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The Rejected Ronin Project... or what to do with an unwanted G500 body

I found this slim line roof rack made by Gearhead for the Honcho. It fits nicely on the roof and covers the flathead screws.










 
Front and rear light guards. From Xtra Speed and Yeah Racing. The front ones are OKish, I guess. The rear ones look beatiful with the carbon around them.








 
Front grill and snorkels, made by GRC.













The snorkels come with some 2 sided tape for mounting, but I wasn't very confident it will hold, so I screwed them on the body.
 
OK, about time to put the body on the chassis and see how everything fits together. Front bumper











Got from Injora, through Ebay. Got all the bells and whistles (lights, winch fairlead etc) but not sure I'll be putting any on it. I like the simple look.
 
Rear bumper. It was advertised for the Defender, but I think it fits the G500 lines perfectly.




 
Both bumper mounts were reversed to make them sit higher. The approach and departure angles are very good. Haven't done measurements, but they might be even better than the stock ones, which was already very good.




 
I'm on the fence about the wheels. Have 2 different sets for it.





The original plan was to use the 2.2 on the left. Then I came across the 5 spoke 1.9 ones on the right and really liked them. Outer dimensions are the same on the tires.


2.2 beadlocks




1.9 beadlocks




and a front view with different wheels left and right

 
The last major addition on the body will be the roll bar on the truckbed. I was thinking a lot if I wanted one of the available to buy or build one myself.

I didn't find one that quite had the lines I was looking for, so made one from different materials. Most pieces are made from carbon fiber, used in RC planes and racing drones. Super light and durable. The vertical poles are stainless steel used in robotics, covered with carbon tape.


















Maybe I'll add a light bar up there later on. Not sure about it yet. Next on the list is to install a couple accessories, put the stickers on and take it out on the trail to see what it does.
 
Took it out for some runs. I wanted to see how the 2.2 rims and tires perform. Also added 2 pieces of elastic cord with hooks (not sure how they are called), from the roof rack to the bumper.











 
Even though this body came out on the heavy side (959gr) compared to the stock body (459gr), it runs beatifuly and handles side hills very well. Most fo the weight is near the chassis. If I remove the roll bar it will probably behave even better.

Didn't get the chance to test any serious rocks yet, but will probably do it tomorrow that I will visit a nice gorge. Should be a great place to drive and get some pictures.

Some more with the articulation and the lights on
















 
xagoras said:
Even though this body came out on the heavy side (959gr) compared to the stock body (459gr), it runs beatifuly and handles side hills very well. Most fo the weight is near the chassis. If I remove the roll bar it will probably behave even better.

Didn't get the chance to test any serious rocks yet, but will probably do it tomorrow that I will visit a nice gorge. Should be a great place to drive and get some pictures.

Some more with the articulation and the lights on
















Click to expand...


That turned out fantastic!!!!!!!!!

Really cool knowing you have a one off!!!

Great job!
 
Benp said:
That turned out fantastic!!!!!!!!!

Really cool knowing you have a one off!!!

Great job!
Click to expand...


Thanks Benp. I really enjoyed this build, even though it wasn't the easiest thing to do. It's great fun driving it and it looks really mean from up close :)
 
After some serious milage with this rig, it seems that although it's a very good performer when it comes to climbing obstacles, it struggles a little bit, when the rocks become steeper. Took it to the nearby forest the other day.






It badly needed some weight to keep the front axle down when it had to deal with some large incline on a rock. So I thought why not think out of the box and use something else, except from the typical brass on the axle?

Another hobby of mine is freediving and spearfishing. These little weights seemed ideal for the job






At roughly 125gr each, there is a lot of room for experimentation with them. And they have the perfect size for the job. Dead cheap too, compared to brass.






I tried them today, and there was a bit improvement. The axle stayed on the ground at all times. Not sure how the extra weight is going to affect handling and battery life, or if it's going to put too much stress on the servo. First impressions were very good.
 
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