The r/c addiction continues...

After ordering all the wrong parts and reordering the correct ones I realized that I am a few random pieces and a trasmission away from a custom project I dreamed up last year. RHouse21 of RC Physics had made a video about building an X-O1 out of spare Slash 4x4 parts and it got me thinking (always dangerous and expensive).

I have had greater success in speed running with 2wd than 4wd...so why not make the fastest 2wd X-O1 I can. The chassis parts would cost less than a new slash or Rusty and if successful it would be a unique setup using a reversed Proline HD transmission, rear arms and uprights with the Tekno 6mm axle setup I'm currently assembling. Finally this project would use many of the "wrong parts" I ordered for my Proline Pro2 (Kake) front end rebuild.

The 2wd PL HD Transmission is much more efficient than any 4wd I am aware of. The long wheel base adds to the potential of being a great setup for a custom build with a minimal need for counter weights up front. If nothing else....this could easily become a decient drag car.

The battle continues...axle anxiety - Pro-Line Pro2 SCT (Kake)

Pro-Line Pro2 Speed Run Car (Kake)

I hope this configuration works. I again had to drop some more cash on parts. They should arrive next week, I hate waiting....grrr!!!

Changes so far:

Looking at the condition of my rear hub carriers and front steering blocks I can clearly see the toll speed running (and crashing) has taken on Kake. I always thought that aluminum parts were mostly for show, but in the case of steering parts and rear uprights, they are required. I received the M6 steering blocks from Tekno yesterday, but upon looking at their site FAQ section, i read that the X-01 is "a direct replacement for ours". So X-01 aluminum steering blocks it is! Looking at the Tekno steering blocks I realized that the Pro2 caster blocks will be way too small for the X-01 steering blocks, so now I have the X-01 aluminum caster blocks on order as well.

Current proposed configuration--->

FRONT 8mm Conversion:
Traxxas X-01 Caster Blocks (6832x)
Traxxas X-01 Steering Blocks (6439)
Traxxas X-01 Steering Block Screws (3642x)
Ofna HYPER SSTe Front CVD Stub Axle ***(any 8mm CVD stub axle should work just measure it's length from the inner bearing stop to the hole for the Wheel Hex Hub pin)***
Ofna 17mm Wheel Hex Hubs
Boca 8x15x5mm Ceramic Bearings (SMR158C-2RS)
Boca 8x12x3.5mm Ceramic Bearings (SMR128C-YS)
Various 8mm shims

REAR 6mm Conversion:
Proline Transmission Outdrives (6099-10)
Proline ProMT Alu. Rear Hub Carriers (6264-00)
Tekno 17mm Adapters for M6 Driveshafts (TKR1654-17)
Tekno M6 Driveshafts (TKR2210)
Tekno CV Rebuild Kit (TKR6856)
Boca 10x18x4mm Ceramic Bearings (SMR1018C-2YS)
Boca 6x11x4mm Ceramic Bearings
(SMR116C-2YS)
Various 6mm and 10mm shims

17mm Front axle Conversion 2wd Pro2/Slash/Rustler

So, parts are coming slowly for Kakes 17mm conversion for the front end. I am basically going use the parts made for the 4x4 slash and run the stub axles up front without the rest of the cvd shafts connected. Fortunately the stub axles are included in the Tekno RC 17mm adapter kit, so I didn't have to buy cvds and waste money.

So why would I do this?

The stock slash 2wd and Pro-Line Pro2 run a 5mm front axle which means that to fit 17mm (1/8 scale) wheels you need an a 17mm adapter. All the adapters use a hex nut that fits over the wheel nut threads and yet fits inside the adapter housing. Many of these adapters use a hex nut that end up failing beacuse the they are too weak and thin. In addition this setup sandwiches the adapter to the front bearings to hold it in place and causes the bearings to bind up and wear out quickly. If you spend money on ceramic bearings the last thing you want is to watch them get destroyed after a few runs. So, if you need the front to be as free wheeling as possible (as is the case with max speed running) there needs to be a way to hold 17mm (1/8 scale) front wheels on without inhibiting the front wheel bearings from spinning freely.

On to my ideas to solve the problem. As pictured a Tekno 17mm adapter kit is made for the Slash 4x4 front end and ONLY THE REAR END of the Slash/Rustler 2wd. So you have to get the Tekno front steering blocks made for the Slash 4x4 that has been converted to running a 6mm front cvd axle.

By now you have 6mm stub axle (with 17mm adapter kit) and the steering hubs that they fit into. The next part is to fit them into the caster block. ***( I have not yet confirmed this part of the build)***  If you are running a traxxas front A-arm then the slash aluminum caster blocks seem best, but if you are running the Pro-Line ProTrack A-arms then use the Pro-Line aluminum caster block. The differences will be the width of the caster block attachment point to the front axle. ***(Again, I have not yet conformed this, the caster block might not make a difference, they could be the same width)***

Ugh...so, for now we have our front stub axles, the 17mm hubs and the caster blocks (the steering blocks are on the way) its time to put it together aaaaaaaaaand shit!

The Tekno 6M (6mm) setup is WAY shorter than the stock 5mm axle. Meausred from the innermost bearing to the 17mm wheel hex, they are 29mm (stock) vs. 22mm (tekno) and I'm not sure that the steering block is going to compensate for such a wide disparity. It looks like the M6 steering block does hold the axle further to the outside but I won't know how much until they are delivered. So for now I'm waiting, but my mind is racing. I may be able to change out the 17mm adapter with a longer one from somewhere else or contact Tekno and ask if there is an option that they offer that I missed.

Fun times 😉

Kake Update and Plans

So Kake (Proline Pro-2) has had front end issues since the beginning (mostly from my inability to avoid curbs). First steering, then suspension, now the hubs and the 17mm adapters. The best solution I have thought of is to switch the front to a 17mm hub setup. Fortunately, for me I have found a combination of Proline, Tekno and Boca Bearing parts to make this work.
-The Tekno 17mm adapter set for the 4x4 Slash/Stampede will give the front end a true 17mm steering knuckle, stub axle and hub assembly.
-The Proline Pro2 aluminum front Hub carrier will keep the setup in place.
-The Proline alluminum and carbon fiber steering rack will keep everything steady (be prepared to use shims for final adjustments).
- Boca Bearings were the last piece to the puzzle. Search for the 4-packs on Amazon for a great price in the sizes needed to fit.

Parts are ordered and now I wait... the pics are of the current setup. You can see how bad my AKA adapters are being chewed up (wish Pro-line made a 17mm hub for the Pro-2 buggy). As far as the rest...a cheap $100 TrackStar motor/esc setup is great for 100mph on 4s, and the Proline HD trasmission is handling the gearing surprisingly well. Notice the slipper is gone and the 1:1 gear ratio😉. The aluminum friction plate is there as a spacer for the trasmission top shaft outter bearing.

Proline Pro2 SC and 2wd Slash people

If you are interested in running 17mm hubs on the front of a Proline Pro2 or a Slash 2wd I found a solution to avoiding the adapter problems many of us face. Proline used to offer adapters, but has since discontinued and the offerings from Traxxas, MIP and AKA are all prone to failure because of the hex nut that either snaps or falls out.
*for some reason this seems to happen on the front wheels more often than the back wheels*
You can get the Tekno 17mm 4wd Slash adapter (under $25 at Tower Hobbies) it includes 6mm stub axles and the same setup you get with most 1/8 scale buggies and trucks.
This means (of course) that you will need new bearings that will fit over the 6mm axles and inside the 11mm hub carriers...these are available from Boca Bearings for as little as $3 a piece (search for 6x11 on their website). The cermaic bearings are just under $12 each, but still worth it if you are trying for max speed.

Marley gets a new servo and tires

I'm trying out a set of belted MT tires from Sweep called Terrain Crushers. Also, I had issues with the savox servo drawing too much juice and glitching, so I've switched to much less expensive Tactic TSX57 metal gear digital servo.

New Addition

Just ordered a $51 Mini Crawler from China. (Free shipping). It's called the HBX Devastator and seems like a fun little guy. It's quite a departure from my high-speed stuff, but hopefully I can use to work on my car control and steering skills. Should be a fun little indoor gadget. If it's quiet enough, the kitties should love it.

Making it work...again.

The center cvd's for Marley were about 1mm too long. The solid center spool was about 3mm too long, so I'm making this stuff fit with brute force and an angle grinder!!!

Leftover plastic used for repairs

Used bits of scrap plastic from trimming out my DeltaplastiksUSA bodies to modify and repair my speed run bodies.

Saving small 90° bits came in handy when laying down the rear of Kakes Jaguar body and repairing it after yesterday's flight/crash.

Fun in the yard

After a long day of yard work some deer stopped through to check on my work. A full dozen deer, most of which walked through the area I just planted grass on.

In The Speedrun Lab

Looks like rain tomorrow so I will be spending some time with my little guys.

Kake: working on the camera mount, a transmmission cleaning and power plant check.

Mobius: finish fitting the body over those 1/5 scale GRPs and making a parts list to order.

Marley: checking out the power system, regrease all the diffs and build a better camera platform.

The Lab: convert all my big batteries to Castle 6.5mm and clean up this pig stye 😉

Mobius is getting the big GRPs

While rebuilding Mobius after the crash I decided to put the 1/5 scale GRPs on him for fun. This week I will be trimming the body to accomidate these monsters. I don't expect him to set any records, but hopefully I can make him stable at 100+.

Mobius...full damage report.

After the flight of Mobius, I thought that the rough landing had done little damage. I was wrong. The back of the body cracked, which is no big deal because I'm going to cut it out anyway. The lexan underpan cracked, that sucks but I have another one traced out on fresh lexan. I have found though that one of the rear internal hub grub screws is stuck and a front cvd was pushed in causing the front to lock up...so Mobius will be down for a while with a surprise to come.

Life gets in the way of my persuit of SPEED

Got roped into working on the yard this week so I can't get my little guys out on the road. Next week is expected to be rainy so I'll be confined to working in the Speedrun Lab until the weather breaks.

I killed Deci...again

https://youtu.be/LcN1NcouGyI

Deci's last stand. This $60 hobby king Mission D drifter has slid for the last time. Looking to find a better (yet still cheap) platform to start with and build a new 1/10 scale speedrunner. Grrrr...

GRP's are in

Received the 1/5 scale GRPs from Bruckner Hobbies (now Hobby Heroes). They fit nice and tight on the RC Hornet Products 1/8 to 1/5 scale wheel adapters.

New Vinyl

I cut new vinyl stickers for the back of my GTI. Mobius, Marley and Kake.

If you are interested in making your own decals, I use a silohuette cameo 2 vinyl cutter...it's a pretty good hobbyist grade unit. They run around $200, but there is a cheaper model as well. Check them out online for more info.

Diff gear difficulties

This is what happends with a proline performance transmission on 4s. There are options though, the HD transmission (part number 6261-00) includes the metal gear diff case, or if you already have the all metal geartrain, the metal gear diff case (part number 6261-01) is available separately.
Now for speed runners, make sure that you use a really thick grease in the differential to help keep the power even to the rear when pushing for tripple digits.

RC Hornet Products 1/5 Wheel Adapters

Just in from RC Hornet Products. These are wheel adapters for Marley (the Truggy) to fit 1/5 scale GRPs. Before shipping the adapters Rafael Rosales assembled one of them as a guide for the rest..awesome! Google [rc hornet products] to find their website, even if an item is not shown to be in stock, email Rafael and ask about what you need...he may be able to help.

The GRPs should be in by the end of the week from Bruckner Hobbies in Bronx, NY.

The truggy has a name

I hereby dub thee.... Marley :-)
The naming honor went to my neice, also named Marley. So there it is ... Marley the Magnificent Mechanized Marauder.