C*H*U*D's Creeper

[C*H*U*D]

$100.....that was the price of a new Creeper when I bought mine. I had to find out what was going on with this truck.

I had some spare cash to buy the Creeper, and enough spare parts laying around to put into it, so I decided to see for myself what the Creeper was all about. I won't bore anyone with a build thread...everyone knows what that looks like. I do want to hit on a few things that I noticed when putting it together.


I'm the type of builder that likes to put things together, see how they work and then do the lube/loctite routine. I put together my VCD axles, and then turned them full lock and rotated them in my fingers. I noticed the short shaft (VEN-8364a) turned smoothly, but the long shaft (VEN-8365a) had 2 glitches in the rotation when in the position below:

I noticed it was the same with both long shafts. I took it apart to see where the binding was coming from, and noticed the long shaft bound the pin during full throw of the steering. Short shaft is on the left, long on the right:

I took a small round jewelers file and cleaned up long shafts slot, so that the pin is no longer bound. I did one side first and left the other alone for comparison. This side is done:

This side is the way it came out of the box:

Once both sides were done, it rotated just like the short shaft...no binding when turning a full 360. I also run the 3/8" brass tubing collars on the outside of my output shafts to keep the pins in place. I saw that these were being sold here, but also heard they were no longer selling them, so I made my own. I also do not use the set screw to hold the pins in place. I want them to float freely without any binding.

So far I have about 4 packs through it with no problems.I drive the Creeper just as I would my Axial's... I don't baby it, and nothing has happened yet.

I did break the front driveshaft, but that probably could have also been prevented. I now run Junfac's front and rear.

 

[C*H*U*D]

I built my Creeper to be bone stock (for now)...I wanted to see what it was like right out of the box. I took it up to Johnny Park yesterday for some running. I also brought along my Axial based Fastback...not for comparison, but I did want to get some type of baseline performance testing on the Creeper.

I've had a chance to get some time on this truck, and I have to say I like it "thumbsup" I think the Creeper has an undeserved reputation for being a bad crawler. I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to recommend it to someone. The only drawback is the lack of aftermarket support. I'm still putting together some thoughts on this thing, but overall I think it's a great truck.

 

[rmdesignworks]

Hooraw Juan,,,nice post up man. I keep telling people the VC is a hot little unknown.

 

[C*H*U*D]

Some of the things I've noticed with my Creeper Build:

The manual needs work. Most everything was documented properly, but there were a few things that had me scratching my head.

Setting the proper pinion mesh is a royal pain...the fully enclosed transmission is nice, but adjustment is horrible.

Tires aren't much to write home about, but not bad. I wasn't really expecting them to work well, but I was surprised...they will probably be replaced with Rovers soon though.

Not crazy about the Crazy Straw links. Mostly because of the aluminum construction...can't think of anything worse to make links out of...most all manufacturers are guilty of this though.

Shocks...a friend once said, "any shock that doesn't leak is a good shock". These don't leak at all :shock: I'm not used to having the internal spring, but it does make for smooth transitions. The Creeper has a very smooth way of crawling over obstacles.

Steering is great! I know the CVD's are a sore point for many, but this thing does turn well.

The axle skid plates need to go.

Way too much slop between wheels...differentials are part of the cause, but the rear isn't helped with having the CVDs in there. Straight lockouts would help, and solid lockers are on the short list of add-ons.

Overall, I really like this thing....looking forward to some tuning.

 

[C*H*U*D]

Hooraw Juan,,,nice post up man. I keep telling people the VC is a hot little unknown.

I'm a believer Thomas "thumbsup"

 

[gottorque]

Subcribed"thumbsup"
Cant wait till you put some Underground magic on that thing:mrgreen:

 

[rmdesignworks]

I'm a believer Thomas "thumbsup"

Juan,,take a close look at your front cvd's and see if some of the rotational slop comes from the cvd pins moving in the slot of the shaft. I noticed it in mine tonight during a a maintanance check out. I can actually see the pin moving in he slot,,which accounts for about 30-40% of the slop in mine.

 

[viper6171]

looks like we have another convert "thumbsup"

 

[Code454]

Damn for that price its perfect to bring out and let some newbs place with to get the feel for a crawler or for kids"thumbsup"

 

[Maxx_Savage]

Well spotted.

Fixed mine up tonight - I'm lazy so I only bothered with the front long shaft.8) I was wondering afterwards though if the steering angle would ever be big enough to highlight this issue?

 

[C*H*U*D]

Well spotted.

Fixed mine up tonight - I'm lazy so I only bothered with the front long shaft.8) I was wondering afterwards though if the steering angle would ever be big enough to highlight this issue?

That's a good question...currently I need a longer servo horn to take advantage of some steering I am missing out on. I hope that it will go the full throw though.

 

[rmdesignworks]

That's a good question...currently I need a longer servo horn to take advantage of some steering I am missing out on. I hope that it will go the full throw though.

The Creeper has the Craziest stock steering angle out of the box bar none. I bought some Dremel deburring bits so I can see what I can do with my stockers. And I have HD CVD's on the way.

 

[C*H*U*D]

Blast from the past!

I never thought I'd be updating this from 6 years ago...glad I never sell anything :mrgreen:

We're trying to get some new people interested in crawling and I needed a loaner truck for them to borrow. I already put some 1.9's on a Fastback but still needed another...in comes the Creeper.

I still had the original Venom replacement ring & Pinion hanging on the wall, so I swapped it out last night. A quick wheel swap and she's good to go.

 

[RustedRC]

Your creeper is looking great. i have one that has some upgrades to it but it still sits on the shelf waiting for some lockers. if you ever find any extra FLM lockers let me know i need a pair. i know i could just JB weld the gears or mod an axial locker to fit but i'd rather have true to the creeper lockers. thumbs up for keeping your creeper going.

 

[viper6171]

glad to see you bringing it back out C*H*U*D , I still have mine plus a load of parts .......I think I have a problem .......I just bought 2 more sliders :shock: