Custom Monster Truck

[Origineelreclamebord 45]

I've been working on this project for a while: A custom chassis for my Monster Truck. Here is the final result:

Specs:

- TLT-1 Axles.

- TLT-1 4-Link Suspension geometry with extended wheelbase.

- TLT-1 Dampers.

- Traxxas 1/16 (540 motor plate) Gearbox.

- Shortened Traxxas Nitro 4-Tec Driveshafts.

- Reversible Gearbox mounting (for changing the weight balance).

- G10 (Material) Chassis plates.

- Reversible electronics mountings positions (for changing the weight balance).

- Wild Willy 2 Tires, Wild Dagger Wheels.

- HPI Wheely King Body.

- Futaba S3003 Servos (4-wheel steering).

- Tamiya 3160kV/12T Brushless system.

I had a standard TLT-1 chassis and transmission before, just a different body, wheelbase, wheels and tires. The transmission however didn't like the constant punishment from the dirt (open gearbox) and the brushless system, and my battery was was not protected by the chassis. This, together with some smaller reasons, meant there were enough reasons for me to design and build my own chassis. I tested it today for 10-15 minutes and it absolutely flew! I might have to change the gearing a bit, set the slipper clutch a little tighter and tweak some small stuff, but all in all it looks really promising right now!

I'm looking forward to doing more of this with the new chassis, on both snow and dirt - and again with the equipment to shoot some pictures and videos!

[Percymon 2182]

Nice work - looks built for some serious action, have fun

[Origineelreclamebord 45]

Nice work - looks built for some serious action, have fun

Hehe, thanks I intended to use 3mm plates for the chassis instead of 2mm, but it turned out the G10 plates (a type of FRP it seems) was 50% of the price of 2mm carbon plates - let alone 3mm carbon! The stock plates were aluminium and held fine, so I guess (and hope) these will too! At least I did add 3-4 posts for connecting the two plates and added a rigid structure for the gearbox, so it's feels like a tough package.

I intend to run it in a minute - if the outdoors stay clear of rain for long enough - so it should be an absolute blast!

[mad maz 20]

Great work man bet it took a while to build sell it in kit form

[Origineelreclamebord 45]

Great work man bet it took a while to build sell it in kit form

Thanks! It indeed took a while, well worth it though, that's for sure! It's a bit extensive to collect as a kit and then sell, but of course I can post the list of parts needed with instructions how to do the conversion - and on request send the files needed to order the the chassis plates at Fibre-Lyte (or post drawings with the necessary measurements), it would be awesome to see more of these around!

Today I took the car for it's first full run! There are a few small issues to solve. First of all, the rear driveshaft somehow manages to extend far enough for the sliding mechanism to disconnect. It happened 3 times, all three after a crash. I tried everything when it's static to make the sliding mechanism extend to a point where the parts disconnect, but even at the most extreme levels it can reach things should stay connected. It's especially strange as the front didn't have this one time. I think a rubber tube around the shaft or the U-joints could solve the issue. The second issue is something I already had before: Screws coming loose. Some threadlock will solve this of course! Another thing to tweak is the slipper clutch tension: It's currently a bit loose as it's slipping even at half throttle and when driving full throttle on loose gravel. The last thing is that I damaged part of the wire on the rear servo because it got stuck between the chassis plate and the servo at maximum articulation - it was easily fixed but the damage has been done. Luckily the servo is still working!

However, apart from those things, it did perfectly and needs no adjustment on many things I expected would need tweaking! It does seem as though the lower motor position helps to keep it from rolling a bit more, like I intended, and the slipper clutch is awesome at stopping those uncontrollable wheelies and reducing the tension on the drivetrain. The 4-link rods bend before other things get damaged (at least so far), which is a good thing: they can be bended back into shape in seconds and are cheap and easy to replace when needed I haven't even bent a wheel, axle, steering rod or damper piston rod yet! The gearing seems to be good already as the motor and ESC are as cool if not cooler than they were before (even though it's faster). The gearbox, even the spur gear and pinion gear that are only protected by a half open cover, seem to have no problems with catching sand or anything like the original one had. And last but not least: Driving this car makes me smile like children can when opening Christmas presents!

[The Mad Modder 0]

Traxxas parts on a Tamiya? That's blasphemy.

[Origineelreclamebord 45]

Traxxas parts on a Tamiya? That's blasphemy.

Blasphemy? Perhaps. I'm not a Traxxas fan either. I had a 1/16 E-Revo and I sold it because I found the car kind of soulless in it's handling. Fact is though that they are extremely solid, in a different league than many Tamiyas. Tamiya hasn't got a compact and complete gearbox on offer that has proven itself to survive brushless power so well as the 1/16 Traxxas gearbox - actually, I doubt any other brand does. It's a hard thing to deny when I'm redesigning a car with one of the main things to improve is the durability of the gearbox/drivetrain