I’ve kinda been “gone” the past few days…partly due to having fun with my new BR Mint 400, and partly due to what this post is ab out…but, now I’m back. I’ve read through all 2,000+ posts, and I’ve learned quite a bit about the Baja Rey…its advantages & disadvantages, what it’s capable of, what it’s not capable of, what to do, what not to do, and so forth. To everyone…and, I DO mean EVERYONE…who has posted info, I thank you. The RC community is a great bunch of people, and all posts have been appreciated. And, yes, that includes the posts from a few certain very arrogant people (you know who you are), as I even learned some things from your posts. Before I continue, I feel the need to “warn” those reading this that this will be a long post…VERY long…but, once you read it, you’ll understand why it’s the length it is. Let the rollercoaster ride begin……….
PART 1 of 2
Over the past few days, while reading everything others have posted, I’ve been able to put together a relatively comprehensive list of hop-ups. Due to current financial constraints (primarily due this coronavirus garbage, and being temporarily out of work because of it), it will probably take me a few months to afford everything on the list…but, here’s what I’ve put together so far. For each part, if multiples are available, I’ve listed them in order of preference…plus, I’ll break them into groupings based (mostly) on vehicle section.
Tires – Pro-Line BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2, Pro-Line BFG Baja T/A KR2, Pit Bull Rock Beast KOR
Wheels – Axial Yeti SCORE TT Method 105 w’ Vanquish 225 hubs
Tire foams – CI "Deuce's Wild" SCT Closed Cell Foam (CWR-3010) or DE Racing SCT Closed Cell Inserts (DER-ISC-CCR)
Front bumper – RPM Baja Rey Front Bumper & Skid Plate (RPM73742)
Skid plate – Exotek Rock/Baja Rey Stainless Steel Front Skid Plate (EXO1842)
Front shocks – Pro-Line PowerStroke Rear Shocks for Slash (PRO6063-01) rebuilt w/ Traxxas Shock Rebuild Kit (TRA2362)
Rear shocks – Pro-Line 5” PowerStroke XT Shocks (PRO6275-00) rebuilt w/ Traxxas Shock Rebuild Kit (TRA2362)
Rear “Bypass” Shocks – Traxxas 134mm UDR front aluminum GTR shocks (TRA8451)
Diff cup – Exotek Alloy Differential Gear Case (EXO1843) x3 for front/center/rear
Those reading this probably noticed that there’s two skid plates listed. First, as I haven’t decided what body I’ll be running (more on this in a bit), I don’t know if I’ll be able to use the RPM bumper. It works with the ‘standard’ Baja Rey bodies, but I’ don’t know if it works with the Ford Raptor bodies. As such, if I decide to stick with a Raptor body, and the RPM bumper won’t work, I’ve got the Exotek skid plate listed. T-Bone Racing also makes front bumpers for the Baja Rey (I’ve got a VX4 installed on one of my Rustler 4x4s, and it’s fantastic), so that’s another option. Moving to the shocks, I plan on replacing the O-rings inside the PowerStroke shocks with the X-rings from the Traxxas rebuild kit, improving performance, and (hopefully) making them leak-proof. Right now, I’m undecided on oil weights, plus it hasn’t been determined whether the rear shocks should have higher, or lower, weight oil than the front. As for the “bypass” shocks, they will be without springs, and filled with a very minimal amount (purely for lubrication) of the lightest-weight oil I can use, keeping resistance to an absolute minimum. An alternate idea would be to completely fill the “bypass” shocks, and fill the rear shocks with a weight that’s 2.5-5wt lower than what I would have filled them with without the “bypass” shocks (I hope my wording is making sense to those reading it, as I got confused just typing it). Lastly, quickly bringing up the diff cups, I was thinking either Maxima High-Temp Waterproof Grease or 5K-7.5K diff fluid in the front, and 20-30K diff fluid in the center…but, as for the rear, I could really use some recommendations.
Front bulkhead – SSD RC Losi Baja Rey/Rock Rey HD Front Bulkhead (SSD00204 or SSD00232)
Bulkhead track rod mount – Losi Baja Rey Aluminum Upper/Lower Bulkhead Track Rod Mount (LOS334003)
Steering spindles – Losi Baja Rey Aluminum Front Spindle Set (LOS334001)
Servo saver/Bellcrank - Exotek HD Aluminum Steering Set w/Bearings (EXO1892) or Losi Baja Rey Aluminum Bellcrank Servo Saver Set (LOS331002)
Front shock tower – Losi Aluminum Front Shock Tower (LOS334005)
Servo mount – Losi Baja Rey Aluminum Steering Servo Mount (LOS331001)
I’ll start by bringing up the front sway bar (since it’s not listed in the parts list, above). An idea I’m toying with is replacing the stock bar with the Hot Racing Losi Rock Rey Aluminum Front Sway Bar Set (HRALRR311F). More than a few people have reported that the stock front sway bar is too stiff…so, I’m thinking, if I were to swap it with the HR’s soft (black) sway bar, that should ‘fix’ the stiffness problem. Unfortunately, I don’t know it it’s compatible with the standard front lower A-arms (or the MC machined aluminum A-arms), or whether it can only be used with the HR front lower A-arms. Speaking of the A-arms…I’m sure those reading this noticed I didn’t list those. I’d like to replace those, with the machined A-arms from MC. Unfortunately, they’re currently listed as ‘sold out’, and I don’t know if that means “sold out”, or “discontinued”. At the same time, the 949Designs site also indicates ‘sold out’, but they also state ‘available on backorder’…so, this leads me to believe that they will be back in-stock soon. As a ‘backup’, I know that Vitavon Racing (formerly VS Racing) has machined aluminum A-arms, but they appear to have a bit of a stair-stepped design, due to the machining process they use. What are people’s thoughts on this?
I am familiar with Vitavon Racing’s products, as I have some installed on other vehicles. They tend to be of high to very-high quality, with very accurate specs. The machined transmission housing on my first Capra is a work of art, with all bearings perfectly fitting into their individual slots. I also have their machined brass portal covers, and, while the bearing slots were extremely close in tolerance, I still had almost no problems getting the bearings properly seated.
Rear driveshaft – SSD RC Rock/Baja Rey Scale Steel Rear Driveshaft (SSD00260)
Rear upper links – Incision Baja Rey/Rock Rey Rear Upper Link Kit (INCIRC00160)
Rear trailing arms – HR Aluminum/Carbon Fiber Rear Lower Links (HRALRR56L01) or Losi Baja Rey Aluminum Lower Rear Trailing Arms (LOS334006)
Rear shock tower – Losi Aluminum Rear Shock Tower Set (LOS334004) or HR Aluminum Rear Shock Tower Set (HRALRR30G06)
Starting with the rear axle, like most others, I’d REALLY like to get the Vanquish Currie F9 axles…but, Vanquish discontinued them approx a year (maybe longer) ago, and finding any shops having them has, so far, proven impossible. I’ve scoured the internet, including Amazon & eBay, and have (so far) come up empty-handed. So…knowing Vitavon Racing has a machined axle for the Baja/Rock Rey, I went ahead and ordered one. I’ve also ordered their machined transmission housing for the Baja Rey. However, if I’m able to find someone with the Vanquish axle before Vitavon ships me theirs (which won’t be until mid-April), then I’d cancel the Vitavon axle. If anyone can help me in finding a Vanquish axle (silver, or black) for the Baja Rey, I’d GREATLY appreciated it. Anyone???
~ More peace, love, laughter & kindness would make the world a MUCH better place [emoji1690]
Untitled by JASON MCKIMMEY, on Flickr
Untitled by JASON MCKIMMEY, on Flickr
Untitled by JASON MCKIMMEY, on Flickr
