OS's Ascender #3

[OSRC]

Started working on a few details....I'm not a super scale detail guy by any means, but I d have some standards!

Found this while working on the window trim...Whoops! Getting old apparently!


Added some mirrors though they came out a bit droopy. Keeping my eye out for another set. I'm sure I have something that fits better here somewhere.


Front bumper will only accommodate RC4WD's Bulldog winch, of which I don't have. Wasn't really looking for anything functional per-se, just looking for something to visually fill that gap on the front bumper. So I got a little creative! I dug out the fake winch from my TRX-4, wrapped it with some cord and a Warn sticker. Then cut the fairlead off the Defender's stock bumper.


Glued it together did a little paint work and stuck it on the bumper. Not too shabby!


Also swapped over from the Hyrax to Pitbulls. Swapped over the SSD wheels...I've never had a set of beadlocks that were so hard to get the tire off. I had to basically peel the Hyrax off the wheels.... Good to know they were's going anywhere! Mounted the Hyrax on some PL wheels and I'll test out both. Do like the look of the PB tires though, perfect size and profile for the body and stance.

[mgputer]

Looks fantastic. Pitbulls look perfect. I really like the winch idea. I might have to try that. I have one of those Traxxas winches.

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[OSRC]

Went out and did some testing with the PB's mounted up. I can never remember the name of these tires. Bravens? ATX? PCB? TCB? PCP? It's like a mental fugue. Anyway, they did great as expected. Not quite as good as the Hyrax for sure, but very good for a scale treaded tire. One of the best out there I'd say.

Found it interesting that now I three wheel down steep inclines. Easily manageable, and fun to watch. might move the front upper link a bit higher on the chassis - think that'll help settle it down.


New obstacle I started working on...not quite finished yet.


Front shocks are much better with the 50wt.. Definitely much more controlled up front in all situations, and better balanced with the rear.


With all the tread surface area, the PB's owned my ramps. Could stop, back up, and restart again on my 60d ramp without too much fuss. Might have to make a 65d as my trucks are getting better.


Ready for a trail run...Keeping the Hyrax in reserve depending on where the next run is. I'll use them on the harder/more challenging trails.


Been surfing Ebay for a driver, haven't quite found anything yet. I had Keven Owens here ready to go, but he's Canadian.. doesn't quite work for the All American Cherokee. So KO's in the BOM and the search continues.

[OSRC]

FINALLY! The Ascender hits the dirt. Did a nice leisurely run at Green Lane yesterday - not the most challenging trail, so the Ascender was perfect. 4.19 tires fit this body perfect, and the Pitbulls were great. Not sure how they get so much traction, but they went everywhere I pointed it.

Tried to run the Defender too, but kept losing the bind for some reason so I parked it. Kinda glad, allowed me to focus on the Ascender.


Stalking... the woods around here are completely overgrown from all the rain. We're something like 18" over normal for the year and it shows.


Various action shots...






GCM motor kit worked great - balance was spot on, and the weight up front came in handy when climbing. It's a bit tippy since the axles are somewhat narrow and the motor is really up there, but take your time and let the weight transfer and it's super capable.

One thing that always amazes me is how quiet the truck is. By far the quietest truck I have. All I can hear is the motor whirring away, the driveline doesn't make a sound.

[M1tch]

Nice truck. Love the paint job. If they are Pit Bulls I'm not sure what the name is. I love the Rock Beasts 4.5" on my Venture though. The tread does look a bit closer patterned to the Rock Beasts though. Not sure if they would work as good in my area.

I was surprised how quiet the Ascender was when I took it out as backup on the Ventures 3rd run.The Venture is pretty loud. Wildlife runs and hides I'm sure.

[OSRC]

They are Pitbull PBX in 4.19 flavor IIRC.

Very scale looking, not nearly as aggressive as the Rock Beasts... it was pretty dry yesterday with just a few muddy spots. They did really well. Far better than I expected.

[Natedog]

Originally Posted by OSRC

They are Pitbull PBX in 4.19 flavor IIRC.

Very scale looking, not nearly as aggressive as the Rock Beasts... it was pretty dry yesterday with just a few muddy spots. They did really well. Far better than I expected.

Yes, great looking tires and the 1.55s do really well on my TF2, looks great on your Jeep!
https://pitbullrc.com/collections/1-...2-tires-2foams

I've got that same Proline interior, need to paint and install to my blazer, slightly narrow for that but little lexan and paint will fix that.

Really love the look of this truck, have you had any lower front links hitting frame problem with the low height and short shocks?

Couple pages back you mentioned shortening the rear, so you cut some off the frame rails as well as link adjustment?

[OSRC]

Originally Posted by Natedog

Really love the look of this truck, have you had any lower front links hitting frame problem with the low height and short shocks?

Couple pages back you mentioned shortening the rear, so you cut some off the frame rails as well as link adjustment?

Hi Natedog! The front lowers are very close, but don't seem to hit. The driveshaft actually hits the transmission before the links do. Doesn't seem to be an issue, the front rarely compresses to such a degree.


I did trim a ton off the chassis for the rear links - they were hitting well before full chassis compression. Pic of it fully compressed:


I did not cut the frame rails lengthwise. Didn't have to, just lined up the holes until it was the right length for the body. Adjustable length frame is one of the coolest parts of the Ascender when it comes to custom builds! Here's a shot of how it is assembled.


Hope that helps good sir!

[Natedog]

Thank you for the great pictures and explanations good sir, answers all my questions!

[Natedog]

I've narrowed a rear axle for front duty, got my links length and axle clocking set, getting ready to drill the c-hub mounting holes. I'm going for little more caster than stock, mindful of panhard, frame and steering linkage. Any tips on getting the chubs clocked just right and both as close to same as possible?

[OSRC]

What I did was mount up the first one (Panhard side) onto the truck with all the links/shocks mounted on it so I could be sure everything cleared and cycled correctly. Then I marked, drilled, and hard mounted the C-hub.

Then I bolted up steering drag link, mounted up the other side and just eyeballed it. With the drag link on, it's pretty easy to see if you are off at all. Then marked and drilled the other side.

Did three sets of axles this way. On one of them, my mark was perfect, but the bit walked a little and it's slightly off - I think it was this truck. The others, ff they are off, I can't tell - it's by fractions. I'm sure there's a more scientific way, but this is what worked for me!

[Natedog]

Thanks, similar to what I had in mind. Took all four shock springs off this and my original Va'Blazer, set them side by side on flat solid workbench, measured knuckle steering arms height from bench, set it up so that at full compression the tie-rod just touches my Hudy reverse offset servo arm. Will mark and drill front two holes, install screws and then the rear two c-hub holes. Panhard rod also just touches front upper link ends at full compression.

[OSRC]

Last weekend was almost 70 degrees here in PA. Pretty nice for January! Took a break from the TRX's and drove a few Cherokee's.... Ascender and SCX10.

My Ascender has really been collecting dust. I picked up some new 1.55 Pitbulls for another project, but I thought they fit this body really nice. So I bolted them on and ended up wheeling this truck with Daycrawler for over 3 hours.


Very cool driving a tiny tire rig. I've been spoiled with how much clearance the TRX4's have. I had to get back in the mindset of picking easier lines and looking for smoother transitions compared to where I normally run. Having said that, this rig climbs like a goat! Great traction and having the motor up front let's it claw it's way up some pretty steep rocks.


The GCM kit really puts the motor up high though, holy cow. Then I went and narrowed the axles by about 20mm.. so it's quite tippy when sidehilling. Made for a somewhat challenging rig to drive at times, but still a ton of fun.


What still strikes me about the truck is how dead silent it is. This thing just absolutely whispers along the trail with just a bit of motor whine...great for enjoying some nature


I did make some small adjustments when I got home... rear swaybar is way stiff. Gave it some longer links and ground some material off. Hopefully it flexes a bit more next time.

[OSRC]

Had a ball driving this truck last time, though I'm ready for some changes....

That motor is way up there....with the narrowed axles, it was not sidehilling well at all. I don't need it to be a sidehill king, but there were a few spots where it should have gone and couldn't. I'm not about to remove the GCM kit, so the easiest thing to do was make a lighter motor up top! Tore my Revolver out of the SCX10 and did some measurements... The revolver motor was 145g compared to the 175g of the current brushed motor, so that's 30g less way up high. Swapping over was a no brainer!



Also, I wanted some larger tires. The 1.55's looked great and tucked perfectly in the body, but I wanted just a bit more clearance. I swapped some 4.19 MTR's onto a set of 8 hole beadlocks and bolted them on. The look is great! The wheels have a bit more offset giving me a slightly wider track, though are still tucked in a good amount. The overall stance is aggressive, but not too much so. I did have to do some fender trimming...


I had to really hog out the front, but I think it still looks pretty decent overall.




I have a set of rear axle weights coming as the truck is WAY nose heavy. Did more than 1 endo when the drag brake kicked in... And the Revolver has a way strong brake. I'll have to tune it down a bit I think..