Wraith 1.9 Build: rear bumper and other mods

[HumboldtEF]

So this will be sort of a build thread for my Wraith 1.9. I've been wanting one of these since it came out and finally had justification to grab one on my birthday.

I wasted no time yanking out the RTR electronics, links and tires. I threw in a HH crawlmaster 13t, Torquemaster ESC and 4.19" tires all of which i had laying around. I did pick up a set of high clearance links from Samix which I sanded extensively to remove their silly markings which i think are laser etched, seriously WTF? I also grabbed a set of Enduro shocks because the provided shocks are the good ole garbage grade Axial shocks.

I also grabbed the BP custom chassis brace with bumper support. Great fit and it really makes a solid mount for the panhard (since its now metal). It should prevent any breakages up front. I do think my rig did get the updated design that adds a little bit more structure to the weak points of the cage.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/bp-custom-wraith-1.9-chassis-brace-w-bumper-support-bpc-wpbm/p980411

The first mod I did was to trim the bottom edge of the body (below the doors). The body hangs below the cage so when you slide up against something its snagging the lexan instead of sliding on the cage. Now it slides on the cage making a less cringe worthy sound and sliding much better lol.

Trimming 5mm or so makes it so the body stops at the mid point of the cage at the bottom.

One area I didn't expect to be an issue was the rear of the body. The body is not mounted at all in the rear and the cage does not protect it from snagging rocks at all.
So I worked up a rear bumper that uses the sway bar mount points. I tried to make it as low profile as possible.

it only protrudes about 2mm past the body

mount points

This is the 1st prototype, I'm just trying to show the body mount points I integrated. I still need to locate exactly where to punch these holes so I can mount the body in the rear.

I need to fine tune the spacing on the body mount tonight but I plan to share the rear bumper on Thingiverse so anyone can print their own if they want.


I tried to lower it by using the (lower) link mount holes but after looking it over the skid just sat too low and the links were angled upwards (from skid to axle) at ride height. Ideally I want them angled the other way or level at least. So I put it back to stock.

I tried some 4.75" tires but this rig is so much better suited to a 4.19" or smaller. The 4.75"ers rubbed so bad on the bumper it was stalling the motor.
One of my favorite parts of this rig is the body and I have no intention of cutting the fenders up for big tires.

Right now i'm running some 4.19" Landmines which hook up very nicely. I also tried out some 4.19" Proline KM3's which worked good too but they definitely had less grip.

 

[HumboldtEF]

The rear bumper is up on Thingiverse now: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4859106

EDIT: I've printed this using PETG with 5 perimeters and 15% infill, this makes it solid in most areas of the print.

This also requires a few screws, four M3x 10 or 12 for mounting the bumper. The provided screws for the sway bar bracket might work but I didn't check before I stowed away those screws.
To mount the body requires two M2.5x6 or longer.

It might be possible to incorporate the sway bar holes but since I'm not using one I opted for more strength, I think including the holes would compromise the strength a bit.

 

[HumboldtEF]

I just went through mounting the body to the rear bumper, here's how i did it.


First I visually centered the body on the bumper and taped the body to the bumper to keep it in place.

I made it so you can access these holes from the back and slide in a drill bit or something small and pointy. I had a sort of dental pick, I think its actually a tool for jewelry making.

Slide whatever tool you have in from the back and press it into the lexan while supporting it with your finger or something safer if you're concerned about stabbing yourself. This should leave you with a little dimple in the lexan.

I took an additional step and measured how high the mount was from the top of the bumper with calipers. Turned out my marks were about a half millimeter low so using my caliper and the original marks I put a new dimple in it (from the outside). If your holes are off you could also just slot the hole a bit as the head of the screw should hide this slot.

Then I drilled the holes out with a 2.5mm bit and used two M2.5x6 screws.

 

[grob23]

I've been looking for ways to make the Wraith 1.9 more enjoyable to drive, and there were 2 areas of concern (for me)

First being the sides of the body get snagged way too easy, and the second is the rear of the body makes a hideous noise and visibly flops around in stock form

You sir, are a genius! Thank you for posting solutions to 2 things I have been wondering about for almost a year now"thumbsup"

I unfortunately don't have a 3D Printer (any chance you'd print and ship me one? For a price of course...) Gives me some ideas tho!

Also, with that chassis brace, are you able to still use the RX Box and keep the "engine bay" area looking stock?

 

[kincer]

If you want to negotiate any kind of sales you need to PM him, he's not a vendor and that's frowned on in the forums. Just a heads up to keep anyone from getting an infraction. Speaking from experience lol. I am planning on messaging him as well.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

 

[HumboldtEF]

I've been looking for ways to make the Wraith 1.9 more enjoyable to drive, and there were 2 areas of concern (for me)

First being the sides of the body get snagged way too easy, and the second is the rear of the body makes a hideous noise and visibly flops around in stock form

You sir, are a genius! Thank you for posting solutions to 2 things I have been wondering about for almost a year now"thumbsup"

I unfortunately don't have a 3D Printer (any chance you'd print and ship me one? For a price of course...) Gives me some ideas tho!

Also, with that chassis brace, are you able to still use the RX Box and keep the "engine bay" area looking stock?

Thats great! I was hoping this could be useful to someone "thumbsup"


I sent you a PM


The chassis brace is pretty well hidden when you open the hood and look from above. It mounts to the bottom of the cage.

you can see the brace in a few spots though

If you want to negotiate any kind of sales you need to PM him, he's not a vendor and that's frowned on in the forums. Just a heads up to keep anyone from getting an infraction. Speaking from experience lol. I am planning on messaging him as well.

Sent from my SM-N981U using Tapatalk

Thanks Kincer

 

[grob23]

Just a heads up to keep anyone from getting an infraction.

Thanks for the heads up! Even as a long time member I often do questionable things due to lack of knowledge/experience

The chassis brace is pretty well hidden when you open the hood and look from above. It mounts to the bottom of the cage.

Thanks for the pictures! I'll certainly be looking into this part as well"thumbsup"

 

[Ballistic17]

That's a great idea on the body sides and the rear bumper. Will be doing that stuff for my boy's. "thumbsup"

 

[soze]

I have kicked the can back and forth on picking up one of these ever since it was released. I've recently become more interested in the scale type rigs, but I'd still consider picking this up if it's worth it.

Let me know what you think of how it wheels!

 

[beardsnbeerz]

I have one. Out of the box sucks, prepare to put some money into it to get it where you want. They are fun though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HumboldtEF]

The BP Customs chassis brace blocks access to the screws holding the receiver box lid on so I made up an easy access lid that can be unscrewed from above. Otherwise the brace needs to be taken loose just to get into the receiver box, its a bit of a chore.

If you want to print your own the design is up on Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5235983

Theres an insert that goes in the box and is fastened from below and this provides mount point for the lid to screw on from above.

Requires some additional M3 screws: 4x M3 x 14mm buttonheads for the lid and 4 M3 x 8mm flat head screws

 

[Cookee]

I too have been kicking the idea around about getting one of these for a while and after watching KOH all week I really want to pull the trigger so I've been doing a bit of research and reading on what some of the issues people are having with them. Thanks for your time and effort into making these parts and sharing them with us. I know it will be a money pit but aren't they all by the time we're done? lol

 

[HumboldtEF]

Yeah the fact that theres only an RTR held me back for a long time. It would be nice if they did a revision to the RTR giving it at the very least their newest shock design which is much improved over the old design, oh yeah and universals and metal links if they're really feeling charitable.

I'll just throw this out there, 4.75" tall tires are just too big for this thing. They end up rubbing the body a ton and the front bumper grabs the tire and the stalls the motor.
4.19" seems to be the sweet spot for tire size.

 

[SCX10 JK]

Yeah the fact that theres only an RTR held me back for a long time. It would be nice if they did a revision to the RTR giving it at the very least their newest shock design which is much improved over the old design, oh yeah and universals and metal links if they're really feeling charitable.

I'll just throw this out there, 4.75" tall tires are just too big for this thing. They end up rubbing the body a ton and the front bumper grabs the tire and the stalls the motor.
4.19" seems to be the sweet spot for tire size.

Yeah those tires look nice but really are too large. For kicks I tossed a set of stock scx10.3 tires on and wow they were huge.

On the shock note I agree those old shocks need to go do they work yes but seriously they could have upgraded that at least. Got a set of Capra shocks coming in tomorrow for mine. I may need to limit them a hair but still should be loads better than the stock ones.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

 

[xkill]

I just went through mounting the body to the rear bumper, here's how i did it.


First I visually centered the body on the bumper and taped the body to the bumper to keep it in place.

I made it so you can access these holes from the back and slide in a drill bit or something small and pointy. I had a sort of dental pick, I think its actually a tool for jewelry making.

Slide whatever tool you have in from the back and press it into the lexan while supporting it with your finger or something safer if you're concerned about stabbing yourself. This should leave you with a little dimple in the lexan.

I took an additional step and measured how high the mount was from the top of the bumper with calipers. Turned out my marks were about a half millimeter low so using my caliper and the original marks I put a new dimple in it (from the outside). If your holes are off you could also just slot the hole a bit as the head of the screw should hide this slot.

Then I drilled the holes out with a 2.5mm bit and used two M2.5x6 screws.

Thanks a lot!
That rear bumper is a perfect fit!!
Great part