orange_crush

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Orange Crush 41
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I stumbled into a lot of guys building these! Too cool!

Away I went to eBay to secure one.... or more. When the first one arrived I flipped it over to pull the frame and get started... no frame.

Formative International... should'a started with a Hasbro...

***TIP**** Apparently there is a learning curve. Go figure.

So off to the scrap metal bin I charged to find some suitable metal for a frame. I dug to the bottom of the barrel and found a large and hideous piece that just might work.

After a few measurements and the aid of a contour gauge I cut out a couple of frame rails, bumpers and a cross piece.

In 1987 I purchased and built and wore out a ClodBuster; it has been sitting on a shelf in my garage for 25 years with a worn out mechanical speed controller. So I pulled it down and yarded out the axles to donate to this project. Yea, I know they don't lend them selves to a puritans view of scale... but I kind of got a little crazy and ended up with 3 Willy's. Sooo this first one will have to be my Guinna pig cause I don't have a clue what I'm doing. With any luck, by the third one I'll get it figured out.

I pulled the Clod axles apart and was really surprised at how well it survived the beating I gave it before it was relegated to a dust catcher. I added a little JB weld and locked up the spider gears and replaced the axle tubes and steering knuckles with some aluminum ones.

As previously noted I am out of my element (whatever my element is?) and wanted a little larger tire and wheel for the Axial JK and stumbled into a set of 2.2 Pit Bull's that I knew would be just the ticket. When they arrived I realized my mistake (they were taller than the hood of the JK... So when life serves you lemons; make lemonade! And just like that I had a set of tires and wheels for the Willy (albeit a bit on the large size).

I have seen a few 1:1's on 38's that look pretty similar, so I'm hoping that the finished product won't look crazy out of scale. Here is a mock up shot from underneath.

And from the side.

Problem numuro uno seems to be the mass of the clod axles (sitting under a flat platform). I can see the merits of having a Lexan body to sit atop the whole package and have full swing of the suspension. It's pretty clear that I will need to put a bend in the links to clear the motors.

Back to the scrap metal bin for some 1/4" round to mock up a four link suspension.

Having never made links before I cruised around a bit and read every thing from chucked up in a lathe to just taking after it with a hand held drill. I opted for the center punch and drill press.

Not perfect, but I think it will get the job done.

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