Backlot Pede Bashing

[BJoe]

Had my Pede out behind work on Friday for a little lunchbreak bashing session and took some video of it since I had my camera with me. Could have been better, but I either used my Ammo box or the ground for a camera stand.

[video=youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L9KgZzIhDY]YouTube - VXL Pede Lunchtime Bashing[/video]

[AddictedtoNITRO]

I love that pede. I can't remembeer your suspension setup but, I just picked up a pede a little bit ago and am going to set it up darn near the same. Didn't you use jato arms or something?

[BJoe]

I'll post pics and some info after work for you Jeff

[AddictedtoNITRO]

I'll post pics and some info after work for you Jeff

Thanks Man!

[BJoe]

Not a problem Jeff and a heeeere we go!

I'll start with body posts, I've done a couple different styles over the years. First set up was done in 2000 and this is the only pic I have of the original T/T2 Ram body up on the computer at the moment, but do have one of the T3 Ram. I used a flipped Rustler/standard Nitro Sport body mount to drop the tower and still clear the servo. Originally I put the short body posts forward on the tower by using either styrene (IIRC, it may have been Evergreen, but a For Sale sign is the exact same stuff) or lexan scraps to push it out like that and help clear the winshield. These were primarily for using Dodge Ram bodies for the Associated RC10T/T2 and T3


I later moved the posts back to the tower because I kept breaking the extensions.
Next set of pics are the posts done for the HPI Rush/MT/MT2 Dodge Ram, but would work with all of the bodies made for those chassis'. I did cut hte rear posts off the mount and use the shorter ones for the front of the Nitro Sport to drop the rear further than the stockers and also mounted the posts as low as possible where it bolts to the shock tower. The front's are the normal Rusty ones that have been cut/Dremeled down maybe 1/8" or so to lower the front of the shell, I did have to bevel them some to clear the Ram's raised hood/dropped fenders and that shouldn't be necessary on the other shells.

This is the truck's stance that way

This is the current post arrangement as you saw them in August

One problem I've run across with setting the body that low is that the speed control conflicts with the shell in that area, so the fix on the first three Ram bodies was to cut hte body out and make a cooling scoop, which did one hell of a job cooling the Super Rooster! On the HPI Ram and Crowd Pleazer 2.0 it just clears the ESC and kinda give a Hemi Under Glass look if you leave that part of the shell clear

[BJoe]

Next up is the suspension, all of the current arms, carriers, and caster blocks are RPM while the camber links are all Lundsford and TRX captured ends, but the current VXL model stuff would be fine too. The front bulkhead is an aluminum stock replacement part by New Era Models and is machined from one piece of aluminum (unlike Integy's, which is a two piece....piece) and I'm also using the now disco'd graphite pin brace and Nitro/VXL inner front hingepins. I had been running Traxxas Big Bores for a long time on the truck, but decided to put on a set of Revo Hard Ano'd after bending up the shafts in a new pair or XXL BB's and feeling too lazy to swap them out. I did have to drill out the piston holes to work better on a light truck like the Pede, but installing standard Jato pistons (or using Jato shocks) pre oiling would be better. I did have to put Ofna Ti-Ni front shafts in the bodies used for the back shocks to make them a little longer for the back of the truck and had to drill out the piston's center hole a hair to get the shaft through. IIRC I've got 30wt Trinity oil in them now but may put in some Losi 50wt before my upcoming trip to Branson (may take it or my Losi MRC with me) The front springs are Jato Green while the rears are Jato Blue and may get bumped to Revo Yellow out back after putting a 7 cell stick (the non-kablooied pack from my E-Revo) in it.

One thing I had heard years ago was that Associated made a 1/8" dia hingepin that would work for a replacement kingpin (stock is 2mm), IIRC that pin is PN6223 and you will need a 1/8" drill bit too. I had done that on the factory caster blocks (unlike about 90% of people with these trucks, I never broke one on it) as well as the RPM ones that are now on it and have yet to bend them after several years! This truck is old enough that is had no bearings anywhere, off white nylon wheels, clear body, 2018 steering and MSC servos and no slipper from the factory! I had put the old style slipper on it back in '99 and swapped that as well as the trans housing over to the new XL5 stuff shortly after those were released as well as most of the VXL tranny guts (already had the aluminum idler from a trans killing post work bash at the construction sight for the St. Charles IHOP way back in 2001 )after destroying a few in the weeks after putting the VXL in it. If you're going to put something like the set up I have in mine in a non-VXL/Slash truck, you'll want to make sure to swap the trans guts and stub axles over to the ones for the above trucks and might even try the Jato outputs and driveshafts, but it may not totally be necessary.
Here's the stuff that didn't like the VXL with 12/90 hearing


The Jato outdrives are a relatively easy mod if you have a Dremel and some diff output shaft sized drill bits. You need to grind the raised portion of the outdrive flat with the rest of the outdrive and drill out where the sun gears go into them. If your going to Bob's on hte 1st I can bring the truck or even pull a set off my Bandit and show you what I'm talking about on that.
Here's how the Jato shafts looks on the truck, by the looks of it on the Traxxas forum, I may have been one of the first people in the country to work out this mod!


Now if Bernie decides to set up a Modified Class for the Slash, all of the above mods but the E-or even N-Rusty/Pede rear RPM arms will work on those trucks too

[AddictedtoNITRO]

wow Joe, You are a plethera of information!
You got a lot of custom grinding and fabbing time in there. Thats pretty cool. I now have a manual to build a ultimate pede!

You and MikeH are the only 2 I've ever seen build them up and they both are sweet.

My hopes are to be running a traxxas brushless system or sidewinder 5700 in it. (santa are you listening lol) I'll get me some jato outdrives and shocks and start the modding! Oh yea and some rpm stuff lol

[BJoe]

Thanks Jeff, I've been playing with that truck for a loooooong time.

[Tex]

I used to have a kick arse Pede. Not quite as nice as Mike's or Joe's but it was a ton of fun.

[AddictedtoNITRO]

Hey Joe, Worked on the pede a bit. Nothing major. I kinda like the width as it sits now. Haven't run it yet but that'll change soon. It's the first ever attempt at painting a body for me so I really don't want to trash it lol. The brushless will be here this week. Going to be running a sidewinder with a vxl 3500kv motor on 11.1 3 cell lipo.

I used slash mounts to lower the body mounts to fit the new body correctly. I also put xxx-t shocks on it. The xxx-t shocks are all the same size as the front stock pede's. So I lowered the front and left the rear. Now it sits arms perfectly level. The shocks I had leftover from my xxx-t build are front alum and rear threaded alum lol. These will be the basher tires as I have a set of 30 series badlands coming for it for nice driving lol.
I have rpm arms, towers, caster, bearing carriers all to put on yet but unsure if I want to put them on the slash or this lol
Anyways let me know what you think

[BJoe]

Looks good Jeff, I'm diggin' the white lettering too! Which body it that from J-Concepts and what did you use for the lettering? Have you had a chance to drive it since doing the body and mount swap?

[AddictedtoNITRO]

Hey, It's a rustler vxl illuzion.
JConcepts Illuzion Rustler VXL Hi Speed Body w/Wing Clr

Havent drove it yet. Afraid to trash the body lol. Gonna wait till the brushless gets here.

For the lettering I used a silver photo marker. I have no idea where it came from it's my wife's lol. shhh lol

[BJoe]

Cool, I was wondering if it was their Jato or Rusty body and if you'd used White-Out on the raised letters.

[AddictedtoNITRO]

I liked the styling of the rustler in person. Jato looks cool but not in person lol. No, no white out.