Wrangler TJ Locked & Loaded 1:1 (Build)

[Yeti.stealth]

im running the same motor now too, havnt got much run time on it but im sure it will be good.

after seeing Natedogs K10 with big block brushed motor and 3S shorty pack etc I reckon his truck and yours are gunna rock!

now im starting to feel the need for speed!

 

[Shinchu]

haha! ask me about finding a certain wheel...

i found a set i need for my tribute build, but i don't think i can afford what a brand new set of no longer produced, custom machined 1.55 will cost. guy told me what he paid when they were still in production. i have to assume he wants more. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

so yeah... i know how you feel.

and that's a nice haul you got there!!! you are certainly off to a great start!

 

[Browneye]

Well, I almost screwed up on the wheels - they looked like what I wanted, but after I got my order confirmation and read the description with 'silver matte finish' I went WTF!! No, I want polished alloy. I quick contacted the ebay seller and sure enough, they have the right ones, so they changed my order for me. Whoot!

Pretty sure I'll order those PB Braven Ironsides too. I'm tempted to try a cheaper option - RC4WD has some possible ones - but decided to stay with the 'alien komp' as it seem like Pitbull RC knows what they're doing. A lot of knock-off stuff on ebay too - looks good but then you get it and realize you got snookered. And that's why I wanted to ask about the wheels. At least with a US seller they've vetted the product and more sure it's what you expect.

Proline body should be here today. Hopefully I can start this build this weekend. I'm too tired to focus at the end of the day. Getting old is not for whimps. :roll:

Planning to attend the local SORRCA event early January. Don't know if I'll have this one ready or not. If not the K10 can go.


BTW - does anyone know why there are little ferrite chokes on the motor leads on my RTR? And do I need them for the new one? I was trying to find info online but nothing definitive. Is this something Horizon Hobby thought we needed? Does everything have them?

I'm going to go find that 'how to wire it' thread by John Holmes. "thumbsup"

 

[Browneye]

BTW, I was ordering some adapters for EC3 to Deans to XT60 cuz everything is different and I don't want to source and solder new connectors on everything, and the seller I found for them has 3s compact lipos in 1800mah for $21 - so I ordered one. The 3600mah one from Amain was $60, so for a third the price it seemed like a cheap backup to have on standby.

With the adapters I can run my 2s from my other rig now too. I probly need to get another pack for events - not sure if a 4000mah would last through the whole way through. Do most of you have multiple battery packs?

These seemed like a good deal - pack is 90mm long so it fits the Ascender stock battery tray:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Gens-Ace-1...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

 

[Natedog]

Some parts arrived today...reading up on the Hobbywing quicrun 1080 - very cool little piece of tech.

Motor, servo, and a 3600mah 3s shorty. This is a pretty cool little compact battery pack with decent capacity.

Congrats, you'll love the motor, esc and battery! I avoid knock-offs generally, not always what you thought you paid for, but sometimes find a gem. Buya another 3S LIHV pack, charge them at lihv not lipo setting to get the most out of them, they have been great batteries so far, HumboldtEF turned me onto them!
"thumbsup"

im running the same motor now too, havnt got much run time on it but im sure it will be good.

after seeing Natedogs K10 with big block brushed motor and 3S shorty pack etc I reckon his truck and yours are gunna rock!

now im starting to feel the need for speed!

Should be great motor!

Yes!

Do it, buy the LIHV batteries and sell your 2S. 8)

 

[Browneye]

And so it begins...

 

[Browneye]

Gearbox built, driveshafts, motor. Easy-peasy.
I never liked the fake chrome diff-covers so wire brushed them and hit’em with some satin silver.

 

[rockhugger]

Not much to add here other than you're building an awesomè looking rig!!! It will bring you many years of hobbying crawler joy.
I'm late to add input on electronics, but I'm running a 1080 x 21t traxxas Titan 550 can with great satisfaction.

I think the main difference between this type of forum vs maybe the boat forum you referenced, each build thread is a place to express oneself through the art of custom building. In some cases the information can be redundant, but even that serves it's purpose as a way of cementing a certain product as largely preferred over other less desired products on the market. This hobby is unique in that, there's almost too much offered, and a lot if garbage to steer clear of. Yes some questions or posts may trigger a "hey buddy start your own thread" response, in fairness, that thread is the OP's own place of expression.


Your winch rebuild looks awesome!!! Jeep looks great as well. I had a 02' TJ sane color for 10 years. Miss it sometimes.


Looking forward to watching the rest if your build. "thumbsup"

 

[Browneye]

Tinkering a little last night, wanted to see how the body would fit on the Ascender chassis, got it pretty well cut out and just need to file some edges.

Set it on my K10 rig with 290WB, the new build is WB3 or 302mm. Proline says the '09 Wrangler body is for 300mm. I think another approximately 1/2 inch is going to be perfect with the new chassis. The Wrangler body is wide enough with enough width in the fenders that it can ride low over the wheels which makes it look more scale IMO. Fenders cover the tire tread. These are PB RB tires on axial wheels - 4.45" tall.

I'm thinking I'll do two sets of wheels for this rig so I can run either class 1 or 2 at comps. And I haven't even been to one yet. :roll:
So, which sorrca class has more participants? I'm not going to build an interior so the hardbody guys will have a big advantage. For general trail running I would rather run bigger tires anyway. Guess we'll see how it goes.

I was buying some wiring and plugs for the motor to esc and picked up some 'champagne gold' polycarbonate paint - color test here with black backing, and the 'bronze mist' auto paint I had on the shelf. Not sure which one represents the full size best, but leaning to the champagne gold, it's definitely more gold.
Which y'all think? :???:




Body is going to work out great on the new chassis...

 

[Browneye]

Axial has a pretty neat copy of a Poison Spyder rear bumper and spare rack and I was wondering if anyone can tell me how hard it would be to adapt the bumper mount to my Ascender chassis...

 

[Browneye]

Or put another way, are the two chassis widths the same? Anyone have dimensions? I couldn't find them readily in a search.

 

[Itali83]

I don't know if the width is the same but with the axial rear crossmember it should be easy to adapt. I will say this from experience. I had that exact bumper and it looks nice but it very floppy. I had just a plastic 1.9" wheel and tire on it for a spare and every bump it would bounce, hit the body, rattle and just agrivate me to no end. Just giving you a heads up. Not sure what there are for other options pre made but just letting you know.

Ben

 

[Browneye]

I don't know if the width is the same but with the axial rear crossmember it should be easy to adapt. I will say this from experience. I had that exact bumper and it looks nice but it very floppy. I had just a plastic 1.9" wheel and tire on it for a spare and every bump it would bounce, hit the body, rattle and just agrivate me to no end. Just giving you a heads up. Not sure what there are for other options pre made but just letting you know.

Ben

Hmmm...yeah. There are some metal ones out there - aluminum alloy from china. For $25 I may just order one out to see what it's like.

Like this...

 

[Browneye]

Well this week I had set out to find a better match for the paint color than I had - my surplus color and the Tamiya gold were just not close enough and that was bugging the crap out of me.

I stopped by my local auto paint supply house - I've been painting cars and bikes as a hobby for over forty years. With a 2003 Jeep Wrangler paint code they mixed me an exact match in Nason Ful-Base Polyurethane basecoat - a half-pint is $26. OUCH! But it matches exactly. "thumbsup"

I may actually get to some painting this weekend - black fenders and top, tinted windows, and LIGHT KHAKI PEARL METALLIC body color. 8)

 

[Browneye]

Almost a roller...
Last items are the links and shocks and it will be fully assembled.
The parts quality and the way everything fits together is amazing. This is much more satisfying than buying one built. And I get to do my own quality control. "thumbsup"

 

[Browneye]

Well, lookie what showed up in the mail today...

 

[Browneye]

Merry Christmas all you crawler hobbiests - hope your holidays are everything you hope for.


I've been home for the holidays, empty-nesters now - all the grown kids were celebrating with their own families in different cities of the west. So I've made good progress on the build - chassis is done, electroncs installed and dialed in, body is done and ready for paint. I need to mount the rear bumper - the one that comes with the body will work pretty well 'till something custom comes along.

It took a lot of hours - more than I expected. I dropped one of those microscopic circlips for the shock shafts and actually found it on the garage floor after a couple of sessions of searching for it. Drilled one hole out on the shock pistons to 1/16th, and the kit now comes with 25wt oil and that's what I had put in the other kit and liked it so that went in this one. They work very well - you do have to shave the rings off inside the slider ring between the two springs. Once you do that they're really smooth.

I moved the bumper in about 10mm and up about 4 so the bottom of the bumper is now about even with the bottom of the frame tubes. Very good approach and departure with this. The body fits very well, and has just enough clearance on the wheelwells on full compression and full articulation.

I'm a little disappointed in the overall speed - thought 3s would give me a lot more speed, so need recommendation on either 27T motor or a larger pinion with the 35T motor. ESC and radio were easy to install and setup although I fiddled with tuning and setup for several hours learning what everything is and does. The settings for the hobbywing are really great. And I get full lock to lock on steering with the tune-able radio. All works really awesome.

Here are modified front bumper brackets by cutting the webbing out from behind the bumper mounting screws and drill new mounting holes so the bumper sits closer to the frame. Only problem is the wheels rub on full lock and full articulation - not sure If I'll need to trim the bumper or not - will see how it does in the rocks. This rig is at least 2" shorter than the K5 Blazer with a wheelbase that is a half inch shorter.



And completed rig ready for painting...

 

[Browneye]

Oh, and did a wilderness park walk and trail run with the K10 - it's gorgeous here, sunny and about 75.

 

[durok]

Looking good - can't wait to see paint, and it out wheelin'!

 

[Browneye]

Okay, recalibrated it, it runs full speed, it's just not that much faster than 2s. For some better wheel speed and keep the crawler control - 27T or taller gearing?

Adjustable drag brake is nice, it makes it smoother, but it's not THAT much difference - a little bit gimmicky, but it will be better for comp crawling cuz it's so smooth.

So, what say ye?