-2020, 07:51 AM   #5
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Looks sharp. My story is very similar to yours. I built a Sport Kit with my boy and didn’t intend to do too much modding...but you spend a little time on this forum and next thing you know you’ll have a Holmes Hobbies motor, portal weights, lights, and multiple sets of tires. ��
Thanks. Haha yeah it's snowballing really quick. Already looking into building another rig.

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Sounds like you’ve done your research and you’re off to a great start.

Welcome to the forums!
Thanks!
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Old 06-03-2020, 08:14 AM   #6
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Ok, so obviously I couldn't leave well enough alone...

I cut and siped the stock tires. Cutting out the small center lugs and siping the small outer lugs. I did notice some increased traction on the rocks, though it could have been a placebo effect too.



I don't have any pictures but I also rebuilt the stock shocks, using some high quality o-ring grease and replacing the original spacer between the 2 o-rings with a shorter. Which reduces the stiction in the shock pretty significantly.

Here are some pictures of it sits now





Some flex shots because why not









I've been able to get out to a local crawler course's open practice, and it performs pretty good. It impresses me, but then again I have no baseline because I'm brand new.

I have a 3Brothers G11 servo and metal servo horn coming in this week. It will be good to get that stock servo out of there ASAP. There is also a competition at my local crawler course in mid June that I will be entering. With how the truck sits now (even with the servo upgrade) I will be in the "Box Stock/RTR" class. After that I will decide how hog wild I want to go on the upgrades.
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Old 06-03-2020, 06:33 PM   #7
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Default Re: TOT's TRX-4 Build

Good looking build!

I like how you tucked the bumpers up in the body. Also, nice job on the tire cutting. I did the same to my stock Canyon Trail tires and they perform very well.
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Old 06-04-2020, 07:07 PM   #8
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My 3Brothers G11 servo came in today. I mounted it up and added a traxxas metal servo horn. It performs much better than the original one, faster and stronger.



Also I raised the rock sliders up by 12mm using M3 stand-offs. They are just about flush with the "floor board" now. They may be a little high and leave the lower links and drive shafts vulnerable but I'll see how it performs. Everything is a trade off...

Stock height



Raised



Not pictured but I noticed the body position had a bit of rake. Higher in the rear and lower in the front. So I dropped the rear body post by one hole, it is now in the lowest position. There's still a small amount of rake but it looks much better.
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Old 06-04-2020, 07:17 PM   #9
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Good looking build!

I like how you tucked the bumpers up in the body. Also, nice job on the tire cutting. I did the same to my stock Canyon Trail tires and they perform very well.
Thank you! I can't wait to see how it (and I) perform in competition. My local course has one 2 Saturday's from now.
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Old 06-04-2020, 07:36 PM   #10
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Default Re: TOT's TRX-4 Build

Looking good. Painting we all learn from our mistakes lol. Have fun with the build.
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Old 06-09-2020, 04:03 PM   #11
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Looking good. Painting we all learn from our mistakes lol. Have fun with the build.
Thanks! This is true, I definitely won't be making that mistake again.
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Old 06-09-2020, 04:08 PM   #12
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I was able to get out to a local trail and get some crawling in after raising the rock sliders. I must say, with the raised bumpers and rock sliders, this thing climbs like a goat and doesn't get hung up on stuff. At first I thought the 12mm's I lifted the rock sliders was going to be too much, but it handles great and the links/driveline don't seem too vulnerable.









First comp will be this Saturday. Then I'm thinking it will be time for a few choice upgrades...
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Old 06-16-2020, 07:49 AM   #13
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Well...competition 1 is done. I placed 4th out of 7 in the box stock class, not too shabby for my first time. I had lots of fun and learned a ton!

I didn't get a chance to snap any pictures during the comp, but here are a few on the old section of the course that they kept open all day for fun running.










Now the smart thing to do would be to stay in the box stock class, get a winch, and improve my skills. But as I'm sure many can relate, I just can't help myself when it comes to more modifications.

I picked up a traxxas underdrive set for the rear axle, BowHouse low CG battery tray, SSD beadlock wheels, and SSD brass outer portal covers for the front. I'm going to try and find a set of Hyrax tires and 2 stage foams locally as well.
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Old 06-16-2020, 09:41 AM   #14
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Default Re: TOT's TRX-4 Build

Congrats! The main thing is to have fun! The more you drive it the more you learn what it can do. I'm constantly learning new things about my rigs every time I take them out.

Back in my R/C racing days, I took things too seriously and never took the time to just have fun. Another lessen learned! I just have fun now!

Looks like a great course! Nice pics!
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Old 06-17-2020, 07:58 AM   #15
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Default Re: TOT's TRX-4 Build

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Originally Posted by B-MOW71 View Post
Congrats! The main thing is to have fun! The more you drive it the more you learn what it can do. I'm constantly learning new things about my rigs every time I take them out.

Back in my R/C racing days, I took things too seriously and never took the time to just have fun. Another lessen learned! I just have fun now!

Looks like a great course! Nice pics!

I absolutely agree!
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