A look back at my 1st clodbuster build (and what it became)

[andymac0035]

Back in 2010 I got returned to the hobby. My wife surprised me with an SC10. This was neat, but all I could think about was the original clodbuster I had back in the 80's. This lead to buying a new super clodbuster, and discovering how many mods had come and gone while I was out of the hobby. I built and re-built this truck many times over the next few years, and it would take too long to re-hash all of it, so I just thought a would share a brief look at how it started, and how far I took it in the end.

Humble beginnings:

I later put this body on it. Yes, I know I should never have run it with this body as it is apparently desirable, but I didn't know that at the time and I'm usually more about runners than shelf queens. But anyways, this was the truck's beginnings.

[andymac0035]

After many mods and builds (and re-builds) and basically going all-out for speed and performance, all while stubbornly insisting on using as many (stock) tamiya/clodbuster parts as possible, I came up with this. It is an extended chassis dual-brushless build that I did in early 2012.

What follows is a bit of cut+paste from my original thread on clodtalk, and 20/20 hindsight mixed in.

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So, the start of a scratch-built extended stock chassis:
The idea is to use a backsaw and line up (on the side) the edge of the lower "fins" of the lower chassis with the "first" screw hole for the REAR of the upper plate (there are 8 holes, 2 at each corner). I start my cut over the edge of this hole and once started, come around to the side and line the saw up with the edge of the "fins" (down where the 4x4x4 sticker goes). I just kind-of eyeball-it freehand and get it as straight as I can. Then do the other side. This is all done with the chassis laying on it's side. Then put the chassis upright and drop the saw inside both cuts, and get the bottom.

NOTE: I am cutting the rear third off of BOTH chassis', so I will have dual battery slots.
It took a few tries, you will want at least 3 chassis' for this as you know your going to mess up at least once.....and I did. Then I got picky with the 2nd one, although it was usable, but it was kind-of cruddy (both the first 2 were), then chassis #3 and #4 were like new, and I wanted to use them since they looked nicer to begin with.

I then used a rough file and a belt sander to get the ends relatively square and even.
I used a piece of stock chassis bracing, in addition to the 2 braces seen here. It was handy, and already had 2 or the 4 holes needed. I did have to drill the holes bigger to get things to line up.

I had planned to put more bracing on the bottom, but it turned out, this was more than enough. For the side's I put a pair of braces made from stock clod bits. The pieces on the outside are cut-offs from stock steering linkage.
Upper bracing was done later on.

Stock side chassis re-inforcment brace makes a perfect tool for locating shock mount holes!
I drilled both holes for running longer or shorter shocks.

New chassis shown next to the old (beaten to death) original chassis. I went out of my way to use as many tamiya parts as possible when making this. I could have used ladder bars if I wanted to, but I already had a 4-link system I had been using for a while at the time.

[andymac0035]

Axles and suspension in place. This is all CPE old-school clod 4-link. The shocks are GTR 3.5" from a traxxas jato, I would switch back and forth between them and 4" shocks with this truck. Looking back I think I could have done a better job with the suspension, but I hadn't learned that yet (more about that in another build-thread later).

I went out of my way to use as many stock screw holes as possible and not drill any new one's unless I had to. I think there were only like 2 holes left in the whole chassis unused. I wanted this to look as factory as possible. There are a few things that cosmetically I wanted to clean up, but for the most part, I think it came out pretty nice.

Look at all that space for electronics!

Dual sidewinder 2's and 6900kv motors. Looking back.... this was probably not the best way to go, but at the time, a friend of mine was selling them and the deal was too good to pass up. ... that and at the time the speed (and power) was so incredible to me that I tend to look back on things with "rose colored glasses". ... and also, to be fair, the sidewinder 2 was fairly new at the time.

Electronics:
Radio is a traxxas TQ, (axle mounted) servo was a CPE 200oz.
The esc's are mounted on a pair stock mounts for the stock clod center linkage steering servo.
They are run through a y-harness (2 channel radio)
LIPO's are the round-style types to fit nimh style chassis/trays, gens-ace 2S 4300mah.
One battery per esc, I would typically swap the batteries front to back mid-run as the rear esc/motor would always pull more juice.

[andymac0035]

Here it is almost done, notice the extra bracing:
The extra rods across the shock towers are short clodbuster steering links.
The 2 long rods forming an X-brace are the long clodbuster steering links.
The 2 pieces of at either end of the X-brace are strips cut off of stock clod electronics trays.

This really stiffened and tightened up the chassis.

[andymac0035]

Proline F-650 body. I can't take credit for the paint job. It was another deal I stumbled into and didn't even know it would be the perfect wheelbase match for this build when I bought it, but I'm happy it worked out that way. Not pictured, but I put foam "bumpers" on the inside up front to protect the body from the chassis.

This truck would prove to be the best snow-runner I ever had. It had enough speed to "tread snow", meaning even if the snow was deep and fluffy/powdery, if I hit it at speed, it would stay on top and just shoot 4 rooster-tails and keep on going. Another interesting thing was that the sidewinder 2 was not a waterproof esc. I got around this by putting a square of soft 1/4" foam over the top of the tub chassis.

[andymac0035]

So, as a snow-runner the truck was pretty hard to beat, it was definitely in it's element and I had a LOT of fun with it that winter.

I would later try different shocks and tires as I experimented with learning how to handle the truck once spring came and it had traction. Here it is with Juggernaut wheels and giant-trac tires. Oh and I think I forgot to mention earlier that it used TTR wheel extensions.

[andymac0035]

Ultimitely .... the truck was too fast/powerful for it's own good. With traction on "not-snow-covered-ground" it quickly started breaking parts. It started stripping the pegs off the wheels and I had to make my own pegs by putting 3mm nuts and bolts with spacers in of all the wheels. Suspension breakages (usually rod-ends) became all-to-common, and the little bearings in the counter gears had to be swapped for bronze bushings as the bearings would blow and lead to gear failures. Axle tube failures were very common also. This was due in large part to my love for getting "air" with the truck and the 4-link design that put way too much toque-twist on the c-hubs. (I would put this lesson learned to use in future builds)

It just had more power than it could handle. You could punch the throttle from a roll, even on dirt.... and the 13" wheelbase truck would pick the nose up and wheelie as far as you dared to stay in it.

This all came to a conclusion on the last run I made with it before taking the castle systems out of it. I had built-up a dirt ramp for my trucks on one side of the driveway and had been trying to get a full-throttle charge at it. Prior to this 2/3 throttle was the best I had managed and even at that, it could still hit the ramp from one side of the yard, clear the driveway and land on the other side. Well for once I got it to stay straight coming across the grass and nailed it, figuring even if I broke it (again) that I would be taking it apart anyways to take the brushless systems out of it. To my utter astonishment it stayed straight and hit the ramp ... and proceeded to get enough air that I was looking up (I'm 6") as it arced a few feet above me as it flew across... it stuck the landing, but bounced hard..... and a tire went rolling.... and that was the end of that. I broke 3 of 4 axle tubes, sheared a front stub axle, and even bent a main axle. I did fix it all, but that was pretty much the end of progress with that one. I moved on to a different platform of truck for a while after that, but would return to clods a few years later.

It sure was fast though.

A few pics from bashing around in the yard.
(no pics from the day of the carnage)

It was with this truck that I would learn the art of mid-air corrections, tapping the brake to bring the nose down.

[andymac0035]

A few vids of it in action:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29VfZ9_4b3k


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbjs_6nKhBY



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPC7k0lbnM4



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23QMvaQ2yZY



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ot0buDOgR1k

[Diamond Dave]

I remember this. You had just moved into this place and waited for snow to clear to run some of the natural jumps...

Your bro was involved if I remember correctly. Who was jumping the longest across the road...

Wow, just wow. Clodbusters!!!

[andymac0035]

Hi Dave,

I don't remember if me and Chris competed over at this spot, I know we sure did at the old place.
The old place was the one that had the "construction zone" dirt piles out back.

I had a lot of fun with that truck, and learned a lot too.

[Diamond Dave]

Must be the old place I remember. I have not even looked at my Alumaclod in a very long time, need to change that.

Thanks for this, I learnt a lot from you along the way.