Champ restyle project - early stages

[KEV THE REV]

Hi all, here is a project i am working on .This started out as a donor Champ body which i got from Focus 1 (thanks Anders),I needed the front nose to graft on to my damaged Champ shell , this one was missing the rear end amd roll cage.I successfully grafted the nose and i was left with this Champ mid body section - no front ,no back and no roof etc.So i got to thinking about what i could do with it ,and the old gray matter got rolling .I made up a new front , cut out the old front roll bar castings and smoothed it all in ,and fitted in a repro Champ dash that i made and fabbed up a steel roll cage for the body .I had some left over Champ chassis parts from previous resto. projects ,and with a bit of fabrication / restyling etc etc this is the initial result.The driver is a Fox driver body with the base section cut away ,so just the driver figure is left ,and this was grafted onto a custom made driver platform .The radio deck is a custom short alloy job allowing for a std. stick pack to be fitted in .The rear body mounts are custom made and lower the body at the rear to give a sleeker look, the driver also sits lower on its platform to give a less 'perched up' look.Direct drive heavy duty steering has been fitted ,as has a custom quick release battery stay.Frog retro rear dampers are fitted  to custom rear mounts and brace set up, and original release Hornet dampers to the front ,complete with custom alloy spring tensioners.More to come as i get more done .This all needs to be completely stripped to paint and polish up etc As always , comments are welcome  []

[cherrybomb]

That's brilliant, I love it![H]  Can't wait to see her finished.

 

How about some detail shots of the rear cage / suspension mounts......so I can nick your idea![]

Only kidding, but I'd be interested to see some close ups of the chassis mods.

 

Chris.

[KEV THE REV]

Thanks Chris. The car is in pieces now whilst i build the gear box and suspension .Once i have cleaned up the rear bars etc , i'll try to post some more shots of it going back together ,(but in the mean time here is a shot of the chassis before stripping down),The rear cage is a reversal of the roll bar and rear guard , the roll bar is modifed in length to suit the rear projection i wanted as i tried to keep the length as short as poss but still utilise the 'FS' plate .All in all , a simple idea of a Champ with a twist .- cheers ,Kev

[KEV THE REV]

Here is a raw shot of the rear before stripping down - rear bumper is provisional idea , but not set on it yet

[hellbelly]

Hey Kev, that looks absolutely fantastic.  Good job []

Pete

[KEV THE REV]

Thanks Pete, i raided the old spares boxes for anything i could use , and what i didn't have , i made !! (good ol' B+Q - they have a great stock of alu tubeing , threaded rod , steel rod ,alu plate etc) []

[cherrybomb]

That rear cage is such a neat idea. It gives you loads of shock options and it looks 'right' too. 

Very cool.

[KEV THE REV]

It all went together well with a bit of measuring and cutting Chris - here is a progress shot of chassis rebuild, Ballraced gearbox ,new gears, Hornet front damper lower mount mod using the retro Frog damper lower mount eye and the Frog spring tensioner disc fitted upside down on top of the lower damper mount so as to 'centre' the spring in place.Battery quick release 'clip' is made of 2 Frog etc gearbox alu inserts bolted on from the bottom of the chassis then the raised type 5mm brass ballends are bolted into the top of that ,this then accepts the tie rod made from 2x 5mm Tamiya tie rod ends and a threaded bar , it all snaps together and is very stable.The rear battery steadier pegs are also made from the Frog gearbox alu inserts , they work great and are a very good substitute for the original battery pegs for a Champ if you get stuck for them.More stuff to follow as i progress - cheers ,Kev

champ resto project chassis bu

[KEV THE REV]

Lower front damper mount mod

champ resto project chassis bu

[slither302]

kev that looks great!! keep us posted with the progress

[KEV THE REV]

Thanks Scott ,will do.- Nice to hear from you mate ,- I've fitted a Reedy modified into it today , so i'll post some shots of that when i get a mo. I'm thinking about a yellow / chrome scheme or maybe the 'Red Bull' style as i love the way that looks but the decals are a bit scarce.If i can find some it might sway me [],cheers ,Kev 

[KEV THE REV]

Motor fitted now , radio deck fitted back in,rear cage progressing nicely ,and a wheel experiment . More later guys. (sorry about the poor photo [:$] )

champ restyle motor in no body

[KEV THE REV]

Well , the chassis is finished and i gave it a run with a new Ansmann 3000 pack -and boy it goes like a bullet [] ,the gears are smooth and i'm pleased with the steering and damper set up.Those Dynamite spike rear tyres just came right off the rims , literally !! - i'll need some real wheels / tyres for some serious grip

[Badboy]

Nice job on rear cage/shock setup I mite copy that later...

Sweet looking baja buggy

Badboy

[KEV THE REV]

Thanks Badboy, be my guest  [].Various dampers can now be used on the rear as it is easily adaptable - but these newly built vintage Frog shocks work well , so i'll probably keep them on it for now, but i could be tempted to try Wild Ones for a cleaner look

[Dr.Robotnik]

That's looking awesome mate. Any updates? Can I ask, what material have you used for the chassis and where did you get it please?

cheers [] 

[KEV THE REV]

Thanks Ed. still working out what wheels to go with [*-)] Here is a pic of some bling on the Frog shox.The black material is a 'crinkle' finish s/a plastic film i got from Hobbystores in Romford.It sticks real well and is quite resilient .cost about 3 quid for a roll of it .I am working on the body finish , but i am going for a Red Bull livery (cliche) i like it very much after seeing the Red Bull Lunchbox (i think it is Pete Hellbelly's one?) and i haven't got anything in that style but it is hard to source a set of RB decals !! []

[Toykid]

If it is scale you are after the rough rider tires and wheels are the only way to go.

How cool do they look with the white lettering on? Anwser, VERY cool.

James.

[KEV THE REV]

Funny you should say that James,last night, i built up a pair or R/R rears with lettered tyres using a pair of chrome solid CRP rims , but i need a pair of R/R solid fronts to match - and your right they look superb , thanks for the tip [] I'll post a shot tonight when i get home - Kev

[KEV THE REV]

Here are the R/R tyres + wheels fitted

[MikeT]

**** that looks AWESOME, i need some RR wheels and tyres for my Baja i think!

[hellbelly]

Spot on!  Coming along very nicely []

Pete

[KEV THE REV]

Thanks guys [] I need the front R/R rims to match now (hens teeth spring to mind?) .Pete - is it your L/B that is Red Bull decaled? I want to get a set for this body - any ideas?

[cherrybomb]

Yup.  Finding the front R/R rims is proving to be an *******!  I could do with at least three sets.[*-)] Got several sets of rears waiting for them.

That is looking very good so far though, it's got me thinking about my spare Super Champ body.[]

[KEV THE REV]

It took me ages to get a set of R/R  fronts with the holes in the match the rears i have on my Scorcher [^o)]  A spare Champ Body eh !! lucky lucky.I like the way this shorty Champ drives and once i get the front wheels sorted i can then tweak it up a bit - then its on to the paint -Yummy [<)]