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Maybe even the tires off my Unimog???? (Well not those exact ones but ones just like them!) 

1972 wrote:

Maybe even the tires off my Unimog???? (Well not those exact ones but ones just like them!) 

I had similar thoughts, but TBH I want the tyres to approach the arches, and there didn't seem to be much scope for lowering the axles

Quick test of potential electronics. Although the lighting unit is meant to work with a wide range of 2.4ghz systems, I've never been able to get it to work properly on anything but 27mz. I mean weird stuff, like only 2 orange leds flashing regardless of full lock left or right for a few tries, then one flashing all the time, red leds that initially switched from 1/2 bright on (so tailights) then full brightness under braking (so brake lights) - but then were off apart from flashing under braking. White leds that initially worked as two on all the time (side lights) then another 2 one under forward power (so high beam), but then went to random pairs. 

I'll wire some LEDs in permanently - front marker/"fog" lights & tailights - plus side repeaters on one channel of a 2-way switches, headlights on the others, instead.   

Some bits arrived today - not a very helpful photo of the RC4WD 2012 Bruiser 12mm hex conversion set, the contents replaces the stock pot metal 3-lobe hubs with smaller & lighter machined (I think) aluminium hubs, and replacement driveshafts to work with them, I guess we'll see how interchangeable the re-re Bruiser & HG P407 parts are  

I would have liked to see a bit more protection than the jiffy back the kit was sent in - I was concerned the longer shafts may have got bent, but they look ok.





A 3D printed, steering servo front relocation block. That's it's good side. At the very least I'm going to fit some helicoils to the holes rather than trust the structure.     





1.9" wheels that turned out to be cast aluminium with 115mm OD tyres. These may be taller than I need, but TBH I'd begun to lose track of what I was looking at, there are so many possible options I could have gone for. At least they don't look like the stock clown shoes.



Now, does anyone know the correct nomenclature for the tool I'll need to tight & loosen the (decorative, I think) hub caps? The section to be gripped is 10mm OD, with 8 notches, the diameter across the bottom of two opposite notches is 8.5mm diameter. Nothing I have will fit, I spend a long time looking online & got nowhere. 

I think "pliers" will be right answer unless anyone else knows better




I think the only thing getting in the way of building up the chassis is that the alloy servo arm has yet to arrive. That & not being where it should be in the project queue ... It ought to be behind the Pumpkin, 2CV, Mod Tractor at the very least, probably back way further than that. This is a hobby though, if I can't do what looks like the most fun, why bother?  

 
 
 

Beautiful wheel/tire combo. 

Fitted M3 helicoil inserts to the servo mount block & swapped it out ... really not sure about it.



Fitted the 12mm hex hub adaptors to the front axle, it went ok.

Started on the rear ... genuine Bruiser diff has 18-spline outputs, and so does the 12mm conversion kit. The clone relies on flat on the driveshaft, and therefore has diff output gears to suit - which are not the same. tamiyabase.com/...4-19804587 has two 15T/18 spline gears and six 8T gears, but is expensive, and not available in the UK. An imported set could be as much as 45 GBP if it gets hit with tax & handling fees, I just don't want to spend that on a cheap truck for such fartarse little parts.

18 splines is a standard Tamiya fit, but unfortunately not the nice brass hub insets on the Clod - the ORV diff bevel gears are the "best" option I think, plan A is to get the inside of the diff clean & machine/file the ORV gear to fit, then screw down/epoxy as appropriate - I was always going to lock the rear diff anyway.

Jonny wrote:

Now, does anyone know the correct nomenclature for the tool I'll need to tight & loosen the (decorative, I think) hub caps? The section to be gripped is 10mm OD, with 8 notches, the diameter across the bottom of two opposite notches is 8.5mm diameter. Nothing I have will fit, I spend a long time looking online & got nowhere. 

I think "pliers" will be right answer unless anyone else knows better
 

 

Who makes those hubs?  RC4WD offers lots of different center hubs and tools to install them.  I have several but I don't recognize that particular design.  Is the wheel nut built into the hub or does the hub go over the top?  If the latter, you can probably just install the hub by hand like on the TRX-4.

According the the eBay listing, the wheels and tyres are "VGBEY" brand The centres do have M4 threads in them, but I'm sure they're only going to catch the very end of the axles, if that, so they will need a proper nyloc underneath.  

Realised the diff locking pin would take care of one side of the rear diff  

Have ordered an ORV diff gear bag, at least I'll have a choice of which bevel gear to use


Superficially the parts look very good, but look closer and they're not finished anything like as well as Tamiya. Inside those bits, even worse. The rear diff was stuffed with what looked & smelled more like foetid Marmite than grease, the diff input gear has a lot of flash, and although it doesn't look too bad in the photo, the diff cover looks like it was made to fit by scraping in across a concrete factory floor. "Frist in qaulity teh. arond wolrd"

Wow those gears seems to gone past Steve Wonder quality control office.

Seen several videos of this in action and all is much much quieter than the Tamiya 3 speed. and like said above here, shifts nice as well.

Here is one thread that inludes a few mods to it www.rccrawler.c...clone.html

And here a really good thread www.tamiyaclub....d-gearbox/


I have also been thinking of buying this kit as I can not afford the real deal, but my spendy money is never there, or if they are I tend to buy stuff I need to do other work.
And at the moment I do not have space for such big vehicle, then I want a Clod also..