BgredPhoenix

[bgredjeep]

I picked up a pair of the china aluminum 3rds to try out. The install was smooth and the diffs feel about the same as with the stock housings. Here's a couple pics to show the weight vs the stock 3rd.

I ran the truck Wednesday and didn't get any pictures. It worked well with the vrd trans, but i did miss having dig on some of the obstacles. After the ride I added some more weight on the front axle. I needed a bit more to help side hill stability. I think I'm going to ditch the vxt2 tires as well. I've got tusks and a set of treps on the way so one of those will end up on this rig.

 

[Saltrock]

I dig your build.

 

[bgredjeep]

I saw a post in a fb group where several guys had shortened the k10 tucked body to fit better on their vrd carbon. The body looked much better with the shorter bed imo. After looking at my truck for a bit l decided I wouldn't mess with mine at this stage. Then I thought about it some more, took measurements, several times... and I cut it.

I took about 18mm out of the bed and used rivets (with washers on the back side) to put it back together. Before this the rear bumper was flush with the tailgate. I pulled the bumper in about 10mm as well and now it sticks out just a bit. I might switch to a tube bumper that sits a bit higher but haven't made up my mind on that.

 

[bgredjeep]

I wasn't in love with the rear bumper setup shown in my last post. It was tucked in a tight as possible, but still hung a bit low. It's workable, but i had these aluminum bumper brackets i had tried before. I wanted to give them another shot now with the shortened body. I think this will do. I'll need to paint the tube eventually.

I made a quick chassis crossmember to replace the zoku fuel cell/ bumper mount. Threw in a VP logo for style points. Lol

 

[JatoTheRipper]

I love that bumper! Simple and clean.

 

[Ots]

looks great!

 

[B-MOW71]

Great job on the bumper. It looks much better!

 

[bgredjeep]

Fresh update on this truck. I decided to pick up one of the new mini 16 fusion motors to try in this crawler. Current weight is slightly above the recommended amount. I think as long as keep an eye on the temps while I figure out the gearing it will be fine.

I stopped in at hobbytown to grab a 9t pinion and had them swap my connectors while I was there. They did have a pinion adapter that i bought and drilled to 2.3mm, but its got a slight wobble so I'll wait for the proper adapter I ordered before running it. I was able to test it and it's functional.

Weight before, with the fusion se was 5lbs 12oz. Weight after the motor swap is 5lbs 7oz.

 

[bgredjeep]

It happened again. I got a wild hair and changed it up.

With the new lightweight power system I installed, I decided to look into swapping a more comp focused body. I already had the Zuul body I used on the vrd carbon before it got robbed for parts so it made sense to fit it.

This time I went full tilt and slammed it low on the chassis. I had to cut the front of the chassis off a bit to get the body back far enough. I designed a new front crossmember and mount plate that fits into the back of the Zuul grill for the front mount. In the rear I made a screw style mount that holds the body behind the cab.

Between the lighter body, removing the inner fenders rear bumper, etc, the truck is down about 3/4 lb, and the cg is much lower than before. I drew some new sliders that I'm printing now, and with the new sliders I still need to trim the body up to match the height of the sliders.

 

[bgredjeep]

I got up and finished trimming the body this morning. Sliders mounted and ready to run now.

Final weight, rtr with the battery is 5lb 2.6oz. I didn't have the battery included in the weights posted with the mini 16 install. It'll lose a couple more grams when I remove the switch for the headlights, but nothing significant.

 

[bgredjeep]

This weekend I fine tuned the sliders and body mount designs for this build. Body mount changes were very minor to address a slight clearance issue in front and raised the rear mount 1mm.

For the sliders, I raised them 3mm total, then spent some time reshaping them for a smoother look and better clearance, specifically at the wider portion of the body (2nd picture). I lowered and angled the battery location so cg is probably a wash compared to my initial design. I made a little pocket for the mini 16 switch to sit, and i added an additional mount screw at the front and back to further support the sliders. These ended up 2gr lighter per side, but i think I used a lower infill (50% vs I believe 65% on the first set).

I reprinted everything I designed for this build in gray for some contrast from the zoku skid.

Here's some screenshots from the fusion app to show the added clearance on the updated sliders.

And the assembled truck ready to a test dri

 

[bgredjeep]

Quick opinion poll before I make a decision on swapping around tires and wheels, or not.

Front or rear? The 310s are sick, but the knockoff roosts also suit the truck.

 

[bmxbryant09]

Fronts

 

[OSRC]

I vote fronts too!

 

[Col_Sanders]

Those fronts would look good with some le blue rings and black Delta ifrs

 

[JatoTheRipper]

I like Choost (Chinese Roost) wheels, but the fronts are great.

Nice work on the sliders!

 

[bgredjeep]

Thanks guys. I stare at my own stuff so much it's sometimes hard to decide on a change. The people have spoken, and the Phoenix gets a fly new set of wheels.

@Col_Sanders I'm not big on colored wheels and the whole ifr thing, but if I could land a blue slim ifr in trade for my purple set I might be ok with that little splash of color. On the other hand, I might be pushing my luck removing and reinstalling the scale hardware for a 3rd time.

 

[Col_Sanders]

I've got a set of lightly used blue slim IFRs but they arent worth near what those purple ones are worth and I am not willing to pay big $$ for LE IFRs.

Any you're not wrong about the scale hardware. I have a set of wheels that I cant get a lot of the screws out so they have a set of tires I dont like stuck on them.

 

[bgredjeep]

And I just swapped on the clear rings from the black set they came with. I'll probably just leave them alone before I mess something up.

I swapped the rest of the wheels after work. I weighed things as I went to compare.

The vp wheels came in about 5 grams (each) lighter than the roost knockoffs. In the front i had stainless wheel weights attached to the hub adapters. On the new wheels I used brass clamp rings and ended up 22 grams lighter for each of the front wheels.

Overall weight of the truck, rtr with the battery, is now 5lb 0.6oz. I think i should have enough weight on the front, but if i need it I can swap back to the stainless weights, or find a heavier knuckle than the ssd set i have now.