CR-01 Land Cruiser 40 Shell on a Brat
As featured in:
| model | 58038: Subaru Brat [ click here for more Subaru Brats ] |
| status | Project |
| date entered | 06/02/2010 15:40:41 |
| description | Hello again. Have not updated in a while. I had the idea to put the awesome FJ40 shell from the CR-01 onto a Brat/ORV chassis. Don't know if anyone has tried this before but anyway here's how I made it work.
Initially, the wheel base looked close and I was hoping there wouldn't have to be any modifications to the chassis at all. But that was not the case. I had to extend the wheelbase about 20mm. The MP4 suspension upright had to be moved in front of the little plastic locating tab on the chassis. Then plates were made out of styrene (will be upgraded to alu in necessary), bolted to the stock location and serving as the new mounting base for the MP4 part. A new hole was drilled at the front of the chassis for the lower mount (used a self tapper drilled into the chassis and the H1 part for strength) and a piece of styrene tubing served as the upper spacer. See pics for details. Because the suspension mounting was moved forward, I had to reverse and create new steel radius arms out of 4-40 rod. The suspension was moved JUST far enough forward not to cause binding of the tie rods. I got lucky there. If the wheelbase had to be any longer, it would be necessary to extend the back of the chassis instead of the front.
The Brat ORV chassis has my usual host of necessary upgrades (see my Brat in my showroom for full details) including Old Frogshot diff mod, Frog universals, CVA black shocks, custom front shock mount, Super Blackfoot upper chassis shell/re-inforcer, and steering servo saver from an early Brat (can also use Super Blackfoot item).
The body mounts to my custom front shock tower using alu brackets and HPI body mounts (my personal fave). The rear is mounted using alu channel, velcro, and the mounting point for the spare for durability. I am quite please with the size of the wheels and how they fit the body.
STILL TO DO: I have a roof rack from Proline, with lights, accessories and winch bumper coming. I also have to decide color. I loved Wyoming's Mustard Yellow FJ, which was a real inspiration. I might also consider tan/khaki. Thanks for looking. All comments welcome.
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Update: I spent some time tinkering with the front suspension. I shortened the front arms by grinding off the outer hole, then added a new hole inboard, effectively moving the suspension in about 5mm on each side. There is still ample suspension travel, and the front wheels are a little more tucked, which looks nicer. The radius arms do need some tinkering - it is important to get the bend in the rod just right, and you might have to put a second bend in for the ball joint. The Frog suspension is not very precise - you need complete freedom of movement (which introduces some slop) so that you can run soft enough springs in the front for the suspension to actually work when you hit a bump - if it is too stiff, it just lifts the inside wheel around a corner. But what it lacks in precision, it makes up for in ruggedness, which is key for bashing!
If it isn't a problem I will take inspiration from you for the radius-arm... mine doesn't works well
Thanks for the comments everyone. As far as how wide it looks in the front, the picture is a little misleading. This shell is slightly WIDER than the Brat and also the Ford F150 shells. The front fenders cover the tires halfway, which is actually better than some of the shells that came with this kit. When I get some paint on it this week, it will be easier to see the exact fit - because of the way the rear of the shell flairs out, the rear wheels are almost all the way covered. The front suspension could be narrowed 10-15mm on each side at the expense of some chassis rigidity and suspension travel as needed. I did it when I fitted a Mini shell to this chassis. For realism, the CC-01 chassis is definitely more 'tucked'. But if you like the bullet-proof bash-ability and speed of the Brat ORV chassis, this is a great alternative because there are not many bodies that fit this chassis. I'm betting the Bronco fits even better - that is my next project after I finish this. I'll post a picture of this next to the Brat shell in the front for comparison.
very clever looking I really look forward to seeing how this goes!
Thats a new one idea I haven't seen before. Seems to fit it nicely and really works just fine, should be a fun truck out on some dunes
wow, that's an awesome custom job!
great idea! but IMO it's way to wide now for the body..