Biddie_fiddler
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 332
- Location
- Perth, WA
I am finally happy with how my savage has turned out. Its taken many months, more money than I'd like to admit... And the classic, blood, sweat and tears!
It started its days as a savage xl 5.9 with an LRP 32 spec.4 as its lungs. It was a great setup and I enjoyed it for a while. I found a photo of it from a while back with no shell. The only upgrades I did to it at this point was big bore shocks, the engine (of course), and sway bars.
Being very into electronics I found flux trucks more and more appealing, once I could finally afford to convert it the fun began!!
Here's a photo of what the truck looked like after the dodgy conversion, keeping the xl chassis and engine mount. It wasn't pretty but it worked. The esc mount was just a bent sheet of aluminium which always threatened to break, and the battery boxes were really badly mounted as there was no mounting holes for it on the standard xl chassis. They weren't even in line!!
Now comes the proper build! Once I was fed up with the crappy build I decided to do it properly, and here is where I recommend anyone else starts if they want to do the same conversion. Its not cheap but it'll be done right from the start!
Main Parts:
Chassis: Alza Racing 5mm Flux XL
Motor Mounts: HPI 100903
Motor Plate: HPI 100906
Motor Plate Brackets: HPI 100907
Bulletproof Diffs: My truck had these already - HPI 102692
Battery Box Kit: HPI 100908
Hobbywing Max 8 Combo: EzRun Max8 System
44T Spur Gear: HPI 102093
22T Pinion Gear: HPI 100921
Center Diff Transmission (easier than having to completely rebuild the 3 speed): Rc4me Shop, AliExpress.
Upgrade Parts:
Integy 17mm Hex Adapters: HobbiesDirect
Adjustable Upper Arms: HPI 85066
Aluminium Big Bore Shocks: Rc4me, Aliexpress
Aluminium Turnbuckles: Would not recommend, mine broke sooner than the nylon! Sometimes Aluminium isn't always the answer, Link just in case.
Aluminium Servo Saver: Integy Bell Crank & Servo Saver
Aluminium Steering Linkage: Aliexpress
Aluminium rear C-Hub: Aliexpress
Sway Bar Kit: HPI 102538
Custom Parts:
Esc Mount: 50mmx50mm Aluminium 90 degree angle bend cut to fit - Link from my local hardware store.
Radio Gear & Servo(s):
Transmitter: Spektrum DX4C (Kit with SRS4210 receiver)
Receiver: Spektrum SR210
Steering Servo: Savox 7.4V 25kg
Image Breakdowns
Carrier and Upper Arms
Before the chassis arrived from alza racing, I had installed the adjustable upper arms on the rear as well as an aluminium hub carrier. This eliminated the turnbuckles on the rear which have broken on me several times. You can see the sway bars in this image too!
Center Diff Transmission
When the center diff tranny arrived I took it apart to replace the grease that was in the diff, unfortunately the diff case in mine was terrible, there were cracks and broken parts in it. Luckily I had many spare housing from my previous savage's (RIP my very first savage that became a parts bin). Apart from this, the transmission makes a conversion so easy!! I converted my 3 speed transmission to a single speed and that took some time and many hours of research for the parts I needed. For around $60USD you can get a whole new transmission with a center diff!! Amazing! I have found it also takes some stress out of the front and rear diffs too which is a plus. From memory I put 800k diff oil in the center diff.
Alza Racing Chassis
I was so pumped when the chassis arrived from Alza racing! Even for the cheapest ones they offer, the build and quality of these are insane and well worth the cost imho! I also had a little email chat with the owner, he is a very nice dude! For some info on his side, he has to drive to Vienna from Benedikt in Slovenia just to ship to Australia!! What a legend to have the dedication to do this! Cheers mate!
Also seen in this, I got some aluminium mounting brackets to replace the plastic ones that I stripped. You can also see the new tranny, fits perfect, which makes sense as its the same housing...
As a bonus, I finally had a chassis with mounting holes for the battery boxes! What a win! I was so pleased with this as my crappy setup before made my truck very unbalanced.
Custom ESC Mount
As mentioned before, I made a custom mount for the esc because forgot to order the one that alza racing supplies, still happy with the way mine turned out! The alza racing one is so cheap, I'd recommend just buying it with the chassis instead of trying to make you own.
I mounted it using 4xM3 nuts and bolts. I mounted it in the same location that the alza racing one would mount to. Its simply just a cut-to-size piece of 50mmx50mm aluminium angle. The ESC itself it mounted using very strong double sided tape and a zip tie just in case.
The End Result
I have sadly maxed the amount of images I can attach, but I shall post in the comments!!
Not seen in these images was the installation of the motor mount plate and the brackets, but it was super easy as it was a direct fit! Overall, the upgrade to flux wasn't hard, so long as you have the right parts and you take your time!
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! I will reply as soon as I can and as well as I can!
It started its days as a savage xl 5.9 with an LRP 32 spec.4 as its lungs. It was a great setup and I enjoyed it for a while. I found a photo of it from a while back with no shell. The only upgrades I did to it at this point was big bore shocks, the engine (of course), and sway bars.
Being very into electronics I found flux trucks more and more appealing, once I could finally afford to convert it the fun began!!
Here's a photo of what the truck looked like after the dodgy conversion, keeping the xl chassis and engine mount. It wasn't pretty but it worked. The esc mount was just a bent sheet of aluminium which always threatened to break, and the battery boxes were really badly mounted as there was no mounting holes for it on the standard xl chassis. They weren't even in line!!
Now comes the proper build! Once I was fed up with the crappy build I decided to do it properly, and here is where I recommend anyone else starts if they want to do the same conversion. Its not cheap but it'll be done right from the start!
Main Parts:
Chassis: Alza Racing 5mm Flux XL
Motor Mounts: HPI 100903
Motor Plate: HPI 100906
Motor Plate Brackets: HPI 100907
Bulletproof Diffs: My truck had these already - HPI 102692
Battery Box Kit: HPI 100908
Hobbywing Max 8 Combo: EzRun Max8 System
44T Spur Gear: HPI 102093
22T Pinion Gear: HPI 100921
Center Diff Transmission (easier than having to completely rebuild the 3 speed): Rc4me Shop, AliExpress.
Upgrade Parts:
Integy 17mm Hex Adapters: HobbiesDirect
Adjustable Upper Arms: HPI 85066
Aluminium Big Bore Shocks: Rc4me, Aliexpress
Aluminium Turnbuckles: Would not recommend, mine broke sooner than the nylon! Sometimes Aluminium isn't always the answer, Link just in case.
Aluminium Servo Saver: Integy Bell Crank & Servo Saver
Aluminium Steering Linkage: Aliexpress
Aluminium rear C-Hub: Aliexpress
Sway Bar Kit: HPI 102538
Custom Parts:
Esc Mount: 50mmx50mm Aluminium 90 degree angle bend cut to fit - Link from my local hardware store.
Radio Gear & Servo(s):
Transmitter: Spektrum DX4C (Kit with SRS4210 receiver)
Receiver: Spektrum SR210
Steering Servo: Savox 7.4V 25kg
Image Breakdowns
Carrier and Upper Arms
Before the chassis arrived from alza racing, I had installed the adjustable upper arms on the rear as well as an aluminium hub carrier. This eliminated the turnbuckles on the rear which have broken on me several times. You can see the sway bars in this image too!
Center Diff Transmission
When the center diff tranny arrived I took it apart to replace the grease that was in the diff, unfortunately the diff case in mine was terrible, there were cracks and broken parts in it. Luckily I had many spare housing from my previous savage's (RIP my very first savage that became a parts bin). Apart from this, the transmission makes a conversion so easy!! I converted my 3 speed transmission to a single speed and that took some time and many hours of research for the parts I needed. For around $60USD you can get a whole new transmission with a center diff!! Amazing! I have found it also takes some stress out of the front and rear diffs too which is a plus. From memory I put 800k diff oil in the center diff.
Alza Racing Chassis
I was so pumped when the chassis arrived from Alza racing! Even for the cheapest ones they offer, the build and quality of these are insane and well worth the cost imho! I also had a little email chat with the owner, he is a very nice dude! For some info on his side, he has to drive to Vienna from Benedikt in Slovenia just to ship to Australia!! What a legend to have the dedication to do this! Cheers mate!
Also seen in this, I got some aluminium mounting brackets to replace the plastic ones that I stripped. You can also see the new tranny, fits perfect, which makes sense as its the same housing...
As a bonus, I finally had a chassis with mounting holes for the battery boxes! What a win! I was so pleased with this as my crappy setup before made my truck very unbalanced.
Custom ESC Mount
As mentioned before, I made a custom mount for the esc because forgot to order the one that alza racing supplies, still happy with the way mine turned out! The alza racing one is so cheap, I'd recommend just buying it with the chassis instead of trying to make you own.
I mounted it using 4xM3 nuts and bolts. I mounted it in the same location that the alza racing one would mount to. Its simply just a cut-to-size piece of 50mmx50mm aluminium angle. The ESC itself it mounted using very strong double sided tape and a zip tie just in case.
The End Result
I have sadly maxed the amount of images I can attach, but I shall post in the comments!!
Not seen in these images was the installation of the motor mount plate and the brackets, but it was super easy as it was a direct fit! Overall, the upgrade to flux wasn't hard, so long as you have the right parts and you take your time!
If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask! I will reply as soon as I can and as well as I can!
