Phwoareggz budget SCX10

Hi Guys.

I justed a quick pic of my SCX10.

Currently my rig has alloy links. Bump stop removal. Chopped steps and standard gearing.

Items I received today in the mail I totally forgot I ordered these.
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I heard some ok reviews about this stuff and thought for the price why not give it a shot. Buying the VP/RC4WD gear can cost
almost 4 times the price. Since its a trailer it should never see any large knocks. What the heck why not!

First up I installed the Rear axle lockouts. Maybe 20 grams heavier then standard. The weight is in a not bad area. Looks ok
served no real purpose. Come with M3 screw which is bit better then self tapping screw from factory. Little bit of slop in the axle
nothing big but unacceptably worst then factory plastic units. Needed to insert shims to fix. My opinion which includes price weigh up. 7/10.

-Unnecessary cheap part which performed nothing.

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Next in line is the alloy steering blocks/CVD's/steering knuckles.





These items went together ok. The C hubs were too tight. Had to file them down as the anodize finish went oversize. In the
packet also come some M3 screw which are way too long. If you tighten all the way. The thread goes into the diff and jam against
the axles. Cut 3mm shorter or throw away. Use factory self tapping screw. Still ok.

The Steering knuckles come with a brass flange pipe. Throw away. Also in the bag come some aluminium spacer for
screw. Throw away also.

The CVD are not bad. Tight firm fit.



The steering come together not bad. The material seem ok. The machine quality sucks a bit but where can get alloy upgrade
steering under $35-40? Furthermore can save extra 10 dollar if never order CVD. Factory setup better for disassembly.

So far nothing Jazrider produce is bad for price. Small flaws quite easy to sand and finish off.
C-hub - 8/10 Good material and reproduction. Poor fitting and hardware.
Steering knuckle - 10/10 Strong material, quality finish. Just use back standard axial flange pipe. These are steel and will last
forever anyway.
CVD - 6.5/10 Functional. Well constructed. Best quality fitting of all items. Curiosity killed me these are a good backup but pain
in the a** compared to standard.

Here is the last item I manage to install tonight. It actually looks not bad.



Don't be so fast to be convinced. Beware... These drive shafts
are rubbish.

Firstly they are made of decent steel. Feels and weights bit like Carbon steel. Good Fitment and construction. Before I installed them I
did apply 60nm of torque to them and they felt good.

This is the beginning of my headaches.

The alignment/offset of the drive pins on both sides must be drilled 1 mm or less off.

Putting them in I realized they never come with the locking grub screw. Fail.... Good idea but I don't keep these things lying around
the house. Secondly the drive screw is soft as hell. Furthermore the head is not 1.5mm it is actually 2mm. Good idea? Still fail cos
it was so soft.

The opposite side of the threaded pin had to be drilled out to 3mm. This was to compensate for the poor alignment of gearbox output
shaft and these new drive shaft.

So after drilling this hole I broken two 3mm drill bits and killed a 200 dollar power drill. I finally got these installed.



Worst thing of all. I was only test fitting these drive shafts. Since I stripped a 2mm driveshaft screw I need to remove them so I can
build their H/D Steel gear with Alu gearbox casing. Honestly guys. I am scared sh**less to begin...

Moral of the story. Heard it one million times. But again here goes.
U only get what u pay for. Haizzzz........

Nice upgrades! Is that a Tekin motor? The HD shaft is definitely needed!  

Thanks, I only manage to save one of the driveshaft. Definitely recommend pre drill on a drill press. The guide hole for driveshaft.

My emphasis was budget. The Tekin combo was spare from old project with heat problems.

I will have to do some WPing soon or change to a more suitable combo. Nothing to lose as the RS Pro esc has seen better days
And the 17.5T does not have enough resolution. Acceptable but would not recommend anyone specially purchasing it for an SCX10...

My recent update.

Took out the SCX10 with all my "upgrades"

I was disappointed as:
1) Steering was restricted. I think maybe tight fitting CVD or binding knuckles.
2) Motor combo still not strong enough drag brake. For severely rough terrain not enough resolution and not enough torque. The power band is too steep for the slipper clutch to be adjusted properly. Fail...
3) I am running droop setup and it is too lazy for hardcore rocky terrain.

My proposed fixes:
1) Re-linish steering knuckles and return to stock 2 piece CVD. Pull apart traxxas servo and fit as much WP gasket and o-rings to attempt WP stock servos.
2) Waterproof my AE-2 and 27T. Dont have spare 27T ATM or if budget permit try find cheap FXR-T35 Combo.
3) Fill with 10WT shocks. And add some preload to make it more responsive and lively.

Just one more lesson in life. Only get what is paid for....  .

relax bro, enjoy the progress!

Thanks for the detailed update, though I have to admit that I can not follow exactly the problems you are describing.

A stock SCX10 with 27T works well for trailing, and has good speed too. The AE2 ESC is great because it uses a high switching frequency, which means you get lots of torque out of the motor when driving very slowly across obstacles. The drag brake in the ESC can hold the car except on the steepest of hills.

The AE2 has already some conformal coating on out of the box, making it moisture resistant. For more proofing have a look at the following thread:

https://sgcrawlers.forumotion.com/t1026-how-to-how-to-waterproof-brushed-esc-and-rc-electronics

Don't bother much with the servo: even "waterproof" servos die eventually from corrosion; so run it as is, maybe with a bit of sealing grease around the shaft and the wire entry. Use and replace when it dies (if... may last a long time anyway)
Of course if you try to make a submarine then you may need to do more than is required for the occasional run through water and mud.

Regarding restricted steering: with locked axles on loose surface there will always be some slippage and under-steer, maybe that is what you perceive? On a stock SCX10 the servo can move the wheels until the rims touch parts on the axle/hubs. Still, the SCX10 sure does not have the tightest of turning circles. No upgrade will change that.

Keep us posted with updates, always good to see what works and what doesn't!

Thanks guys for the info/support.

Have not had chance to pull my rig apart.
But I noticed somemore more issues which confirms my doubt.
The Steering on the RHS is too tight pulling the linkage out of the eyelet.
1) Confirmed. Need to file down tight fitting alloy steering items.
2) Agreed on AE2 + 27T combo. Very good combo out of the box. Will need to source Plasti dip before shipping my cars next fortnight back to SG. I am one person with very itchy hand need to fix always even if setup is ok.

My experience with 17.5T Tekin setup is that setup is ok. For trailing is quite good. After 50% throttle the power ramp up alot making useless over "tank trap" terrain. I will attach pictures of this terrain on the weekend.

I want to make submarine setup also but bit difficult on my Budget expectations especially reffering to my servo. I will have to ponder some more. I still have some standard servo. Maybe I can post pictures of my attempt potential failure at this WP. It may be quite amusing and entertaining!

Just update from yesterday after fixing the damage from tank trap terrain.

1) Steering Linkage repair. Threadlock alloy section with screw and two part glue original rod end back.
I have no more alloy steering rod end. So many spare part but no rod end.
2) Refill shock with 17.5wt shock oil. Incrase preload on springs 1mm. Hope to gain back some side hill stability. Shock feel smooth much better.

Just interested what you guys use for shock oil and springs. I hear some people got no marked springs but mine are painted Red/soft "helper spring" and Green/medium "main spring".

3) Now i got my ESC dip and drying. Ready for recasing and install.
4) Discover my favorite china driveshafts have wear and falling apart. The uni joints and pins are already wear after the punishing terrain. My belief is very little carbon in the steel. Very soft.
Will order something shortly to replace. Recommendations? MIP RC4WD or JunFac?

Phwoareggz wrote:
4) Discover my favorite china driveshafts have wear and falling apart. The uni joints and pins are already wear after the punishing terrain. My belief is very little carbon in the steel. Very soft.
Will order something shortly to replace. Recommendations? MIP RC4WD or JunFac?

Based on recommendation from other SG Crawlers member we got a set of JunFac for our Wraith lately. I am very happy with it. The joints are very strong. Assembly is easy and the pins are held with clips, not grub screw. They come with thick grease. Their only downside is that they rust very easily; they are not protected. Very good value for money.

Thx laneboysrc. Just place order just now. Hopefully EMS lead time is not as bad as USPS....

I ordered some Junfac drive shafts and some added extras .

Looking back on the exploded view I am bit confused. Output drive shaft is same as wraith? Through type? I know wraith and scx10 have some parts. Maybe someone can confirm? I lookup this part number on AMain website "AX30435".

Thx guys..

Phwoareggz wrote:Looking back on the exploded view I am bit confused. Output drive shaft is same as wraith?

Yep, Wraith and SCX10 share a lot of parts in the drive train: gearbox and drive shafts are the same. The drive shafts come with different length plastic tubes to fit Dingo (shortest), Honcho and Wraith.

Thanks for the assist.

My parcel arrived last night. Well worth extra $6 for EMS service.



Here is the picture of my dead Jazrider/Topcad driveshaft. It is captive still but actually i can centerpunch the pins to stay tight.

I drill out center @ 3mm and the pin section can be pushed out from that side and pulled from the opposite side. Now i realise I can
tap otherside of driveshaft 4mm and use an automotive hose-clamp to seal the holes. I will keep for next time.

Here is my update. For price difference I suggest purchase Junfac. I guess my fault being cheap. Somemore Junfac come with
sticker and some grease also!

The threads are very fine and I dont see the need to use thread loc as when the grub screw heads meet in the center they should hold nicely
together. Installing them no need any machining even using the outdrive from China gearbox "Jazrider" also.  

Very happy ah. I assembled the gearbox I buy. Jazrider/Topcad brand. I recieve this with my original order but since my first
driveshaft set die i through better bombproof the rest.

1) Disassemble motor and spur/slipper assembly/
2) Replace outdrive gear and idler gear as Axial items are Plastic.
3) Use Axial idler gear shaft. Seem to be nicer steel then Jazrider.
4) Use input shaft gear. Factory item is Brass/alloy.
5) All the bearings and steel gears supplied are very nice quality and have good hardness as I have tested with a diamond file.
Surprising because driveshaft screw soft as s***.

Very happy with Jazrider alloy gearbox and gearset. Good to order as you will have many spares which can be used again and again. Also come with
new slipper assembly. Replacement Pad cost $10 alone! Nice  

Only problem is that they supplied wrong screw with alloy gearbox casing. I can use M3 Cap screw approx 12mm length. Not a vibrating
item so no need threadloc. Factory screws are self tapping. Cheap...

Also I buy some Junfac shock brace and Shock mounts. Cheap with alot of overkill
screws. Now since installing i need to relocate battery and electrics.

Look like I need order more stuffs as I have still another light kit to add tonight.

Maybe I sidemount my battery for more direct weight over front wheels? Can anyone share their mounting tactics?

I am thinking of using small components all pack into Reciever box? Anyone done this before? Share

Thanks for the update.

Regarding the battery mount, have a look at the various Landrover build threads on this forum for inspiration.
Or reconsider whether the brace is worth the trouble  

I am surprised that you upgraded the gearbox. I was under the impression that the bevel gears in the axles are the weakest part of the drive train, never heard of gearbox trouble so far.

have fun!