Kraton BashingBrian's Kraton EXB...

[Rcproponent]

How’s it holding up @BashingBrian ??

 

[BashingBrian]

How’s it holding up @BashingBrian ??

100% sorted, I'm nowhere near as good a driver as some other members are on here..!! so if I can't break it's all good..?
Oh, I could always let @Notorious J have a go with it I suppose..?????

 

[jondilly1974]

100% sorted, I'm nowhere near as good a driver as some other members are on here..!! so if I can't break it's all good..?
Oh, I could always let @Notorious J have a go with it I suppose..?????

Does ?? @Notorious J ? know ?? yet? ?

 

[Harri]

The rear diff is holding up perfectly. Big thanks to @BashingBrian for a great fix!

 

[BashingBrian]

So onto the final stages...

Few more upgrades, M2C rear tower brace and shock standoffs ?

This one's for all the UK and European guys 'n girls who can't get hold of PPS mounts..??

The new battery tray has way more mounting holes/screws than the V4 but I've still done the @Jimbobjr tray mod as the stronger the better, Extra Extreme Bash Version..!!

4mm high density foam used as a base to cushion the battery and lined with 0.75 Lexan, this stuff is so tuff it's crazy... ?

I had to trim the backside of the top of the diff mount to allow space for the battery.
I'm using CNHL 70c 5000mAh 6s and they are pretty big batteries, I've done this as a precaution really and also for piece of mind..???
@Notorious J ... can tell you what happens to batteries you punch holes in..?

Next up is the shimtastic job of slop removal..? as always I do the hub axles to remove as much play as possible..
I'm using different shims this time and they are a bit larger in diameter as I used the same supplier as the diff shims..

Right and left rear both took exactly same amount of shims..

Left front took these...

Right front took these..

Next I replaced that plastic c clip with a metal washer..

The next thing was to fit rear cvd's from my V4 Kraton ? but it turns out that the diff drive cups aren't as deep as V4's therefore fitting rear cvd's is impossible because of the length..??
As you can see the V4 drive cup is much deeper and the newer EXB ones seem to have an insert in them, I believe this is redesigned so the driveshaft can rotate under full suspension travel more easily... So I think it's a fair trade off, my only issue is your now able to loose driveshafts if you break arms etc..

So... to avoid losing black driveshafts when they inevitably fly out and we all know they are impossible to see when that happens...!!
I give you, heat shrink red versions EXB style ?

To be continued...

 

[BashingBrian]

Onto the meaty stuff now..?

Re-drilled the towers for the standoffs and rear brace.

This brace is a must in my opinion, that combined with the lower bolt mod in the tower it makes the rear end nearly bomb proof..?

Was really shocked to see the EXB still uses crappy bushes, so in went the bearings ABEC5's ??? slight over kill..!!
I had them left over from another job so why waste them, EXBearings ?

Caution: Hot Motor....
I don't think so..? courtesy of the fabulous amazing @Mr.Duke ?? I've said it before and I'll say it again THIS IS the best fan mount ever..!!!

You can also see below that I've fitted Outcast side guards as I do with all my rigs..??

I had to cut a big chunk out of the end to allow space for the 1717 to fit..?

I have since changed the nuts that hold the fan mount in as the originals were too tall.. I don't want to scratch or dent that lovely 1717 can..!!

Quick mod to the top of the MMX8s, added some nuts as spacers to keep the fan from catching the top of the guard...
Learn't this from you guys on here that had the MMX8s before me..?

So just as other members had mentioned such as @bicketybam the battery wires on the MMX8s are far too short and I totally agree..!!
I had to decide how to lengthen them and my final solution was to go with 8mm bullets then heat shrink the join afterwards so it can't come apart.

I cut the ridge of off the ESC tray so I could mount the MMX8s and stuck it down with some of that super tough 3M double sided tape, lets just see how long it stays put..?

Almost done..........

 

[BashingBrian]

The end.... sort of ?

The final glammer shots of my EXB before I go beat the snot out of it..?
I see the new wing mount has two heights to choose from..

To access the pinion on my setup with this fan mount it's basically a nightmare so I took a cue from the 8s trucks and made a hole in the side..?
I've also changed the top slider motor mount bolts to bigger cap heads, bigger motor = bigger EXBolts ??

So the final V1 setup is as follows:

Castle MMX8s 1717 combo (sensored mode)
22T pinion
Diffs F60k C200k R20k (fully open)
Kingmax servo 67kg @ 8.4v ?
Spektrum DX5C / SR315 rx
CNHL 70c 5000mAh XT90

Custom made Polyoxymethylene EXBody mounts ( Delrin ??? )
I'm not using the EXB body for now as I've always wanted to do......................

@Notorious J .... It's nearly a Notorious...?

I present you with the KRAT[HOON] powered by EXB..!!

SO WHATCHA LOOKING AT....!!! ?

I think that's all.
The end.........







To be continued...?

 

[Kg77]

So onto the final stages...

Few more upgrades, M2C rear tower brace and shock standoffs ?

View attachment 98616

This one's for all the UK and European guys 'n girls who can't get hold of PPS mounts..??

View attachment 98631
View attachment 98632

The new battery tray has way more mounting holes/screws than the V4 but I've still done the @Jimbobjr tray mod as the stronger the better, Extra Extreme Bash Version..!!

View attachment 98653

4mm high density foam used as a base to cushion the battery and lined with 0.75 Lexan, this stuff is so tuff it's crazy... ?

View attachment 98639

I had to trim the backside of the top of the diff mount to allow space for the battery.
I'm using CNHL 70c 5000mAh 6s and they are pretty big batteries, I've done this as a precaution really and also for piece of mind..???
@Notorious J ... can tell you what happens to batteries you punch holes in..?

View attachment 98638
View attachment 98641View attachment 98642

Next up is the shimtastic job of slop removal..? as always I do the hub axles to remove as much play as possible..
I'm using different shims this time and they are a bit larger in diameter as I used the same supplier as the diff shims..

View attachment 98643

Right and left rear both took exactly same amount of shims..

View attachment 98644

Left front took these...

View attachment 98646

Right front took these..

View attachment 98657

Next I replaced that plastic c clip with a metal washer..

View attachment 98647

The next thing was to fit rear cvd's from my V4 Kraton ? but it turns out that the diff drive cups aren't as deep as V4's therefore fitting rear cvd's is impossible because of the length..??
As you can see the V4 drive cup is much deeper and the newer EXB ones seem to have an insert in them, I believe this is redesigned so the driveshaft can rotate under full suspension travel more easily... So I think it's a fair trade off, my only issue is your now able to loose driveshafts if you break arms etc..

View attachment 98661

So... to avoid losing black driveshafts when they inevitably fly out and we all know they are impossible to see when that happens...!!
I give you, heat shrink red versions EXB style ?

View attachment 98645

To be continued...

those rubber inserts in the cups just pull out with a pick or screwdriver

 

[Notorious J]

The end.... sort of ?

The final glammer shots of my EXB before I go beat the snot out of it..?
I see the new wing mount has two heights to choose from..

View attachment 98695View attachment 98696

To access the pinion on my setup with this fan mount it's basically a nightmare so I took a cue from the 8s trucks and made a hole in the side..?
I've also changed the top slider motor mount bolts to bigger cap heads, bigger motor = bigger EXBolts ??

View attachment 98697View attachment 98698

So the final V1 setup is as follows:

Castle MMX8s 1717 combo (sensored mode)
22T pinion
Diffs F60k C200k R20k (fully open)
Kingmax servo 67kg @ 8.4v ?
Spektrum DX5C / SR315 rx
CNHL 70c 5000mAh XT90

View attachment 98699

Custom made Polyoxymethylene EXBody mounts ( Delrin ??? )
I'm not using the EXB body for now as I've always wanted to do......................

View attachment 98701View attachment 98700View attachment 98712View attachment 98702

@Notorious J .... It's nearly a Notorious...?

I present you with the KRAT[HOON] powered by EXB..!!

View attachment 98704


SO WHATCHA LOOKING AT....!!! ?

View attachment 98703View attachment 98707

I think that's all.
The end.........







To be continued...?

What an amazing build! Now you got my head filled with this idea. I have a brand new, blue Notorious body that would make the EXB look wild. I hate the idea of cutting the back out of a brand new body though, but now its definitely up for consideration. Great work on the whole build overall. Guess you're trying to sway my vote for the other thread. Good start buddy?????

 

[jondilly1974]

Onto the meaty stuff now..?

Re-drilled the towers for the standoffs and rear brace.

View attachment 98685View attachment 98686

This brace is a must in my opinion, that combined with the lower bolt mod in the tower it makes the rear end nearly bomb proof..?

View attachment 98681

Was really shocked to see the EXB still uses crappy bushes, so in went the bearings ABEC5's ??? slight over kill..!!
I had them left over from another job so why waste them, EXBearings ?

View attachment 98689

Caution: Hot Motor....
I don't think so..? courtesy of the fabulous amazing @Mr.Duke ?? I've said it before and I'll say it again THIS IS the best fan mount ever..!!!

View attachment 98692

You can also see below that I've fitted Outcast side guards as I do with all my rigs..??

View attachment 98676

I had to cut a big chunk out of the end to allow space for the 1717 to fit..?

View attachment 98674

I have since changed the nuts that hold the fan mount in as the originals were too tall.. I don't want to scratch or dent that lovely 1717 can..!!

View attachment 98679

Quick mod to the top of the MMX8s, added some nuts as spacers to keep the fan from catching the top of the guard...
Learn't this from you guys on here that had the MMX8s before me..?

View attachment 98671View attachment 98675

So just as other members had mentioned such as @bicketybam the battery wires on the MMX8s are far too short and I totally agree..!!
I had to decide how to lengthen them and my final solution was to go with 8mm bullets then heat shrink the join afterwards so it can't come apart.

View attachment 98672View attachment 98673

I cut the ridge of off the ESC tray so I could mount the MMX8s and stuck it down with some of that super tough 3M double sided tape, lets just see how long it stays put..?

View attachment 98678

Almost done..........

View attachment 98680

those rubber inserts in the cups just pull out with a pick or screwdriver

Yep just pluck those rubber cushions out of the output cup and the CVDs will fit just fine.

 

[BashingBrian]

I have a brand new, blue Notorious body that would make the EXB look wild. I hate the idea of cutting the back out of a brand new body though,

That's exactly what I thought, then I just went and cut the back out..??

those rubber inserts in the cups just pull out with a pick or screwdriver

Yep just pluck those rubber cushions out of the output cup and the CVDs will fit just fine.

View attachment 98716

That's really interesting that they are inserts, I didn't even think to check if that part was removable..
So my next question is why have they done this..?? Is it because of the reason I mention earlier above or another reason..?
Well at least I could go back to rear cvd's if I wanted to now..

 

[Spikeyboy]

Great thread and info - where did you source the shims from in the UK please ?? thanks

 

[BashingBrian]

Great thread and info - where did you source the shims from in the UK please ?? thanks

@Spikeyboy ... have pm'd you..???

 

[BashingBrian]

I truly beat the snot out of it today at the bmx track, diff is still all good ?? the only issue I've had was the plugs on the 1717 have worked loose..?

This IS the best Arrma so far..!! ( well apart from my Mojavefied ? )

 

[KevinC]

Awesome build @BashingBrian !
Those heat shrunk CVDs look super cool.

cheers,
kev

 

[BashingBrian]

The aftermath of the BMX track...?

Those high side guards really do keep all the ? out, I need to expand the 1717 plugs to get a tighter fit in the ESC.
So far the truck has no issues that I can find so all is good ?

 

[Grimbles]

So onto the rear diff...
There has been a lot of talk about the rear EXB diffs, I've read all the posts on here and I've heard more theory's.
As I'm in the UK I can't get any LSD star plates ( that's what I'm calling them ) so I decided to come up with my own recipe for the rear diff, I can get shims in so many sizes it's crazy so that's what I'm going to do..!!
Lets begin..

Plenty of grease on the outside, there was practically no oil on the inside though just like the front ?
QC on this car is really bad in my opinion..?

View attachment 97707

I had a shimtastic time doing this..?
Top row is the LSD replacement shims, ( next row is hub axle and camber spacer, they are for later ) all sizes are in MM

View attachment 97708

Next are the shims to replace the Arrma ones ( ARA709060, ARA709059 ) as they are also out of stock in the UK ?

View attachment 97717

So this is my recipe, the following will explain everything you need to know..?
Firstly I measured everything individually and noted the best combination of sizes, I had ordered a selection of 10 of each size as I was just planning on experimenting but in hindsight I should have bought 20 of each ?
You'll see that my measurements come up .2 short, but I'll explain that in a minute.

View attachment 97709

Next I noted the stated size and the actual measured size..!!
Everyone told me, including Arrma you can only use two shims under the pin if you run the 3x LSD plates, well balls to that ?
I tried lots of different combinations of shims above and below the pin, also different combinations of the bigs shims.
In the end, I used one of each of the Arrma shims plus that 0.1 shim, they all happily went under the pin and everything turned smoothly.
So my final setup is everything you see in the picture below EXCEPT the LSD plates..!! this is of course on both sides of the diff.

View attachment 97710

Sorry I forgot to take a pic of it all laid so you'll just have to believe me that it's all there..?
The big shims support the sun gear really well, once I'd put it all together it was buttery smooth with no play in the drive cups whatsoever.
Best of all it's a totally open diff..???
I chose 20K this time as my other Kraton runs 30K and it doesn't turn in very well, you can see the stack of shims under the sun gear if you look ?

View attachment 97711

When I re-fitted the diff I squeezed 0.2 on the crown side and the diff is nice and tight and spins freely..
You can see in this pic the double headed droop screws AR727410 that I used too..

View attachment 97712

Finally just to finish up the rear diff housing, I always put a longer bolt with a nut on the lower tower mounting position as it stops the bolt pulling through the housing ( after a conversation one day, top tip provided by Mitch aka M2C )

View attachment 97715

Hope that all makes sense, good luck and enjoy your diff building..??

So that's it for now....

Thanks for the linkies @BashingBrian - i actually like the way the mojave exb handles with the lsd rear but i might build out an open diff per your recipe above

Where in the UK are you? Im Midlands.
Also please can you ping me a link for your fan mount? Cheers

 

[BashingBrian]

Thanks for the linkies @BashingBrian - i actually like the way the mojave exb handles with the lsd rear but i might build out an open diff per your recipe above

Where in the UK are you? Im Midlands.
Also please can you ping me a link for your fan mount? Cheers

@Grimbles .. I'm down south, I'm afraid that fan mount is super exclusive, courtesy of the fabulous @Mr.Duke

 

[BashingBrian]

Couple of small additions to the EXB...
Fitted a PPS MMX8s power switch plate, updated the shocks and lastly fitted a huge rubber o-ring around the motor to stop chassis slap..!! ?

No real explanation here just re-built the shocks with M2C pistons and shock caps then filled with stock 1000cst/80wt oil, then refitted the shocks with the M2C top bushings as pictured below.. (oh, also fitted Outcast wheelie bar)

Removed the fan and cover from the MMX8s, fitted the spacer plate and fitted the switch.. ( noticed I was missing one blade off of the fan ? )
The plate is such a simple design but works perfectly..?? ( I still don't understand why Castle use such a ? switch ?? )

Last was my giant o-ring.....
I think I could have gone down 2mm in internal size though, but for now it works perfectly..!! ( I'll get a pic underneath next time I remove the rear end ?? )

See you next time..??

 

[steveoooo]

Sick build .... I need that fan mount for the 1717, does he sell them?