First timer building a Savage SS

[PROJEKT]

I bought my 3 and 5 year olds Nikko trucks for their birthdays, and I got the R/C bug. 4 months and $700 later, I'm about halfway done building the Savage SS kit, and I'm really enjoying it. It seems to me that the truck is well engineered, and the directions are fairly easy to follow. I almost bought the RTR, and I'm really glad I didn't.
My only complaint so far is the electronics box. I can't seems to get everything in and organized to my liking.
I surfed this site for a month or so, and used some guidance from others who built the kit to make some decisions. So far, so good.
I spent some time at my LHS this weekend, shooting the poop with the counter guys, but the only thing I bought was fuel. They want quite a bit more for parts than Tower.
My only question is, why PURPLE?

 

[Ryan with savage]

Why purple?? Dunno why not i guess!!

I bought the SS purely so i could build it, it also helps in future when you break stuff as you'll have a better idea of how it all goes together!!

 

[G8RMaxx]

Mainly because purple and orange are HPI's sig. colors. Why, what's wrong with purple? Honestly, let me know how it goes, I've been thinking about building one for a while now.

 

[robriguez]

I bought the rtr but have had mine almpost completely stripped down a few times already.

I have a hard time getting everything in the box and closing it as well. Its all about making sure you tuck and fold the wires as neatly as you possibly can. Make sure there are no wires close to the edge or openeing on the top of the box. Worst case... since the top has a bit if a curve in it you could always keep a bunch of wiring up on top of everything but then its not all neat and pretty....lol.

I'm in the middle of moving right now so everything is packed away. Once I get unpacked if you still havent figured it out I'll take some pics of how I have mine.
OR... check out the gallery... you bound to find some pics of someones radio box.

 

[SaVaGeR21]

good luck with finishin the ss. the savage will be so fun when yourdone but remember to be patient with the break in.
svager

 

[olds97_lss]

If your building it, now is a good time to check out the mod's sticky at the top of the Savage Thread. I suggest you do the 4 spider mod. It will make the driveline last longer for you. Especially with the .25 vs the .21.

 

[jgrs4]

Yes do the 4 Spider mod. I wish I did my mod when I was building my SS. also the receiver box is a pain in the a$$, so you should look into a 3 way switch with a charging jack and a hump pack so you never have to open that box again. :hammer: At least for awhile

 

[rossb]

Shove the wires underneath the receiver mounting plate. Here is mine with a 6V hump pack and a failsafe:

Upgrades you should install include:
4 Spider mod
MP Servo saver
Dual disc Brakes
6V NiHM hump
Primerless tank
3-shoe clutch
Motorsaver filter
Reverse if you need it
Seal the backplate and the carb.

See my sig for a link to these mods being installed while building the vehicle.

 

[partbreaker]

Do yourself a favor and ditch the primor tank for the primerless savage25 tank. the primor leaks air and will make tuning a real pain!

 

[Mudbug]

i got a question about the radio box. would it hurt if you were to cut the wires so there is not as much clutter in the box. i don't think it would as long s they are soldered back and heat shrink is used over the splices.

 

[rossb]

You probably could safely trim the battery power and servo wires but there really is no need. Get a 6V hump pack and you will have plenty of room to neatly shove the existing wires into the open space in the battery area. I have also have a failsafe and I got all of mine to fit. My current setup is neater than the picture I posted above. I pop the box cover to access the charge port on my hump pack and I have no problems getting the cover back on.

Do not trim the antenna wire.

 

[PROJEKT]

I think I have the same electronics as Rossb.

Last night I pulled the charging connector (molex) off the hump pack, drilled a hole in the side of the box and pulled the wires thru. Then I put a new molex connector on so I won't have to open the box to charge the battery. I was thinking of shortening the wires for the failsafe and servos, but it seems to be alot of work, so I'll just arrange them as neat as I can. I plan to seal up the electronics box.

I bought a different airfilter- one designed for the tmaxx. (not sure what the differences are.) I am thinking of fabbing up a CAI.

I added the stainless steel brakes, reverse, and the 3 shoe clutch (not in yet).

I read about the spider gear mod, primerless tank and Mp servo saver, but I think I'll save those mods for later. I am really enjoying wrenching on the truck now, so I am not concerned about broken parts later.

How/where/why do I seal the backplate and carb? I saw your pics, but I'm still unsure.

Thanks for all the input everyone.

 

[olds97_lss]

From what I've found from repairing servo wires, don't cut and re-solder unless you cut and resolder the ends to the circuit board of the servo. The wire is such a fine gauge that the solder creates a brittle point in the wire. In a short time of running, the wire actually breaks due to the vibration. This is at least true with JR servo wires.

 

[rossb]

How/where/why do I seal the backplate and carb? I saw your pics, but I'm still unsure.

Sealing the backplate and carb helps to prevent airleaks into the motor. This will help make tuning more consistent. The stock S25 comes with o-rings on both the backplate and the carb. This is good but a bit of sealer will make it even better.

Pop the backplate and apply some high-heat RTV to the area where the backplate mates to the block. I applied it on the block, not on the backplate. Just use a little, do not go too crazy.

Remove the carb and apply a little high-heat RTV to the carb neck (carb area that goes into the block). Again, you only need to apply a thin film. Do not go crazy with the RTV.

The entire job takes about 10 minutes. Use lock-tite on the rear backplate screws and the pull start screws. Make sure you tighten the screws in a criss-cross pattern.

This page might help:

http://www.rcnitro.com/rn/articles/fix_airleaks2.asp

 

[PROJEKT]

OK- that makes sense.

I am not sure if I am going to replace the pullstart with a rotostart. I bought the roto, but I am unsure about carrying it around with me. I like the benefits of both.

Also, when assembling, did you use anything on bolts that went into plastic parts, like the diffs? I only used locktite on metal to metal contact, and nothing on metal to plastic connections. The hexcrews seem to make a nice tight self-tapping connection.

 

[rossb]

Also, when assembling, did you use anything on bolts that went into plastic parts

I did not use anything on the screws that went into plastic.

 

[PROJEKT]

Thanks for all your help, Ross.
I have another question regarding your throttle servo shown here:

Doesn't it sit high in the box? Did you have to cut away any material where the servo mounts in the box, or did the linkage hook up properly at that height? (I have the same servo, and it seems to sit a little high)
TIM

 

[rossb]

That S3003 servo came with two sets of rubber mounting grommets, one for the top of the servo mounting holes and one for the bottom. When I tried to use both sets two of the four mounting screws on the servo just barely contacted the radio box cover. I had 3 choices-shave the box top a bit to clear the screw, cut away some material under the servo mounting area in the radio box, or just use one set of rubber grommets.

I decided to just use one set of grommets. They are sitting underneath the servo cushioning it from the radio box. The servo is now a perfect fit and the linkage is perfect. The top grommet set I removed will not affect the installed height or linkage, but I figured I would mention it since it caused a problem with the box cover.

Linkage picture here:
http://www.rbartick.com/hpi/build_38.jpg

 

[PROJEKT]

OK- thanks.
I noticed that it didn't fit quite right, and I used some 10mm screws to put it in the first time.
I'll probably do the same thing- I don't want to start hacking up the box.
TIM

 

[Parag0n]

i just finished building my SS, and i love it

ran it for break in, first off the ground, then at 1/4 throttle... took it to my local huge carparkthe other day to really open it up

my radio box is very cramped, and its only gonna get worse with my home made electronic mods i'm adding in