^ I've had it soaking in WD-40 for a day or so, so I'll give that a try later on. Thanks for the tip.

I got a little more wrench time in. I finally tackled my least favorite part of the build: modifying the Nitro MT steering assembly to fit. Lots of filing, cutting, grinding and cursing. Oh and burnt fingers...



Let the modding begin. On the left is the "modded post", on the left is the original size. I had to cut the smaller one to fit just below the front brace. The, cut the other one to match it so that they were the same distance from the brace. THEN, cut the bottom of the 2nd one since bottom of the chassis raised beneath the left post:



^See? Much shorter... When cutting and grinding on such a small piece of metal, it gets very, very, very, very hot...

With the cutting done, the Nitro MT steering assembly is ready to be installed. On the left is the original steering assembly. That metal link thing in the middle leads to all kinds of steering slop. So much so, that you don't so much steer the truck, as give suggestions. Whatever that little bar decides to do may or may not correspond to your inputs. A turnbuckle or threaded rod attached to two ballcups works, but it limits steering throw... Captain Aluminum to the rescue:



^The aluminum setup (shown attached to the front chassis brace) eliminates ALL steering slop. It's just a pain to actually get it to work... The metal bar is supposed to sit above the arms, but it severely limits steering. Since I filed the steering posts from the top down, effectively raising them, I was able to mount the bar beneath the arms and still have them clear the belt. w007.

In regards to the brace, this is the stock piece minus the steering assembly:



The chassis is as stiff as a wet noodle in stock form. With the HPI chassis brace, it's as stiff as a board:





Now, to get this CVD rust thing sorted out... :sweat: