CC-01 1973 Ford Bronco

[TurnipJF]

The skid plate is not compatible with the stroke extension kit as you have discovered - enlarging the cutout or omitting the guard are the only two options really, unless you want to remove the stroke extension kit of course.

 

The split axle housing is probably due to the slight extra girth of the machine screw supplied with the JunFac kit compared to the stock self-tapper that normally occupies this location. My mate had the same issue with his and warned me against it when I was a hair's breadth from buying a CC-01 of my own.

 

When fitting a new housing, you might want to either pre-tap that hole for M3, or use a longer self-tapper. Or you could drill it out to 3mm, put a long bolt through it and top it with a nyloc nut.

[Effigy3]

4 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

The skid plate is not compatible with the stroke extension kit as you have discovered - enlarging the cutout or omitting the guard are the only two options really, unless you want to remove the stroke extension kit of course.

 

The split axle housing is probably due to the slight extra girth of the machine screw supplied with the JunFac kit compared to the stock self-tapper that normally occupies this location. My mate had the same issue with his and warned me against it when I was a hair's breadth from buying a CC-01 of my own.

I'm already working on modifying the skid plate.   None of my Dremel bits are working on the aluminum plate though.

The split was pre-existing. I discovered it during disassembly. I've already ordered the metal plated parts sprue. I'm not sure how it's going to look. It will either be cool or hokey. It was 1/7th the price of a metal rear axle though.

[TurnipJF]

57 minutes ago, Effigy3 said:

I'm already working on modifying the skid plate.   None of my Dremel bits are working on the aluminum plate though.

AFAIK that plate is made of steel. It'll take a fair bit of Dremelling...

[Kingfisher]

I have the same skid plate and also think it's steel. It's got some weight to it if it's aluminum. I considered enlarging the driveshaft opening with a drill, by making the hole just a tiny bit above the opening and then cleaning up with a grinder. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but that's what's holding me back from putting a metal 4-link setup on mine.

[kwkenuf]

Just read through this whole build...  Superb job!

Pretty well sealed the deal on making me seriously want to buy one now!  Like you I just want a trail rig for my walks,  and I don't need a crawler (was eyeing an Ascender for a while) as I mostly walk on a dirt path.  I have taken my Stampede out a couple times,  but the darn thing is too fast so I drive, stop, and walk.  My wife says thank you (not really...),  I think a Landfreeder is in my future!

[Effigy3]

I ordered the front brush guard that @Percymon suggested.  It took quite a while to ship.  Here is the before pic with the stock bumper installed.

Here is the after pic:

I'm not sure if these mount holes are for lights or a winch.  I'm thinking lights.  Anyone know?

 

[Effigy3]

22 hours ago, kwkenuf said:

My wife says thank you (not really...),  I think a Landfreeder is in my future!

1

Nice!  Tell your wife "You're welcome".  I'm here to help.    Truth be told, it's only fair I pass along the bug.  I caught it from XVPilot and a couple others here.  I swear this place simply enables my addiction!

[Effigy3]

On 12/19/2017 at 10:39 AM, TurnipJF said:

AFAIK that plate is made of steel. It'll take a fair bit of Dremelling...

I used a diamond tip cutting bit and about 3 coarse sanding drums but I got the job done.  Here's the finished product.  I touched up the edges with some Tamiya X-18 paint.  Looks pretty decent and the drive shaft no longer comes in contact.  I already had a skid plate so I modified that one.  Here is the modified skid plate laying on top of the new one that came with the 4-link kit.  I didn't need to cut away as much on the left as I did but this'll work just fine.

[TurnipJF]

1 hour ago, Effigy3 said:

I'm not sure if these mount holes are for lights or a winch.  I'm thinking lights.  Anyone know?

 

The smaller holes behind the larger ones are typical of an arrangement for light mounts, with the large holes being for mounting screws and the smaller ones being for alignment pins.

[Effigy3]

On 12/30/2017 at 3:32 PM, TurnipJF said:

The smaller holes behind the larger ones are typical of an arrangement for light mounts, with the large holes being for mounting screws and the smaller ones being for alignment pins.

Thank you for the confirmation!  Now...  to find some lights. 

[Effigy3]

Another upgrade for the CC-01.  I got the Aluminum Oil Damper Kit CC-01 ITEM #54541 and two Barrel Spring Set Short CR-01 ITEM #54085.  I was hesitant because altogether this upgrade is a little spendy.

If you're on the fence as I was, don't be.  The aluminum dampers are as fantastic as any TRF dampers I have on other rigs.  The build quality is seriously top notch and the action is as smooth as butter.  While the stock CVAs are quite good, the aluminum ones are in a league of their own. I went with the middleweight springs both front and back and built the dampers using CST 400 (Yellow) damper oil.  Right now, sitting on the bench, the front feels too light and the rear too heavy.  I'll try it on the trails before I tinker with the springs but if I had to guess, I think I'll end up with heavy springs on the front and light springs on the rear.

I also had a repair on the to-do list.  There was a crack in one of the screw receptacles on the rear axle.  So I ordered up the CC-01 Metal Plated A parts sprue ITEM #54616.  I don't know if the metal plating will allow the rear axle to slide over roots and what-not more easily or if it's strictly eye candy.  Regardless, I figured why not go flashy if I have to redo the axle?  I did toy with the idea of getting a metal axle housing but wow are they spendy!  In addition, I wasn't sure if my fancy new JunFac 4-link suspension kit would work on any of the metal axles.  I decided to play it safe and stick with the Tamiya part.

First order of business was to remove the rear axle and the suspension links.  This was made easier since I already had the dampers off the chassis for the shock upgrade.

Then, disassembly of the axle.

It was a simple matter of swapping over the internals into the new metal-plated housing.  A keen eye will note that my differential gearbox is split.  That's because I neglected to use thread lock when I built it up last year.  The three screws holding it together had backed out a bit.  I rectified the situation with some well placed anaerobic gel during the swap over.  I'm also replacing all the JIS head self-tapping screws with stainless steel M3 hex head screws.  The black-headed screws are what came with the 4-link kit.  We'll see how they hold up over time.

Here it is fully reassembled.

Other than some fine tuning, the suspension is pretty much finished now.  I can't think of any other upgrades that will result in improved performance.  I did order up the GPM steering upgrade kit but I've read that it has some design flaws which I am ill-equipped to sort out.  I may have to hunt down a machine shop that can fabricate a cross pin.  I don't know for sure exactly what I'm going to do yet.  When I decide, I'll post it. 

[Asymair95]

Did you figure out your rear suspension stiffness issue? I used the same shocks and medium springs too. I found placing the battery towards the rear helped me some.

[Effigy3]

1 hour ago, Asymair95 said:

Did you figure out your rear suspension stiffness issue? I used the same shocks and medium springs too. I found placing the battery towards the rear helped me some.

 

To be honest I've been putting all my focus into my Tekno SCT 410.3 racer build so I haven't hit the trails with the Bronco and its new suspension setup yet.  If it still feels stiff, the first thing I'll do is use 300 weight instead of the 400.  I don't like the idea of moving the battery to the back.  That would put it up higher thus raising the COG.  It would also put the weight further back hindering its climbing ability.  Low and forward is the best for weight on a trail rig / crawler.

[Effigy3]

1 hour ago, Asymair95 said:

 

That is a sharp looking Bronco!  I especially like the wiper marks on the windshield.  Excellent detail my friend.

[Kingfisher]

2 hours ago, Effigy3 said:

That is a sharp looking Bronco!  I especially like the wiper marks on the windshield.  Excellent detail my friend.

Until you pointed it out, I didn't notice the wiper marks. My brain comprehended them as real marks like on a real car and looked right past them at the rest of the bodywork. I had to go back and look at them again. Nice work @Asymair95. They look great.

[Asymair95]

Thank you. I was just copying other great builders on this and other forums.

Understood about the battery placement. The bounciness of the rear was driving me crazy. I used the red (Soft) shock oil and damper disk with three holes in it. I first tried the soft barrel springs, but the rear sagged too much. The medium springs solved that problem, but it was still a little bouncy. Adding stick on weights, and moving the battery helped a bunch.