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A bit of a recap before I start the current project thread:

This is one of my two Traxxas cars - an E-Maxx Brushless edition that I bought used from a friend a few years ago (the other car being an E-Revo 1/16 VXL that I bought new with some bonus money a long while back and hasn't been use in years since I no longer have any batteries that fit).

It came to me as a runner, but with some splits in the tyres, a bent shock shaft and a very tatty original body.  I threw the original away and fitted a Parma El Camino that I've had floating around for years.

Here's a pic from end of summer 2018 (if memory serves it was a pretty chilly day), when it was still reasonably new to me and my daughter was only 18 months old (and was still happy to sit in the workshop while I was tinkering instead of insisting we go inside and watch 3 entire series of Bitz & Bob back-to-back)

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The first time I drove the big maxx would probably have been in the summer of 2018.  I fitted two 2S LiPo square packs (now long since puffed and disposed of) but didn't have any Traxxas connectors, so I had the banana plug flylead-to-Deans adaptors, then Deans-to-Traxxas adapters to hook into the ESC.  Nobody had ever pointed out that this wasn't a good idea...

I ran it in some local fields for 15 minutes before it suddenly jerked to a halt and flipped upside down.  Clouds of smoke billowed out from inside and I feared my ageing LiPos had gone nuclear, and rushed over to get them out before they took my chassis up with them.  On closer inspection the smoke had come from the ESC - it had got hot enough to melt the solder on the battery positive lead.  I thought maybe this was the extent of the damage, but when I got it home I found all the caps had blown and the heat had damaged the main board.  Resoldering the battery lead didn't fix it.

Which was a shame, as it was a 6S-ready Mamba Max ESC and very expensive to replace.  In the end I went with a Hobbywing, which IIRC is 6S ready although I have no intention of going that fast.  It was a lot cheaper and fitted neatly in the chassis.

Since then it's had very little use.  The odd run here or there.  Many of my packs are coming to the end of their useful life now and it's hard to justify burning through a pair of charged packs at once when I could get more than twice the runtime with my 2S cars.  Also I don't often go anywhere where the E-Maxx can be run - it's not permitted on most of the open bash days, I can't run it in the garden, and I can't run it in the fields if it's busy.  But recently I did find some places where it would really come into its own, so I decided I'd pull it down off the wall and give it a bit of a refresh.

So - here it was on Sunday when I grabbed it off the wall.

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So first thing was a new body.  Last year I bought a JConcepts Ford body for a monster truck project, but it was way too big - if the rest of their bodies are 1:10 then this was 1:8.  It sat around unused for half a year before I realised it would fit the E-Maxx quite well.

Here it is laid over the chassis.

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And here it is with the holes drilled

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I might want to change the front bumper, as that round one doesn't really look right under the Ford body, but otherwise it's a perfect fit.

I have a colour scheme and a name in mind.

After that I decided to strip down and inspect the transmission.  It's always been noisy as badword - the friend who sold it to me assured me that was normal, but I wanted to pull it apart just to check.

First thing I noticed was how convenient it was to strip down.  Say what you like about Traxxas style, marketing or aggressive lawsuit action, they know how to make a convenient car.  So many times with Tamiya I've been frustrated at the amount of screws that have to be removed just to do a simple operation.  How bout a pinion swap on a TB-01?  Half the car must come apart.  The chassis is made of that plastic which strips really easily, so every pinion swap is a risk and one screw turn closer to ruining the chassis.  I'm sure the CF variants were better but that's just one example.

Check the pinion on the E-Maxx?  One screw on top of the pinion cover and it comes off.

And - the pinion was loose!  It actually came off in my hand.  The grub was tight enough to stop the motor shaft from spinning within, but it was flopping back and forth.  Definitely that needed fixing.

Even with the motor removed, there was still a fair bit of noise from inside, so I decided to pull of the transmission completely and open it up.

Again, Traxxas surprises me with its convenience.  Turn the truck upside down and I can see a nice hole in the bottom guard to access the propshaft grubs - lo and behold, one of them is loose.  I really should check the truck more often before and after running but it looks like it didn't get much maintenance before it came to me.

There's not a lot to remove to get the transmission out.  Bottom guard, propshafts, a few screws and out it comes.  Likewise, opening the transmission is easy and it's surprisingly simple.  Nothing inside was broken or worn - some play in the idler gear bearing but nothing serious.  However, it was bone dry - there was evidence that there had been some grease in there once, but none of the gears felt even slightly greasy.  So, with the addition of a bit of GP grease, everything quietened right down.

Then I looked at the slipper clutch.  The downside of having the pinion and spur under a solid cover is it's not visible without getting the hex driver out - which means it's easily forgotten.  As an oldskool Tamiya enthusiast, slippers are not really on the list of things I think about.  I didn't even realise the E-Maxx had one.  I thought it was a bent shaft causing the spur to run all wibbly wobbly, but it wasn't, it was a worn slipper.

Clutch plate and pads clearly worn

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But also the inside of the pressure plate is worn. It's not beyond use, but evidence that the pads are below minimum thickness because it's started grinding away at parts that should never touch.

Fortunately replacement parts are cheap - as soon as I get around to ordering new parts, I'll grab new slipper parts and a new shock shaft.

Watch this space :)

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Makes me miss my E-Maxx. I had a great time with mine and I cannot recall why I ever sold it. The Mini Revo is a good time too. I’m in the same boat with that one....sitting and waiting on new batteries.

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I like the El Camino body!  Also like the Ford body, that's the 13" wheelbase 1984 correct?  I have one of those waiting around for a project that I may never get to at this point, but it's a nice looking body.  

I've never owned an EMaxx, but it looks like an awesome machine.  The closest thing I have is a Mad Force VE which I absolutely love.  Like you, I don't get to run it much for a few reasons (most of which you mentioned), but whenever I do it puts a huge smile on my face.  Nothing like 14.8 volts running through a 1/8th scale brushless system mounted to a solid axle truck, quite a handlful at times.  I'll be the Maxx handles waaay better than the Mad Force, maybe one day I'll get a big boy Traxxas basher.  Like you I'm not a huge Traxxas "fan", but I do have a few of them and they are high quality/easy to work on rigs.  

Looking forward to your progress on this one. 

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Yes @87lc2 it's the 13" '84.  I bought it early last year for a TLT-axle project (actually it was going to go on Durandal before that went through multiple rebodies), but when it turned up it was way too big.  It just looked completely out of proportion with Fifty-Fifty and Spellbreaker, both of which wore later Ford bodies from JConcepts.  I've dug it out a few times since then but never been happy with the size, until I realised the scale was just right for the E-Maxx.  So it made perfect sense.  I've never really liked the ElCo body - actually I've had two of those over the years, in the same colour scheme, because I was a big lover of the ElCo growing up and always dreamed one day I'd own one in yellow with a black horseshoe stripe on the bonnet.  But the Parma effort just never looked right, so both versions of that body got chopped up and used for other things.  (The other one currently lives under the steampunk Clod Buster which will be getting a renovation later this year).

The E-Maxx is a very forgiving truck to drive.  The adjustable wheelie bar makes it driveable without flipping over on any surface, it will still front-flip if you're aggressive on the brakes and you can roll it if you corner hard, but there's so much suspension travel and so much width that it can be driven quite hard before it goes over.  I remember when these first appeared - IIRC the pre-brushless version had a shorter wheelbase, and we thought they were fantastic.  The brushless one took speed to a whole new level.  At the time I was just getting back into Tamiya and stuff like this was way beyond my wallet, so I would wait until those bash days when I could borrow someone else's for 10 minutes.  There really was nothing else that drove like them at the time - I know a lot of us here like to bash Traxxas for their superficially ridiculous size, their complete lack of scale realism and their faster-than-fast marketing, but being able to see the body lean and the suspension work while they're cornering is better than watching a Tamiya come off the ground and flip over at the merest hint of a bump under the grass.  When the opportunity came along to buy, I couldn't say no - especially with the deal I was given.  Even having to replace the ESC after the first run, I was still in for less than its resale value.

I'd probably drive it more if I had more local mates into RC (and if I was actually allowed to see those mates outside of a Zoom window) but I really wanted it as a default go-to rig - if someone said "let's take the trucks to the fields" I wanted to have a truck that would always be in a fit state to grab and run, whatever the conditions and terrain.

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Now you have me searching local sale sites for Emaxx projects :)   I do think it would be nice to have at least one all-out basher truck that can handle anything.  As I said, the Mad Force is great fun and as close as I have, but it's nothing like a full independent Traxxas monster.  Agreed on your Traxxas thoughts, I was never a fan because of how ridiculous they looked, but sometimes I just want to let a truck run wild and I think these are perfect for that.  Everything I have needs your full attention while driving which is also fun, but I'm always wondering when the next thing will break...Not that I mind fixing them, but I think you know what I mean. 

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What is the wheelbase on your Emaxx?  If it's similar to my Kyosho might just go ahead and mount the 84 Ford body on mine, looks like a great fit on there.  Was saving it for a stretched wheelbase aluminum chassis race Clod, but no idea when I'll ever get the time to build that.  The parts have been sitting here for months and haven't even built the gearboxes yet, just so many other projects, things to do around the house, 1:1 cars, baby, etc.  

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I'll try to remember to measure the WB on Workshop Sunday (I might not get to the E-Maxx between now and then) - if I don't reply here by Monday shoot me a PM and I'll go measure it :)

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Nevermind - I have the truck & body, no idea why I would even ask that, haha.  Sometimes I just over think things.

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19 hours ago, 87lc2 said:

maybe one day I'll get a big boy Traxxas basher.  Like you I'm not a huge Traxxas "fan", but I do have a few of them and they are high quality/easy to work on rigs.  

Not to hi Jack the thread, but in some respects  AARMA are even easier to work on. I guess it’s 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other when it comes to those two brands 

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I've never driven an Arrma but a mate has some buggy type thing and is pleased with it as a basher.  Given how Traxxas conducts itself, if I was buying new today and I wanted this kind of car I would probably go Arrma.  That said I know absolutely nothing about how Arrma does business :p 

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I have heard good things about Arrma but have never owned one, might be something to look into.  How is their parts support?  Another thing that TRX does really well is parts, you can still get pretty much anything you need for all models, even some older ones that have been out of production for a bit.  Wish Tamiya would get better with parts support.

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I took the step and bought some Arrma Granite Voltage trucks around x-mas, Tower had them stupid cheap.  They are comparable to the 2wd brushed Stampede I have, and I needed some budget trucks for all 4 of my kids to bash.  The one time I drove one of them, I was very pleased with it!  Speedwise they are basically the same, but the Arrma cornered so much better!  Stampedes are easy to grip roll.  I tried my hardest to roll the Granite, but couldn't.  The Arrma is a mid-motor layout, and the battery sits in a different location.  The only gripe I might have is the battery compartment on the Arrma.  I haven't taken the time to see what can be done about fitting a lipo instead of the nimh they come with.

Sorry for the detour of the thread.  I agree, I would be looking at Arrma also.  The only Traxxas models I am considering is the TRX Blazer, or the Stampede 4x4 kit.

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UPDATES!!  I can't believe it's taken me so long to get here.  I guess I haven't been in much of a rush since I haven't diverted any cash to the broken parts (even though they aren't that expensive), so there hasn't been much incentive to paint the body.  But with last week's heatwave it seemed a waste to not get at least one body painted.

So it was that during a long and dull Teams meeting, for which I had to be present in case I had anything to comment on but was otherwise not involved, I decided to start applying the masks to the JConcepts body.  I already had a colour scheme worked out, but I wasn't sure how to place it on the body.  In the end I decided that a simple idea well executed was better than a great idea poorly executed, and went for plain stripes.  But to add some interest and not make it utterly dull, I added pinstripes between the main stripes and the main body colour.

Unfortunately I used cheap household tape for the stripes, because it was already the right size.  This is how it looked when the mask came off.

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But that's OK - ten minutes with a contraband cotton swab and some Carson Paint Killer and it was looking much better.

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Paint is Tamiya metallic purple, Tamiya silver and a couple of different brands of dayglo green (I had two half-empty tins, combined they gave me just about enough to do the job).  I backed the lot with silver but probably should have done another coat over the green, as it shows a bit of light through.  For the grill, I cut the overspray film with a scalpel and sprayed with satin black automotive paint.  I also did the same on the bed, as it's a hundred times easier than making it from the inside :p 

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The green looks a bit sickly in these photos but that's because camera.  The green is a little darker than I'd imagined but it really pops under the purple.  Actually my first thought was that it didn't work at all - the colours clashed really bad despite looking good on the inspiration pic that led to their choice - but I'll address that in more detail later.

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I usually reach for various sheets of sponsor decals to do the bulk of the bed-work on any monster truck build, but I had a lot of real estate to cover and I wanted something a bit more personal on this one, but I didn't want to spend any more cash on it and wait a week for custom printed decals to arrive.  That meant it had to be something I could print at home on the laser.  If I'd gone with a silver-painted bed then I could have printed on clear vinyl and got a good result, so my decision to go black had come back to haunt me.  I do have some white vinyl sheet but my printer doesn't really like it much, but it works very well on white sticky paper.

I mocked up a quick example of a sponsor panel using some of my own decal designs.

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Love the purple & green!  I recently used the PS18 on a body as well because I thought it would go well with the green chassis and I love it.  Also nice job on the bed, I always paint them on the outside as well, so much easier. 

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So you'll notice the truck now has a name.  Ebenezer.

Why?  Because E-Maxxes are good.

I was even going to stick with the deliberate misspelling "Ebeneezer" until I came to lay out the decals on the front end, and it worked so much better with an even number of letters.

Breaking up all that green was a good move - I think the finished product now looks so much happier.

The sponsor panel on the rear is basically just some silver gradient with some rivet shapes that I drew in inkscape, printed on stick-back paper.  It isn't water resistant so I'll have to lacquer it before it sees action, although that could be a while as the good weather has blown over and we're back to the usual English wind and rain (neither of which are ideal for spraying lacquer).

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Clear vinyl works well with bold black lettering oveer light colours, hence why my designs often feature bold black names.

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Looks great, decals came out nice.  Really like the paint work on the grille as well. 

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34 minutes ago, 87lc2 said:

Love the purple & green!  I recently used the PS18 on a body as well because I thought it would go well with the green chassis and I love it.  Also nice job on the bed, I always paint them on the outside as well, so much easier. 

You're right, with the right balance, purple and green looks awesome.  I actually spent longer deciding on the pinstripe colour :o 

My inspiration was a little Lego monster truck that my daughter got me for my birthday a few years ago.  It's purple and orange with some fluro green parts, I've already done purple and orange on the Truck of Many Wheels and I've been waiting for the chance to do purple and green for a long while

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as a few members on here may know i have a few of my rc's purple being my biggest my truck n trailer so of course i am gonna love the paint scheme you have done 

and tbh the masking don't really matter seeing it will be a basher i remember finishing a new shell for my t-maxx and with in 2 mins it looked like it had been on a 2 hour bashing session. and i spent a long time on that shell

the decals you have apply'd are fantastic and really suit the truck/shell

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Finally - an update to this one!  While I was placing my order for some paint for the long-overdue SMT-10 project, I figured I could add a bit more and get the E-Maxx fixed as well.  This kind of mentality explains where all my savings went in April.

Here you see three packs of genuine Traxxas spares.  A slipper clutch rebuild kit (which has a different type of slipper material), replacement pressure plate and spinny bit, and (in the process of making a break for freedom), some new shock shafts.

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For a quick recap, I took some more photos of the old clutch pads and the witness mark on the inside of the pressure plate.  The eagle-eyed among you will notice that the wear is somewhat eccentric.  That's not to say it wears a funny hat and affects a King's English accent, merely that it isn't worn evenly around the middle as one might expect from a properly aligned clutch.

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I believe this is called the spinny bit.  It has evidence of graunching.

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New spinny bit, completely free of graunch

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New pad, ungraunched

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Then I came to unscrew the pressure plate from the back of hte spur, and I noticed this: definitely speaking in a strange accent here.

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Yup, that's full on Viv Stanshall, that is.  If it gets any worse, it'll start saying the name of all the tools as I pick them up.

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Pressure plate.  Definitely been under pressure.

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That's what my old man would refer to as "marmolised"

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Now there was a time in my life when I might well has said "ah, foul it" and thrown the new clutch parts in, but for the sake of £5 on a new spur and a few days wait, it wasn't worth ruining the new parts with a hasty installation.  So the project went back on the wall, and a new spur gear is on order.

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