Birth of Trash Panda (trx-4)

[Greywolf74]

Shes looking good. can't wait to see what you do for paint

 

[Pat_ranch]

Ok, ran the trash panda against a well built trx-4 with metal axles, wheel weights, brass diff covers, knuckles, portal covers, etc.- a fully upgraded trx. And a dude who knows how to drive.

I gathered some good dope from today's crawling:
1) I'll save the negative offset wheels for the capra. They rub on the steering links- es no bueno. The inner sidewalls took some damage on sidehills.
2) running boards suck. So do factory bumpers.
3) zero preload works best with this rig so far. And I need lighter weight shock oil. 30wt is too stiff for such a light truck. I kinda expected this, but I didn't have anything lighter when I built it, so I applied the 'run what ya brung' rule.
4) my front/rear balance weren't where it needed to be.

So I put her on a diet. Bumpers went bye bye first.

I also pulled the stupid running boards and rx box (too big to tuck out of the way). Then I stuffed the esc up behind the servo between the shock towers.

Then I rigged the front bumper mount to hold the batt with a velcro strap. The rx is in a baggie for now until I find a smaller box for it.

Much happier with the balance, and overall weight now.

Front end-

Back end-

Total-

Those of you gifted with math smrts will notice that I've hit my 60/40 sweet spot for balance. ❤

I also had to trim the front fenders just a little (1/4") to clear the normal offset wheels. I'll match up the rears before I paint.

I'm gonna put some miles on her in this configuration before I buy more stuff. I'm a little concerned about temperature problems. Castle doesn't recommend mamba micros in rigs this big. Based on what I've read on the Holmes website and a few fb posts on the topic, I'm right at the upper limit of kv for this esc. Heat could happen. I have a spare mamba x that could replace the micro if need be, though, so I ain't scured.

 

[Greywolf74]

Shes coming right a long. Youll probably be alright on the ESC being a trail truck its not like you're going to be doing WOT passes.

 

[Jimbobjr]

Another cheap up grade is overdrive in the front. It’s a different ring and input in the front diff. Makes the front grip like claws. Sometimes not having the sliders is a hinderance. I raised up my sliders with 3/8 spacers and trimmed the body. They will save a little wear and tear underneath but performance wise a narrow body and no skids/running boards is the way to go. The battery up front is great for hill climbs but descending takes a little getting used to. Have you tried the stock tires and foams? They work very well for the rigs weight. I just added a little weight to the front wheels. If you make the rig too heavy the foam is too soft and the sidewall collapses.

 

[Doom!]

Looks like the Trash Panda is moving right along.

 

[Pat_ranch]

Another cheap up grade is overdrive in the front. It’s a different ring and input in the front diff. Makes the front grip like claws. Sometimes not having the sliders is a hinderance. I raised up my sliders with 3/8 spacers and trimmed the body. They will save a little wear and tear underneath but performance wise a narrow body and no skids/running boards is the way to go. The battery up front is great for hill climbs but descending takes a little getting used to. Have you tried the stock tires and foams? They work very well for the rigs weight. I just added a little weight to the front wheels. If you make the rig too heavy the foam is too soft and the sidewall collapses.

I'm a huge fan of the canyon trails- especially after a little snip snip. I put the od gears up front when I built her
It's running voodoos now

 

[Pat_ranch]

Quick update- what's a pig without lipstick? (I kid).

It was ready for paint.

Went with the birthday boy's recommendation and did a basic camo job.

I expect it'll look better with some scuffs...

And once the paint is fully cured, I'll put in headlights and a grill.

And taillights. I also plan to make some sort of roll pan to tuck under the rear end to keep the corners from snagging on steep departures.

She's kinda bare bones. I'm hoping to not need any more brass. The balance is where it should be front to back. I'm hoping the center of gravity will work as is and not require more brass down low. I can still add diff covers and inner portal covers, and even metal axles, but I'd like to keep the weight minimal to keep the motor and esc happy.

I'm super stoked about how the mamba micro tucks into the space between shock towers on the back of the servo. The snubby revolver makes for tons of space.
I'll have another update after the next crawl.

 

[Greywolf74]

Good stuff!

 

[WickedFog]

Love that camo job bro! Lookin great!

 

[Doom!]

Mask off those windows, and hit it with some flat clear on the outside. It will work wonders. TP is looking good.

 

[Pat_ranch]

Well now I'll have to get more pics so I can keep updating this thread for the contest!

 

[Pat_ranch]

Took a bit of effort to get back on this today, but I'm glad I did.

Grill and tailgate plate mek it betta.

Mo betta. ❤

Lights flicker a little running off the rx, so I'll prolly pick up a bec when the amazon light tape shows up for the wheel wells. I kinda like crawling around at night.......................................................and tipping over @Doom! 's trash cans.

like a real trash panda
Forgot to mention, I ordered some led tape lights for fender wells (rock lights), and softer springs for the shocks (yeller dots).

Since I put her on the diet the springs ride a little stiff.

Sidehilling is good now, but I'd like to slow down the unloading on off-camber approaches. The spring rate needs to match the weight of the rig a little better.

Stairs are getting easier with every mod I do. I'll get some video up soon

 

[Doom!]

@Pat_ranch You best not be dumpin' my trashcans, I'm tryin' to wait till they are good'n ripe, so I have sumthin' good to put in my Xmas gifts this year.

 

[Greywolf74]

Love the TP!

 

[Pat_ranch]

Been awhile.

With the voodoos, I noticed that my center of gravity was high enough to flip on steeps. Having the batt on the front shock tower was definitely an improvement over factory location, but I'm trying to shave it all down the finest margins while keeping it cheap.
Before-

I noticed a huge increase in the Taco's performance when I switched the esc and batt to a saddlebag type location, so why not try it here? Gspeed sliders are fairly cheap. I just had to drill a couple new holes and voila-

Relocation complete-

A little gorilla tape and velcro to boat side the body-

I used velcro on 2 sides to hold the batt-

I'll have to find some rock (it's all under snow at the moment) and see if it helped any.
Inside view now. I'm not sure if I can do much more w/o adding more brass (portal covers, diff covers, etc.). And I really want to keep it light, so....

^Everything is nice and low! ^

But, I may have pulled my cog back too much. Maybe that's the excuse I need for brass front inside portal covers....


Until next time, my friends

 

[Doom!]

Nice low position, but I think you might be right about needing more weight up front. Nice to see Trashy gettin' some love!