what to know b4 building
 

Hey all well this my first new vehicle in a while and I pretty excited.... just wondering if there is any tips or tricks I should know b4 or during build that you all experianced.... thanx for the info"thumbsup"

Take your time especially w/ the diffs.
Have fun.

Get some integy (or better) hand drivers for the hex screws. And buy lock tite. Get lead wheel weights, and drill the wheels before you start the build.

^^^what 88 said.

I used regular allen wrenches and it was a PITA. Especially the smaller screws. My fingers were numb for a few days. I also had some of the cheap wrenches strip on me.

I also used some of the screws with a larger head but the same thread size to "tap" the holes in the tanny, then went back and used the right screws. Took a little extra time but I couldn't get those 1mm or what ever size head screw those are to thread the holes. A good tool set would have fixed that but I was too cheap...

ya I put together tranny last night and my fingers already hurting LOl..... so far I noticed they didn't even add a set of screws.....and just the going back and forth from the front of the book to figure out what kinda screws are needed for what is a pain.... I am sure thou that the final project will make me forget any issues I am having now

put the motor on NOW dont wait...

i got a divider caontainer thing and put each screw in it own hole and labeled it with a dry erase marker... much easier

and watch for the links too make sure they are the right way....

o i finished buildin yesterday mornin and my fingers are still sore :shock:

thats about all

BUT PUT THE MOTOR ON NOW

I have a set of Integy hex drivers that have a hex for power screwdrivers. I used it with low torque to do the wheels 90% and then hand tightened after. Alos check that the axel rods fit into the diff before assembling the entire axel as you may have to drill the plastic openings of the diff.

One thing I would add to the first time builder would be to peen the back side of the 3 pin locking collar so the pins won't come out of the diff locking mechanism.

putting the motor on before the truck would have been great. it was a serious PITA. especially since my motor came soldered to the esc. all that crap swinging around trying to get the motor in really sucked. ended up havin to yank both axles to get it done (huge gorilla hands). lol.

ya thanx I did this and definetly seen how it would have been a PITA!!! anyway truck is built and I hoping to take it out 2 morrow... I have crawled a little bit around the house and haven't broken anything yet so yaaaaa

Here are a couple of things to watch for during assembly:

1) Some of the smaller screws that use a 1.5 mm driver are hard to get in without striping the heads. Try using a 1/6" hex driver instead as the screw heads seem a bit oversize and it will fit tighter and should get the job done.

2) The angled linkage ends are not all the same. There are 12 deg and 20 deg parts. The old parts have no indication of which is which. The newer parts have the degrees molded into them.

3) The older kits are short 2pcs of the M3 x12mm SHCS. The hardware list says 18 pcs (which the kits have), but 20 pcs are used during assembly.

4) The pins used in the drive shafts, CV joints, and hubs are all different lengths. The middle length has a black oxide finish, the other two are plain.

5) Make sure the differential lock ring is not too tight on the bushing. There may be a bit of a burr on it that needs cleaning up.

6) The differential locking lever cap has a bump and a ridge on the backside. These have to be oriented to the axle housing. Make sure to tighten the screw enough to keep the differential locked, but not so much that you can't move it.

7) The axle yokes have a right and left side. They are angled slightly. Make sure to use the correct ones on each side of the axle housings.

8) The factory installed screws in the wheels seem to gall the threads when removed. I don't know if they were over tightened or what. The plastic used for the wheels is not as durable as the glass filled nylon used elsewhere. Try starting to remove them really slowly.

9) The tires have a directional tread pattern. Make sure you build two each way for each side.

10) You will probably need a servo extender cable if you mount your receiver in the suggested location.

11) You will need a 21 mm servo horn with 3 mm hole.

~petev

ok
 

thanx budz... but the crawler has been built for almost 2 months.. I do appreciate the info and hopefully new owners will read this and it will help them in the build of their trucks

Thanks for all the tips, I'm just starting my Creeper build-up. I have read these threads from front to back, and i want to thank everybody for posting the good and the bad. Isn't this how we learn!! Thanks again!!

Very helpfull. Just started to build.

HEY MAN , DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT RMDESIGNS T&T's SECTION IN THE VENOM SECTION, IT'S GOT ABOUT ALL YOU NEED TO GET A GREAT START WITH THE CREEPER.

Take a look here

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/venom-creeper/264852-rmdw-ts-ts-set-up.html

What type of crawling are you going to be doing? I would highly recommend locking those axles..either buy the lockers or pack the diff with JB Weld. JB weld works just as good as the FLM lockers - the difference is the JB weld is permanent.

X2 on the integy drivers...although I've snapped the 1.5mm tip twice. I bought a set of hex drivers from another hobby shop that were made by exi http://www.xheli.com/nowwi2newfrt.html. As for the 1.5mm driver made by exi, I've found it's stronger than the Integy. The set I have is a little bit different than the one in the link below. The driver tips are all silver on mine - maybe hardened steel I guess. You can catch a glimpse of them periodically throughout my build thread.