My SCX10/Clod First Timer Build !

[inc3pt]

My SCX10/Clod First Timer Build! (Help needed!)

Update: Help is needed with electronics positioning- If you don't want to read, skip to my latest post! Thanks!

The first thing I want to say is that I am completely new to RC, RC trucks, scale stuff, crawling stuff. Basically everything. I will tell a short (edit: kind of long :shock story before I get on to the pictures.

About a month ago, a friend brought his HPI drift car to work and let me play around with it. I had RC cars as a kid, but more of the radioshack stuff, nothing like this. It was amazing! I knew I wanted something like it. I started researching, looking at pictures, forums, and reading all that I could. Cars have always been my thing (I have a modified '83 Volvo 240 Turbo as well as a Subaru BRZ), so I started to look at RC trucks instead of cars. I was thinking that it might be more fun since I don't have a 1:1 truck.

Fast forward to me finding rccrawler.com. I went to the local hobby shop and asked the owner for recommendations. He pushed me toward a Yeti or Wraith. Why am I here in the scale section then, you ask? Well, silly me, I hadn't done enough research (completely my fault) so I went in asking for a crawler. I ended up buying an Axial AX10 Deadbolt (RTR), and here she is:




I took it out for one drive and I had a blast. I immediately got home, hopped back on the forums, and smacked my forehead. As I started looking around at all the videos I had been watching, the threads I had been reading, and the builds I had been inspired by, I realized that I had the wrong truck.

I started searching for how to convert my AX10 to an SCX10, and I found a few things, but nothing with the full information or parts list for a newbie like myself. I was also waiting for my account to get approved here on rccrawler.com and it was taking forever (it got approved a few days ago, actually).

My final decision was to swallow my mistake and buy the SCX10 Dingo Kit. I have never built an RC kit before, but I was willing to give it a shot. It has instructions, right? 8)



and with that, I powered at it for the next 11 hours. (I'm sure you guys know what these steps all look like)











and then my first time painting an RC body:





and then, after some hard lessons learned about cutting lexan, tada!



I got stuck several times with the manual listing the wrong parts, and also being slightly out of date for the instructions on the transmission (it was saying to use a spacer that definitely did not fit). I also had the other seemingly common mistake, mis-aligning the driveshafts. I lined up the notches when putting them together, but I didn't see the step that said to align the pins with the notches :roll:.

Fiddling around at work (I know, outdoors is much better):



and then, back to the forums! I wanted to start on a body I would love right away. The dingo body is cool, but I wanted something I could really make look real. I had seen all of the sweet bowties (and tons of awesome non-bowties!). Crew cabs, long beds, beautiful paint jobs, rusty paint jobs. More research led to this order from RPP Hobby:



Just getting a "rough" idea of what it looks like



I set out to fill out my tool collection a bit for the upcoming project:



and picked up the sweet scale bed box and a cheap LED kit:



and then I jumped right in, again. I watched a few videos about working with styrene before starting, but sometimes there's just nothing like experience to teach you!



For the blower mount in the hood, I made the template out of cardboard as you can see above, then transferred it to styrene. The styrene piece is a bit too small though. Below, I try to fill it with body filler, but it's tricky and not obviously the desired result. That's my first lesson- to make the piece a little too big, then shave it down to fit, rather than going a bit too small and trying to fill it in.



and I took that lesson and applied it to the sunroof fill-in:



Much better this time. A bit of bracing from beneath (more was done after this picture):



and then I saw a video about using scrap styrene to fill gaps, which I used here: (With great result!)



Motivational posing of parts:



Using styrene rod, filled in the side screw holes and then bonded the lower trim to the body:



More motivational (for me) posing:

 

[inc3pt]

Okay, so here's where it gets a bit crazy (for me). I'd been wanting to do a drop bed, but there are several things in the way. For one, the battery, but I can probably move that pretty easily.

Next is the shock hoops. I see that there's a rear shock relocation kit from Gearhead. One thing I don't know is... is that shock location scale for real trucks?

The last thing in the way is the transmission. It sticks up almost to the bottom of the cab window (it just barely cleared with the original bed configuration of the clod). I see that there are other ways to mount the transmission (mirroring), but I'm thinking someday I'd like to attempt an interior. That seems like it leaves me with mounting the motor in the 'engine bay'. Can anybody provide some reading regarding stuff like this: RC4WD T1 Disruptor? Can I mount that in the middle of the frame and then have the motor up in the 'engine bay'? I've tried searching but I'm not finding as much information yet (I promise I'll keep looking myself)

That said, I decided it was time to go all in :shock: :shock: :shock:



I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, but I will keep pressing on. Thanks a ton for reading! I have a lot of learning to do, and I appreciate all of the forum members and all of the great builds I've seen so far!

Oh, and hopefully I put this in the right place. Right now the truck is on 1.9s, but I am considering switching to 1.5s down the road. If this needs to be moved, I apologize!

 

[tgh117]

Looks like your actually off to a very good start. I will attempt to lead you somewhat in the right direction.

First off the shock tower and the relocation. Its not totally scale, but neither is the truck actually in general. If you went and looked at a mid 80's chevy pickup it would have leaf springs front and rear, and the shocks on all 4 corners actually mount to the frame rails instead of onto shock towers in the front, and to the relocated shock mount in the rear, but that would also not give you any real performace for actually doing any sort of crawling, so thats about the best option out there to still get some decent flex.

There is also another kit that uses a cantilever type setups with the shocks running parallel to the frame rails made by DinkyRC. Its almost impossible to find most days, but worth checking out.


As for your transmission issues. You likely are going towards a front mounted trans with a transfer case setup. Again you could turn to DinkyRC and there dinky divorce kit, or there are actually several other places for this sort of thing, including GCM, who is a vendor on this forum, and other vendors on this forum as well. Dinky and GCM both offer more or less complete kits to make this happen, some of the other ones are more on the DYI, or include just a bracket and that sort of thing.

Hopefully that will give you some reading. If you search out the GCM cross canyon or 4ten builds, you should be able to see some pictures, and there are several builds in the 1.9 section using the DDK (dinky divorce kit) that you could check out also.

Good luck with your build.

 

[inc3pt]

Looks like your actually off to a very good start. I will attempt to lead you somewhat in the right direction.

...

Good luck with your build.

I realize that some of these things are very newbie questions and I will try my hardest to do as much searching as possible before asking questions. I really really appreciate your help.

I've already started researching these things and it looks really promising!

 

[hotwheels000]

For someone who has just started I will say you have a great grasp of build processes and parts availability.

You may also want to look into the toyzuki forward moter plate. Drop in for the scx chassis, utilizes all the stock parts so no need for a additjonal transfer case thus saveing you some cash. It will give you enough room for an interior and also allow you to relocate tne battery at the same time. He has a build in the 2.2 section.

 

[hotwheels000]

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/new-...kis-low-center-gravity-scx10-motor-mount.html

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/gene...talling-toyzukis-fabrication-motor-mount.html

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/axle...brication-low-center-gravity-motor-mount.html

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/1-9-scale-rigs/509511-patms-new-class1-toyzuki-twist.html

.http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/1-9-scale-rigs/507208-bronco-buster.html


.http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/2-2-scale-rigs/508586-toyzukis-early-bronco.html


A few builds and variations

 

[tgh117]

For someone who has just started I will say you have a great grasp of build processes and parts availability.



You may also want to look into the toyzuki forward moter plate. Drop in for the scx chassis, utilizes all the stock parts so no need for a additjonal transfer case thus saveing you some cash. It will give you enough room for an interior and also allow you to relocate tne battery at the same time. He has a build in the 2.2 section.

Yea I forgot about that one. Thanks for including it

 

[inc3pt]

Small update that hopefully leads to a larger update later in the weekend! I've been in San Francisco for the week for work so not too much got done.

A bit of progress and new parts.

Working on filling behind the bed:


Further work on smoothing out the front hole fills:


As a newbie to this stuff, I think this is the part where I'm having the most trouble:


Getting this area to be smooth is tough. I'm also trying to figure out how to add some detail to the back of the cab. Since it will be hidden by the bed, I may save that for a later "version" after I get the bed all done and the truck together/driving.

Finally, the latest packages came yesterday!


- RC4WD 1.55 beadlocks with 1.55 Mud Slingers
- GCM Front Motor Mount
- Gearhead Rear Shock Relocation kit
- RC4WD T1 Disruptor Transfer Case (2.18:1)

I haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to mount the disruptor yet.

I hope to be back later this weekend with more! Thanks for reading and for all the suggestions.

 

[inc3pt]

GCM mount installed, as well as the Gearhead rear shock relocation kit. Went almost smooth as butter. One of the screw holes in the plastic chassis front cross brace stripped out pretty easily. I wasn't giving it much torque at all as I tightened it down. That said, the GCM mount seems to provide a lot of rigidity, so I think I'll be okay until I look into some more options.



(T1 Disruptor is just sitting as I contemplate how I went to cut up the center chassis support.)

Tomorrow, I will stop procrastinating and dig into the drop bed. :shock: Also, I'll probably spray a super light coat of primer on the cab to get an idea of how rough the rough spots are.

 

[tgh117]

Just as a tip for cab back detail, you can cut all the openings to make it look like a 1:1, then put another piece behind it, then radius the edges, or fill it in some around the holes.

Looks like your making good progress.

 

[inc3pt]

Just as a tip for cab back detail, you can cut all the openings to make it look like a 1:1, then put another piece behind it, then radius the edges, or fill it in some around the holes.

Looks like your making good progress.

I've been looking at pictures of 1:1's to get ideas for something like that. I think that's exactly what I'll do. Thanks!



First up, primer on the body:



Definitely many rough spots. Sanding, filling, and right before the second pass:



There is still work to do, mainly around the area of filling in the intake/blower hole. There is the slightest curvature of the hood at that section, and I've had trouble matching it with the styrene and filler. At certain angles, it stands out.

Next up was modifying the center chassis brace to fit the Disruptor transfer case. This went a little messier than I initially thought, so I plan to redo this in a much more clean fashion a bit later.





Cutting out the "4x4x4" section of the grill in preparation for trying to recreate an actual Silverado grill later.



I got really bogged down with some of the body work since I'm so new to it. I decided that the best thing to do (for me) would be to give it a shakedown run! I'll have the cab mounted, I tied up the electronics (again, not final) and I'm going to take it out to a local spot. I realize it will probably require a little cleaning, re-painting, etc but the fun will be worth it :mrgreen:. Pictures to come later.



:shock: "thumbsup"

 

[inc3pt]

Okay, so I got a little throttle-happy on a really steep incline. Trucks are meant to get dirty, right? :lmao:

Here's what's next on the list:
- Bed
- Paint (Currently deciding paint scheme)
- Weathering
- Replace the headlight LEDs with something more natural/yellow color.
- Start work on the grill
- More permanent electronics positioning. With the transfer case in there, it's going to be tough to fit the battery along with everything else. I'm thinking maybe I should go to a smaller battery pack. Not sure yet.
- Chassis mount servo. With the GCM mount, there is almost no room for the front suspension to compress before it hits the servo.
- and plenty more!

I'll be back soon!

 

[inc3pt]

Here we go!

I've definitely bitten off more than I could chew with the bed for my first ever build.

Lining some stuff up:



Bed slats on a fresh slab of styrene.



Bed fitted. Doing okay so far.



Shaved out the leftovers from the original bed, adding additional support.



I don't know what it's called, but the portion of the bed that faces the cab, with a first attempt at some detail. I don't know what the 1:1 looks like exactly so I'm kind of going off my imagination as well as other builds. Once I get a few more builds under my belt, I will probably try a more faithful recreation of a truck.



Separating the panels that sit below the taillights. I later realized that the whole piece leftover isn't the tailgate, so that bottom got cut off eventually too.



Bed sides and frame made, more test fitting.



Creating the wheel wells. Again, not faithful I'm sure. This is testing the limits of my styrene skills as I'm sure these are much more round.



First coat of bed primer.



Working hefty amounts of filler in :lmao:



Suddenly, a box arrives!



Next build plans :shock: :shock: :shock: (Separate thread coming for when I start that). Also grabbed two things for the Chevy- Dirt grabbers for the 1.55s and a saddle pack battery to fit more nicely into the truck in the future.



Last primer and then starting with some Tamiya TS-7 Racing White.



Changing my old ESC as well as the Gelande's ESC to Dean's connectors. I am still needing to get much better at soldering. I just can't seem to get it quite right.



Mask-mask here, mask-mask there. Next time I'm buying that silly small masking tape.



Tamiya TS-18 Metallic Red.



:shock:



Even though I still have the detail/brush painting to do, I couldn't resist tossing it on for a look.





Its far from perfect, but I plan to weather it up a bit anyway. I figure it looks like somebody did a backyard respray which is fine for what I'm going for. 8)

Still tons left to do, of course, but I'm happy how it's going for my first time. I can't wait to get out and drive it again.

The next update will likely include more styrene carnage to create the grill. Thanks to anyone who is reading! :mrgreen:

 

[inc3pt]

I love the detail. What is the total cost that you spend on it all

Due to me making a few bad choices along the way (such as starting with the AX-10 Deadbolt), probably all in for about ~$800.


I need everyone's help if possible, but first, I'll catch up to where I am and then ask my questions.

Time to build the grill. I used some c-channel styrene to start the middle, then just filling it in from there. The bowtie is handcut, so it's a bit rough.









Next is creating the interior floor. I purchased one of these guys:



...with the almost-clever plan to put a bench seat over the batteries. (Gluing down the magnets here as a basic mounting system).





The issue is that the batteries can't lay flat, as the connectors aren't long enough. For now, I will stand them up on their end (I don't have a great picture of this). At some point, I could probably extend the wiring to allow them to lay flat.

I built a plate to attach the ESC and receiver to, hanging it right in front of the slipper clutch but behind the grill.





If you look closely in this picture, the unfortunate detail is that it sticks out too far, so it doesn't fit with the body on.



Here is my temporary solution. Stuff it all in the cab! :shock::shock::shock:



Driving it in the yard for a second or two:










Okay! Back to my question! Help me, please!

If you look back at the pictures above regarding the ESC, receiver, and batteries... where the heck do you guys put these in a truck where you want to do an interior???

If anybody could provide hints, pictures, or both, I would really really appreciate it. I've been scouring builds but haven't seen anything just yet. I will continue searching, of course.


The to-do list:
- Detail painting (window gaskets, door handles, marker lights, tail lights, etc)
- Replace the headlight LEDs with something more natural/yellow color.
- Chassis mount servo.
- Weathering/rusting a bit. (I've picked up a weathering kit from the local hobby shop)
- Electronics positioning.
- Interior.

Thanks all!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[hotwheels000]

Build your chassis mounted servo kit. Once that is installed you will have room to place the electronics next to the servo since the axle mounted servo is gone and no longer travels up into that area when flexing.

Another option is to build a firewall or dash panel when you do the interior. You can then mount the electronics to one of those pieces.

Batteries on the floor like you have them, extend your leads like you mentioned so they can lay flat.


KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK"thumbsup"

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

Really solid work for your first kit! It can be complicated to figure out where everything mounts, but take Hotwheels' advice and you will get it hammered out.

 

[inc3pt]

Build your chassis mounted servo kit. Once that is installed you will have room to place the electronics next to the servo since the axle mounted servo is gone and no longer travels up into that area when flexing.

Another option is to build a firewall or dash panel when you do the interior. You can then mount the electronics to one of those pieces.

Batteries on the floor like you have them, extend your leads like you mentioned so they can lay flat.


KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK"thumbsup"

Hey hotwheels! Thank you for the suggestions! Actually, I think the chassis mount servo might make things worse. Right now, the ESC/Receiver plate are actually hitting the front of the body (outward) rather than anything downward.

In these two pictures, the red areas are where it contacts the grill/front clip of the truck body. The purple is roughly where I believe the servo would be once it gets chassis mounted.





If I moved them behind the GCM motor mount area, in the form of a dash/firewall panel, I think it might extend too far into the cab to leave room for any sort of realistic interior.

I might be totally misunderstanding what you mean though? I'll continue researching other builds and trying things out and thinking about what you've said! I really really appreciate it.

Really solid work for your first kit! It can be complicated to figure out where everything mounts, but take Hotwheels' advice and you will get it hammered out.

Thanks a ton! I'm excited to put together the D90 with your TorqueMaster ESC!

 

[tgh117]

Re: My SCX10/Clod First Timer Build! (Help needed!)

You could also stuff either the batt or the esc / receiver in that bed tool box you have. I second the chassis mounted servo, but with your front mounted trans, your only option I think would be to use the vp cms bracket to run the servo across the frame.

I am not sure what your running battery wise, but the insane scale builds here usually run small batts to give more space for details. You could run 2 smaller battery's essentially in the cab underside of the floor boards which could look like fuel tanks if disguised like them. I agree with hot wheels. Have to move the servo first and see what you have from there.

 

[fxman]

I just came across this one .... are you still working on this? Would like to see how you dealt with this.
I have a very similar setup (clod body on scx10 chassis, front motor mount, transfer case, etc). Problem with the clod body IS, that there is not enough room in the front for the electronics, once the servo is chassis mounted. Only chance is: You might be able to fit a Tekin FXR under the hood on top of the servo. Mine in that position shortened somehow when I rolled my truck and went up in smoke ...
For the batteries: I started running a large battery like you but ended up using a 2s 2200mah lipo which is much smaller and serves as a bench. I have a smaller transfer case though. I will finally build an interior on top of it during the holidays ...