Zoodles95

Hi All,

I got this VXL Rustler in a package deal with beat up Stampede 4X4 VXL.



It came with a lot of RPM parts already in it and the driveshafts are upgraded. However, it has had a hard life. The shape of the transmission case concerned me so I have started to disassemble it.




Rather than just restore the transmission case to stock I figure why not put better parts in?

RPM seems to have what I am looking for.

Blue Gearbox Housing and Rear Mounts for Traxxas 2wd Vehicles | RPM R/C Products


Blue Motor Protector for the Traxxas Bandit, e-Rustler & e-Stampede 2wd | RPM R/C Products


Blue Traxxas Slash 2wd, e-Rustler, e-Stampede 2wd & Bandit Mount for a Rear Bumper or Wheelie Bar | RPM R/C Products


Blue Sealed Gear Cover for the Traxxas e-Rustler, e-Stampede 2wd, Bandit & Slash 2wd | RPM R/C Products


Replacement 0° & 3° Rear Mounts for RPM Gearbox Housings | RPM R/C Products


Maybe a new rear bumper too?
Blue Rear Bumper for the Traxxas Electric Rustler | RPM R/C Products



Will these goodies rebuild my transmission case better than new? I think I might go this upgraded RPM route to get it functional again.

What tires do people recommend to go with the Rustler? I see this thing as being fun on places like the beach, or a ball diamond. Somewhere with loose dirt where you can just let it rip.

Zoodles95

Gah! So close...

Got the rear end completely off now:


Slipper clutch still seems in good shape:


Gah... Last step. The grub screw might be stripped on the gear attached to the motor:



Once I get this apart then I can start to build up again.

I plan to replace the broken transmission case with the RPM version.

Then I might snag a new chassis to rebuild the Rustler and check each system as it goes back together.

The front bulkhead seems to be a potential weakspot from reading I have done. I might add this into the rebuild as well:
Blue Front Bulkhead for most Traxxas 1:10 scale 2wd Vehicles | RPM R/C Products

Zoodles95

Gah! So close...

Got the rear end completely off now:


Slipper clutch still seems in good shape:


Gah... Last step. The grub screw might be stripped on the gear attached to the motor:



Once I get this apart then I can start to build up again.

I plan to replace the broken transmission case with the RPM version.

Then I might snag a new chassis to rebuild the Rustler and check each system as it goes back together.

The front bulkhead seems to be a potential weakspot from reading I have done. I might add this into the rebuild as well:
Blue Front Bulkhead for most Traxxas 1:10 scale 2wd Vehicles | RPM R/C Products

seedygreenute

Bearings !
While you have it apart, may as well put new ones in .

Zoodles95

10 4... Will do...

Silly Grub Screw is still stuck. They are aptly named... As much a pain in the neck as grubs in the lawn!

Zoodles95

If the grub screw is truly... Er... screwed in and stripped.

Could I drill it out and just replace the grub screw and the gear?

It is Traxxas Part#4725 and costs a whole $4.05 CDN.

seedygreenute

Once you have tried all the other options you are left with cutting up the gear .
Dremel and a cutoff disk , take your time and try not to hit the shaft .

Crazyheaven

I'm guessing that rusty thing is a screw. You could also try cutting a line into it to make a spot for a flat head. GL

RustyUs

I'd hold a clean soldering iron tip (hot of course) to the grub screw to potentially burn any thread lock in there. Make sure using good quality machined hex tip, and the correct size . Those grub/set screws are easily stripped. I think we've all been there. I tighten pinion gear grub/set screw by only holding hex driver with thumb, and index finger. If I have issues with set screws loosening, then I start using fingernail polish, or this stuff. If I still have issues, then I move on to medium thread lock.

Zoodles95

Thanks for the tips! Will try later.

Zoodles95

So...

The local hobby shop I am dealing with has offered to either drill out the grub screw or remove the gear for me when I pick up my parts on Friday. There is a lesson there. Support a business and you get service. I'm sure they would help me with soldering on connectors for batteries too. This store is heavy into RC planes but they do support the ground based RCs as well and needless to say they are going to have a loyal customer with me. I already have a second order ready to go to get "Bash" the Stampede up to speed.

I was just going over the Rustler to see what I have that is worthwhile to keep and what should be scrapped. The shocks seem good and there are a lot of RPM parts. Currently the grounded Rustler has the following RPM parts:
Black Caster Blocks
Blue Front A Arms
Adjustable front body mounts
Black front bearing carriers
Front shock tower
Rear shock tower
Front bumper

Weird that the front A arms are blue but the previous owner went with black front bearing carriers and castor blocks instead of blue.



The stock tires are toast. Currently it has the tires and rims that came on "Bang" the Stampede and Bang is running on a set of Proline Desperado Rims with Trenchers.

I have an idea of throwing a whack of blue into this thing. I think it might look cool. However, the temptation will be there to swap out the black bumper for blue at some point. Then again I think the RPM bumper works for Rustlers and Stampedes so I could move the black bumper over to one of the Stampedes. EDIT: I see that I was wrong. The RPM Rustler front bumper will work on a 2WD Stampede; but not a 4X4 one.

The stock Traxxas transmission case is toast.


So, rather than replace the broken case with stock parts I would rather go the RPM route. It will be upgraded and the RPM has an easy access system to check for gear mesh etc. Trouble is that once I decide if I want to go with a colour then I am going to want to continue that theme across the truck.



Then I will be tempted to want to go with a blue engine protector:


Which will lead to a blue bumper:


And rather than just throwing new rubber on the stock rims I thought that these blue RPM rims might look cool:


What about tires though? I have Trenchers on both Stampedes and they seem to do well in every environment I throw at them. Is there something else I could use for the Rustler? I see this thing being used on a field or empty parking lots and just opening it up. If I try to run it on the sand then I would get a set of Sand paws on another set of rims.

I like the look of the stock tires with the different tread patterns front and rear but I would want an upgrade over stock. Proline seems to make amazing offroad tires and I would be happy to stay with them. I am just seeking alternatives to having yet another set of trenchers on a Traxxas RC.

Crazyheaven

I have no clue about the tires. I was running over all kinds of things with the badlands on mine. Ran up and over sticks, rocks and everything that was in it's path. These cars are fun.

I love the blue color theme. I'm trying to avoid looking to closely. My local store told me to get every manual and read them all from front to back. That was the extent of the advice they were willing to share with me. That's fine, knew I needed to do it anyway. Still have a little more to read up on myself.

Zoodles95

Well Crazyheaven... I am going with the blue theme and will be going with Badlands. Proline even has them as a recommendation for the Rustler and has them in front and rear sizes for the Rustler so it seems like a no brainer to me.

Zoodles95

Woo Hoo!

My parts were in today so I can rebuild "Crash" this weekend. I was also able to make a small but of progress for "Rusty" the Rustler.

Free! Free at Last!


So... An unintended upgrade. Now I am going with an aluminum bulkhead. I am going to take the Rustler up a notch. Adding in some SRTC parts as well:

phmaximus

looking good,,, if ya need some more ideas and wanna take it to the next level.... try looking for a old Traxxas SRT ball diff, it will fit straight into the Rustler and u can even drill the hole to adjust it on the magnum gearbox
(FYI, the SRT is one of the last racing Stadium trucks traxxas made, its the predecessor to the rustler, and the rustler is a more of a beginner car and was considerably strengthened)



https://images.amain.com/images/larg....jpg?width=475

phmaximus

and if ya get keen,,,, u can drill out the front hubs and knuckles to use shortened Nitro rustler pins

Zoodles95

Wow! I'm not ready for that level of skill yet. Still getting used to putting stuff together that is supposed to go together

Zoodles95

Many parts came in today so I was able to start work on getting Rusty going again.


My first transmission rebuild. Yay! The RPM case is way better quality than the stock one. Sure, I'm sure the preassembled Proline racing transmission would put my work and RPM's case to shame... But... For bashing use I think this will fit the bill.





Now I'm temporarily stuck. Silly Rusty has some... er.... Rust! Silly rusted and rounded out screw in the left rear A arm is stopping me from removing the shock. I put the left RPM A arm in but cannot replace the stock right rear A arm. Maybe tomorrow... Gah!

Zoodles95

STRC parts came in so it was time to get serious about making Rusty... Well... Less Rusty!


Which means it was time to get serious about replacing the rear A arms, mounting the rear assembly onto the frame etc.


Transmission is kind of useless without a motor. You will see that I unintentionally made life more difficult for myself. I built the rear end and then had to go back into it again to replace the rear hub carriers. Then I mounted the front hub carriers and caster blocks. Then screwed up by mounting the caster blocks wrong. Put right into left and vice versa. Oh well... Make a mistake and learn from it.


Yuck! The old upper deck, dirty servo, bellcrank etc.


I almost did not buy this front hinge set because I wanted it in blue. So glad I snagged the plain aluminum one! I did not realize until I got into it that the stock Rustler parts used c clips. Yikes! I much prefer the STRC aluminum part to the stock Traxxas fiberglass and the nice screws that came with it will allow me to easily go back into when I want or need to.


Old and new front bulkead:


Yikes! I'm so glad I chose to break the Rustler down instead of running it as it was. The original was cracked. So, bad stock transmission case and bad front bulkhead. There were some issues in the transmission that I rectified too when I got into it.


I think we can make this situation a bit better here. Beautiful STRC bellcrank system!


New screws for the servo, cleaned up, and with new bellcrank,


Testing, testing, 1,2,3... Yup... Some hope here...


These are some seriously nice parts. I'm sure the aluminum Traxxas parts are nice but STRC has made a fan here. I will be happy to use more of their parts in my Stampedes and in future RCs.


Gah! Wrong side silly... I learned how it all worked together though.


Finally! Caster blocks installed the right way and the rear bearing carriers put in.


Hmmm.... All together but now I think a the blue Traxxas wheelie bar would look better.


I also think that the aluminum hex from STRC (or comparable) would be a nice upgrade (and presumably stronger):


Putting the STRC aluminum caps on the shocks cleaned up the look as well. I checked the fluids etc and no leaks. For now these shocks will fit the bill for my bashing needs.


This will be the "Go" body. I want to get another which I will baby which will be the "Show" body.


What next?

-ESC fan
-Blue RPM front bumper for sure. Not sure why it did not come in yet.
-Blue RPM rear bumper
-Blue Traxxas wheelie bar
-Integy Blue anodized aluminum bulkhead when it comes back in stock.
-Aluminum wheel hex 12mm

I did not replace all the bearings as they did not all come in yet. So, I will be going back in to replace those. I also have a stainless steel screw set coming in and I will likely replace many (if not all) of the screws with stainless steel ones.

Not sure about using those Trenchers. I think a set of Badlands would be more in keeping the original car's stance and would be more in keeping with the original wheel/tire gear ratio.

Thoughts on the Badlands? Just run them mounted on Proline F11s or Desperados? I was going to run the RPM blue wheels but they seem to be unavailable for some reason.

Zoodles95

STRC parts came in so it was time to get serious about making Rusty... Well... Less Rusty!


Which means it was time to get serious about replacing the rear A arms, mounting the rear assembly onto the frame etc.


Transmission is kind of useless without a motor. You will see that I unintentionally made life more difficult for myself. I built the rear end and then had to go back into it again to replace the rear hub carriers. Then I mounted the front hub carriers and caster blocks. Then screwed up by mounting the caster blocks wrong. Put right into left and vice versa. Oh well... Make a mistake and learn from it.


Yuck! The old upper deck, dirty servo, bellcrank etc.


I almost did not buy this front hinge set because I wanted it in blue. So glad I snagged the plain aluminum one! I did not realize until I got into it that the stock Rustler parts used c clips. Yikes! I much prefer the STRC aluminum part to the stock Traxxas fiberglass and the nice screws that came with it will allow me to easily go back into when I want or need to.


Old and new front bulkead:


Yikes! I'm so glad I chose to break the Rustler down instead of running it as it was. The original was cracked. So, bad stock transmission case and bad front bulkhead. There were some issues in the transmission that I rectified too when I got into it.


I think we can make this situation a bit better here. Beautiful STRC bellcrank system!


New screws for the servo, cleaned up, and with new bellcrank,


Testing, testing, 1,2,3... Yup... Some hope here...


These are some seriously nice parts. I'm sure the aluminum Traxxas parts are nice but STRC has made a fan here. I will be happy to use more of their parts in my Stampedes and in future RCs.


Gah! Wrong side silly... I learned how it all worked together though.


Finally! Caster blocks installed the right way and the rear bearing carriers put in.


Hmmm.... All together but now I think a the blue Traxxas wheelie bar would look better.


I also think that the aluminum hex from STRC (or comparable) would be a nice upgrade (and presumably stronger):


Putting the STRC aluminum caps on the shocks cleaned up the look as well. I checked the fluids etc and no leaks. For now these shocks will fit the bill for my bashing needs.


This will be the "Go" body. I want to get another which I will baby which will be the "Show" body.


What next?

-ESC fan
-Blue RPM front bumper for sure. Not sure why it did not come in yet.
-Blue RPM rear bumper
-Blue Traxxas wheelie bar
-Integy Blue anodized aluminum bulkhead when it comes back in stock.
-Aluminum wheel hex 12mm

I did not replace all the bearings as they did not all come in yet. So, I will be going back in to replace those. I also have a stainless steel screw set coming in and I will likely replace many (if not all) of the screws with stainless steel ones.

Not sure about using those Trenchers. I think a set of Badlands would be more in keeping the original car's stance and would be more in keeping with the original wheel/tire gear ratio.

Thoughts on the Badlands? Just run them mounted on Proline F11s or Desperados? I was going to run the RPM blue wheels but they seem to be unavailable for some reason.

Edit: I could try something like these wheels from Traxxas and dye them (Traxxas Part #s 3674 and 3675). That might look cool. Then just find the right tires to put on them.

Crazyheaven

Just stopped by to see how everything was going for you. Been a little too cold for me to run mine at the moment. I really wasn't planning on buying so soon but couldn't pass up that deal.

I see your still getting things together. It's coming along nicely.

RustyUs

I just wanted to give you a heads up on the Badlands. First of all, they are discontinued, so get them while you can if you go that route. You mention possibly getting back close to original stance, and whatnot. The 2.2 Badlands are more of, what I would call, a crawler tire with more of a sidewall area. They are a tall tire...an inch taller than "normal" stadium truck tires, and possibly will need great foams to keep rolling on sidewalls. Maybe Pro-Line's Trenchers, or Gladiators are more of what you are looking for in a 2.2 tire? Another option for big knobby tires would be Panther's Step Pins (my current ST favorite ).

Zoodles95

Thanks for the tips and input. The Rustler currently has trenchers on it. I would like something that looked a bit more like the stock tired and stance the RC originally had; but with more grip and longevity.

Hmmm. ..

Zoodles95

Thanks 😊

How is the slash? Is it all dialed in and ready to go?

Igottabeme

2.2 Proline Gladiaors are close to the size of the original Alias tires. They do not last long on road but they work pretty well in dirt and grass. This is the original front tire just for size comparison.