I guess I have enough progress to at least post some pictures. I got this crawler stock in a trade. The previous owner had tried making it better with different tires and weight. The problem was that the axle housings are just too big and drag with the ~5.5" tires. So to solve that I'm running Losi Aftershock Claw MT's which are almost 7" tall. It has metal diff gears so I guess we'll see just how much they can handle. Another thing I didn't like was the suspension geometry, wanted a longer wheelbase anyway. So I started a new tube chassis. I got some aluminum brazing rods so am going to attempt an aluminum tuber. So far I have the links made, skidplate and side plates done. I should have the actual tube part done soon. I swapped the transmission for one from a stampede for extra gear reduction. Here's some pics of the progress.