mmatthews
Rock Crawler
Castle SV3 3800 KV
Hitec 7954
Steel transmission gears
Steel axle tubes f&r
STRC hubs and knuckles
CBE aluminum links
Aluminum steering links
STRC aluminum shock bodies and caps
Bess suspension straps
Proline Brawler wheels
Proline Destroyer tires
ESS one sound module (not here yet)
Barbie Volvo station wagon body
Dumb build, but fun.
Sold most of the original parts as soon as it showed it.
Started ordering new parts.
Rit Dye made easy work of changing the wheel color.
Hardest part was coming up with a way to mount the body. Ended up going through the fenders. Place a spacer between body and shock mount area on chassis. Not the easiest to take on and off, but shouldn't need to remove it often.
Unfortunately the Rit Dye wouldn't take to the body. Had to break out the trusty rattle can. It bonded descent, but I know it'll scratch. Fortunately a black Sharpie is a great match.
Added some green to accent the chassis. Also added the blower and headers. I later tossed the blower in favor of just the blower cap.
Mocked it up to get some outdoor pictures. I quickly removed the decals. Just wasn't the look I wanted. At this point I was still waiting to upgrade the shocks and install the "glass".
Got my aluminum shock bodies and caps in. Also installed my limiting straps. I've played with fluid and spring weights. I think I'll still need to dial them in. I'll have to drive it and see.
At this point it was down to the final touches. Needed to add the green "glass". Do some paint touch up. Adjust shock springs again. Removed the blower. And yes I know pro trucks have the motor down in the chassis, but I was going for more of a home brew, southern rig. That's the reason for the blower cap and fender headers.
So at this point all I'm waiting on is the sound module. Wanting to do some open header blast across the yard. The Brawlers are stock offset. It will have very limited steering radius. I might add some 1/2" RC4WD spacers later. Using stock offset requires a steering link that stays parallel with the axle. Any bend at the knuckle will interfere with the wheel. Wheelbase is 11.5". Being so short it's for sure going to be a handful to drive. Hopefully I have it low enough to help with handling a bit. I did lock the front diff and left the rear open. I've done this on a previous build, and it really seemed to work. Pretty sure first outing will knock the headers off.
Well that's it. A big, dumb, useless, monster wagon. Hope you like it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hitec 7954
Steel transmission gears
Steel axle tubes f&r
STRC hubs and knuckles
CBE aluminum links
Aluminum steering links
STRC aluminum shock bodies and caps
Bess suspension straps
Proline Brawler wheels
Proline Destroyer tires
ESS one sound module (not here yet)
Barbie Volvo station wagon body
Dumb build, but fun.
Sold most of the original parts as soon as it showed it.

Started ordering new parts.

Rit Dye made easy work of changing the wheel color.


Hardest part was coming up with a way to mount the body. Ended up going through the fenders. Place a spacer between body and shock mount area on chassis. Not the easiest to take on and off, but shouldn't need to remove it often.



Unfortunately the Rit Dye wouldn't take to the body. Had to break out the trusty rattle can. It bonded descent, but I know it'll scratch. Fortunately a black Sharpie is a great match.



Added some green to accent the chassis. Also added the blower and headers. I later tossed the blower in favor of just the blower cap.




Mocked it up to get some outdoor pictures. I quickly removed the decals. Just wasn't the look I wanted. At this point I was still waiting to upgrade the shocks and install the "glass".



Got my aluminum shock bodies and caps in. Also installed my limiting straps. I've played with fluid and spring weights. I think I'll still need to dial them in. I'll have to drive it and see.


At this point it was down to the final touches. Needed to add the green "glass". Do some paint touch up. Adjust shock springs again. Removed the blower. And yes I know pro trucks have the motor down in the chassis, but I was going for more of a home brew, southern rig. That's the reason for the blower cap and fender headers.














So at this point all I'm waiting on is the sound module. Wanting to do some open header blast across the yard. The Brawlers are stock offset. It will have very limited steering radius. I might add some 1/2" RC4WD spacers later. Using stock offset requires a steering link that stays parallel with the axle. Any bend at the knuckle will interfere with the wheel. Wheelbase is 11.5". Being so short it's for sure going to be a handful to drive. Hopefully I have it low enough to help with handling a bit. I did lock the front diff and left the rear open. I've done this on a previous build, and it really seemed to work. Pretty sure first outing will knock the headers off.
Well that's it. A big, dumb, useless, monster wagon. Hope you like it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk