LJD RC's 10.3 Gladiator

[VoltSCX]

Hey y'all! This is gonna be my first all out build (also my 1st thread too, am a newbie around here), which I'll be doing on my good ol' 10.3 Gladiator.

Hoping to replace as many structural plastic parts as possible with aluminum or brass, as well as some fun extra bits like a brushless conversion and a new body. Trying to prepare the truck for the journey I plan to put it through soon, which is attempting to take it to every national park in the mainland US. So far I've hit Acadia, the Smokies, and Indiana Dunes. I've had it for 2 years now (my first Axial) and I love it. So far I've only thrown on some Proline Holcomb 1.9 wheels, an RC4WD front bumper, Integy front bumper mount, Integy differential/rear/center skidplates, SMS traction boards, Fine Laser Designs clipless body mounts, and a Helios RC battery strap. Currently have the truck torn down to the frame in hopes to have it sandblasted and cerakoted by a family friend to prevent rust, as there already seems to be some developing where the paint has scratched off. Hopefully all goes well during the build (knowing my luck, probably not). First round of parts that I'll be ordering are some new Hobbypark aluminum shock towers, panhard bar mount (snapped in half at Acadia three days ago), transmission skid, brass rear bumper mount, KYX Racing upper link mounts, and a Flysky FS-GT5/FS-BS6 tx/rx set.

 

[rob5059]

I do not see it on your list, but you should pickup a Bowhouse panhard reinforcement bracket for the front axle.

 

[VoltSCX]

I do not see it on your list, but you should pickup a Bowhouse panhard reinforcement bracket for the front axle.

Oh, I didn't think of that, thank you! I'll go add it to my list now.

 

[VoltSCX]

First round of parts came in. Hoping to order the next round within a week or two.

 

[JimrC]

The GT5 was one of the first things I got for me SCX10III along with the 1080 esc. No complaints at all, other than having no spare channels left to use.
Planned upgrades sound good

 

[VoltSCX]

The GT5 was one of the first things I got for me SCX10III along with the 1080 esc. No complaints at all, other than having no spare channels left to use.
Planned upgrades sound good

Nice! I've not heard much about it, but so far it seems like a really nice transmitter. Other than the lack of a thumb steer wheel like my DX3 had (which is something I'm ordering for it), I really like it. Hopefully it'll pair well with the Copperhead 10 ESC I'm picking up.

 

[VoltSCX]

Sanded the rust off of the frame rails and painted them. Hoping to paint the backside and start putting it back together tomorrow.

 

[VoltSCX]

Got some goodies in the mail today.

 

[VoltSCX]

Hey y'all! I've not gotten a lot done with the project since the last post, have been a bit short on funding recently. The truck's been sitting on my desk for the past month as a roughly assembled frame. I've not started reassembling it yet because I'm planning on using stainless screws (that I haven't ordered yet), and I'm also out of grease. I've got both of those in my next cart from AMain ready to go, should be ordered sometime next weekend. In the meantime I'm probably just gonna oil/grease up those shocks from the previous post. Hopefully all goes well!

 

[surfishjoe]

Nice dude I just picked up a basecamp builders kit so I’m lurking in the 10.3 zone looking for tips. I like your tour of parks idea!

 

[VoltSCX]

Nice dude I just picked up a basecamp builders kit so I’m lurking in the 10.3 zone looking for tips. I like your tour of parks idea!

Ay congrats man! The 10.3's a great truck, it'll treat you well as long as you do the same to it. The Base Camp trucks are cool, I almost bought a green RTR one once. In terms of tips the only ones I have are to grab that SVT panhard reinforcement for the front axle and an aluminum panhard bar mount, as that's the only thing that's gone wrong in my 2.5 years of ownership. Also, thanks! Hopefully the build goes as planned and it'll be ready to go by next summer.

 

[VoltSCX]

Picked up this fun little thumb steer wheel for my GT5 from TY.T RC on Etsy. Feels great so far, can't wait to see how it holds up on the trails once the truck's up and running.

 

[VoltSCX]

Got some goodies in the mail today.


I also painted my suspension links (albeit very poorly. Eh, nobody's gonna see em anyway).

 

[VoltSCX]

Finally making some progress on getting it put back together.

 

[VoltSCX]

Finally got it put back together, threw the old body on to see how it'd look with the current link length. Might extend the front a little bit, not sure.

I still don't have some things such as the new wheels and diff covers, though those are on the way. I've also got a set of brass front portals and rear portal covers coming too. The rears should be here tomorrow, not sure when everything else will be.

 

[rob5059]

Back together just in time for a weekend run.

 

[VoltSCX]

Back together just in time for a weekend run.

Man I wish lol, I still don't have an ESC/motor for it just yet. Almost there!

 

[VoltSCX]

Installed my new brass rear portal covers from ST Racing Concepts, they look great!

I also greased up the rear portal gears while I was at it. They seem like they're doing alright, the bearings feel good. Pretty solid for a 2.5 year old truck.

 

[VoltSCX]

Got some goodies from Injora today. Looks like I'm gonna be working on my truck some more.

 

[VoltSCX]

Got all of my parts installed, they fit very well.

The diff covers fit relatively well, although I did have to put some effort into getting them aligned properly.

The new steering knuckles feel great, they were super easy to install too. I'm very excited to see how they do out on the trail.

And then the wheels. In my opinion they look great, and pictures can't convey how nice the paint and finish looks. Very impressed with Injora's quality overall, I can definitely see why they're getting popular. Great quality for a great price.