Portals vs straight axles.

[Iowa crawler]

They were used to cut welding rod I used to fabricate the roof on my GSpeed head corders. I just grabbed them to chop off a chunk. Don’t hate me.

 

[WickedFog]

They were used to cut welding rod I used to fabricate the roof on my GSpeed head corders. I just grabbed them to chop off a chunk. Don’t hate me.

There's that sick ass Power Wagon again...

 

[Iowa crawler]

Ya I sneek download stairs in the middle of the night just to giggle at it.

 

[WickedFog]

Ya I sneek download stairs in the middle of the night just to giggle at it.

I would too. Love that damn truck.

 

[Iowa crawler]

So I sanded everything to shape and cut the hood lines. Now I just have to wait for the primer to dry.
Once I get the straight axle chassis built I can mount and finish the body.

 

[Iowa crawler]

This is the parts I put together so far for the straight axle build. Nothing fancy. Stock AR44 rear and boom racing front with vanquish c hubs .
The three gear trans is an eBay type with a metal spur. It’s smooth and paired with a Hobbywing ESC and 35 turn motor it gets the job done. As a matter of opinion for the 100 price of the whole thing. 50 for the ESC 30 for the trans and 20 for the motor. It is just as smooth as any brushless system it’s lighter than most. Just lack the power and wheel speed. But for this test I don’t want wheel speed. I want to test these rigs side by side and just see how the portals with great ground clearance compare to simple straight axles.

I put the 27 turn motor in the portals because of the reduction and a 35 turn motor in the straight axle. That evens them out somewhat. This is not an apples to oranges test more like a Granny Smith to Gala test.

 

[Iowa crawler]

I am a hater. Gotta admit I hate trying to pick out a color.
I have build about 100 RC airplanes and over a dozen rc trucks. Picking a color or paint scheme gets to me because I have done them all. Blue with white stripes. Purple with chrome or checker flag.
Flat black white silver the whole rainbow and half the color wheel. Now I try to copy the box photograph. But for a custom rig I don’t know. Plus I have an airbrush I should be using. And because it’s a hard body I can use enamel. And all I can come up with is white or flat black with rust around the doors.

I gotta do better. Please help !!! Any ideas or photos of a Toyota pick up with out a bed.

Top choices now are

1. Rat rod flat black over maroon/brown rust
2. White refrigerator epoxy paint shiny white.
3. Shiny black
4 non of the above .

 

[Doom!]

 

[WickedFog]

 

[Iowa crawler]

Gotta remember I have limited skill.

I received a nice huge set of scx6 shock towers today. They are super cool but not the drive shafts I ordered. I will be quick to send them back. I don’t want to trailer my RC to the woods.

 

[WickedFog]

Gotta remember I have limited skill.

I received a nice huge set of scx6 shock towers today. They are super cool but not the drive shafts I ordered. I will be quick to send them back. I don’t want to trailer my RC to the woods.

Painting exterior is easy. Painting inside lexan is a biyatch.

 

[Iowa crawler]

Ya I like hard body rigs. I was thinking about a cage rear or simple roll bar. But avoiding weight is kinda why I am thinking about just leaving the back with the frame only.

 

[Iowa crawler]

I had an interesting discussion about the whole Portal vs Straight axle choice . I am just wanting to clarify both are great and I don’t think one is better or worse the difference is what I want to explore.

But my intention with this thread is not what is better. More when and where does one axle perform any different than the other.

My concerns are climbing ability of portals when going vertical and Side hilling. And clearance issues of straight axles.

 

[WickedFog]

The only real con I can see for portals would be the weight is essentially higher. So the axle assembly as a whole has a higher COG. But I have never used them, so it would be interesting to see what you come up with in your comparison.

Have you seen these?
http://www.ssd-rc.com/manual-locking-hubs-for-trail-king--offset-front.html

 

[Iowa crawler]

Ya they are cool.

I think the weight of the portal box could off set the height change.

I have no real way to measure side hilling or the CG side as it get higher. So I have to just test and do side by side comparisons. Changing tires back and forth as I test.

For my side hilling back yard test I have a rock face that is maybe 45 deg. I drive up on it with two wheels and try to get the outside wheels as close to the rock face as I can before the rig falls over. It is very sensitive and I can get one wheel floating before it falls over.



Of course G-spot drove up on the side of the rock with all four wheels. And it has portals. But that does not count.

 

[Iowa crawler]

Got some of the straight axle build together. I’m expecting some more parts tomorrow. But it’s still a ways off from being finish. So I’ll work on the paint job and front bumper for now.

 

[Iowa crawler]

Bomber interior works. Passenger looks a little nervous.

 

[Iowa crawler]

I painted the cab white as a base. But I’m kinda liking it. Maybe an accent stripe of some sort?
Body fits well. Clearance for the trans is good. The interior screws in with the windshield at the front. So it can flex and is not attached at the back.

 

[Joe crawler]

View attachment 144321

That’s pretty cool looking, I grew playing with metal Tonka trucks not the plastic ones

 

[Doom!]

That’s pretty cool looking, I grew playing with metal Tonka trucks not the plastic ones

Same here.