Derek Larsen
Quarry Creeper
Build thread? BUILD THREAD!
This is what I'm starting with. Duratrax Evader Baja Bug. Bought it new to bash over at the construction lot during my lunch break. Then I put a Novak SS5800 system in it that some kid at Middle River Hobbies sold me for ten bucks. Then I proceeded to thrash it harder than your mother at a Whitesnake concert.
I can't believe I paid full retail for that DT body. That cutout in the windshield is for my ContourHD camera, which at just over a 1/4lb, gave me some piss poor but challenging handling issues. This is what I hope to end up with:
(Yes I know that last one is a U4 rig, I just like the squat "attack" look it has.)
So...After spending 2 weeks looking at various sandrail and buggy tube chassis, hunting down--and failing to find--RC$WD's Sand Storm chassis, I just went ahead and bought some brass. Why brass? Because it's cheap, and my local Hobbytown always has it in stock, and unlike steel, I already had most of the tools I'd need to work with it.
The goal is to make something scale from 10 ft away, with a full interior and somewhere safe to mount my camera low and with no obstructions. Now here's what I've done so far:
I based the floor plan on the outline of the old chassis, then I decided to add an inch to the WB to get the buggy closer to an SCT size. As I right I keep staring at it, wondering if that makes sense; you'll see in a sec.
(Yes I am using an old baking sheet to work on. Not very level, need to get some backerboard.)
Originally I wanted to reuse the stock bulkheads, both for simplicity and just in case I came across an alloy version. Really all I need to do is get some tubing the same ID as the hinge pins and cut it to fit inside the lower arms. But, again I am getting ahead of myself here.
Roll bar. Starting using that tape trick from Harley's educational videos.
Also bought a wrestler from the dollar store to mock up the cockpit and keep my props in line.
Now I'm undecided as to build a tunnel in the center for the battery, or put it transverse behind the cockpit.
Brass is so forgiving. I keep getting overconfident when I bend and not watching that the tube's being stretched.
Main cage is done. All the joints you see were mitered by hand with a set of needle files. Way easier then when I built my lugged steel road bike 5 years ago. This buggy is practice for a real crawler, and building a real crawler will be practice for building more bicycles again. The cage is pretty strong, and I'm confident will be light too.
This is my first real obstacle. These pics are shitty but show where the upper shock mounts would be located. I was hoping to have them lower, closer to where the sill line would be on the main cage. It's also way farther back than what I wanted, looks almost like a 4 seater sandrail, and then the motor goes back another four inches. I was looking to get the rear rollcage supports to go over and back behind that motor, and not have some big bathtub structure hanging out like a phat ass. I could move the cage back, but I'm gonna just cut off the mount I currently have and put the rear bulkhead directly behind the cage.
Can we make cat taxes a thing on this forum?
So that's where I'm at. Tonight I'm gonna work on the front end. Aside from making up my damn mind, working with the sheet stock I bought is killing me. I got the thinnest stuff that didn't curve under it's own weight. It's still too thick to cleanly cut with my tiny snips, and my aviation snips are very large and difficult to be accurate and precise with. Scoring with the sheet clamped down with a metal ruler to guide seems to be the best, but it takes too damn long. Gonna try my mini hacksaw and my vice.
Comments and advice are always welcome.
This is what I'm starting with. Duratrax Evader Baja Bug. Bought it new to bash over at the construction lot during my lunch break. Then I put a Novak SS5800 system in it that some kid at Middle River Hobbies sold me for ten bucks. Then I proceeded to thrash it harder than your mother at a Whitesnake concert.
![xVgAfIL.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FxVgAfIL.jpg&hash=32804dc626c8d982c3204150f61f96d8)
![0ho1Cgq.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0ho1Cgq.jpg&hash=18dd475393834351b0e7f2bfc60762ad)
I can't believe I paid full retail for that DT body. That cutout in the windshield is for my ContourHD camera, which at just over a 1/4lb, gave me some piss poor but challenging handling issues. This is what I hope to end up with:
![Pw0YtER.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPw0YtER.jpg&hash=8dd80e9b8050b0b06f86bd44a78a818b)
![qJiPxbI.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FqJiPxbI.jpg&hash=b9dbefa7c5f35a8786696d8276289466)
![CAYlIup.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FCAYlIup.jpg&hash=6963aa544d0080ced4d3afb322acca7b)
![yYQq7Eh.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FyYQq7Eh.jpg&hash=aff4f5b0f48f6410934a0340dcccec33)
(Yes I know that last one is a U4 rig, I just like the squat "attack" look it has.)
So...After spending 2 weeks looking at various sandrail and buggy tube chassis, hunting down--and failing to find--RC$WD's Sand Storm chassis, I just went ahead and bought some brass. Why brass? Because it's cheap, and my local Hobbytown always has it in stock, and unlike steel, I already had most of the tools I'd need to work with it.
The goal is to make something scale from 10 ft away, with a full interior and somewhere safe to mount my camera low and with no obstructions. Now here's what I've done so far:
![qtqtkTt.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FqtqtkTt.jpg&hash=7c6e75871aff34567085c41d6f23c7db)
![3XjrD95.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F3XjrD95.jpg&hash=a172bfc759d632ee0581d5ccfa198beb)
![PUV9a6t.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPUV9a6t.jpg&hash=f5b637411e94223a0277e40356e9d336)
![PUV9a6t.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPUV9a6t.jpg&hash=f5b637411e94223a0277e40356e9d336)
I based the floor plan on the outline of the old chassis, then I decided to add an inch to the WB to get the buggy closer to an SCT size. As I right I keep staring at it, wondering if that makes sense; you'll see in a sec.
![uw8vHSo.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fuw8vHSo.jpg&hash=8fcf1fd94ab643ea0919b36f7cea48cc)
![GmYqr31.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FGmYqr31.jpg&hash=9ad78613d39125ba4d6679b7d0c7f7ec)
![LTgnMt7.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FLTgnMt7.jpg&hash=45f0b0c99f5b968bb3408abf27fb663a)
(Yes I am using an old baking sheet to work on. Not very level, need to get some backerboard.)
![NBh7qBQ.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FNBh7qBQ.jpg&hash=a1150a0cdd92e0f0af08ccd8a90f7d8c)
Originally I wanted to reuse the stock bulkheads, both for simplicity and just in case I came across an alloy version. Really all I need to do is get some tubing the same ID as the hinge pins and cut it to fit inside the lower arms. But, again I am getting ahead of myself here.
![S9kM9XQ.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FS9kM9XQ.jpg&hash=e8d96786e2f023e4a9563e4c5961769e)
Roll bar. Starting using that tape trick from Harley's educational videos.
![h4zsMLy.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fh4zsMLy.jpg&hash=f4bb173fa762122dcc6a2efacd10c47e)
Also bought a wrestler from the dollar store to mock up the cockpit and keep my props in line.
![FQBZyTN.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FFQBZyTN.jpg&hash=b24513145c1b1ac296f68456359f3c55)
![YAq3ur3.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FYAq3ur3.jpg&hash=b1b3dcf9872ea86bff67b57624ddd53b)
![QS5m7ut.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FQS5m7ut.jpg&hash=69c065b5236080472aa795b4fe8913b8)
Now I'm undecided as to build a tunnel in the center for the battery, or put it transverse behind the cockpit.
![QXBPAgo.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FQXBPAgo.jpg&hash=7cd62b0ebd2bbb41b64f5cf309dca6c7)
Brass is so forgiving. I keep getting overconfident when I bend and not watching that the tube's being stretched.
![SrZM3RE.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FSrZM3RE.jpg&hash=e1092468e164d67e4a9d262c1cd86db2)
Main cage is done. All the joints you see were mitered by hand with a set of needle files. Way easier then when I built my lugged steel road bike 5 years ago. This buggy is practice for a real crawler, and building a real crawler will be practice for building more bicycles again. The cage is pretty strong, and I'm confident will be light too.
![T3jY7my.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FT3jY7my.jpg&hash=a9b5eb095b7554162237cec94cf238d2)
![Dcat9JY.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FDcat9JY.jpg&hash=332ae5994c5635fdbb51517190a1d650)
This is my first real obstacle. These pics are shitty but show where the upper shock mounts would be located. I was hoping to have them lower, closer to where the sill line would be on the main cage. It's also way farther back than what I wanted, looks almost like a 4 seater sandrail, and then the motor goes back another four inches. I was looking to get the rear rollcage supports to go over and back behind that motor, and not have some big bathtub structure hanging out like a phat ass. I could move the cage back, but I'm gonna just cut off the mount I currently have and put the rear bulkhead directly behind the cage.
![5Ea46zw.jpg](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F5Ea46zw.jpg&hash=b9a317c8bd1859f728a0591a4f04f2ed)
Can we make cat taxes a thing on this forum?
So that's where I'm at. Tonight I'm gonna work on the front end. Aside from making up my damn mind, working with the sheet stock I bought is killing me. I got the thinnest stuff that didn't curve under it's own weight. It's still too thick to cleanly cut with my tiny snips, and my aviation snips are very large and difficult to be accurate and precise with. Scoring with the sheet clamped down with a metal ruler to guide seems to be the best, but it takes too damn long. Gonna try my mini hacksaw and my vice.
Comments and advice are always welcome.