FourByLawl
RCTalk Basher
OK so I might have been bitten by the upgrade bug. I was tinkering with the idea of making my now updated Honcho with new Max 6 ESC 1650 KV can combo, into the truck that I have always dreamed of. The original intent was when I got the Jeep (got for an amazing price), to convert to Honcho later on, which happened a year later.
Then I decided, well what's next, and that was the ESC and Can with stellar results. I have upgraded the springs (softer purple), the shock towers, just minor stuff and also the servo to 80KGs.
I got to thinking, now I have a can and esc that is more than suitable for 6wd, will I be able to do it? Vitavon is not locally sold here, so importing and getting what I need without having to pay excessive duties is making me re-think how to do this.
So what I did was got into the instructions and redid these images to see if this would work.
I got rid of all the stuff in the drawings that was not relating to chassis, I can buy the frame for $160 landed, and it had me thinking, in the image 3, I could attach the 2 sub frames together with a part cut from another sub frame, I just don't know how strong it would be, with that extra weight on the 3rd axle. On that, I basically have all the parts to make another rear end, just need to buy the axle housing, diff, but have the wheels, suspension arms etc.
I started comparing Vitavon's images to how I could make mine, then realized, I still need the diff cover made to allow the middle to connect to the rear axle.
Then I was starting to really break it all down, how can I effectively get the best way to do this, without a compromise, so I went shopping for some stuff.
I can buy the whole rear chassis for around $1300 AUD, but the issue is, it is portal axle which means I need to have my middle and front with portals too.
This is a rabbit hole I am jumping down, so then I decided to check how I could get the front and rear housings without having to pay import duties, they cost $600 AUD landed without portals.
Then I need portals which cost another $400, so all up I am looking at around $2400 for the conversion, now it appears to be a large sum of money, but when I break it down as I can do it incrementally, I think I can almost justify it, plus this is my desert island truck, and given I can do this slowly, I think it's better than doing my own hack job.
I have a guilty pleasure of playing Snowtires, so this is in my blood, and yes I know I could buy a whole new other truck, but that saying YOLO, seems to resonate with me, you either go for it, or will forever be wondering, what if.
I spoke to my friend about this, he said he would never pay that much for a conversion, but I don't think he really understands the quality of parts that come with Vitavon.
If anyone has gone down this pathway, any advice would be greatly appreciated, I have pretty much made up my mind on the Vitavon pathway, because even if I do get the axles, that doesn't mean I am committed to doing the actual 6WD conversion, it just means I am able to have it 6WD ready with the same compatible parts.
The portals would be next, and again that does not mean I have to commit to 6WD, but makes it an easier upgrade path than having to buy it all in 1 go, which costs $1800 AUD without the front axle/portals.
The biggest issue here is, getting the right axles, the right portals and the right rear, eBay does not have this, nor does the Vitavon website, only Aliexpress allows me to buy all 3 with only having to pay import duty on the rear chassis.
I know this is long winded, I thank anyone that managed to get this far, a penny for your thoughts.
Then I decided, well what's next, and that was the ESC and Can with stellar results. I have upgraded the springs (softer purple), the shock towers, just minor stuff and also the servo to 80KGs.
I got to thinking, now I have a can and esc that is more than suitable for 6wd, will I be able to do it? Vitavon is not locally sold here, so importing and getting what I need without having to pay excessive duties is making me re-think how to do this.
So what I did was got into the instructions and redid these images to see if this would work.
I got rid of all the stuff in the drawings that was not relating to chassis, I can buy the frame for $160 landed, and it had me thinking, in the image 3, I could attach the 2 sub frames together with a part cut from another sub frame, I just don't know how strong it would be, with that extra weight on the 3rd axle. On that, I basically have all the parts to make another rear end, just need to buy the axle housing, diff, but have the wheels, suspension arms etc.
I started comparing Vitavon's images to how I could make mine, then realized, I still need the diff cover made to allow the middle to connect to the rear axle.
Then I was starting to really break it all down, how can I effectively get the best way to do this, without a compromise, so I went shopping for some stuff.
I can buy the whole rear chassis for around $1300 AUD, but the issue is, it is portal axle which means I need to have my middle and front with portals too.
This is a rabbit hole I am jumping down, so then I decided to check how I could get the front and rear housings without having to pay import duties, they cost $600 AUD landed without portals.
Then I need portals which cost another $400, so all up I am looking at around $2400 for the conversion, now it appears to be a large sum of money, but when I break it down as I can do it incrementally, I think I can almost justify it, plus this is my desert island truck, and given I can do this slowly, I think it's better than doing my own hack job.
I have a guilty pleasure of playing Snowtires, so this is in my blood, and yes I know I could buy a whole new other truck, but that saying YOLO, seems to resonate with me, you either go for it, or will forever be wondering, what if.
I spoke to my friend about this, he said he would never pay that much for a conversion, but I don't think he really understands the quality of parts that come with Vitavon.
If anyone has gone down this pathway, any advice would be greatly appreciated, I have pretty much made up my mind on the Vitavon pathway, because even if I do get the axles, that doesn't mean I am committed to doing the actual 6WD conversion, it just means I am able to have it 6WD ready with the same compatible parts.
The portals would be next, and again that does not mean I have to commit to 6WD, but makes it an easier upgrade path than having to buy it all in 1 go, which costs $1800 AUD without the front axle/portals.
The biggest issue here is, getting the right axles, the right portals and the right rear, eBay does not have this, nor does the Vitavon website, only Aliexpress allows me to buy all 3 with only having to pay import duty on the rear chassis.
I know this is long winded, I thank anyone that managed to get this far, a penny for your thoughts.
