My upgraded Clone Hammers (WlToys K949)

[luminova11]

I've been following and posting in the Clone Hammers thread but have got to a point where I thought I would consolidate my experiences to date.
Firstly it's a good rc let down by a few poor components but then, what do you expect for £69. The reciever died on the first run, this also made the servos useless as they are of the five wire variety and as it's an integrated unit I now also had no esc. These were replaced with a Spektrum DX4C, Hobbywing 1060 wp esc, Savox SW0231MG steering servo and an EMAX ES3005 shift servo. EDIT 6/6/17: I should have made it clear that the shift servo is not a direct replacement, I had to make a mounting plate as it is a little larger. I am sorry if this has caused any problems for anyone. It is however still working great after many months of use.




All was fine for a few runs until the hexes on the wheels had started to break out, the plastic used is really quite brittle. These were replaced with Boom racing aluminium hexes and Boom Racing aluminium wheels. At this time I also upgraded the rear shock towers to GPM Racing aluminium items, just 'cause I like orange.



So now everything is running as it should, the high mass wheels have done wonders, keeping the truck on its wheels most of the time, I'm certainly doing less walking. It was now time to make the truck mine, so with a few basic tools and the stainless steel casing from a deceased microwave oven, I set to work.



And of course an upgraded driver


I'm really pleased with my first attempt at this sort of body work, especially with the limited tools I have (no Dremel here). No doubt more things will get changed/upgraded in the future but for now I'm just waiting for a break in the weather so I can get out and run it. And I still haven't spent the cost of a genuine Twin Hammers yet. Thanks for looking.


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[Spunkybob]

That looks great mate :-)
My second hand one has no body panels.. was it hard to do? I'm good with my hands but don't know where to start.

[Ca. Off Roader]

Originally Posted by Spunkybob

That looks great mate :-)
My second hand one has no body panels.. was it hard to do? I'm good with my hands but don't know where to start.

I haven't done any body panels on my current RC's but in the past I simply used light weight cardboard or heavyweight cardstock paper to create a pattern/template including where all the bends are.

For complex bends you may want to tape together multiple pieces of paper to create the correct shape. Of course if it's this complex you may need to either glue or weld the finished product together.

Once you have everything right including the shape, bends, mounting holes, etc. you will use it to mark the cuts, and bends onto your aluminum plate.

In the US, aluminum plate in varying thickenesses can be purchased at most hardware stores including Home Depot, Lowes, & Orchard Hardware Supply in addition to local commercial metals sources like Sims Metals here in N. Cal.

Next you need to cut the plate. Fortunately Aluminum is soft enough that you can cut it using simple woodworking tools. For straight cuts, I used either a table or miter saw. For the more curves including complex/tight ones I used an inexpensive Ryobi scroll saw with bunch of fresh blades.

Then to bend the panels, I used a bench vice and pliers or a heavy mallet.

HTH.

[Ca. Off Roader]

I should add that there are tools that are more expensive but are made specifically for metal work but I find for Aluminum, the above methods are good enough for 'simple' home projects.

[luminova11]

Originally Posted by Spunkybob

That looks great mate :-)
My second hand one has no body panels.. was it hard to do? I'm good with my hands but don't know where to start.

Thank you, nice to hear you like it. No it wasn't hard, just took a while to do. I wanted to do the panels a bit more filled in than stock so I made some templates onto some graph paper using measurements taken from the cage. Then transferred the patterns to the stainless steel and cut them out with some tin snips. Then I put in the panel bends following the contours of the cage, drilled the mounting holes, mounted the panels and finished of with a file until flush with tha cage rails. Just take your time and enjoy making something individual to you.


A bit of coastal trailing.



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[HDMM]

Nice scenery!

[Sr.Irie]

Originally Posted by HDMM

Nice scenery!

Yes it is, looks like a good spot, I wana go

[razdawg22]

So how do you like it so far? I have ordered the Hobbyking version A333, not sure if it is any different.

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[Lubat]

The A333 should be the exact same truck. Ordered mine from Hobbyking as well.

[razdawg22]

Wow, that was some quick shipping. Ordered Tuesday and it's waiting for me on Friday.

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[TimeBomb572]

I really like that roof panel. I ended mine right at the rear roof tubing and it leaves too much of the rear exposed without the spare tire back there. Just a giant hole of nothing. lol.

EDIT: LOVE the hood, too. How did you get the scallops so clean? I'd have butchered it.

-Travis

[Dick Dragon]

Originally Posted by TimeBomb572

EDIT: LOVE the hood, too. How did you get the scallops so clean? I'd have butchered it.

-Travis

I believe he said they were in the panel, before he cut them out of the panels from a microwave or toaster oven.....


great idea,by the way!!

[razdawg22]

Two runs in and going great! Add shock oil and diff oil in front. Feels like a really solid deal for about $160.00.

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[luminova11]

Originally Posted by Sr.Irie

Yes it is, looks like a good spot, I wana go

This is about 200 yards from my front door. It's on the North coast of the far West of Cornwall in the UK. My village is called Lower Boscaswell if you want to look it up on Google Earth.

Originally Posted by razdawg22

So how do you like it so far? I have ordered the Hobbyking version A333, not sure if it is any different.

I'm really enjoying it. My son has taken on my old Tamiya Twin Detonator which we are slowly upgrading together and its great for bashing with him, although the old Tamiya out corners it at every turn. I'm also really liking a bit of solo trailing, which is all new to me as I've been out of the game for some time, but I have miles of trails like I've shown on this thread that I can access within a 2 minute walk from home, so I'm making the most of them and am beginning to find it more than a little addictive. So far apart from the initial electronics woes the truck is holding up great with no further problems

Originally Posted by TimeBomb572

I really like that roof panel. I ended mine right at the rear roof tubing and it leaves too much of the rear exposed without the spare tire back there. Just a giant hole of nothing. lol.

EDIT: LOVE the hood, too. How did you get the scallops so clean? I'd have butchered it.

-Travis

Thanks, glad you like it. I can't take credit for the roof panel design, I saw it somewhere on another rc, think it may have been on some Yeti custom panels though. I've looked at soooo much after getting back into the hobby I really can't remember. And yes the louvres were already in the stainless steel as it was a case from a microwave. I wanted to use them in the side panels as well originally but it looked too much.


The latest upgrades; Boom Racing aluminium top links, the originals were very flexible. They are not broken or worn so will go in the spares box.

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[Lubat]

Were you having too much flex on those rear uppers? You notice the difference with the new ones? Have you replaced the lowers? Nice rig btw.

[luminova11]

Originally Posted by Lubat

Were you having too much flex on those rear uppers? You notice the difference with the new ones? Have you replaced the lowers? Nice rig btw.

Thank you. I was getting quite a bit of lateral movement on high articulation and on side slopes. How this compares to a genuine TH I don't know. I also don't know if the top links are responsible for it because I've not had chance to get out for a test run yet due to dangerous weather conditions. I'll update as soon as I do and the lowers are next on the list in a couple of weeks.

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[razdawg22]

Originally Posted by luminova11

I'm really enjoying it. My son has taken on my old Tamiya Twin Detonator which we are slowly upgrading together and its great for bashing with him, although the old Tamiya out corners it at every turn. I'm also really liking a bit of solo trailing, which is all new to me as I've been out of the game for some time, but I have miles of trails like I've shown on this thread that I can access within a 2 minute walk from home, so I'm making the most of them and am beginning to find it more than a little addictive. So far apart from the initial electronics woes the truck is holding up great with no further problems.

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Nice! I have a Tamiya Mad Bull which I believe is the same chassis (minus one motor/gearbox).

Good to read your impressions of the K949 (A333). So far they mirror my own experiences.

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[Dick Dragon]

You may want to experiment with raising the rear upper link mount...

This is about 5.65mm higher....



I also lowered the front mount about 1.5mm



I haven't had a chance to test it yet....but from my previous builds, I'm sure that it's going to help.

Directly from the White House to you....

[Lubat]

GCM has a nice truss they sell for the hammers that really helps with the torque twist. GCM Racing WebStore-2016 - VTH Rear Axle Truss

[luminova11]

I've seen that raising the rear link mount helps with the torque twist. I'm going to have a rummage around in my scrap metal offcuts and see if I can find something to make one from, if not I'll probably go with the GCM one. I like their top plate and hoop set as well although I do like the look of the canti front end and personally I am not finding it restricting, but I am a newbie at this trail running/crawling game so perhaps its limitations will show as I get more experienced.

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