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Fallen's SCX10 iii Bronco
- Thread starter Fallen
- Start date
Thanks man! Who knows how long she'll stay that way...
I took it for a drive with my 3 year old twins, who were driving my Yeti Jr and my old Twin Hammers. They both crashed into the Bronco several times... but that's being a dad.
I also have started to drive this thing mostly in 2nd gear, and mostly like a baja Bronco. Jumping it off of and over things it really shouldn't be. Small stuff, but still, a rig with this much painted detail probably shouldnt end up on its roof. But it's just so fun!
Well, damage only gives me more projects, and she still looks great for now. Those crashes from my sons didn't affect anything other than my feelings.
I took it for a drive with my 3 year old twins, who were driving my Yeti Jr and my old Twin Hammers. They both crashed into the Bronco several times... but that's being a dad.
I also have started to drive this thing mostly in 2nd gear, and mostly like a baja Bronco. Jumping it off of and over things it really shouldn't be. Small stuff, but still, a rig with this much painted detail probably shouldnt end up on its roof. But it's just so fun!
Well, damage only gives me more projects, and she still looks great for now. Those crashes from my sons didn't affect anything other than my feelings.
I surprised myself and ended up enjoying something that I always thought was lame.
About 3 months ago my wife's friend gave my sons an 8 or 9 inch Master Chief action figure. My sons never really played with it so its just been hanging out on a bookshelf.
I stuffed it in my Bronco after two tries. Its a bit big for the Bronco. But it's feet touch the pedals, hands reach the wheel, back hits the backrest and head just clears the cage.
And it's actually more fun driving the Bronco with it in there. I don't know why. I find myself being more realistic with line choices. Since its stuffed in there kind of tight, it doesn't move around, even during 2nd gear, Baja Bronco driving.
I don't know exactly how tall it is, but if someone wants to know then I'll measure it. I don't know much about it since it was given to us.
I lowered the upper light bar by flipping the mount upside down. I just think it looks a bit better lower down.
I also moved the ESC and all of the wiring back to the passenger side slider. The driver's side slider is where I mount the battery now. And I removed the two faux engine pieces. My hope was to get any weight as low as possible.
I bought and used this programming box to adjust some of the ESC settings. It's very easy to use. I was able to get the low speed control even smoother, and adjust my drag brake settings the way I want them. There's other settings you can fiddle with, but they don't matter to me currently.
After making those changes, I took the Bronco out to Catfish Cove at Dixon Lake for some creative battery draining. We have a lot of decomposed granite (DG) here in San Diego County. Its a very sticky rock, which might explain my love of the stock tires.
Maybe someday I can get some video for you, so you can hear the sounds of these tires on the DG. Its a pretty satisfying sound. I hope you enjoy the photos.
About 3 months ago my wife's friend gave my sons an 8 or 9 inch Master Chief action figure. My sons never really played with it so its just been hanging out on a bookshelf.
I stuffed it in my Bronco after two tries. Its a bit big for the Bronco. But it's feet touch the pedals, hands reach the wheel, back hits the backrest and head just clears the cage.
And it's actually more fun driving the Bronco with it in there. I don't know why. I find myself being more realistic with line choices. Since its stuffed in there kind of tight, it doesn't move around, even during 2nd gear, Baja Bronco driving.
I don't know exactly how tall it is, but if someone wants to know then I'll measure it. I don't know much about it since it was given to us.
I lowered the upper light bar by flipping the mount upside down. I just think it looks a bit better lower down.
I also moved the ESC and all of the wiring back to the passenger side slider. The driver's side slider is where I mount the battery now. And I removed the two faux engine pieces. My hope was to get any weight as low as possible.
I bought and used this programming box to adjust some of the ESC settings. It's very easy to use. I was able to get the low speed control even smoother, and adjust my drag brake settings the way I want them. There's other settings you can fiddle with, but they don't matter to me currently.
After making those changes, I took the Bronco out to Catfish Cove at Dixon Lake for some creative battery draining. We have a lot of decomposed granite (DG) here in San Diego County. Its a very sticky rock, which might explain my love of the stock tires.
Maybe someday I can get some video for you, so you can hear the sounds of these tires on the DG. Its a pretty satisfying sound. I hope you enjoy the photos.
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DirtMerchant
Pebble Pounder
I’ve seen these in my local hobby shop nearly every time I’ve been there, but they’ve never caught my attention much. Now, I see this beautiful example, and I’m thinking about how soon I can get one, haha. This is a great looking Bronco, and looks like a lot of fun.
Thanks!
I've put several hours into it, more time than money. Pretty much any car you put several hours into is going to end up looking pretty good.
The Early Bronco starts you out a few steps ahead of the game though. The full depth interior along with the interior details make customization really easy.
I'm not advanced enough to build an interior as detailed as this one is. But I can paint...
I've put several hours into it, more time than money. Pretty much any car you put several hours into is going to end up looking pretty good.
The Early Bronco starts you out a few steps ahead of the game though. The full depth interior along with the interior details make customization really easy.
I'm not advanced enough to build an interior as detailed as this one is. But I can paint...
I finally abandoned the Falken Wildpeaks for some different tires; Pro-Line's Toyo Open Countrys in G8 compound.
Being a 4.45 tire instead of 4.75 means these scale out to a 33" full size tire on this truck. I like the look of the shorter tire. It goes with the lowering I did. My wheels are spaced outboard 3mm from stock also, increasing the track width. I stuffed the Pro-Line 4.75 dual stage foams in there.
The sidewalls on these tires are much more detailed than the Falkens. The scale detail goes nicely with the scale detail in these SSD wheels. I used a white, Sharpie paint pen for the sidewall lettering.
How will they do offroad? Who knows? If you know, post up and tell me. The Falkens did great in sand and deep loose dirt. They were also decent on rocks. Hopefully these Toyos perform as well or better, because I certainly like the look of them.
Being a 4.45 tire instead of 4.75 means these scale out to a 33" full size tire on this truck. I like the look of the shorter tire. It goes with the lowering I did. My wheels are spaced outboard 3mm from stock also, increasing the track width. I stuffed the Pro-Line 4.75 dual stage foams in there.
The sidewalls on these tires are much more detailed than the Falkens. The scale detail goes nicely with the scale detail in these SSD wheels. I used a white, Sharpie paint pen for the sidewall lettering.
How will they do offroad? Who knows? If you know, post up and tell me. The Falkens did great in sand and deep loose dirt. They were also decent on rocks. Hopefully these Toyos perform as well or better, because I certainly like the look of them.
Thanks guys! I'm going to gear up 2 teeth, and see how it does. This has definitely become more of an all around off-roader than a dedicated crawler. And it looks the part, which I'm stoked on.
I'm coming up on another 4 months of night shift. I either need to get really involved with this truck again, or pick up another model to keep me busy all night.
I'm coming up on another 4 months of night shift. I either need to get really involved with this truck again, or pick up another model to keep me busy all night.
What an enjoyable thread, thanks for keeping it up to date. Don't see a lot of pimped-out Early Broncos, but you built a memorable one here Fallen. Love the Old School style.
Thanks for reading the thread, and the encouragement. I wish I had more ideas for this truck, but hopefully in time.
The Toyos got an initial test today, in which they performed as expected. Better on the rocks than the Falkens, but worse in the sand. They weren't horrible, but comparing anything to the Falkens in sand is begging for a let down. The Toyos work, but they aren't impressive in sand.
They did great on dusty hardpack dirt, and dusty slick rocks. Definitely a more rock oriented tire than the Falkens. Compacted, low traction surfaces are where the Toyo seems to shine, at a sacrifice of deep, loose terrain performance.
They're good enough all around that I'll keep them on my Bronco. But I'm not selling the Falkens.
The Toyos got an initial test today, in which they performed as expected. Better on the rocks than the Falkens, but worse in the sand. They weren't horrible, but comparing anything to the Falkens in sand is begging for a let down. The Toyos work, but they aren't impressive in sand.
They did great on dusty hardpack dirt, and dusty slick rocks. Definitely a more rock oriented tire than the Falkens. Compacted, low traction surfaces are where the Toyo seems to shine, at a sacrifice of deep, loose terrain performance.
They're good enough all around that I'll keep them on my Bronco. But I'm not selling the Falkens.
Thanks! I'm really happy with this model.
I drove it again today with one of my sons, on a very easy dirt road. It was nice to be able to put it in 2WD for a long, flat dirt road.
I'm surprised with how good these tires turned out on the truck. As most new parts do, they've drawn my interest back to the ol' Bronco.
RC4WD's selection of parts for this truck will probably have me buying some more stuff for it soon.
I drove it again today with one of my sons, on a very easy dirt road. It was nice to be able to put it in 2WD for a long, flat dirt road.
I'm surprised with how good these tires turned out on the truck. As most new parts do, they've drawn my interest back to the ol' Bronco.
RC4WD's selection of parts for this truck will probably have me buying some more stuff for it soon.
I just ordered this for my Bronco:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1367578627/axial-scx103-early-bronco-clipless-body
Should make the ol' Bronco into a competitive crawler now. Ok, not really. In fact, it'll probably just be heavier now.
But installing and removing my body should be way faster and easier now. Because efficiency really matters to me (says the guy who wastes $1,000s on toy cars).
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1367578627/axial-scx103-early-bronco-clipless-body
Should make the ol' Bronco into a competitive crawler now. Ok, not really. In fact, it'll probably just be heavier now.
But installing and removing my body should be way faster and easier now. Because efficiency really matters to me (says the guy who wastes $1,000s on toy cars).
Time for some more Brono tinkering. I've been having a lot of fun driving this thing in 2WD in 2nd gear. I upped the gearing from a 14t to a 17t, and should probably go a few teeth more.
That being said, the poor Master Chief was getting thrown around too much, so I made him a zip-tie seatbelt:
I drilled not only through the seat base, but also through the structural webbing. This was to allow the zip tie to not interfere with the seat installation.
I also gave the Chief some side view mirrors from RC4WD. I painted them to look like brushed aluminum, and on they went.
Speaking of RC4WD, I also ordered the side marker lights for the ol' Bronco, and set about installing them. The existing marker light stickers provide the template for the holes you need to drill in the body:
After all of the holes were drilled and the lights test fitted, I painted the backing plates with the same aluminum paint to make them look metal:
I completely disassembled the body to install these so that I'd have room to work. While the body was apart, I also painted the headlight bezels on the grill to look chrome:
I also painted the exterior of the body with flat clear, but it almost makes no difference other than I won't have to touch up my paint so much. I also painted the interior with three coats; white, gray and black. The stock paint job is VERY see-through.
On to the wiring of my new lights. I used this old RC-Lights controller, which works great.
It's only supposed to power 10 LEDs, but I've got it doing 16. The benefit is that now only 1 wire needs to be dealt with when removing / installing the body. That also makes the lights a bit more dim, which is really good for the marker lights.
Now the underside of mtly interior has wires all over:
And the end result of this weekend's tinkering:
Lights off:
Lights on:
Those white LEDs in the marker lights are a bit too bright, even slightly dimmed. Some orange and red 3MM LEDs would probably look better. For now, I think the marker lights look better turned off.
Enjoy playing with your toy trucks! I keep hoping my 2nd gear bashing of this truck will break something, because then I'll need to fix / upgrade it. But no such luck yet. Just lots of drifty, bumpy fun with some occasional crawling. The red light in the background of these photos is the heat lamp for my daughter's chickens.
That being said, the poor Master Chief was getting thrown around too much, so I made him a zip-tie seatbelt:
I drilled not only through the seat base, but also through the structural webbing. This was to allow the zip tie to not interfere with the seat installation.
I also gave the Chief some side view mirrors from RC4WD. I painted them to look like brushed aluminum, and on they went.
Speaking of RC4WD, I also ordered the side marker lights for the ol' Bronco, and set about installing them. The existing marker light stickers provide the template for the holes you need to drill in the body:
After all of the holes were drilled and the lights test fitted, I painted the backing plates with the same aluminum paint to make them look metal:
I completely disassembled the body to install these so that I'd have room to work. While the body was apart, I also painted the headlight bezels on the grill to look chrome:
I also painted the exterior of the body with flat clear, but it almost makes no difference other than I won't have to touch up my paint so much. I also painted the interior with three coats; white, gray and black. The stock paint job is VERY see-through.
On to the wiring of my new lights. I used this old RC-Lights controller, which works great.
It's only supposed to power 10 LEDs, but I've got it doing 16. The benefit is that now only 1 wire needs to be dealt with when removing / installing the body. That also makes the lights a bit more dim, which is really good for the marker lights.
Now the underside of mtly interior has wires all over:
And the end result of this weekend's tinkering:
Lights off:
Lights on:
Those white LEDs in the marker lights are a bit too bright, even slightly dimmed. Some orange and red 3MM LEDs would probably look better. For now, I think the marker lights look better turned off.
Enjoy playing with your toy trucks! I keep hoping my 2nd gear bashing of this truck will break something, because then I'll need to fix / upgrade it. But no such luck yet. Just lots of drifty, bumpy fun with some occasional crawling. The red light in the background of these photos is the heat lamp for my daughter's chickens.
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The bronco is looking good!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
great looking build ... Love the look of the ssd wheels on it ... such a clean and classic look.
Thanks! There have been a few times I've been tempted to buy other wheels, but these ones fit the build so nicely that I've never pulled the trigger on other wheels.
SSD makes nice stuff at good prices.
SSD makes nice stuff at good prices.
Thanks Steve, it's slowly come a long way from stock.
I decided to add a rear sway bar, and suspected I had a good donor: my Losi LMT. I don't like the front sway bar on that truck, so I hoped it would fit between the chassis rails on the 10.3, and it does!
Since I had mounted the lower eye on my shocks to the lower link mount, the original shock mount was now empty and gave me a possible sway bar mount.
I first placed the sway bar between the front and rear shock tower mounting holes. I drilled a 5/16" hole in the rails, and in it went.
But then I spent two days trying to figure out the linkage to make it work, and couldn't figure it out. That's because I had mounted the sway bar almost right over the axle. I'm not sure why I did that, but I eventually realized that wouldn't work.
I moved the sway bar aft as far as I could without having to modify the bumper mount. Once there, figuring out the linkage was much easier.
I used some 2mm Allen wrenches cut down to make the arms. In the original shock mount location, I screwed a ball stud, and used another ball stud on the arm to connect the arms to the axle.
Unfortunately now I have a big useless hole in my chassis rails, but the sway bar actually works.
I had to space my shocks outboard to make room for the sway bar arms. I cut one of the mounting tabs off of each arm, but they're still pretty wide.
With the inner fenders back on, you can barely see the sway bar. And with the wheels and body on it completely disappears. I had hoped to see it more, but oh well. As long as it works...
I still get full suspension travel, but less articulation from the rear. Initial testing done indoors at low speed is positive. I have an obstacle that used to roll the truck 2/3 of the time I'd crawl it. And the roll overs were always due to the torque twist lifting my front, driver's side tire too high.
Now, there's no hint of that happening. The sway bar drives that front, driver's side wheel back down and holds it there.
Time for a brushless motor in this thing? Maybe for Christmas or something. If I change the ESC I also need a new radio, so until I'm ready to buy a new 4 channel radio, I won't be upgrading the electronics.
I decided to add a rear sway bar, and suspected I had a good donor: my Losi LMT. I don't like the front sway bar on that truck, so I hoped it would fit between the chassis rails on the 10.3, and it does!
Since I had mounted the lower eye on my shocks to the lower link mount, the original shock mount was now empty and gave me a possible sway bar mount.
I first placed the sway bar between the front and rear shock tower mounting holes. I drilled a 5/16" hole in the rails, and in it went.
But then I spent two days trying to figure out the linkage to make it work, and couldn't figure it out. That's because I had mounted the sway bar almost right over the axle. I'm not sure why I did that, but I eventually realized that wouldn't work.
I moved the sway bar aft as far as I could without having to modify the bumper mount. Once there, figuring out the linkage was much easier.
I used some 2mm Allen wrenches cut down to make the arms. In the original shock mount location, I screwed a ball stud, and used another ball stud on the arm to connect the arms to the axle.
Unfortunately now I have a big useless hole in my chassis rails, but the sway bar actually works.
I had to space my shocks outboard to make room for the sway bar arms. I cut one of the mounting tabs off of each arm, but they're still pretty wide.
With the inner fenders back on, you can barely see the sway bar. And with the wheels and body on it completely disappears. I had hoped to see it more, but oh well. As long as it works...
I still get full suspension travel, but less articulation from the rear. Initial testing done indoors at low speed is positive. I have an obstacle that used to roll the truck 2/3 of the time I'd crawl it. And the roll overs were always due to the torque twist lifting my front, driver's side tire too high.
Now, there's no hint of that happening. The sway bar drives that front, driver's side wheel back down and holds it there.
Time for a brushless motor in this thing? Maybe for Christmas or something. If I change the ESC I also need a new radio, so until I'm ready to buy a new 4 channel radio, I won't be upgrading the electronics.
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