Andy-Roo

I’m the same with mechanical watches. The thought of an engineering work of art on my wrist gets me all unnecessary 😂

If it were me, I’d clean off the rust as best I could, replace what can’t be salvaged and then just use it. It’ll never look new again without a fortune being spent so I’d just use it as a beater and have fun with it 👍

I use this in my diffs and smear it on the axle shafts, and spray bearings with GT85.

I’d just use the right grease, like Dartmoor Trails said. The Hylomar, once it has gone off could just break away and bind up the gears in the portals and transmission (it does the same in 1:1 engines, as I found out in my yoof). I really don’t think you’ll seal it effectively and waterproof grease is the best way of tackling the problem.

Haha! They should be clean and smooth, any pitting or damage would cause leakage 😬

No worries mate 👍

I have a 540 35t Austar motor that came out of a used rig I bought. Its of no use to me but you’re welcome to have it? It could help narrow down the problem - if it smokes then it must be the truck, or if it works it was a faulty HPI motor. If it’s of use just PM me your address and I’ll pop in the post tomorrow 👍

A great looking truck but pretty heavy at around 8.5lbs. Maybe the motor just wasn’t up to the job but I’d have thought the ESC would have smoked itself before the motor. You said it went really well with the brushless setup, so maybe that’s what it needs but a crawler specific one, like the HW Axe for example. The trouble with BL setups is they ain’t cheap. Did you buy the HPI motor/ESC new?

I love a shock rebuild - seeing all the parts laid out gets me all warm and fuzzy inside 😂

Reedy 550 16t 5 slot motor and power HD 20kg. Both boxed in as new condition £32 inc post & fees New Scalerfab rear bumper SOLD New Proline Chevy K10 cab & bed SOLD Pitbull Clutch 1.9 beadlocks. I bought these for my VS build but then fell in love with another set of rims and now these need a new home. Complete set £50 post & fees inc Please leave a comment and PM if interested 👍

It may say “waterproof” on the box but I think they’re referring to the electrics, the transmission and axle cases are water resistant at best. The way to protect the gears is with a suitable grease, and to strip down, clean and re-grease those gears at regular intervals or every time the truck has been used in water. You may be able to salvage some of the metal parts but it’s looking very much like the bulk will need replacing. I’d start by hunting out used parts on eBay, or post in the wanted section on this forum.

How heavy is the rig? What size wheels/tyres is it running? Both of these could cause the motor to over heat. What make is this 6x6? You say it’s a custom build but is it based off a known chassis; Traxxas or Axial for example? This is going to be process of elimination, so some pictures might help.

The scale bits look really good on it 👍

Can’t beat some proper rust, for that scale look 😎

If you have a soldering iron try using the tip of it to focus heat on the screw. Leave it for a few minutes and give it another go...but try not to round it out. If that fails, remove everything that holds the axles in place, including the transmission if needed, so you can get the drive shafts on the bench. Then you can use a hack saw to cut a grove into the screw head and use a flat blade driver on it. Or, you could just sell the rig to me instead 😜

Don’t know if it’s just me but those pics aren’t loading..

Just measure the stock ones, or the distance from diff to the transmission 👍

If there’s a debate on wheels, my suggestion would white steel wheels. I have odd tastes though 🤣

Sorry for the late reply, we’ve been away for the weekend. Nothing in particular, no. You’re just looking/feeling for anything that could be causing extra load on the motor and overheat it. But it sounds like it’s all okay so gearing is the likely problem.

I don’t want weigh my VS for fear of fat jokes 😂

Looks really good, AJ 👍 Nothing wrong with being a tart mate - I too like a bit of braiding 😬

I’ve seen a few vids on this too, and being as I’m fan of big dually trucks, I was right away thinking “I have to get me one of those!”. (If I was an American I’d live in Texas, drive a dually and own guns). But as you say, it doesn’t really have much of a purpose. I guess you could hook a trailer to it and haul your crawler/buggy/drift car...somewhere..? For me it would be a cool looking shelf queen that ‘might’ see occasional trail use.

I thought the same thing. It’s easy to get carried away because the rust, and weathering in general adds so much depth you kinda get sucked into it. I’m already thinking about the next build and how I can improve on this one.... Oh no...think I’ve become an addict! 🤪

The Rock Beasts definitely look better, more in proportion with the body. The BFG’s look like balloon tyres in comparison, whereas the 1.55 look too small. Rock Beasts FTW 👍

I’d just start with a smaller pinion and go from there tbh. Have you checked the drive line for any binding?