Sherman's "Caballero" Sendero

[Sherman]

Simple manufacture...but I made a license plate mount out of plastic board that replicates one you can actually purchase for a 1:1 scale Bronco.

3D printed a gas can and mounting bracket and attached it to the spare tire hardcover.

Installed a bracket to hold the sand ladders, they're actually removable too in case I ever need to use them (who really does though?)

Installed a set of limb risers I purchased from Club5Racing. They're not really necessary on an RC truck...but it makes it look more scale and I like the look of them.

 

[AnimalHippie]

Great looking rig brother and great build thread you have going! I like watching the transformations. I like the Truggy look with the smaller scale tires on it. Keep up the great work!

 

[Sherman]

Great looking rig brother and great build thread you have going! I like watching the transformations. I like the Truggy look with the smaller scale tires on it. Keep up the great work!

I loved the look of it too, but found it a lot harder to crawl with it being lower to the ground. It's like I can't just decide what to do. Scale trucks with smaller tires look great, but for the type of crawling I like to do, I prefer the larger tires. *shrugs*

 

[AnimalHippie]

I get it bro. I prefer technical crawling myself. I love the scale look of the smaller tires, but anything below a 4.5” would be pointless for me.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

I love that body.

 

[Sherman]

I love that body.

Thanks! The only thing I'm self-conscious about is how the body is slightly smaller than the Element Sendero wheelbase and I'm not sure exactly how to go about fixing it. The front axle sticks out a bit further than the wheel well. Which, if I'm not wrong, I swear I've seen some 1:1 off road jeeps where they've done this to allow a better approach angle?

I know I could either A) cut and extend the body, but it would require lots of bodywork, glue, filler, sanding, and repainting. or B) adjust the links, which seems much easier except I have nice Club5Racing husky high clearance links that I'm not sure how to modify (they have slightly tapered ends and I don't have a lot of metalworking tools). or C) I just ignore it and move on.

 

[svt923]

The front axle alignment would bother me to no end if it was my truck. It is already a top heavy hard body crawler, it is never going to perform amazing so it might as well look as good as possible.

The best way to get the front axle in alignment would be to move the whole body forward to the proper position then adjust the rear axle. Pretty much every chassis relies on adjusting the rear links for wheelbase adjustment because the panhard and servo mount are generally a fixed position. To properly shorten the front links, the panhard and servo should be moved back as well or you risk bump steer. I don't know the exact wheelbase on that Bronco body but I was able to get my Enduro down to a 11.4 inch wheelbase just shortening the rear links.

 

[Sherman]

What's the process for shortening the rear links? I assume custom fabricating your own links? How does one do that and what sort of tools are necessary to put the threads into it? I'm ambitious enough to try it out...I just may not have all the tools I need at the moment.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

What's the process for shortening the rear links? I assume custom fabricating your own links? How does one do that and what sort of tools are necessary to put the threads into it? I'm ambitious enough to try it out...I just may not have all the tools I need at the moment.

You can either buy shorter links or make your own. I know Vanquish makes some and I'm sure other companies.

The old way to make links was to get all thread, metal tube that fits over it for strength and smoothness, and then cut both to the required length remembering to leave room for the rod ends.

 

[svt923]

What's the process for shortening the rear links? I assume custom fabricating your own links? How does one do that and what sort of tools are necessary to put the threads into it? I'm ambitious enough to try it out...I just may not have all the tools I need at the moment.

I used Element 96mm links as the lowers (it was an original builder kit version that included a bunch of links for various wheelbase configurations) and some M4 x 90mm turnbuckles as the upper links. I'm a big fan of turnbuckles as upper links because you can adjust the length to tune the pinion angle on custom setups without taking anything apart.

Making your own links with the all-thread and tubing method Jato mentioned is easy and requires little in tools outside of a way to cut the material. I have also done drilling and tapping 1/4" thick walled aluminum tubing for M4 setscrews to make links before. Although, you can get a pair of premade links pretty cheap these days (for example: RC Stainless Steel Suspension Links Chassis Linkage Set 95mm for 1/10 Scale SCX10 TRX4 RC Crawler).

If you hate yourself, you can try to shorten the existing links by cutting them, grinding them down to the proper diameter, and rethreading with a M4 die.

 

[Sherman]

Excellent! That makes much more sense with the all-thread and tubing or just buying premade. Is there a cheat on calculating what size I'd need in order to shorten the wheelbase by a certain amount? I'm not at my hobby desk right now and don't recall what the stock wheelbase is on a Sendero, but I definitely have the front axle "thrown out front" compared to the body.

 

[Sherman]

 

[svt923]

Is there a cheat on calculating what size I'd need in order to shorten the wheelbase by a certain amount?

The stock wheelbase is 313mm so measure what the wheelbase is on the body and get the difference. That is how much shorter the rear links should be give or take a mm or two depending on ride height.

 

[Sherman]

Ah, easier than I thought. For some reason I assumed it required messing with the geometry of the shocks and everything too. Pythagorean theorem and whatnot lol

 

[AnimalHippie]

Looks to me you could slide the body forward 1/4” and it would be center of the rear wheel well and the front tire would be just clearing the rear of the front fender well. No link modification required

 

[Sherman]

Looks to me you could slide the body forward 1/4” and it would be center of the rear wheel well and the front tire would be just clearing the rear of the front fender well. No link modification required

You think? I kind of see it now. My dad originally used this body on a TRX4, which looks like their wheelbase is 324mm. Here is it on his truck, I always thought the body was too short for it too...but if my truck is smaller then maybe I just don't have this seated properly. Good thing it's literally only attached with velcro to the original rock sliders!

 

[svt923]

Ah, easier than I thought. For some reason I assumed it required messing with the geometry of the shocks and everything too. Pythagorean theorem and whatnot lol

Technically some Pythagorean theorem is involved but at average ride heights, the difference is only a couple MMs so it generally doesn’t make much difference.

 

[Sherman]

So if I did my math correctly, and measured correctly, I think I'm looking at needing to make an 18mm adjustment.

But, because of the weird number...I'm going to have to probably make custom links... I can't find premade ones in the sizes I need.