New Member - ECX 2WD Ruckus Project

TheRuckus

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14
I am not sure I am introducing myself in the right forum but, I wanted to post something to say hello and in the future contribute to the ECX community you have here.

I raced 2wd 10th scale buggies competitively back when the RC10 still had a gold pan chassis and Team Losi had just released their JR series. My home track at the time hosted the Canadian Winter Nationals in 1991 which brought Team Losi & Associated to Canada to our event at Quintrax in Belleville/Stirling Ontario Canada to run 10th scale buggies at our indoor track. The Teams sent Gil Losi Jr and Joel Johnson to rep them - there were probably a few other of their drivers too but, those two were the guys to beat back then. We were already racing at a serious level so, having them show up to race us locals was a pretty big deal. Yeah, you guessed it! The teams cleaned up but, it was a competitive weekend and they also taught us alot about their cars at the time, shared their setups, tips, gave us swag, some of us received some free parts etc etc. The scene back then was great.

35+ years later...2021 - during Covid lockdown - I bought a couple HBX 16890 cars (Truly a fun little car) from Amazon for my son and I. After driving the HBX I am hooked again. Out of curiosity I started nosing around for hop up parts and discovered how much r/c has changed. Lipo batteries? Brushless Motors, Cheap Radios? :cool::cool:🥳 Off to the LHS I go!

There are no tracks or anything organized happening in my city now but, the owners at my LHS are great people and provide access to all the parts and accessories for the ECX with quick order times.

Not wanting to invest much and knowing that I enjoy wrenching, I decided on the NIB 1/10 Ruckus from my LHS over a used Slash that was for sale locally. (I wanted the Torment and intended to buy that version of the 1/10 2wd ECX but, I could not take home that yellow and blue paint scheme.. Sorry ECX and no offense if you love that paint scheme.

So far this is where I am at with it:

* Switched shock oil to Losi 25W Rear and 20W Front as a test to see how soft I could go with out dragging skid plate (I capped them with zero rebound and full travel)
* Installed RPM bell-crank
* Changed all the plastic camber and front toe links to Traxxas adjustable links
* Installed an Amazon 2.0KG Metal Servo with aluminum Horn
* Installed a plug in the spur cover to have quick access to the slipper
* Installed a HobbyFang/SurpassHobby $30.00 Amazon flash deal 60A ESC and 3650 3100KV brushless combo
* Trimmed the front of the body and shaved the rear body mount to get the body to sit a bit lower

What comes next: I have the metal diff and gears kit, Dynamite 17T-21T 48P Kit, Dynamite SS Hardware kit (12.99CAD!) to install and then.... finally, to try and further reduce suspension/steering slop will be the rpm arms and knuckles. If they don't take all the slop out I'll be shaving and shimming things up and I might try the shave and shim idea on the stock arms before purchasing the rpm arms.

For anybody out there wondering.... The RPM bell-crank and a high torque servo did wonders for this truck even with the plastic rpm bushings, so far it's smooth and tight. Combined with the Traxxas links, the RPM bell-crank took a ton of play out of the front of the car. The reverse wobble is gone and the car tracks straight as an arrow.

I apologize for the long post - As you can probably sense.. I'm excited to be back in the hobby and I have a few other projects on the go which I will share later.

In the mean time I have a few questions too.

Do any of you know if we can use the front axles out of another vehicle in our ECX cars? Something hardened, straight and that is machined to seat in a bearing properly with out 2mm of play? lol If not I am sure I can figure it out by messing with some different axles and bearing sizes.

Spur Gear and Slipper Pads - So far I am thinking Kimbrough KIM313 combined with some AE pads. I am not worried about changing pitch right now and I see no reason to run a metal spur and pinion. Should I be looking at other, possibly better options that will offer more gearing potential?

Shocks - I am interested in upgraded shocks - Are the Aluminum ECX shocks springs the same rates that come on the plastic shocks? I am fine with the shocks being plastic but, spring options provided by ECX seem to be zero or are intended for the upgraded shocks? What's are the best shocks available for this chassis?

Motor Mount Flex - The whole transmission case flexes but, the motor mount flexing the way it does, it is no wonder so many people are stripping spurs. I was able to locate a discontinued product by, Hot Bodies? that was a horse shoe looking aluminum brace that stopped the motor from slipping around but, it's not available. Has anybody here tried to remedy this and if so, any success and how did you do it? TIA~

If you made it this far into my novel.. Thank you for the interest and possibly help.

Second pic... I toyed with leaving the ESC under the old ESC mount but, not enough room for the fan to draw in air and after feeling the difference in chassis flex the old esc mount is performing double duty as a rear chassis brace. I will post some pics of the body later as well. Just noticed I haven't taken any since it's been trimmed. As well these pics do not show the minor body mount mod.
 

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I am not sure I am introducing myself in the right forum but, I wanted to post something to say hello and in the future contribute to the ECX community you have here.

I raced 2wd 10th scale buggies competitively back when the RC10 still had a gold pan chassis and Team Losi had just released their JR series. My home track at the time hosted the Canadian Winter Nationals in 1991 which brought Team Losi & Associated to Canada to our event at Quintrax in Belleville/Stirling Ontario Canada to run 10th scale buggies at our indoor track. The Teams sent Gil Losi Jr and Joel Johnson to rep them - there were probably a few other of their drivers too but, those two were the guys to beat back then. We were already racing at a serious level so, having them show up to race us locals was a pretty big deal. Yeah, you guessed it! The teams cleaned up but, it was a competitive weekend and they also taught us alot about their cars at the time, shared their setups, tips, gave us swag, some of us received some free parts etc etc. The scene back then was great.

35+ years later...2021 - during Covid lockdown - I bought a couple HBX 16890 cars (Truly a fun little car) from Amazon for my son and I. After driving the HBX I am hooked again. Out of curiosity I started nosing around for hop up parts and discovered how much r/c has changed. Lipo batteries? Brushless Motors, Cheap Radios? :cool::cool:🥳 Off to the LHS I go!

There are no tracks or anything organized happening in my city now but, the owners at my LHS are great people and provide access to all the parts and accessories for the ECX with quick order times.

Not wanting to invest much and knowing that I enjoy wrenching, I decided on the NIB 1/10 Ruckus from my LHS over a used Slash that was for sale locally. (I wanted the Torment and intended to buy that version of the 1/10 2wd ECX but, I could not take home that yellow and blue paint scheme.. Sorry ECX and no offense if you love that paint scheme.

So far this is where I am at with it:

* Switched shock oil to Losi 25W Rear and 20W Front as a test to see how soft I could go with out dragging skid plate (I capped them with zero rebound and full travel)
* Installed RPM bell-crank
* Changed all the plastic camber and front toe links to Traxxas adjustable links
* Installed an Amazon 2.0KG Metal Servo with aluminum Horn
* Installed a plug in the spur cover to have quick access to the slipper
* Installed a HobbyFang/SurpassHobby $30.00 Amazon flash deal 60A ESC and 3650 3100KV brushless combo
* Trimmed the front of the body and shaved the rear body mount to get the body to sit a bit lower

What comes next: I have the metal diff and gears kit, Dynamite 17T-21T 48P Kit, Dynamite SS Hardware kit (12.99CAD!) to install and then.... finally, to try and further reduce suspension/steering slop will be the rpm arms and knuckles. If they don't take all the slop out I'll be shaving and shimming things up and I might try the shave and shim idea on the stock arms before purchasing the rpm arms.

For anybody out there wondering.... The RPM bell-crank and a high torque servo did wonders for this truck even with the plastic rpm bushings, so far it's smooth and tight. Combined with the Traxxas links, the RPM bell-crank took a ton of play out of the front of the car. The reverse wobble is gone and the car tracks straight as an arrow.

I apologize for the long post - As you can probably sense.. I'm excited to be back in the hobby and I have a few other projects on the go which I will share later.

In the mean time I have a few questions too.

Do any of you know if we can use the front axles out of another vehicle in our ECX cars? Something hardened, straight and that is machined to seat in a bearing properly with out 2mm of play? lol If not I am sure I can figure it out by messing with some different axles and bearing sizes.

Spur Gear and Slipper Pads - So far I am thinking Kimbrough KIM313 combined with some AE pads. I am not worried about changing pitch right now and I see no reason to run a metal spur and pinion. Should I be looking at other, possibly better options that will offer more gearing potential?

Shocks - I am interested in upgraded shocks - Are the Aluminum ECX shocks springs the same rates that come on the plastic shocks? I am fine with the shocks being plastic but, spring options provided by ECX seem to be zero or are intended for the upgraded shocks? What's are the best shocks available for this chassis?

Motor Mount Flex - The whole transmission case flexes but, the motor mount flexing the way it does, it is no wonder so many people are stripping spurs. I was able to locate a discontinued product by, Hot Bodies? that was a horse shoe looking aluminum brace that stopped the motor from slipping around but, it's not available. Has anybody here tried to remedy this and if so, any success and how did you do it? TIA~

If you made it this far into my novel.. Thank you for the interest and possibly help.

Second pic... I toyed with leaving the ESC under the old ESC mount but, not enough room for the fan to draw in air and after feeling the difference in chassis flex the old esc mount is performing double duty as a rear chassis brace. I will post some pics of the body later as well. Just noticed I haven't taken any since it's been trimmed. As well these pics do not show the minor body mount mod.
Definitely get the rpm arms but stay away from the rpm steering knuckles and castor blocks. The rpm plastic is too soft for these. Get Hot Racing Aluminum steering knuckles and leave the stock castor block.

Ecx shocks are ok. I like the Traxxas Big Bore shocks better. Great shocks. Cheap, they don't leak, and lots of spring options.

I use Kimbrough 48p spurs with AE pads. Great combo. The pads last a lot longer than stock. I have a 3300kv motor in my Ruckus, and I've never felt the need to switch to 32p gears. I never use steel spur gears. As long as your gear mesh is set correctly, you'll never have a problem, even on 3s
 
I second the hot racing parts suggestion. I've got a full "kit" of theirs up front on my circuit except the shock tower. Used the aluminum bulkhead from an associated SC10T (B4). In hindsight, I should have picked up the arms to match but did not, and ended up 'machining' (grinding, polishing, etc) the HR aluminum arms to fit. Regardless of the efforts in mix-and-matching, it introduced no new issues and like yourself, eliminated the reverse wobble and slop. Granted, my whole front end is adjustable now, and aluminum. Caster blocks from hot racing got rid of the bearing slop. Added some weight to be sure, but many if not all of the ECX 2wd are tail heavy anyway and I like a bit of balance to the front. You are far more advanced in the hobby than I am mind you, but I also returned to the hobby from a lengthy hiatus with a racing background. I was into stadium trucks and raced in northern Arizona.
 
Thank you for both for the replies! I've been plucking away at the truck the past two days. I started installing the SS screws throughout, shimmed up the stock rear hubs (no more play there) and did a few other small things. I plan to post more details and pictures soon and look forward to any suggestions, questions and feedback. I am waiting on some nylon wasters to arrive so, I can shim the out-drives in the diff and attempt to fix/shim the play in the axles.(arriving Wednesday).

Max-D I took your advice and purchased the a Traxxas Big Bore shocks, I went with the 5862's as they were the only set of BB's the LHS had in stock.

I was very skeptical once I got these out of the box because the 5862's are a little shorter than the stock shocks.... I would have preferred not to have lost any travel but, the Traxxas TiN shafts and the fact they seem to hold a mild rebound tune with out breaking the seal under pressure like the stock shocks, makes it worth it. I filled up with 25W Losi and added a bit of rebound to test.. I am surprisingly happy with the results so far and look forward to trying different oils and springs.

The suspension is silky smooth now. I have plenty of droop to work with in the rear of the car but, the front of this car is light just like fatboy_dan mentioned. I ordered an aluminum shock tower thinking it will add some weight and encourage more droop in the front. It was $11CAD and should look better than the adhesive weights I first thought of putting up front to add some weight.

I also ordered some 7mm hex's. Am I the only one that thinks it's odd that ECX left the torment short course stagger on the Ruckus? The 12x8mm hex up front and the 12x5mm at the back. I am going to try 7mm front and try the 5mm on the rear when I bolt this thing all back together but, I'm guessing I will likely end up buying 12x8mm hex's for all four corners.

Max-D What gearing do you run with your 3300KV and are you running 2S-3S?
 
Thank you for both for the replies! I've been plucking away at the truck the past two days. I started installing the SS screws throughout, shimmed up the stock rear hubs (no more play there) and did a few other small things. I plan to post more details and pictures soon and look forward to any suggestions, questions and feedback. I am waiting on some nylon wasters to arrive so, I can shim the out-drives in the diff and attempt to fix/shim the play in the axles.(arriving Wednesday).

Max-D I took your advice and purchased the a Traxxas Big Bore shocks, I went with the 5862's as they were the only set of BB's the LHS had in stock.

I was very skeptical once I got these out of the box because the 5862's are a little shorter than the stock shocks.... I would have preferred not to have lost any travel but, the Traxxas TiN shafts and the fact they seem to hold a mild rebound tune with out breaking the seal under pressure like the stock shocks, makes it worth it. I filled up with 25W Losi and added a bit of rebound to test.. I am surprisingly happy with the results so far and look forward to trying different oils and springs.

The suspension is silky smooth now. I have plenty of droop to work with in the rear of the car but, the front of this car is light just like fatboy_dan mentioned. I ordered an aluminum shock tower thinking it will add some weight and encourage more droop in the front. It was $11CAD and should look better than the adhesive weights I first thought of putting up front to add some weight.

I also ordered some 7mm hex's. Am I the only one that thinks it's odd that ECX left the torment short course stagger on the Ruckus? The 12x8mm hex up front and the 12x5mm at the back. I am going to try 7mm front and try the 5mm on the rear when I bolt this thing all back together but, I'm guessing I will likely end up buying 12x8mm hex's for all four corners.

Max-D What gearing do you run with your 3300KV and are you running 2S-3S?
I'm glad you like the shocks. I use the traxxas progressive springs with 35wt Losi oil on all four corners. I'm using 3.2 Truggy wheels and tires with 17mm adapters. I haven't had one problem with my shocks.

I'm geared 87/19 in the winter (Nov-April) and 87/17 in the summer. I live in S.Florida where it's 94° with 90-100% humidity in the summer. Every 5 minutes I'm checking motor Temps. I have the slipper set 1 1/4 turns out from full lock.
 
I'm glad you like the shocks. I use the traxxas progressive springs with 35wt Losi oil on all four corners. I'm using 3.2 Truggy wheels and tires with 17mm adapters. I haven't had one problem with my shocks.

I'm geared 87/19 in the winter (Nov-April) and 87/17 in the summer. I live in S.Florida where it's 94° with 90-100% humidity in the summer. Every 5 minutes I'm checking motor Temps. I have the slipper set 1 1/4 turns out from full lock.


Stock 17/87 - cool. I was listening to the 3100KV I have wind out with the stock gearing and I was thinking it seems pretty close to right. I was thinking of trying 18/87 an just increasing my punch setting.. and like you mentioned, really watch the temps because it's hot and high humidity levels here too. I was a little disappointed with the dynamite 5 pinions for $20. package and the fact they didn't include a 16T instead of the 21T. I ordered it before I even took the truck home and didn't know the truck came stock with a 17T lol
 
Stock 17/87 - cool. I was listening to the 3100KV I have wind out with the stock gearing and I was thinking it seems pretty close to right. I was thinking of trying 18/87 an just increasing my punch setting.. and like you mentioned, really watch the temps because it's hot and high humidity levels here too. I was a little disappointed with the dynamite 5 pinions for $20. package and the fact they didn't include a 16T instead of the 21T. I ordered it before I even took the truck home and didn't know the truck came stock with a 17T lol
18t Pinion might be the ticket for you. I rarely pull full throttle. At the most 3/4 pull. I'm more into jumping, cornering, wheelies and drifting. Not into top speed at all.
 
I like the yellow. Very cool!

I'll second that not into the top speed game.. I too prefer the technical stuff over a straight line at 100mph.

Funny that you run the ruckus most. It's such a cheap platform, not even a great design in theory but, it's versatile since it seems you can build just about any type of rig you would like from it.
 
I like the yellow. Very cool!

I'll second that not into the top speed game.. I too prefer the technical stuff over a straight line at 100mph.

Funny that you run the ruckus most. It's such a cheap platform, not even a great design in theory but, it's versatile since it seems you can build just about any type of rig you would like from it.
My 1st ever vehicle was A 2WD Torment. I loved that truck (it's now a Circuit).I drove that for almost 2 years before I got a different vehicle. I really enjoy driving 2WD so much more than a 4x4. All my race vehicles are 2wd as well. Fewer parts to break and maintain.

My ECX vehicles just don't break, and I drive them like I stole'em. Probably the best basher vehicles for the money.
 
My 1st ever vehicle was A 2WD Torment. I loved that truck (it's now a Circuit).I drove that for almost 2 years before I got a different vehicle. I really enjoy driving 2WD so much more than a 4x4. All my race vehicles are 2wd as well. Fewer parts to break and maintain.

My ECX vehicles just don't break, and I drive them like I stole'em. Probably the best basher vehicles for the money.


I know what you mean. Out of control but, in control. Every time I watch Mojave videos I just want to own one! They look like the only way to drive one is like you stole it! That's exactly how I want a basher to be setup.

Reliability is great for drivers that like to be on the edge of breaking something every run. It's good to know.

I finished up a few other little things tonight. I changed some of those pivot balls in the traxxas links to all of the regular type Traxxas balls with no spacer/sleeve that makes them sit on a funny angle when installed on this car and I boiled the hard plastic speedtreads off the 2.8 rims so, I can mount other tires on them. I'm cheap and wanted to reuse the rims for a softer set of tires. Wheel and tire prices make me want to run a loose slipper and a Johnson 540 motor lol

For anyone wondering about reusing wheels - I had good results but, it's sort of a pita. I found breaking the glue as much as I could while the tire was dry and then boiling them for 5 mins each side yielded the best results and least amount of effort to get the tires off. Don't mind the pic, I still need to clean up the bead area on the rims before installing the new tires, Duratrax runs a full bead of glue around their tires but, luckily these came off pretty clean!
 

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New Gravel Paddles for the Ruckus arrived. They seem like they are a softer compound vs the speedtreads.
 

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Here's the difference in weight between the aluminum shock tower vs stock plastic. I want the added weight in the front
 

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Hope all of you are well.

I had some time tonight to work on the Ruckus. I have some of the front end back together.

Here are a few more pics of this project. I feel because of the 5862 shocks being a little shorter the truck has become a little more Truggy than MT when it comes to suspension. The suspension is plush, I have lots of body roll like I intended and plenty of droop with lots of travel still to go. Thanks MaX-D for steering me away from the ECX shocks.
 

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Hope all of you are well.

I had some time tonight to work on the Ruckus. I have some of the front end back together.

Here are a few more pics of this project. I feel because of the 5862 shocks being a little shorter the truck has become a little more Truggy than MT when it comes to suspension. The suspension is plush, I have lots of body roll like I intended and plenty of droop with lots of travel still to go. Thanks MaX-D for steering me away from the ECX shocks.
You're welcome.
 

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