bilinvic's Ascender

[bilinvic]

I have since discovered SSD doesn't make the Ti links in 66mm lengths.
My buddy Luc does all the recording, so hopefully there's some steep high traction surface climbing coming up in part II.

[pete959]

Vaterra makes the hd ones in 66mm i am hoping ssd makes some soon i really like the ones i bought

LIFE IS GOOD

[Sammy J.]

Originally Posted by bilinvic

Here's some footage of it's maiden run:

I wanna go! I wanna go!


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[bilinvic]

We are very lucky where we are located....there's tons of spots to go crawling that can last all day if you wanted; and sometimes we do!

[kournikova462]

Great vid


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[SSD]

Originally Posted by bilinvic

I have since discovered SSD doesn't make the Ti links in 66mm lengths.

Working on it...

[GLHS592]

I'm thinking about a vacation to British Columbia just to crawl with y'all. With terrain like that, you could never be bored.

[bilinvic]

More pics coming soon....

[bilinvic]

The goods arrived from RPP....

SSD 1.9” Steel Trail Beadlock Wheels (Silver)
Crawler Innovations Lil' Nova Dual Stage 4.50” Standard Inner / Soft Outer (2)
Team Ottsix Racing 1.9 Voodoo KLR Tire - Silver Compound (2)
Gear Head RC 1/10 Scale Six Shooter LED Light Bar - White and Blue

Gave the tires a bath in full strength Purple Power...they sure are sticky, I can't imagine what the gold compound is like. The SSD beadlock rims pretty much mounted the tires themselves...it's that easy and painless! I thought I was going to need to use some .475 Vanquish SLW hubs, but the stock SSD hubs' offset is good.

I removed the two Squadron light pods from the front bumper because they were getting in the way with the body too much and pointing everywhere but straight on!!! I used a Gearhead Six Shooter lightbar that I mounted with automotive grade double-sided tape and used the braces from Axial light bar kits to ensure it will not move. It's being fed power straight from the RX via the BEC which is set at 6v. Super bright!

I'm looking forward to experiencing what the hype is all about with these KLR tires....one thing for sure, they look awesome.

[Levesque87]

in the video above the ascenders seem to go pretty good.

[Natedog]

Looks good, nice use of those little braces. Love those new SSD wheels, the hubs that come with them were just right offset for me too. Like the new out beadlock style of these wheels too. Let us know how the KLRs work out.

[bilinvic]

Thanxs...the new "D" slot is perfect for a '79 F150 IMHO. I will most definitely report back on the KLR's performance.

[northernerbill]

That's looking so good now.

You've probably done it already so sorry in advance but you must loctite all the scale bolts on the bead or they'll come out.

[bilinvic]

Thanxs for the advice Bill....I have tightened all the scale hardware down and if one goes missing, I have lots on hand to replace...then they get a dab of blue Loctite. I also tighten them after each run.

[tgh117]

I agree. The tires look great. The center is a similar pattern to the j concepts I think. I'll have to join the Klr club eventually.


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[Natedog]

Originally Posted by bilinvic

Thanxs for the advice Bill....I have tightened all the scale hardware down and if one goes missing, I have lots on hand to replace...then they get a dab of blue Loctite. I also tighten them after each run.

Buddy lost couple of his tiny beadlock screws first time out, so I loctited all mine from the gitgo.

[bilinvic]

Another great 5 hour crawl today up Mt. Doug with the Ascender. Performed awesome with the new VooDoo KLR rubber. It was a wet, muddy day which evens the playing field of tire compounds, but nonetheless, they did exceptional well.

I went 3S for the first half and 4S for the last half. Lots of wheel-spin when needed and took everything I had to keep my finger from mashing the throttle all the time. Nothing broke!

What a great rig this and is so much fun to drive because it's incredibly capable on the rocks.

There was two occasions today that my machine was the only one capable of conquering a challenge that the others could not.

[bilinvic]

...and the aftermath shots @ home. The side panels I fabbed up did a decent job of keeping the motor/trans and ESC relatively clean from mud.

[new2rocks]

Another great thread, sir. You are, indeed, a man after my own heart. My Ascender is as close to stock as I get and, well, it's not very close to stock, lol. Stock or not, though, these things work really well. The stock HD driveshafts are pretty strong and durable, but check out the GCM universal diff input if you want to switch over to some steel ones down the road. Also, keep an eye on the diff covers. Mine pulled apart from the axles after a while, so they got replaced with SSDs.

[Bananaclip]

Great build Bill