Hi all,
This is my first attempt at building an all-purpose rig that will hopefully run good and not break much.
I've read tons of stuff on this forum (very helpful!) and am trying to learn the mechanic and driving skills.
Any comments, critiques or suggestions are welcomed... I want reliable and repeatable- fast will come later.
Started off with a moderately beat Rustler VXL 2WD I got for free. It was missing the transmitter, but everything else was accounted for including a 3000mah NiMh battery.
My LHS started me off with a new TQi transmitter and a HTRC C150 charger to get me rolling. Here's the before pics...
I originally thought the silvery pattern on the body was tape residue, but it seems to be part of the paint scheme. Personally, I think the paint scheme on these bodies is ugly. Besides that, the car ran OK.
First few hours of running were in the backyard, and only broke one shock cap. LHS to the rescue with a set of Integy shocks for not much more $$$ than aluminium caps and hardened shock shafts.
I then decided the Slash LCG conversion looked cheap and effective. Since I had most of the good parts from the donor Rustler, it was just a matter of selecting the best parts for the conversion.
RPM parts seem to be the best, so I started my "shopping list". I'm on a budget, so price/reliability is important.
Here's what I added so far...
RPM parts:
Front bulkhead black
Front and rear shock towers
front and rear bumper
Front Rustler A arm and rear Slash A arm
Adjustable body mount kit
steering knuckles
rear hub carriers
side nerf bars
Rear bumper mount
Other parts:
Traxxas LCG chassis and front pan in black. I didn't get the blue kit because of the color.
Integy shocks w/ 35 weight oil
Chinesium aluminium c blocks
39mm turnbuckles for the rear (Rustler was too long)
ebay ESC fan
Traxxas battery retainer and receiver box
ebay metal gear servo
extra NiMh battery (free)
On to assembly...
Pretty straightforward, only a few minor problems. the servo was larger than stock so some trimming was required to fit. Boy, that material is tough! Dremel and file wouldn't touch it, so I carved the offending material away with an xacto- much easier! After the rear was done, I realized the turnbuckles were too long. LHS for 39mm turnbuckles.
Still have a problem with the RPM rear bumper mount. NO WAY does it fit the stock Traxxas gearbox! Any fixes? I'm thinking of getting the RPM gearbox case (mostly for the metal motor plate) and am wondering if the bumper mount fits that gearbox better. I re-used the Rustler body for now, shot a coat of Testors Blue Galaxy color change paint on the exterior. It looks much better and really adheres well. I also cut out the rear window and hot glued some screen material for better cooling.
With all these mods, I wasn't expecting any real performance increase (that'll be later on) just better reliability. So far, it seems to be holding up well to my amateur bashing and crashing.
Here's the current setup:
I know, it's really ugly, but a new body is on the way...
$30 ebay wonder
Here's the boss supervising the work:
Future plans and questions...
Ordered a mesh chassis guard- Tired of cleaning out the debris in the chassis after a session.
RPM wheelie bar
I'm also thinking of installing Bandit front A arms. From what I understand, this will allow me to run Slash 4X4 wheels all the way around with proper offset. Is this correct, or do I need a different combo?
Also, anyone figure out a way to mount a cooling fan on the motor? Not a lot of room there.
If anyone has a solution to the RPM rear bumper mount fitment (or lack of) I'd like to hear it...
That's it for now, I'll update as progress occurs.
This is my first attempt at building an all-purpose rig that will hopefully run good and not break much.
I've read tons of stuff on this forum (very helpful!) and am trying to learn the mechanic and driving skills.
Any comments, critiques or suggestions are welcomed... I want reliable and repeatable- fast will come later.
Started off with a moderately beat Rustler VXL 2WD I got for free. It was missing the transmitter, but everything else was accounted for including a 3000mah NiMh battery.
My LHS started me off with a new TQi transmitter and a HTRC C150 charger to get me rolling. Here's the before pics...
I originally thought the silvery pattern on the body was tape residue, but it seems to be part of the paint scheme. Personally, I think the paint scheme on these bodies is ugly. Besides that, the car ran OK.
First few hours of running were in the backyard, and only broke one shock cap. LHS to the rescue with a set of Integy shocks for not much more $$$ than aluminium caps and hardened shock shafts.
I then decided the Slash LCG conversion looked cheap and effective. Since I had most of the good parts from the donor Rustler, it was just a matter of selecting the best parts for the conversion.
RPM parts seem to be the best, so I started my "shopping list". I'm on a budget, so price/reliability is important.
Here's what I added so far...
RPM parts:
Front bulkhead black
Front and rear shock towers
front and rear bumper
Front Rustler A arm and rear Slash A arm
Adjustable body mount kit
steering knuckles
rear hub carriers
side nerf bars
Rear bumper mount
Other parts:
Traxxas LCG chassis and front pan in black. I didn't get the blue kit because of the color.
Integy shocks w/ 35 weight oil
Chinesium aluminium c blocks
39mm turnbuckles for the rear (Rustler was too long)
ebay ESC fan
Traxxas battery retainer and receiver box
ebay metal gear servo
extra NiMh battery (free)
On to assembly...
Pretty straightforward, only a few minor problems. the servo was larger than stock so some trimming was required to fit. Boy, that material is tough! Dremel and file wouldn't touch it, so I carved the offending material away with an xacto- much easier! After the rear was done, I realized the turnbuckles were too long. LHS for 39mm turnbuckles.
Still have a problem with the RPM rear bumper mount. NO WAY does it fit the stock Traxxas gearbox! Any fixes? I'm thinking of getting the RPM gearbox case (mostly for the metal motor plate) and am wondering if the bumper mount fits that gearbox better. I re-used the Rustler body for now, shot a coat of Testors Blue Galaxy color change paint on the exterior. It looks much better and really adheres well. I also cut out the rear window and hot glued some screen material for better cooling.
With all these mods, I wasn't expecting any real performance increase (that'll be later on) just better reliability. So far, it seems to be holding up well to my amateur bashing and crashing.
Here's the current setup:
I know, it's really ugly, but a new body is on the way...
$30 ebay wonder
Here's the boss supervising the work:
Future plans and questions...
Ordered a mesh chassis guard- Tired of cleaning out the debris in the chassis after a session.
RPM wheelie bar
I'm also thinking of installing Bandit front A arms. From what I understand, this will allow me to run Slash 4X4 wheels all the way around with proper offset. Is this correct, or do I need a different combo?
Also, anyone figure out a way to mount a cooling fan on the motor? Not a lot of room there.
If anyone has a solution to the RPM rear bumper mount fitment (or lack of) I'd like to hear it...
That's it for now, I'll update as progress occurs.