build a gmaxx and i need help
 

hi guys. iam from the north, more exactly from sweden. i hope you understand my very very bad english.

my first question is about the chassi. im trying to find the G4 race chassi but its out of stock everywhere.
or should i use a FLM chassi?

this is my first of many, many questions...

thanks

Hi there!
no problems understanding you here...
Have you tried to write a mail directly to gorillamaxx abaout availability and when to expect new chassis in stock?
I personally prefer the g-maxx-chassis to the FLM-chassis due to the lower center of gravity.

Hope I could be of help and greetings to my Swedish neighbours form Germany. Neighbours in terms of "on the same continent" ;)

GorillaMaxx availability is somewhat worrying lately...

You can always start with the front and rear ends first, then make a decision on the chassis at a later date (opposite to the normal way of building a truck, but emaxxes are very universal with parts, so finding a suitable chassis, even if it isnt your ideal choice, wont be too difficult).

Welcome to RCM :smile:

thanks guys. i have send emails to GM but no answer..

yes i can order everythingels and then wait for the G4, but is it sure that GM will produce this chassi?

-what slipper shoulde i use with traxxas transmission(3905) some from RR? strobe?
-RPM suspension or traxxas own


i will use MMM 2200 but im not sure how many s with lipo, 4 or 6s?

Even if GM go out of business, you can still get an FLM chassis, or use the stock item until something else comes along.

With the 3905 tranny, you have to use the stock slipper as the RR or Strobe version only fits the older 3906 tranny- just tighten it up 99% and you should be fine.

As for suspension, thats very much personal choice. If you were deciding between just RPM and stock, I would go with RPM. Otherwise, there are many different aluminium suspension options- RPM arms and towers dont give you many options for tuning your ride height..

As for batteries, 4s lipo is fine for upto about 35-40mph with the MMM system, or if you want a bit more silly speed then 5 or 6s lipo. 5s lipo is alot of fun for bashing I've found, and leaves the esc with some overhead so you arent red-lining it constantly as such.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXBJB5&P=SM ??

i was think of useing RPM arms an stock tower. tway other suggestion do you have?

I would go with FLM Towers, they are nice and adjustable, or even Nova Towers are nice too. Stock towers will continue to snap constantly IMO. As far as the GM chassis, have you tried Ebay at all? Otherwise, the extended FLM is nice too and cheap! ;)

i have decide me for a G4, i will wait.

Will the FLM towers fit on traxxas bulkhead?
my tought was to build with a lot of stock parts, bulkhead, diff, CVD. but maybe its stupid...

will the old emaxx trans. fit in the G4?

traxxas big bore shock, something to buy?suggestion?oil?spring?

Why would you want to use the old tranny if you could use the newer better one with better availabillity of spareparts and tuning parts? "edit, forgot that: no, the old tranny wouldn't fit in"
FLM-towers fit to the traxxas bulkheads, no problemo!
but if you are building your truck form scratch, I would go for FLM hybrid bulks so you could use 1/8 buggy/truggy diffs, well... actually that's what I did:yes:

concerning the shocks: I used the buggy shocks from ofna, wich UE sells as supershocks, but the traxxas bigbores might work as well.

as suspensionarms I used the ones from flextek, but RPM should be the best bang for the buck.


edit No.2:
That was the mail I sent gorillamaxx:
"Hi,
I wanted to ask when the G4 chassis are going to be in stock again since they are out of stock in every hobby shop I know and on your site as well."

and this was the reply:
"Yes - please check back near the end of next week. We are hope for a batch to be ready at that time.

George"

will all 1/8 diffs work in the hybrid bulk? just put the diff in? are all diffs ready to use or should i do somthing with them? my experience in this kind of work are werry small..

i liked the emaxx hard steal diff because it was so cheap. dont it work?isnt that the same diff as in the BL E-REVO? it should work

are the revo-diffs so much cheaper than the hot bodies diffs here in Mike's shop?
65$ including pinion and ballbearings sounds quite cheap to me.

to answer your first question: yep, more or less every 1/8 diff is a direct fit, at least I don't know any diffs that wouldn't fit.
If you are going to take the hot bodies diffs you should get the drivecups from HB and some shims as well...

ebay 20$
do i have to shims everydiff? i dont no how to do.
i can buy a new traxxas diff if it get broken.

about the shimming in the hybrid diffs I think yes, you have to shim every 1/8 diff in the hybrid bulkheads.
but the traxxas diffs don't fit into the hyybrid bulks.

I have to admit 20$ is cheap, but are the ball bearings and the pinion included?
and: I'm not shure if the traxxas diffs are holding up nearly as well as for example the HB diffs. Even with the new diffs from the revo and the new e-maxx 3905 I'm not shure.

do i put shims between the diff and the hybrid bulkhead?or IN the diff?
is the GM G4 the best bashchassi or should i take the FLM and make a total FLM truck with chassi hybrid bulkhead and tower? that is almoste the same price as an G4 chassi...
im just worried about the diff...

no, only between the hybridbulks and the diffs, I only had to shim the piniongears.
as for bashing: no idea if the gorilla or FLM is better, I like the looks and layout of the G4 better, so I would choose it, or so I did but it was a G3 back then...
if you take the traxxas diffs you should probably go to use the stock bulkheads so it doesn't get a too big a loss if you decide to get some hybridbulks later ;)

if money isn't that a big issue for you, go for the hybrid bulks and the HB diffs form mike's shop and stop worrying...

Yeah, very much depends how much you want to spend- stock towers are weak if you crash or flip, same with bulks,- the stock 3905 diffs are alright, but eventually even they will fail with a MMM setup or similar. Only if you're on a tight budget would I suggest sticking with mainly stock items. Like I said, its all very much personal preference for alot of parts- take a look around at other builds and see what you like the look of-, there are some nice variations around the forum on the 3905 platform, take this one for example:

http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22113

thats a nice truck.
a FLM truck will be cheaper...

i found this http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXLGX2&P=SM
i like towers and would like to shop as much as possible there. that pinon do i need?
some other diff suggestions?

will all 3905 parts fit the FLM chassi? tran.?

just put shims between the diff and bulk. to center the diff?

what do i have to choose between if i would like to use 4 instead of 8 shocks?

i think
- G4 chassi
-hybrid bulkhead
- HB diff
-MIP center
-stock CVD
-FLM tower
-RPM arms
-MMM combo
-6s lipo

ha ha my wife will kill me.............

Thats the right diff, you just need the matching pinion and bearings, and a few 10x8x0.2mm shims/washers to set the mesh correctly- given the shipping costs from the usa to sweden, it would probably be cheaper to buy the diff kit from Mike, that way all you need are the shims.

Ofna diffs will fit too, but I dont think the V3 revo ones will as they are narrower.

All the 3905 parts will fit the FLM 3905 chassis- tranny, receiver box, steering mechanism etc.

You should only need to put one or two shims behind the head of the pinion gear, between it and the inner bearing to set the pinion depth- shouldnt need to put any either side of the diff to center it, but you will soon see if they are needed once you start assembling the hybrid bulks (different people experience different requirements due to minute differences between the bulks and diffs & bearing etc).

I have a tutorial of sorts on assembling 1/8 scale diffs- I used UE diffs, but the same principles apply to the hybrid bulks:

http://www.rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8012

If you want to use the stock drive shafts or cvds, you will need to purchase those output shafts and swap them over onto the diffs, otherwise poeple find the stock drive cups to be a bit shallow for most cvds (you can always find deeper drive cups though, depends what you plan to use really).

For 4 shocks, I would use for ofna truggy shocks- also sold as super shocks by UE (though UE dont sell outside the USA so you will have to look around for them- ebay).

Not a cheap hobby for sure, but jusr point out the wife's dress, jewellery and shoe collection, Im sure she'll be a bit more understanding then...

Stock emaxx diff wont last long with brushless power, 1/8 scale diff are the only alternative.

Are you talking about 3906 or 3905 diffs?


And what the hell is up with G-Maxx? Why are they not offering the g4 chassis? The economy is that rough? Are they trying to focus all their energy on the ever popular slash crowd to make $$$?

I am talking about both. They simply wont hold up too a good brushless bashing at least not for long. Although the 3905 diffs are stronger than the 3906. Thats probably why traxxas never came out with a brushless emaxx..

but mike dont have diffs, he is out of stock. and what is the difference between HB lightning and lightnning PRO? should i take the "PRO"?
just put in the diff and pinion in the hybrid, nothingels?
i shop gladly at Mikes but everyting is out of stock...

FLM towers, is it one or two i get in one package?
screw to the hole car? screw to fix the shocks to the towers? i think i will go for the traxxas big bore(8), is that a god choice?oli?

for start i need.
-chassi (out of stock)
-FLM towers
-FLM hybrid bulkhead
-HB diff (out of stock)

The Pro diffs are from the truggy version, means they have a smaller pinion gear.
Since you want to use a tranny you should use the non-pro diffs.
And yes, only drop the pinion and the diff into the hybrid bulks and you're good. But don't forget the shimming!
And get two of the Hot Bodies drive cups: C8068 (M4 set screws not included!).

Don't worry about everything beeing out of stock, just send mike a mail with a list of all the parts you need and he will get them all as fast as possible.

Regarding the FLM towers: just write that you need two towers into the list for Mike and you should get what you need. But I would assume there is only one tower per kit.

As for the shocks: I can only repeat myself, I would go for the ofna shocks again!
It is possible that Jamara is the official reseller for Sweden as well as for Germany maybe you can get those form a lokal shop if you want.

The screws for the bulkheads are included with the bulkheads, as are the screws for the shock towers included with the towers and the screws for the chassis are included in the G4-kit and so the story goes on and on...

I started with 40wt oil for the front shocks and 35wt in the back, 7k oil in the front and 3k oil in the rear diff. This should be a good starting point for you as well.

okey a non-pro diff. but i will use traxxas org. CVD, so i dont need the drive cups, but thanks anyway.

can i get a link to the shocks? do i use 4 of ofnas shocks?

just send an mail?okey thats easy.

is i possible to build without a tranny? how?can i do it with a G4?tell me and show me pictures thanks.

You need to search this forum and check out other peoples rides. All the info you need is in other peoples build threads. You just got do the mouse clicking to find them. It may take a while but you will have more knowledge than if we did all the work for you.

im sorry... but i dont understund everything i read.... trust me i have lookt in hundreds of threads. but i still would like to get answer in this thread. if anybody would like to answer my questions her i´ll be grateful.

but i cant decide what chassi i´ll be built from. i lika GM but FLM is also beautiful... is it worth almost 100$ going GM?

You need the HB drive cups, the 1/8 diffs have a larger input shaft size (8mm vs 5mm). Read that link I posted, all the info is right there.

You can build a truck using a center diff instead of a tranny, but it will be a custom job Im affraid; either home made, go to a machinist, or see if Mike releases one in the future (we're all waiting for a 3906 chassis version presently).

There are dozens of different emaxx builds, so I strongly suggest reading around for info- you wiull soon see what parts are good and which arent, and where to find them (ebay, towerhobbies or amain usually, though Mike sells some good stuff too).

Shocks = look around and see what other people are using, but 4 truggy shocks will work fine- rc8t for example with stiff springs.

im sorry
yes i have seen what other people have use to built theirs trucks but i need straight answers... but yes i read alot and then i ask questions here. my problem is that i dont understand all language.

i need to no if i should use RPM arma or FLM arms??
FLM chassi or GM.
any diff that fit traxxas org. CVD or must i use steal?my last MIP cvd was to short and didnt fit.what cvd is the best?
and what is UE???:oops:

please...

It's OK that you ask all those questions, I did the same not too long ago, and if anybody is bored by the same questions over and over again, nobody is forced to answer them :wink:
Yes you would need the drive cups as they are for the center drive shafts.
The adapters for the driveshafts are included in the hybrid bulkhead set, so you can use stock traxxas driveshafts with your truck, which I recommend you do.
They are cheap, can deal with BL-power and can absorb shocks to the drivetrain better then steel or aluminium driveshafts which helps the diffs.

As for the arms I would take RPM or Flextek arms, RPM because they are cheap and can take a beating and Flextek because they are expensive and can take more beating:lol:
I wouldn't take aluminium arms though as in my opinion they are too stiff.
And get RPM axle carriers or stock ones, for the same reason.

Take the gorillamaxx chassis allready! Why? Because you can't decide and I like the G-maxx better:intello:

UE is Unlimited Engineering but nothing to think about any longer as they don't really produce anything anylonger.

As for the non-tranny-build: look at my thread and you'll see.
You'll need a centerdiff mount but with a mounting plate for the G4-chassis. But you have to ask Mike if he builds one for you.

Answers: I would go with rpm arms with trutrac in the rear. Get flm chassis if your just going to bash, get a g4-maxx if your going to race if both you need to decide on your own both are good chassis. Traxxas cvd's will work with 1/8 scale diffs but you might have to figure out different deeper output cups if they are not long enough. UE is Unlimited Engineering http://www.unlimitedengineering.com/cgi-bin/store the best parts money can buy but alittle pricey and alot of stuff is not being made anymore. Better off buying used on the bst forum. UE cvd are the best but wont work with current later model knuckles.

thanks guys. i really really appreciate all your tips and help.

this is a bashtruck som i will go for the FLM chassi. i had i g-revo befor and i love the car. but i think its fun to try somethingels.

my thought was to use MIP center and traxxas stock(plastic) cvd. if i buy two HB lightning diff, how many output cups do i need? JoFreak said something about an adapter, but i dont get that.

i will mail Mike now and ask him about all the out of stock parts.

those are the adapters I talked about: http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail...ffshaft&cat=40
But as I said, they are included in the hybrid bulkhead kit so you don't need an extra set of them.
As for the diffs, you need 2 output cups. Those cups are for the centershaft dogbones.
The adapters are for the drive shafts which go to the wheels.

in the FLM chassi its included 2 cups and centershaft dogbones, are they good quality or should i replace them?

Answers: I dont recomend mip centers or axles. I believe a new flm chassi comes with a rear steel dogbone if not I think they sell the right one for that application. Stock outer axles will work with hb diffs but you need the adaptor installed in the diffs so the axles will bolt up. http://www.rc-monster.com/proddetail...ffshaft&cat=47 or you can use a traxxas stub axle and cut it too work. If you run traxxas cvd's the cups that come with the diff might work (you need to research this though because I am not sure) If you run steel centers with hb lightning diff you need 2 8mm cups and 2 6mm cups. Realize you will need the flm hybrid bulks also for the hb diffs. edit the rear dogbone is good it will work fine.

thanks for all help. i think i have control...
a question about the shocks. there a very much differing shock thats been used in maxx built. revo stock shocks, ofnas, and many dont write which they use.
will the traxxas bigbore shocks make the truck high? i would like a low truck with stiff shocks. the truck will run very fast and it cant be to soft.
is it okey to use 4 shocks when i use RPM armas and FLM towers?
is this the ofna 1/8 shocks you guy been talking about?http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXWUK7&P=SM
or this one:http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXTCJ5&P=SM
or this one:http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...&I=LXCWT4&P=SM

front or rear?

If you wan't to run your truck very fast it depends on if you plan on doing that onroad or offroad. Offroad speedruns with a very hard suspension aren't much fun since your truck will bounce all over the place and won't have any grip.
Since you want a low setup you should definetly get the front shocks.
I just don't get the point of first choosing the FLM chassis with higher center of gravity for bashing and then going all low with the suspension:neutral:
And it has nothing to do with which shock towers and suspension you choose if you can run a 4 shock setup.
Those would be the shocks UE sells as supershocks: http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_...ed-Shock-Set-2
As Jamara seems to be reseller for most of Europe you might wann try to get those shocks from a local hobby shop: http://neuershop.jamara.com/index.php?a=3190&lang=eng. Those should be the same shocks but are possbily cheaper to get.
But you're most likely to need harder springs than supplied with the kit and thicker oil than what I recommended since that was for 8 shock setups.

yes you have right, its a bashtruck and i it should not be low. but whats the differente between ofnas shocks and traxxas big bore? the big bore cast 67$ for 8 shocks. and ofnas 45$ for 2.why should i choose ofnas?
you gave me a link to front shocks, but if a take the rear it will be better?
is it no risk the pressure will be pitched when i use 4 shocks? i mean the arms(RPM) are made for each 2 shocks.

I think Ofna's are a little bigger than big bores and you only need 4 ofnas if you dont plan on doing heavy jumping. I wouldnt buy ofnas new I would get them off ebay or second hand somewhere. Ofna front shock are closer to the size of stock maxx shock. I believe the rears are too long.