Android's K5 Blazer
 

Hi folks!

Another ascender noob here :)
Just got my RTR delivered. This far I've resoldered the battery plug to XT60 - I'll run it on 3s packs I have plenty of, and did a little test run around the living room.
Also couldn't wait any longer and did the obligatory mods - trimmed the wheel arches a bit, cut some 5mm off front and back lip, lowered the body 3 holes lower, and also lowered the suspension a bit. Now it looks way better. Tomorrow I'm planning on modding the stock shocks.
I also had the Axial exterior trim pack delivered - installed the mirrors and windshield wipers - they do look on the small side, but still better than without.
As the winter is coming (brace yourselves), I have some ideas on what to do next:
1.relocate the motor and gearbox to the front - not going to use the GCMRacing kit, but I'll build something like that myself - I have a good friend with the CNC machine, and some ideas on how to do it a little bit different way. I also have RC4WD transfer case laying around from my previous build, and some some spares from Traxxas Slash I sold a while ago.
2. do the rear shock tower removal - not sure which way - the cantilever or the GCMRacing way by installint the inward looking shocks.
3. Build the inner fenders and try to build the interior out of styrene - I have some minor experience with the styrene.
4. Change wheels/tires and maybe repaint the body in military camo style - love how the GCMRaging's M1009 looks, I'll try something alike.
5. Depending on how all this turns out I'll consider buying the RC4WD Blazer body - it seems to fit on the ascender chassis in terms of size... some serious modding is unavoidable though.


At this moment I'm having two issues I need your advice on:
1. When steering at full lock it seems something is binding - the front starts wobbling - what is it, and how to get rid of it?
2. The notorious torque roll - how to get rid of that?

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

You forgot to put the Codyboy weighted axles on your list! They are a must have.;-);-)
Ernie

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

The wobbling could be the CVD's starting to bind. Just turn the end points down on the Tx.


Put the rear shocks on the outside of the mounts. Just use a spacer Inside the shock mount to replace the shock end. A sway bar can help, but I still haven't fitted one yet.

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Thanks for advices!
I'll try relocating the shocks.
I just received Traxxas Slash 4x4 swaybar kit - I'll try installing them on the rear axle.

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

It will be tought trying to fit the bars from the slash kit, but the other parts in there are very usefull. Check my thread, .073" music wire works well with a stock weight blazer (although I bent 2 smaller wires to tune for the weight of my rig)and the other slash sway parts. Others have used axial sway bars too.... Natedog has a good setup in his thread.

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Are you saying the front tires wobble when driving? Mine will hop/wobble when they are trying to catch traction and I'm flooring it at full lock.


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Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Yes, they are wobbling when driving at full lock on even surface - and when I lift the truck up (or put it on its back) - it feels like there is some binding in knuckles at full lock.
Not that it is tragic, and I think some of it should vanish when I break it in.

Got some new parts delivered - some smaller tires, and new beadlocks are on the way.
I still have to bring home from my countryside house my old Bronco I built a couple of years ago. It was built on venom creeper axles, and I abandoned it after another axle broke - got fed up with the poor quality. I'll retrieve some interesting parts from it - winch, wheels etc.

I hope this weekend I'll have some time to spend on the blazer and finally will put some pics in this thread ;-)

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

The binding at full lock is your CVDs. They are being pushed beyond their workable range. Adjust the end points on your radio. This will prevent the servo from traveling too far which will wear your CVDs and possible kill your servo.

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Can a cvd be out of phase and that cause the problem?


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Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Yes, but even in phase you'll get a little wobble due to the extreme steering angles and type of joints. "thumbsup"

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

If you could post a vid or photo of how far it's turning.


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Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

I'll post it in the afternoon when I get home.
To me the steering angle looks ok - like advertised, close to 40-45 degrees.

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Hi!

Here is the video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERPNWpiM6sw

Part of the wobble is because the tires aren't glued perfectly, but some binding still takes place.

Anyone knows how to unglue the tires without ruining them or the rims?

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Didn't seem that wobbly to me but then again. I'm not very experienced. Maybe disconnect drive shaft at the Trans and turn and spin them by hand to see where it binds at?


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Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Didn't look too bad to me, most of the wobble seems to be in the tires. Kneed the tires/foams by hand, going all the way around the tire to help center and smooth out the foams inside the tires. That should help some. If the tires are not aligned on wheels well when they are glued, then there's not much you can do, that's why I like beadlocks. SSD, RC4WD, and LockedUpRC make nice beadlocks. While you're at it, buy some good foams, I like CI DW for Proline TSL XL and trim the ribs off.

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Tried it - didn't feel much of a binding.
On the other hand - I've been driving it around the house - to break it in, so may be something has settled where it should.
The wheels though... they are not round. Can't really see if they are glued on improperly, or they have some (childhood) memory from living in the box for quite some time.

I made another mod/tweak - I noticed the ESC BEC puts out about 4.3v on the receiver pins. I added a 3A UBEC I had laying around, and connected it to the ballance port of the battery - I didn't want to splice it into the power cables right away. Now the servo feels much more alive.

Another thing I noticed - if I trim the radio's steering right to the middle, the servo stops so that the arm is either to one side or the other. So I put the servo arm back where it was, and the steering needs to be trimmed to be in the center. And the throw to the left and to the right are unequal - if it goes to one side to full lock, touching the limiters on the knuckles, to the other side it lacks at least some 10 degrees.
Tomorrow I'll try to fix this by changing the radio - I have a Turnigy GTX3, and it has much more things to adjust than this RTR radio.

If the weather won't be downright terrible as it has been in the past few days, I'll maiden the blazer on some trails.

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

I have a set of beadlocks on the old bronco I'm going to pull apart, and also I have a set coming in the mail.
It's a pity I can't get the stock tires off the rims - as I like the tires but not so much the rims..

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Heating the wheels and tires in an oven can work. Some have said that putting the wheels in a can with some acetone can do the job. The stock tires are good, so it would be a shame to waste them.

Re: Android's K5 Blazer
 

Or maybe boil them.


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Android's K5 Blazer
 

I baked my Ascender stock tires off in the oven. Worked like a charm.
Harley Designs explains it in his Deadbolt budget build video series.

https://youtu.be/oBOenEL3eBM

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