FJ40 on AX10

[lurch]

I've been messing around with modding an Axial AX10 to use with an FJ40 body. Originally I was using the AX10 with the stock Dodge body and running a Tamiya Highlift with a FJ40 body. I'm not sure which FJ body it is....got it from a friend (came with a used crawler he got) and was painted black with no details...just black. So I ended up stripping the black (used oven cleaner) and painted it blue, white, and black with some gray details.

The Dodge body was falling apart and it was time to upgrade to the FJ! The main problem is I didn't like the FJ on the stock AX10 frame and the suspension setup would cause lost of rubbing between the body and tires. After some research I decided to go with the TSC x-trail frame and some other goodies. The X-trail seems to limit the articulation only slightly and will provide a better base to build a semi-scale rig.

First I switched everything to the new frame and played around with the different setups for the placement of components. I was able to get more flex after adjusting the pinion angle up towards the transmission and switching out the shock oil to 10W (had really heavy weight ?W) After a few trial runs with out the body mounted I blew up the steering servo (cheap low end) and upgraded to a HS-645MG. Night and day difference between the two...now I can actually steer!!!

It's time to get some brass tubing and build some body mounts and bumpers!!!

 

[calfj60]

Looks really cool... You happy with the frame?? Why not four link it?? Really happy with that mod..

 

[lurch]

Looks really cool... You happy with the frame?? Why not four link it?? Really happy with that mod..

So far I really like the frame it's a lot easier to mount the body and bumpers once I build the bumpers. It is 4 linked , I ordered the small 4 link plates from TSC as well. The only thing I might tweak some more is the front suspension. I moved the shocks to the out side of the frame for clearance but this greatly limited to front articulation. So I'm going to try moving components around to see if I can move shocks back to the inside.

 

[lurch]

Moved some components around and moved the spring and shocks back to the inside of the frame. Now its flexing really nice in the front!

 

[CruisinMT]

Where did you get your FJ40 body and how much was it?

 

[concretejungle]

Nice! Loving the snow shot.

Took mine out for a spin in the snow.

Had to use the 3cell to stay on top of the snow.

 

[kling-on]

HERE WAS MINE

my nexted one is a hard body scaler .... if I can get the 1 to 1 done

 

[lurch]

Where did you get your FJ40 body and how much was it?

Got it for free from a friend It's not in great shape but still looks OK. There are several makes out there, Tamiya makes one.

Tamiya America Item #51331 | RC Body Parts Set Toyota Land - Cruiser 40 (CR01)

 

[lurch]

Got some work done on the front bumper the last few days...

 

[CruisinMT]

I'm getting ready to buy the Tamiya FJ40 Body and i was wondering what kind of paint you guys are using? The paint i used on my Slash is already flaking from high speed impacts which sucks and is kind of frustrating considering I bought the good stuff and prepped it as best I could.

Since these crawlers are pretty slow i was thinking of just using Krylon OD Green and Black. What do you guys use that is the most durable for these bodies?

 

[billybongo63]

I'm getting ready to buy the Tamiya FJ40 Body and i was wondering what kind of paint you guys are using? The paint i used on my Slash is already flaking from high speed impacts which sucks and is kind of frustrating considering I bought the good stuff and prepped it as best I could.

Since these crawlers are pretty slow i was thinking of just using Krylon OD Green and Black. What do you guys use that is the most durable for these bodies?

I like tamiya's laquer, or testor's modelmaster, also laquer. finished with an ultra gloss clearcoat. if you lightly scuff the plastic, lay down a base of silver or rust, scuff then apply 3 coats of your main color and 2-3 coats of clear. you end up with a nice durable finish that looks like real body damage if it gets scraped. -Billybongo