struhall
Quarry Creeper
Figured it was time to start a build thread for my first real class specific build. I have always wanted to drive a Ford Excursion but they are just a touch too expensive for me at the moment so what better way to fix the issue than build a scale truck.
The problem with this is that NOBODY makes an Excursion body. After some research I found out that the 1:1 Excursion and F250/350 single cab have the exact same wheelbase and overall dimensions so the Tamiya F350 body was perfect. I will have a full interior by the time I feel like I am “done” but I may rock it without for a bit just in case I get antsy and can’t wait.
This is going to be a slow build, up until today and the next two weeks I work as a cook at a restaurant making garbage money but I start a new job in two weeks making double the money.
The items I have so far are pretty basic but almost everything I need to go.
TCS X-Trail Chassis
AE5 ESC
Axial 27t or Novak 35t motor
Wraith Trans with slipper eliminator
Tamiya leaf springs
1.55 Mud Thrashers on RC4WD steel wheels
Spektrum TX/RX
I still need to purchase a few things.
Front motor setup (moving stock one or RC4WD with transfer case)
Lights
3s batteries
Servo winch
Picked up a body and got to work.
First things first, I have to figure out this whole styrene mess. Picked up some styrene and some bondene at my local hobby shop and started small so I molded the cab to the bed.
That is where it started to get interesting. I put a support across the back and then the bottom of the bed fell out…
Followed by the back of the cab…
I guess that meant it was time to start building a rear section of the body. Started with the sides, glued them to the inside of the body.
And added a roof.
I sat the body on top of my other truck just for fun, showed the wife and she liked it so I knew I won at least a small victory.
I did a little sanding and cleaning up the seams, building up to get the thickness right and even with the rest of the body.
I tested out the new tires on a set of 1.9 wheels I had, then set them under the body just to see how well they fill the wheel wells. It seems like these are made for this body because they are absolutely perfect size to tuck all the way up and fill the fenders.
This shot is just the body sitting on the tires, no chassis, axles or anything yet.
In the meantime I sold a different car and bought a new slider. Chassis, skid, Wraith trans, axles etc. I used this new chassis for my current truck because I wanted to use that frame for this build. The SCX frame is pinched front and rear but the TCS X-Trail is a straight rail which will be a ton easier for me on this build because I want to use leaf springs. I already have chassis mounted servo but I'm changing the setup a touch and making a mount for it and the servo winch out of the two cross braces/battery tray mounts.
My next biggest problem is figuring out how to get enough tire coverage to fit within the class 1 rules. I prefer not to have to run fender flares because I want this to be as close to stock or almost what some people consider a class 0 rig.
This is what I’m working with right now, this is the setup I plan to run for wheels and tires mounted to a normal SCX axle with narrow hexes. The body is 7in wide and the middle of the tires is 7 3/4in.
The problem with this is that NOBODY makes an Excursion body. After some research I found out that the 1:1 Excursion and F250/350 single cab have the exact same wheelbase and overall dimensions so the Tamiya F350 body was perfect. I will have a full interior by the time I feel like I am “done” but I may rock it without for a bit just in case I get antsy and can’t wait.
This is going to be a slow build, up until today and the next two weeks I work as a cook at a restaurant making garbage money but I start a new job in two weeks making double the money.
The items I have so far are pretty basic but almost everything I need to go.
TCS X-Trail Chassis
AE5 ESC
Axial 27t or Novak 35t motor
Wraith Trans with slipper eliminator
Tamiya leaf springs
1.55 Mud Thrashers on RC4WD steel wheels
Spektrum TX/RX
I still need to purchase a few things.
Front motor setup (moving stock one or RC4WD with transfer case)
Lights
3s batteries
Servo winch
Picked up a body and got to work.
First things first, I have to figure out this whole styrene mess. Picked up some styrene and some bondene at my local hobby shop and started small so I molded the cab to the bed.
That is where it started to get interesting. I put a support across the back and then the bottom of the bed fell out…
Followed by the back of the cab…
I guess that meant it was time to start building a rear section of the body. Started with the sides, glued them to the inside of the body.
And added a roof.
I sat the body on top of my other truck just for fun, showed the wife and she liked it so I knew I won at least a small victory.
I did a little sanding and cleaning up the seams, building up to get the thickness right and even with the rest of the body.
I tested out the new tires on a set of 1.9 wheels I had, then set them under the body just to see how well they fill the wheel wells. It seems like these are made for this body because they are absolutely perfect size to tuck all the way up and fill the fenders.
This shot is just the body sitting on the tires, no chassis, axles or anything yet.
In the meantime I sold a different car and bought a new slider. Chassis, skid, Wraith trans, axles etc. I used this new chassis for my current truck because I wanted to use that frame for this build. The SCX frame is pinched front and rear but the TCS X-Trail is a straight rail which will be a ton easier for me on this build because I want to use leaf springs. I already have chassis mounted servo but I'm changing the setup a touch and making a mount for it and the servo winch out of the two cross braces/battery tray mounts.
My next biggest problem is figuring out how to get enough tire coverage to fit within the class 1 rules. I prefer not to have to run fender flares because I want this to be as close to stock or almost what some people consider a class 0 rig.
This is what I’m working with right now, this is the setup I plan to run for wheels and tires mounted to a normal SCX axle with narrow hexes. The body is 7in wide and the middle of the tires is 7 3/4in.