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emory70

2wd front Beadlocks

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I'm trying to get a plan together to build a Monster Beetle from a re-re Brat. I'd like to run beadlocks, but there don't seem to be any front rims available.

Has anyone figured out an easy way around this? I'm thinking either a custom steering hub or a hex bar machined for bearings.

I've read a couple articles where this subject has been brought up, but in curious if any new developments have been made

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Last time I looked into this, there was a thread about designing some universal part to convert hex wheels to 2wd, although there were continual disagreements about what was likely to work and what drawbacks would be acceptable.

You could start by seeing if the swivel hub from, say, an TL01 or CC01 will fit into the C-bracket on the Monster Beetle. If I remember correctly, the Brat uses a bolt-on metal C-bracket which will be no good for this, but the Monster Beetle should have a bigger C-bracket to allow for the wider track of the Monster chassis.

If you're starting with a Brat chassis and don't have the Monster Beetle C-brackets then you could try bolting TL01 / M03 C-brackets to the Brat uprights, then you can use TL01 / CC01 swivel hubs. The Brat C-bracket is bolt-on anyway. In theory this will give you a wider track, although possibly not quite as wide as the Monster Beetle should be.

A final possibility is to see if you can graft, say, TL01B lower wishbones onto a Monster Beetle chassis. Looking at the pics of a chassis, it doesn't look entirely impossible. The wishbone mounts are bolt-on anyway so they can be unbolted and replaced for, say, a block of delrin or aluminium cut and drilled for TL01B lower wishbones. You might even be lucky and find a buggy lower wishbone that fits right over the standard wishbone mount. For upper wishbones you could probably get away with threaded bar and ball ends unless you're expecting to put a lot of force through the wheels and need to stop the C-bracket from twisting.

Does that help? :)

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MB uses a longer axle than Brat, does it?

Keep the Brat axle... Probably easier to gut a Frog wheel for its centre, cut off the rim and somehow bolt that to your intended wheel with screws at the perimeter.

Or get some custom allow wheels made up.

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I'm planning to run RC4WD Mud Slingers in a 2.2, regulars up front and XL out back; on off the shelf beadlocks (design currently undetermined)

I haven't unboxed the brat yet, and I haven't had a MB in almost a decade.

I was really just fishing for ideas. As usual, Mad Ax delivers.

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Get a set of Team CRP #1565, a set of HPI #2100 front rims, and some HPI #6125 washers...

I used all those to mount 2.2 tires on the front of my Frog... I had to use 4 of the nylon 5x11 bushings to space the tire out so to get a good fit... I'm using Proline Striker IIs...

Alternately you can get a set of vintage Proline #2526...

Both the HPI and the vintage Proline are bolt-on replacements, ie they fit the bearings and axle of the ORV chassis cars...

Good luck!

Terry

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I modified my MB front axle with bearings to fit standard hex 4xd wheels. I used cut down hop up hubs (sorry can't remember which they were from, perhaps someone can ID them from the pics) and a cut down MB rear shafts (trimmed the buckets off them).

Axle1.jpg

Axle2.jpg

Axle3.jpg

AxleSpacer.JPG

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I must have missed this comment. That's pretty much what I was thinking of doing.

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So I got these in the mail the other day. Gear Head 2.2 slotted dish mags and RC4WD Mud Slingers in regular for the front and XL for the rear. The hubs are separate, so I'm thinking I can make a bearing hub for the fronts, so I won't have to modify anything. Fingers crossede5735b73a4ed442183657f3a24980326.jpg0e465498ea531b66db11195b068d1925.jpg

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