RC Tank Warfare community hobby forum

Evening all,

I'm thinking of turning a 1/16 willys jeep into an rc runner, I was wondering if anyone does an electronics package to do this or can anyone recommend a cheapish rc car or buggy that could be stripped down and have the necessary parts to do this, I don't mind doing some minor fabrication to get things working tidy as long as I have all the working parts, motors, servos etc. I'm just looking for it to go forward and reverse and steer nothing fancy really, transmitter distance is not a big issue either as it's only going to be a garden runner, any help or advice would be great,

Cheers, Lee.

Good afternoon,
If you are looking to do something on the cheap with a 1/16 scale Jeep then I suggest looking at your local Toy store for a 1/18 or 1/24 scale RC pickup truck or Jeep. Try to find one that does not have exaggerated off road suspension and wheels. You will have a pretty good start then for moving things over to a 1/16 quarter ton vehicle like a Willys. Almost everything will be toylike and cheap and the range measured in feet but there it is. If you want to spend a few more pounds\dollars and get a much more responsive and well running vehicle, look for the electronics and running gear out of a Tamiya Kubelwagen parts bag or similar type vehicle by Kyosho or Doyusha. Post a build thread for questions and progress. We love pictures! ;o)
regards,
Painless

Hi Lee, have a look at what I did with a Bedford MWD build
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=14010
The trick is to find an rc toy with the same width as your jeep, the length doesn't matter as what you are looking for is a steering mechanism that can be transplanted and a drive mechanism also of approx the same width. A major consideration with the willys is the small size into which to fit your battery(s). I did look at the willys as a build but couldn't figure out how to fit everything in, however battery technology has recently changed with the advent of drones, so this shouldn't be an issue.

If I can help at all please pm me.

Alwyn

The major problem with doing a Jeep is ...Space...there just isn't a lot of it in a jeep...so hiding all the gear is the trick...but yes your best bet is to go shopping for one of those inexpensive RC cars and taking the system out of one of those

ALPHA

Thanks for your input guy's it is very much appreciated, I will have a measure up when I get it to see if I can match it up to another rc system, I'll post some pics when I receive it for more help and advice,

Cheers, Lee.

Hi Alwyn,
That is a very nice scratch build you did with the Bedford sir, I'm sure I'll be picking your brains for my jeep system,

Cheers, Lee.

Hi Lee, have a look at this one as it looks to be about the right dimensions,
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-24-Drift-Sp ... Sw1S9We6ss
and at £7.70 it could be a solution but if not you could maybe salvage the electronics and maybe the steering? The steering unit itself looks pretty good plus it only runs on 3 AA batteries, so maybe you could run it on 3 x AAA which would be easier to hide in the back of the jeep as cargo?

Half the fun with converting these things is the puzzle of how to transplant the components.

Alwyn

A quick word of warning on stripping the donor - before messing with the rc control board use a glue gun and carefully glue the wiring to the board as the wires are very flimsy and break off the board at the slightest provocation, I nearly ruined a board on one of my models
viewtopic.php?f=27&t=14190&hilit=matador
by repeatedly having to resolder wires to the board. There's also more info in the matador build on canibalising and scratch building from cheap toys.

Hope this helps
Alwyn

This is a personal preference tip....I look for the cars that have a "gun" style controller...they are much easier to use than the ordinary style two button controllers


ALPHA

Evening guys,

I've been looking at the links given in this thread and there's some really good ideas and tips I think I'll be able to use on the jeep. I also came across a thread on an rc site that someone had built exactly what I'm trying to achieve, although I'm not sure what running system he actually used it gave me some ideas on a few things, especially his brilliant idea of scratch building a trailer to house the batteries. I think this could be the way forward for me to gain some extra space, I'll wait for the jeep to arrive and then I can start measuring and planning,

Cheers, Lee.