ECX Ruckus Build Thread

TacoDaTugBoat

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I'd like to start documenting my build here.


I started with a brushed 2wd Ruckus that my dad picked up at a tag sale with a similar Circuit for $20 together.


Same day I swapped out the ESC and motor for a cheap GoolRC combo that I had on hand, and swapped the RX to a Flysky that I had on hand to go with my GT2 tx.



KeGZX0c.jpg


You can see the Rcukus in back next to the Circuit.



First phase was to try to convert it to a snow machine. I installed some Hot Racing 17mm Hex Adapters SLF117XT06. They work pretty good, but they sit on top of your existing 12mm hexes. I also installed some cheap amazon 1/8 scale buggy paddle tires. Then I got the T-Bone Racing skis for the Ruckus. Somewhere in here I also installed the RPM 73492 servo saver eliminator and put in a DS3218 20KG servo.



cGSPxFG.jpg


This was an abysmal failure. The paddle tires were far to narrow and one of the skis broke within 30 minutes.



The 17mm hexes were fun though, and the MT tires looked real nice on my old RC10GT. So I decided to get some 1/8 MT tires to put on it.



CuyuHmN.jpg


I got some eBay MT tires claimed to be for a bigfoot. Essentially they are Truggy tires. I guess they are considered low profile Truggy tires, and they seem like they are actually lighter than the original MT tires it came with. As the fun increased I put higher amp ESCs in it. I eventually landed on a HW EZRUN SC8 120 A ESC and a GoolRC 4200kv motor. The thing is an animal with this ESC. I started breaking driveshaft’s, so I upgraded to Hot Racing SECT288RC driveshaft’s. These things have held up great!



I put in adjustable links because the stock fixed links are bending under load and popping out left and right. The adjustable links with captured ends definitely tightened up the wheels and especially the steering. So now I’m really having fun, wheelies for days, and flipping it on the roof left and right. I’ve even been able to roll it up on two wheels and control it like that for a few paces. Finally, I destroyed the body. Two separate pieces.



FC7uPF9.jpg


Time to upgrade, I was pretty sick of the pickup look. And with the length of the truck, body options were limited. I’ve always been a Stadium Truck fan. Closest thing I can find is an E-Revo body. Ordered it up and start dry fitting.



DparpJJ.jpg


Looks pretty cool and the wheel wells line up pretty good. But the body is too wide and rubs the wheels. And the posts are in all the wrong places. So I decide to get new 17mm adapters. I got Hot Racing SLF117XT06 adapters that sit right over the axle pins. They extend the Hexes out about an inch. I’m mostly clearing the body now. Raise the body a bit and do some more trimming and I’m pretty much there. Now it’s time to decide on a paint scheme.



So I heard along the way, that it is a good idea to stick with a certain color scheme for all your cars to make recognizing direction of travel more consistent. I had previously had someone paint a body for me, and essentially it was white in the front and blue in the rear. I also found a cool set of stencils on eBay for Hexical Digital Camo. So I did a Photoshop trial and mocked up a scheme.



lP30JNG.jpg


I liked the look and began prep. The stencils were difficult to get to lay in the creases, and I made too many mistakes rooted in not having enough time and patience. But I’m pretty happy with how it came out, and what the hell, it’s just a basher.



PKKG48m.jpg


I’ve been calling it, “Good from far, but far from good”



Now back to those axle extenders. I recognized that they stick way out. I already noticed that the original arms have a ton of slop in them as well as the carriers and all associated control arms parts even after adding the adjustable links with captured ends. So I look to RPM. I ordered front and rear control arms, casters and carriers. These require upgraded bearings. From 4x10 to 4x11. The extra 1mm is supposed to make a difference. I also got replacement ECX Front and Rear suspension mounts, as this is where the control arms mount into the chassis and the original ones have a ridiculous amount of slop.



I hadn’t installed any of these things yet. I was out bashing in the snow and ended up cartwheeling the whole thing a few times. I always do a gentle run after a cartwheel to check things out. (Seems to love landing on the wheels now BTW.) I drive it toward myself and notice something funny about a back wheel. Terrible wobble. Turns out I bent the rear axle stub with my new lever arm of an axle extender.



She is currently up on blocks waiting for the new axles. I’ve swapped the RPM front end parts in, and it seems to have tightened things up considerably. I found that all my shocks were leaking, so I have new parts coming in there too. I will probably bend another axle at some point, but I will still have a spare.



This is what this hobby is all about!
 
Wanted to add some quick details on my other builds.

I had two old RC10GT's that I converted to brushless and 17mm buggy tires.
One for pavement:
Nwipgdq.jpg

ecatvD0.jpg


One for dirt:
tu0Ykio.jpg

XbXH1qp.jpg


And an E-Maxx that I setup for snow:
SncVE5P.jpg

X36GfYr.jpg

qTiMj3h.jpg


The E-Maxx is the next to get a new shell:
mNxGzJk.jpg

I'm planning on doing a similar digital camo with the white to blue fade behind it. I'm looking to use 2-3x as many stencils and be far more patient. I may even add a third color (silver) camo.
 
I hadn’t installed any of these things yet. I was out bashing in the snow and ended up cartwheeling the whole thing a few times. I always do a gentle run after a cartwheel to check things out. (Seems to love landing on the wheels now BTW.) I drive it toward myself and notice something funny about a back wheel. Terrible wobble. Turns out I bent the rear axle stub with my new lever arm of an axle extender.



She is currently up on blocks waiting for the new axles. I’ve swapped the RPM front end parts in, and it seems to have tightened things up considerably. I found that all my shocks were leaking, so I have new parts coming in there too. I will probably bend another axle at some point, but I will still have a spare.



This is what this hobby is all about!

So, I bent an axle and both rear out hinge pins.
Q8c1P0s.jpg


When you look at the installed Hot Racing axle extenders, you can see how I managed to bend the axle.
CCTpuhk.jpg


So now I'm waiting on replacement hing pins. I've got all the RPM parts in and they definitely cleaned up most of the slop front and rear. I cant bear the thought of pulling the axle extenders yet because I really love the look and I don't think the body can be made to fit over the wheels if the track is narrower. Be hey, I still have one good axle as a spare.

Couple glamour shots:
yK2vsb0.jpg

6ob777A.jpg

qgy6w1B.jpg
 

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