Highmark's new CJ - Alby

[losilover]

F yeah!

its a fricken 100 degrees in So. IN. oh, it says from Jan.

oh well cool build!!!

 

[Highmark]

its a fricken 100 degrees in So. IN. oh, it says from Jan.

oh well cool build!!!

Haha it was 96ish in Louisville today, yikes. Thanks!

 

[dieselfuel]

its great to see you back at it man!! im loving the pede trans and TLTs!! ive still got 2 or 3 pede trannies sitting around but only one set of built up TLTs left.

 

[Highmark]

Thanks man! Maybe I'll see you in Montana next year?

 

[Highmark]

***Update***

Finally got some time to go home and get some work done on this thing! Also got some more goodies in the mail. This gave me and opportunity to do a mock-up of the axles and frame at ride height for the first time whereas previously I was stuck with full compression. :twisted:

hmm... Choices :mrgreen:

Got the tube fenders started, they follow the original lines of the Pro-Line body aside from the lack of flares and that they are flatties. This gives me some flexibility as I can either skin them with steel or use the original lexan from the hood itself. Not sure which way I want to go just yet.
The original cowl from the lexan body also fits perfectly. The fenders also differ from what would be seen on a 1:1 in that I attached them to the shock hoops as most are built into the grill/radiator support with sheet metal. These will tuck behind the grill and should be pretty strong. The front bumper will eventually be tied into everything once I get the grill built from styrene. Approach should stay right around 92* at a 12 3/4"ish wheelbase. Also note I'll be using larger tires!

I altered the cab yet again to give some semblance of a tub. Once completed I'll add lexan or possibly steel panels and because of the neat little GCM transfer case I can build a full interior. Ironically I actually lost a little weight with this design because of the 1/8" rod. I also don't foresee any strength issues.

More of the GCM transfer case:

Here are the outer frames of the bedsides. It will stay narrow as I really don't want a full width ass-end on this thing. I will have plenty of room for two full size spares and tools once it is lined with styrene and seeing as this thing will primarily be wheeled at Falls of the Ohio and Green River, (both places have a ton of HUGE and brutal river rock) no reason to drag around extra panels! Departure angles should be around 90* I STILL haven't finished the shock hoops as I know they'll be a huge pain along with all the nuts for the panels. :roll:

​

A summary of the things that have slowed me down on this project:

 

[Highmark]

Got more stufffff

Here's to another 3 day build-a-thon (weather permitting).

I'll be entering the Scale4x4rc summer (well fall) scale comp on September 18th, so it's officially time to buckle down and get this thing read to run!

Here's the goods from yet another order :mrgreen:

More 'renderings'

Updates tomorrow!

 

[Grizzly4x4]

I picked up some of those same Traxxas links yesterday. :ror:

The tube work is looking really good. "thumbsup" THat's a tough choice on the motors, either one is going to be a whole lot of fun. "thumbsup":twisted:

 

[Highmark]

I picked up some of those same Traxxas links yesterday. :ror:

The tube work is looking really good. "thumbsup" THat's a tough choice on the motors, either one is going to be a whole lot of fun. "thumbsup":twisted:

Hahaha, you really can't beat them for the price IMO ... I also designed the frame around those links.

Thanks a lot! That's a hell of a compliment coming from Guido's handler! I think the plan is to stick with the RS for now ... I have another project in mind for the puller but I'd like to trade it off for a 14t.

I got lots of work done over the last two days, and I tried to actually take pictures as I went along!

First order of business was the skid plate, because that's what 7 links and the transfer case will be mounted to. I started with a 6" square block of 1/2 black derlin and started from there. This stuff is like working with butter, a huge difference from the steel I've been using on the frame! I did the big cuts with a hack saw, and finished the cut outs for the links with a router bit and a rotary tool. All holes where drilled with a drill press to make sure everything is straight.

I also used the drill press to make sure that I didn't drill into existing holes by setting the depth. This is a simple step and insures that the skid plate remains strong.

The next order of business was getting the transmission cut down to size. This is pretty simple, I just used a hack saw and a belt sander to cut and eventually smooth everything down.

I made some markings to know where to cut:

Then hacked it to bits :twisted:

I also finally built the front shock mounts :roll: :ror: They're pretty beefy but I'll file them down quite a bit before it's over with. You can also spot the little bit of work I did to the front fenders.

Also brazed in the mount for the locating link (just a TLT bracket ). I can honestly say I can't wait to get this thing sandblasted ... all that flux and junk around some of the old joints just looks nasty. :shock:

It rained while I was working, there where around 50 of these dudes outside the garage ... :ror:

I'm also pretty excited because I have a set of the Pro-Line TSX's headed my way from RPP, and they should be here Thursday.

 

[ax10rtrmaster]

nice build looks sweat. nice toad too

 

[Highmark]

nice build looks sweat. nice toad too

Thanks man

I stayed up until around 4am this morning, woke up at seven and hit the road to get to one of my two jobs here in Louisville. The good thing is that I got off at 5 and was able to put some time in on yet another mock-up, just to make sure everything was fitting together properly. :mrgreen:

At full compression:

Future ride height:

Profile:

BTW ... if you're curious the transmission clears the drive shaft by about 1.5mm at full bump :ror:

​

The new rear bumper, I will likely cut off the front and rebuild it to match, I think it looks pretty bad ass myself. :ror:

I did find one major problem ... the pitman arm I made just wasn't going to work for crap. I need to do some reading and figure out how to build this front suspension the right way The rear on the other hand will be dead on even down to the pinion angle, I'm pretty amped!

 

[ColquittCustom405]

Damn Dude, the hell you been? Ride looks sweet so far. Will the puller fit in the Pede tranny? I like the cage so far."thumbsup"

 

[Highmark]

Damn Dude, the hell you been? Ride looks sweet so far. Will the puller fit in the Pede tranny? I like the cage so far."thumbsup"

The hell I been? Just school and work haha good to hear from you man, have you built anything lately? And yep, the hh puller fits in the pede and the chassis, I'll try to snap a picture later.

 

[Highmark]

Just found this rig on pirate ... Thought it was pretty cool and it gives me some inspiration for the bed "thumbsup"

 

[Highmark]

Got my new tires in!

Got them all mounted up

I'm pretty thrilled with the quality over my older RC4wd tires, these things should work really well.

 

[ynmech]

I got those on my hilux with black PL 8shot wheels, and they ROCK. Thinking about changing my roklox in for a set.

 

[Highmark]

I got those on my hilux with black PL 8shot wheels, and they ROCK. Thinking about changing my roklox in for a set.

Nice, I actually designed this rig around roklox but went with these in the end.

 

[Highmark]

I managed to get some work done over the holiday! Unfortunately this might be the last bit of silver soldering I get to do for awhile as my work and class schedule will make it pretty difficult to get home to a garage.

Rebuilt the axles with new ring and pinion gears from RCP, I guess we'll see if they hold up :mrgreen: :

New front bumper to match the rear, it's 5 grams lighter and gives me an extra 7 degrees on my approach angle over the old one:

Rear Shock mounts (essentially the same as the front):

'Messaged' front shock mounts, clearances are tight! I had intended on using the smaller Axial scale shocks but went with losi crawlers based on reviews I've read about performance.

Kind of an awkward picture but this gives you a rough idea of the stance. The rear is correct, but the links in the front are binding keeping it too high. Those same links are rotating the pinion at a not-so-great angle that will need to get fixed before I'm happy. I think this is the first image I've posted of this thing as a pseudo roller... Progress!!!

 

[Highmark]

It's not dead!!!!

Well school and a internship have really put a damper on this project :ror:

Recently however I found some time to get some little stuff done like the hood and the start of the panels. So Alby is starting to gain some shape, as well as a legitimate suspension.

 

[gyrene]

Looks good. The tube work is killer!! "thumbsup"

 

[Highmark]

Thanks man! It's been time consuming that's for sure:ror: