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Mad Ax

Project 40: CC01 Land Cruiser

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"The SCX-10 is a great truck," An enthusiast once said to me, "But it's a bit dull.  I mean, you just point it at something, and it goes over it.  With a CC01 you have to pick your lines, you have to think about your route, and that makes it so much more involving on the types of trails you're going to encounter on your everyday walks."

 

I wasn't planning any new projects given the amount of work I've got on, young family and all the other things that go with it, but it feels like years since I last had a functional CC01 and this one came up cheap on ebay from a local seller.  I popped over to meet him on a lunchbreak and picked up this beauty.

38215001636_771b79c09a_k.jpgIMG_20171108_125926 by Mad Ax, on Flickr

24398618938_382b12045a_k.jpgIMG_20171108_125916 by Mad Ax, on Flickr

 

Bone stock apart from a useless set of aluminium shocks that don't fit right - I'll have to find a set of standard shocks among my parts bins or buy something more suitable.  Also looks like the rear links have gone floppy - they might have been trimmed for better clearance?  Either way they can't take the weight of the rear springs and they've bent.  The body has been painted in a rather hideous green which has rubbed through in places, but overall it's had little use and is a good solid basis for a very quick project.

I've tried very hard to love the green paint, but I just can't like it; I considered re-painting on the outside for a rough matt-finish look but I figure it'll look really bad if the paint rubs through (which it eventually will, as this will be a runner).  So today I ordered some Carson paint remover and some new Tamiya paint, and I stripped all the lights and trim parts off the body ready for cleaning.  Got a bit of adhesive foam to clear up but hopefully the paint remover will help there.

Also got a bearing set on the way, and will be raiding the parts bin for some alternative wheels and tyres.  Got a few spare scale parts been lying around unused for a while so they'll be going on, and I'm sure there's a 3 Racing steering kit in my stash somewhere, along with a high-torque servo and a 55T motor.  Maybe even some bushes to shim up the rockety rear axle, and there's always enough spare allthread and tubing to make up some nicer lower links and relocate the rear shock mounts.

You can't beat a CC01 for some light trail action, and I've been without one for way too long.  This'll make a nice easy-going project to improve bit-by-bit, starting by sorting that flimsy back end.  Future plans include cutting the brick and maybe even a front-mounted steering servo and extended front shocks.

This thread will stay open for updates here and there as the project progresses and I get back to some light trail action: the sort of thing I'll encounter on my everyday walks.

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So, two days into the project and already all change!

Firstly my order arrived from Modelsport yesterday morning, and I realised I'd been a plonker and ordered the wrong paint.  I'd misread a colour code from a low-res Tamiya swatch and ordered yet more PS-12 silver.  I now have enough silver to start my own Tamiya silver paint shop.  But that's OK since I back almost everything with silver, so it'll get some use.

Second problem happened when I popped home at lunch to give the Carson Paint Killer a try.  It looks like it'll be gentle on the polycarb but gentle on the paint too - I could probably make it work, but TBH I don't have time.  I have a baby - I don't have time to polish the inside of an old Tamiya shell all week :D

So I figured the best solution was to paint the old shell on the outside, but unfortunately that mean new decals - so back on ebay again to order a decal set from Tony's Tamiya Parts.  Then home after work I had another look at the shell, and decided painting from the outside was going to be a second-best option and actually I wanted more than that...

So - back onto ebay and ordered a new polycarb body to go along with the decal set.  From Tony's Tamiya Parts.

Then back on ebay again first thing this morning to email Tony and say "I've been a pillock and ordered body and decals separately and paid extra for something less good - can you please swap my order for a complete bodyset?"  Being the legend that he is, Tony agreed and a complete new body parts set is on its way to me.

Which means I now have a spare Land Cruiser body with a horrid green paint job.

hmm, I wonder if I can get a cheap CC01 chassis off ebay..?  And I wonder if I can get that green paint off with Carson Paint Killer..?

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2 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Which means I now have a spare Land Cruiser body with a horrid green paint job.

hmm, I wonder if I can get a cheap CC01 chassis off ebay..?  And I wonder if I can get that green paint off with Carson Paint Killer..?

Lol - that sounds like me with my current SRB builds, buya  few too many parts thats not needed and then think with a few other parts i could build another lol!

Paint the green shell on the outside, even do it silver and then cover with another colour of choice - runner shell stratched will then reveal the silver underneath.  

Did the same with my CR-01 FJ40 shell (although after 3 years its yet to get a run out, never mind a scratch !)..

433_C127_D-130_D-404_E-8059-8_F93528_AC4

7C5CCAF0-F069-4CEC-9DBF-C1A2A124683C_zps

37_C2201_F-7_E07-4811-_B65_C-_DCC477_ACD

I ended up using Tamiya AS paint on top of the PS12 silver, it works fine once you have the PS paint key into the polycarbonate..

1_D4_C9709-8_C99-4_D8_C-_A083-590207051_

4_C3_A5_DFD-_D8_DB-453_B-9182-_C4_F990_B

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If the Carson paint remover is anything like Tamiya's polycarbonate cleaner (or Autosmart Tardis if you're in to car detailing) then you need to wet the surfaces , leave for 10 minutes and then agitate with cloth or a tool like a wooden lolly stick.   On my original Egress shell, painted with old brush paints i actually pooled the polycarb cleaner inside the shell, and left for 30 minutes to soften the paint...

 

IMG_0049.jpg

After abut 7 hours i did finally get all the paint off without losing any of the original decals..

IMG_0011.jpg

and it repainted fine..

IMG_0012-1.jpg

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@Mad Ax, my project brain seems to work like that too.

Just a quick job, a few parts.

But ought to do it properly, buy more parts.

Now have too many, buy even more.

Move to next project before finishing the last.

Now where’s that C01 I have in the garage but have never run...?

 

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DeSolvIt Graffiti Remover is an easy and hassle free way of removing paint. It is an aerosol gel, so you can spray it all over the inside of the shell and leave it to do its work, then rinse it off. Some stubborn areas might need a bit of agitation with an old toothbrush or similar, but no real effort is required.

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With the right tyres and a few suspension mods the cc01 can actually outdo the scx10, vaterra ascender and other similar trucks when your driving on loose, slippery and bumpy surfaces. 

I recently went on a run where we encountered a scale looking climb that was slightly sandy and bumpy, the only thing that could make it to the top was my cc01 all the other jazzy trail rigs simply could not do it. Why? It was rough and they would just start bouncing then slide backwards or flip over. 

The cc01 just glided over the bumps without any fuss and over the crest repeatedly. Had the surface been a little smoother then the playing field would level out. But in that circumstance the cc01 just made the other bigger flashier units look silly. 

Tyres are everything though, 

The best tyres by a long way are in my opinion the rc4wd dick cipek fun country. They are so soft it looks like they need air. Which is really how you want it.

the 1.55” fit most cc01 shells. The 1.9” require a little cutting on poly shells. Won’t work on hard shells without severe mods. 

 

 

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OK, so pretty soon this project will have to get either some photos or it will be relegated to another forum :P 

Anyhoo, updates:

Good news: my lovely shiny new Land Cruiser shell arrived on Monday and it looks epic

Bad news: I'll have to paint it, it's the wrong time of year and my paint booth is out of action

Good news: I found some 1.9 beadlock scale wheels (I think they're Fastrax?) that should look awesome

Bad news: I couldn't get my old RC4WD tyres to mount on them, ISTR I had this issue before with these wheels in that I can only use the Fastrax tyres on them (or maybe I need to try harder)

Good news: I found some other smaller tyres that should fit better

Bad news: I lost a nut from the back of the wheel, it's a non-Metric size and I don't keep any spares, so I put the wheels back in a box with a very upset look on my face and went to do something else

Good news: I found some Duratrax wheels that I totally fell in love with

Bad news: I can't find them without tyres and the tyres pre-mounted will be too big for the 40

Good news: I found an unopened Boom Racing Wrangler body on my shelf that should be a perfect fit over the CC01 with barely any mods, just needs longer rear links and custom propshaft

Bad news: that means I've spent in excess of £80 acquiring paint and body that I might not even use on this project after all

Good news: the Wrangler body is moulded in yellow, it already looks pretty good, which means I won't have to paint it which will save me buckets of time and effort and won't upset the wife who is currently using the garage for her acrylic paintings and could do without me getting paint dust everywhere

Bad news: I'll have to get a mod to change the thread title...

Good news: I'll have a spare LC40 shell on my shelf in case I get hold of another CC01 chassis at some point...

This is turning into less of a project thread and more into an insight into how my brain works when I'm trying to think of a project to do.

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this is getting more interesting still.....  my brain is still whirring!

so - the reason behind me jumping on Ebay and making a bid on this car were:

  • I need a basic runner CC01 in my life
  • It was cheap
  • It was local
  • All my other CC01s are either NIB or require too much technical work to get running right now

I had plans for another CC01, basically to it as far as it could go with home-made parts only.  I had planned to use an NIB CC01 Landfreeder that I got a while back, and using an old Pajero shell that had previously been converted into a pickup.  This was actually the shell on my first-ever CC01 and has followed me around from place to place, even been put up for sale a couple of times!

Anyhoo - it occurred to me that starting out with a near-stock but ready-built CC01 like this one would be the perfect starting point for this Pajero build, the main bonuses of this being:

  • I can get up and running real quick with a built chassis
  • I can test-drive in stock form and make mods to measure improvements
  • I'll be chopping up a used chassis instead of a completely new one
  • I'll have a completely new chassis that can fit under my LC40 body, which I'd always planned to be more of a light trail runner with some off-the-shelf hop-ups
  • I don't need to put my Boom Racing Wrangler body over a chassis with the "wrong" axles - I can leave it for the K2/TLT combo that I'd always planned on using
  • My Paj pick-up is already built and painted and ready to fit - no paint required!

Is this an uber-win, or will I have changed my mind again by 9pm?

Place bets now!

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UPDATE - I actually decided to stop messing around with ideas and hunting around for random parts and actually start doing some work on this project.

So - popped home at lunch, started stripping the back end to reduce the wheelbase for the Pajero shell.  Which I conveniently found on one of my shelves.

37550803275_1e749837b8_k.jpg2017-11-15_02-51-15 by Mad Ax, on Flickr

 

Only got about 40 mins but managed to relocate the links and swap out the shorter propshaft from the Landfreeder kit.

38437569091_b974df95ea_k.jpg2017-11-15_02-51-35 by Mad Ax, on Flickr

I also discovered why the shock was catching on the axle at the back - the axle housing is cracked.  I grabbed the NIB housing out of the Landfreeder to start getting it back together but didn't have time to finish today.  Shame, I'd have been able to fit the Pajero body mounts and start demoing the product.  In fact with a set of electrics I could have taken it for a run!

Stock rear links are still badly bent but won't be on long, they're the easiest thing to replace.  I'll have to make another set of my home-brew rear shock mounts, or order a 3d-printed axle with integral shock mounts off Shapeways.

Not sure if I'll keep those rear shocks.  The springs on them are way too stiff but also they're too long for the stock position.  I'll either replace them with standard or replace them with some longer super-stock monster truck shocks on a higher mounting position.

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Bit more done tonight.  Rear axle shimmed with bushes (had to raid a couple of NIBs as I threw all my old bushes out recently), reassembled into new housing, chassis reassembled.  Cheap rear shocks don't fit right and won't compress properly, I'll try to find some stock shocks in my parts bin and ultimately will have some soft long-throw shocks on board.  Front springs are way too soft and they collapse under the weight of the shell.

LC40 body mounts removed and Pajero body mounts added - Tamiya really got it spot on with the Pajero mounts, not sure why they didn't use this with more cars - and shell test-fitted.

This shell will get a recondition one day but for now it's perfect for a bit of off-road bashing and trailing.

38443054511_f8abac7e17_k.jpgIMG_20171115_194751 by Mad Ax, on Flickr

26666682379_042b82a6a3_k.jpgIMG_20171115_194728 by Mad Ax, on Flickr

38443052281_d8854b11c9_k.jpgIMG_20171115_194742 by Mad Ax, on Flickr

 

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Loving the stream of consciousness style of your thread!  It also makes me want to charge up my CC-01 and hit the trails.

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On 18/11/2017 at 10:11 PM, Juls1 said:

Curious what the pinion gear hanging off the front is for? 

I got the chassis in a trade; the previous owner attached the pinion to the front so I didn't get lost.  I haven't got around to taking it off yet.  TBH I'll take the entire toy car bumper off when I'm done, I'll be cutting the brick on this one soon.

I found some well-used Tamiya CVA dampers in my parts bin last week, I'll rebuild them into a 70mm configuration so I can test the truck in stock trim before I start ripping it apart.

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Quick update - while sorting and cataloguing collection during lunch I found the CC01 stuffed to the back of the shelf, it's been a crazy busy winter with one thing and another and even a quick project like this one had to get shelved!  Anyway, a new Quicrun crawler speedo arrived this week - I bought one for my SCX-10 last year and totally loved it, so I figured it was the best option for the CC01.  I thought I had more in the way of crawler motors but all I can find is a HPI 55 turn which was in my old Hummer project.  Since the Hummer won't be looked at any time soon, it got stripped for parts and the CC01 now has:

HPI 55T Crawler motor

Losi 2.4GHz receiver

Ancient Hitec high-torque servo

Quicrun crawler speedo

20 tooth pinion

alloy steering conversion that I had on my original CC01 many years ago

 

I'm also not sure if the above updates covered it but this chassis has more or less been returned to stock - stock shocks, stock links, stock everything bar steering.  Parts were borrowed from my NIB CC01 which will eventually be modded anyway.  Well, the good news is that, after way too long, I now have a running CC01 again :D:D:D

I only had time for a quick run up and down the 'garden' but it runs like a charm.  Nice and softly sprung, handles the bumps and climbs surprisingly well for Tamiya tyres.

40357115385_a6c22c8571.jpg2018-04-05_02-32-15 by Mad Ax, on Flickr

Yes - it climbed up that slate tile without any assistance and hung there on the QR's brake while I took a photo.  Awesome.

I now have a proper long-term plan for this car, which is:

  • Build my NIB Pajero in total stock form (apart from bearings)
  • Fit identical motor, pinion (probably 16T), wheels, tyres, speed controller and servo to both chassis
  • Set about a regime of home-brew mods to the pickup Pajero to see what improvements can be made for free
  • Compare every mod with the stock Pajero
  • When the modded Paj has gone about as far as it can realistically go, start hitting the stock Paj with off-the-shelf hop-ups to see if it can get to the same level as the home-brew chassis

It might take me a while to set all this in motion but should be a lot of fun when I get around to doing side-by-side testing.

 

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