Reezo's Axial Gladiator Overland HAM Build [Picture Heavy]

[Reezo]

Some obligatory shots of the baseline stance - as I said in the video, I reverted it all to kind of a stock stance to see where I am, because of the swap to straight axles. From here, I'll tweak it (tire offset, shock ride height, etc.) as it sits too high for my tastes and the tires are too tucked in. Still, looking amazing, but we're making it overland-bordeeline-street legal!

https://imgur.com/a/BGPXkMX

 

[Reezo]

Today's update, I finally rebuilt the rear anti-sway bar, checked on final shock positions and other things. Body still needs a lot of details but I want to do them last.

What matters in this update is that I wanted to check the stock wheel offset and stance, with current shocks and tires. I kinda like where it stands, I mean I like it A LOT, as I am seeing the badass MOFO I wanted to build, now it's making me want to do things. Nice.

The tires were an experiment, I have much 'better' ones but to be honest, these are a nice baseline. I am starting to like thinner tires, am I getting old or JEEPy? Or bald? Definitely at least bald, for sure


Next, I want to:
- Try out some negative offset on the wheel
- Lower the stance a bit more, I think I am going to go for a spring pen mod. I always do it on my 'trail trucks' when I don't have fancy shocks like the Big Bores, Dravtech and the alike which are more for comp crawlers. Same for my Desert Lizards, I tune them with a lot of droop, especially in the front, but those are different things. But yeah, I am going to pen mod the shocks, I like to suck this sucker in a bit more and have it stay there, but also give way when a tire has to drop down
- I might install the Knights Customs front fenders back, not sure, I like these as well, now. I did not before, now I do? Wah
- The front links are back to stock, but I have my custom links that are a bit longer (1/2 inch, even a tad less). And I am thinking those front tires could go a tiny bit more forward, almost aligning the left-side of the wheel rim to the end of the front fender. Makes sense? I have no tire rubbing as of now, and I modded the servo arm to get me crazy amounts of turning, need be. So it's good.

I am stoked that now I know for sure this Gladiator has the vibe I wanted from the get go. I loved it before, I love it now even more!

 

[Reezo]

I was trying out a photo app on my phone so you get the watermoooork. Sawrry it's not you it's me, babe.

 

[Reezo]

This is with 15 mm front hubs, the widest I have. I have some 12 (or 10, I forgot) mm and then I can try reversing the weight discs in it, to see how it works. I only changed the front wheel hubs from the previous pictures.

What do you think? Bear in mind this is a 1:10 build that - from motor to tires, stance etc. - is supposed to piss a 1:10 scale wife off.

I kinda think it's too much, but it's quite there , longer front links are probably going to make it feel a tad different but 10/12 mm should be enough. I am curious as to what you think. I'd love for this rig to occupy half of the adjacent parking lots, when I stop by Trader Joe's.

 

[high plains drifter]

15mm makes it too wide for my taste personally but if it's the look you're going for then so be it. Not much performance benefit from going that wide either... maybe a bit more side-hilling stability but at the cost of added stress on components as well as reduced access through tight places. Pros and cons I guess.

 

[Reezo]

15mm makes it too wide for my taste personally but if it's the look you're going for then so be it. Not much performance benefit from going that wide either... maybe a bit more side-hilling stability but at the cost of added stress on components as well as reduced access through tight places. Pros and cons I guess.

I am totally with you on this one. It's good to know that I *do* have 15 mm hubs in the garage, but it's too much for me, as well, because these wheels have some negative offset already, and given that, plus the 15... it's off. I can even stretch to think "it's not ridiculous" but it's off, for me.

This is with 12 mm hubs, and this is what I am going to keep with these wheels. It's still a lot, but it's within the "cinematic Jeep Gladiator Overland YouTube channel with tons of cuts that don't show when they get winched out by a Toyota". Or at least... till now it is

 

[VoltSCX]

I will say that in my opinion I think the 10mm hubs would look a lot cleaner, although it still looks sweet with the 12s (I personally like narrower offsets, I run 8mm hubs on mine). The wheel/tire combo looks great btw, fits really well with the rest of the build. Lookin good!

 

[89Industries]

Looks good and having spent the last 15 years living in California and Colorado the extra wide stance is totally normal. Though I'm not sure the jeeps with super exaggerated width truly see much dirt, just pavement and parking lots.

On my scx10iii I've lowered them by using shorter 90mm shocks but also relocating the bottom mount to the lower link mount using a longer screw and some spacers. But it does open a can of worms for other clearances issues, like spring/sitting perch to the axle side panhard mount, tire clearance, and on mine the bolt holding the drag link bolted to the servo horn contacted before shocks bottomed.

 

[Reezo]

I will say that in my opinion I think the 10mm hubs would look a lot cleaner, although it still looks sweet with the 12s (I personally like narrower offsets, I run 8mm hubs on mine). The wheel/tire combo looks great btw, fits really well with the rest of the build. Lookin good!

Glad you like it. I agree the 10 mm would be thing I'd like to try, or even 8 mm, but I don't think I have any around, at the moment. Tire offset is yet another (like many) feats that is so personal. I unglued these tires from the SCX10 II Honcho, since I have a couple of friends with the same exact tires. I am sure they are not the best performers in comparison to the other ones I have, but they have been basically never driven since I got the Honcho and replaced them right away, and they were new. They deserve some run time and they're the skinniest tire I have, I wanted to go skinny for starters, on this rig for this year

Looks good and having spent the last 15 years living in California and Colorado the extra wide stance is totally normal. Though I'm not sure the jeeps with super exaggerated width truly see much dirt, just pavement and parking lots.

On my scx10iii I've lowered them by using shorter 90mm shocks but also relocating the bottom mount to the lower link mount using a longer screw and some spacers. But it does open a can of worms for other clearances issues, like spring/sitting perch to the axle side panhard mount, tire clearance, and on mine the bolt holding the drag link bolted to the servo horn contacted before shocks bottomed.

Thanks! Glad you like it. I couldn't agree more as I have lived in CA and been around in the last years, too (never visited Colorado, I wish I had!) and the stance is totally normal. Also EQUALLY normal is: those very rigs are the ones who never see the smallest of pebbles they roughest they've climbed is some multi-level parking lot at a mall

Thanks for elaborating on what you did on the shocks, as I have done almost exactly the same, verbatim: 90 mm shocks, gonna do a pen spring mod as well, mounted high on the highest of points, mounted low on the link mount, with longer screws and spacers. I've reworked things and so far I see no bindings, especially with skinny tires, but after the servo mod I am getting a lot more steering and with bigger tires I am sure I'd rub against the shocks. Or maybe not, we'll see. But you are right that it's not automatically done, it opens a can of worms with tolerances and bindings, but it's doable... it's a fun puzzle to solve. The rear is much easier, even with the anti-sway bar I built.

These mods are a must if you want the chin to be rubbing, and with straight axles, it's a bull!

I am still thinking the longer links I had made are going to be good because I don't think extending the actual ones will give me enough push. As I wrote, I want the front side of the rim 'circle' to be vertically aligned with the end of the fender, almost... not pushing the tire after the bumper but a tiny bit of push. I had it that way with the previous build, and I did notice some better climbing, and the driveshaft was not at any weird angle. But mostly, it's a tad more aggressive.

I'll see if turning the stock links through their center holes will give me that much that is enough... turning them with a screwdriver will only need... 40 minutes

 

[VoltSCX]

If you're planning on adjusting the links I'd do around 3-4 turns and see how that performs (I wouldn't go more than 5). I did a bit of experimenting on my JLU and that was around where I got to. Good performance and still looks clean. However, if you ever happen to get a front skidplate the limit is about 3-3.5 turns before the steering link collides with the bottom of the plate.

 

[Reezo]

If you're planning on adjusting the links I'd do around 3-4 turns and see how that performs (I wouldn't go more than 5). I did a bit of experimenting on my JLU and that was around where I got to. Good performance and still looks clean. However, if you ever happen to get a front skidplate the limit is about 3-3.5 turns before the steering link collides with the bottom of the plate.

Good call. Since the stock links are there, installed, I'll give the turns a try, using a caliper to keep things in check. Worst-case I'll go with my longer links. This is more a split-hair thing but I do want to move that front axle forward just a bit. It will instill more fear when I get to the grocery store

 

[Reezo]

OK, while work was rendering, I had the perfect moment to wrench.

I've rebuilt the shocks with the pen mod, used the stiffer springs for the front and a stiff/soft combo spring for the rear, as I know this is the one rig where I have the rear softer than the front, so I played along.

Now it sits exactly where I want to, it's incredible - BRACE ... - how much an inch more or less changes things but hey, it would be 10 inches in real life... so, yeah.

While I was there I pushed my front links about 4 turns, nothing is touching and it's working OK. It might still be a bit short but it's really getting there. If I could go two turns more (probably I can) I'd roll with stock links. I am always worried to weaken the rod end when I am not fully screwed in... but again, hey.

12 mm wheel hubs on all tires, I like where it stands now, as we said, maybe 10 would work as well, possibly even 8 mm, but those parking lots at Whole Foods are not going to pi$$ themselves off without both tires touching the cars next to me.

I also took the chance to thread lock the servo screw and add a washer as the horn+servo combination likes a tiny weeny washer on the top of the servo arm, before the screw goes in the servo gear. So it's done.

I also secured the anti-sway bar to the frame and all is very solid now.

In terms of flex I get about my open palm under a front tire, before it starts lifting. That's about 90 cm or 3.5" and in all honesty I am good with that. I hate scale rigs that flex, my concept of "it's flexing too much" is sometimes ridiculous, as to "dude, do you want a skateboard?" But again, hey.

I think I am ready for cosmetics time, end of this week!

 

[Reezo]

OMG I am on a bumper dilemma, as I forgot I had ordered something in light aluminum that is basically 1:1 what I have here. I am a fan of plastic bumpers, I have to admit. I don't like lexan bodies with metal bumpers for... I have no idea what reason.

This one, I could make an exception for, I know the pictures are not showcasing it as much, but, for starters, take a look...

I am in 14-yo mode, I cannot proceed without external approval, I am not mature

 

[high plains drifter]

Not that you need some random internet guy's opinion but I prefer a lot of the metal tubed bumpers, rails, etc because they look a bit more current scale... a bit smaller diameter than a lot of the plastic OEM tubing. Larger tubing diameter reminds me of the late 80's/ 90's/ early 2000's era stuff (ADA Omix, Rugged Ridge, Rough Country, etc) that had huge round diameters and was pretty thin-walled and subsequently dented or bent more easily than the newer stuff that became smaller OD dia but was thicker and stronger and more sleek.

 

[Reezo]

Not that you need some random internet guy's opinion but I prefer a lot of the metal tubed bumpers, rails, etc because they look a bit more current scale... a bit smaller diameter than a lot of the plastic OEM tubing. Larger tubing diameter reminds me of the late 80's/ 90's/ early 2000's era stuff (ADA Omix, Rugged Ridge, Rough Country, etc) that had huge round diameters and was pretty thin-walled and subsequently dented or bent more easily than the newer stuff that became smaller OD dia but was thicker and stronger and more sleek.

Why did you have to come here and write the very same thing I was thinking but did not want to reveal, we're doomed now. Also, bonus points to mention now that the cat is out of the bag:

1) what you wrote, 100%
2) it's the only bumper that is 1:1 the one I had in plastic, which is the design I like for the Gladiator. I've bought many and returned them all, they somehow miss the point or are too big, bulky etc
3) it's extremely light and 'weak' in a good way, I am thinking it's aluminum but this - to me - is a massive bonus point. I find the bumpers that are 3x stronger than the whole car a bit funny to look at. It weights nothing, it's not cold to the touch, it's almost plastic, it doesn't look like 'the strongest piece of welded metal a 1:10 toy car has ever seen in its life"
4) it comes with a rear bumper that is 1:1 what I am running right now (which - in my opinion - does not get caught everywhere after having tucked it in) and it took me a good year to find both bumpers looking 1:1 in size (I mean it) what I had in plastic. And it holds a spare tire, albeit... and that's maybe a bad thing: CENTERED. I was up for an offset-y spare tire in case I run one
5) it is very easy to run winches on, and it has a vertical offset that would allow me to raise it, which I find VERY important as most of these things sit lower than I'd want them
6) it's got a beefy approach angle that I love

But hey.

If - and I say if - I manage to mount the side lights that you see on the bumper, inside the hoop on the new bumper, it's gonna stay. I mean it.The small LEDs are not too cool to look at anyway and I am gonna relocate them over the front mud guard, for ambient lighting sexyness (I hate when 1:1 rigs have that but this is to piss people off, so it fits).

It's this guy right here:

 

[high plains drifter]

Only concern I've had with some of the Injora stuff and similar/ rebranded Amazon stuff is at the weld points where it's obvious that the actual tube stops short and relies solely on the spot-weld to connect the tubes. I've returned some front bumpers just due to this. I wish I knew how to braze and could make my own stuff but for now that's not happening. There are some companies that do better than others ( Scaler Fab comes to mind) but something to maybe consider. Regardless at this point, all looks good and I think it would be hard to mess up that sweet-looking rig.

Fwiw Sometimes I hate when someone makes a comment because I'm immediately like "Ugh... It's not just me that thinks like this or has concerns." Sometimes it's best to not listen to others and just proceed with our own vision lol.

 

[Reezo]

Only concern I've had with some of the Injora stuff and similar/ rebranded Amazon stuff is at the weld points where it's obvious that the actual tube stops short and relies solely on the spot-weld to connect the tubes. I've returned some front bumpers just due to this. I wish I knew how to braze and could make my own stuff but for now that's not happening. There are some companies that do better than others ( Scaler Fab comes to mind) but something to maybe consider. Regardless at this point, all looks good and I think it would be hard to mess up that sweet-looking rig.

I agree with you on this one, as well. We'll see how it goes, since the other bumpers I have are all plastic, I have not put these metal ones to the test. Welding over them and reinforcing the joints would be good, for sure we'll see how it goes...

The 'branded' stuff I see around is rare and only available at hobby stores, and very expensive. Now I'm all for helping a local business grow, but where I am, there's none. Online is the way to do it and, with all due respect, the level of customer support and "it broke, here's your money back" from the evil alien invaders (sarcasm) is the best I have ever had. And prices are fair. I have had so far hit-and-miss luck with various parts but if you can take your time to order a bunch and return what you don't like, you can find gems. I did, in shocks, winches, bumpers (now) and other parts. The only thing I keep always-stubborn-premium are the tires, and I am totally OK with some RTR models from Axial and Traxxas (wish I had not sold some of them, to be fair, but the Trail Grapplers would NOT climb on ANYTHING, it's insane how that tire underperformed here. Location is everything to decide on tire/compounds, we know that and often ignore it ).

Fwiw Sometimes I hate when someone makes a comment because I'm immediately like "Ugh... It's not just me that thinks like this or has concerns." Sometimes it's best to not listen to others and just proceed with our own vision lol.

I see what you mean but everyone here, and that includes you as a prime example, have been so kind and supportive to me that please, for no reason, should you abstain from telling me what you think... if I disagree I'll tell you why and we'll discuss it like we had a couple beers and a BBQ flaming away. More like geeking on it and brainwrenching it. That's how I learn and I improve: thank you for taking the time to do it,

 

[high plains drifter]

I see what you mean but everyone here, and that includes you as a prime example, have been so kind and supportive to me that please, for no reason, should you abstain from telling me what you think... if I disagree I'll tell you why and we'll discuss it like we had a couple beers and a BBQ flaming away. More like geeking on it and brainwrenching it. That's how I learn and I improve: thank you for taking the time to do it,

Very good. If there's anything that I've learned at my ripe old age, it's that I'm still learning. But you know what I mean... Offering up too much input ( even well-meaning) can get into that territory of stepping on someone's toes ( or pissing in one's cornflakes as the kids probably say lol).

I get aggravated sometimes when I've already bought or fabricated or modified something and then someone else comes in with advice or a concern that I hadn't thought of. Then it's either 'just run with it anyway' or 'back to the drawing board' lol.

 

[Reezo]

Number 1: I am super happy I am keeping this thread up and that I have some friends all over the world who are interested in this. As I said, I am in a bit of a lonely tunnel at the moment, so I appreciate this opportunity, a lot.

Number 2: it gives me an opportunity to keep track of how things look and lookED, as it's easy to get carried away and then... 'what have I done'. Sometimes the details are easy to miss in the heat of the wrenching.

Now, I have a bumper update, and I am super happy I went the route of installing this [for me first] metal bumper combo. Let's take a look at what I had before, disassembled (for the assembled version, you can refer to the pictures in my previous posts).

I liked them a lot, they are the design I wanted, nothing too fancy, bulky or... especially for the front bumper: nothing wider than that. Believe me, in about 10 months, I must have tried 5/6 different bumpers for the Gladiator, and never liked any of them over the one I had (the ones pictured above... no idea whether it's stock or not!), so I sent them all back.

 

[Reezo]

This is what I have now, let's first take a look at the pictures, and I'll tell you why I think this is the best bumper combo I could find:

Yeah, the last shot is unrelated, but I loved it

Bear in mind that what you see is me installing the bumpers as HIGH as it was allowed, basically by turning the mounting assembly upside down (it offsets it towards the bottom of the bumper, hence the bumper goes up) and tightening the screws when I was the furthest away, so this is the highest they can go. I think this is important as a reference point (and yes, they might be too high, why not, but at least I know, now. My issue is always that they are too low, not too high, and I cannot raise them enough. This bumper assembly leaves plenty of leeway).


So, here is why I love this combo:

1. It has the looks, literally 1:1 of the ones I had. Never before could I find that bumper design (no idea if it's a copy of a 1:1)
2. It's sturdy, but it's not absurdly 'iron'-feeling. I like that
3. The parts are all held together via screws (thread-locker recommended), which - for the front - includes 4 main parts: bumper, frame support (with posts/holes AND plate connected to the bumper), hoop, and winch plate which goes to the bottom of the winch AND THEN you connect the combo to the bumper. The rear has the bumper and the removable spare mount cage
4. The frame support (the posts/holes and plate that connect to the bumper) are vertically slotted to decide how raised/lowered you want to install the two bumpers. I find this amazing as I tend to like raised bumpers that don't drag down. Here I mounted them the highest I could, which I achieved by flipping the mounting assembly upside-down, which offsets it to the bottom, thus raising the bumper, as I also tightened the screws when the plate was at its lowest. Basically, this is the highest you can go. But you can go a lot lower if you want
5. The front bumper is 1:1 what I had but this one has a bigger, badass bottom plate that looks awesome when you mount it raised
6. Everything fits, including the front winch plate, no drilling required, all holes match. Good grief, it's a first. I only had to drill the two holes on the sides to fit the bumper lights.
7. Everything is accessible to tighten the various modules and then secure them together
8. Even the rear bumper can be raised/lower as you want
9. Both bumpers go ALL IN to the first hole, even with a winch, meaning you are not surfing your bumpers way out of the chassis, which is something I hate, looks- and performance-wise
10. I might remove the spare tire hoop (although it allows for tons of scale accessories) and probably build my own spare tire mount, offset to the right, using some tube of the same diameter, bent and painted
11. Approach angles are amazing
12. I like that the winch sits tucked into the front bumper, I like this style a lot more than when a winch is fully visible
13. I'll use some matte black vinyl to detail the angle of the rear bumper where it meets the body, so it angles smoothly
14. More scale
15. More Hard as a M.

I am glad I listened to you.

Very good. If there's anything that I've learned at my ripe old age, it's that I'm still learning. But you know what I mean... Offering up too much input ( even well-meaning) can get into that territory of stepping on someone's toes ( or pissing in one's cornflakes as the kids probably say lol).

I get aggravated sometimes when I've already bought or fabricated or modified something and then someone else comes in with advice or a concern that I hadn't thought of. Then it's either 'just run with it anyway' or 'back to the drawing board' lol.

I can relate to that. Thank you for caring so much, and don't worry, I know what you mean. It is true that sometimes you can throw somebody off, out of mere honest enthusiasm, and send them back to "?" question-mark land while they already had the rig and setup they loved, but could no longer see it because of the 'can I suggest something?' SHUSH! I understand what you mean.

But it's all good, as I said, I am learning a lot thanks to your suggestions that keep it open-minded. I have a very specific design in mind and I am not straying from it, maybe this helps me keep focus at the risk (but I have improved) of being stubborn on it.