SRB question?

[Busdriver]

If I wanted to turn a Sand Scorcher into an Ranger apart from the obvious body and wheels what needs to be done to mount the body. I presume the front post is ok for both but the rear roll cage would be too. I would intend to have no cut out in the rear deck? Can the rear suspension be tweaked to reduce the negative camber?

[KEV THE REV]

The Ranger front post is longer than the SS . The rear roll bar is lower and more square with a hex fitting on top for a pin through the rear deck . If you go with no cut out in the deck I'm not sure the stock Ranger set up would let that happen due to the switch position on the radio box . I haven't got a Ranger here to check , but without a swich fitted it might fit under the rear bed with no cut out , maybe someone with a Ranger could check . The Ranger body fitted onto the Ranger roll bar with some lugs molded to the Ranger deck underneath and a pin through the top . The Blackfoot body doesn't have those lugs so that would need to be fabbed up , I have seen a 3D printed fitting to fix to a BF rear deck to achieve this . The SRB camber can be altered by means of bending the torsion bars to reduce the neg .The OG SS manual shows this as a 'tweak' . You could remove the torsion bars and fit coilovers though .

[moffman]

I tried to do this a while ago and all above is spot on right that @KEV THE REVis saying but the strange thing that I found was the body i had which was a genuine Ford ranger blue body wouldn't fit over the rear gearbox cadge?

[Busdriver]

Thanks, if I did it I probably wouldn’t use the radio box at all so the switch would not be an issue, at least the top part any way. I think I could probably fab something bespoke up from bits and bobs for the rear  fixing. Coilovers is a great idea.

[Busdriver]

Just now, moffman said:

I tried to do this a while ago and all above is spot on right that @KEV THE REVis saying but the strange thing that I found was the body i had which was a genuine Ford ranger blue body wouldn't fit over the rear gearbox cadge?

Mine would be a Blackfoot body

[moffman]

Just now, Busdriver said:

Mine would be a Blackfoot body

Oh! its probably possible but your problem is going to be the hens teeth front post and the lugs that give the body stability on the rear roll cadge plus the hole for the on/off switch also the rear light bar holes because (just my opinion) the light bar that sits on the bed doesn't really look that good sitting on the Ford ranger? I think it's the lights which are just to cartoon like? They look brilliant on the blackfoot just not right on the ranger! Like I say just my honest opinion!

[Busdriver]

I agree about the roll bar. My body has nothing on it and looks much better. I also have the Ampro grill, front and rear Ford legends so looks like a proper Ranger. Lengthening the front post is cool. I had to do tahr to run it on the ORV chassis and I’m sure I can make a belt and braces rear mount for the 2 mounting holes in the deck If I do coilovers I might try and make a suspension mount the includes body posts. Only a thought at the moment. I have spent rather too much recently so it will have to wait till later in the year.

[KEV THE REV]

It's all doable if you have the parts and adapt a bit here and there , sounds like you're on the right track . The SS front post could be raised up ( not sure by how much) with a bush that fits in the servo saver and a longer bolt - job done

[Busdriver]

6 minutes ago, KEV THE REV said:

It's all doable if you have the parts and adapt a bit here and there , sounds like you're on the right track . The SS front post could be raised up ( not sure by how much) with a bush that fits in the servo saver and a longer bolt - job done

Were there’s a will there’s a way. Thanks for the tip about coilovers that make so much sense. The handling with the torsion bars always was I bit bouncy. Ok on a bug as it was pro typical but not for a truck to my way of think. Few months hopefully and I’ll get going, just hope all the scorchers haven’t all disappeared by the time I’m ready

[Grumpy pants]

I can help here -

I’ve got a stock mint Ranger 

And a re re Sand Scorcher with coil overs on it

What do you need Jeremy? 

[Busdriver]

Not sure at the moment but some pictures of the coil over fitment on the re re with shock details would be good. Also some pictures of the Ranger chassis showing the rear body fixing? It will be a little while before I do anything as I have just melted my PayPal account with some purchases!!!! Details to follow. One RTR for fun , the other a build but not Mr T I’m afraid. I’ll still do a build though. Frankly an SRB is probably the only Tamiya that gets me slightly interested at the moment.😢

[Grumpy pants]

9 hours ago, Busdriver said:

Not sure at the moment but some pictures of the coil over fitment on the re re with shock details would be good. Also some pictures of the Ranger chassis showing the rear body fixing? It will be a little while before I do anything as I have just melted my PayPal account with some purchases!!!! Details to follow. One RTR for fun , the other a build but not Mr T I’m afraid. I’ll still do a build though. Frankly an SRB is probably the only Tamiya that gets me slightly interested at the moment.😢

Happy to help out J.

I need to focus on work this week as we are are away for a belated honeymoon next week - this time without the kids 😂

When back you can have all the info and pictures you need.

My coil overs are RC Channel and the advice was to remove the Torsion bar - RCC also do a very nice rear suspension kit that removes the over chambered Tamiya set up. Not cheap but very nice. 

 

[Grumpy pants]

I did buy some coil overs from JC, which were really cheap but JC didn’t know if I should keep the torsion bar or remove it.

Yet to be fitted and trialed.

The Ranger rear rollover bar is specific to the Ranger a low rectangle hop with a single centrally mounted body post. 
 

SRB’s are the dogs do daas imo, inspite of the 50 year old design, rear engined Ranger, woeful handling, etc, etc.....😂

SRB’s to me are like the Lunchbox every Tamiyaholic needs to have owned one at some point in their time 😎
 

Not because they are good, but because they epitomise Tamiya and are both iconic. 

[Busdriver]

14 minutes ago, Grumpy pants said:

I did buy some coil overs from JC, which were really cheap but JC didn’t know if I should keep the torsion bar or remove it.

Yet to be fitted and trialed.

The Ranger rear rollover bar is specific to the Ranger a low rectangle hop with a single centrally mounted body post. 
 

SRB’s are the dogs do daas imo, inspite of the 50 year old design, rear engined Ranger, woeful handling, etc, etc.....😂

SRB’s to me are like the Lunchbox every Tamiyaholic needs to have owned one at some point in their time 😎
 

Not because they are good, but because they epitomise Tamiya and are both iconic. 

My first Tamiya was a scorcher in 79/80 from Beatties in Bristol so this will be a real tribute. Thing is at the time I wanted the Ranger but they were out of stock which in those days could mean a long wait so a good salesperson persuaded me to get the Scorcher as it was in stock. So I think this route is the only way to complete the dream!!! I tried with my Ampro improved body on the ORV chassis is good just something missing. Have a great honeymoon. 

[jonboy1]

do these help?

 

The coilovers were some RC4WD items that I think are heavily copied and available on ebay from many sellers now. They fit perfectly on the front but are too long for the back. So I made a 3D printed mount for them to position the top further up the roll bar. That said, I think I worked out you could do it with a lightly modified rear cage/damper mount turned 90 degrees, pointing out.

[Busdriver]

59 minutes ago, jonboy1 said:

do these help?

 

Perfect, simpler than I thought. Do you remember what length you used . Is it the same as the leaky shocks😄

[jonboy1]

just edited to add description of what I did

[jonboy1]

I've also got a model of the front and rear body posts if you want to 3D print them.

[Busdriver]

53 minutes ago, jonboy1 said:

I've also got a model of the front and rear body posts if you want to 3D print them.

Don’t do 3d but I do have a friend who has??? Maybe he could do it for me?

[KEV THE REV]

On 5/16/2022 at 8:52 AM, jonboy1 said:

do these help?

 

The coilovers were some RC4WD items that I think are heavily copied and available on ebay from many sellers now. They fit perfectly on the front but are too long for the back. So I made a 3D printed mount for them to position the top further up the roll bar. That said, I think I worked out you could do it with a lightly modified rear cage/damper mount turned 90 degrees, pointing out.

Great solution to the rear dampers . I have always thought the rears lean too far out of line to work smoothly and with no ball sockets etc they aren't in the proper alignment . Your 3D mount is what Mr. T should have designed in. 

[jonboy1]

On 5/16/2022 at 9:54 AM, Busdriver said:

Don’t do 3d but I do have a friend who has??? Maybe he could do it for me?

Yeah, I can send you the files and he should be able to print them from that. PM me if you want them

[jonboy1]

28 minutes ago, KEV THE REV said:

Great solution to the rear dampers . I have always thought the rears lean too far out of line to work smoothly and with no ball sockets etc they aren't in the proper alignment . Your 3D mount is what Mr. T should have designed in. 

Kev, stop! You'll make me blush... Oh ok, carry on 

So I realised age is affecting me more than I thought, as I couldn't understand why I wouldn't have just used some rear cage mounts if I thought it seemed so obvious. Then I remembered I have another SRB which I built before this, and that had coilovers on, so what did I use on that......?

All I did was drill a little hole through the roll bar to allow the little dimple on the inside of the mount to keep it from twisting (just cut and pasted the hole from further down.)]

I also realised that it was this SRB that I fitted the RC4WD coilovers to, and the Ranger had the ebay copies.

On 5/16/2022 at 8:54 AM, Busdriver said:

Perfect, simpler than I thought. Do you remember what length you used . Is it the same as the leaky shocks😄

They are 75mm eye to eye front and back.

[KEV THE REV]

As I was assembling my latest chassis,  I was thinking of a solution to get the rears more upright . More tinkering with the clamps etc I think later 

[jonboy1]

from what I remember the rears are 50-55 if you use the standard rear mount, but it's very hard to find anything that'll fit. Touring car dampers are the right length, but way too big in diameter. Back in the day Losi Mini-T dampers were a good option, but try finding those now!

[Busdriver]

I have a couple of items just gone in the trades so if they come off there should be enough to fund a scorcher and bits to do an F150 build. Especially if I sell the scorcher body as well!!!