Mutant Gorgon

[bozo]

Well, another broken saver
Factory replacement bottom plate broken this time. Truck would only steer right. When I removed it it flew apart.
I had ordered two replacements from Horizon and believe it or not the second (unused, never installed) saver was broken in the same place.

I'm glad I got a Kimbrough 124. Some finessing was needed to adapt it, but it seems to be a good substitute.
Here's the mods required to use the Kimbrough.
Drill and tap the farthest outer holes on the Kimbrough for M2 screws.
Cannot use the factory tie rod connecting block, so the only way I found to assemble it was to grind the pointy end of the chassis servo access hole so I could get the screws into the Kimbrough.
Replace the inside plastic tie rod ball ends with metal ones.
Add a nut with loctite on the screws.

What a mess! Not only proprietary but just a poor design. I've contacted Horizon, we'll see what they say.
A shame, The rest of the truck is really durable.
EDIT:
Zero toe/slight toe out with the Kimbrough installed using the factory tie rods..

 

[bozo]

Got some new tires off an Amazon sale.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09QPR4XNQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The originals are fantastic even (because?) of no foam but they are getting pretty worn.
The new ones are same offset and width and about 5mm taller. They include some nice aluminium 12mm adapters with set screws , pins, and 7mm nuts.
Nicely glued with foam and an inside vent hole. I'll see how they do tomorrow.
Added holo window film on the tiger body and some other detail stuff.
Two more packs in and the servo saver fix is holding up (yay!)
EDIT:
I contacted Horizon and they are sending me two replacement savers. Quick service

 

[bozo]

Traxxas stuff is gone!
Installed a Hobbywing Quicrun combo- WP10BL120 ESC and a 3660 3150KV motor. Currently using a 15T pinion.
Much better tuning options and a 5mm motor shaft. Still experimenting with ESC settings and pinion size but it is a much better system than the Traxxas (which was just a placeholder anyway).
Expecting some nasty weather in FLA this weekend so further shakedown will have to wait.

New TX/RX from DumboRC!
DDF-350 from Aliexpress with metal wheel and 10 channel RX with a built in 10A ESC- $74 (not using the RX yet, I may build a crawler with it in the future).
Binds with all of my other DumboRC and Summit RXs.
Normally not a big Aliexpress fan, but it's not available stateside yet. Took 11 days to deliver.
I'm a big fan of DumboRC, inexpensive and good performing stuff. Lots of fine tuning available, 10 vehicle memory and it binds with all the RX's I've tried so far. I think they have a winner with this release.

 

[DavidB1126]

Traxxas stuff is gone!

Good.
You will be way more happier with the hobbywing combo. And the radio too.

 

[Chubaka]

Nasty weather ain't an excuse. You can sit indoors and drive. besides I had to bike a few miles in the cold windy rain. Wasn't too bad. I actually enjoyed it.

I'm looking at getting one now, and I reccomended it to the neighbors daughter for her husband.

 

[bozo]

Good.
You will be way more happier with the hobbywing combo. And the radio too.

Most all of my rigs are Hobbywing powered. Inexpensive, reliable and tunable. I use mostly DumboRC TX/RX combos for the same reasons.
Really liking the DDF-350 TX. Software is at V1.0.6 and there is a USB-C port for updates and "coach" mode (???). Hopefully they will provide updates, this model isn't even listed on their website yet! Compared to my Radiolink RC4GS v3 it's easier to program and just feels better built. Love the aluminium wheel- feels premium.

Nasty weather ain't an excuse. You can sit indoors and drive.

Tried that-

The Christmas tree took a hit and the cats are traumatized...

I've now been banished from running RCs inside.

 

[turbo27]

Now I want one.

 

[luke66]

you happen to have a link to the Rx/Tx? looks really nice. but i prob can't afford lol
edit: oh wait, reading your post, i think ill be able to find it, should have looked first lol.

 

[MaX-D]

Spectrum S660 servo is 5kg with a 25 tooth spline.
Servo saver saver plan...
After examining the failure mode of the factory servo saver, I've determined it's due to the molded/pressed on retainer ring breaking off the bottom part of the servo saver, allowing the spring to fly off into oblivion. Luckily, I found my errant spring but there's no way I could figure to put Humpty Dumpty together again.
Ordered two factory savers and a Kimbrough 124 to experiment with.
L to R here's a good factory one, the original broken one and the Kimbrough 124.
View attachment 174964
I decided there's two ways to approach this problem. Reinforce the original or replace the saver.
First I'm going to try the reinforcement path. I found that a #6 finishing washer
View attachment 174965
with the middle hole flattened out fits nicely over the original servo retaining ring. I had to use a small washer to make it work.
View attachment 174966
View attachment 174967
Reassembled it but the weather here in FLA today is spitty rain so I'll give it a good test when the weather improves.
If this fails, I'll go with the nuclear option and use the Kimbrough 124. The hole spacing and throw length will work with the original tie rods. Just have to drill out and tap the Kimbrough for 2mm threads. If I do that, I'll use some Traxxas tie rods set to 98mm.
View attachment 174973
View attachment 174968
Also ordered the optional receiver box and installed it, fits nicely next to the ESC. I also added a velcro strap to help hold the battery door.
View attachment 174970
View attachment 174971
We'll see how this all works out.

Where in Florida are you?

 

[bozo]

you happen to have a link to the Rx/Tx?

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256...st_main.5.319e18028Ei56s&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
Here's where I got mine, lots of other vendors there also. It took 11 days to arrive- pretty quick! Great radio so far, and they have cheaper versions..

Now I want one.

Good luck finding one- I have a second one on back order from Horizon. Really a good truck.

Where in Florida are you?

St. Petersburg. You?

 

[bozo]

Hot Racing has a stainless motor plate available now.
They also offer an 8mm spacer to allow 540 motors to be used without grinding the chassis.
I got the plate but passed on the spacer.
Well made piece with good hardware, should reinforce the motor mount nicely.

Couple of issues, tho...
About 20 packs in so far with a a mix of 2s/3s (mostly 2s) batts.
Axles, spur and pinion look fine, the slipper disc looks good. One thing I may do is see if a multiple disc assy from the Arrma 3s line will fit.
I'm a bit concerned with the uneven wear on the slipper assy gear (see 1st. pic). The diff cover holds the outer slipper assy bearing, and I think the cover is flexing causing the uneven wear. I noticed that the upper screw hole on the cover was a bit ovaled out, allowing the slipper assy to move off axis on accel/decel.
One solution would be an aluminium cover (bling!) or a thicker cover, but a redesign that added some more mounting screws instead of just two would be best.
A little trick is to drill out the slot/hole from the bottom of the chassis to allow insertion of a 2mm driver to tighten the pinion (see 2nd. pic).
ESC temps are OK on 3s, but the motor gets pretty warm. Not a lot of open space around the motor for good airflow. I picked up a Arctic 40mm x 28mm server fan that does 15k rpm, 19 cfm at 12v. I'm currently running it off the RX and even at the reduced voltage it moves more air than the 40 x 20mm that was in there. I'll be adding a tap on the ESC power connector to run it at B+, should really scream then.

I did have one problem with the new fan (related to the body I'm using, this wouldn't apply to the stock body) touching the truck bed. That really restricted input airflow, so I cut a 30mm hole in the body over the fan and added a cool scoop I got off ebay.

So far I'm loving this truck. 2wd with the gyro off and it's like a '60s muscle car. Really got to manage the throttle, but with some practice epic slides and wheelies are a blast! I've tried different tire sets but keep coming back to the stock ones. I think they are the "secret sauce" that makes this truck handle better than it should on paper. I'm running mostly dirt but they seem to be holding up. On pavement and 3s all bets are off.
As far as breakage, the Kimbrough servo saver is holding up and nothing else has broken even with my terrible driving.

 

[turbo27]

Sweet intake.

 

[bozo]

Rainy Xmas day in FLA, got some body additions done.
Added some exhausts and a scoop from a Goodwill find M&M hot rod dispenser.
Lots of cool stuff to be had at Goodwill...

The scoop is too tall and will def get destroyed in a rollover so I made it easily removable when running. I'm looking for a better one that's lower.
Added some carbon fiber vinyl wrap to the bed.
Changed the shark decals to larger ones.
Body is done except for stuff I haven't thought up yet
Ordered some 25mm wheel extensions with 14mm hexes from ebay, they'll be here tomorrow. We'll see if they are any good.
Wheel extensions
I also got a set of Hot Racing front and rear spring sets from Amazon, the silver ones (softest) work best so far with no spacers added. Running 70wt oil in the rear and 30wt in the front in the stock shocks. The rest of the spring sets will be used on my Typhon 3s.
Front spring set
Rear spring set

Merry Xmas to all!

 

[Doom!]

The side pipes look killer on there!

 

[bozo]

Repurposed Xmas present...
Got these bicycle lights in the stocking, first thought is how to put them on the mutant!
Headlight is 1200 lumen with a built in 2000mah 18650, rear is "active"brake and taillight with built in 650 mah.
Both are waterproof and USB rechargeable.
They seem like a much brighter and cheaper alternative to dedicated RC lights if you've got the room. Nice that there's no wires or drain on the main battery.
Also installed some wider rear arms and turnbuckles from a Granite Boost kit. Added about 1" to the rear track width, really noticeable on pavement.
I decided to remove the scoop and pipes-too fragile to bash with. I have a spare "shelf queen" body they'll go on.

Some cutting, foam and cable ties and they're mounted.

They're really bright! Did some test runs around the backyard and the lights throw enough distance to comfortably hoon with. The active brake light really works on deceleration. Next are some underbody lights.

 

[kdecesari]

@bozo the light setup is sweet. The active brake light? Interesting. I like your creative repurposing of the stocking stuffer. Well done.

 

[Doom!]

Nice fit and plenty of visibility, good call.