Kev’s Bench: Project 4-Stroke Nitro Hauler

Kev’s Bench: Project 4-Stroke Nitro Hauler

Hello everyone and welcome to my new weekly web column, Kev’s Bench. Every Friday, I’ll share sneak peaks at new projects, talk shop and RC tech, and generally sound off on the latest goings-on in our hobby.

Now let’s get this ball rolling with a look back at a project from the past…

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One of the things that I love about being an Editor at Radio Control Car Action Magazine is that I get to build awesome projects. When building the serious custom projects I do what I can to make my vehicles stand out from the rest of the projects out there. One example is a nitro powered Tamiya Ford Aeromax that I built for the December 2005 issue. I used an O.S. FS-26S-C II 4-stroke car engine and had the exhaust flow through the stacks behind the body. That wasn’t all I did! I swapped out the leaf spring suspension for a custom 4-line setup, added a three speed transmission and coupled a reversing gear to it, bolted on a fan to help cool the engine, added two fuel tanks that actually hold the fuel for the engine and more. Overall I completely transformed this truck into something unlike anything that was out there. The only stock components besides the body were the chassis, front axle and rear axles.

 

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Yup, it’s nitro powered and yes it all works. This truck is packed full of features like a 3-speed transmission with reverse, working stacks, 4-link suspension and functional fuel tanks.

 

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Here’s the truck today. Some of the parts on the truck have not held up to the abuse from the engine.  The torque, heat and vibration from that 4-stroke engine can put a hurting on things such as the fuel tank mounts and plastic driveshafts. I’m thinking that it’s time for a refresh. The fuel tanks are a nice touch but too heavy. The suspension looks wicked cool but the springs are way too stiff and don’t allow for any movement. Those stacks not only let smoke fly but they also let oil from the fuel fly and it lands on the body and that damaged the paint. It’s time for a coat of paint that will do a better job of standing up to the nitro fuel. The steering servo has fallen off and could use a proper mount. And the list goes on…

 

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Now that my skills have improved and I have better technology available to me, I am looking forward to attacking this truck and giving it some much needed upgrades and a new life. Do you have any ideas or suggestions on what I should do to this truck? You can email you thoughts and questions to me at kevinh@airage.com. Keep your eyes on Radio Control Car Action Magazine because you never know when this truck is going to be making an appearance. This is going to be fun.

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Updated: June 6, 2014 — 1:35 PM
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