INVADER - Nitro Slash drag car

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I think that you are doing an awesome build ,not too many people out there that will take the steps to do
something different , I use to ,an I did start a drag car build a quite few years ago ,but a different way ,mine
was more of an experiment though ,I lost interest of it an quit!

Another thing to watch out for on your maiden voyage of that on your first speed run ,is braking ,at full speed ,
to stopping is crucial ,2 wheel drive cars don't do to well on braking from full speeds ,you will need to slowly
brake the car ,or it will spin around on you an it will be out of control!

I can show a vid of what happen to my car when the front brake was canceled out!

Thanks! I always kinda like to do things that are unique :)

Oh that maiden voyage, at least the first speed test scares me, lol. I keep watching videos of other ones soaring off into the air! One of the reasons I wanted to add some weight(plus for traction). I'll probably test very gradually :)
 
Thanks! I always kinda like to do things that are unique :)

Oh that maiden voyage, at least the first speed test scares me, lol. I keep watching videos of other ones soaring off into the air! One of the reasons I wanted to add some weight(plus for traction). I'll probably test very gradually :)

On my drag car build ,I was going to add front disc brakes on it ,front brakes will help slow the car down ,or
can be used in a line lock!..

Here is one of my speed run builds ,only had about 6 test runs on it while testing gear ratio's on it ,
the cause of the crash was the o-way front diff spool that I installed instead of using a stock front diff. ,
it had cancelled the front brakes causing the front wheels to free spin on braking!



the crash!

 
Front disc brakes for burnouts would be pretty darn cool :D

That wreck...ouch...how fast was it going?
 
Front disc brakes for burnouts would be pretty darn cool :D

That wreck...ouch...how fast was it going?

I have no way of clocking speed ,so I don't know ,that was a speed run build because everyone else was doing it an
also ,I had an over abundance of Ofna Ld3 cars & parts ,in which ,I already have 2 nitro's of!

I dont have vid of the crash ,but here is the vid before when I changed the pinion ,thats what I was doing ,figuring
out the right gear ratio ,like you will have to ,as I dont think no one really has the answer to your ? on a custom
one off build ,you will have to experiment with that!...:cool:

 
I woke up Saturday morning to a mailbox full of small boxes and envelopes...needless to say, I had a busy weekend. Got the body fully assembled and fitted, and the chassis nearly complete. I'm really only now waiting on the engine, fuel tank, and radio to complete this thing(though a few items I probably am changing/upgrading).

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I still have some unanswered questions in my mind regarding the body. Such as, do I cut out an air hole for the engine, which to me seems like it's going to be well inside the outline of the body, or should I cut out a bit in the rear to allow for air flow and reduce the "parachute" effect? I guess once the engine is in I'll have a better idea. I also am not sure which way I'm running the exhaust yet. May run it out the rear to minimize any potential for nitro spray getting on the tires. If I can't flip the exhaust over(I'm thinking the shocks/towers might prevent it, I may have to add tubing to the stinger to route it out further.
 
I woke up Saturday morning to a mailbox full of small boxes and envelopes...needless to say, I had a busy weekend. Got the body fully assembled and fitted, and the chassis nearly complete. I'm really only now waiting on the engine, fuel tank, and radio to complete this thing(though a few items I probably am changing/upgrading).

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I still have some unanswered questions in my mind regarding the body. Such as, do I cut out an air hole for the engine, which to me seems like it's going to be well inside the outline of the body, or should I cut out a bit in the rear to allow for air flow and reduce the "parachute" effect? I guess once the engine is in I'll have a better idea. I also am not sure which way I'm running the exhaust yet. May run it out the rear to minimize any potential for nitro spray getting on the tires. If I can't flip the exhaust over(I'm thinking the shocks/towers might prevent it, I may have to add tubing to the stinger to route it out further.

It looks awesome!....:thumbs-up:

I would think that you would be ok if it has some hole for venting out the back ,it should draw some air from underneath
the front of the body ,just be careful an not let the hot exhaust touch the body ,may have to use some kind of heat resistant
tape near the header & muffler!....:cool:
 
It looks awesome!....:thumbs-up:

I would think that you would be ok if it has some hole for venting out the back ,it should draw some air from underneath
the front of the body ,just be careful an not let the hot exhaust touch the body ,may have to use some kind of heat resistant
tape near the header & muffler!....:cool:

Yeah, I was leaning towards the rear vents, accomplishes two things, plus the vents in the driver bubble are designed to bring in fresh air. As for the exhaust, at first glance I think the issue isn't gonna be it being too close to the body, it's more like I need to buy a stinger extension to get it routed outside of the body, there is really a ton of room in there!
 
Yeah, I was leaning towards the rear vents, accomplishes two things, plus the vents in the driver bubble are designed to bring in fresh air. As for the exhaust, at first glance I think the issue isn't gonna be it being too close to the body, it's more like I need to buy a stinger extension to get it routed outside of the body, there is really a ton of room in there!
dubro makes deflectors, but just be aware, they can hinder performance.
i dont know what the original slash had for exhaust but if its a side dump exhaust, depending on how your wheel wells match up to the rear tires it may be a non issue. if it was a downward spout, might be able to make it side dump and just add a deflector.
might be able to look for a MIP "360 stinger" shock tower, (or custom make your own). the 360 pipe used to go straight back through their own shock tower straight back off the truck.
 
I did order a deflector "just in case". Performance was a worry, so I look at it like a last resort. I've got the side dump THS pipe and manifold, the engine comes in Thursday, so I'll be able to see what I can do.
 
Another weekend, another pile of parts :) Nearly getting this ready to fire up for the first time...waiting on my OWB to use on my rotostart, and the radio, plus a few other minor items.

Got the engine put together and in place. Mounted the bracket and connector for the glow plug to use the Traxxas starter wand in the wheelie bar(clever suggestion from my LHS).

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Printed out and added a decorative NOS bottle :D

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Tested the final fitment of the body.

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Tore it all apart and painted it. Will reassemble this evening. I was pretty close on the colors I was going for, maybe a bit understated though. I also feel I could have done the backing black more, but didn't realize it until after I'd sealed it and taken off the window masks. Doh. It's a little more see through than I'd like if a light is behind it. Ah well.

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I feel like this thing is really screaming for some LED headlights/taillights too.
 
Another weekend, another pile of parts :) Nearly getting this ready to fire up for the first time...waiting on my OWB to use on my rotostart, and the radio, plus a few other minor items.

Got the engine put together and in place. Mounted the bracket and connector for the glow plug to use the Traxxas starter wand in the wheelie bar(clever suggestion from my LHS).

View attachment 120142

Printed out and added a decorative NOS bottle :D

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Tested the final fitment of the body.

View attachment 120144

Tore it all apart and painted it. Will reassemble this evening. I was pretty close on the colors I was going for, maybe a bit understated though. I also feel I could have done the backing black more, but didn't realize it until after I'd sealed it and taken off the window masks. Doh. It's a little more see through than I'd like if a light is behind it. Ah well.

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I feel like this thing is really screaming for some LED headlights/taillights too.
amazing skills and craftsmanship in this thing! can't wait to see the finished product (if finished is a thing lol)
 
Put back together :D Preeeetttyy close to my original vision I think. This has definitely been a ton of fun so far!

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Left to do:

1. Add exhaust extension(will come out the side).
2. Radio. Still waiting...
3. OWB. Still waiting...
4. Install hump pack box and switch. I have an aluminum Tmaxx box that I'm going to mount on the chassis opposite side of the exhaust. This should add a little more front weight, and help balance it. Will require some custom drilling.
5. Install new steering servo arm and link. I have an orange aluminum arm that I need to customize to make work, and the link I am Frankensteining two of them to make one that is the right length.
6. Install the head and tail lights. Definitely needed for twilight/night racing. On order...

Then it's break-in and tuning. Not sure if the weather around here is going to cooperate though. I wasn't supposed to be at this stage until March, lol.

I haven't weighed it yet, but this thing is surprisingly a bit lighter than expected. Not sure yet if that's a good thing. It's certainly not as light as a lot of the electric Slash drag cars, but a lot of the ones I've been seeing videos of could use a bit more weight as they seem to struggle with traction.
 

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SO sick. So very, very, VERY sick.

Haha, my wife tells me that all the time :D

Weighed the car last night - 6.3 lbs. On the Slash drag car FB group I frequent, saw a thread where people were discussing their vehicle weights, and they were generally 4-7 lbs, so this is pretty average.
 
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Well, it's basically finished. Bittersweet...the build is so much fun for me. I am only waiting on the OWB now. I'll get some proper outdoor pics soon.

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Did some suspension adjustments and tuning, just preliminary. I am going to do some aerodynamic testing tonight with a big box fan to see if I can detect air flow issues(mostly to see if the body tries to lift, or does it push down). I'd rather like to get an idea if this thing is gonna kite or not and try to deal with it before a full speed run test. Visually I really feel like it'll push down, and air will escape from the rear, based on all of the angles I've measured, but it's really just an educated guess and not reality.

This is really just the beginning I think, as I'm sure I'm going to be tweaking and tuning the design. Currently it's geared with a 20t/70t but I might switch it to 24t/65t Robinson gears. The stock nitro Slash is "supposed" to run 50+ mph on 19t/72t, and maybe 20t/70t gets me to 55 or 60(guessing). That won't be quite fast enough for pro mod class. Maybe going to the lower ratio will push it closer to 70mph which is where I think it has to be for mid 2s 132ft times, and should compete pretty well then. I'm probably going to mod the clutch too, to hit later.
 
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It looks awesome ,you did a great job on theme!...:thumbs-up:

I am curious as well about the lift ,as I had one before do that ,an it wasn't even beef up or nothing ,it freaked
me out when it happen ,that was an RC10 that I had won on Ebay auction years ago ,an when I got it ,it was
nasty ,grimy ,fuel soaked ,scratched up ,tires bald ,it looked like it had been abused & through hell ,I didnt
even know that it would even run ,so I test fired it an test ran it ,LOL.....that's when it happen ,now I know why
it was in the shape it was in!

Also ,I am wondering about the swell of the tires when you pull full WOT?...:cool:
 
It looks awesome ,you did a great job on theme!...:thumbs-up:

I am curious as well about the lift ,as I had one before do that ,an it wasn't even beef up or nothing ,it freaked
me out when it happen ,that was an RC10 that I had won on Ebay auction years ago ,an when I got it ,it was
nasty ,grimy ,fuel soaked ,scratched up ,tires bald ,it looked like it had been abused & through hell ,I didnt
even know that it would even run ,so I test fired it an test ran it ,LOL.....that's when it happen ,now I know why
it was in the shape it was in!

Also ,I am wondering about the swell of the tires when you pull full WOT?...:cool:

Thanks!

The tires are definitely gonna balloon some, if it's too much, I might switch them out to belted. I've heard the Reaction belted tires aren't as sticky as the Hoosiers though...

As for lift, I'm hoping that the stance helps a lot with it, with the nose down, rear up angles. The trunk angle is around 60 deg, and along with the little cut out, I think it will let air escape enough. The nose angle I was careful to keep at under 90 deg, so it should allow some air to flow over the top, and push down with that overall angle. A lot of the ones I've seen kiting are when it's slammed all the way to the ground on both ends, and the trunk angle is at 90 deg or sometimes more, creating a parachute. Some of the guys cut the entire trunk out these days to fix that.

Either way I'm probably gonna be veeerrrry gingerly testing the top end, lol!
 
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