Vintage Tonka Winnibago

[bromvw]

Just scored a Vintage Tonka Winnibago on the evil bay for £ 20 !!!!!! . That has to be a steal . I intend to turn it into a tow rig / semi crawler to haul my scaler Jeep around . Its a bit rough and rusty but that adds to its vintage charm and I think it will make a great Rat Look camper .

[Tamiya1/10]

Photos for before and after please, when is appropriate...i expect by early next week so we can either put you down with your tail between your legs or praise you to the point like a rock star.

Run Tin Tin or Bono(not Justin Beaver...he is Canadian so he is beaver)? (now you know approx. how old I am. )

[bromvw]

Once it arrives I'll certainly be posting some ' as bought ' Photos . Being watching Cheech and Chong clips on YouTube for inspiration . Scotts VW Samba Rat Camper has also given me some great ideas .

[mr crispy]

"My dog ate my stash man! It's mostly mowie wowie but its got a little bit of Labrador in it!"

[bromvw]

thinking ahead - I have set of T Rex 60 axels and springs plus a rc4wd killer transfer box in my spares , I think they might be suitable for something like this ? Its the wheels and tyre combo that concerns me . I need something with a stiff sidewall that looks scale and has reasonable grip off road . Any advice guys ? Here's a link to the listing I won .

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Tonka-Winnibago-Toy-Camper-/200962316356?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=ubK0heUfWYOIud034gI8P0OdSF4%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_371wt_1249

[bromvw]

PHOTO IN THE LINK ABOVE .

[bromvw]

Being doing some working out - rough drawings basically . The T Rex 60 axels look as if they will do the job - certainly in terms of size . The big unanswered question is the chassis . My thinking is a simple ladder frame bolted to the existing underside of the Tonka once its original axels are removed . Killer transfer box centre mounted driven from a Kershaw Design Revolver 550 crawler motor . Power may be from a 12 volt sealed AMG/GEL battery - the sort found in kids ride on cars .

Am I on the right lines for something this size and weight ????//

[Daves956]

Try having a look at 1:8 scale buggy front tires for the low sidewall. The problem there is the lack of style in the wheels for them, most are just flat disc type.

As for the frame an angle or C channel ali should make a pretty good box or ladder type under it.

I'd kind of watch what you add for weight, you'll already have plenty of that and before going over the 11 volt 3 cell limit for a lot of ESCs I'd look at what you intend to use for control.

In the next little bit I'm going to see how much power it takes to push the current lead sled vanning. It tips the scale at 8 pounds so info about driving it might be helpful for your mini wini. A single 550 geared way down couldn't push the other one I did. If memory serves me it took 2 in the 20+:1 ratio in the end. I'm going to see if modern electronics will turn the tide on the power issues.

[bromvw]

Try having a look at 1:8 scale buggy front tires for the low sidewall. The problem there is the lack of style in the wheels for them, most are just flat disc type.

As for the frame an angle or C channel ali should make a pretty good box or ladder type under it.

I'd kind of watch what you add for weight, you'll already have plenty of that and before going over the 11 volt 3 cell limit for a lot of ESCs I'd look at what you intend to use for control.

In the next little bit I'm going to see how much power it takes to push the current lead sled vanning. It tips the scale at 8 pounds so info about driving it might be helpful for your mini wini. A single 550 geared way down couldn't push the other one I did. If memory serves me it took 2 in the 20+:1 ratio in the end. I'm going to see if modern electronics will turn the tide on the power issues.

Dave I think the way to go may be to use a twin motor set up like the Traxxas E max . That's if I can locate the parts at a reasonable price . As for wheels/tires my current thinking is to use Hilux items . Their stiff and will look good on this IMO.

[Gruntfuggly]

Tonka were awesome - do you remember the catalogues? I was so jealous of the kids playing with the stuff in them...

[bromvw]

Tonka were awesome - do you remember the catalogues? I was so jealous of the kids playing with the stuff in them...

I was lucky enough to have tthe Mighty Dump Truck , Front End Loader and Bull Dozer way way back in around 1974- 75 . Think we sold them when we moved to Zambia in 1976

[Daves956]

I've read stories about some of the brushless putting out some huge torque as a single. The only brushed ESC I know of that can handle that kind of power is the traxxas EVX and it's kinda hard to deal with and pricey, but it does put out good power on the BEC side.

[bromvw]

I've read stories about some of the brushless putting out some huge torque as a single. The only brushed ESC I know of that can handle that kind of power is the traxxas EVX and it's kinda hard to deal with and pricey, but it does put out good power on the BEC side

I'll look into those Dave . Sure as heck its going to need a very heavy duty steering servo so a good BEC will be essential . A extended cc-01 will fit under it but I don't think its man enough for the job and would struggle to haul a trailer plus car .

[Daves956]

That 380 ounce patriot servo would more than likely handle it. It was 65 bucks and the 380 was the low volt output, it's 426 ounce at high volt

[mr crispy]

Sounds like overkill to me bromvw. I'm pretty sure a basic crawler set up would be more than enough for what you've described. For example my 1/6 Willis Jeep has Maverick Scout running gear and that was able to tow my 5 year old sat in her toy trailer around my decking and over the lawn. No overheating probs at all.

I'd wait until it arrives before ordering any bits so you get a better idea of what's needed.

[bromvw]

Sounds like overkill to me bromvw. I'm pretty sure a basic crawler set up would be more than enough for what you've described. For example my 1/6 Willis Jeep has Maverick Scout running gear and that was able to tow my 5 year old sat in her toy trailer around my decking and over the lawn. No overheating probs at all.

I'd wait until it arrives before ordering any bits so you get a better idea of what's needed.

I know what you mean . These things snowball and can get over complicated - and over priced . I'll start with the T Rex axels and killer transfer box and see where it leads . Ideally I want to use as many unused parts from my spares as possible to keep costs down . AS they say 'Keep It Simple Stupid ' . I'm fairly sure that if I can keep additional weight of the RC gear to a minimum that even a 540 crawler motor will push this along . Might need a reduction unit as I have used in the New Bright cc-01 but that's hardly a issue .

[bromvw]

Can anyone please tell me the profile dimensions in mm of Bruiser / Hilux chassis rails ? I need to use some shackle mounts to fix the leaf springs in place . Before I go and buy some aluminium sections to make a chassis knowing the correct profile would be a big help .

Cheers Arron

EDIT - 22MM TALL X 6MM C CHANNEL ? IS THAT CORRECT ?

[30YrsL8r]

Could be irrelevant, but I have some vintage Tamiya Bruiser (58048) Shackles (4305129) from the Press Parts Bag (9405186) if you need them.

[bromvw]

Could be irrelevant, but I have some vintage Tamiya Bruiser (58048) Shackles (4305129) from the Press Parts Bag (9405186) if you need them.

PM Sent

[bromvw]

Cheers 30YrsLRr - I owe you one sir

[bromvw]

My current thinking on this is to stick to 7.4 volts . My reasoning is cost related . If I go to a heavy duty motor I will need to go to 12 volts . That means a expensive ESC . If I stick to a 540 crawler motor its more within my means . I think it will work so long as I gear it down . The simple way to do that is to use a gear reduction unit that bolts directly to the motor can .There is more than enough room to play with so fitment is no problem . I know these work well as I have one in my cc-01 jeep . This is only a tow rig after all - so long as it moves at a steady walking pace pulling a trailer plus load that's fine . Not worried about having huge articulation either . After all its a RV . If it can go along a fairly level dirt track that's all I want of it .

[Daves956]

Do you have a shipping weight or anything to tell how much you'll actually be trying to drive?

[bromvw]

Do you have a shipping weight or anything to tell how much you'll actually be trying to drive?

The shipping weight is 13lbs Dave . That's without any RC gear fitted though

[MadInventor]

My current thinking on this is to stick to 7.4 volts . My reasoning is cost related . If I go to a heavy duty motor I will need to go to 12 volts . That means a expensive ESC . If I stick to a 540 crawler motor its more within my means . I think it will work so long as I gear it down . The simple way to do that is to use a gear reduction unit that bolts directly to the motor can .There is more than enough room to play with so fitment is no problem . I know these work well as I have one in my cc-01 jeep . This is only a tow rig after all - so long as it moves at a steady walking pace pulling a trailer plus load that's fine . Not worried about having huge articulation either . After all its a RV . If it can go along a fairly level dirt track that's all I want of it .

That sounds like a fairly sound plan. If you have choice of gear ratios with the reduction box I would use a standard silver can over a crawler motor, my experience crawler motors(Ansmann 55Turn motor) is that they are slower than the 540s, but lack the power output of a 540. I'd use lowest ratio possible and try it with a silver can to start with.

As you have tons of room in it, you could always use 2 reduction boxes and motors, and have one motor drive each axle.

[bromvw]

that's not a bad idea Martin . One motor driving each axel . 4:1 reduction on a silver can each end . Simple but effective .