To be honest, most of this build is pretty common stuff and not very interesting. However, some of the drive line details might be of some interest to folks here so I’ll post a few photos.
I picked this up several years ago (around 2013 or ’14 I guess). It’s a Dingo kit that has undergone some modification to create this JK. I’ve been in the surface RC hobby since ’79 and this was my first RC that wasn’t a pan car, buggy or short course truck.
Initially, the kit was assembled completely stock (box art body, etc.). I wheeled it around in the back yard a couple times then pulled it apart for the conversion. I recall spending several weeks on the build, getting it to about 95% complete then parked it on the shelf to start another build. It’s sat on the shelf collecting dust until just recently. I’ve started to gather parts for a new Jeep Cherokee XJ build and was curious what the wheels and tires I’d bought for XJ might look like on the JK so I got it down, dusted it off and took these photos.
Many of you will recognize the hard body from ebay. I believe they are still available, albeit in slightly different Jeep models and color options. I think this one was from one of the early lots. To my eyes, this is the quintessential Jeep. When I think about it or when someone says “Jeep”, this vehicle immediately comes to mind.
That spare tire looks a bit comical; I need to fix that.
Tires, wheels and metal axles are also from ebay. If you’ve not seen this body before, it includes opening doors and a very detailed, full depth interior. The interior necessitates the relocation of the Dingo’s center mounted motor/transmission.
After some careful planning, I found just enough space for receiver box, ESC and motor under the hood which I was able to separate from the body and make functional. Fender wells and firewall are styrene. Firewall is carefully notched to fit around ESC and motor.
The hood is held closed using the rubber faux latches supplied with the body. While separating the hood from the body, I was careful to retain the molded hinges so they could be made functional.
Underneath, the chassis rails slot into a recess in the front of the body and the chassis is retained with a single post and R clip in the back. Simple and very secure. Rock sliders are standard Dingo parts. The links have been modified to suit the JKs shorter wheelbase.
Up front, the servo still rides on the axle but I’ve moved the steering tie bar to behind the axle to regain correct Ackermann steering geometry. I think it steers a little better this way. All shock hoops are scratch made.
The rear shocks are from the kit but they’re lengths have been shortened to allow them to fit under the body. The shock hoops fit in the cavity that is the rear seat.
I’m running the truck on 6 cell Nimh that has been reconfigured into saddle packs. These fit nicely in the cavities that are the driver and passenger seats and rest on cups that are made from styrene. The cups and body capture the batteries so retaining straps are not needed.
I picked this up several years ago (around 2013 or ’14 I guess). It’s a Dingo kit that has undergone some modification to create this JK. I’ve been in the surface RC hobby since ’79 and this was my first RC that wasn’t a pan car, buggy or short course truck.
Initially, the kit was assembled completely stock (box art body, etc.). I wheeled it around in the back yard a couple times then pulled it apart for the conversion. I recall spending several weeks on the build, getting it to about 95% complete then parked it on the shelf to start another build. It’s sat on the shelf collecting dust until just recently. I’ve started to gather parts for a new Jeep Cherokee XJ build and was curious what the wheels and tires I’d bought for XJ might look like on the JK so I got it down, dusted it off and took these photos.
Many of you will recognize the hard body from ebay. I believe they are still available, albeit in slightly different Jeep models and color options. I think this one was from one of the early lots. To my eyes, this is the quintessential Jeep. When I think about it or when someone says “Jeep”, this vehicle immediately comes to mind.
That spare tire looks a bit comical; I need to fix that.
Tires, wheels and metal axles are also from ebay. If you’ve not seen this body before, it includes opening doors and a very detailed, full depth interior. The interior necessitates the relocation of the Dingo’s center mounted motor/transmission.
After some careful planning, I found just enough space for receiver box, ESC and motor under the hood which I was able to separate from the body and make functional. Fender wells and firewall are styrene. Firewall is carefully notched to fit around ESC and motor.
The hood is held closed using the rubber faux latches supplied with the body. While separating the hood from the body, I was careful to retain the molded hinges so they could be made functional.
Underneath, the chassis rails slot into a recess in the front of the body and the chassis is retained with a single post and R clip in the back. Simple and very secure. Rock sliders are standard Dingo parts. The links have been modified to suit the JKs shorter wheelbase.
Up front, the servo still rides on the axle but I’ve moved the steering tie bar to behind the axle to regain correct Ackermann steering geometry. I think it steers a little better this way. All shock hoops are scratch made.
The rear shocks are from the kit but they’re lengths have been shortened to allow them to fit under the body. The shock hoops fit in the cavity that is the rear seat.
I’m running the truck on 6 cell Nimh that has been reconfigured into saddle packs. These fit nicely in the cavities that are the driver and passenger seats and rest on cups that are made from styrene. The cups and body capture the batteries so retaining straps are not needed.
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