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87lc2

Warpath Chassis Race Truck

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I promised myself after my last truck there would be no more...but I found a local deal that I couldn't resist (I'm sure you all know how that goes :)).   

This truck was advertised locally on FB Marketplace well used and dirty along with a well used and dirty Losi LMT.  Picked both trucks up very cheap and at first had no idea what this truck was, but it had a bunch of upgraded parts and a decent brushless system so figured the parts alone were worth it.  Asked a few guys I race with and came to find out this is a So Cal Monsters Warpath Carbon Fiber Race Chassis.  I had never heard of them before but did some looking and turns out this is a nearly $500USD chassis.  Once I found this out my plans changed (was originally just going to sell off everything I didnt't need) and set out to rebuild the truck as a racer.  

The first picture shows the condition I received both trucks in.  The LMT did have a body and wheels/tires and the other truck came with the 3 sets shown.  Everything was abused and not taken care of very well.  The LMT does have Treal metal axles which will be sold as I have no use for those in racing and they go for a pretty penny.  

First thing I did was strip the truck down to see what was broken/missing.  Luckily the only broken parts were ring/pinion gears in the axles and the carbon wheelie bar on the chassis.  Luckily the chassis itself and all necessary components were just fine.  I painted ll of the links and sway bars in black and replace all hardware upon reassembly.  Axles were rebuilt with fresh plastics and transmission got a new metal case and gear set.  Only upgrades to the driveline are HD gears front and rear, HD rear shafts, and CVDs up front.  

Power comes from a 5700kv Queens Hobby motor with 120a HW ESC.  Servo is a DS3218 Pro.  Wheels are JConcepts Tributes with Proline Decimator tires and Crawler Innovations foams.  Shocks are KYX 90mm with 35wt oil. 

The body is temporary.  I have a race this weekend and needed to get something on it so had to use something I had in the "parts pile"  Not sure why I bought this body originally but I don't really like modern stuff so figured I'd use this for now with a set of spare BF decals.  Came out nice but I'll replace it at some point with something more to my liking.  

Overall this truck is pretty impressive.  Very quick, responsive, and planted.  It will barely lift the front wheels on full throttle which is ideal.  The link setup is very nice and keeps the front end of the truck down unlike the stock SMT or LMT setup than I'm used to.  Hardly had to take any power out of the motor and truck stays very composed at all times.   Excited to take it to its first race this weekend, I think it'll do well. 

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That's an awesome-looking truck, and a real steal at that price.  Congrats on a top find!

I really love the look of those shocks too, I don't care how well they work, they look awesome

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1 hour ago, Mad Ax said:

That's an awesome-looking truck, and a real steal at that price.  Congrats on a top find!

I really love the look of those shocks too, I don't care how well they work, they look awesome

Thanks @Mad Ax   I have to confess, I bought the shocks mostly for looks but they actually turned out to be very nice for the price.  I rarely buy expensive components and at $20 a pair on Amazon I am very pleased.  They're advertised as big bore crawler shocks and they are very smooth and don't leak (so far).  The only slight issue is the soft springs.  They would be perfect for an axle mounted setup, but a bit soft for the link mount.  I first assembled with 22.5wt oil and it was way too soft, truck just bottomed out after getting any air.  With the 35w its a lot better but need to run a lot of preload which is OK.  It doesn't bottom out anymore and lands without bouncing so should be good enough.  I can never tell until I really get it out there and race hard so we'll see after the weekend.   

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That is a good looking truck! Really interested to see how you do racing it...

I totally understand not being able to pass up a deal! I just picked up a second had LMT just like that - scruffy mucky and not very well looked after with rusty springs and bolts all over it... I just couldn't resist - I've wanted one since they were released and... Well, now I have one!

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38 minutes ago, paullyjay said:

That is a good looking truck! Really interested to see how you do racing it...

I totally understand not being able to pass up a deal! I just picked up a second had LMT just like that - scruffy mucky and not very well looked after with rusty springs and bolts all over it... I just couldn't resist - I've wanted one since they were released and... Well, now I have one!

Thanks!  The LMT is great, I much prefer them to my Axial-based race trucks at this point.  

Haven't had this truck to a race yet unfortunately.  Race last month was canceled but we are scheduled to race this weekend, I'll be sure to post on how it went.  

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2 hours ago, 87lc2 said:

The LMT is great, I much prefer them to my Axial-based race trucks at this point. 

Other than the obvious differences, do you mind elaborating on specifics you like better and differences in driving dynamics?

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19 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

Other than the obvious differences, do you mind elaborating on specifics you like better and differences in driving dynamics?

Good question, unfortunately not sure I have a good answer.  They just feel a lot better to me.  Stock for stock it's probably a combination of the weight, minimal torque twist, and long travel shocks.  Chassis stiffness has a lot to do with it as well I'm sure. 

As far as modifed trucks I would say the same.  The truck in this thread is a very close comparison to my latest LMT with a carbon chassis (both light, both link mounted shocks) and the LMT is better to drive.  

Hard to put my finger on it as far as specifics, but driving them both a lot (stock, lightly modified, and heavily modified) I much prefer the LMT all around. 

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