First R/C project
 

For a school project, I've decided to make a 1/6 scale R/C car... with very little prior knowledge. As I've found out, it was a fantastic idea with few flaws. My concept is a road-based vehicle with a custom frame and capable of decent speed (30mph-ish). My budget is hopefully under $250, though from what I've seen that's pretty much comical. I'm not sure what motor/esc combo to use, though I've found the motors labelled "1/6" are far above what I need in terms of power, so I can cut costs by using a smaller scale motor. But I'm left with a lot of questions: what type of axle/gearbox combination makes most sense? What wiring and connections do I need for the battery, steering, etc.? There's no clear-cut guidelines, presumably because people who approach this type of project have experience and don't really need them. I have class periods until April to finish, so time isn't a huge constraint, though I should have all the parts I want to use ready soon.

TL;DR: idiot me decided to dive headfirst into a project above my paygrade, how do I make this work?

I hate the be the bearer of bad news, but I find it extremely unlikely you will be able to stay on budget... especially without proper machinery to make your own custom parts like a 3D printer, CNC, etc... It will be significantly less expensive to buy a kit, and kits are typically sold in either 1/8 or 1/5 variants, there is no such thing as 1/6 in the mainstream market.

That said, I would encourage you to go with a 1/8 design but even a 1/10 kit is still not going to work very well for your budget.

For a first kit, I would recommend a 1/10 Tamiya build, just maybe you can do it close to your budget.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/tamiya-...qeqsqalb2vqctz
+
https://www.banggood.com/DumboRC-X4-...N&rmmds=search
+
https://www.banggood.com/JX-PDI-6221...N&rmmds=search
+
https://www.banggood.com/URUAV-7_4V-...N&rmmds=search
+
https://www.banggood.com/IMAX-B6-80W...se=CN&ID=47759

Good Luck!

a traxxas rustler transmission/rear end isn't that expensive. The rest of the chassis could be made like an old school pan car for pretty cheap. A hobbywing wp-1060 speed controller and a traxxas titan 12t motor will get you 25mph on a 2s lipo as long as you keep the chassis weight low...but you should be able to build one and not have it weigh any more than a typical traxxas rustler/slash. I took a traxxas stampede in the past...stretched the frame 8", added axle wideners and extra large/wide wheels and tires and ended up with a model that looked 1/6 scale...I topped it off with a redcat 1/5 rc body.

Another possible course to pursue is to look at pan cars, and replicate their design (fairly simple, direct drive axle and simplistic front) in a larger scale.

One more option is to buy a rock crawler transmission, which are simple and compact, and a crawler rear axle. Then build a 3 or 4 link suspension to a main chassis (again, probably one like a pan car has) This would give you a live rear axle RWD car, similar to an old muscle car. A axial wraith axle, which is wider than other crawler axles, might even give enough width for a 1/6...but there are also axle extensions for rock crawler axles to widen them.