Bulletproofing checklist

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hamster huey

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I have 12 tanks run through my Rampage and have come across a few weak spots. My hopups are: 28.5 motor, xcan, baja filter, pullstart cover, 3000 rx batt, hitech 5745mg, Hobbico cs160, proline desperado/excavator, 29/31 gearing, 8k clutch springs, hop up kit, 25t steel gears, kill switch, and aluminum tranny gear plate. I have drilled small holes in the gear cover for cooling as the gears, etc get very hot. Servos get power directly from the battery bypassing the receiver for maximum effeciency. I dropped the truck body as low as possible, cut holes for the rear of the cage where the cab meets the bed for cage clearance, and put 90 degree elbows on the xcan to shoot exhaust straight up, eleminating the need for 3" or 6" stingers that loosen, trap fumes under the body, and melt the body. I have not boiled my arms yet. I have not destroyed the truck body yet. I don't have a slammer damm yet. Are there any more areas that need to be adressed for bulletproofing?
 
Yeah, don't run it. It's something new everyday but sounds like you have a good idea of what's going on.
 
your heading says bullit proof.. well i did a few of the same things that you have done.. i basicly wanted to have a fairly reliable rig that can take a good amount of abuse. i want to jump it, beat on it, hit stuff, and so on yet still take it home in basicly one peice. the one thing that i really hate is an ongoing issue with no fix.. like the diffs.. so i kept the power down with an X-can and 28.5 head kit. i lose alot of power with the X-can, but i have never had a diff issue. the mt tires put alot of stress on the plastic so i went with alum A-arms, rear hub, stearing mount and stearing arm. i never have to worry about breaking plastic now and it was a great investment. i also went with 6mm hpi shock shafts so i can "properly" air it out with no worries. the next week link was the plastic drive gears. i have recantly cut a small hole in the gear cover so they can breath. haven't had an issue with dirt and haven't melted any gears. i did the same thing as you with the stock shell and it lasted awhile with some plenty of glue. centering the drive shafts is important so to not crack any drive cups. my rig is pretty bullit proof. not as fast as some others, but i have a about 4 gallons on mine and its a tank..
 
Yeah the Xcan seems lower on power than a "tuned pipe" BUT it is completly under the body where it is protected. What did you use to center your shafts? Fuel tubing? How did you beef your shocks up? I have seen people replace the shafts, use stiffer springs, and replace the c clips that retain the piston or even replace the shocks with baja shocks. I even saw an MT that had dual stock Rampage shocks on the back! I saw in this forum how some people had the diff pins inside the diff case that hold the planetary gears break. Is the hardened pin that much stronger or should this even be a concern?
 
do you have the upgraded diff or just the hardened pins? as far as centering the drive shafts i tried contractor ear plugs and that didnt work, then i tried fuel tubing and that only worked for a few tanks. im now using hot glue sticks the are carefully measured so it doesn't bind the suspension, but still keeps the shaft centered. i have the newer shock that don't use the e-clip. you can use the stock shock piston with them, but they arent a perfect fit and take a very little bit of modding to work(shimming the shock piston and lower spring retainer if your runing plastic arms).. you can do all 4 shocks for $62.00. http://www.davesmotors.com/s.nl/c.885035/n.1/it.A/id.403/.fhttp://www.davesmotors.com/s.nl/c.885035/n.1/it.A/id.657/.f2 of eachif your still running stock diffs, i would look into getting the upgrade kit for $50.00. it comes with 2 complet upgraded diff,4 suspension arms, 4 drive cups, and a few other goodieshttp://www.rampagehopups.com/product.sc?categoryId=6&productId=364and i run the X-can for the same reason. on my tt/truggy im running the side dom and its simply disturbing.here you can see the diffrence between the 2 shafts. stock is 4mm and hpi's are 6mm

tt truggy 006.webp

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Very good "tempering" the outdrives. I have read a few different ways of doing. What is the best way of "tempering" the outdrives though?
 
Nope I have not done the "supension arm hopup" Rob. Thats a good tip! I will get the aluminum holder though as you suggested if my plastic one breaks. Guess what I did do though? Three screws hold the bumper etc. together in front of the pin arm holder (the three tholes in the picture). I ran 3 longer screws through and put locknuts on them. Actually I it wasnt an idea but rather I had to come up with something after the orginal screws got ripped out by an "invisible" curb hidden in high grass!
 
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