[GorillaMaxx360]

Hey Shaun maybe i can help you out with these questions. I am not into crawling yet but because it might come up as a future project i have done quite a bit of research.


• Do I want to custom build it or buy a kit (?) I really don’t care about the cost, so no budget restrains it is personal preference really but i like the combination of kit and custom, that way you can start out with something to build from (especially helpful if you don't know where to start building a rock crawler) and use parts from it to make your custom rig.
• Where can I go to read or is there a crawler magazine out that has different builds for viewing (?) The sites they gave you are a good start but because it is becoming more main stream check a look at rcca every once in a while and they will have articles on Crawler tips, and it is also very helpful to talk a look at the RC crawling National rides in the magazine to know what the pros use.
• In rock crawling I want functionality over looks right (?) IE No bling!.. What is cool about rock crawling is it is all about doing what works for you, and it is all about the little tunning secrets that allow your truck to crawl better. Fortunately when building a rock crawler you need to beef it up (mainly around the axles) so "Bling" can be achieved it just may not be all bling, just the needed areas(and then there is CF)
• Do they use Brushed or BL motors (?) I like BL motors but most of the guys use lathe motors which are powerful hight torque brushed motors. Integy sells some. They used brushed because it is easer to control but it is defiantly possible to use Brushless.
• The batteries / lipos are different that what we use in our RC’s right (?) are they more like plane or Heli Lipos (small with low run times ?) yes they are smaller have a lower run times but they get an hour or two of runtime because they are always going slow. Also a lot of guys run 3s lipo so 11.1 volts to get more torque out of there motors.
• Does weight mater (?) heavier or the lighter what is the goal (?) In rock crawling weight is about 40 percent of the game. there is not one set answer for this but generally less weight at the chassis and loads of weight at the axles are the way to go. For example many use weights glued around the outer edges of the rim and on the Axel. For a general rule guys like to have more forward weight than rear.

Lastly if you are going 2.2 it would be a good idea to check out what they call a disconnect Assembly which allows you to engage and disengage 4WD to gain more or less steering.

Hope i helped, Sorry for the long rant.