the problem is that i already have the raminator... not the rock crawler. i would like to make a custom and have that one of a kind truck that nobody else has. even if i tried to sell it as is which is stock and only ran twice the absolute max i could pull for it would be around $125. that puts me 75 in the hole that i could use to make this truck what i want it to be. so i will most likely be better off making this truck custom then just buying the rock crawler... and the custom idea gives it more points.
I agree...make the truck do what you want!
I say lock the diffs with hot glue, or something else you can revert from. Get a 9T pinion, and play with the suspension settings a bit. This only costs some time, and the cost of the pinion gear (or a set if you cant just get the 9T on it's own)
Try moving the battery pack around....stick it up front perhaps.....
Another thought I had was to carefully unglue the inside edge of the tire, remove 1/2" from the inside of the rim, and reglue the tire back onto the narrowed wheel. This might be a bit more tricky, but would give a wider look to the truck as well.
I bet if you got creative enough, you could move that front diff forward using a 2nd long trans bone (look underneath, 1 long, 1 short) and get closer to the 8.5" wheelbase limit of 1.9 class.....
Just a few thoughts....
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Mid-Motor Speed-T,Mid-Motor xxx-cr, 2 Slash's, XXX-S, Mini-T, JRX Pro (still runs!)
Hot Bodies Ve8
would that work to lock the diff? or is the MRC diff different?
i did get a few more cm of clearance moving the shocks...
I don't think the MRC shares much with the other Losi trucks, so likely a part dedicated to it.
I'm just suggesting ideas that won't overly modify the truck much, and should be able to go back to how it was, if you change your mind. JB weld obviously will really lock the diff, but if you want a diff again, it will have to be replaced with new parts.
Again yes the rock crawler rims\tires will look the part if you don't mind spending a few bucks.
I might just take a Mini Raminator and make a rock crawler type out of it as well, just for kicks.....they were only 99$ + ship anyways....
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Mid-Motor Speed-T,Mid-Motor xxx-cr, 2 Slash's, XXX-S, Mini-T, JRX Pro (still runs!)
Hot Bodies Ve8
thats my reasoning for it. i also have a LST2 so i'm not worried about converting it back. i just want to make the raminator a unique crawler, and i can keep my mini LST2 stock... basically
im just kind of sad that te wide arms kit is so expensive...
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HPI Hellfire SS
Losi Mini LST2
Losi Mini Raminator
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There is no such thing as budget RC.
thats my reasoning for it. i also have a LST2 so i'm not worried about converting it back. i just want to make the raminator a unique crawler, and i can keep my mini LST2 stock... basically
im just kind of sad that te wide arms kit is so expensive...
Perhaps you can get some sort of axle extender?
I don't have my MRC's yet (due in Monday) but I don't think the width is the issue, it's the 1.5" that the MRC has over the Raminator\Mini LST2 in the wheelbase department....
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Mid-Motor Speed-T,Mid-Motor xxx-cr, 2 Slash's, XXX-S, Mini-T, JRX Pro (still runs!)
Hot Bodies Ve8
I would worry on extending the wheelbase, over making it wider......
Raminator:
Width:8.2 in (209mm)
Wheelbase:7.2 in (185mm)
MRC:
Width:7 in (177.8mm)
Wheelbase:8.5 in (215.9mm)
You definitely need the longer wheelbase so you can get the raminator to climb over obstacles.....
You definitely need ground clearance.
Too much width can hurt you.
Listen to Y2 he has the right ideas....
You want the rig to be unique you will have to do some of your own fabricating.
You want to rework your suspension as well....I would take off the shocks and see how much you can move the wheel up then down measure it and then install the shock and measure again. The more travel you can squeeze the bigger the obstacle you can get over. If your suspension is too soft you will rub the rocks.....Most of the time that hurts you....
If your suspension is too stiff you get no articulation.
I have one last motivator for this project....The raminator is now selling new for $99....
Nothing wrong with going outside the box, except (as Bermbuster said) you're going to have to do all of your own fabricating and use your own ingenuity to turn your rig into a crawler since you are going into uncharted territory. Since it is a monster truck there are no crawler parts for it and the guys that run crawlers buy dedicated crawlers instead of multiple mlst's so it's really going to come down to you doing it and making parts yourself.
good luck
You could use diff locking putty to lock the diffs. If you've never used it, it's very similar to stiff modeling clay (which would probably work just as well), it comes out fairly easily and is re-usable. A little jar of it is only a couple bucks.
The crawler shocks aren't going to help much with suspension travel. Even If you modded the arms to swing 180°, your articulation will be limited by the interaction between the dogbones and axles/outdrives (or CVs). You'll only get so much angle before the bone binds in the slot on the cups. If you were to design and build a pivoting chassis, you might wind up with the ultimate mini crawler.
You could use diff locking putty to lock the diffs. If you've never used it, it's very similar to stiff modeling clay (which would probably work just as well), it comes out fairly easily and is re-usable. A little jar of it is only a couple bucks.
The crawler shocks aren't going to help much with suspension travel. Even If you modded the arms to swing 180°, your articulation will be limited by the interaction between the dogbones and axles/outdrives (or CVs). You'll only get so much angle before the bone binds in the slot on the cups. If you were to design and build a pivoting chassis, you might wind up with the ultimate mini crawler.
I'll have to look into that clay.....
Perhaps ditch the stock suspension.
Mount the outdrives and gear box to a aluminum L-bracket or some type of bar.....and mini 4 link it.
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Mid-Motor Speed-T,Mid-Motor xxx-cr, 2 Slash's, XXX-S, Mini-T, JRX Pro (still runs!)
Hot Bodies Ve8
The crawler shocks aren't going to help much with suspension travel. Even If you modded the arms to swing 180°, your articulation will be limited by the interaction between the dogbones and axles/outdrives (or CVs). You'll only get so much angle before the bone binds in the slot on the cups.
That is why I suggested to remove the shocks to see what kind of movement the stock set up has. Removing the shocks will let you know if it is the shocks limiting travel or the arms, dogbones, etc....
If I remember my old MLST right it used generic bones. You can lenghten them by cutting and adding a pc of overtubing to make them longer....
Once you stretch it the body will be history....Maybe you can find a toysrus lid to give it a scaler look....
it is the arms, but the dogbones are just about maxed. so that wouldn't help. the pivoting chassis idea sounds sweet! i will see if there's a way to do that.
the maximum i could legnthen the chassis is about an inch, because if i do more than that i would be sacrificing the 4 wheel drive.
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HPI Hellfire SS
Losi Mini LST2
Losi Mini Raminator
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is no such thing as budget RC.
