SkaldidDog
2013 2.2P Nat. Champion
T1E Rockshow chassis (no cage)<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
fficeffice" /><o
></o>
T1E rear links<o></o>
All other links custom<o></o>
V1 Berg axles (clocked 25 deg, front minus 5 deg for caster) with <o></o>
Stock bearings<o></o>
CKRC rear lockouts with axle (the old ones, not 6mm)<o></o>
CKRC high steer knuckles<o></o>
Axial stubs, stock front axles<o></o>
HH 45T motors<o></o>
Chemical bottle skids<o></o>
Hitech 7950 servo (6.5V)<o></o>
Robotronic aluminum servo arm<o></o>
Butyl rubber servo arm bumper<o></o>
Custom servo mount/front upper link bracket<o></o>
Custom steering tie rod and drag link (Revo ends)<o></o>
Modified rear upper link bracket<o></o>
CCBEC<o></o>
CC Sidewinder Micro ESC’s <o></o>
TH1320 3s lipos<o></o>
Custom front battery mount<o></o>
T4PK<o></o>
HPI Firestorm shocks (with shortened Traxxas Revo GTR shock ends for cap mod, Traxxas rod end on other end of shock shaft and spring adjusters ground down on the front). All shocks are unlimited and are 3.80” eye center to eye center full extended.<o></o>
Modified front lower shock mount<o></o>
25wt shock oil<o></o>
HPI Firestorm springs (Front pink, rear red)<o></o>
ProLine Crowd Pleazer shell (severely butchered and painted up nice)<o></o>
16 ga Deans wire with Novak silver solder<o></o>
All silver hardware replaced with black, except for wheel hubs…I don’t like chrome<o></o>
Vanquish DH fronts (460), 4 SS wts each<o></o>
Vanquish SLW 1” rears (350)<o></o>
Hot Bodies Rovers soft<o></o>
NovasArk 2.2 foams, unmodified <o></o>
Dimensions:<o></o>
WB: 13 7/16”<o></o>
Chassis clearance at front of skid: ~3 ½ ”<o></o>
Font axle total width: 11 ¼”<o></o>
Rear axle total width: 10 ¾”<o></o>
Weight:5.75 lb<o></o>
***I’ll upgrade to Super300s and RCaxlemaster 6mm rear axles as soon as I can find some for sale. Any help here would be appreciated.<o></o>
<o></o>
Hey y’all,<o></o>
<o></o>
NC/SC native residing in Sandy Eggo CA. Love the weather, not hippies. This is my first crawler and I’m hooked. I had been driving this rig for several weeks dig-less and just got my 4PK set up this week. What a difference. First, thanks a bunch to JeepinDoug (clocking tool, drill guides), NovasArk (foams), JRH (motors and break in advice), Rockshow (chassis/links) and Harley0607 for 4PK setup assistance. I can’t recall who originated the idea of the servo recessed into the top of the front axle but thanks for the idea (maybe 86Jeep?). Thank you to all that post on this site. Your insights have helped tremendously. I love the off color avatarsJ.<o></o>
<o></o>
This build took a lot of time. I’m anal. I’ve learned that crawler geometry is all about compromise and personal preference. I’ve settled on a fully suspended lower COG/ride height vs elevated belly or droop rig for enhanced breakover. My rig has no droop to speak of (maybe 1/8 inch). I went though several full sets of custom links, battery locations and servo mounts/steering systems before it was all done. I did a lot of in cerebro testing and dry running before actually hooking up the electronics and driving it. Slow to the finish line yes, but least I learned a lot in the process. The steering throw and axle articulation are respectable. Some may think the articulation is excessive but I like it and it doesn’t strand me twisted in half.
Comments on vendor parts
Please see reply below...it put me over the word limit for one post.
<o></o>
<o></o>
Comments on custom parts<o></o>
<o></o>
Steering: I went through two custom steering setups and three servo mounts before settling in on the ones pictured. The piece of rubber on the servo arm protects the arm during falls. It actually works. The key feature of my steering setup is the dainty little 3/8 plate delrin tie rod flanked by 0.220” aluminum plates with two flange bearings and a spacer in each one (AvidRC bearings MF63ZZ 3x6x2.5 Flanged Metal, custom hardened spacer). All parts were machined with a file, vice, jig saw, drill and elbow grease. The flange bearings float the tie rod like a feather. No binding or slop and the drag link isn’t supporting the tie rod and nor is the tie rod riding on the axle gear case. The knuckles spin effortless on the bearings. It’s is quite light compared to comparable aluminum and metal systems. As you can imagine there is very little tie rod flex except during falls/impacts…but it will flex, not bend…which is the beauty of plastic over metal. I think it is safe to say that I won’t be doing any additional beefing up of my steering system. The servo will fail before it does. The steering throw is respectable. The stock dog bones bind just as the tires slightly rub the shocks springs. Even with Super300s I don’t think I’ll get too much more steering throw due to the tires rubbing on the shock springs. I tried moving the shocks in but, during articulation, they and the lower links bind on the gear housing and the end of the motor. Again geometry is a about compromise.<o></o>
<o></o>
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on">Battery</st1lace> and mount: I liked the idea of the battery on an extended lower front skid plate but I didn’t like the shock compression due to the entirely sprung battery weight. So I made a angled mount sling (0.020” lexan) and hung it from the front uppers (attached with zip ties) and used Velcro and an o-ring to hold the battery in place. I stored excess wire inside the mount. I wrapped the battery in shrink wrap, Gooped on some aluminum ears for the o-ring to hold onto and a 0.020” lexan plate to the belly of the battery to act as a skidplate. This moves half of the battery weight to unsprung and keeps it low, angled and forward.<o></o>
<o></o>
Thanks again for all of your help. I look forward to learning from all of you and will hopefully make my way to a comp or two to meet some fellow crawlers. Any comments, suggestions or constructive criticism on my rig would be appreciated. <o></o>
<o></o>
Cheers,<o></o>
<o></o>
SkaldidDog
PS...Photos are in random order.
fficeffice" /><o></o>T1E rear links<o
></o>All other links custom<o
></o>V1 Berg axles (clocked 25 deg, front minus 5 deg for caster) with <o
></o>Stock bearings<o
></o>CKRC rear lockouts with axle (the old ones, not 6mm)<o
></o>CKRC high steer knuckles<o
></o>Axial stubs, stock front axles<o
></o>HH 45T motors<o
></o>Chemical bottle skids<o
></o>Hitech 7950 servo (6.5V)<o
></o>Robotronic aluminum servo arm<o
></o>Butyl rubber servo arm bumper<o
></o>Custom servo mount/front upper link bracket<o
></o>Custom steering tie rod and drag link (Revo ends)<o
></o>Modified rear upper link bracket<o
></o>CCBEC<o
></o>CC Sidewinder Micro ESC’s <o
></o>TH1320 3s lipos<o
></o>Custom front battery mount<o
></o>T4PK<o
></o>HPI Firestorm shocks (with shortened Traxxas Revo GTR shock ends for cap mod, Traxxas rod end on other end of shock shaft and spring adjusters ground down on the front). All shocks are unlimited and are 3.80” eye center to eye center full extended.<o
></o>Modified front lower shock mount<o
></o>25wt shock oil<o
></o>HPI Firestorm springs (Front pink, rear red)<o
></o>ProLine Crowd Pleazer shell (severely butchered and painted up nice)<o
></o>16 ga Deans wire with Novak silver solder<o
></o>All silver hardware replaced with black, except for wheel hubs…I don’t like chrome<o
></o>Vanquish DH fronts (460), 4 SS wts each<o
></o>Vanquish SLW 1” rears (350)<o
></o>Hot Bodies Rovers soft<o
></o>NovasArk 2.2 foams, unmodified <o
></o>Dimensions:<o
></o>WB: 13 7/16”<o
></o>Chassis clearance at front of skid: ~3 ½ ”<o
></o>Font axle total width: 11 ¼”<o
></o>Rear axle total width: 10 ¾”<o
></o>Weight:5.75 lb<o
></o>***I’ll upgrade to Super300s and RCaxlemaster 6mm rear axles as soon as I can find some for sale. Any help here would be appreciated.<o
></o><o
></o>Hey y’all,<o
></o><o
></o>NC/SC native residing in Sandy Eggo CA. Love the weather, not hippies. This is my first crawler and I’m hooked. I had been driving this rig for several weeks dig-less and just got my 4PK set up this week. What a difference. First, thanks a bunch to JeepinDoug (clocking tool, drill guides), NovasArk (foams), JRH (motors and break in advice), Rockshow (chassis/links) and Harley0607 for 4PK setup assistance. I can’t recall who originated the idea of the servo recessed into the top of the front axle but thanks for the idea (maybe 86Jeep?). Thank you to all that post on this site. Your insights have helped tremendously. I love the off color avatarsJ.<o
></o><o
></o>This build took a lot of time. I’m anal. I’ve learned that crawler geometry is all about compromise and personal preference. I’ve settled on a fully suspended lower COG/ride height vs elevated belly or droop rig for enhanced breakover. My rig has no droop to speak of (maybe 1/8 inch). I went though several full sets of custom links, battery locations and servo mounts/steering systems before it was all done. I did a lot of in cerebro testing and dry running before actually hooking up the electronics and driving it. Slow to the finish line yes, but least I learned a lot in the process. The steering throw and axle articulation are respectable. Some may think the articulation is excessive but I like it and it doesn’t strand me twisted in half.
Comments on vendor parts
Please see reply below...it put me over the word limit for one post.
<o
></o><o
></o>Comments on custom parts<o
></o><o
></o>Steering: I went through two custom steering setups and three servo mounts before settling in on the ones pictured. The piece of rubber on the servo arm protects the arm during falls. It actually works. The key feature of my steering setup is the dainty little 3/8 plate delrin tie rod flanked by 0.220” aluminum plates with two flange bearings and a spacer in each one (AvidRC bearings MF63ZZ 3x6x2.5 Flanged Metal, custom hardened spacer). All parts were machined with a file, vice, jig saw, drill and elbow grease. The flange bearings float the tie rod like a feather. No binding or slop and the drag link isn’t supporting the tie rod and nor is the tie rod riding on the axle gear case. The knuckles spin effortless on the bearings. It’s is quite light compared to comparable aluminum and metal systems. As you can imagine there is very little tie rod flex except during falls/impacts…but it will flex, not bend…which is the beauty of plastic over metal. I think it is safe to say that I won’t be doing any additional beefing up of my steering system. The servo will fail before it does. The steering throw is respectable. The stock dog bones bind just as the tires slightly rub the shocks springs. Even with Super300s I don’t think I’ll get too much more steering throw due to the tires rubbing on the shock springs. I tried moving the shocks in but, during articulation, they and the lower links bind on the gear housing and the end of the motor. Again geometry is a about compromise.<o
></o><o
></o><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com
ffice:smarttags" /><st1lace w:st="on">Battery</st1lace> and mount: I liked the idea of the battery on an extended lower front skid plate but I didn’t like the shock compression due to the entirely sprung battery weight. So I made a angled mount sling (0.020” lexan) and hung it from the front uppers (attached with zip ties) and used Velcro and an o-ring to hold the battery in place. I stored excess wire inside the mount. I wrapped the battery in shrink wrap, Gooped on some aluminum ears for the o-ring to hold onto and a 0.020” lexan plate to the belly of the battery to act as a skidplate. This moves half of the battery weight to unsprung and keeps it low, angled and forward.<o></o><o
></o>Thanks again for all of your help. I look forward to learning from all of you and will hopefully make my way to a comp or two to meet some fellow crawlers. Any comments, suggestions or constructive criticism on my rig would be appreciated. <o
></o><o
></o>Cheers,<o
></o><o
></o>SkaldidDog
PS...Photos are in random order.
:lmao:
