johninderby Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) Vaterra Slickrock with mods Bought a Slickrock a few months ago and have made quite a few mods to it. In completely stock form it performed better than I expected but it was obvious there was room for improvement. Tyres: First thing to go were the stock tyres. While they looked good they were quite hard and were poor performers. So I got a set of HB 1.9" Rover Reds and mounted them on Axial bead locks. Lovely soft tyres with plenty of grip. So much better than the stock tyres that there's just no comparison. Where the stock tyres would slip and scrabble for grip the Rovers just calmly pulled their way over an obstacle. Added about 100g weight to the front wheels. Shocks: The stock shocks were a bit wimpy to say the least. The Slickrock would flop around a lot causing sudden shifts in balance that could topple you over without warning. Got some Yeah Racing adjustable alloy shocks which fitted straight on. For the top of the shocks I fitted some of those rubber grommets that come with most servos. Just the right size to fit in the mounting hole in the shock and allow the shock to fit in the standard upper shock bracket with no mods at all. Even used the stock mounting bolt. For the bottom just standard bolts. So much more stable now with no sudden lurches but soft enough so that articulation isn't affected. ESC & Radio: The stock ESC isn't actually that bad and is perfectly usable. However I thought upgrading to a Tekin ESC with all it's programmable features and great low speed control would be a good idea. The Tekin B1-R mini ESC isn't very expensive and is ideal for a 1/18 RC and I already had a Tekin Hotwire programmer for it. The radio that comes with the Slickrock is OK but I have an Absima CR4T radio. The stock radio system was stuck in an RC that I was selling. I used a Traxxas waterproof receiver box that just fitted along side the motor and can be seen in one of the close-up photos. BTW the RX box isn't at an angle, it's just that the sidepanel slopes downwards toward the front and makes it look as though it is. Four Wheel Steering: Simple job that just requires standard kit parts. VTR214016 Front Spindles & Carriers with Hardware, VTR211017 Servo Plate & Mount Set and VTR214014 Steering Links, Long & Short. The rest of the parts are already there when you take of the end of the axle housing and the front end parts just bolt right in place. The CR4T radio makes really easy to set up 4WS as it has an option for this. Carbon Fibre Body Panels: I didn't really like the stock plastic body panels so I thought about carbon fibre. Not the stickyback imitation stuff, but real carbon fibre sheet. I found a seller on eBay that sold 1mm sheet in several colours. I chose the one made with silver coloured fabric as I just liked the light look compared to the traditional dark grey. They also do red and blue. Used the stock panels as templates and cut out the carbon fibre sheet. Getting the holes in the right place just required some care and attention. Not a hard job just so long as you take your time. Oh and only do one side panel at a time as the other one will hold the chassis together. One unexpected benefit after fitting the carbon fibre was that the chassis was much, much stiffer. Other Bits & Pieces: I used four of the Fastrax rectangular foglights instead of the optional light bar. Looks a bit different. I used some 6mm delrin rod to replace the standard imitation light bar. The Fastrasx lights come with snap-on brackets that fit a 6mm round bar so that all fits together nicely. To stop the lights from moving I drilled four little holes through the delrin rod and used longer screws to fasten the lights to the brackets. I used some Tamiya LEDs that are nice and bright and a Turnigy RX switch to turn them on and off. Fitted the optional Vaterra high clearance links which do make quite a difference. Imported 10mm wide 12mm wheel hex adaptors from the US. They are made just for the Slickrock and widen the track by about 12mm. Not a lot but t does make a small difference. Cut slots in each end of the battery box to allow a standard 1300mah LiPo pack to drop in. Lid on the battery box still fits. Finally: Really pleased with the Slickrock now. Crawls over obstacles that would be tough for many full size crawlers. Has no problem crawling up and over a pile of concrete blocks which comes in handy for crawling around the garden. In fact the short wheelbase means it doesn't get hung up as often. While I originally bought it just for the garden it's proving so capable that I'll have to take it further afield. Just might be a big surprise for anyone that thinks the Slickrock is just a little toy. John Edited September 11, 2017 by johninderby 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post johninderby Posted May 12, 2014 Author Popular Post Share Posted May 12, 2014 (edited) More Photos................................... Edited September 11, 2017 by johninderby 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GilbertRC1 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 Wow man! This thing looks awesome, I really want to something similar to my slick rock but I couldn't find the parts. Is ther any chance you could give me some product codes and web address'. Cheers Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted May 13, 2014 Author Share Posted May 13, 2014 (edited) Wow man! This thing looks awesome, I really want to something similar to my slick rock but I couldn't find the parts. Is ther any chance you could give me some product codes and web address'. Cheers Ben Some of the parts seem to be out of stock but I'll give you what to search for. Axial 1.9" 8 Hole Beadlocks HB Rover 1.9" tyres (red compound) Vaterra VTR314005 Lower 30deg High-Clearance Suspension Links Alum:SLK (Import from the US) 70mm Adjustable Alloy shocks (got mine from here)http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Alloy-70mm-Dampers-for-1-10-RC-Tamiya-Kyosho-IMPROVED-long-travel-/400659620391?pt=AU_Toys_Hobbies_Radio_Controlled_Vehicles&hash=item5d492ca227 but these would dohttp://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RC-R-C-Nitro-EP-Car-Buggy-Alloy-70mm-Shock-Damper-Suspension-Absorber-Set-BLUE-/200948941953?pt=UK_ToysGames_RadioControlled_JN&hash=item2ec97d8481 I got an A4 sheet of 1mm thick carbon fibre sheet off eBay. An A5 sheet is too small. Can't see any of the silver CF sheet though on eBay at the moment. If there is any other specific mod on my Slickrock you want more info on just let me know. John Edited May 13, 2014 by johninderby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cr4sH Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 Could you post the item number of the ended auction for the carbon sheet please. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theodore Bagwell Posted June 2, 2015 Share Posted June 2, 2015 With those links as bent as they are the prop's are gonna take a proper bashing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johninderby Posted June 2, 2015 Author Share Posted June 2, 2015 Could you post the item number of the ended auction for the carbon sheet please. Thanks in advance The seller seems to have disapeared and I can't find the coloured sheet on eBay anymore. The black sheet's still available from other sellers though. Just look for "solid carbon fibre sheet". The links are quite well designed and the propshafts aren't as exposed as you might think at first sight and haven't been bashed at all. The Slickrock is pretty light as well which helps. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cr4sH Posted June 3, 2015 Share Posted June 3, 2015 Ok, thanks anyway.. The trade name of that stuff is texalium..i can find supply in the us but not here without laying it up myself which is a bit extreme! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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