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- Arrma RC's
- BigRock
I bought a Big Rock CC V3 last week after looking at monster trucks for way too long. It took me about 45 minutes to shear an A-arm off, so while it was down waiting for parts I decided to get to work installing a Proline Rock Van body. Simple, right? I apologize in advance I did not take many pictures along the way, so this first post is a bit of a catch-up to current state.
I went in only with wheelbase measurements for each, and eyeballing the body at the hobby shop, thinking "Yeah, that oughta fit between the tires..."
For mounting the body, I spotted some Proline body mount kits at my LHS for 2wd and 4wd slash so I bought them without much of a plan. I ended up bolting one mount through the rear shock towers (I need to get a longer bolt so I can run it all the way through and add a nut). I may regret this later if the shock tower breaks, but theoretically running a bolt straight through the middle shouldn't have a huge effect on strength since there's a neutral axis in there somewhere On the front, I needed additional clearance and to move the mounts back to reach the room. I bolted a mount onto the stock rear mount (more reach than the front), then bolted a shorter body post on to get the height and position I needed.
I positioned the body based on the existing wheel arches with a preliminary cut to the factory flare, then some additional cuts needed for tire clearance. I will likely need to cut a little additional clearance on the front for full compression at max lock, any more trimming I'll do after paint and I have a chance to run it. My general strategy with the clearance cuts is "as little as possible, as much as necessary".
Unfortunately, the body overhung the front back and sides so much that the first time this thing took a tumble it would be ripped right off. That's still a distinct possibility, but I looked at the Senton bumpers and thought "Yeah, that oughta fit, and maybe the nerf bars, too". Other than needed the Senton skid plates to attach the fit pretty well. I used the rear without modification, on the front I accidentally ordered 2 sets of bumpers, and ended up chopping up one front and one rear and bolting them together to make a bull-bar style bumper. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, hopefully it doesn't explode the first time I hit something.
The Senton nerf bars and splash guard fit nicely inside the body, there's a slight flare at the bottom, but it's a non-issue, and mostly just means the body is well protected at the bottom.
After getting everything mocked up, it left the chassis and electronics pretty exposed to mud/grass/rocks and I wanted to protect them. I ended up chopping the stock body way down to fit against the Senton components, and the steering guard I fashioned from the stock tail gate. I cut some slots in the side of the chassis cover and used a couple of the extra Proline mounting studs on the side to secure it. I like that I don't have to remove the knobs completely, I just loosen 2 and the cover slides off.
Paint: Currently planning on a Mystery Machine livery, but am still not completely decided.
Future plans: I want to put belted tires on with wheels that look a little cooler, but I'll need to make sure I get the width and offset dialed because there is no extra clearance between the tires and body. I'd also like to do some additional suspension upgrades, I'm thinking shocks first, then maybe steering components, but no firm plans yet. My goal is to have something I can have fun driving and looks good on the shelf, with an emphasis on durability and serviceability for any chassis upgrades.
Current state:
How it sits from the side
No body or cover, expertly installed custom body mounts:
Stock body chopped down, note slots for the nerf bars and the mounting stud in front of the rear tire:
Front Bumper:
Rear bumper:
Mockup of planned paint scheme:
I went in only with wheelbase measurements for each, and eyeballing the body at the hobby shop, thinking "Yeah, that oughta fit between the tires..."
For mounting the body, I spotted some Proline body mount kits at my LHS for 2wd and 4wd slash so I bought them without much of a plan. I ended up bolting one mount through the rear shock towers (I need to get a longer bolt so I can run it all the way through and add a nut). I may regret this later if the shock tower breaks, but theoretically running a bolt straight through the middle shouldn't have a huge effect on strength since there's a neutral axis in there somewhere On the front, I needed additional clearance and to move the mounts back to reach the room. I bolted a mount onto the stock rear mount (more reach than the front), then bolted a shorter body post on to get the height and position I needed.
I positioned the body based on the existing wheel arches with a preliminary cut to the factory flare, then some additional cuts needed for tire clearance. I will likely need to cut a little additional clearance on the front for full compression at max lock, any more trimming I'll do after paint and I have a chance to run it. My general strategy with the clearance cuts is "as little as possible, as much as necessary".
Unfortunately, the body overhung the front back and sides so much that the first time this thing took a tumble it would be ripped right off. That's still a distinct possibility, but I looked at the Senton bumpers and thought "Yeah, that oughta fit, and maybe the nerf bars, too". Other than needed the Senton skid plates to attach the fit pretty well. I used the rear without modification, on the front I accidentally ordered 2 sets of bumpers, and ended up chopping up one front and one rear and bolting them together to make a bull-bar style bumper. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, hopefully it doesn't explode the first time I hit something.
The Senton nerf bars and splash guard fit nicely inside the body, there's a slight flare at the bottom, but it's a non-issue, and mostly just means the body is well protected at the bottom.
After getting everything mocked up, it left the chassis and electronics pretty exposed to mud/grass/rocks and I wanted to protect them. I ended up chopping the stock body way down to fit against the Senton components, and the steering guard I fashioned from the stock tail gate. I cut some slots in the side of the chassis cover and used a couple of the extra Proline mounting studs on the side to secure it. I like that I don't have to remove the knobs completely, I just loosen 2 and the cover slides off.
Paint: Currently planning on a Mystery Machine livery, but am still not completely decided.
Future plans: I want to put belted tires on with wheels that look a little cooler, but I'll need to make sure I get the width and offset dialed because there is no extra clearance between the tires and body. I'd also like to do some additional suspension upgrades, I'm thinking shocks first, then maybe steering components, but no firm plans yet. My goal is to have something I can have fun driving and looks good on the shelf, with an emphasis on durability and serviceability for any chassis upgrades.
Current state:
How it sits from the side
No body or cover, expertly installed custom body mounts:
Stock body chopped down, note slots for the nerf bars and the mounting stud in front of the rear tire:
Front Bumper:
Rear bumper:
Mockup of planned paint scheme:
.
