Project Cheap-O-Maxx...DONE!!

[marauder]

I actually have an AE pipe that is setup like that too. I've never seen a pipe like that where the line just sits in there like that. I was kinda like :WTF: too when I first saw it. It's not ribbed like your though.

Yeah, the pipes on my RC10GT2's both have the line stuck in the pipe like that, and the tuned pipe on my RS4-2 was the same way as well. It doesn't really perform any less than a normal pipe with a fitting, but I do feel like the fitting would work better. So far though, I've never had a problem with that style of pipe.

The progress looks very good so far, T-Maxx are great starter trucks. I'm sure he will be so excited to get this and it be his own. He will learn a lot from this gift, and most of all he will learn that when someone takes the time to put thought into a gift and not just leave a price tag on the box it means so much more. Hats off, you're raising another great rc fanatic.

Every time I see this thread though, I wanna go throw my t-maxx on the track. It's killing me, I hate winter.

 

[NCNitro]

I actually have an AE pipe that is setup like that too. I've never seen a pipe like that where the line just sits in there like that. I was kinda like :WTF: too when I first saw it. It's not ribbed like your though.

Must be the same pipe I have on my maxx Josh. I wish mine was ribbed, if it makes the low end power like the Savage ribbed pipe that should be real nice!

That is coming along real nice Randy!

 

[savon]

This is coming alone great,
Nice job

 

[LosiLST]

This thing looks frickin awesome.
Could almost past as brand new.

Very nice job and I need to be a Good friend of yours.

 

[Racer 1966]

Very nice job and I need to be a Good friend of yours.

This isn't a good way to get there! :

Remember all you savage fans, Go LOSI or go HOME!:

Thanks for the compliments everyone! Sorry, nothing to update today :\

 

[LosiLST]

This isn't a good way to get there! :

Lol, your just jealous of the big bad LST's owning your savages. :

 

[Austin]

Love the work you've done, racer, looks excellent, keep up the good work, I can't wait to see the final result! You're making me kinda wanna do this! Hahaha good luck with the rest of it man, you're doing great

 

[Racer 1966]

Roller Baby!

Update time!

Since I'm getting short on time, today I made up some excuses to get out of the house without my son(wife knows the real reason) and went to the shop to work on the truck. Here's what I did today.

First off I've been trying figure out how to make the front bumper fit and look better with the steel skid. After some discussion with the pros(Lessen and NcNitro) I've come to the conclusion it'll just have to be how it is. So I put the original front bumper supports back on and called it good.

Next up is the electronics. First I figured a bench test was in order to check that all the servos and transmitter were functioning properly. I popped in some new baterries, plugged the servos into the reciever and turned the switches on. Right away everything worked but I noticed that I had the steering servo and reverse sero plugged in the wrong slots. Satisfied with their operation, it was time to install!

I noticed too that the switch on the battery box was installed in what I think is an upside down manner. In the pic, you'll notice the red is up which is on. If the switch is vertically operated, I always make the on down. The reason for this simple, when you land hard from a jump if the switch is up, I have had them get jolted down to the off position. Also you'll notice in the pic that the clear film protecting the plate is peeling so I took it off when rotating the swith postion.

Next I mounted the servos. Then I spent a little time trying to route the wires neatly out of the way. Plugged everything into the reciever and retested their operation. I added a couple of zip ties to hold the wires neatly in place,connected the reverse linkage and installed the servo saver and steering link. Electronics are done except for the throttle brake linkage.

Next I was planning to install the engine but I left the house without the shims and clips for the clutch bell again! So I installed the fuel tank. Then I finished the day by cleaning/armoralling the tires and wheels and bolted them in place. We has us a roller baby!

On final note,when buying a used truck and fixing it up like this you never know what condition stuff will be. Functionallity is usually the primary concern but since this is a Christmas present, looks are important too. Well I lucked out again on the wheels. One set is in almost new condition with very little noticeable plating chipped off the wheels. Not my favorite style of wheel, but they look really good on the truck!

I think I'm getting close and will be able to make my deadline. I found and have the shims/clips ready to go with me tomorrow so the engine should be installed and just about done by tomorrow night.

That's it until next time!

 

[LosiLST]

Wow, all I can say is wow....

Thats an amazing job you have done Racer. I would be very blessed to have a dad with that great of skills to help me out. You have done some really amazing things and this is one of them. You took a completely ran down Maxx and turned it to look brand new. Amazing. Your son is a lucky kid.

 

[Austin]

I agree with Losi, WOW, it went from a dirty trash heap on wheels to a beautiful masterpiece Great work and Your son is definately a lucky kid.

 

[Racer 1966]

Finished!

Well here it is guys, the truck is done! Here's how I finished her up.

First up was the clutchbell, 2 shims and a clip = done!

Time to put the engine in the chassis. Ooooh, small problem. Seems that when I put the carb on I had it rotated 180. The throttle linkage could not be hooked up due to interference with the spur gear. I thought it looked wrong when I took it off but it turns out it was right originally. So I pulled the carb, cleaned the sealant, rotated it and resealed it and tightened it back in place.

4 screws, carefully setting the mesh with the spur,1 bolt for the pipe support and the engines in.

Next I turned on the radio/reciever and centered throttle servo. Bolted on the horn and a little tweaking to set the linkage operation. Another step done.

Final thing to do is plumb the fuel lines. First I figured out where I wanted it and zip-tied the filter in place. Next was a piece of hose from the tank to the filter, then the filter to the carb and finally from the tank to my custom hose fitting on the pipe. A final zip-tie to tidy it up bit and that's it baby, the truck is done!

Well it's not a bling-a-thon Maxx like Lessen is building and definately no comparrison to the blingin' Savage of Rolex, but it is a nice and clean truck ready to run! And it was cheap and I'll post breakdown of just how cheap it was later. I'll call that the cost and credits post, after all there are few people that helped make this build possible.

Speaking of Rolex, I wonder where he's at? I'm surprised he hasn't given me flak about building a Maxx when I'm a die-hard Savage man. Oh, let him poop in someone else's thread!

But wait there's more! I'm sure you're wondering "what about a body?" Well that's another thing I knew from the beginning would be needed. You can't give a nice truck like this as a Christmas present and have a scarred /scratched basher body on it. I started the hunt for a body before the trucks even arrived after purchasing them. Well I found a parts lot on eBay that included a new unpainted body. I'm going to give it to my son like that and let him help decide how he wants it painted.

He's also getting a new fuel bottle and glow ignitor along with a divider case full of spare parts from the donor truck(of course we'll have all the parts from the donor truck too but they wouldn't all fit in the case). Here's some pics of the whole lot he's getting.

I'll also post up some pics of his face when he open's this package! Everone have a Merry Christmas! Be safe if you're travelling.

 

[savon]

Looks great,
Good job!

 

[NCNitro]

That looks great Randy! I'm sure he's gonna love it.

 

[Austin]

Looks amazing from what It was, He should be exstatic about it

 

[Runaway Jim]

Hey man, I don't have any kids but I know what it's like to be one on Christmas day. This is gonna be a Christmas he won't soon forget. Awesome job on the build! You're a great dad! You've set the bar pretty high for those of us in the future!

 

[cobra198]

Awesome work, it really turned out nice and clean! Looks like a brand new ride! I'm sure your son is going to be super excited when he gets his maxx - I know I would be!

 

[LosiLST]

I'm Jealous....

 

[Racer 1966]

WoooHooo!

Sorry my camers sucks , but here's a couple of pics from him opening the truck yesterday. His first words were "WooHoo, I'm going to beat your Savage now dad!"

I had to listen to that all morning! As luck would have it, the temps got to near 60 too, so we ran the first tank of break-in through her. Four pulls with the pipe blocked to prime it, attached the glow igintor and 2 pulls and it was running! It ran really well, temps only got to 219. Now he's already trying to decide on how he wants me to paint the lid!

This made for an awesome Christmas, I hope everyone else had a good one too and if I'm not back here before then, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

[NCNitro]

That's awesome man! I remember seeing my 8 year olds face light up the first time I took him out to run the maxx I built for him. It is one of the best feelings in the world to share a hobby we love so much with our sons. It's a great way to spend quality time with your son, I'm sure both of you will have a ton of fun together burning up some nitro. Congrats to both you and your son Randy.

 

[Racer 1966]

Right on Joe! Sharing with your son is the best!

We ran 2 more tanks thru it today. Had a little problem with the reverse linkage, didn't want to switch back to forward. Not sure I straightened it out yet, but we'll try again tomorrow.