RustedRC

A few months back my brother got a new Maisto rock crawler. for being a toy it's a pretty cool RC. it's the reason i got in to 1/10 scale trail trucks and crawlers. not being the first one i new what i wanted to do to it. get it to run better. so the first thing i did was cut up the bottom to fit a 9.6 v rechargeable battery pack. i put in a 2000 mah pack and it was too much for the little motor. so i ordered some motors for it. while waiting for them to show up i water proofed all the electronics in it. the motors showed up a little while ago and i finally found some time to put them in. these motors are longer and a little bit wider. so they didn't just drop in place. i knew what i had to do. break out my cheapo dremmel and start cutting it up.
big difference in size.
view from the bottom of the front.
some cutting and grinding on the inside to fit the drive motor.
ok well now that fits pretty good but now the steering motor won't fit. so looks like more cutting is needed.
i turned the motor so that it's not side ways and it looked like it could work like i wanted.
i had to trim off the side of the case where the steering motor sits for it to fit.
i used the drive motor from the rear for the steering. because i had to turn the motor and cut this part of the case i also had to cut the top case that holds this motor and the steering gears in place to get it to sit right.
well i guess that looks ok.
at least the rear wasn't complicated. it fit in with no cutting except to the inside of the cage piece that's holds it to the rear case. the rear motor cage just doesn't screw in as far. about a 1/4 inch difference.
now that it's all fitting how i wanted all i got to do is connect the wires up and test to see if there is any binding or issues that need worked out. this little bugger might be back in action soon.

smoketrailcharlie

rusted rc good to see those mods. This MRC thing is really cutting into my helli flying.one good thing when you crash the mrc the parts count is considerably less than a chopper.I got my mrc working thanks to you Smoke trail charlie

RustedRC

Thanks man. i'm just battery hoping that the 2000 mah don't burn up the board.
i bet that a nasty clean up when a heil crashes. i'm not a flier. i like gravity too much. lol.i do have some toy helis but the blades get smacked alot and that messes with how it fly's.
cool that you got yours running again. glad to help out. 6x6's are pretty cool. i did that to mine by cutting a part of the rear chassis off of one and mounting it to the rear axle of another. it didn't have rear steer because i only had a extra working rear end but cool none the less. if you do get it water proofed you can do some fun stuff. i ran mine through a nice size mud hole that full size trucks run in and it was floating. i had to paddle the steering to get it across the hole.
i'll do some testing in a few days and post up if all goes good.

RustedRC

Well bad news. the motors did great but the board puffed some magic smoke and now i lost forward and reverse. i recommend against running a 2000 mah 9.6v battery pack in the MRC. guess i'll hold on to it and maybe one day put some hobby grade electronic's. the few seconds i did run was awesome. the motors are for a small drone and did great.

smoketrailcharlie

Sorry about that smoke thing.I'm told they run on smoke and if you let it out it DON"T WORK NO MORE I have the hardest time understanding that but oh well.As for my MRC I had it working but the adapter for the rear wheels acts somewhat like a plow.The front unit also tries to climb the rear unit when in reverse and turning at the same time.I'm sure I can work it out.The front drive motor screams pretty bad,What type of lube do you use?You bugger you got me started on this MRC and I don"t have time for my hellis or any thing else.Thank rusted rc I really enjoy tinkering with this stuff.Later Smoke trail Charlie.

RustedRC

I like that (they run on smoke) that's too funny. the front tries to climb the rear kinda sounds like the axles are too close together. if you post some pic's that would help.
as for the grease i use marine grease it's thick, sticky and dielectric.
the screaming motor could be the drive gears or the motor just needs cleaned. if you take it apart you can run JUST THE MOTORS in a cup of water to help clean them out.

smoketrailcharlie

A cup of water? You'r kidding me right? Yea I agree with you the back wheels are too close together.I am going to redesign the rear unit,put a quick disconnect on the electrics and put the battery over the rear wheels for more traction.Also am building a 1/8 inch plywood body to use as a form to vacuum form a shell .Stay tuned.Smoke Trail Charlie

RustedRC

Yep a cup of water. only dirty/muddy water and sea/salt water is bad for a brushed motor. clean clear water is how you break in and clean out brushed motors.
vacuum forming. sounds cool. iv'e always wanted to make a vacuum table. a good high power shop vac and a wooden box with some holes should be a good start.
post a pic after you get it made.

smoketrailcharlie

Yes rusty rc,The vacuum forming is a hoot. I did a swamp boat as my first try and it came out much better than I thought it would.Then I did a hull for a side wheeler paddle boat, it is still in the works waiting for electronics.built a smoke machine for that that really belches out the smoke.If you use your wifes oven to heat your plastic make sure you fry some bacon She will never know you used her oven.Ask me how I know. Later Smoke trail Charlie

RustedRC

Oh yeah bacon. good tip thanks.

smoketrailcharlie

Rusted rc hope this finds you still buildin and crashing something I finally got around to doing the mrc to 6 wheel drive .fully articulated and front and rear steering. It works pretty good but the stock steering is limited, any suggestions ,Life happens and I have been away for too long.I never did get that amphib compleated. maybe soon. I really am a lightweight in this rc stuff with minimum knowledge but still learning.mostly from my mistakes. take care smoke trail charlie

RustedRC

Glad to hear from you again STC. there isn't much room to get more steering but you can get a bit more out of it by shaving the plastic post on the steering bar. (the bar that goes from left knuckle to right knuckle.) in the middle or so of that bar is the post.only take off a little so you don't make it to weak and the slot where that post goes in you can shave some off where the post touches from side to side. doing this will get you a tiny bit more steering.
the only other thing that will give you more is a micro servo but with that you will need to do all hobby grade electronics. mine is still waiting for that but like you said life happens and i had to slow down on my RC fun to keep things going. new job, doing some schooling for myself and homework with the kids but i still find myself thinking i bet i could climb those rock if i had one of my trucks when i'm out so the RC infection is still there(LOL).
i did get out this weekend and break something had a blast with the trucks. one now needs a new axle and i puffed a lipo but i did get to run the boat i did. i'll post the boat vid soon.
You should post some pics of the 6x6 when you can.

smoketrailcharlie

you bet rusted rc,I am working on learning how to do pics. my first amphib design is still on the drawing board for lack of proper gears. giving serious thought to converting the mrc to amphib wit a lot of luck duct tape and styrofoam stay tuned stc

smoketrailcharlie

Here's the 6 X 6, don't know why the picts are upside down. 24" long, 8 1/2" wide, 1800 mil amp battery. Stay tuned.

RustedRC

I see where your going with it. it's gonna be cool. don't forget to waterproof it.

smoketrailcharlie

Hey Rusted RC,Guess what? I let the smoke out WAAAAA.Do you know where I can find another board?I really did some mods on that mrc.I cut the battery box in half and extended the wheel base about an inch and a half.this was so I could fit a Radio Shack water proof box to hold the electronics a litte JB weld and bingo works great.passed the float test with flying colors ,then out of stupidity I reversed polarity and poof,Now you know how I got the moniker Smoke trail Charlie,I am thinking seriously about another 2.4 rock crawler ,Any suggestions?In the 150 dollar range.Take care and Break something soon STR

RustedRC

Ouch that sucks man. sounds like you were putting in some work on it. you can look on sites like craigslist , ebay even a garage sale has the possibility to have one but make sure it's the same frequency (27mhz or 49mhz).
The only other route you can go is cheap hobby grade electronics and some modding to the steering for the servo. you can get a ESC for like 10 bucks and radios for like 30 or so. it all depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go with it.
Well for a starter there are loads of ways to go but if you like the way the MRC performed i'd have to say a redcat everest would be a good place to start. i went with the rock slide first and got hooked to the hobby. they don't make the rock slide but you may find a used one. the difference is that the everest has one motor with drive shafts and the rock slide is MOA(motor on axle). and some parts are cross compatible with other manufactures. there are many different factors to look at when deciding what you may want like type of land you'll be on your willingness accept the fact that parts will and are going to break. more so when your getting a starter rc. first things that usually go are the servos but the great part is that you can just get a new one put it in learn something and be back out on the trails. look around at some sites that sell crawlers and see what catches your eye.

smoketrailcharlie

Thanks rusted.Oh ye I know all about parts count after learning to fly r.c.helis and quads.Good tip on the red cat I have been kind of lusting after the exceed 6x6 or themad gear and convert it to 6x6,yes I have put lots of time and effort into the mrc but it has been a kick in the pants.take care and thanks for the inspiration I have read your post on other site and subject wish you were my neighbor.S.T,C.

RustedRC

Yeah the 6x6 would be the better pick for your style. I to have known the feeling of having to let a project go. all the time and thought that went into it just a memory but it was fun and you learned something.
Thanks for the kind words. i'm just a guy that don't mind helping out if i can. when you get your crawler post it up in the crawler section. that's where i'm at most of the time.

smoketrailcharlie

Hey rusted RC Had some time in my shop and decided to give the mrc 6x6 a coat of flat black spray paint,completly re built the amphib body out of blue insulation board, it will get the same paint job.I think what the heck I may as well pick up another mrc for the board and spare parts, my local W mart has one for $23.00 then who knows I may mount an air soft on it .At any rate I'm having fun. Do you need any parts? Have fun STC

RustedRC

Nothing like a little time in the workshop to get the creative juices flowing. Thanks for the parts offer but i have a few that don't work because i don't know how to stay away from water with a 4x4. LOL.

smoketrailcharlie

Hey Rusted I found a rockslide new for $165.00 How does that sound price wise? Is that with drive shaft or MOA (check how i caught on to that jargon) .Also what scale should I go with?I kind of liked the size of the mrc. I think that is 1/10th.It really is developing into a monster truck I figure the parts count is less than hellis unless you really bash em up. When I fly Hellis almost every landing requires new parts .In your opinion Rockslide or Everest if you had to choose?Latter STC

RustedRC

That's about what they go for new. to be honest you would be happier with the everest the shaft driven one. i own a rockslide and love it still run it a lot but the clod stall on it kinda sucks. so if i had to pick. the everest would be the way to go. plus it's a little cheaper (135) so take the money you would save and use it for a new servo because that is most likely the first upgrade your going to need.
the MRC is a little smaller kinda 1/12 scale so 1/10 scale will do you fine.