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Thloftus’ Rock Rey Basher
- Thread starter Thloftus
- Start date
Installed the T-Bone Racing skid plate. It comes nicely packaged
And looks even better on the truck.
The material itself is great and it’s easy to install. I like that it protects the aluminum skid plate - odd, but I have this nagging compulsion for the aluminum skid to look new forever, Lol. Maybe it also keeps some dirt out of the motor compartment, or at least the seam around the motor plate. Who knows. Only downsides are more screws to remove if we do pull the motor - although the soldered connections between the motor and ESC would make this hard anyway - and the slight lip at the back end reduces the opening for the battery box slightly. Not a big deal for me since my batteries fit fine ...
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And looks even better on the truck.
The material itself is great and it’s easy to install. I like that it protects the aluminum skid plate - odd, but I have this nagging compulsion for the aluminum skid to look new forever, Lol. Maybe it also keeps some dirt out of the motor compartment, or at least the seam around the motor plate. Who knows. Only downsides are more screws to remove if we do pull the motor - although the soldered connections between the motor and ESC would make this hard anyway - and the slight lip at the back end reduces the opening for the battery box slightly. Not a big deal for me since my batteries fit fine ...
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Next is a possibly unnecessary upgrade, but I like it regardless, so why not? Plus I’ve read about the stock part breaking in at least one thread and you can never be too cautious with proactive upgrades, right? Turns out I also like the endless wrenching.
And thus we have the Hot Racing front shock brace!
And Ka-Blamo! Installed on the truck
You may have noticed it was already installed yesterday, but what’s a few hours between friends, :thumbsup:! You can see I still need to swap the shock springs. That’s coming up next.
The shock brace itself is nicely made and easy to install. The slender portion near the top where it plugs into the shock towers is a little different; seems like it could be one width all the way to the end. But it’s a minor gripe and likely doesn’t make any difference anyway. I’m hoping this is the last time I pull the shock towers, but probably not since I’m amassing the black parts for the cage and will (sadly?) need to take most of the top apart to install it, :shock:!
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And thus we have the Hot Racing front shock brace!
And Ka-Blamo! Installed on the truck
You may have noticed it was already installed yesterday, but what’s a few hours between friends, :thumbsup:! You can see I still need to swap the shock springs. That’s coming up next.
The shock brace itself is nicely made and easy to install. The slender portion near the top where it plugs into the shock towers is a little different; seems like it could be one width all the way to the end. But it’s a minor gripe and likely doesn’t make any difference anyway. I’m hoping this is the last time I pull the shock towers, but probably not since I’m amassing the black parts for the cage and will (sadly?) need to take most of the top apart to install it, :shock:!
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Maiden voyage on 3S today and OMG, this thing is a beast! Barely any torque twist; handles really well, especially at speed; corners nicely; fantastic torque off the line; beautiful steering response; very little body roll. It’s definitely my fastest RC, even compared to my Nitro Slash. Well into the stupid fast regime, Lol! I did roll it a couple times, but I knew I was pushing too hard on the speed / cornering radius. For the most part, it’s happy to do reasonably tight corners at speed, much faster than any of my other rigs.
I only got to full throttle once and then only for a few seconds. Fairly certain the front tires reared up and ballooned. Oh, the glorious beauty! The HW motor just screams! Definitely need a long straightaway to run at full speed. A city block is not enough, Lol! I might even consider getting some 2S batteries, which would be a first for me.
Only carnage was the paint on the top, which is already starting to chip. At least it’s an easy part to re-make and I have more Lexan on hand so no troubles there. Bummer to re-learn that Tamiya TS paint is not for Lexan, :shock:!
Absolutely fantastic and more than I was expecting. The RR is a sweet rig and perfect for this kind of high speed bashing. So excited I was able to get one of the kits and that it’s turned out like this!
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I only got to full throttle once and then only for a few seconds. Fairly certain the front tires reared up and ballooned. Oh, the glorious beauty! The HW motor just screams! Definitely need a long straightaway to run at full speed. A city block is not enough, Lol! I might even consider getting some 2S batteries, which would be a first for me.
Only carnage was the paint on the top, which is already starting to chip. At least it’s an easy part to re-make and I have more Lexan on hand so no troubles there. Bummer to re-learn that Tamiya TS paint is not for Lexan, :shock:!
Absolutely fantastic and more than I was expecting. The RR is a sweet rig and perfect for this kind of high speed bashing. So excited I was able to get one of the kits and that it’s turned out like this!
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Finally found the time to tune the springs on the front PowerStrokes. Here’s the stock setup - the A-arms are almost horizontal and the primary springs are fully compressed - not the best setup!
Thanks again to mass-hole for pointing this out in post 62. Check out his build thread here: http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/losi-rock-rey/607019-mass-holes-rock-rey-build-thread.html
I started with the Proline spring assortment kit
I tried two setups: red primary and secondary and red primaries + the stock yellow secondaries. The suspension was a too bouncy with the red springs in both positions. Could probably improve this with thicker oil? Not sure and I’ll need to get some to give it a try. For now, I’m going with red primaries and stock yellow secondaries. I also adjusted the preload. I wanted to try linger rod ends, but then realized that all of my stock is for larger OD rods. Awesome preparation, Lol!
Here’s how it looks now. Can’t wait to give it a try!
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Thanks again to mass-hole for pointing this out in post 62. Check out his build thread here: http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/losi-rock-rey/607019-mass-holes-rock-rey-build-thread.html
I started with the Proline spring assortment kit
I tried two setups: red primary and secondary and red primaries + the stock yellow secondaries. The suspension was a too bouncy with the red springs in both positions. Could probably improve this with thicker oil? Not sure and I’ll need to get some to give it a try. For now, I’m going with red primaries and stock yellow secondaries. I also adjusted the preload. I wanted to try linger rod ends, but then realized that all of my stock is for larger OD rods. Awesome preparation, Lol!
Here’s how it looks now. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Finally found the time to tune the springs on the front PowerStrokes. Here’s the stock setup - the A-arms are almost horizontal and the primary springs are fully compressed - not the best setup!
Thanks again to mass-hole for pointing this out in post 62. Check out his build thread here: http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/losi-rock-rey/607019-mass-holes-rock-rey-build-thread.html
I started with the Proline spring assortment kit
I tried two setups: red primary and secondary and red primaries + the stock yellow secondaries. The suspension was a too bouncy with the red springs in both positions. Could probably improve this with thicker oil? Not sure and I’ll need to get some to give it a try. For now, I’m going with red primaries and stock yellow secondaries. I also adjusted the preload. I wanted to try linger rod ends, but then realized that all of my stock is for larger OD rods. Awesome preparation, Lol!
Here’s how it looks now. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Reds are the only way i can get the primary to not be fully compressed just sitting. It takes too much preload of the springs for the lighter primaries to be able to deal with it.
Also, The lighter the secondary spring you run, the more travel you get from the primary since the secondary will take more of the compression.
This came to me when I was tuning the Gmade dual-stage shocks on my Bomber. I "inverted" the progressivity of the shocks so the higher spring rate activated as more of a bump stop.
Nice, thank you! It’s interesting how long it takes for all of this to be intuitive, Lol!
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It’s hard to believe how much has happened since I first built the Rock Rey. I’ve been sitting on a few upgrades and finally found the time to put them on the truck.
The first one is more of a fix than an upgrade. Sadly the motor wires I installed in the first round were too short, which meant they were under constant stress from the interior / drivers. One of the connections got flakey, the motor would randomly cut out, and I thought the motor / ESC had died in some terrible way. But no, just builder incompetence. You can probably see this problem looming on the horizon in the build pictures I posted at the time. I’d look back, but the shame is too much for me.
So here’s the first upgrade. Boom, suitably long motor wires! Don’t worry about the sensor wire, it lays down nicely when the interior is installed. I’ll add some wire ties. Drives like new. Huge performance gain, lol!
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The first one is more of a fix than an upgrade. Sadly the motor wires I installed in the first round were too short, which meant they were under constant stress from the interior / drivers. One of the connections got flakey, the motor would randomly cut out, and I thought the motor / ESC had died in some terrible way. But no, just builder incompetence. You can probably see this problem looming on the horizon in the build pictures I posted at the time. I’d look back, but the shame is too much for me.
So here’s the first upgrade. Boom, suitably long motor wires! Don’t worry about the sensor wire, it lays down nicely when the interior is installed. I’ll add some wire ties. Drives like new. Huge performance gain, lol!
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The second update is more legit in the sense that it’s actually an update - Hot Racing aluminum and carbon fiber rear shock towers!
https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/hotlrr30g06.htm
I wanted something stronger than the stock plastic parts and I’ve had good luck with other Hot Racing upgrades for the Rock Rey. The shock towers are a little pricey, but I got them on sale.
I should have taken an un-packaging photo, but major fail, I forgot to do it. So here they are installed on the truck. It’s the first time I’ve had carbon fiber anything. They’re sweet parts and look awesome installed. Can’t wait to see how they perform!
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https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/hotlrr30g06.htm
I wanted something stronger than the stock plastic parts and I’ve had good luck with other Hot Racing upgrades for the Rock Rey. The shock towers are a little pricey, but I got them on sale.
I should have taken an un-packaging photo, but major fail, I forgot to do it. So here they are installed on the truck. It’s the first time I’ve had carbon fiber anything. They’re sweet parts and look awesome installed. Can’t wait to see how they perform!
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Cyclist
Pebble Pounder
I have those same towers and they have held up well to my bad driving lol. I need to get my Rock Rey out in the dirt again, as I've been more into crawlers the past few months. I break less stuff that way lol.
Great to hear! It’s all about having fun, right? Crawlers are awesome and I agree it’s a great way to reduce breakage. The Rock Rey is a sweet truck - shocking at full speed, lol!
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This next one was a little more involved. I’ve never been a fan of the grey plastic for the kit cage and wanted to switch in black parts from the beginning. Happily the RTR cage parts (in black) are inexpensive. I’ve had them for a while and finally got them all assembled and on the truck. I’m keeping the grey parts for spares.
Here’s the black cage mounted on the truck. I really like the way it looks, although the grey parts work just fine so it’s purely for appearances, lol!
I also made a bracket for a rear Gearhead KOH light bar.
https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/gea1190.htm
The bracket is 0.06” Styrene (from the same sheet I used to make the ESC shelf) combined with the mounting brackets from a Yeah Racing shackle kit. The Yeah Racing mounts are perfect for the light bar and made mounting it up easy.
https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/yea-ya-0378.htm
It’s not the greatest fabrication work ever, but is solid enough for now I’m getting some black hardware to complete it. I’d like to make brackets and so on out of aluminum but don’t have the right tools. Always hope for the future, lol! I’m happy with how this turned out. Can’t wait to see the lights powered up!
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Here’s the black cage mounted on the truck. I really like the way it looks, although the grey parts work just fine so it’s purely for appearances, lol!
I also made a bracket for a rear Gearhead KOH light bar.
https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/gea1190.htm
The bracket is 0.06” Styrene (from the same sheet I used to make the ESC shelf) combined with the mounting brackets from a Yeah Racing shackle kit. The Yeah Racing mounts are perfect for the light bar and made mounting it up easy.
https://www.rpphobby.com/product_p/yea-ya-0378.htm
It’s not the greatest fabrication work ever, but is solid enough for now I’m getting some black hardware to complete it. I’d like to make brackets and so on out of aluminum but don’t have the right tools. Always hope for the future, lol! I’m happy with how this turned out. Can’t wait to see the lights powered up!
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The next update is the front turnbuckles. I’ve wanted to try the Vanquish custom build 3/16” titanium links for a while and it looks like they must be phasing them out. Or so it seems from the random lengths still for sale; looks like they’re clearing out stock rather than something more deliberate.
Finding which ones might work was a total easter egg hunt. Sometimes I dream about as-yet-unavailable and magic RC part databases where descriptions are complete, lengths and compatibility are listed, and it’s possible to avoid guessing. Maybe some day ... relevant details are often “feats of strength” for only the most determined, lol. Or maybe it’s just another way to burn hours on RC cars.
Anyway, back in the world as it is today, Amain has a chart that shows the link lengths with Revo rod ends, but doesn’t have any links in stock
https://www.amainhobbies.com/vanqui...-16-link-shaft-65mm-vps03922/p708403?v=706498
whereas Vanquish has links, but doesn’t provide any information (that I could find) that might tell you which length to use
https://www.vanquishproducts.com/titanium-links-1/
I’m also perpetually confused by rod and turnbuckle lengths that are the shaft alone whereas the bottom line dimension that matters is the eye-to-eye length with rods ends attached. I’m sure there’s an Excel spreadsheet somewhere.
Luckily for Rock Rey enthusiasts, the 60 mm Vanquish shafts that are still in stock + the Revo rod ends listed on Amain are a good match to the camber links. No more turnbuckle action with a fixed link, but it’s an infrequent adjustment and doesn’t need to be super convenient.
My second insight was that Traxxas 3738a turnbuckles are a decent match to the steering links (but not really, see below).
https://m.traxxas.com/products/parts/3738A
I was initially impressed by my seemingly genius find: they’re inexpensive, retain the steering adjustability provided by the kit turnbuckles, and are a sweet blue aluminum. But then ... I put them on the truck and realized they’re a little short and require backing out a decent amount of threads to match the required length. Plus the 3 mm rod may not be up to handling the big Rock Rey tires. So much for that. I left them on for now and may see how they perform.
Here’s the front end with both replacements, crazy NW Washington snow storm in the background (not much compared to other places but never happens here). I also reinstalled the panels. I still need to remake the roof and hood.
There’s probably no way that little blue steering link is strong enough. But no fear! Turns out that Yeti 4 x 60 mm turnbuckles with Traxxas Revo 8647 rod ends should work.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/axial-4x60mm-aluminum-turnbuckle-2-axi31247/p468933
I’m trying this option next anyway. Onward to the next upgrade!
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Finding which ones might work was a total easter egg hunt. Sometimes I dream about as-yet-unavailable and magic RC part databases where descriptions are complete, lengths and compatibility are listed, and it’s possible to avoid guessing. Maybe some day ... relevant details are often “feats of strength” for only the most determined, lol. Or maybe it’s just another way to burn hours on RC cars.
Anyway, back in the world as it is today, Amain has a chart that shows the link lengths with Revo rod ends, but doesn’t have any links in stock
https://www.amainhobbies.com/vanqui...-16-link-shaft-65mm-vps03922/p708403?v=706498
whereas Vanquish has links, but doesn’t provide any information (that I could find) that might tell you which length to use
https://www.vanquishproducts.com/titanium-links-1/
I’m also perpetually confused by rod and turnbuckle lengths that are the shaft alone whereas the bottom line dimension that matters is the eye-to-eye length with rods ends attached. I’m sure there’s an Excel spreadsheet somewhere.
Luckily for Rock Rey enthusiasts, the 60 mm Vanquish shafts that are still in stock + the Revo rod ends listed on Amain are a good match to the camber links. No more turnbuckle action with a fixed link, but it’s an infrequent adjustment and doesn’t need to be super convenient.
My second insight was that Traxxas 3738a turnbuckles are a decent match to the steering links (but not really, see below).
https://m.traxxas.com/products/parts/3738A
I was initially impressed by my seemingly genius find: they’re inexpensive, retain the steering adjustability provided by the kit turnbuckles, and are a sweet blue aluminum. But then ... I put them on the truck and realized they’re a little short and require backing out a decent amount of threads to match the required length. Plus the 3 mm rod may not be up to handling the big Rock Rey tires. So much for that. I left them on for now and may see how they perform.
Here’s the front end with both replacements, crazy NW Washington snow storm in the background (not much compared to other places but never happens here). I also reinstalled the panels. I still need to remake the roof and hood.
There’s probably no way that little blue steering link is strong enough. But no fear! Turns out that Yeti 4 x 60 mm turnbuckles with Traxxas Revo 8647 rod ends should work.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/axial-4x60mm-aluminum-turnbuckle-2-axi31247/p468933
I’m trying this option next anyway. Onward to the next upgrade!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Sadly I was completely wrong about the Traxxas 8647 rod ends + Yeti 4 x 60 mm turnbuckles being the right length. The two together were way too short, like not even close. Not sure what I was thinking. So much for brilliant insight, lol.
But thankfully pairing the Yeti turnbuckles with the stock Losi rod ends is the perfect length. Here’s this combo next to the Traxxas blue aluminum turnbuckles.
You might ask what I’ve gained since the turnbuckles are 4 mm in both cases. Maybe nothing. But i like the dull finish for the Yeti turnbuckles better. And the center hole through the Yeti turnbuckle (although a cool feature) always looked like a weak spot to me. So maybe it’s stronger also hard to say, lol.
Anyway, here’s how it looks on the truck. I’m happy with it overall.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
But thankfully pairing the Yeti turnbuckles with the stock Losi rod ends is the perfect length. Here’s this combo next to the Traxxas blue aluminum turnbuckles.
You might ask what I’ve gained since the turnbuckles are 4 mm in both cases. Maybe nothing. But i like the dull finish for the Yeti turnbuckles better. And the center hole through the Yeti turnbuckle (although a cool feature) always looked like a weak spot to me. So maybe it’s stronger also hard to say, lol.
Anyway, here’s how it looks on the truck. I’m happy with it overall.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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