Big Brute Project Begins - Thorp Help

[RCveteran]

I have been acquiring Big Brute parts for a while now to restore my favorite childhood memory truck. In the process I ended up with a couple pretty complete trucks the last of which I got solely because it had an original unpainted body.

I opened one of my gearboxes that was in the pile today and found a thorp diff and gears, very happy about that! I have found some info on the dogbones I will need (even a modern sub I believe) but need help on the axles?? Pics of the set below and then random pics of what I will working with. My goal end up with one very nice runner, some extra parts and the rest will go to a mega blow out Brute part lot

So I need thorp dogbones and axles? What were the part #'s I need to search for?

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[RCveteran]

I also notice the diff I have has hex drive outdrives which are different from what appears to be a slotted type in this Lowgear, two types or do I have something else? Never mind, Isee now, his diff is locked version. Need to find an axle solution.

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=20081&hilit=big+brute+dogbones

Mine

[Lowgear]

I look forward to seeing what you come up with as I'm stuck on finding axles as well. I want to use standard 12mm hex rims but don't know what axles will fit in place of the stock ones, and I can't justify the cost of buying a whole bunch of different axles I think might work. I was hoping people here could dig through their parts to see if they had anything that matched the dimensions I gave in my build thread but didn't get much help.

I don't think theres a specific reason why the Thorp outdrives have a hex shape and the Maxtrax ones are slotted. It must have just been easier to manufacture them that way, and what they thought would work.

[RCveteran]

My problem is I love the look of the stock BB wheels and Tires and mine are nice so I want to use them.

The Thorp Diff is unique from other ball diffs. The screw threads into the other half but does not appear to be a lock nut, I am not certian how this can stay set and not just loosen up unless I am missing something?

I will have to look through some parts, I do have some traxxas stuff from Stampede I might play around with. I see you could use the 45mm kyosho dog bones likely but those pesky axles hmmmmmmmmm?

In the meantime I will probably build with stock set up until I can find either Thorp or substitute.

[RCveteran]

I wonder what would happen with a dogbone and stock plastic outer axle I suspect the two would at least mate looking at them. Would the plastic hold up?

Going through my truck now and there is sure a lot of slop in the susepnsion arms where the pillow balls attach. I don't remember them as bad as that??

[Lowgear]

The stock tires/rims are really nice but for my application I'll need something else. What makes all of this so tough is even if you wanted to use any of the stock drivetrain parts you really can't as they won't hold up to much of anything being so fragile. The only alternative is to either replace everything with the Thorp parts or figure out what modern replacement parts will work. Replacing the crazy looking plastic dogbone things with regular metal ones might work but if they were to slip in the cups of the axles or outdrives at all I imagine it would chew them up pretty quick.

I don't know how the Thorp diff works but if you're afraid a screw might back out than put a dab of blue Loctite on it. I also just wiggled the front suspension on mine and it did jiggle quite a bit. I don't know if it would be something I'd try to fix or just leave it alone.

[GreenHell]

Cool project, getting the thorp diff was a nice bonus. I’m never that lucky when I buy stuff on eBay, if the gears still have teeth I’m happy.

[RCveteran]

The axles solution will hit me like a miracle one day, I just know it

I used to beat this truck almost daily when I was younger, I don't remember it breaking all that much and as a poor kid I would remember. Probably had the stock motor and weak batteries so it was not jumped as high like todays trucks but it saw its share of stairs, rocks, flips, crashes and such. Or maybe it broke all the time and I have just forgot how much of my paycheck I used to hand right back to the hobby shop I worked in at the time. I was on a 1st name basis with the Great Planes Kyosho distributor come to think of it

[sgirouard]

RCVeteran,

I may be wrong on this but I was looking into the Kyosho Monsters a while ago. I BELIEVE traxxas slide axles from the stampede or rustler work in regards to the axle side. I think some people modify them for these.

I could be wrong but still. I might have a set of 4 slide axles, I'd be willing to send them to you if you want them.

[highwayracer]

Can you use a traxxas axle and the losi dog bone conversions (prior to the CVDs)? So from the thorp, you'll have the dog bone side. At the end of the dog bone, there's the plastic u-joint (same piece coming from the losi lrm gearbox). This can then attach to the traxxas axle (5mm). You can probably use the same adapters and wheels.

hope that made sense....

[losiXXXman]

Mixing of the Losi slider and Traxxas axle CAN and HAS been done. AND it was ran in a "race" car, so I'm sure durability would not be an issue for the Big Brute. (The puller incarnation - maybe, but worth a try Lowgear.)

scroll down, it's toward the bottom, and goes on to the next page of the thread.

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=19352&start=15

IDK if it helps, But i have a set of Thorp Blackfoot/Frog axles for dogbones. No Bones, though something out there should work...For that matter, if the frog/blackfoot axle would work, you could get the tamiya parts, and they are available in a universal. IDK what the length of the dogbone is, but it probably is close to 45mm. I'll bet you could get an answer in the tamiya forum pretty quickly.

[Lowgear]

45mm is what I've come up with for the dogbone length as well.

Axle wise the only thing I've come across so far that look like they might work are ones from an HPI Firestorm: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXPYX8&P=Z

[losiXXXman]

Thorp bones on ebay NOW ends 31 minutes... valkyriemotorsports

[RCveteran]

Can you use a traxxas axle and the losi dog bone conversions (prior to the CVDs)? So from the thorp, you'll have the dog bone side. At the end of the dog bone, there's the plastic u-joint (same piece coming from the losi lrm gearbox). This can then attach to the traxxas axle (5mm). You can probably use the same adapters and wheels.

hope that made sense....

I am not totally following this. I bought the Thorp dogbones, so now I have the diff and bones but still need a bit of help figuring out how to make them work with some axles.

I am tempted to try those Firestorm axles, whats another $8 at this point ? Wondering about spacing of drive pin hole though and will it work with stock wheels.

[jwscab]

There is a problem with using the losi bones in that application because the ball end will be larger. losi has a different size on the bone end than pretty much anyone else. mostly everyone else has a bone end that *can* work.

the u-join end would be fine though. I think if you had thorp frog axles, you'd be OK, but you'd need to double check all the dimensions.

unfortunately, you'll probably have to buy some things that won't work until you find parts that do