My Everest 16 to Scaler Build

[MikeTheDiabetic]

So ive been wanting a scaler for a while now, every since i got into crawling, but i wasnt going to put out $350+ for another RC. So i decided to build my own as cheap as possible. So far its coming out pretty good and i will document the whole thing here. First i needed a donor car for most of the mechanical bits. Since i have an Everest 10 and love it, I figured i would stay in the redact family since i think you really cant beat the quality for the price. I quickly found that the Everest 10 axles were going to be way to wide for my application so i started looking at the Everest 16 and I found that i could make it work. So the hunt began, and i scooped up a "used" Everest 16 on Ebay for $65. I say "used" because its basically brand new. Not a scratch on it, came with remote and original box. Here is is below:

Then i started stripping down the Everest 16 to see how things were going to layout. I needed everything besides the body and chassis.

Next was starting to populate my new frame. This is the one i bought.
For 1:10 Axial SCX10 RC4WD D90 JK Model Metal Car Defender Frame Set Black New | eBay

For $31 i figured i couldnt go wrong. The quality is actually great and its very sturdy. I also picked up some wheel spacers to fit the width of the body better.
HD 17mm Aluminum Wheel Hub Spacer Fit RC4WD Kyosho Tamiya RC 1/10 12mm hex | eBay

Here they are before i started messing with them.

Finally i started populating the new chassis with the Everest 16 parts. To my surprise, it all pretty much bolted right up. I had to drill 2 holes in the chassis to mount the arms where i wanted them, but thats it. It articulates really well and the only rubbing is with the front wheels on the frame when its at full compression and fully steering lock. Its not even that bad tho.

That last image isn't even at full flex either, Seems to be shaping up the be decent scale crawler. Anyway, since that went together well, it was time to move onto the body. I landed on this body:
Topselling D90 Hard Plastic Car Shell Body DIY Kit for 1:10 D90 Rock Crawler LS | eBay
Again, for the money i couldnt resist. Its a hard body with full interior, widnows, bumpers, everything. It also had a shorter wheelbase than most 10th scale bodies which would help. Also without even really putting 2 and 2 together, turns out this body is basically made to work with this frame. Bonus! So i literally had to do ZERO modifications to make it fit. You can see it really coming together below.

Again, these pics arent even at full articulation. I just tested it and if i pick up the front wheel and flex it, it will raise 5.5" to the bottom of the tire before any of the other 3 wheels leave the ground. All of the wheels tuck really nicely in the fenders and dont rub anywhere. So thats where i am at so far. I am using un-modified, bone stock Everest 16 axles, wheels and tires, links, and shocks to get it into this roller thus far.

Total Cost So Far?
Body - $32.15
Chassis - $29.92
Everest16 - $64.99
Wheel Spacers - $25.00
Total = $152.06

Thats with a remote and everything, i am using my own battery, so im not going to factor that in there. Next will be getting the rest of the driveline mounted. The motor and trans, as well as the steering servo. Not sure which drive shafts im gonna use yet, but i will keep you updated. What do you guys think so far?

 

[nedmo]

Very nice. I have that chassis on my watch list but didn't pull the trigger for my Kulak (same as redcat) scaler build cause I didn't know the measurements for wheelbase.

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[Brake Weight]

What's the width of those axles without the extenders?

Looks good. How you plan on doing the tranny?

 

[nedmo]

also for drive shafts, the traxxas Villain u-joints fit on the trans and diff outputs Traxxas 1539R U-joints Villain Ex (2) and you will need two of this part number. Then use one of the Stampede/Rustler Long Half Shafts w/U-Joint.

 

[MikeTheDiabetic]

What's the width of those axles without the extenders?

Looks good. How you plan on doing the tranny?

the width of the axles are 4.8". and thats basically from bearing face to bearing face. The bearing face is where the hex for the wheel mounts on, if that makes any sense. As for the tranny, for right now i am going to mount it in the center like it is on the redcat so i can get crawling. I will change it up if for some reason it doesnt work.

 

[MikeTheDiabetic]

also for drive shafts, the traxxas Villain u-joints fit on the trans and diff outputs Traxxas 1539R U-joints Villain Ex (2) and you will need two of this part number. Then use one of the Stampede/Rustler Long Half Shafts w/U-Joint.

Thanks Nedmo! I have a bunch of drive shaft pieces from my slash that i am going to try and get to work. If they dont then i will definitely pick those up.

 

[Brake Weight]

the width of the axles are 4.8". and thats basically from bearing face to bearing face. The bearing face is where the hex for the wheel mounts on, if that makes any sense. As for the tranny, for right now i am going to mount it in the center like it is on the redcat so i can get crawling. I will change it up if for some reason it doesnt work.

Thanks. A regular 12mm hex would put it at about 5.25".

I ask about the tranny because the interior doesn't leave much, if any, for a traditional tranny. It'll likely need a transfer case. That uses a 380 motor?

 

[MikeTheDiabetic]

believe it or not there is about 1.8" from the underside of the interior floor to the bottom of the frame rails. Since i am using the stock Everest16 motor and trans, im pretty sure i have the room to make it fit. The motor says its a 260? is that the size? I dont know much about rc motors. I am going to use that to get it up and going. I have a spare traxxas titan motor and esc laying around so i might try and fit that in there somehow. First step is to get it up and crawling with all the Everest 16 bits.

 

[Brake Weight]

The Titan should be about 36mm across. A 380 should be about 28mm. I don't know about a 260 as I've never encountered one of those. If it's a 260 turn then it's ridiculously high turn count making a lot of torque and little speed.

Pic?

 

[aver3]

The stock Everest 16 motor is tiny, and VERY slow. I'm pretty sure my Sawback with 55T motor on 3s was faster, and it was easily the slowest of my 1/10 scale crawlers. Looks good so far, but you may want a bigger motor.

 

[MikeTheDiabetic]

I was able to get the motor and trans mounted. The center trans mount on the 16 was way too narrow for the new frame so i quickly fabbed something up from HVAC ducting i had laying around. I know i could have bought something but i am still going for a budget scaler here. It came out pretty decent and definitely gets the job done.

I also was able to get a set of frankensteined traxxas slash drive shafts to work. After temporarily mounting the electronics to it and testing, everything works great! The speed is on the slower end, i would say the same speed as an everest 10. I only mess around in my back yard and inside the house so i am ok with the speed for now. Up next is mounting the electronics and battery.

 

[Mike Flea]

Is the ductwork ridged enough not to twist in a bind? Might be better off using a piece of plastic cutting board as a skid, it'll at least be thick enough not to twist or flex under stress. Use self tapping screws through the frame into the side of the board/skid.

 

[Vagos2]

I also agree with Mike about using a cutting board as a skid. If you drill it with a 2.5mm drill, M3 screws will self-tap in quite easily. While you are you can also countersunk the holes for the gearbox so the screws sit flush!

 

[MikeTheDiabetic]

Thanks Mike and Vagos! Thats a great idea! The mount is working for now but i can definitely see the board being way better. I will go back and change it when i am doing my final touches. Everything it just getting mocked up at the moment.

 

[MikeTheDiabetic]

She finally crawls! Literally crawls, this thing is terribly slow, but speed is what i have my brushless slash for. Anyway, everything is in and its fully operational. Here are a few things i have learned along the way. First, it is possible to do this with minimal money, everything does just line up. Second, the stock everest16 steering servo is very weak. It does turn the wheels but stationary in the rocks it will have a very tough time moving. I will be swapping that out soon. Third, the stock everest16 shocks are not tough enough with all the extra weight. Im getting a lot of torque twist driving this thing. Lastly, its noisy! Im going to take apart and grease the trans cause this thing sounds like a blender full of rocks. That being said, it does work, and it would be a great little rig for a beginner or a kid to mess around with. Here are some more progress shots.

Next is paint and finishing touches.

 

[MikeTheDiabetic]

Body is painted and all done. I went with a metallic gunmetal base coat with gloss lack fenders and roof. I think it came out pretty good. This thing crawls pretty damn good and im having a blast with it. The only other weakpoint i found was the stock everest16 tiny steering servo. I probably got about 10 minutes of crawling with it before the servo crapped the bed. I just replaced it with a standard size heavy duty one and its much much better. Anyway, here are the painting and finished pics.

Here is the body fresh from painting it. Its not perfect but good enough for me, its gonna get scratched up anyways.

Here is the truck with all the bits and pieces on it like grilles, windows, and mirrors.

Some quick outdoor shots.

One last flex shot.

 

[Brake Weight]

Looks pretty good. I noticed that the axles look just a little narrower than the body. I don't know the hex width of the Redcat, but it can't be far from Axial's. Axial hex width is 5mm. Look at your hobby shop for a set of Traxxas #3654 which are 8mm thick. They're plastic, but would add a little track width that may space the wheels out just enough to help with sidehilling and rollovers as well as fill the fenders some.

 

[MikeTheDiabetic]

im actually running spacers all around. I might get some longer ones. It doesnt bother me all that much tho. The tires tuck really nice into the body.