Project Mulligan
 

It begins:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Arrived today- in excellent condition overall, hardly any wear or tear. The original owner (Im #3) has installed a grease nipple on the tranny, and filled it with thick automotive grease (grey stuff). Interesting feature, but I shalent be making much use of it- here is the shopping list:

TXT-1
LIGHTWEIGHT CHASSIS PLATES
ALUMINIUM AXLE GUARDS
EXTENDED 4-LINK SUSPENSION RODS
HEX HEAD SCREWS
ALUMINIUM BODY POSTS
NEW SHELL (OLD T-MAXX?..)
HEX ADAPTORS/ WHEEL WIDENERS
4x 1/8 SCALE SHOCKS
ALUMINIUM CANTILEVERS
3905 TRANNY
3905 SPEC PROP SHAFTS (ADAPTED FROM DRIVE SHAFTS)
MMM ESC
MOTOR- KV YET TO BE DETERMINED
SERVO (1/4 SCALE AND/OR DIGITAL)
STEERING RODS
BEARING KIT
NEWERA SKIDS- WILL NEED SOMEONES HELP NEXT MONTH TO GET THEM
ALUMINIUM STEERING KNUCKLES

ESTIMATED COST = ~£700. (Less than half what I spent last time) :wink:

You may ask why do I want another TXT-1, but its simple really; they are the most awesome 'proper' MT ever built. I miss my old one so much I just had to get another- planning on giving it pretty much the same treatment, only with a few updates using newly available parts, such as 3905 tranny, Knowing Hobby suspension links & 1/8 scale shocks.

Looking at about 3-4 months build time (~£200 per month budget), so it'll make a nice winter project. The additon of a decent BL system & lipo batts will make all the difference I believe, along with a decent servo to turn the beast.

Anyway, heres a few snaps of what arrived today:

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan1.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan2.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan3.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan4.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan5.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan6.jpg

It came supplied with an LRP F1 esc (google will be my friend...), and a nasty horrid 40mhz AM pistol grip radio; God how I hate pistol grip radios. :whip:

Currently waiting for a bearing set to come in, then next month will be suspension rods, axle guards and skids I reckons. :smile:

Ooh, this should be fun :party:

Do you have thoughts on which power plant you intend to use? Also, you wouldn't happen to know the diff reduction, would you?

This is a happy reunion.

Neil,

Nice truck you got there. I completely forgot about this truck, I was going to get one and do a few things to it, mainly extend the wheelbase to make it look like my old Clod Buster. Let me know how tough this truck is and if it can handle some brushless power?

Power plant = most likely an MMM or MMPro, motor will need to be L or XL sized- aiming for 30mph here in order to make the thing handleable (that is a word I swear).

Axle reduction ratio = 2.1:1

Its a curious beast though- the gears in the axle & tranny are MOD 1.0 by the looks of it, much the same as the ones inside the emaxx tranny, though the down side is the axle gears are made of moulded pot metal (looks like the same stuff the input gears in the old emaxx tranny are made of- aluminium?)

From what I've read, they do tend to wear down after a while, but they stood upto my hvmaxx for a fair while back in the day :/

I would use an emaxx or similiar tranny if you plan to go fast-ish, the stock tranny limits you alot as you can only fit upto a 20t pinion, no other gearing adjustment possible (via the spur etc).

did you miss this truck neil? your old one was the best on the trx forums!

:party: Can't wait to see this build getting started!
Love those old MTs, sadly was before my RC-time, or should I say sort of between my RC-times?:lol:

Missed my TXT-1 **alot**, been looking for one for ages. Funny thing though, was bidding on one that eventually went for £180 (my max bid was £175, bloody sniper bids). I was gutted, but then I saw a newly listed one for £175 BIN... mine :party:
Also found the instructions for the esc, so I should be able to get it running fairly soon, using the included 1800mah nicad pack :lol:

Okay, little update- been looking around for some custom length suspension links with little success. Everything I find is either too skinny (need ~8mm / 3/8"), or too short. So, I contacted that lovely Candyman and hes going to make some to my exact requirements. Going with upper rods 184mm long, and lower rods 135mm long- thats 38mm longer than stock to push the wheelbase out to around 17inches. Going to be using some Gmade rodends, the hoofing great big 10mm versions:

http://www.gmade.net/bbs/data/spear/50122.jpg

Still planning on the metal axle guards and skids next month, but I should be able to get the servo too- on that note, what is everyones thoughts on the following items?:

1
2
3
4
5

Personally I like the look of #5, the reviews are all great 5*, and the price is just bonkers for something that powerful (before anyone says 'you get what you pay for', I am aware of that)...

Any thoughts or other decent suggestions, not looking to spend too much, and would prefer a 1/4 scale item really...

Laters :mdr:

Neil,

Should be a great build, I look forward to following it along.

Might I reccomend staying with the standard sized servo so nothing abnormal would be needed for mounting and taking up extra space and weight ? The specs on #4 are great for the price.

I would normally agree, but I have 1/4 scale servo mounts that will work fine, and the weight doesnt worry me, all things considered. #4 is a beautiful little servo though- but I've just looked at the specs on the servo I had in the old truck- it had the same ~15KG of torque at 6v, and had a bit of trouble turning the wheels- 20KG+ would be ideal however..

Whats that truck gonna weight roughly when completed ? I thought it was 10th scalish is size, but it's much bigger ? ?

Its 13" wheelbase stock, where as a maxx is more like 12"- when Im finished it'll be 17", and somewhat wider too, so I would say it'll end up being about 1/8 to 1/7 scale. I'd say that sounds about right, when you concider the ~14" Erevo and FLUX are labeled as 1/8 scale. For weight, I estimate it'll be around the 12-13lb region- havent weighed it stock yet, I'll do that tomorrow- rather light though at present it has to be said.

"God how I hate pistol grip radios"

Neil is a stick man? Well I could see hating that pistol radio...

My first 'real' radio was an Airtronics stick, was good with it. Something tells me I would semi-suck with one if I was to try it now.

I remember you lamenting about parting with your first... you won't be doin' that again willya.. looks like fun!

I don't own any Tamiyas anymore, I wonder what a Hornet or a Frog would be like with modern stuff... eeeeeeasy on the throttle :lol:

I see now, It'll be a big truck. The bigger badder servo is definietly nessasary !

I like how modern pistol radios look, and the idea of a throttle trigger is nice as I shoot airguns, but its the little wheel for left & right that scrambles my brain. Gonna find a spare rx for my Hitec laser 6, its proven reliable with a decent range & all the adjustments you could possibly need, soI'll lay off going digital for a few years yet :lol:

The old Tamiyas would be funny to race against modern 1/10 stuff- no wonder so many good examples end up as shelf queens, its all they're upto really... :mdr:

people have said the same to me about pistol radios. They are usually holding it at their side or upside down or their head is in their rectum.

If you hold it with the wheel facing you it's just like driving a car. Right for right and left for left.

I know your preference won't change, but if you find yourself in a life or death situation and the only way out is with a pistol grip radio, try holding the wheel as you would driving a car. That simple change has helped me to teach a couple people to drive my rides.

Looking forward to the build....

Hmm...

http://www.gadgetgreats.com/images/p...edalsforPC.jpg

I actually tried your suggestion, but as my luck would have it, the servo is setup the wrong way round in the front of the truck as it is at the moment, so left is right and viceversa- God wants me to crash into walls I swear...

Anyway, I have got the truck running after charging the sucky 2100mah (actually better than I thought :lol:) nicd charged and the esc programmed on the second attempt; you can really feel the power of the twin 27t 540 motors. Not.

The Candyman is finishing off my extended suspsension rods, leaving me to just wait for my orders to turn up:-

rubber sealed bearings
uber big rod ends
3.3 spec drive shafts and output couplers to make them into center propshafts
some thundertech txt-1 > emaxx 14mm hex adapters/ wideners. Now thats a project in itself, which will no doubt horrify a few people; Im adding 3 inches of track width to the truck by making some superduper long barrel nuts & 2 wheel wideners on each stubaxle- those poor 5x10x4 bearings wont know what hit them... :mdr:

More later. :smile:

yep, better buy stock in a bearing company:lol:

Uh oh.. Neil got a TXT again :)

SO whats the initial plan for this one?

Same as the old one pretty much- just gonna use a few updated parts, and a proper BL system + lipo power. Just want a proper MT to play with, rather than a high speed truggy wannabe Gmaxx which is more about speed. How goes your mutant E-maxx dude?

Anyway, got my rod ends in today, and they are huge! Really nice quality by Tough Racing, and even better, The Candyman has finished my extended suspension rods which should be here tomorrow or thursday with any luck. I also picked up some 3.3 drive shafts, and a couple of #5458x traxxas parts to turn the drive shafts into propshafts for the center of the truck. I will post pics once the rods come in and get them fitted up.

Ah she is on hold, got some very good advice from joe ford about why not to run twin brush less systems that share the same spur. No matter what you one of the motors will always be out of sink with the other, probably going to wait for mikes E maxx CD diff mount and just do a single 1521 on 12S..

Im also going back in the day and building a race clod, so ill be watching this thread closely :)

Solid axles will rule again...

So, xmas came early:

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan7.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan8.jpg

Candyman's custom extended 8mm link rods, complete with 5mm threaded inserts- beautiful.
Tough Racing 10mm ball rod ends- they are HUGE, easily twice the size as traxxas rodends.
Traxxas driveshafts, already turned into propshafts.
Thundertech 12mm > 14mm adapters/wideners.
Rubber sealed bearings (Abec 3 I think).

Anyway, I removed the rear axle and opened it up, expecting to find those nasty bronze bushings, and whaddayouknow, one of the previous owners (this truck is ~8 years old afterall) already installed some metal shielded bearings, and ten gallons of nice white lithium grease. Now, I know the rubber ones will be better, but, I think on balance that it'll make more sense to keep my new bearings in their packet until I start blowing the metal ones :mdr:

Anyway, heres a good shot to show just how uber mahoosive the truck will be when finished:

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...tMulligan9.jpg

I have calculated that the wheel base will be 17", a whole 1" longer than I had intended, thanks mainly to the rather long rodends vs stock. Not a problem, but it does mean I will need to play with the cantilever pushrods in terms of either length or placement, to regain a bit of suspension travel (currently have about 3/4" :lol:).

So, heres how she stands, or sits at present:

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan10.jpg

Yep, nothing amazing, but you can see the suspension changes by looking at the pushrod angles front vs rear (rear is closest to the camera).

Just need one other delivery in order to make my extended barrel nuts, then thats it for this month, luckily theres only a week until I can do more ordering.... :yipi:

Imo you`d be off with metal adapter/wideners.I have clod/txt adapters & they can spin inside the wheel damaging the plastic adapter/wideners.

You need those big old fog lights like on the old one. Glad you got another. your old one was 1 sweet looking truck. Your emaxx could drag it like a rag doll though

Oh I dunno, it would be a failry even match I reckon, if I mount the tow hitches down low on each truck... I might do a towing competition though, each truck with the same weight sled behind and time it over a fixed distance ( I say sled, but I mean beer crate...).

As for the plastic vs metal wheel wideners, these ones are specifically for the Imex shoes so no danger of damaging the txt-1 hex adapter thingies. I am aware that the plastic will stretch and round out over time, but they lasted very well with my last truck, so I'll run what I got at the moment- I'll keep that offer in mind Krawlin, unless you were planning on selling them soon in which case not to worry too much.

Just a few bits of info to post at this stage:

Stock TXT-1 weighs 10lbs 12oz rtr with a 6cell nimh pack, so not all that lardy compared to maxxes and revos etc.

To date I have spent £286.52p on the following parts:-

TXT-1
custom 4 link rods
Various hex head screws
Hex adaptors and associated barrel nuts etc
Rod ends
Propshafts
Bearing kit

A little over budget for the month, but not too bad.

Next month will be good, getting the lower parts of the truck finished up, then turning my mind to the chassis and tranny, which will require custom made mounts (about the hardest part really, but not actually all that difficult). Then, in december I will turn my attention to the motor and esc...

Until the next time then, toodles. :smile:

Interim update:

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan11.jpg

Many thanks to Nitrostarter for the help getting the parts (front & rear skids, center skid & cantilevers), I should have them with me in a week or so.

Just finishing off the wacky-wide axle extensions, then I'll have some roller pics tomorrow; this thing is HUGE!

Can't wait to see some pics !
I've ben wanting to build something different than the normal MT,Truggy. Very curious to see more of your TXT ?

It's gonna be shiny! :yipi:

O'naturel...

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan12.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan13.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan14.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan15.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan16.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan17.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan18.jpg

^^And thats how you get 3" of extra track width :D

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan19.jpg

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan20.jpg

Size comparison- the TXT-1 has an 18" wheel base vs the 14" wheelbase of the Gmaxx. Ignore the current suspension geometry as that will require alot of tweaking to get it sitting right; currently it has 1/2" travel at the rear & 1/4" at the front...

Holy crap that is huge! Nice job Neil...so what are your intentions for the trans... Those massive wheels actually do not "look out of place" on that truck at all.

Awe Inspiring ! Looks Tits my friend.

Sorry for all the Q's, but I'm intriged.
How strong will those axle shafts be with the hub adapters stacked like that for the width addition ?

I found some pictures of aluminum axle housings on a forum but can't find a distributor, Can you provide some links of the sellers your using for the after market parts for this beast your building ? I know New Era is one of them.

I read that your power plant will likely be a M.M.M. or a Pro with a L or XL, what voltage have you ultimately decided on ? I've also seen pictures of guys whom installed a Emaxx tranny and it seemed like a decent idea, but not knowing the durability of the stock trans is it nessasary ?

Thanx Neil.

3905 tranny should fit nicely, just needs some L shaped mounting brackets that I'll fab up once I have the tranny on-hand to play with.

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n...Mulligan19.jpg

Soooo.... Is it a 1/5 now? :smile: I can't picture it being 3" skinnier. The extra width looks natural.

We will see really- gonna do some stress testing by molesting the truck on the bench :lol:
Certainly:
http://www.rc4wd.com/
http://www.inetrc.com/ those alloy axles housings- stunning.
http://www.thundertechracing.com/
http://toughracing.com/ rod ends and wheel wideners
http://stores.shop.ebay.co.uk/Bizarre-Hobbies various alloy parts

If you search ebay for 'txt-1', and set it to 'worldwide', it does turn up a fair number of smaller ebay shops selling various bits & pieces. I also have a long list of places on my website under the 'Truck links page'.

The stock trans is pretty durable, but since its a crawler-esque design it really reduces the speed down far too much to be any good for anything over about 20-25mph- cant use larger than a 20tooth pinion & cant change the spur gear either. I think an MMM will be in order given this thing will end up weighing about the same as the Gmaxx (~13lbs), but yeah, probably a Neu 1512 or similar sized motor in the ~2000kv range, geared for 30mph tops. I think 5s lipo should do the trick- spin it faster & gear it lower to generate more torque at the wheels, plus I can use the same lipos from the Gmaxx, though I am gonna get a couple more Turnigy packs, just gotta do some measuring up; I would like to use the stock battery tray from the TXT-1 if its big enough, otherwise something form Mike custom made to size.

I'd say maybe 1/6 scale, its big how ever you look at it :lol:

Thank You for the answers and links Mr. Neil.
Please post more when more progress is made.

Neil
Have you thought about making a custom frame that is longer to help out with the suspension travel? I'm going to run the stock tranny in mine until it blows up. I plan on using a mmm/neu 1512 2d f (2600 kv) running on 2s as a starting point. Is there anyone that makes stronger gears for the axle's?

I have thought about a custom chassis actually (great minds...), only issue is making it; I would probably get the Candyman to make me the plates as he's cheaper than a proper machinist, and has a flair for this sort of thing too- even then though, I cant see it being cheap. What Im probably gonna do it just use longer cantiliever push rods- doesnt need mega suspension travel or articulation, just enough to be 'useable'... :lol:

As for gears = no, saddly. I've seen someone make a custom spool that uses a larger 'ring gear' and smaller reduction gear thingy above it, I think using a pinion on the shaft and a delrin ring gear, but that was in a custom crawler to get lower speeds. Trouble is really it uses too many gears in the axle- cant just find a new 1/8 diff to stick in there, got to replace the upper reduction gear and the two pretty small bevel gears that change the drive direction 90*.

Ultimately, if the gears in the axles prove to be too weedy, then I will probably pick up something from rc4wd.com, they have a wide selection of aluminium axles that use the simpler ring & pinion gear design, much more durable in theory.

Interim update:

After 3 hours of searching, researching and measuring up/ use of The Force, I settled on some shocks:

http://www.fg-polska.pl/oss/catalog/...ofna/40052.jpg

Ofna 9.5 RTR fronts, two pairs from ebay; havent built any shocks in kit form for a long time, so it'll be nice to have aplay with them and choose the oil.

On that subject, any advice or part numbers on firm springs that will fit is very welcome- according to the specs the springs measure 16mm on the inside, 19mm on the outside- the kit comes with silver springs as standard I believe, which are probably soft I imagine, but we'll see how they feel once I have them with me in a week or two.