knightsy's Twin Hammer

[knightsy]

I purchased my Hammers a few months ago and only ran it stock once. I was impressed with the way it ran out of the box but could see a serious weakness in the unlocked front diff. I want it for crawling/trailing, not speed. I thought I would be doing it a few more times but Sr Irie came through with his GCM steering unit quicker than I expected. So I got one (sorry Stets ) and the upgrade started.

Mechanical upgrade, first stage:
GCM front plate/shock towers and the rear axle truss
SR Irie steering unit for the GCM front plate
Axial front shocks with Proline soft long springs
GMade piggy back rear shocks
Front diff locker
HD front diff cups
Axial 1.9 beadlocks
PB Rock Beast tyres
bog standard 27 turn Tamiya motor
Hitec HS-5646WP steering servo with a Team Losi Racing Aluminium Servo Horn

I purchased an RC Screwz Vaterra Twin Hammer Stainless Steel Screw Kit and as I swapped stuff out I replaced the hardware with SS. And any other screws in the chassis floor which were not otherwise swapped out. The Tamiya motor was to test what number of turns to get in a good motor. I don't need the 15 turn speed. I wanted to stay brushed so I have no serious getting-wet issues. The battery moved to the front and I tucked the spare in where the battery used to be.

And off I went with a mate and his new Wraith. We had a ball. I was impressed with the Hammers' traction with the locked front diff and the Rock Beasts and general balance. And it had quite enough speed for me in low gear on 27 turns. I especially liked the way it mostly ended on its feet when it fell down a slope! Ha ha. My driving sucks . It didn't cock a front wheel when powering up a slope either - GCM rear truss works. I didn't like the lack of drag brake. A couple of pics from the outings.





I went back to that gully just after 24 hours of rain. Never again there when it is wet. It took me ages to remove that sticky clay from the tyres and my shoes! The Hammers liked it though!



Mechanical upgrade, stage 2:
Holmes Hobbies waterproof BR-XL
Crawler Innovations Lil Nova 4.25" 2 stage foams - soft outer
GMade diaphragm rear shocks
Two Turnigy 2200mAh 2c batteries and an Imax B6AC charger
Holmes Hobbies Torquemaster Expert 27 turn motor is on the way

I replaced the rear shocks because the piggy backs (well the left side one) will be in the way of the driver and her seat when I do the cosmetic upgrade. The new foams make a distinct improvement to traction. And the tyres were a lot easier to fit which is a bonus. The new battery fits without any cutting of the hood frame and the hood hinges at the front and clips in place using the GCM shock towers. And so far I have had no steering issues with the beefier servo, even with the stock ESC. So at the moment I will leave things be. But I might go to direct battery power for the steering servo later.

This thing is so much fun. And quite impervious to ham-fisted driving - tumbling down slopes and generally being beaten on. Love it. Mechanically I think it is done, although I will get a pair of Sr Irie front half shafts for when replacements are needed. The next phase is cosmetic - roof, hood, side panels, etc. A few more pics:







Thanks for looking.

[knightsy]

Forgot to add:
Because I only trail/crawl I removed the shift servo and the ESC resides there now. And moved the RX up behind the transmission. There is now a nice space awaiting the driver and her seat. I added a CC 10a BEC using an HH RX bypass the other day to directly power the steering servo. The current layout: