Linc: I do plan to mount the battery on the side like a flux.

I agree..I don't have a Stampede 4x4 but I think this will be a tank compared to it. Thanks for the suggestion about the pivot balls


Mamba and Brainator: It is is thick and stout..but that's what I'm shooting for. I need this thing to survive..insane bashing


Would you guys by opposed to the idea of this being a dual battery (4s) car instead of a single 3s battery truck? Thinking possibly a Mamba 2650 or 2400 on 4s in this..?

I personally have always been not so fond of dual battery set-ups..as you have to buy more batteries and have to charge more..I have a charger that can charge two batteries at the same time..and I already have the batteries..plus I think this thing would be insane on 4s. The other thing is that it would make mounting the motor a lot easier....

So I need your opinions...? Dual battery (4s) or single 3s?

I've liked my dual batt savage a little more now that I made a 4S balance adapter for 2 2S batts. Lets me charge twice the amount of batts in the same amount of time.
I agree it would make it way easier in figuring out the motor placement, and give a pretty good left/right balance.
You're choice in the end, the single batt is tempting if you can squeeze it somewhere.

Yea..I have a 4s balance adapter so I can charge in series so that shouldn't be a problem.


I have decided to go with 4s. Since this truck is going to be close to the same weight as a 1/8th e-buggy I think 4s will be required to give it enough power.

The speedpassion silver arrow motor will be sold.

After much research I have found an inexpensive motor which I think will give this thing plenty of power. I don't want to spend a ton of money on the electronics because well.. this thing will be beaten and I don't want to feel guilty when I take this monster to the skate park..or jump it off a 20ft ledge,etc.

Anyway.. I believe I will be using this motor along with two 2s batteries. Looks like a great deal for $50
http://www.hobbypartz.com/96m802-4074-2150kv.html
I just hope 2150kv is enough.

Good choice on the motor, that will be plenty on 4s.

Well I ordered a motor today but its not the tacon 2150kv motor that I showed you guys earlier...that's because I found a steal of a deal on a used original neu 1515 1y/f 2200kv motor for $50 shipped! For those who aren't well versed on neu motors...(most of you on RCM probably are) neu is the company which castle creations partnered up with to make the castle mamba monster line of motors. Neu is known for making arguably the best brushless motors you can buy..but they are also known for having very high prices. The motor I just bought is very similar to the castle 2200 motor. So...basically..im getting perhaps one of the best motors you can get for the same price as the tacon motor...im pretty psyched!

Right now im working on the motor mount so that I can mount the motor once it gets here.

Where did you get the motor from?

Its used, I found it on the forums at Rctech.net.

I got the motor today and it looks to be in great condition. And uh...its pretty darn big,but it fits perfectly in between the front and rear shocks. On to the pictures..

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2417-15-02.jpg

Here is a comparison between a regular 540 motor, a 550 motor (the motor I previously was going to use in this truck) , and the beast Neu 1515 2200kv.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2417-13-48.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2417-14-09.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2417-14-34.jpg

This thing is going to be insane! Anyway, the next couple days I will be working on the driveling and will get some pictures of this thing mounted on the chassis.

I got the motor mounted today. I mounted it with a RC8e motor mount. Like I said before this motor fits perfectly! Adjusting gear mesh will obviously be a pain in the butt but it won't be to bad since I have a L - shaped allen key that I trimmed to get into that space. My only concern with this set-up is that the slots on the motor mount are vertical...so I can just imagine going off a big jump having a hard landing and the motor sliding down on the motor mount since its so heavy, so I'm trying to figure out a way to support it from underneath so that doesn't happen. But other than that it fits perfectly and the black can will fit in one I cover the aluminum in flat black vinyl.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2612-31-58.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2612-32-10.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2612-32-38.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2612-34-35.jpg

Next I have to work on the drive line. Does anybody have a suggestion for diff fluid for the front/center/rear diffs?

This is an awesome build, I check RCM every day just to see if you've posted an update. Massive props to you for essentially building your own RC:intello: I eagerly await the end result!

Kieren

now lets see whats in the chassis...HOLY CRAP! IT'S ALL MOTOR!!! lol

Lookin good! Diff fluid really depends on how you want it to handle, somewhere around 10k ish in the outter diffs and 10k ish in the center if you don't want wheelies and want it to unload, or if you're looking for controllable wheelies go up to 100k or more. Someone with better experience will chime in I'm sure :)

Nice build, I really like the concept too. I'd go with 30k up front, 10-20k out back, traxxas diffs need thicker oil than 1/8th diffs. For the center it depends on how resistant you want it to be from unloading and the style of handling you want. If its going to be about buggy weight 30-50k would be a good starting point though for an all around basher. I like mine with 30-50k, gives enough resistance to unloading for me, yet I still get diff action on low grip surfaces so the handling is there. IMO 100k has very little diff action unless its on high grip surfaces, a heavy vehicle, big tires, lots of power or a combo of those. So the handling is more like a MT with a trans than a buggy or truggy. Experimentation will likely be required to get YOUR desired result either way.

Nice man. I like how all of the weight will be crammed as tight as possible. :) I bet it will handle amazingly well too.

Aussie nerd: That's awesome that your so interested in the project!

Brainator: Yep its all motor :)

Mamba: Just wait until I get the batteries,esc,receiver,and servo in there..its going to be very cramped

Overdriven: Since this is going to be a hardcore basher I think I'm going to try going with 100k in the center..sounds like this is usually what people suggest for bashing. Like you said it will take some testing.

Tonight I got the drive-train all put together. I have decided to go with 100k diff oil in the center Since I had modified some Revo axles in my Evo8 project to fit in the Rc8 center diff I was able to use that..Some of you haven't seen my Evo8 project so I will describe the process of being able to use slider drive shafts for a 1/8th scale diff.

1.First I had to shave about 1/8th inch off of the black plastic part where the axle hooks on to the sliders.

2.Then I spent about an hour and half using my hand saw to cut down the axles so that they where the same length as the Rc8 inputs.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0702091911.jpg

3. That's about all there is to it after that I just started putting it back together.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...702091911a.jpg
(Right is stock, Center is cut-down, Left is the completed one)

4. Once you have it put all together it should look like this.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0702091919.jpg

Since I had that all done..all I had to do was measure to how much I needed to shorten the Revo drive shafts I recently had bought. It turns out that I didn't have to trim the drive shaft for the rear at all so that was easy as pie.

Now.. the front on the other hand was a bit more of a handful. I was planning on using just a cut-down slayer drive shaft for the front center drive shaft..but that ended up being way too long. The other problem is that on the Revo/Slayer/Summit the front differential is angled upward. My center diff is mounted horizontal. So I had to trim down the bulkhead so that the front differential could be at the correct angle to match up with the center diff.

I noticed that the male end of a Slayer drive shaft fits perfectly over the output shaft on the front diff. So I trimmed one down drilled a hole and put a pin thru it. To keep the pin in I made a simple sleeve. I have to say that so far this is the part that I'm the most proud of..because not being able to hook up a front center drive shaft is a big problem and I was able to fix it in a creative way..anyway enough talking..more pictures.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...3119-12-31.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...3119-13-16.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...3119-14-32.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...3119-13-46.jpg

Tomorrow or friday a little package with my battery boxes and some drive shafts should arrive....that means I'll be able to get the driveshafts installed but more importantly...I will be able to get the batteries, esc,receiver,and servo mounted!!

But till then...back to my calculus homework.

I waited around all day for a package of parts today so I could work on this....found out the package was in my neighbors mail box.

Anyway...got the battery boxes mounted and I'm getting very excited about this project!! Here is as it stands...need I say more?

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0221-13-15.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0221-13-58.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0221-15-32.jpg

The battery boxs fit awesome... and the esc,receiver,and servo will also be mounted in the boxes. I'm going to try and route as much of the wires in the boxes so that it will be a very clean electronics install. Here is how I'm planning on having the batteries/electronics layed out

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0221-16-22.jpg

I'm getting closer and I'm very excited about this project! Its gonna turn out sick.

Here's my to-do list

Mount esc/receiver
Mount servo
Order parts
Cut/mount drive shafts
Make roll cage (If time allows)
Trim TVPs
Fill front/rear diffs with oil
Cover parts in vinyl
Paint body
Take final pictures
Take videos!!

in your list you forgot one thing
-BREAK IT !!!:mdr:

a really original project :yes: and a nice nice build !! :great:

wow those flux battery boxes fit sooo good on there

is that one of those fragile hk100 escs with the remote caps poking out there ?

Looks nice and packed, no wasted space in there, like it!
One thing though:
What wheels/tires are you going to use?
Because from the looks of it, I'd say pretty much everything without a lot of offset will hit the battery trays at full steering lock.
But maybe it's just the angle of the pictures that's missleading me...

Make sure you get some velcro straps to throw around those battery boxes. Also, try switching them around, so the hinge is on the outside. They give you a little better access that way. I don't run that way, but my brother does, and I kinda like it...lol

The Dude: Yep, that comes with insane bashing.

Ransom: Thanks man... Yea it is a Hk 100a esc.. I'm going to try it and see if it holds up.. it held up in my Evo8 project on 4s and a Feigao 8XL so maybe it will hold up in this..i'm not sure..if not I'll throw it out and grab me a Hobbywing 150a... I love hobbywing.

Jofreak: Thanks. Definitely no wasted space on this.

I will be useing Imex rear Jato wheels and Proline 2.8 badland tires. The Jato wheels have plenty...almost too much offset to them..and don't come anywhere close of hitting the battery boxs.

Brainator: Yep, I have some tekno ones I'm going to throw around them. I looked into doing that and since the shocks and motor are there..I feel like it would be hard to squeeze the latches. Once I trim down the TVP's the battery box tops will open up more than enough.

I got a small update for you guys today...

When I got the Slayer Pro a-arms I was under the impression that the stock Slayer Driveshafts would be long enough to work with the Pro extended a-arms. I didn't feel like they would be so I bought some Revo Driveshafts. Summit driveshafts would've been better since you don't have to worry about the little e-clips falling out but the Summit drive shafts are crazy expensive. So, I went with Revo drive shafts. Revo drive shafts are obviously way too long...so I got out the scroll saw and trimmed them down.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0623-39-57.jpg

As many of you know Revo driveshafts are beefy...how beefy you ask? This beefy!
(Left is a Jato/Rustler/Stampede drive shaft, center is a stock slayer drive shaft, and right is the revo drive shafts )
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0623-41-47.jpg

With the drive shafts installed...
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0700-03-52.jpg

While I was at it I put some Jato rod-ends on the Rc8 steering turnbuckles I had used on the Evo8 in order to make them long enough and mounted them

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0700-04-11.jpg

On the rear I installed the drive shafts and installed Jato rod-ends also on the Toe links.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0700-08-21.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0700-11-24.jpg

I ordered the last of the parts that I need to complete this project and they should be here Friday or Saturday. I have a busy week and weekend so I'm not sure how much I will be able to get done. But we'll see....

Today I got the steering servo mounted.. I was going to just cut a rectangle out of the battery box..and just bolt the servo directly to that..but I didn't think it would be stiff enough. So I cut a aluminum piece and then cut a lexan piece and bolted the lexan piece standing up on the aluminum... I then bolted the lexan to the Tvp and the servo to the aluminum and also to the battery box. No flex here..

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0823-09-54.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0823-10-20.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...0823-13-47.jpg

Now it's come to that point into time where I have to tear down the entire truck and run thru everything... fill the diffs, trim the TVP's , cover the aluminum pieces in flat black vinyl, make sure everything is spinning freely, etc

Once I get all the nit-picky stuff done I will be putting it all back together...mounting the esc and rx , wire everything up, take care of any last minute touches, and finally paint the body.

nice use of the extra space in the battery boxes! :)

Thanks!

Sorry guys for the lack of updates...I have been very busy between college and work. I'm not used to having to spend so much time studying...and that darn calculus is kicking my butt...

anyway.. over the last couple of days I have been slowly working on this...

First I decided to wrap the Tvp's and the upper chassis plates with black vinyl..as I'm going for the blacked out look. Once I got that done I started putting everything back together. The center differential didn't spin freely so I spent a couple of hours sorting that out and now it spins like butter. I also filled the front diff with 50k diff oil and the rear with 30k.

I have been looking at the huge brick of a motor and I have been worrying about the possibility of the truck landing off a huge jump and the motor sliding down on the motor mount and on to the spur. So I made a bracket that slides up and down with the motor and that supports the rear of the motor.

The 12mm aluminum hexs I ordered from Tekno didn't end up the way I wanted because they fit the axles but the pins where way too small. So I was browsing the hobby shop and I found some Losi ten-t wheels. I came to find out they are PERFECT for this build..they are 2.8...fit on 6mm rims and have 13mm hexs. I picked up the hexs to go with them and they have the same size of pin as the revo axles use!

As you can probably tell I have been pretty busy..unfortunately.. I am un-able to post pictures of the black covered aluminum parts, the hexs, and the motor support...but since you guys have waited so long I decided to snap a few pictures of how it stands...
I'm very close to finishing..just a few small things here and there.

I don't like the chrome ten-t wheels so I will be stripping the chrome and dying them black... I will also put the red springs into the dye bath as well for the blacked out look...

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...1721-56-41.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...1721-57-50.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...1721-56-02.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...1721-57-50.jpg

I like it, stance is great! I'm with you on the chrome rims.

Long story short...I tried doing a bench test and my piece of crap Hobbyking 100a esc blew up...:flaming: so I have everything else done but have an esc installed... so you could say its a complete roller

Tonight I'm ordering a Hobbywing esc and once that gets here I will get it installed and shoot a video of it at a few different bash spots.

Until then...enjoy some pictures!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2518-22-15.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2518-27-10.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2518-27-43.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2518-30-07.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2518-28-46.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2518-24-15.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2518-25-36.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2518-34-02.jpg

That looks awesome! Really cool stance and the tires are a perfect size to the body, has a bitchin look to it!! Can't wait to hear how it drives.

dddaaaaaaaayyyyyuuuummmmmm!

You're missing a couple screws on the lower front bulk plate, Just a heads up. you need some RC-M decals to go with the BYT and the URC decals

I like it! Looks like it will be a lot more stout than a 4x4 pede.

:great::great::great:

Overdriven ,brainator, and the dude : Thanks guys! I'm glad you guys like how it turned out!

Crazyjr: Yea...well I tried to see if Mike sells RCM decals but doesn't look like he does anymore.

mamba max: Oh yes... it is a tank compared to the 4x4.

Sorry for the lack of updates guys. I've once again been busy with school. I got a Hobbywing xerun 150a esc from hobbypartz last week to replace the HobbyKING esc that blew up. The Hobbywing esc is pretty large which caused some fitment issues in the battery box. I had two choices..to stand it up on its side..or to mount it like you would regularly mount an esc. Mounting it sideways would work..and the top wouldn't stick out from the side of the battery box but the problem was that the wires would be sticking out of the battery box in the opposite direction of the motor so wiring would've been a mess.

So, I decided to mount it like you would traditionally mount an esc...I had to enlarge the hole on the battery box by quiet a bit to make it fit...I also had bolt on a cut down RPM Stampede esc mount to mount the esc on since the side of the esc sticks out past the battery box. Mounting it like this allows the wiring to be a lot cleaner. Unfortunately, 1/4 of the esc is sticking out so perhaps later on I will make a plastic guard to protect it..but for now I think it should be fine.

Here are some pictures with the esc mounted... along with a couple of pictures showing the finished truck without the body.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2918-45-40.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2918-45-29.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2918-45-10.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2918-45-53.jpg

After I got everything wired up I managed to take it for its first test run. I have to say it definitely has enough power. It can do controllable wheelies. Unfortunately, no standing back flips because of the center diff but its very fast and accelerates quickly . I got 20 minutes of running in before I stripped the plastic spur gear.

Today I went to change the spur gear and it takes FOREVER to change the spur gear on this because its buried under everything. I'm thinking possibly I should replace the plastic 50t spur gear I had with a steel one. I know that plastic ones are quieter and last awhile with proper mesh but I feel like if I have a steel one in there I won't have to run the chance of getting the spur gear eaten up if the motor moves. Especially, because it takes so long to change the spur. Plus the flux has a steel spur so why not my truck?

Once I get a new spur I will get some videos for you guys. Stay tuned!

:great:That lookin crazy man. I like it alot. btw, that is plexiglass that holds the front/rear clips on, or is there other material? I'll be checking for updates 4 sure!

:great: Simply the best monster truck I have seen. Now I want one! It looks like it would handle just about anything offroad with those badlands too...

Cheers
Kieren

:gasp: that's one of the best builds I've ever seen, seems very durable and well made, with the body on it looks just awesome!

good job! :yes:

Nice and clean! Good work with the dye too.

Looks realy great!
No wasted space in there.:yes:

But one thing is missing...
The videos of this thing running!:whip:

yep i want to see this beast running too :)

indeed, running vid would be awesome!:yes: :yes:

Sorry guys for it taking such a long time to get a video up...but I finally have one for you guys..I hope you guys aren't too disappointed...I planned on bashing it harder than what's in this video but, I don't want to mess it up too bad before I have to possibly send it to the magazine. And once I get it back from the magazine I'll be putting it up for sale. Originally I had a lot of big plans for this video but I can't put anymore money into this project as I have to focus on racing...

anyway enough talking here it is...
(and yes I know that I need to learn how to jump haha...I just build the cars I don't drive much)
[YOUTUBE]LM7xvu8whqk[/YOUTUBE]

When I was taking some shoots for the video I stopped by the LHS and they has a 2wd stampede and a e-revo on display so I decided to take some comparison pictures for you guys to show you the actual size of this thing since some people are confused.. its just a tad bigger than the Stampede 2wd/4x4 but quiet bit smaller than the Revo. As you can see the Zero is BEEF compared to the stampede.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2115-53-44.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2115-53-31.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2115-54-13.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2115-54-27.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2115-58-02.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2115-57-50.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2115-57-31.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/...2115-56-59.jpg