My Associated CR12 build

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GMCK1500shoptruck

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(Trying this from my laptop, thanks to the moderators for quickly deleting my screwed-up post attempt from my phone)

I recently purchased an Associated CR12 truck to get back into the RC game! I used to have a Traxxas Stampede that I put a Pro-Line '72 C-10 body on. That was a fun truck, but I always liked the scale look better...

While not exactly scale, the CR12 is close enough for me. It currently has the Toyota truck body on it, but I discovered that the same Pro-Line Chevy body I had on my Stampede fits the CR12 chassis perfectly, so of course I ordered one!

I'm gonna run it for a while and get used to it, but I will probably end up making some modifications to the steering...

I will get pictures up soon, gonna take a minute or two to transfer them from my phone to my laptop...
 
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Here's a shot of the Traxxas just for the memories, and a few shots of the CR12!
 
Awesome rigs....
Thanks! I miss the Traxxas... I was looking into possibly putting together another Stampede when I discovered the C-10 body dimensions fit the CR12 perfectly! Best of both worlds- C-10 body with a far more realistic chassis!

Also- thanks for your service!!
 
Great looking scale truck. Those are a lot of fun too play with
 
Thanks! I miss the Traxxas... I was looking into possibly putting together another Stampede when I discovered the C-10 body dimensions fit the CR12 perfectly! Best of both worlds- C-10 body with a far more realistic chassis!

Also- thanks for your service!!
I have 3 Stampedes, one is mine, one is the wifes and basically a parts truck. Two of them are the 4x4 unassembled kits.
 
This truck just got it's name! I got a little blue paint on my arm last night while painting this body. My wife just noticed and said "I'm married to a smurf". That's it! Meet "The Smurf".

The Pro-Line body does fit great without the FJ45 bumpers. It's basically the same size overall as the FJ, and the wheelbase is perfect! The rear FJ bumper will fit if I trim the molded in bumper off the C-10 body, but the front FJ bumper just doesn't look right. Maybe I'll try to come up with some sort of tubular brush guard for the front. I don't like how exposed the steering linkage is...

I'm also gonna try to get some headlights in this thing, I might try to modify the FJ headlights to work (they do sell the grill parts, so I can still have a complete FJ body).
 
Took the truck down to the river on Halloween... very satisfied with its performance! There’s a few scratches on the body now...

I’ve ordered a servo mount/electronics tray that’s supposed to fix the steering geometry...
 

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I have the same body on my CR, just chameleon color?:). Love the truck. Amazing run in Boulder the other day. These trucks are very good for the price. I only upgraded my battery for longer runs. see 4:16
 
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That chameleon paint is awesome, and the bed rails are cool!
 
New servo mount/electronics tray arrived today!
 

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I ordered a set of Associated’s aluminum shocks for the truck with Christmas gift cards. I’m guessing I’m going to need shock oil for these, but I have no idea what weight I should run. Any thoughts?
 
After a ton of research for myself? I have found most run 30wt. That is what I used and it seems to work good. Some people have had good results with 15 to 25, but I like the slower articulation. Don't overfill or underfill either, I have a long nose syringe for the filling process.
 
I did a bunch of googling and found a lot of info related to short course racing, but not much for crawling/trailing. What little info I did find seemed to be that lighter weights are better for crawling/trail riding. I then spent a bunch of time reading reviews and found a guy who said he liked Associated’s 20 weight in the CR12, so I ordered a bottle of 20 weight to start with.

Seems like it’s kind of a “try it and see if you like it” sort of thing, so I suppose I could try a few different weights...

I have a feeling the aluminum shocks with the “wrong” weight oil would still be better than the plastic shocks, so I doubt I would be unhappy with the 20 weight, even if it’s not right for my truck and driving style...
 
Nice ride. Love the body!

I got the CR12 FJ45 as well. I upgraded the shocks too and I think I chose 20wt. My method of picking the weight was much like the process you describe above. Haven’t tested it out really yet.

Also not sure if you’ve figured it out yet but aftermarket parts are a little hard to come by. Search on Thunder Tiger Kaiser XS and you’ll find a slightly larger selection of identical parts. You’ll be replacing your plastic gears/diffs soon I suspect too...
 
I hope the diff gears don’t give up too soon... you did inspire me to pull the diff covers and trans cover and put some grease on the gears... the truck hasn’t been run much yet so everything still looks like new... it kind of surprised me how little grease was in there from the factory...
 
I hope the diff gears don’t give up too soon... you did inspire me to pull the diff covers and trans cover and put some grease on the gears... the truck hasn’t been run much yet so everything still looks like new... it kind of surprised me how little grease was in there from the factory...
It’s pretty common.. shocks typically arrive with little to no fluid when they arrive. Diffs and gear boxes all come poorly greased if at all. There’s also the nuts and bolts. Anyone who’s been in this a while will tell you time and again to loctite everything. Lots of info I suspect in the other forums. I think I got my CR12 in June and was replacing the gears last month. First I lost the rear diff. Then the gear box. Front diff was ok, but like you said, needed grease. That said, I did ride mine pretty hard and had it in water which I think did the trick. Thought I cleaned it well afterwards but turns out,,, not even close!
 
I’m still around, I still have this truck, and I haven’t broken anything on it yet.

I did almost sell it, but my son showed an interest in it so I quickly pulled the ad off Marketplace and gave it to him. He likes the ‘Yota body better so I took the Chevy body off… he’s a bit heavy on the throttle, but he’s learning!
 
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