Building from the ground up......

[benjman420]

I want to start a project, and that is to build a monster truck from the ground up. I want it to be a crazy tough basher and able to race if I want to. I'm looking at getting the chassis first, my thought is a carbon fiber chassis, but what kind should I get(i.e. t-maxx 3.3, savage, etc.)? Any thoughts?

 

[flandersander]

Get a savage. Not from expierence but from what I've been told.

 

[CharliesTheMan]

If you want a basher, get the Savage. If it was my monster truck, I would want it to handle fairly well, so I would get the Lower Center Of gravity TVP's

 

[benjman420]

I want to be able to bash(mostly) and race(occasionally), so it seems the savage chassis is the way to go. Also Charlie what is Lower Center OF Gravity TVP's?

 

[Rolex]

TVPs are Twin Vertical Plates, the side frames that hold everything together. You can get either a set of extended plates or a pair that will lower the center of gravity making it more stable.

 

[benjman420]

Ahhhhh, so I would want the pair that lowers my center of gravity to go along with a savage chassis? For my particular needs that is.
Is there a carbon fiber version of the savage chassis and tvp available?

 

[CharliesTheMan]

The Savage Chassis and Twin Vertical Plates are one in the same. If you look at this picture about halfway down the page of the Savage with no body, you will see a plate going down the side of the truck with an "x" molded in near the front. This is one side of the TVP. The savage doesn't have a flat plate chassis like the T-Maxx, everything is mounted to these vertical plates, which is why it is such a great basher.

You know you can buy the HPI Savage X SS kit with no engine for a very reasonable price. This would give you the chassis, diffs, and suspension to start with, then you could customize from their as well as adding all your electronics and engine parts.

 

[rckid91]

yea +1 on savage tough as nails handling lacks a little but better servos would solve that

 

[benjman420]

So I was going to buy the savage kit w/out engine like you suggested Charlie. But some expenses have come up and I am putting so much scrilla into my T-maxx that I had to compromise. So I just bought this savage x 4.6 off of ebay instead.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160239054886
I guess i'll just have to modify this one for the time being until the construction season picks back up this summer.