cheaper to build fg monster truck from ebay or buy complete 2nd hand??

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new-fg-owner

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hey guys well i already have a hpi 26cc fueile engine and two high torgue spare digital servos. So basically what i im thinking is it going to work out cheaper to buy the parts seperatly second hand on ebay or just buy a second hand monster truck?

if i can pick up a used monster truck for about £450 with lots of spare alloy parts, jet pro pipe, zenoah 26cc engine?

or as i have an engine and some servos, oh and a spare plastic servo tray, old battered diff from my touring car, plastic engine mounts, plastic diff housing, different metal gears spare.

what i would need is monster truck chassis, monster truck side panel stiffner things, wheels tyres, front and back wish bones, diff housing, front shock tower, servo box.

so ya your input would bee aammmmmaaazing
 
hey matey ya thats what i was thinking, if i can pick up a set of tyres cheap and a chassis then i can just slowly start buiding it up, all depends on getting the parts cheap i guess lol.
i have been looking and i dunno the fg monster trucks just seem really really simple, like compared to some of my touring cars, it just seems ya to simple even to be true....

if it is as simple as it seems why on this planet people pay £800 for ones new is beyond me i just cant understand it. ya a four wheel drive one were talking a bit more expensive but ya.

let me know guys if im talking rubbish and if it will actual cost alot to buid one.
 
i essentially did the same thing as you, however i did start with a complete car. the car was a mess, i did get the car together and running, but was far from ideal. over about 2 years i bought the majority of the pieces to turn my car into an fg evo off ebay. i did save money overall, however be careful with what your buying. my rule now is if its a used item and i cant see inside of it, stay away. i got burned on a diff, was supposed to be a technokit locking diff, turned out it had duratrax open diff guts in it. got a set of hydro brakes, were listed as fg, turns out they were lauterbacher, and they were in poor shape. it ended up costing me what a new set was worth by the time i had them working correctly.

some stuff there are deals, but beware. some things are better buying new.
 
hey guys love the replys really awesom and your all kind of confirming what i am thinking and at the same time making me think hmm which do to. But as i think and have been told better to get a little stressed being patient thinking of best route rather than as you say spend £500 and end up with a bucket of ripped off rubbish.

that is my dilema buying on ebay you have to be so careful, my first 1/5th scale the fg i bought i've spent a fortune upgrading it all, i did have a zenoah converted to 29cc that touch woods ran perfect for a year and half and fg big power banana pipe n comp chasis but it did cost me £390.

my theory on this monster truck i've seen sel the alloy parts, which are brand new un used, sell the servos and comes with cheap 2.4ghz, so then im left with a fg monster truck which comes in at about £300 still dunno if its to much


and yes sharky ahh patiens can i be arsed to be patient. thinking of being patient now is one thing, but im sure as you had at times waiting for that one second hand part you need for months can be sooo frustrating i bet?
 
this was how i built the bug but mate its those little finishing bits that hold you up and you do end up paying more in the end trust me the bug was 2 years building before it was even ready to use but you don't notice 30-40 quid here and there if your on a low budget which i was my original budget was only @£800 that soon went out the window and now its well over that by thousands including bad buys bad luck and a few heavy crashes that hurt oh and 4 odd engines,,would i do it again god dam right i would but buying the on roader complete was a much better way plus much cheaper and just as much fun
 
hey Ren hope your well matey, ya i totally aggree with you on all aspects i was just thinking its super super fun to upgrade and build something but its also very very nice to buy something thats already top spec like my contrast neox
totally top spec no need for anything at all. but then my fg i'm still upgrading just yesterday bought finally an alloy clutch housing with all the gears included woop. But ya stupid money cost me loads and oads to get how it is now. still need hydro brakes for it, but as said by sharky i bet ebay hydro used brakes is a minefield, dunno if the seals are ruined if the right brake fluids been used.
this monster truck i have seen is in my home town so can actually see it running, is there any main big things to check on a monster? i've heard check filter make sure no grit, sands got inside. dunno stll how id check the diff??? but ya i wouldnt want to offend the person checking to much either.
 
its a fg mate check the lot there all based on the marder set up so if youve had fg's before your there,,if not then go over things you know and try your hardest to find fault if you cant then its a good one if theres a few faults which there probaly is then its time to try and have a deal with the seller if you can see it working good if its got problem they will show good luck
 
aye as ren said dude, inspect it carefully, weakest points is prob the thread on the front hubs tends to strip easily, check the hubs are tight with no sign of superglue or a kwik fix! do the same for the rear but the rears seem to be much stronger as theres less strain on them.

Also check all the arms lowers & uppers if theyre stock plastic for signs of cracks or snaps thats been kwik fixed with glue or summit, check the chassis aint bent, especially the rear end looking at it eye level from behind as this is where they bend mostly over a long period.

You might feel a bit picky when you do this infront of the chap you buying it from, but its your hard earnd dollar you about to hand over, if summit is broke or bust then you can knock that off the asking price ;)
 
another little thing to look at may sound silly but its a dead easy one the carb bubble if its nearly clear then carbs not that old if it looks like its been on 40-50 fags a day and all dark orange colour then its had some good use,,nearly every second hand large scale car for sale has only ever had a couple of tanks run through it yeah right take that with a pinch of salt unless you know the seller and the cars history
 
If you want to go down the route of spending £450, ever thought of buying a 4wd kit? You get loads of parts in that just add your engine & servos & a couple of ebay parts & you will be up & running for about £375.
 
Its possible to find a whole truck mayb roller just have to look around on diff sites

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I built the junkyard Marder up out of e-bay bargains. I have the FG Comp, and a sportsline on road so if I found a bargain for one of them the parts got handed down, ie if the comp had a new better part added its part went to the sportsline whose corresponding part went to the marder or similar for the sportsline down.
It cost me about the same to build the marde as it would buying second hand complete car however I know the condition of all parts, if a single part purchase was not as described back the part went until th right one was found. easier to do this that quibble over the part as part of a whole car. plus I was able to amortise the spend over a period so the missus didnt know about it...2 FG's was already enough.
Only new parts I purchased for it were a new standard nut, bolt and screw kit and have just had to buy new wheels and tyres as the slicks don't cut it on grass.
But playing the swapsies game is never ending, the on road brakes need modifying to suit the marder front suspension and little things like that.
Took me about 12 months, its running well but not fast yet so its an ongoing concern...unlike the onroads.
Photo whore opportunity
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Justin
 
Hey guys thanks for all your replys really great info i decided to take more haste with buying or building a monster truck, i'm so glad i started this thread because it really stopped me going and blowing £450!!!!

i've decided if im going to build things i'm going to build touring cars because i know every part that goes into them and what wears out. Just like tizdaz said about the threads that wear i don't have a clue on monsters but on the onroad touring cars from experience i know the liitle bits.

so ya i'm sure as others would aggree better to stick to what you know sometimes lol.

buuuut what is awesom and amazing if i doo decided to buy a monster truck i can come back and read this thread and refresh myself as to what to look out for.

awesom guys thanks. oh and the guy asked me to meet him in a field to buy the truck so i was like not taking that money to a field and never heard back from the person hmmmm.
probably totally innocent thing to ask just me being supicious lol
 
oh and hay justin i've seen your other threads love all your cars and bugggy i was thinking of doing my stripped alfa shell in the porsche colour scheme, i saw it on google search its amazing, you've done a super good job.

soo did you say in your experience pretty much you spent the same building one as buying one second hand?

oh and dwarfy could you tell me more about the kits you suggested sounds interesting
 
yes mate, it probably cost about the same or a bit more than buying one second hand, but I waited for ebay bargains and didnt overspend my budget, which is half the fun. but I know every part and most of them are better than a worn out field buy.

Justin
 
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