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As I have spent some long nights designing these TVPs with the help of Natedog and savage-rocks, its my turn to show how I did it.. Their trucks are function all the way and I learned alot looking how they did the conversion with these TVPs.. There isnt a cut a dry way to mount it and all the other things that go onto the truck... like the servos, RX, batter, switch, ect.. So this is how I did mine for all those that were asking..
Chad's build
My buddy Chad has a clean LST that I have been wanting so we made a deal to swap rollers... and this truck is the one I am building in trade for the LST... He gave me the radio, servos,and engine... and I am just about to tear it down for final assembley.. I want others to see how I did it so if they decide to mid tank they have some ideas of how I did mine.. These are .5" ext front (and 1" rear for an 1.5" ext overall). That ext in the front allows the room for the tank and a RX mounting spot. Also the performance has shown that the added length up front (along with the weight) makes it handle like we wanted..
Tank mounts
There are 4 holes in the TVPs to hold the tank, but I belive 3 is all you need. No other reason than that and I didnt feel a difference between 4 mounts and 3.. I used an 1/8" slice of fuel tubing between the tank and braces. The tank mounts are just cut up engine braces (part # 86063) that I use for alot of things..
Battery mounting
I used (and its nessesary) a sicj designed battery relocation box. This uses the HPI Rush front bumper set (part # A349, with a bracket that I made for this mod thanks to sicj' design, and I have a few if you need one, just email me at [email protected]).
Reciver mounting plate
In the battery box bag is a bumper for the rush that has a curve to it. This little devil is perfect for mounting the reciver.. I drilled and tapped a hole into the servo saver brace to mount bumper (now RX mounting plate) with a rubber washer between for added shock absourbing.. Its a perfect fit and it ends up looking stock IMO.. This the the modded bumper (right) next to the stock one (left).. The slot is an access hole for the wires (servos and battery if your dont frequently change it).. Then I just used some velcro for RX to plate contact (also a good shock absourbing item)
Servo saver brace
The steering servo saver brace was very easy to complete. Once again I used an HPI engine brace and all it needed was the 3mm holes drilled out to 4mm (for the servo saver arm top bolts). I used some teflon washers between the brace and the top of the saver. I locked down the bottom bolts to the saver and just snuged the top ones using lock tight throughout.
Steering servo mounts
For the steering servo mounts, I used Xray servo mounts (Xray part # 306200). These are perfect for my set up. They are so small and light, and the main thing is that they possition the servo perfectly. I dont recall how Nate or savage rocks did theirs and I hope to see a pic..
Notes on the tank mounting Now you can see that the steering servo is on the oposite side of the truck compared to stock. This is because the MGT tank (that I designed the TVPs around) has a sump at the bottom. I moved the steering servo to the other side in order to lower the tank low as possible. Wheil I am building this I noticed an added benifit of this.. When its time to service the truck, all I need to do is pull the left side TVP off (which is holding both steering servo and throttle servo). So you just unhook the carb, and brake linkage, pull the screws out and you have all the access you need. Leaving the right side TVP on keeps the truck together... IMO saves time rebuilding it since all the electronics are mounted to one TVP..
Now I could have mounted the tank all the way to the right side, but I wanted to center it. This can cause problems. The sump on the tank bottom allows little room for much.. If I didnt care to center the tank it would open up some more room for servo arm, and switch which I will admit is a tight fit when centered.. BUT I can still lower the tank 1/4"-3/8" by trimming the legs down.. I will do this when I final assymble it..
Throttle servo mounting and linkage
I could have used any servo mounts for the throttle/brake, but chose to use plastic ones from traxxas (part #2715). IMO the plastic mounts lower the chance of twiching from metal to metal contact. The throttle/brake linkage is easy.. Nate did his extremely clean and I just now found a pic of it..
I like to have alot of adjustment in mine but basicaly over analized it (and might have made it complicated for some).. But I did it this way so I never have to worry about the brake lever getting pulled back (applying brakes) when I am at WOT..
wire it up
This is the clear wire loom that Nate and savage rocks use.
I didnt have any of the clear stuff, so I used wire loom from my car sterio box.. Seems to be perfect. I ran all my wires through the loom for both looks and trouble free bashing. I will zip tie it when its final assembled.. and this will all be covered up by adding a smooth bottom skid plate..
On/Off Switch/antenna mounting
Now this was a pain. Not that it was hard, but that there is so many ways this can be done. I wanted to do it one way and because I wanted to use the switch cover, I couldnt do it the way I planned. Anyways, this is how I did it, and it works great. I chose to use another peice of engine brace to mount both the switch and the antenna in one..
Switch cover GS racing part # GSCCOVBL... The BL at the end stands for the color which in this case is Blue.. So be aware of that when ordering..
I cut the stock radio tray up around the switch area leaving the tabs and a little material for a bolt hole. I then used the engine brace as the antenna mount. The brace ends up holding the switch mount by clamping it between the TVP...
The brace/antenna mount gets a hole drilled on the opposite side through the threaded hole (creating a cross in the brace).. I used a set screw to hold the antenna tube.. Kinda hard to write, if you need a pic I'll take one..
LCG required mod
As you may know with any LCG set up the engine plate braces need attention. This is because the engine/tranny now sit .5" lower. This make the gap between the engine braces and diff have interference. So to cure this you need to either notch the engine braces with dremel, or purchace a engine plate designed for LCG..
When you have a extended TVPs (in the rear) the notch isn't much compared to a stock length LCG set up. A stock length LCG puts the diff cup directly under the rear engine brace, requiring a notch for the diff (which basicaly makes your brace 2 peices). With extended TVPs, the diff is no longer under the plate so your notch only need to be enough for the drive shaft.. Hope that makes sence..
I use a vertigo one peice engine brace plate. This isnt the one on the truck becasue I forgot to take a pic.. but its the same thing just black anodized..
Or if you dremel the stock braces.. This one was done clean by byardbasher
Current state of build
Well I think I am done with all the modding.. I just have to tear it down a little to get to the last few screws that need some locktite.. This coversion is not all that hard when using these parts..
Tools used..
-drill with drill bits.. 4mm for sure
-cutting wheel/dremel or even a hack saw would work
-3mm tap for reciver mounting screw..
Alot of time was spent making sure ever hole aligns properly. So all the major work and designing is there. Its just a matter of converting.. and IMHO this transforms the truck into something different to drive. We that have bashed with the set up belive the performance is well worth the time spent fabricating the parts..
Chad I hope you like it....
I ended up using traxxas servo mounts.. I didnt have them at the time so I used the Xray ones, but prefer the traxxas ones as they allow a little give and bring the servo up a little.. I designed the holes for the steering servo mount very low.. Some servos fit (if they are shorter than others) and some of these new high torqure servos are tall, and that requires you to use servo shims to build it up a little.. Its easy to go up, but impossible to drop the servo down.. Thats the reason for that..
Well the truck is running perfectly... We had some issues with the servo and the one way in the picco.. Its all fixxed and this truck is absolutly amazing to drive.. You wouldnt think that it could wheelie with a .5" front ext, and a 1" ext in the rear, but it has NO problems pulling the front end up.. I took the preload spacers out so it sits at a perfect stance IMO.. With the wide offset X75s and the stance, it can take full speed turns on asphalt, handling like a road car.. There is no other truck that can hang with this set up.. I have been working on my buddies Ofna Jammin Truggy along with this truck and IMO the savage handles better in all areas...
Here are some pics next to the LST I traded this custom build savage for.. BTW we traded rollers....
And now some pics before it went in the box...
Chad's build
My buddy Chad has a clean LST that I have been wanting so we made a deal to swap rollers... and this truck is the one I am building in trade for the LST... He gave me the radio, servos,and engine... and I am just about to tear it down for final assembley.. I want others to see how I did it so if they decide to mid tank they have some ideas of how I did mine.. These are .5" ext front (and 1" rear for an 1.5" ext overall). That ext in the front allows the room for the tank and a RX mounting spot. Also the performance has shown that the added length up front (along with the weight) makes it handle like we wanted..
Tank mounts
There are 4 holes in the TVPs to hold the tank, but I belive 3 is all you need. No other reason than that and I didnt feel a difference between 4 mounts and 3.. I used an 1/8" slice of fuel tubing between the tank and braces. The tank mounts are just cut up engine braces (part # 86063) that I use for alot of things..
Battery mounting
I used (and its nessesary) a sicj designed battery relocation box. This uses the HPI Rush front bumper set (part # A349, with a bracket that I made for this mod thanks to sicj' design, and I have a few if you need one, just email me at [email protected]).
Reciver mounting plate
In the battery box bag is a bumper for the rush that has a curve to it. This little devil is perfect for mounting the reciver.. I drilled and tapped a hole into the servo saver brace to mount bumper (now RX mounting plate) with a rubber washer between for added shock absourbing.. Its a perfect fit and it ends up looking stock IMO.. This the the modded bumper (right) next to the stock one (left).. The slot is an access hole for the wires (servos and battery if your dont frequently change it).. Then I just used some velcro for RX to plate contact (also a good shock absourbing item)
Servo saver brace
The steering servo saver brace was very easy to complete. Once again I used an HPI engine brace and all it needed was the 3mm holes drilled out to 4mm (for the servo saver arm top bolts). I used some teflon washers between the brace and the top of the saver. I locked down the bottom bolts to the saver and just snuged the top ones using lock tight throughout.
Steering servo mounts
For the steering servo mounts, I used Xray servo mounts (Xray part # 306200). These are perfect for my set up. They are so small and light, and the main thing is that they possition the servo perfectly. I dont recall how Nate or savage rocks did theirs and I hope to see a pic..
Notes on the tank mounting Now you can see that the steering servo is on the oposite side of the truck compared to stock. This is because the MGT tank (that I designed the TVPs around) has a sump at the bottom. I moved the steering servo to the other side in order to lower the tank low as possible. Wheil I am building this I noticed an added benifit of this.. When its time to service the truck, all I need to do is pull the left side TVP off (which is holding both steering servo and throttle servo). So you just unhook the carb, and brake linkage, pull the screws out and you have all the access you need. Leaving the right side TVP on keeps the truck together... IMO saves time rebuilding it since all the electronics are mounted to one TVP..
Now I could have mounted the tank all the way to the right side, but I wanted to center it. This can cause problems. The sump on the tank bottom allows little room for much.. If I didnt care to center the tank it would open up some more room for servo arm, and switch which I will admit is a tight fit when centered.. BUT I can still lower the tank 1/4"-3/8" by trimming the legs down.. I will do this when I final assymble it..
Throttle servo mounting and linkage
I could have used any servo mounts for the throttle/brake, but chose to use plastic ones from traxxas (part #2715). IMO the plastic mounts lower the chance of twiching from metal to metal contact. The throttle/brake linkage is easy.. Nate did his extremely clean and I just now found a pic of it..
I like to have alot of adjustment in mine but basicaly over analized it (and might have made it complicated for some).. But I did it this way so I never have to worry about the brake lever getting pulled back (applying brakes) when I am at WOT..
wire it up
This is the clear wire loom that Nate and savage rocks use.
I didnt have any of the clear stuff, so I used wire loom from my car sterio box.. Seems to be perfect. I ran all my wires through the loom for both looks and trouble free bashing. I will zip tie it when its final assembled.. and this will all be covered up by adding a smooth bottom skid plate..
On/Off Switch/antenna mounting
Now this was a pain. Not that it was hard, but that there is so many ways this can be done. I wanted to do it one way and because I wanted to use the switch cover, I couldnt do it the way I planned. Anyways, this is how I did it, and it works great. I chose to use another peice of engine brace to mount both the switch and the antenna in one..
Switch cover GS racing part # GSCCOVBL... The BL at the end stands for the color which in this case is Blue.. So be aware of that when ordering..
I cut the stock radio tray up around the switch area leaving the tabs and a little material for a bolt hole. I then used the engine brace as the antenna mount. The brace ends up holding the switch mount by clamping it between the TVP...
The brace/antenna mount gets a hole drilled on the opposite side through the threaded hole (creating a cross in the brace).. I used a set screw to hold the antenna tube.. Kinda hard to write, if you need a pic I'll take one..
LCG required mod
As you may know with any LCG set up the engine plate braces need attention. This is because the engine/tranny now sit .5" lower. This make the gap between the engine braces and diff have interference. So to cure this you need to either notch the engine braces with dremel, or purchace a engine plate designed for LCG..
When you have a extended TVPs (in the rear) the notch isn't much compared to a stock length LCG set up. A stock length LCG puts the diff cup directly under the rear engine brace, requiring a notch for the diff (which basicaly makes your brace 2 peices). With extended TVPs, the diff is no longer under the plate so your notch only need to be enough for the drive shaft.. Hope that makes sence..
I use a vertigo one peice engine brace plate. This isnt the one on the truck becasue I forgot to take a pic.. but its the same thing just black anodized..
Or if you dremel the stock braces.. This one was done clean by byardbasher
Current state of build
Well I think I am done with all the modding.. I just have to tear it down a little to get to the last few screws that need some locktite.. This coversion is not all that hard when using these parts..
Tools used..
-drill with drill bits.. 4mm for sure
-cutting wheel/dremel or even a hack saw would work
-3mm tap for reciver mounting screw..
Alot of time was spent making sure ever hole aligns properly. So all the major work and designing is there. Its just a matter of converting.. and IMHO this transforms the truck into something different to drive. We that have bashed with the set up belive the performance is well worth the time spent fabricating the parts..
Chad I hope you like it....
I ended up using traxxas servo mounts.. I didnt have them at the time so I used the Xray ones, but prefer the traxxas ones as they allow a little give and bring the servo up a little.. I designed the holes for the steering servo mount very low.. Some servos fit (if they are shorter than others) and some of these new high torqure servos are tall, and that requires you to use servo shims to build it up a little.. Its easy to go up, but impossible to drop the servo down.. Thats the reason for that..
Well the truck is running perfectly... We had some issues with the servo and the one way in the picco.. Its all fixxed and this truck is absolutly amazing to drive.. You wouldnt think that it could wheelie with a .5" front ext, and a 1" ext in the rear, but it has NO problems pulling the front end up.. I took the preload spacers out so it sits at a perfect stance IMO.. With the wide offset X75s and the stance, it can take full speed turns on asphalt, handling like a road car.. There is no other truck that can hang with this set up.. I have been working on my buddies Ofna Jammin Truggy along with this truck and IMO the savage handles better in all areas...
Here are some pics next to the LST I traded this custom build savage for.. BTW we traded rollers....
And now some pics before it went in the box...
