Tommy's Big Willy

[Tommy R]

Hey folks,

After all the stress of building/prepping a competition oriented scaler (Big Oly) for the Montana Scale Nationals and for TTC, I decided to venture into a new and very laid back RC adventure. After seeing all the great scale videos of guys running GI Joe 1/6 scale Willys, I thought it'd be a great idea to build one up. So I started looking for just a body and ended up picking up a partially completed project that came with a lot of the goodies I wanted.

The plan is to build a civilian style Willys with some reasonable detail and just have fun with it. Here's a list of some of the parts I have:

-2001 Hasbro GI Joe '41 Willys
-Wheely King axles with aluminum goodies and CVDs
-RC4WD Disruptor t-case
-Axial trans
-55t motor

Not sure if I'll stick with the 55t motor, though. This thing has two gear reductions and I think the speed of a 35t may be better. But above all, this will be a realistic crawler so it won't have crazy wheelspeed. I have some 2.2 Delrin CAC wheels, but those may change depending on the style I want for this rig. For now, it'll get a Hitec 7950 steering servo, but if/when I build a new Class 3 rig, the Jeep may have to trade down for something cheaper. ;-) Driveshafts will be all metal, a BEC will power the steering, and either a Sidewinder or a Mamba Max Pro will handle 3s power delivery. I understand the Axial axle internals fit in a WK axle and if so, I think I may overdrive the front axle. Not sure if I'd want to underdrive the rear, too, but maybe.

Anyway, enough yapping. Here's some pics.... :mrgreen:

This thing has great detail!

Here you can see the nicely upgraded WK axles and where the Disruptor t-case is located.

Under the hood has plenty of room for all the electronics.

First thing I'll work on is to get the suspension sorted out since it has a lot of bind and axle swing currently. Then I'll start working on the cage work, electronics, paint, etc. Should be a fun build! :mrgreen:

 

[ecoli]

They all start out as simple builds Tommy ;-)! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this one.

 

[justinart24]

Damn Tommy that body is sick! Cant wait to see what ya do to this.

 

[BigSki]

"thumbsup". I have more FUN with my Jeep than anything else I've built, they draw a lot of attention, they are easy to drive, the suspensions work very realistically once you get the springs dialed in. Wait until you get to go trail riding with someone else who has one of these Jeeps, it's a total blast!

 

[KMS]

"thumbsup". I have more FUN with my Jeep than anything else I've built, they draw a lot of attention, they are easy to drive, the suspensions work very realistically once you get the springs dialed in. Wait until you get to go trail riding with someone else who has one of these Jeeps, it's a total blast!

How about some tips on dialing in them springs ,,,Looking for all the help I can get ,,,

 

[YJesse]

These Jeep builds never get old. I'm running a 35t in mine and the speed seems just right.

 

[Tommy R]

They all start out as simple builds Tommy ;-)! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this one.

Damn Tommy that body is sick! Cant wait to see what ya do to this.

Wow, I didn't realize there'd be so much interest in my Willy! :lmao: Thanks, y'all. I think this'll be a fun build. I'm not really planning on anything radical, though. Just a fun, reliable, realistic crawler with no intent for it to ever compete. No stress, baby! 8) And hopefully it won't need any expensive parts, either! :shock:

"thumbsup". I have more FUN with my Jeep than anything else I've built, they draw a lot of attention, they are easy to drive, the suspensions work very realistically once you get the springs dialed in. Wait until you get to go trail riding with someone else who has one of these Jeeps, it's a total blast!

I first really got interested in these in Feb. when Cory (Stang Killa SS) brought his out to a GTG. They just look like too much fun!

How about some tips on dialing in them springs ,,,Looking for all the help I can get ,,,

I suspect this thing will need some fairly stiff springs and a fairly low ride height to perform well due to all the weight. Definitely planning on some very high weight shock oil!

These Jeep builds never get old. I'm running a 35t in mine and the speed seems just right.

Thanks for the info! Glad to hear a 35t should work out nicely. "thumbsup"

I'm up in the air about tires for this rig. I've got these RC4WD Mickeys, but at 5.75" tall, I think they're just too large for this rig unless I decide to comp cut it. And right now, I really don't think I want to do that. I've got some 2.2 Swampers I'm no longer using, but they're wider than I'd prefer for this rig. I still think they may be the better choice, though.

I'm also thinking about what wheels to run. I've got the Delrin CACs pictured above, but here's a few others I'm considering.

 

[Tommy R]

One thing I didn't initially realize is that the trans will need to be flipped around so the motor is on the passenger side. This needs to happen so the steering servo can be on the left side. This ain't no British Jeep. :ror: Today I'm working on cleaning up my office from the thrash to get ready for MSD, but hopefully I'll get it cleaned enough where I can start working on this thing today. Haven't looked forward to a build like this in a long time! :mrgreen:

 

[BigSki]

How about some tips on dialing in them springs ,,,Looking for all the help I can get ,,,

I use stock length SCX-10 shocks on my Jeep with the super firm main spring and the firm tender (small) spring. My Jeep weighs in at 15 lbs so those springs work very well for me, you might have to play with different springs to get yours dialed in but that's the beauty of using the SCX-10 shocks, there's plenty of different spring rates available.

 

[KMS]

I use stock length SCX-10 shocks on my Jeep with the super firm main spring and the firm tender (small) spring. My Jeep weighs in at 15 lbs so those springs work very well for me, you might have to play with different springs to get yours dialed in but that's the beauty of using the SCX-10 shocks, there's plenty of different spring rates available.

Thank you BigSki,,,Looks like I will be shoping for more spring already have the shocks ,,My mains are green & blue the shorts are red ,35 wt oil
Thanks again ,,KMS

 

[STANG KILLA SS]

nice! been waiting for ya to post this. im anxious to see your take on the civilian version.
the biggest thing to these jeeps in my opinion when it comes to realism is wheel and tire choice. and how tucked you can keep them too.

 

[Tommy R]

nice! been waiting for ya to post this. im anxious to see your take on the civilian version.
the biggest thing to these jeeps in my opinion when it comes to realism is wheel and tire choice. and how tucked you can keep them too.

Well, I'm going civilian, but certainly not stock. I'd like to replicate a moderately built rig on 33s and half ton axles. So they won't tuck entirely, but there should definitely be more tire under the fenders than sticking out. At least that's my plan! :ror:

 

[STANG KILLA SS]

o gotcha. well that will certiainly open up your options
it will be cool

 

[ZoSo]

nice build....rok lox.... work great on these rigs
SCX10 shocks are a perfect fit...with all the adjustments
be careful trying to get too much wheel speed...they do weight over
10 pounds and besides tearing it's self apart, they can over-heat
....cut a hole in the radiator and install an electric fan "thumbsup"

 

[Tommy R]

Rok Locs definitely look great on these, but I already have two other sets of tires so I'm not sure yet what I'll end up with. But have no fear about this thing being a speed demon! I'm sure the multiple gear reductions will slow down that 35t motor plenty. Well, I hope so anyway! :ror:

 

[reddevildemo]

Looking forward to another one of these.

I had the Roklox on mine and switched over to the Super Swamper's. I like the look of the swamper's better myself. I was shooting for the same as you and have about 1/3 tire sticking out of the fenders. I do wish someone would come out with a nice 1/6th scale tire and rim though....not much for scale selection out there.

I can't help with your electronics, I run something entirely different in mine.

 

[Tommy R]

I appreciate all the comments and input! Most of y'all have been very inspirational in my decision to build one of these things. "thumbsup"

Looking forward to another one of these.

I had the Roklox on mine and switched over to the Super Swamper's. I like the look of the swamper's better myself. I was shooting for the same as you and have about 1/3 tire sticking out of the fenders. I do wish someone would come out with a nice 1/6th scale tire and rim though....not much for scale selection out there.

I can't help with your electronics, I run something entirely different in mine.

I read through your build thread, but I guess I missed it. What kind of electronics are you running?

 

[reddevildemo]

HH 7T Puller
RC4WD Disruptor Planetary
RC4WD T1 Disruptor Transfer case
HH Torquemaster BR-XL ESC

 

[Tommy R]

HH 7T Puller
RC4WD Disruptor Planetary
RC4WD T1 Disruptor Transfer case
HH Torquemaster BR-XL ESC

Very interesting! Does that tranny hold up to the 7t puller pretty well? I had all kinds of heating issues with my HH 10t/BR-XL. Maybe it was just a bad motor, though. Given the tight confines under the hood of this one, I'm thinking I'll play it safe and stick to a plain ol' 540 can. :ror:

 

[BigSki]

Very interesting! Does that tranny hold up to the 7t puller pretty well? I had all kinds of heating issues with my HH 10t/BR-XL. Maybe it was just a bad motor, though. Given the tight confines under the hood of this one, I'm thinking I'll play it safe and stick to a plain ol' 540 can. :ror:

You will be surprised how hot a 540 will get, mine has sent the ESC (Tekin FSR) into thermal shutdown a few times. I'm now looking at a 730 can motor and a drill motor transmission to power my next Jeep.