Resurrecting a classic wraith

[Cableman]

Parts I’m gonna reuse for this:

View attachment 506768

Decent interior, has one crack but I can fix that and it’ll be hidden. One seat and rx box. I’ll have to source another seat for the passenger side.

I’ve also been holding onto a set of ar60 axles for over 4 years. It has a couple decent bits but they’ll probably be removed to be rebuilt with quality stuffs, ie- vanquish

View attachment 506769



Plans for this will include trying to keep the exterior “factory” with some healthy internals. Most likely won’t use it much but when I do I want it to be tough.

I’ll also throw in:

-Fusion pro system
-Nsdrc front servo
-rear steer with nsdrc rear servo
-micro nsdrc servo
-2.2 pitbull rockbeasts


I did find a mint blue panel set and complete cage for a good deal, that’s on the way. Have a couple bits coming too.

I’ve looked forward to this build for a long time. Surprises me how expensive these things have gotten over the years. Panel set and complete cage cost me $50 + shipping. I see them on eBay and a chop shop for $200!

I’ll do some trading to get things as my overflow of rc junk is piling up lol

Did you ever get the fusion pro installed in this?
Ive kinda been away from rc for a while and left my wraith apart, now looking at this fusion pro setup seems like a great way to tidy things up. My current setup is a mmp/roc 412 3100kv and cc bec, can the fusion pro run a hitec 7950th servo with its bec?

 

[JatoTheRipper]

I'm jealous! This is something I've been wanting to do. I had a Wraith for a short time and I think I only ever ran it once. I didn't spend much time on it and it was a floppy-suspension mess. Now these rigs are getting hard to find in good shape at a reasonable price.

 

[Jfrisch1]

Did you ever get the fusion pro installed in this?
Ive kinda been away from rc for a while and left my wraith apart, now looking at this fusion pro setup seems like a great way to tidy things up. My current setup is a mmp/roc 412 3100kv and cc bec, can the fusion pro run a hitec 7950th servo with its bec?

No, not yet. I have a problem with having a build plan in mind and when I go to grab parts at the lhs, I end up with another rig. So, the 1st build goes on the back burner while I start another one. Then, it just progresses to 2,3,4 new rigs that I want to build. Eventually I’ll get back to the wraith lol

It’s just running a 4000kv sensorless brushless System. Cogs like crazy but it’s fun for speed.

 

[Jfrisch1]

I'm jealous! This is something I've been wanting to do. I had a Wraith for a short time and I think I only ever ran it once. I didn't spend much time on it and it was a floppy-suspension mess. Now these rigs are getting hard to find in good shape at a reasonable price.

I’ll tell ya what, I hunted for parts for this thing. Best thing to do when looking for og stuff, get on the big Rc crawler page on fb (think it’s up to like 70-80k members) and ask. I’ve gotten quite a few parts over the years from that page, parts you just can’t get in the stores or you pay a fortune for it on eBay.

I don’t see many on the trails anymore. I’ve have some buddies with them and we plan on doing some trail runs with the wraiths all together. Should be a good time.

 

[Cableman]

Im prolly 2500 into my wraith over the years! Vp v2 axles, clamping stubs and hubs stuffed with hd spiral cuts, 6mm rear shafts with the 8mm nuts, v2 cvds with 8mm nut, supershafty trans, and so on. I’ve thought about selling it cause i just dont get around to using it much. Who knows maybe one day i will. I think the only weak part would be the cvds, but they are the v2 version and 6mm

 

[Jfrisch1]

Im prolly 2500 into my wraith over the years! Vp v2 axles, clamping stubs and hubs stuffed with hd spiral cuts, 6mm rear shafts with the 8mm nuts, v2 cvds with 8mm nut, supershafty trans, and so on. I’ve thought about selling it cause i just dont get around to using it much. Who knows maybe one day i will. I think the only weak part would be the cvds, but they are the v2 version and 6mm

Yeah it adds up quick! My first wraith build I went a little wild with. I remember riding shotgun in a buddy’s truck on a 6 hour drive to an rc event. The whole time I was swapping vp axles, super shafty trans, gears the whole nine yards. That was one of my favorite rigs. Always regretted parting it out and getting rid of it.

I was running vvds and I swear I went through 2-3 sets of them. Went back to axial universals because they seemed stronger and lasted longer.

 

[HahnsB2]

Did you ever get the fusion pro installed in this?
Ive kinda been away from rc for a while and left my wraith apart, now looking at this fusion pro setup seems like a great way to tidy things up. My current setup is a mmp/roc 412 3100kv and cc bec, can the fusion pro run a hitec 7950th servo with its bec?

FWIW, to put a Fusion on a Wraith skid you'll have to trim an upper link mount, it'll also interfere with a lower rod end, so a small spacer under the tranny is a good idea.

The BEC is only 6a and the 7950 stall current is higher than that, not sure I'd try it.

 

[CREEPERBOB]

I've got my Spawn Wraith I still take out to the lake occasionally.
I bought it in '12 and it has stood up to much abuse, hope the front axle shafts don't disappear.

 

[Gula]

No worries:

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPIfQuj

got you covered

 

[5150bronco]

Very nice! I just dusted my hold Bronco built Wraith and getting it tuned up. What oil weight are you running on your shocks?

 

[Jfrisch1]

Very nice! I just dusted my hold Bronco built Wraith and getting it tuned up. What oil weight are you running on your shocks?

I actually picked up a set of original wraith shocks, so whatever weight someone put in when they were built or if they ever changed it. They are pretty smooth though, they were like new when I got them.

 

[K.O.M.]

The Ryft is what the Wraith should have been from the beginning.

I've had a love/hate relationship with Axial from the first AX10 and SCX10. The rigs were awesome in concept, but were lacking in execution once you actually started using them beyond 50% of what they should be used for: steering knuckles, c-hubs, rear axle lock-outs would break once you started using them, so people replaced them with alloy units right away.

Before this turns into (yet) another rant, I would say that without Axial pushing out the Yeti in 2014, then the Bomber in 2015, we wouldn't have the Losi Rock Rey or Traxxas UDR in 2018. In a sense, Axial was out pushing these rigs ahead and it took that much more time to get rigs that were, IMHO, more durable and refined from other manufacturers.

Coincidentally, around 2015 or so, YouTuber Cyconxc was already making something similar to the Traxxas UDR:

Around 2018, Horizon Hobby acquired Axial as a brand, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but it may have been for the better. I venture to guess that a lot of "lessons learned" and combined engineering knowledge from all the brands under Horizon to get the more reliable out-of-the-box vehicles we have now.

Anyway, I feel like I've written a book, so I don't want to derail the discussion anymore.

 

[Jfrisch1]

The Ryft is what the Wraith should have been from the beginning.

I've had a love/hate relationship with Axial from the first AX10 and SCX10. The rigs were awesome in concept, but were lacking in execution once you actually started using them beyond 50% of what they should be used for: steering knuckles, c-hubs, rear axle lock-outs would break once you started using them, so people replaced them with alloy units right away.

Before this turns into (yet) another rant, I would say that without Axial pushing out the Yeti in 2014, then the Bomber in 2015, we wouldn't have the Losi Rock Rey or Traxxas UDR in 2018. In a sense, Axial was out pushing these rigs ahead and it took that much more time to get rigs that were, IMHO, more durable and refined from other manufacturers.

Coincidentally, around 2015 or so, YouTuber Cyconxc was already making something similar to the Traxxas UDR:

Around 2018, Horizon Hobby acquired Axial as a brand, and this may be an unpopular opinion, but it may have been for the better. I venture to guess that a lot of "lessons learned" and combined engineering knowledge from all the brands under Horizon to get the more reliable out-of-the-box vehicles we have now.

Anyway, I feel like I've written a book, so I don't want to derail the discussion anymore.

I agree with the stock form of axial. 10.1, wraith, ax10 was something I had many different builds of and what started me in the hobby of crawling. Never failed to have to replace the flimsy plastic knuckles, links on each one of those.

I had a short (2-3 years) love/ hate with axial when the 10.2 showed up. Nothing seemed to change and I explored other brands. There were some that were good for longer in stock form, in the end they had to have some of the plastic parts replaced. That seems to come with the situation. Rigs that are actually affordable, kits and Rtr, will always have their downfalls. I don’t fault any one of those manufacturers for it. Buying a brand new rig off the shelf for $3-400 is not breaking the bank for anyone. If someone has a Smartphone, they can afford an rc, and you’ll have a lot more fun with the rc lol. If they were putting them on the shelves for 6-800$ because they added metal knuckles, brushless systems and lasted longer right out of the box, they definitely wouldn’t sell nearly as many.

The wraith is always going to be, hands down, my favorite rc crawler. Build it and bash it on 4s, climb over fallen logs on the trail and pull a sled down the track. They were just great all purpose rigs, on a larger scale. Give me a stock, unmolested one though, since they were so fun, all the ones I see for sale are best to death.

The bomber and ryft were a bust for me. Never really got on board with them.

I did grab a basecamp with the revised body accessories, I love that truck. It is slightly upgraded and it will be my go to trail rig when I go out on a day long adventure. The styling and the axle design just seems like they tried a bit harder to stay in the game. 10.3 axles is what I mean, not the basecamp in particular.

If axial drops a new style yeti or exo, I’d be a buyer.

Idk if that was a rant, just remembering the years of rc crawling I’ve been apart of .

 

[K.O.M.]

If axial drops a new style yeti or exo, I’d be a buyer.

From a business standpoint, that might be a non-starter: Losi has the Rock Rey, the Lasernut U4 Buggy, and the Tenacity DB. From what I've seen driving and handling the Axial vs. Losi equivalents of the following models, the Losi brand has had the more durable and better functioning kits:

Axial Yeti / Yeti Trophy Truck vs. Losi Rock Rey / Baja Rey
Axial Exo Terra vs. Losi Tenacity DB / Lasernut U4
Axial SMT vs. Losi LMT

I wish I had kept my Yeti and Exo Terra, but there was a reason I sold them and have recently bought a RZR Rey and Baja Rey. I want to add a Lasernut and Tenacity DB to the list before the summer. To be fair, Losi has had a few years to develop an "answer" to any of the aforementioned Axial kits, but the racing heritage of Losi and using the Tenacity platform really shows in how the rigs that use them handle. Really surprised at how the Rock Rey/Baja Rey platform compared to the Yeti. The Yeti could really be bashed but was just shy of a handful to drive fast on designated track, which is where a lot of us ended up using them, to some disappointment.

What I found interesting is that this "wait and see" approach is what Associated was (in)famous for doing for years, they just seemed to not get to the same level when it came to the "bashing" rigs with their monster trucks and don't have an answer to the scale go-fast desert rigs. I will say that Associated's Element line IS competitive in the scale/trail rig department and I do miss my Gatekeeper.

 

[MAC FAB]

Maybe they should learn from Traxxas, Slash format, or Taco Bell, where a few ingredients make a variety of menu items.