So as I saw the evolution of the MOA's in the comps--I always told myself I would never run one of those clown cars. Ya I was a die hard shafty guy--picking on the MOA guys.



Well as time went on and at comps I would sit there and disect the cars ability, I got to thinking. Was I starting to be brainwashed by some kind of alien being. Could be.



Well I have considered myself a decent driver--usually placing pretty good in the field. Well I got a chance to drive one for a while--pushing its limits to see what it was capable of. Well lets just say shortly after I started planing the new rig-- and after learning my way thru the TLT stuff and really figuing out how to properly build a rig and doing alot of reading on what axle I wanted to go with--I pulled the lever.



Ya, I was brainwashed for sure.



So here are the rough specs of the rig.



Axles--RC4WD bully axles

Motors--14t cobalt 454 pullers

ESC-- Tekin FXR (also got the hotwire interface)

Punk dig switch

Steering servo-- JR DS8711HV 480oz at 7.4 volts

Castle BEC

Power source--not 100% sure on what I am going to run

Wheels--I am not sure but I will see how my current ones work out.

The chassis will be--like all my others a custom one.



SO let the games begin



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa1.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa2.jpg



I am hoping to start the chassis on monday

at least it's not a berg :flipoff2:

can't wait to see the chassis, I love custom stuff.

I am what you used to be...and still am now. :flipoff2:


Nice build.

I am what you used to be...and still am now. :flipoff2:




short and fat :D

You will love the punkrc dig unit. Best upgrade I have done to my berg

SO time to start doing something.

For shits and gigles I decided to throw the axles on the scale...

Here is the front at 1lb 6.5ouz

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa4.jpg

Here is the rear at 1lb 4.5ouz

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa3.jpg

I got my 454 cobalt pullers finally from holmes hobbies...



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa5.jpg



Here you can see the size difference comapred to a trypical 540 size 55 turn motor.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa6.jpg



The cobalt puller sits at 3.7ouz



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa7.jpg



And the common 540 55 turn at 5.9ouz



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa8.jpg

So since the cobalt is a smaller can--you have to use an adapter. I am going to try the HH ones that came with the motors and see how they hold up (ones shown in the picture)

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa9.jpg

Once the adpater is in place the 3mm bolt that holds the adapter to the diff hits the taper on the motor "just" after full thread engagement into the adapter. Now I could have just shoterned the bolt but I still wanted a little more threads thru/past the adpater.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa10.jpg

Also I chose to go with 11r and 12f on the pinions(for now). So once I got tha motor location/figured out what holes on the adapters I was going to use I went and put a small(4mm) notch into the motor. At this point I had to remove roughly 1/16" off the bolts for the motor adapter to sit firmly against the axle.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa11.jpg

One odd thing about this particular motor the notch in the armature shaft for the pinion set screw does not go the full length of the shaft like all the 540 motors I have seen. With the motor adapter and the pinion slid as far as you can go on the flat spot--the pinion was shy less than a 1/16" to full engagement on the gear it rides on in the axles.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa12.jpg

That was an easy fix--I just filed the notch in the shaft--piece of cake..

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa13.jpg

So I went ahead and got the motors all bolted down...

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa14.jpg

So now I am ready to start building the chassis..

So with the axles ready---it was time.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa15.jpg



Here is the chassis--in its VERY rough form,lol.. I got lucky and had some delrin chunks laying around, otherwise I would use the other material that I have used in the past.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa16.jpg

My process for doing a chassis--and one I have a number times(and seems to work for me). I always start at the skip plate. Start by figuring the width of the chassis and then lower link placement on the chassis. Once I get that figured out I rough in the side plates. My next step is to build the lower links. Once thats done I now have the length of my uppers since I like to run equal length links. So once I have the upper lengths I can figure out the multiple location holes for the uppers. Since this is my first MOA I wanted some diversity on the upper placement for squat/anti squat numbers--unlike on my shafty's where I have those geometry's figured out for my driving style.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa17.jpg

So after alot of work I finally got the chassis figured out. It was odd not leaving big holes in the side of the chassis plates for a tranny/motor combo. Since the battery/electronics will be stuffed down in the chassis--I chose to drill a bunch of holes to help knock some weight off it. I still have to figure out what I want to use for shock extensions but I have a couple ideas. I also threw my wheels on it--RC4WD supper narrow's and I will be damned--they fit and give me 10.5" of width.




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa18.jpg




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa19.jpg



Both front/rear lowers are bent in 2 places to wrap around the large diffs.

I also bent the rear uppers to help clear the top part of the diff.





http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa20.jpg



I also set it up at 3" and I will see how that does. Its sitting RIGHT on the money for a 12.5" WB so if I drop it--I will have to shorten up the rear links up a tad.





http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa21.jpg




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa22.jpg

Ok I finally figured out how I wanted to do the shock mounts. I took solid 1/4" alum. rod and center drilled and tapped it to 3mm to help give some cross support on a hard landing--will see how well it holds up.



But here is how it turned out.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa23.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa24.jpg



Here is a flex shot--roughly 6" and thats the max--which from my past rigs is almost where I want to be--I think I will be very happy with that...



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa25.jpg

Next I decided to go ahead and get the body mounted. I just made some cross mounts--same material I have alwasy used (3/8" cutting board).



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa26.jpg




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa27.jpg



And here is the body mounted up. I like how low it sits. My old shafty was pretty stable and the body was a lil higher. So far I am very happy with how its turning out..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa28.jpg

So now I am down to 2 items--the electronics/wiring and the steering. Since it was getting late I figured I would tackle getting the electronics mounted up before quiting for the night.



So I am going to mount the battery down in the belly--havent figured out how I am going to retain it in place but I have a couple ideas. I went and took lexan and made mounts for the ESC, dig switch and reciever.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa29.jpg


I have seen a few different methods of a "tray" so to speak but I opted to made individual trays to get each item as low as possable depending on where it sits/link placement. I also placed them high enogh to sqeeze a 3 cell under them.



But here is how the components will sit.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa30.jpg



Hopefully this works out--one part I am not 100% on yet.

Well I sat down tonight with my soldering iron/wire and other goodies and went at it. Man---its now stuffed with crap---I mean wires,lol..



I was pretty tight but I am happy with how it turned out. The only thing I need to finish is I need to go to my LHS and grab some blank connectors so I can shorten up the wiring to the CC BEC and I will need to build an extension for the servo once thats mounted. But for the most part the wiring is done..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa31.jpg



Motor wiring Rear



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa32.jpg



Motor wiring front



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa33.jpg



Like alot of the MOA builds I have seen---very tright....



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa34.jpg

So now its time to do the last major part--make it steer....



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa35.jpg



Here is the bad boy servo--all metal with 480ouz at 7.4 volts.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa36.jpg



I was going to look into doing a BTA setup but for now I am going to go with a conventional setup. One nice thing about these axles is how high the steering arms are. Here is the first step of what I am about to do..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa37.jpg




And here is where I made it tonight...




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa38.jpg

So moving right along.



I got the new servo mount roughed in.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa39.jpg



And here is the finished product. Let me tell you this fawker was a tight fit--I had no room to make any errors. I did end up changing 2/3 way thru the mount and ended up moving the servo inboard which--almost screwed me. I forgot about the upper link mount and the servo wanted to hit it without fitting correctly on the mount. I ended up being 1/16" off and had to shave some off the mount to get the servo to fit properly.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa40.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa41.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa42.jpg

Here is the servo mounted. As you can see I designed/built it for the servo to fit behind the mount.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa43.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa44.jpg



Look at that--is that some overkill on the tie rod/drag link,lol




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa45.jpg



So about 11:30 I got done in the shop, grabbed the rig to go show my little boy (which was actually asleep on the couch) and I dropped the rig--fawk me....




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa46.jpg

Nice. I like the bully servo mounts better than my Berg mounts.

Aww crap, what other damage?

Aww crap, what other damage?

None--it just fell from about 4 feet in the driveway and hit just right.

I am running to the LHS at lunch to grab another one--and a steel one if they have it. Hoping to get the rest of the "good" steering parts made tonight and testing/tuning in the am...

Looks good Crash


I went with one of these horns if you can get the right spline for your servo

http://rcpcrawlers.com/product.php?productid=1137

Looks good Crash


I went with one of these horns if you can get the right spline for your servo

http://rcpcrawlers.com/product.php?productid=1137

Still alum. I want to find a steel one ;)

Well got 2 more---lets see what happens :D

So I got the steering all finished. I did the same thing that I did for my TLT shafty and used 5/32" piano wire. I had found in 5/32 its very strong but kind of tricky to thread the ends (heat ends to red hot to remove some of the temper from the material). But here is what I ended up with.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa47.jpg



One other thing I decided to try was give some strength to the servo horn I have. Since with my first failure--after dropping it I noticed where the weak point was. So with the part I made it forces the leverage against the base of the horn. Will see if it works or not..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa48.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa49.jpg

I got the body mounts cut down and I think the battery retained.



So now all I have to do is reprogram the BEC to 7.4 volts and program the FXR. Then its ready to see what happens.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa50.jpg

nice build... keep the pics comin

So I got up and started getting it programed. Well the first problem I ran across is since I removed the on/off switch for the ESC (due to the BEC its not needed) when I try to program the BEC--it wants to power up the ESC due to how its wired..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa51.jpg



I went and added a connector on the power/ground side of the BEC to seperate it from the rest of the wiring.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa52.jpg



SO once that was done I went and programed the radio to the ESC and I had to reverse the forward/reverse on the radio. Well I started programing the FXR with the hotwire and I just could not get the drag brake to work properly. Well since the ESC is unable to program it to reverse the motor polarity (like you can with the novak goat) I had to go and swap the wires for the motors to get everything jiving correctly.



So I have to still tweek the specs for the ESC but its getting better.



So I played with it on my course for a while and went and changed the pinions front is now a 13 and the rear is a 11. I can't tell how much stall is "ok" but I am getting used to it..



I think my wheels are too heavy since I just threw them on--rears are 9.8ouz and the fronts are 15.7 ouz

So I headed for my favorite local spot--a place I have spent countless hours with my shafty. So this gave me something to guage the rig on. Well I was indeed impressed--but its going to take some getting used to with the clod stall. But I was able to make every line I had with my shafty, granted a couple I had to work harder--but that might have been because I do indeed have too much weight in my wheels..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa53.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa54.jpg



I will have to say I am impressed with the wheel speed I am getting with the 2 cell lipos I am running..



Now one thing I did notice and I am not 100% sure this is normal. But when you are in dig--you don't have the power you do when in 4 wheel drive..



Well I had to quit when I found one screw missing from my knuckle and put a slight kink in my servo horn and also the bolt that holds the tire rod/draglink on.



But I did shoot some video and will try and get something thrown together.

I threw a little video of the rigs first trip out



YouTube - The MOA bully (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1CCOLNwXUo)

nice build man
i hope to build a moa soon as well
but i just love my shafty
ax tranny
mayhem wheels
mayhem chassis
vp dig (on order)
hitec 645
hb rovers
bug body

nice build man
i hope to build a moa soon as well
but i just love my shafty
ax tranny
mayhem wheels
mayhem chassis
vp dig (on order)
hitec 645
hb rovers
bug body

I loved my tlt shafty--and it did good by me.

Ok so I am still tweeking it. I knew I had too much weight in my wheels. Here is how much I pulled out of all 4.



11.7 oz



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa55.jpg


The rears are now at 7.8oz



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa56.jpg



The fronts are now at 11.4oz




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa57.jpg

So one thing I wanted to do was give some motor protection. Well I looked at lonewolfs axle shield--but I just don't feel you need to have a full skid on the axle--plus you loose ground clearance and I have seen these axles just slide over rocks anyways.... So I had gotten a few ideas from RCC. Well the wife came home with a new container and I was sitting here looking at the lid--well I got a ll ninja like and swiped it,lol



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa58.jpg



Well the material feels perfect....



Now came the hard part--making it round and of course I aint got no heat gun. But I do have a torch nozzel for sweating copper pipe.



So I cut it into 2" wide strips and 3" long. So all I did was start out with a larger diameter piece of tube than the motor dia and started heating it and closing the zip ties.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa59.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa60.jpg

So it started to take some shape..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa61.jpg



So next step was to repeat the process on a piece of 1" dia tube. Here is what I finally came up with.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa62.jpg



I decided to drill holes and loop small zip ties thru the holes to hold it into place. Will see how well this holds up.



But here is the end result



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa63.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa64.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa65.jpg

Crash how much steering angle do those axles have?

Crash how much steering angle do those axles have?

I will have to measure it--but its less than my tlt's...

fwiw my moa with the warrior R/T 35 turns has just as much power in dig and 4 wheel. I have the same esc and dig unit as you but run a 3s 40c burst 2200 lipo

fwiw my moa with the warrior R/T 35 turns has just as much power in dig and 4 wheel. I have the same esc and dig unit as you but run a 3s 40c burst 2200 lipo

I had looked at going HH handwound 35 turns--but I was going for more clearance...;)

SO just a little update. I have been playing with this thing every chance I get. I did find my servo fix didn't do the job 100%--so I upped it one more step and this seems to be doing the job--took a good hard smack

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa66.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa67.jpg

Now thats some beef and holond up quite well now. I am however still concerned with hitting the servo horn hard enough to damage the servo--so I am still looking at other options..

I found I was having a glitch when I would run the servo back/forth pretty fast. I ended up pulling the BEC power from the reciever and going directly to the servo and using the ESC power for the reciever and dig switch--that seems to have fixed it.

I am still tweeking the ESC and getting it better tuned to my needs--but I am still unsure if my clod stall is "more" than I want. I went and swapped the front pionion for a 12t so running a 12/11 combo and I think it helped a tad. But I am still concerned my voltage is just too low and causing more stall.

I also pondering the idea of maybe the link geometry is causing some...

Ok so I looked at the steering again and re-evaluted it. I came up with the conclusion that having the servo horn up where it was--was just asking for trouble on hard flips and tumbles. I didn't want to risk damaging the servo so I pulled the mount off and redid it.Here is what I came up with.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa68.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa69.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa70.jpg



I am still unsure of the tie rod placement. If the tie rod goes below the arms then its lower and more likely to get hung up--but it will protect the servo horn. If I run it on top--I retain the clearance I had but the horn is there to be hit.

Why not stand the servo on its end?

Similar to this build a local guy did:

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166001

Why not stand the servo on its end?

Similar to this build a local guy did:

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166001

I had contiplated that idea also--but it look with the width I want it looked like I would hit the servo. I still may try it.......

Well here is how the steering turned out. I am pretty sure I will redo it again but for now it works pretty good and still higher than my tlt was. So I took it out at lunch today at my local play area near work. Lines I know my tlt would get stuck due to steering--I didn't have any issue I could not drive thru..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa71.jpg



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa72.jpg

Well I had my first comp with the new rig and I must say I am very pleased and adapting pretty good with the new setup. But for how short of a time I really had with it--I was able to pull off a 5th place out of 36 drivers with one course a perfect score where 2/3 of the field had DNF's.... I also beforehand went and swapped my tie rod on top of the knuckles and I also had zero failures with it..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa73.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa74.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa75.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa76.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa77.jpg

I had some down time while I was waiting for parts for a rig in the shop..

But I got my parcatice area redone with new added material.. "thumbsup"


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks4.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks5.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks6.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks7.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks8.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks9.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks10.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks11.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/rocks12.jpg

I my new updated front axle parts today. Perfect timing as I am going to revamp a few things and I want to tear both axles down, inspect and lube them up..

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa78.jpg

So since I had to tear the front apart for the upgraded knucle parts--I figured I would go ahead and tear both completely down to see what the internals look like and also lube them up with my special lube I made. For those who haven't had a bully completely apart--simple setup.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa79.jpg

Well, me being me I wanted to improve the rig some more--tinker and try some new things. One thing that the rig did not do what I was hoping--sidehill quite as good as I was hoping. So I had been contiplating the lipo on the rear axle--well the G3 1100MAp 3 cell packs I got not only fit into the chassis very nicely--they also fit the rear housing beautifly. So I went ahead and built a battery holder. what I did different from the ones you can purchase--I built it with a lip at the outer edge to help protect the lipo. With my olt TLT shafty I had the lipo on the front axle and on aggressive courses the lipo did take some dents--this shoul help with this.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa80.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa81.jpg

Damn thing could not fit any better. I was going to order some G3 1800MAh packs--but with the good run times I am getting with these and how well they fit--I am going to order a couple more of these 1100 packs

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa82.jpg

So I got the front together with the new updated parts. For those of you who have ordered them--or thinking of doing so---the front is now VERY tight--VERY nice and well worth the $25. Mine was never tight from day one---but regardless do it..

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa83.jpg

So another thing I am changing--is the steering again. I am going with the first mount I made--but redid the extensions from the axle to the mount since I got my cutter dialed in for these small parts.. But the one reason I went away from this setup was due to horn damage or servo damage from the horn being hit--so I came up with a game plan--time will tell if it works. But of course I am alot lighter in the front so there won't be as much weight smacking the horn when upside down. But in any case I made this..

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa84.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa85.jpg

And here is what that part does.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa86.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa87.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa88.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa89.jpg

If it looks like it might bend on very hard hits--it would be extreemly easy to run a small extension from the back of the protector to the upper link mount.. But I am pretty sure it will do its intended job..

And of course--I had to redo the electronics. It was trickier than expected to get them down into the belly of the rig--I had to resolder all of the leads at the punk dig switch and ESC--but it all turned out as I wanted.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa90.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa91.jpg


I took it out and tested it---it definately sidehills better now--and everything else worked great as before--happy with it once again..

So I decided to ditch the 14t pullers and ordered up a set of HH35t handwounds. After I got them in and made a few changes in the ESC---I am loving these new motors...

Here is from monday--some test and tune and getting used to the new setup



YouTube - monday1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j06try_2feI)

So a little update. So last week I was out practicing when I heard that damn noise I hate--buzz/zing noise from the servo.. Tore it apart and I ripped a few teeth off the one plastic gear (rides against the motor gear). Well of course its not going to be warranteed but thats fine. Nobody stocks the gear set and I was able to find the part number for that one particular gear(like 8$). Well--they won't have them till the middle of november--shit. I said screw it and ordered another servo and I will report back on this one..

So back to some good stuff.... So getting some more drive time with the rig--I could feel what I wanted to change and tweek to make it as best as I can.

I started by wanting to roll the chassis a tad forward to get close to a 60/40 setup. I also wanted to redo the lower links to get them up a lil more and raise the rig 1/2" to 3 1/2" belly clearance..

So I went and redid the lower links and shock placement.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa92.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa93.jpg

And here is how the rig sat

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa94.jpg

So now this was done and I got the rig how I wanted--I chose to redo the chassis as well. I wanted to lighten it up and be able to drop the body down.



So after some measurements, drilling, cutting and filing I came up with a new design/V.2 of the chassis. I was really happy with how this turned out. The origional chassis was 2.8 ouz and the new one is 1.6ouz. But here is the new one.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa95.jpg



Here is how the new chassis sits.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa96.jpg



I also mounted the reciever on the front links. on the old chassis I made cross mounts for the body post's. I went and modified the cross posts for the shocks and incorpurated the body posts into them. With how much shorter the chassis is and how I did the body posts I can now really drop the body.



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa97.jpg



And here is how the body sits.. I still have to replace the front body post--the one thats on it is too short,lol..



http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa98.jpg

I figured I would get this up to date.

So as many of us do--we reform/improve our rigs.
Here is my origional battery plate.
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa99.jpg
I wanted to lighten it up and roll it closer to the center of the axle. So here is the new battery plate
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa100.jpg

And when I got home today I had a box waiting. I picked it up and thought---is there anything in it.
Here is my new bling
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa101.jpg

Well got them all mounted up. I didn't add any weight to the rears but added 2.90 ouz to the fronts

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa102.jpg

I also replaced my body because it was cracked to hell and changed the paint sceme a bit and also finally got some of those clip holders--finally

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa103.jpg

So I finally got a wild hair up my butt and decided to make a dedicated space in the shop for these little things. I went and took part of my diff area since I use the big bench for most of it anyways.
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa104.jpg
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa105.jpg

So one thing I wanted to do was inboard the top of the shocks to help aid in sidehill (makes shock more effective) and also have the shock follow the motion of the suspenion and also help in turning (tires nailing shocks).
But one thing that was in my way was the cover on the gear case. I had read some different methods of replacing the cover--well I just had to do it my own way,lol.
I went and got some very thing alum. and cut my own.
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa106.jpg
And definatly alot thinner and lighter than the clear cover.
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa107.jpg
As you can see I opted to only use 2 mouting screws. The third one has to be right on the money and same depth as the metal case or it will rub against the gear that runs against the pinion. Plus I don't think the cover will get hit really due to how thin it is and away from the edge of the case where you get rock rash.
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa108.jpg
SO I was able to inboard the shocks a total of an inch between the 2 and still had room to spare from the shock body even getting close to making contact with the new cover.
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa109.jpg
And here they now sit--I am much happier with this setup and will have a chance to try it out tommorow at another GTG..
http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa110.jpg

Something I have been poking at. I have been contiplaying going to a bodyless setup. Now I typicly don't draw stuff out but figured I would give it a shot. So sat down with crayons and paper :redneck:

Here was my first attempt.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa111.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa112.jpg

Here was after 5 different versions---I hated it :redneck:

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa113.jpg

Finally came up with a prototype..

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa114.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa115.jpg

And since all I had was alumimum for material I went ahead and made it out of that to see how I liked it.


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa116.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa117.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa118.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa119.jpg

And here is how it mounts to the chassis.


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa120.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa121.jpg

And here is what I used for hood/roof.


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa122.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa123.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa124.jpg

This is just for testing purpose's since it doesn't fit the bodyless rules. No removable side panel and the roof/hood must be made of a solid material.

Once I had a chance to run it at a comp I found I really liked it but the alumn. is just too heavy.

So I orderd a bunch of delrin material.

I came up with a tweeked version of my prototype.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa125.jpg

And then cut a new setup out of delrin. The cross supports are 1/4" solid material--I ended up making a jig for my drill press and able to get them perfectly center drilled and tapped at 3mm. As it sits its a hair over 1ouz lighter than the prototype.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa126.jpg

I made the roof/hood panels out of polycarbinate(sp) since its easy to work with and I can use the same paint as I do the full bodies. But they turned out pretty decent...


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa127.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa128.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa129.jpg

Now for me to make it 100% legal per USRCCA bodyless rules I still have to have a removable side panel. So I went and tore the chassis apart because I had to slightly modify it and also I need to copy it for kyles rig.

But I went and made new removable side panels.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa130.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa131.jpg

And mounted to the chassis.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa132.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa133.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa134.jpg

Well I have been fighting wanting a better steering setup and have wanted a BTA since day one but its just not an option with this axle. Well after some screwing around I think I finally got what I wanted. I have a little more tweeking to do with it to get it perfect. I have to change the tie rod lengths to get the servo horn more centered in its travel but as it sits now it works pretty darn good.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa135.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa136.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa137.jpg

Well I went and ordered a new set of the lighweight bullys (alum machined cases).With the new axles the new weight 5lbs 15.8ouz




http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa144.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa145.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa146.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa147.jpg

Just a quick question, why the different size pinions? Is it to help with the "clod stall"? if so how does that help and is there a big difference in front vs. rear wheel speed? bad ass build

Wow Crash...you have come a long ways since RC bug bit you. Nice looking rig.

Just a quick question, why the different size pinions? Is it to help with the "clod stall"? if so how does that help and is there a big difference in front vs. rear wheel speed? bad ass build

Yes--due to clod stall--but alot has to do with your driving style

Wow Crash...you have come a long ways since RC bug bit you. Nice looking rig.

damn ---where have you been :D

Now thats one hell of a build. Nice rig Crash.

Now thats one hell of a build. Nice rig Crash.

Thanks. I have been slowly tweeking it and I think I found the sweet spot

if you're still looking for a solution for the servo horn.....I'd go with the one linked a page or two back...I've got one on the front of my rig, when it weighed almost 15 pounds and has a 10T cobalt puller on it I plowed a rock that weighed close to 75 pounds hard enough to move it, pure impact on the servo horn and didn't bend it at all. They're still aluminum yes, but, thicker in lots of places and the way they clamp on in addition to the screw makes them very secure as well....

not sure if you've considered it but, for the steering setup....run one short link over to the side that the servo's on instead of all the way across, seems to work like a champ on my 2.2 ax10 based rig....and, lighter weight that way too....every little bit can help...

also, for your bodiless rig, why not make the "body" and "chassis" one piece, and do it all out of delrin.....I mean, I understand that your chassis is narrowed so you can inboard your shocks, but, if you run a brace across where the hood is, you can mount the shocks inboard under there, and not change anything as far as geometry....and, since the skid would be marginally wider, you could get your electronics even lower cause you'd have more room to spread them side to side ;) (I just got done building a prototype bodiless so I could get a feel for it before I finish converting my rig to meet the new (STUPID) rules for super class)

if you're still looking for a solution for the servo horn.....I'd go with the one linked a page or two back...I've got one on the front of my rig, when it weighed almost 15 pounds and has a 10T cobalt puller on it I plowed a rock that weighed close to 75 pounds hard enough to move it, pure impact on the servo horn and didn't bend it at all. They're still aluminum yes, but, thicker in lots of places and the way they clamp on in addition to the screw makes them very secure as well....

not sure if you've considered it but, for the steering setup....run one short link over to the side that the servo's on instead of all the way across, seems to work like a champ on my 2.2 ax10 based rig....and, lighter weight that way too....every little bit can help...

also, for your bodiless rig, why not make the "body" and "chassis" one piece, and do it all out of delrin.....I mean, I understand that your chassis is narrowed so you can inboard your shocks, but, if you run a brace across where the hood is, you can mount the shocks inboard under there, and not change anything as far as geometry....and, since the skid would be marginally wider, you could get your electronics even lower cause you'd have more room to spread them side to side ;) (I just got done building a prototype bodiless so I could get a feel for it before I finish converting my rig to meet the new (STUPID) rules for super class)

Actually my steering setup is working "flawless" and I could not be happier--the geometry is perfect and isn't bending stuff even after good hard tumbles.

As for delrin I REFUSE to use that material for holding any links or shocks--shit breaks :laughing:

Update. I have been fine tuning it mainly at the shock level from rates to shock travel. I found the combination that I lied was a medium rate for the front and a stuff for the rear with my 4" shocks limited at 1/4" of there travel.

So last night I finally decided to do something I have been contiplating for some time--I really wanted to lighten up the chassis but also run a very narrow chassis (and still run a 4 linked rig). Well after some drawings and work here is what I came up with.

Old vs. new

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa148.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa149.jpg

Old chassis wieght

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa150.jpg

New chassis...

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa151.jpg

Got all new links made up and reworked the shocks how I wanted them. The front shocks did not change but the rear had more slant so I upped the rates just a bit and that should work pretty nice hopefully. I also redid the wiring and was able to squish the goods down on top of belly like I was hoping too..

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa152.jpg

I went with 3" belly--there aint crap for any wieght on the chassis now.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa153.jpg

Underside shot...

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa154.jpg

Got the body back on and was only able to test it out on a new rock pile at my buddies--hope to do some testing on my familure places here this week to final tune it..

this thing is sick, you have a lot of great ideas on some of the mounting materials you used, i hope you have this linked over at RCC

this thing is sick, you have a lot of great ideas on some of the mounting materials you used, i hope you have this linked over at RCC

Oh ya--its in the bully section :smokin: (I go by crashfab over there)

Ok so I have been thinking hard and finally did it--built a new upper link mount for the rear.. It was a tricky lil bugger and is made from 3 pieces of material. I made the first one to get my measurements perfect on the final one.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa155.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa156.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa157.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa158.jpg

And here it is mounted to the axle.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa159.jpg

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa160.jpg

So now I have 1.5" of seperation at the diff. Also the key to the mount was getting the perfect angle on it since I am running the rod ends at that angle.

I had to give the upper links a tad of an "S" shape to work around the shock mounts and diff. But now the links don't hit anything.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa161.jpg

But I think it turned out pretty good..

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa162.jpg

Another thing I was happy about was the fact the shocks are now tucked under the body and won't be getting slammed and stuck on the top edges like they were.


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa163.jpg

I have to put my new novak foams in tommorow and saturday will see what it does--and if it breaks the mount off. I am also contiplating doing the same thing for the front,,,


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa164.jpg

Ok an update. Went out saturday to the mono and put it to the test. Well you know how you have one of those falls--where the rig hits with a sudded stop and you swear the ground shook,lol. Well took one of those 1 in a thousand falls that landed quite litereally perfect. Was about a 2ft drop onto the back of the rig. Well it bent the mount and one screw that held it to the housing.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa165.jpg

You can see the bend was right across the hole I drilled to save some weight--ya bad idea.

You can also see how perfect of a hit it was--bend the rod end screw.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa166.jpg

So I build a new one and this time no hole. I also incorpurated the screw that holds the case together thats hidden behind the stock link mount. So no hole and 3 screws--lets see how this holds up.


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa167.jpg

I also build one for the front and did the very same thing.


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa168.jpg


http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa169.jpg

And I decided to go back to my old body. I liked the concept of the bodyless setup--but my big issue was the fact that the bodyless body was about 10 grams heavier than my old body--and a decent amount of that weigth was up high. Also there was no "give" when you flopped over.

http://nw-wheelers.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/moa170.jpg

OK..... What are you using to make these parts? They look great, almost CNC'ed! :smokin:

OK..... What are you using to make these parts? They look great, almost CNC'ed! :smokin:

Drill/band saw/scroll saw and files :D

I am very picky how I do things :D