What could be the best mods for off-road bashing?

[agus97v]

Hi all!
Around mid-september in this year I bought a used TH. It's in generally good conditions but I kinda got ripped off with the price as there were some points I didn't consider. The servo is about to die. The ESC is a chines no-name. And I think the motor is about to die too. Also, who sold it to me changed the stock beadlock tires to some 2.2 glued tires that came with a Hobao DC1 and I didn't realize it until it was too late. Apart from that, the body and chassis are in excellent conditions.
I'm not a fan of slow crawling except the occasional rock climbing so I'm looking to give this rig a little more speed. I have a friend that has a 1/10 Yeti and I love how it performs. I would have bought that one but money is kinda an issue.
The first thing I want to address is handling and roll-over.

• Custom sway-bar made from some thick wire (would it compromise the independent suspension?)
• Battery inside cockpit to improve CG position (I have a large 2S 5000mAh batt)
• Custom rear truss

I also have brushless motor coming in that was intended for a buggy but I think I'll put it in the TH.

Do you know of any other mod I could do?
Preferably custom mods that I can do on my own as where I live (Argentina) getting parts is impossible and buying them from outside is a real PITA.
I have a 3D printer and limited design skills so I can use that to build stuff

Picture of my TH to attract attention with custom 3d printed panels:

 

[wblteen]

Let's see if I can remember everything.

I used 10mm spacers and longer screws to raise the rear truss. Much cheaper than any aluminum option.
A lot of people switched over to yeti rear links to extend the rear out.
If you ditch the cantilevers and go upright shocks you can mount the battery under the hood depending on its size.
A lot of people have put the battery on the tray under the driver behind the servo, depending on size.
Shapeways has some good parts. Scorched makes a new servo mount/bellcrank/upright shock part. Also gives you more room for a battery on the tray.
At one time GCM made a front plate for upright shocks. Very nice part. Also give you options for bellcrank steering instead of the sliding rod.
I know I'm forgetting a lot

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[agus97v]

Let's see if I can remember everything.

I used 10mm spacers and longer screws to raise the rear truss. Much cheaper than any aluminum option.
A lot of people switched over to yeti rear links to extend the rear out.
If you ditch the cantilevers and go upright shocks you can mount the battery under the hood depending on its size.
A lot of people have put the battery on the tray under the driver behind the servo, depending on size.
Shapeways has some good parts. Scorched makes a new servo mount/bellcrank/upright shock part. Also gives you more room for a battery on the tray.
At one time GCM made a front plate for upright shocks. Very nice part. Also give you options for bellcrank steering instead of the sliding rod.
I know I'm forgetting a lot

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Seeing that bellcrank steering is a must, I'll see if I can design some parts on my own as buying from Shapeways or any other online store that has "weird" parts like this one is too expensive where I live. Regarding the Yeti links I'll see if I can borrow my friend's Yeti and do some experiments .
Thanks for the reply wblteen!

 

[meatmonkey]

Good luck fitting that 5000mah pack.

All that the twin really needs is a bellcrank steering conversion. Of, and make sure the front diff isn't locked to ensure reliable operation at speed.

 

[wblteen]

Good luck fitting that 5000mah pack.

All that the twin really needs is a bellcrank steering conversion. Of, and make sure the front diff isn't locked to ensure reliable operation at speed.

I "locked" mine with silly putty. I most trailed/crawled with it. Was enough to keep it locked until bound up then it would give enough to not break a CV.

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[smog]

Best mod is indeed bellcrank steering. Second best mod is sensored power.

 

[Jim85IROC]

Since you have a 3D printer, you can download my new front bulkhead design that fixes a lot of the issues associated with the Twin Hammer design. It converts to stand-up shocks, bell-crank steering, and provides a battery tray that can fit a much larger battery, including 5000+mah shorty packs. If you print in ABS or PETG, it should be reliable enough for bashing. My daughter managed to pop both axles on my Clone Hammers without breaking any of my parts printed in PLA.

This design was made for and used on the Polaris-Razor styled 10428 truck, so I'm not sure what modifications may be necessary to accomodate the TH body, but I do know of a couple guys that made it work on their 10428s that use the TH body. I think they just had to space out the shock towers a bit.

Here's a link to my thread, which in turn has links to all of the youtube videos and my STLs on Thingiverse:
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/vaterra-twin-hammers/595073-wltoys-clone-hammers-budget-build.html

 

[agus97v]

Good luck fitting that 5000mah pack.

All that the twin really needs is a bellcrank steering conversion. Of, and make sure the front diff isn't locked to ensure reliable operation at speed.

The 5000mAh sits weirdly in the back. I had to take out the spare wheel to fit it. I've already cut a sheet of metal from a diskette reader I found and I'll drill some holes to put it where the driver is. That way I can attach the battery there and at least move the CG a bit.

Regarding the bellcrank steering I began designing some stuff to see if I can convert it.

 

[agus97v]

Since you have a 3D printer, you can download my new front bulkhead design that fixes a lot of the issues associated with the Twin Hammer design. It converts to stand-up shocks, bell-crank steering, and provides a battery tray that can fit a much larger battery, including 5000+mah shorty packs. If you print in ABS or PETG, it should be reliable enough for bashing. My daughter managed to pop both axles on my Clone Hammers without breaking any of my parts printed in PLA.

This design was made for and used on the Polaris-Razor styled 10428 truck, so I'm not sure what modifications may be necessary to accomodate the TH body, but I do know of a couple guys that made it work on their 10428s that use the TH body. I think they just had to space out the shock towers a bit.

Here's a link to my thread, which in turn has links to all of the youtube videos and my STLs on Thingiverse:
http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/vaterra-twin-hammers/595073-wltoys-clone-hammers-budget-build.html

Wow nice!! I began reading your thread and I'll probably get some nice ideas from it. Thanks Jim!!

PD: I'll soon post a link to a Thingiverse thing where I'll upload the side panels and roof I designed for the TH, if anyone wants to print it. (there isn't a thread already for resources, right?)