Project cheap Jeep

[jj650]

I'll admit I'm not a big JK fan. But I love what people are doing with the GCM Racing Skeleton J2 chassis so time to put one together and see what all the hype is about.
Nothing in this hobby is cheap but I picked up some major components for this build second or third hand at the June TTC6 hosted by TeamKnK Hardware.

Nothing fancy going into this build. Just a good reliable class 0/1 trail rig.

A list of the goodies.....
China JK 3 dr hardbody
GCM Skeleton J2 chassis kit
Scx 10-2 axles
Made links with aluminum tubing and Revo rod ends
Vanquish aluminum scx10 transmission housing with metal internals
Incision slipper eliminator
32p 56t plastic spur
32p 13t Robinson Racing pinion
SSD titanium steering linkage
HotRacing pro shock 90mm front
HotRacing pro shock 70mm rear
BoomRacing metal scale driveshafts
RC4WD Marlin intermediate driveshaft (for now)
SSD 1.9 Contender beadlocks
Proline 1.9 class 1 km3 mud terrains
Team KnK hardware SS screws thought

Electronics....
Flysky fs-gt3c
Power HD 20kg steering servo
Hobbywing 1060 esc (for now)
Tekin Heavy Duty 35t crawler motor

Gotta love scale mail. Thanks Rob and Amanda for the fast shipping. And my daughter loved the candies you put inside. Lol

Assembled chassis and test fitting to see how I was going to mount the body.

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[B-MOW71]

Congrats on getting the J2 Skeleton!"thumbsup"

These are a really nice kit. Well worth the money. Looks like a nice build list you have there.

I built a J2 Skeleton with the same 2dr China Jeep body last winter. It is a great rig and is very capable. I've only had it out a few times, but it is a blast to drive.

I went with the GCM front and rear body mounts that are on Shapeways. The rear mount also gives you a place to mount a small battery in the rear. They are nice and allows the body to mount perfectly to this chassis.

Team KNK TTC6 was a blast this year! I missed out on all the good deals though!

Subscribed and looking forward to seeing more!

 

[jj650]

Congrats on getting the J2 Skeleton!"thumbsup"

These are a really nice kit. Well worth the money. Looks like a nice build list you have there.

I built a J2 Skeleton with the same 2dr China Jeep body last winter. It is a great rig and is very capable. I've only had it out a few times, but it is a blast to drive.

I went with the GCM front and rear body mounts that are on Shapeways. The rear mount also gives you a place to mount a small battery in the rear. They are nice and allows the body to mount perfectly to this chassis.

Team KNK TTC6 was a blast this year! I missed out on all the good deals though!

Subscribed and looking forward to seeing more!

I know what these trucks are capable of. Watched them at ttc and plenty of YT vids have been watched over and over. lol
My wife likes Jeeps and wanted something to play around with. The plus is if she doesn't run it I can. lol

I have the body mounted, I forgot to take detailed pics so will post that tonight when I get home.
I like the Shapeway mounts though, really slick. I think i'm going to cut out the rear seat area and styrene a flat area. Then mount a battery back there and make a cover with scale accessories to hide it.

It's actually drivable at the moment. Once everything is sorted out i'll take it back down to locktite everything and paint the chassis flat black.

Team knk is always a blast! Never a dull moment. I got there early Thursday afternoon and scooped up some good deals with Haus Pickett. Great guy to deal with!

 

[jj650]

Made some aluminum angle brackets and bolted to the frame and the plastic standoff's on the rear.

Sandwiched a piece of 5/8" aluminum channel between the frame and ran long 3mm socket heads through to the body standoff's in the front.

This mounts the frame up tight against the body and is rock solid.

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[jj650]

Links figured out and running chassis mocked up. I'll tear it down and grease drivetrain and locktite all the hardware once everything is ironed out.

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[B-MOW71]

I know what these trucks are capable of. Watched them at ttc and plenty of YT vids have been watched over and over. lol
My wife likes Jeeps and wanted something to play around with. The plus is if she doesn't run it I can. lol

I have the body mounted, I forgot to take detailed pics so will post that tonight when I get home.
I like the Shapeway mounts though, really slick. I think i'm going to cut out the rear seat area and styrene a flat area. Then mount a battery back there and make a cover with scale accessories to hide it.

It's actually drivable at the moment. Once everything is sorted out i'll take it back down to locktite everything and paint the chassis flat black.

Team knk is always a blast! Never a dull moment. I got there early Thursday afternoon and scooped up some good deals with Haus Pickett. Great guy to deal with!

Yeah, I watched a ton of YT videos too before I bought mine. I really liked how scale they looked and how well they seemed to perform.

I like your body mount idea."thumbsup" A whole lot stronger than the GCM 3D printed mounts and cheaper too!

I also thought about cutting out the back seat for the battery. I've seen a few others that have done that and they have turned out great.

This was my second year in a row to go to KNK TTC and I regret missing the first four. It is a good time. I got there early Friday, so I kinda figured the deals were all scooped up the day before. Yeah, Haus is a great guy. I did look over the stuff he had for sale.

Rig is looking good so far! Love the wheel/tire combo!"thumbsup"

 

[jj650]

Body solidly mounted and suspension close to where I want it.

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[Bananaclip]

Your GCM Jeep is turning out very nice. I have a very similar Skeleton build myself. I need to post on it some.... Keep it coming and how do you like the HR shocks? Look pretty slick on the build..."thumbsup"

 

[Smonkman]

I love my skeleton, they are surprisingly capable. The only thing I’m have been 100% happy with was the links that came from GCM. Soft, flimsy metal that I can bend with my fingers. Need to find someone to make me some custom links.

 

[lkvisser]

That lc70 is really coming along beautifully.., 2 builds 1 thread.., sneaky[emoji108]

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[jj650]

Your GCM Jeep is turning out very nice. I have a very similar Skeleton build myself. I need to post on it some.... Keep it coming and how do you like the HR shocks? Look pretty slick on the build..."thumbsup"

Thank you!
On the bench these shocks feel real good. Haven't tested them on the trail yet.


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[jj650]

I love my skeleton, they are surprisingly capable. The only thing I’m have been 100% happy with was the links that came from GCM. Soft, flimsy metal that I can bend with my fingers. Need to find someone to make me some custom links.

I make my own links out of 3mm threaded rod and 1/4" thick wall aluminum tubing. Have never had one bend or fail. Get the material from McCmaster Carr.

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[jj650]

That lc70 is really coming along beautifully.., 2 builds 1 thread.., sneaky[emoji108]

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There's actually 2 build threads. Lol
The LC70 is in the 1.9 forum also. They just happen to be on the bench at the same time between whichever one I'm working on.

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[jj650]

Cut out the rear seat portion and built a battery tray and covered the floor area.

With the little Helios 1500 3S.

And the Gens Ace 2200 3S.

I glued little sheet metal tabs in the corners of the body and two rare earth magnets onto the underside of the cargo cover to hold it in place.

Sealed up all the joints with E6000 then off to prep and paint.

Cut the lower rocker panel off for clearance for sliders. I'll make some at work next week.

Before...

After...

Cut the top portion of the doors also.

Masked and ready for paint.

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[jj650]

Painted the underside flat black. You know for when Jerps are on their lids. Lol

Time for the mask to come off.

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[jj650]

Had a Circle City RC scx10 bumper mount. Used it to mount the rear HR bumper. R.I.P. Brandon you will be missed.

I trimmed the ends of the aluminum bumper to narrow it up some.

Before....

After....

Getting closer now.

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[jj650]

Fabricated an aluminum front bumper bracket.

Nikki can't wait to post it on social media. LOL

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[B-MOW71]

I'm really liking how your JK is turning out!"thumbsup" Nice detail and great pics.

The battery compartment turned out great! That is similar to what I had in mind for mine. Love how clean it looks with the cover on.

Great job on the bumper mounts also and nice mod on the rear bumper!

 

[jj650]

I'm really liking how your JK is turning out!"thumbsup" Nice detail and great pics.

The battery compartment turned out great! That is similar to what I had in mind for mine. Love how clean it looks with the cover on.

Great job on the bumper mounts also and nice mod on the rear bumper!

Thanks!
Velcro holds the battery in and from moving around. I ordered some scale accessories to shoe goo onto the rear deck. Then might cover it with a mesh type material for a cargo hold down.

Hence the name cheap jeep, i try to fabricate what i can to save money. lol

 

[jj650]

Got some scale accessories to get the points up there. Getting closer to finished now.

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