Enduro EXP - Experiences, Refresh, and Rebuild

[Phyro]

Well got to the shocks today. I had replaced the standard silver body shocks with some FT bronze body shocks at the beginning of the season. They still had the majority of the oil left in them!

I decided to remove the Blue aluminum from the silver body ones. I then added the blue aluminum to the bronze shocks:

I used some green slime on the o-rings while rebuilding them. The rears got grey springs and 35wt oil. The fronts got grey springs and 30wt oil. Honestly, I couldn’t remember what I was running before. The idea is to slow the rear end down a bit more than the front.

Next up is the axels. Ended up finding these at one the local hobby shops:

A little bit of thread lock and some time:

The rear end is assembled now. Here is the EXP rear link riser and some stainless matching the stock mounting hardware:

It bolts onto the axle using the existing link mounts and the two holes on the housing behind the link mounts.

Here is the rear suspension. I used the FT high clearance links on this build. I also bolted the shocks to lower holes link the “Runner” series, prefer the ride height with setup.

Next is the front axle. This is where things get a bit interesting for the build. The SSD c-hubs that I used, have the retaining screw on the backside. Normally this isn’t a problem… except that the SOR EXP kit has some 3mm spacer that bump the shocks out. I have to install the shock on the mount before installing the mount to clear.

And the front axle is ready for the truck again.

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[Phyro]

Man today was a busy day… I also got the electronics installed. Really like how clean the Fusion is.

I am going to clean up the wiring a bit more. I like the routings, though the receiver will be moved to where the power button is. Just want to test it a bit before shorting wires.

Here is my winch setup. Its a Micro99, honestly this little guy works well for me. This is where things got interesting though. I was attempting to set my BK1 up as a BK2. Lets call it a BK1.5.

It turns out the servo is mounted to the bottom on a BK1 and to the top on a BK2. The custom winch mount is interfering with steering by 2mm!! Well back to the drawing board…


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[ScaleLifeNewbie]

Man today was a busy day… I also got the electronics installed. Really like how clean the Fusion is...


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Yes, for sure. That was my main reason for getting it for my TRX4. I haven't had any brushless motors before the Fusion, but i can confidently say i will buy more for future/current builds. Looking foward to see what you think of it. [emoji1688]

______________________________________
AR60 VS410
TRX4 Sport
coming soon..

Veterans deserve a whole month too...

 

[Phyro]

Yes, for sure. That was my main reason for getting it for my TRX4. I haven't had any brushless motors before the Fusion, but i can confidently say i will buy more for future/current builds. Looking foward to see what you think of it. [emoji1688]

______________________________________
AR60 VS410
TRX4 Sport
coming soon..

Veterans deserve a whole month too...

I am liking it so far, but don’t have a ton of miles on it. I also swapped out the radio system over the weekend. I went with a Flysky Noble NB4.


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[Phyro]

Well a minor update this time. With it getting darker sooner now, I haven’t had a really good chance to the Enduro a ton yet.

Otherwise the darker evenings have lead to some design work. I have a bit a preview for what I have been doing:

This is a front clip for a Cliffhanger body. The bumper is made out of 6mm diameter tubing. It is only slightly bigger than the bumper mount.

The pictured winch will be fake, and will be attached to body. This is being done as part of a clip-less body mounting system.


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[Maxxamillion]

Coming along nicely Phyro. Mine will be similar but I am light years behind you. Less power too.I have the FT hi clearance links, but the FT shocks have been back ordered for a while.
I really like the Enduro chassis (or GK) for building up a good crawler.

 

[MOguy]

Yes, for sure. That was my main reason for getting it for my TRX4. I haven't had any brushless motors before the Fusion, but i can confidently say i will buy more for future/current builds. Looking foward to see what you think of it. [emoji1688]

______________________________________
AR60 VS410
TRX4 Sport
coming soon..

Veterans deserve a whole month too...

I am running a Fusion on one of my TRXs and nothing wrong with it but there are things out there you might like better.

Depending on what you like there are brushless motors you can pair with other ESCs and will change your mind.

 

[Phyro]

Well I had the truck out on the rocks for a bit. Really liking the Fusion in this truck. Probably won’t be changing it any time soon.

Well I have choices between two different bodies for the build. I was looking at some reference Ultra4 builds, and the Race Tractor showed up. This was right before the LHS letting me know my 1.0” Hyrax were in. Well those tires and a Power Wagon body came home…

Well here is where the Cliffhanger parts are at now:

So, this version contains 4 parts. The winch in these pictures is faux, but the line comes out a believable location. The winch then is used to clamp the light support/body mount.

Currently, I am torn between doing a Retro Mod build using the Power Wagon or continuing with Cliffhanger.


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[mr lee]

Enjoying where you are going with this ;-)

You may need to go back to the shop and get the new smaller cliffhanger body for the SCX24 :ror:

 

[King Dork]

Phyro, digging the use of the wire management clips! I used to do that until I ran out and never got around to picking more up, so guess I’ll have to do so. They also work great Shoe Gooed to the inside of bodies to control lighting wires. Big fan of the Fusion too. Have one in one of my Gmade rigs and love it. Getting the Spektrum version 2300kv for my Gatekeeper/Ecto when they get back in stock. Awesome project you have going!

 

[Phyro]

Enjoying where you are going with this ;-)



You may need to go back to the shop and get the new smaller cliffhanger body for the SCX24 :ror:

Thanks!

That body is news to me [emoji23]… Looking at the differences in the bed area was interesting. I kinda like the position of the fuel cell. Thanks for letting me know about that body!

Phyro, digging the use of the wire management clips! I used to do that until I ran out and never got around to picking more up, so guess I’ll have to do so. They also work great Shoe Gooed to the inside of bodies to control lighting wires. Big fan of the Fusion too. Have one in one of my Gmade rigs and love it. Getting the Spektrum version 2300kv for my Gatekeeper/Ecto when they get back in stock. Awesome project you have going!

They work awesome and no more zip ties either. I used some on the body with just 3m tape they came with on the pervious body for LED mounting.

I love how much simpler the truck is with the Fusion versus the AXE v1. Kinda miss the bluetooth tuning though.


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[Phyro]

Well I decided to go a bit of a different direction. One of the LHSs had an Ecto body in stock. What followed was some furious CAD design. Started with the stock Gatekeeper chassis. Verified the frame rails and holes a few times, and ended up with this:

After that I stared designing parts for the truck, currently it sets like this:

The white colored parts are the new components. This includes some none trailling arm rocker panels for the Ecto body. The battery tray is for a 1300mah 3s. Not shown is a micro winch mount under the electronics tray.

The mentioned parts are on the truck now. They were printed in HP MJF Nylon 12. These were printed at Shapeways (don’t have a 3D printer just yet). Here are the parts on the truck now:

Also in the picture are some Dlux Fab Dravtech shocks. Fronts are shorts (96mm) and the rears are mediums (106mm). The springs are the equivalent to Losi Mini-Ts, and I am starting with mediums and 30wt oil.

Some other changes are the Gatekeeper towers. The fronts worked out really well. The rears required spacing to clear the towers correctly. I used a 7mm spacer at the bottom and a 5mm spacer at the top.

Still kept the EXP rear brackets and diff risers. Best parts of the EXP kit by far, and available separately.

Other suspension changes was a change to 12.0” wheelbase. Actually looks decent on the Ecto body with the way the bed is done.

Got some more newly designed parts on the way this upcoming week. A bit of a hint: no magnet/body clip quick release mounts.


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[Phyro]

Well today was the day for new parts. The prototype clip mounts have arrived. Both of the mounts consist of three parts, a detail part for the outside of the body, the clip section on the inside, and the mount itself.

Here is the parts that make up the front of the mount. From left to right, Ecto Grill, Radiator (Clip), and Electronics tray.

And then trying out the clipping mechanism:

The clip works well, but is a bit stiff though. Going to rework it a bit. Also the radiator’s tolerances are a bit to tight.

And here is the components of the rear mount. From left to right, Ecto Bed Cover, Clip Mount, and the Rear Chassis Brace.

And the testing the clipping mechanism:

The clip works well here, but is a bit stiff again. Nylon 12 starts to get a bit more ridged around 2mm thick. I’ll be sending some revisions off soon.

Let me know what you think.


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[Phyro]

I couldn’t resist trying these parts out on the truck… So off with the old electronics tray and rear brace and on with the body mounts.

The front clip is reachable from the front, and can be pulled. The stiff part makes it a bit hard to pull though. The V2 should be a lot better.

And here is the rear mount. Clears the diff with no problems. Again kinda hard to pull due to it being stiff. I’ll be doing a rear bumper as well (need those scale points lol).

And here is the body on for a test fit…

I think I got the height correct.

Let me know what you all think.


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[Phyro]

I got the body mounted last night. The new mounting system worked! For the front, I did a Grill and Radiator for the mount. For the rear, a lower bed detail part.

I also mounted the interior. Started with a bomber one at first, hit the spur sadly. Next tried a Gatekeeper one, lot better fit. Attached it using the roll bar and some Axial 5mm pod lights.

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[B-MOW71]

I'm not sure how I missed this build thread! Excellent work Phyro!"thumbsup"

Great job on all of the CAD and 3D print work. That body mounting system looks awesome! Love how it all ties in with the body!

Subscribed so I don't miss anymore!

 

[durok]

Agreed, the engineering on the body mounts is first-rate!

Major props, my man..."thumbsup"

 

[Lashlee]

Excellent job on the body mounts!! I might be interested in that for a few rigs of mine!

 

[Phyro]

I'm not sure how I missed this build thread! Excellent work Phyro!"thumbsup"

Great job on all of the CAD and 3D print work. That body mounting system looks awesome! Love how it all ties in with the body!

Subscribed so I don't miss anymore!

Thanks B-MOW71! I wanted to hide the mounting as best as I could. There’s some features that are bit dark right now, but some Tamiya Aluminum paint should brighten it up.

I didn’t intend for this thread to become a build thread, it just kinda happens [emoji3].


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[Phyro]

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Excellent job on the body mounts!! I might be interested in that for a few rigs of mine!

Right now it is for a 12.0/12.3 wheelbase, but should be able make an adjustment for a 12.8 wheelbase as well. Got the links for Runner, so I should be able to test clearances.

Agreed, the engineering on the body mounts is first-rate!



Major props, my man..."thumbsup"

It took a bit of trial and error, and I learned something about Nylon 12. I did the clips bend at 2mm thick at first, and it was way too stiff. Then did this version at 1.5mm thick and it became springy enough to work.


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