Wet Mop Stampede

Wet Mop Stampede

This morning I was stressing over having to Swifer and wet mop the floor tonight and started thinking, hey why not. Pulled out the Stampede threw in some low gearing so I wouldn't shoot the Pede through a wall, drilled a couple holes in my Project Stampede Skid Plate, and a couple holes in my floor pad mop head, zip tied it together using some leather shoe laces as the drag chains. Drop the damp rag under the floor mop head as usually and start driving. Funny thing is it works surprisingly well for the main open areas. Of course the corners and harder to reach areas need to be done by hand, but still actually a semi-useful idea.

Swiffer Stampede

Later in the morning I started thinking that I could probably attach a standard Swiffer head to the front of the Project Stampede using available spar parts. 2 each - front and rear bearing carriers, two front stock turnbuckles and some shoulder screws. Screwed the front bearing carrier to the Swiffer, and the rear bearing carriers to the RPM bumper. Roomba Smumba... Works great, and I can use the wet pads also. System has plenty of give in case of low speed accidents.

The Video-Pede - Flying Mailbox - Video Cam Armor

The Video-Pede - Flying Mailbox - Video Cam Armor

One of the first things I had to do was get some video from the Stampede's perspective. Due to my driving style, I needed some protection for the video camera. So I built the below out of standard black ABS plastic that attaches directly to the standard body mounts. The camera still survives today after several really bad crashes.

More about Tires vs. Tracks

More about Tires vs. Tracks

Tires are fine up to about 2-3” of hard crusty, wet or powdered snow. I have found that snow/sand paddles work best, even on the packed snow. The contact area of even dual tires or Maxx tires on the back just did not provide the floatation and forward motion that is required to keep the tires from just sinking in during acceleration on deeper or powdery snow. Soft powdery show has a surface tension of about 1oz./square inch. There is a reason they have specialize vehicles call snowmobiles that will outperform any other vehicle on snow. As a result a track system is required for snow deeper than 2-3 inches. The good news is that it can be done, and a couple of people already have, however you can expect to spend between $200-$400 for all the parts to make it work right at full speed. Although I have found all the appropriate materials, and have developed a solution in my CAD program with all commercially available materials, which will simply bolt on to the Stampede and E-Maxx, I think I would rather spend the money on something else. After all we only have decent snow about a month out of every year.

Snow-Pede - Snow Skis on the Stampede (Part 1)

Snow-Pede - Snow Skis on the Stampede (Part 1)

The process of putting skis on the Stampede has been a something I have been trying to figure our for a while. My big design point was it had to be simple bolt on mounting, anyone can build a new from end and I have always subscribed to the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). Design criteria were; the need for flex (don't want to tear up the servo), the ability to collapse during hard impact (don't want/like broken pieces and packed snow is hard). What I came up with was to simply pass a properly sized bolt through the stock front bearing carriers and lock it down by using a nut, then lock down the plastic ski support with another nut. I used my old stock bearing carriers instead of risking damage to my new RPM bearing carriers and bearings - your did keep the stock bearing carriers didn't you? This setup will in theory stay put unless you hit something hard.

Going back to my ABS plastic stash, I formed a couple of 7" Dubro style skis with side ribs and pop riveted on some homemade pivots. I used a couple of stainless-steel bolts and nuts to secure the mount to the pivots and used two safety-pins to provide the spring to keep the tips pointed up and avoid the skis digging in.

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Snow-Pede - Pro Version (Part 2)

After a lot of testing, I came to the conclusion that my initial design had some short comings. The collapsing design did exactly what is was supposed to do, however it also seemed to collapse when it shouldn't have. The front stance needed to be a little wider on the skis so that the turning radius could be tightened down to something drivable.

Part I - Max Ski throw - about 20 degrees	Part II - Max Ski throw - about 45 degrees + about 15 degrees of chamber when turned.

Although my ABS skis worked great, ABS plastic is not the best choice for points of stress or load bearing situations, and my bolt on mounts broke because of this. So we were back to re-engineering the front end for a durable solution. Another problem was flotation and propulsion. The front stock tires mounted on the rear with zip tires worked pretty well and was super cheap, but there is a reason why someone designed sand/snow paws, so I picked up a set of Proline SandPaws.

Snow Terrain Reality - Due to the reality of the size of most drifts and my dog's mission to create as may (what I have termed) "Sink holes of death" in any clear patch of snow, my dreams of high speed drift jumps and snow speed racing on an un-tainted snow covered golf course, just were not going to happen. As a result, expect that you are going to use your skis in 1"-2" of snow mainly in a road, frozen lake, or golf course, forget about the deep snow unless it has a really really hard crust on it. Also expect that you will only be able to traverse objects up to that same 2-3" range. I might as well have shot the Stampede into the ground when encountering deep "Sink hole of Death" created by my nutty dog out-running the Snow-Pede. He also thinks its his buddy that he should tackle...yeah, lots of fun for him. Bottom line - just as most RC snowmobiles, the perfect Snow-Pede conditions are 1/2"-2" of wetter snow or very hard flat crusty snow.

Ski Mounting – What seems to be almost bulletproof are some custom Polyethylene “Y” wishbones - Ski-Carriers that replace the bearing carriers and attach to the skis via Polyethylene half circles. By the way Polyethylene or HDPE (high density Polyethylene) is the same stuff as a white NSF plastic cutting board. I used an $8 3M .5x18x20 cutting board. Polyethylene is very strong stuff that can be cut and drilled just like wood. Polyethylene is also once of the toughest commercially available plastic products for load bearing situation, aside from Acetyl/Acetyl and some custom blended nylons. I basically duplicated the bearing carrier height, and attachment, the set-up allows you to just e-clip them in place of the stock bearing-carriers and all the stock camber links attach as usual. To make the connection to the servo, I used some steel 106mm or 116mm Maxx turnbuckles, a worm gear screwed into the ski-carrier topped off with a rod end. I used something different in the pictures, but I ended up using some Traxxas shouldered screws passing up into the ski-carrier steering rod end in the Maxx turnbuckle ball. If anyone is interested, I made about 10 extra the ski-carriers and half moon ski mounts, some fit better than others and need finishing/trimming and don't include any of the turnbuckles, screws, or other hardware. Although the spares are not plug and play ready, I'll be happy to send them out FedEx ground for $10.00. You will have to do some trimming and spend about $20 on the stock hardware and Dubro skis, but you should be able to screw Dubro Skis directly to the half moon ski mounts.

The Skis – The Dubro Snowbird Skis work great and are an easy solution. The 9inchers are probably the best choice (measure first), however the 8” ABS skis I made work great but are a little wider than the Dubro models. Now that I corrected the mounting, I can turn a very tight 1-1.5 ft circle. The skis do a great job of steering the vehicle (with the new mounts) and keeping on top of the snow, even the really light stuff. If the propulsion and floatation part was worked out these would be great.

The Tires - The Proline SandPaws are outstanding quality. The fit and finish of the tires was first rate. I was a little disappointed that the tires had a smaller diameter and were quite a bit narrower than the stock tires. In trying to achieve more flotation, these tires were a little counter productive, but it did provide the traction for forward motion in up to 2" or so of snow. I would recommend using front rims on the rear. This will give you a little wider more stable stance. I also moved the shock mount up two holes on each arm to add a little more clearance.

The Look - I was more anxious to get out an test the set-up so I haven't completed the finish work and dying of the ski-carriers. Once dyed in black, I think the Ski-carriers will look very cool and will last a very long time.

Supplemental Floatation - After some testing in 4" snow, I devised a contoured 8"x8" ski that bolted to the under rear side of the transmission support. Yeah, it was a good idea that kind of worked, but the tires really had a hard time moving the vehicle forward in that depth of snow. The set-up did easily float the entire truck in 12" of fresh snow powder, but wouldn't move. Don't bother on this idea. The only thing that will work in deeper snow is a track system with huge paddles. I ended up pulling it off and making a smaller 2" wide version that wrapped up around the motor which prevent junk/snow from packing in front of the transmission box and also prevent the transmission housing from being ground away. After snow season was over I liked it so much I left it on as extra armor. A side benefit it that it prevents junk from catching on the x-brace and acts as a wheelie bar and rear bumper.

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OK, the Skis look Trick, but so they work?

Omaha was blanketed with over 30 inches of snow in Feb 2004 when I developed and tested this project. The snow has been deep and ranged from light and fluffy to wet to frozen to crusty. So say the least I did a lot of testing.

The new "Pro version" ski's I engineered with a wider stance do work much better turn the truck great. The whole set-up also looks really cool zipping around in the snow. Bottom line is that although this is a really fun project, the Stampede is far to heavy to "float" on top of soft fluffy snow even with dual tires at the rear. When this happens, you will become very frustrated very quickly. Even sand/snow paw tires will drill straight down on the soft stuff. That relegates you to only running on harder packed or crusty surfaces or in snow less than 2"-3" deep and at this point skis have a very narrowly focused terrain use and is also tough or impossible to back up. The in-efficiency of basically running the motor wide open to keep the truck moving in even 1"-2" snow will make shorter 10 minute or less runs common, even with good quality 3000mh batteries. On harder snow surfaces, studded, zip-tied (which work the best that I've found), or chained tires provide the grip the front wheels need to turn the truck. Yes, the skis work and do a great job with keeping the front end up, and tracking in the right direction, but again this is a moot point until a track system can be engineered to support the weight of the truck.

From my experience, I'm glad I did this project. I now have skis if I need them and a solution to a narrowly focused terrain problem. I think I have perfected the snow Ski part of the equation but the bottom line is you will become frustrated at attempting to use a ski based machine in conditions other than 1/2"-2" of wetter snow or very hard flat crusty snow.

My recommendation is you will have probably have a lot more fun running in the street with front tires and rear sand paws jumping all the snow drifts and snow banks...and being able to back up.

Stampede Ram Air Buggy Body (Mili-Pede Body Part 2)

Stampede Ram Air Buggy Body (Mili-Pede Body Part 2)

Again using my trusty and super durable black ABS plastic, the idea this time was to shrink and trim the body down even more and go to a one piece design toward the 1930 no-nonsense design like a old Maserati Tipo track race car. The old race cars looked like streamlined buggy bodies with all the suspension exposed. Another design point to overcome was that I liked the spoiler on the Mili-Pede, but it lacked serious durability. I have done a couple of quick and dirty ram-air ducts for the ESC (before the XL-1 upgrade), however wanted a driver's cockpit look and basic air circulation rather than creating a ram-air concept. On a side note - Ram air is only effective at speed, ESCs only really heat up when you are going slow, the whole idea is logically counterproductive but it looks cool. My horribly destructive driving style also dictated some rear
motor and roll over protection. A huge Ram air duct/cockpit and sturdy spoiler would provide that "weeble wobble" level of protection the shock towers and ESC would need. One of the things that drives me nuts is that I have to use 4 body clips to hold on a standard body - Why? So the body I made uses one body clip at the rear and dual zip ties at the front a hinged pivot point - simple and very strong.

I formed the body as one piece and the ram-air and spoiler out of another and secured them together with Chicago screws. The ram-air duct/cockpit turned out to be a perfect carry handle and happens to be just about center of mass. Although not a surprise the ram-air duct did keep the ESC cooler during my bashing sessions. Because I removed the stock brace/body posts, I also made a shock tower support/brace out of ABS to strengthen the shock tower up.
The body needed some stickers, but I was all out of anything really cool, so found some Traxxas stickers to use temporarily.

What about water on the ESC? - I found that by soaking down the ESC with White Lightening (and let it dry completely overnight) it provides protection to the degree that I have never really worried about shorting the ESC. Also the ram-air/cockpit provides a very surprising amount of all weather shielding to the ESC.

Advanced Waterproofing - Mili-Pede Buggy - Part 1

Advanced Waterproofing - Mili-Pede Buggy - Part 1

Nebraska winters are tough to predict and bounce continually between 70 and -10 on a weekly basis with snow, rain, and slush, so I needed a truck equipped so that I wouldn't be prevented from enjoying a little run time.

The are a thousand and one ways to waterproof your Pede, but I think I have stumbled on the best method.

After going to great extremes to water proof my receiver, servo, and ESC, I was still faced with one very big problem. The chassis is like a big scoop and you will inevitably end up with water on or in something if you don't prevent water and snow from initially getting into the chassis.

I have a long hobby history in forming plastics and one of the all time easiest plastics to mess around with and form is black ABS with the crinkly finish on one side. You can pick up a full sheet at almost any Plastics retailer. You can buy small pieces of it for $5 at most car stereo shops. Bake it, torch it, whatever you need. Bake at 350 - 15 minutes until floppy like spaghetti, or use a propane torch (on low) to heat and bend it, or use a old soldering iron to weld the seams. As you find there is a fine line between really hot and moldable and on fire. Just play around with it you will get the hang of it.

As you can see I made a three piece custom snap fit cover for the entire chassis. I have even hosed the Stampede down after a mudding adventure.

It turned out so good that I nicknamed it the Mili-Pede (Military-Pede). The design also allow me to fit the body over the top if I want (doing so adds some extra protection.

I though this was cool enough for a Traxxas decal. and a custom made spoiler. At some point I will scan in the paper templates that I used for the nose cone and body cover, in case anyone wants to give it a try. I really get some of those "What the hell is that!" looks and always lots of questions. I have tested this extensively and the full length cover gives some room for the ESC to breath. Also when its 20 degrees, overheating is not a problem. I will be making a modified "Summer" version with ram-air scoops for the ESC.

Basic Waterproofing

Basic Waterproofing

Buy White Lightning Wax Lube use it on everything; chassis, axels, gears, over the top of the servo, tranny housing, but not the receiver or esc. Its oil-less, does not attract dirt, dries, and is waterproof. During the winter or wet weather, my Stampede looks like I dipped it in the stuff. It waterproofs everything it covers. Also my Stampede lube of choice for everything except motor and bearings - that I use a wax based turbine oil.

Receiver in a bag/balloon trick - A longer term solution is to slowly cut a heavy duty zip lock freezer bag with a hot knife (soldering iron with a Exacto tip) to make a water-tight mini zip lock bag. After wrapping the receiver in the custom zip lock, and taping, I slide that into a section of mountain bike inner tube. This makes a much more substantial cover than a balloon.

ESC Water Proofing - Several Options

Option 1 - Laundry detergent cup - you get the idea.

Option II - A more elegant solution by Belker from the monster.traxxas.com forums.

Credit where credit is due.

"Here's a better way to waterproof ESC - Belker from the monster.traxxas.com forums.

For the last year I've waterproofed my ESC (Futaba MC330CR) by enclosing it the plastic box (modified, of course) that it came in. Balloons never worked very well for me. I now found a better box to modify.

Radio Shack 270-1801 Project Enclosure 3"x2"x1"

This box would be too small for the stock Traxxas ESC but works excellent for a tiny ESC like the Futaba. Bigger boxes are available. I've never had any problem with my particular ESC overheating so a box this small is big enough.

What makes is box nice is that it is -

- almost identical in width (3") to the Stampede chassis,
- just short enough (2") to leave enough clearance to (a) reach the screws to remove the back part of the truck and (b) still be able to insert/remove a battery,
- high enough (1") to accommodate my ESC
- has a cover that is easily removable for hot, dry weather
- has a flange/lip on the cover to aid in making it watertight
- is black and plastic and looks practically stock

I drilled holes in the bottom of the box to mount it in the stock ESC plate location using the stock screws. I mounted the esc using double sided tape. I drilled a hole in the front for the battery, receiver, and switch wires to exit. I drilled a hole in the back for the motor wires to exit. I also made a gasket to make the lid flange more watertight and used silicon to seal the screw holes and wire holes.

Here it is -"

Option III - Although I have not tested this idea, it seems absolutely the best way to go. Someone posted this idea on the Traxxas Forums (sorry couldn't find the post for the credit)

This option entails using the 3M DP-270 Conformal Epoxy to basically encase the electronics (yes, supposedly if you do it right you can still put everything back into the receiver or ESC case). This is a special epoxy which is designed specially for use with electronics. DO NOT USE REGULAR EPOXY - Due to the very caustic nature of the regular hardware store variety epoxies, there is a very high probability that you will corrode and damage your electronics during the application and curing process. So make sure you use the right stuff otherwise bad things will happen.

I am sure the 3M DP-270 Conformal Epoxy is available lots of places but instructions on how to are here. You can buy it here (page down a little)

I have been told that this "can" be a waterproofing method for receivers and ESCs. As I will be purchasing an MTroniks waterproof ESC I will probably be applying this only to my receiver prior to next winter.

Option III - Mtroniks Waterproof ESC. Have one works great. Would recommend to anyone who likes to get wet.

Baja Pede - Bodywork on the Cheap

Baja Pede - Bodywork on the Cheap

Yet another crazy on the cheap project from Project Stampede.

I was cruising thorough Lowes the other day and this half sized black plastic paint tray caught my eye. $1.49 I think it was, hey why not right. Should be a perfect basher body, it measure 1-2 mil thick and is about 1-2 inches wider than a stock body, but can sit really low. Should be pretty durable. Trim it fit and it looks kind of military jeep ish. Throw on some spare decals and I have a brand new body to break.

One of the other things I did nix the rear body support and mounted ala Rusty style right to the shock tower body mount, except I ground off the normal mount and screwed in a 1/2" body mount stud to clear the shocks. The front I also went with a front Rusty body mount with low trimmed body posts. The stock body also still fits other the than the need for an extra hole for the new center mount.

Gotta say this was the easiest project I have ever done and probably one of the cheapest, No hot forming was done, just trimmed the tray and attached it.

Weight? - About the same as the stock body, maybe a little heavier.
Fit? - Yeah it just fit great like someone at the paint tray manufacturer said, well we should also make it fit a Traxxas Stampede.

Very... very long term update - This body STILL survives today in 2008. Although I now have a stable of RCs that distribute the driving abuse more fairly, the Ultra-Pede still gets driven hard and I do have a spare paint tray for the day this body finally gives out.

The Paint Tray Baja Body idea is been prolific to say the least and I think JaalMann.com's below Paint Tray version is one of the coolest looking.

Brushed Stainless Steel Motor

Brushed Stainless Steel Motor

Do yourself a favor and on your next motor cleaning session and add some cool to your stock Stinger motored ride. Yank the Stinger Sticker off the motor, clean any sticker residue off with some Buddy Blast and grab one of those green ScotchBrite pads from under the sink and brush in the same direction going around the motor with the ScotchBrite pad. Soak the entire motor with buggy blast, let dry. re-lube, and enjoy the comments. If you perform the SuperCharge that Stocker (under the links area) at the same time, everyone may think you actually have a different motor. Also upgrade the power leads to 10 gauge with Deans plugs for increased performance all around.

Stampede Convenience Upgrades

CONVENIENCE

Easy-Pull Body Clips - Although I would love to take the credit for this "palm to the forehead"/"why didn't I think of that" idea, the credit belongs to Misbehavin-RC.com. Unless you have the fingers of a hobbit and dexterity of a surgeon, you will grow very VERY tired of pulling the body clips on and off. The genius at Misbehavin-RC.com came up with a great solution that I am personally thankful for. See it here

Easy-Pull Battery - Based on the above, I secured the battery leads with a zip tie and an Easy-Pull Body Clip. This allows me to change batteries a lot easier. The leads are always pointed where they need to be and this also adds some durability and prevents accidentally pulling the leads off the battery.

Battery Strap - Another great idea from Misbehavin-RC.com, but I think my implementation is a little cleaner, do to the fact that I used a fancy Velco wire tie which are designed for pretty much this exact purpose and take a little more abuse than regular Velcro. Additionally, instead of drilling holes for mounting, I used the battery hold down posts and body clips to secure the battery strap. The Misbehavin-RC article. This does require cutting/modifying the front battery/receiver holder. The back of the battery toes into the rear as usual, but simply requires a quick tug on the industrial Velcro to release the battery. Very secure, survived LOTs of crashes. This is sooo much easier than un-clipping that hole receiver mess up front every time you need to change the battery.

Railing Tie Downs - I wanted to clean up all the wires running the length of the chassis so they didn't get in the way or damaged. I have seen a lot of people drill holes in the chassis and secure all the wires with small zip ties, but I am not a big fan of cutting holes. Although the Stampede chassis is way over-designed and could loose some weight, I tend to favor a less invasive route. What I used to accomplish the same task was to use the hard stock wire plugs used in the stock version to hold the wires in place, but I put a wire tie around it. The problem with this stock method is that your loose about 1"-2" of wire reach buy pushing the wire to the bottom of the rail. With the wire tie solution, all wire are centered nicely on top of the rail and are all line of sight without shortening the reach of the wire..

Floppy Antenna Fix - After flipping your Stampede a couple of times you will start to notice that the extra 2-4" of antenna wire flopping around and hanging out of the antenna rod is taking quite a beating. Sooner or later if you don't secure it will get ground off and you will have to replace your antenna. One easy fix is to spiral it down the rod and use a piece of electrical heat shrink to secure it. Due to my mission of durability, I heat shrinked the last 8 inches of my antenna.

Multi-Compartment Box - Nothing more irritating than looking for a part you swear you have, but can't find. You probably now have between three to ten zip lock bags full of parts. Organize all your crap and buy a couple of clear multi-compartment storage boxes with the separators you can move around to divide up the box. They run about $2-$5 in various sizes, and you can probably get your mom, girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse to buy them for you under the assumption you will be more organized and neat.

RC Moleskin Notebook - Of course any old notebook will work but the Moleskin (the same one used by Hemingway) makes you look pretty professional when you show up at the hobby shop or the track and need to reference or note something. I use mine as a journal to plan ideas, plan upgrades, pricing and price shopping, keeping track of part numbers, sketches, specs, which battery gives me the best run time and punch, and as a general historical reference of all sorts of stuff. The Moleskin even features a super durable hard cover, a pocket in the back to keep your receipts from getting lost, and a elastic band to hold the journal closed. This is the multi-compartment box idea for the mental side of the hobby.

Twisting the Wire - This is a lot easier than it looks for ESC and receiver wires. Twisting the wires reduces some electrical interference and can have performance benefits. Use this when your want to allow a little flexibility and give should you need the extra wire. It also cleans up everything and make floppy wires look neat. Start twisting the wire as you would around a pencil and it just works.

ESC Switch - Once you go to another ESC chances are it will be supplied with a dinky little switch such as the tiny Novac switch positioned next to my Novac Rooster in the picture to the right. The problem is that although really light, they are freaking impossible to turn on and off. So I removed it and soldered in one of these Radio Shack mini-toggle switches which is easy to switch on or off when reaching under the body. Remember to mount the switch so that off position is to the back so that hard forward hit don't turn off the ESC.

Easy Off Gear Cover - OK screwing and un-screwing the gear cover, on - off -on - off, over and over, this has been to say the least an in-convenience. So what to do, you could run without a cover, but the RPM gear cover is worth the money over stock for the simple reason it keeps junk out of your gears better than anything else. So what we need was an easy method for securing this vital piece of protection to the Stampede. A palm to the forehead moment of revelation as I was ever so easily and quickly removing my Battery Strap - I could use this for the gear cover.

This is an easy mod. Get some of the same Velcro brand industrial wire ties bolt one to the reverse side of where the top bolt screws in with a little washer to prevent it from ripping out (best if you make the hole with a red hot paper clip.) Then drill a small hole, the size of the lower gear cover screw, in line with but about 1/4" from the edge of the bottom of the transmission case. Mount the second strap as you did the first by screwing it in from the top with a washer to prevent ripping. The gear cover will dovetail in between the lower bolt and the gear housing, snap in place and Velcro in place. You will now be able to change gear in about 1/10th the time. I have been using this for over a year and it still works great.

Dubro Body Clip Retainers - (REQUIRED ITEM)
Almost 4 years and 50 lbs of lost body clips later I discover this little must have item that will now forever keep my body clips from loss. In less than two weeks this has already paid for itself on the Ultra-Pede and the matching Clip Retainers on the Ultra-Rusty. Drill a hole between each set out mounting holes on your RC's body and attach the rubber nub to the body. Don't like black, no worries they also come in a rainbow of colors.

Maxx Wheel Conversion from 12MM

Maxx Wheel Conversion
Fitting Maxx or 40 Series Sized wheels to your Rustler or Stampede

Let's first begin by saying this is a waste of your money, time, and effort. The project will net a overweight and underpowered R/C that will handle like a large turd. Even with a 6-Cell powered torquey 550 series Trinity Monster Maxx motor and later using a brushless Mamba Max 4600 both geared 12/87 it was still severely over geared and performance and speed suffered greatly. You simply cannot gear low enough for this to really work using the Stampede/Rustler gearbox. The other problem I saw was that the wheels are just too freaking big for the steering, chassis and suspension components to cope with and stressed everything to the max (no pun intended). All this for the low low price of about $60 in wheels, tires, Maxx hubs and parts - that is IF you have already done a Wide Conversion. Still want to do it? OK here's how.

First you will need to do a "Wide" conversion (see this) to get the room to even mount the wheels on the front.

The next step is to either purchase hub adapters (for the life of me I have see them, but am unable to find them again for your reference) or make axel shims so the stock Maxx hub adapter will work. I fabricated my axel shims from about $4 worth of brass tube from the hobby shop so they sit on the axel (as shown below) with a hole drilled through for the stock Stampede/Rustler axel pin. I ended up splitting the brass tube so it would slip around the axel. With the shim in place the Maxx wheels and hubs will fit. Yes, I know it won't be as tight a fit as on an actual Maxx based machine, but honestly the carriers on the Stampede/Rustler are only going to hold out so long from the stress anyway so might as well make this as easy as possible so you can convert back after you realize it sucks. This is the shim setup I used on my Tri-Pede but also re-drilled the hubs to fit a Maxx sized axel pin for much improved fit. Although re-drilling the axels worked, I would again advise against this, because you you will have to replace all the axels when you convert back. I also found that shrinking a small bit of wire shrink wrap righted up the front wheels considerably tightened the fit.

That's pretty much it, bolt the wheels on and gear as low as you possibly can which still will not be enough and here is the final result.

Yes... I know the left rear tire tread is backwards.

Really, although it looks cool, not the best project I have tackled.

The Project Stampede Ultra-Pede updated 3-6-06
The infamous Wide-Pede Conversion - The Actual How To for Widening your Stampede -

Reference:
Documented Wide-Pede Modifications
Read Jang's UltimateRC's Ultimate Stampede.
Read Inadad 's Losi adn HPI arm Wide-Pede Mod
Read on for the Project Stampede Ultra-Pede Mod

Widening the Stampede (AKA Wide-Pede) or the same performed on the Rustler - Wide-Rusty, finally got my attention. Do I "need" a wide-pede? No. But I did want the ability to rotate my tires front to back without having to swap the front and rear rims, due to the offset difference between the front and rear stock Stampede rims. I also wanted to actually document the process for everyone out there wanted to do option A or B or C without buying a bunch of junk they didn't need.

What's a wide-pede? Read Jang's UltimateRC's Ultimate Stampede.

In my opinion there are a couple advantages to the wide-pede conversion:

1. Performance - Typically a slightly longer wheelbase and wider stance.

2. Improved articulation - better handling

3. In some of the conversions allows you to rotate wheels from front to back to even out tire wear.

4. It looks freaking trick.
   

The Flavors of Wide-Pedes
All the flavors and variations of Wide-Pede's is where the confusion lays for everyone. We all have a lot of respect for the creativity of Jang's initial conversion, but after re-reading his project again last night and fooling around with the wide-pede conversion I see where everyone starts to stumble. The original wide-pede mod which uses rear Stampede arms as new front arms has some issues, you need to do some pretty serious cutting on the X-brace on the arms to screw the shocks in. I believe this serious of a arm mod weakens the arms significantly, however that was not Jang's concern as he was lightening the Pede for racing. Moving the shock positions on the arms also become a complete pain. Additionally, even with Ultimate-Stampede's original and easier wide-pede mod, getting the basics is a little bit cloudy when you actually start doing it with even a slight modification from his original idea.

There is another well documented and easier wid-pede conversion out there by Inadad that uses Losi XT or HPI arms, however this mod again gets into more trimming and cutting on the arms than I am comfortable with, due to the fact that I think the non-Traxxas arms and the modifications weaken the arms at the caster block to much for the average basher. That said there are a ton of people out there using this wide-pede mod without problems.

Stuff that is a little unclear is the camber link length and which one to use (I think everyone misses the cut it down part which you don't need with the right camber links), the clearance/binding issue, and the barring carrier which can greatly vary the length of the steering rod needed depending on what carriers are being run on the front such as: stock, RPM, modified stock rear, RPM rear, Rustler Nitro front, ... etc. Then there is the question of which caster block to use. Then which way do the arms go.. and on and on we go with questions. No wonder there are so many questions on wide-pede conversion.

Making Wide-Pede'ing Easier, Simpler, and more Durable

I'm attempting to make it easy for everyone. Between all the Wide-Pede and Wide-Rustler modifications there are a lot of similarities. Some are similarities which I think need clarification, some others just need to be changed altogether because they cause problems. Whether you are doing my specific Ultra-Pede modification or any of the others, some of my little innovations and discoveries will help you avoid problems and guarantee success. Here I will make an effort to list out the parts required for each Wide-Pede mod including what I believe to be the easiest, low modification, and most durable wide-pede conversion to date - the Project Stampede Ultra-Pede.

Expectations
First off I would like to remind you that with the exception of the Project Stampede Ultra-Pede, all versions require modification, drilling, sanding, and trimming of the arms and servo savers and steering rods. There is also a cost of about $30-$40 for the items at your favorite hobby shop which are not "stock" items. If you have some experience dis-assembling your Stampede then you are probably able to complete the Ultra-Pede mode without any problems only one small shave on each arm is required. Other conversions require a little more modification experience. A Dremel tool with a cut off wheel and some grinding and sanding attachments will greatly improve the final product and speed this and future modifications in the process. Also I am in no way responsible for any damage to your Pede due to this or any other modifications, it will perform the way it performs, which is from my experience is a huge, no, enormous upgrade.

Version A Overview
Jang (Ultimate-Stampede) uses front Nitro Rustler barring carriers and casters, and ball ends for some of the rods (for clearance/prevent binding), shock limiters for spacers, and trimmed stock Stampede steering rods for the front camber link set up, a pair of 94mm (actually they are 96mm) E/T-Maxx front tie rods with Traxxas rod ends and trims the servo saver for clearance. Rear stock pins or optional king pins are used top and bottom to hold everything together. Also requires the use of Nitro Rustler wheels and bearings (that is, if you didn't already upgrade to RPM barring carriers and can recycle the bearings).

Version B Overview
Uses stock or Stampede RPM front carriers, and stock caster blocks with spacers to fit the rear arms as well as re drilling/widening the lower caster block hole, eyeball socket rod ends, shock limiters for spacers, and trimmed steering rods for the front camber link set up and trimming the servo saver for clearance. Rear stock pins or optional king pins are use top and bottom to hold everything together and a similar 94-96mm length of rod for the new steering rod depending on what carrier you are running. Noting RPM carriers have a single hole and shorter arm than stock.

Version C Overview
Version C is the Inadad Wid-pede Conversion - uses HPI or Losi Arms and uses roughly the same components as Version B. These are some things I really like about this modification - it's quite a bit easier than Jang's modification, it seems more straight forward, and is better documented. The Inadad Wide-Pede widens the front arms but maintains the stock wheelbase, that part I don't like so much. Additionally although a well tested conversion, I just think the Traxxas arms are leaps and bounds stronger to start with. The other thing is I am not going to list this mode below in the grid because Inadad has done a great job detailing this modification out on his own site with part numbers and required items. This modification sits in between the Ultimate-Stampede version and the Ultra-Pede as far as modification difficulty.

Version D Overview - Project Stampede Ultra-Pede
My goal in putting this version together was to make it: 1. Easy for a novice to assemble, 2. Use widely available parts, 3. Minimal modification, 4. Super durable, 5. Eliminate inherent binding issues with the Stampede, 6. Allow for complete flexibility of shock attachment to the front of the arms, 7. Allow for a wide variety of options for camber links or even multiple camber links. 8. Can use all four wheels interchangeably.

The Ultra-Pede uses rear arms, stock Stampede or RPM Stampede front bearing carriers, stock caster blocks, two stock piston heads as upper spacers, three small washers as lower spacers, re-drilling/widening the lower caster block holes, captured ball socket rod ends and balls, and 72MM Traxxas turnbuckles for the front camber link set up. Rear stock pins or optional king pins are use top and bottom to hold everything together and a similar 96mm E-Maxx Tie rod for the new steering rods. To allow each shock to pivot slightly, each shock is bolted on via a headless screw in bolt, a 5mm pivot ball, two small washers, and a Traxxas plastic shoulder sleeve. The shocks are secured to the arms via a stock front shock screw.

Version E and Beyond
I will give you the recipe for A, B, C, and D you are on your own from there.

Stuff to Buy and Comparing the Builds.

ITEM	VERSION A ULTIMATE-STAMPEDE - QTY	VERSION B STANDARD WIDE-PEDE- QTY	VERSION D STAMPEDE PROJECT ULTRA-PEDE - QTY
Stampede Rear arms #3655	1 SET	1 SET	1 SET
Pack Traxxas replacement chassis pins #3739 OR equivalent king pins	1 PACK	1 PACK	1 PACK
94-96mm Electric T-Maxx Front Tie Rod #2338	1 SET	1 SET	1 SET
Team Losi or Duratrax or some other brand captured pivot ball ends and screw in balls with 3/8" long threads. I used Team Losi #LOSA6000 4-40 X 3/8" Although you only need 6 total, typically these come in sets/packs of 4 with 4 ends and 4 balls.	1 sets	1 sets	6 sets
4 Stock kit shock pistons Included with your original kit or available in the Traxxas Piston Head Set #2669	4	4	4
Packages tiny #4 washers about two packs - I used Du-Bro #323	6	6	14
set Traxxas Nitro Rustler 25 degree caster blocks #2634R	1 SET
set Traxxas Nitro Rustler steering block spindles #2536	1 SET
set Traxxas Nitro Rustler Front Wheels/rims #4174	1 SETS (4 wheels)
5X11 bearings Traxxas # (you need two sets 4 bearing total if you already upgraded to RPM front carriers you can recycle those bearings)	2 SETS (4 Bearings)
set new 2.2" wheels to fit the Stampede - Rustler Nitro Rear Wheels #4172 Just about any standard 2.2" wheel will work with a hex hub just don't buy Stampede Rear wheels.	1 SETS (4 wheels)	2 SETS (4 wheels)	2 SETS (4 wheels)
set of 2 - Stampede Steering Rods/camber links 72MM #2335 Re-use your rods ends or by new ones Another option that looks like a direct fit is the Traxxas Jato Camber links turnbuckles 58mm #5539 - also a direct fit for rear camber links on the Stampede. OR Traxxas Jato Camber links turnbuckles 58mm #5539X - also a direct fit for rear camber links on the Stampede.	1 SET	1 SET	1 SET
set plastic nuts to fit the captured ball threads. Usually are coarser threads than Traxxas shoulder and other bolts. Comes with Traxxas Set Grub Screws 3x25mm T-Maxx 2.5 (8) #3962			1
Traxxas Shim Set Jato balls #5529			2 Sets
Optional Threaded ball studs female 4-40 - I used Team Losa LOSA6009			4 (Required for Dual camber links only)
Plastic shoulder shock something or other - looks like this. Included with your original kit or available in the Traxxas Piston Head Set #2669			2
5mm pivot balls or do this trick with spare rubber tubing from MisBehavin RC.			2
Front Shock tower brace This is basically a cut down 54mm Traxxas Turnbuckles previously used for the Front camber links #1937 and reused rod ends.			Optional
(4) 25mm Washer head screws OR Traxxas Set Grub Screws 3x25mm T-Maxx 2.5 (8) #3962			1 SET
Standard locking star washers to fit axel.		4 washers	4 washers
Advantages	Build spec'ed to race and can be completed with minimal parts.	Ditto, but can use original carriers and blocks and can run same wheels on all four hubs.	Can use original carriers and blocks or Nitro carriers - your choice. 1. Build features Project Stampede exclusive shock tower brace. 2. Zero binding points. 3. Easy for a novice to assemble, 4. Use widely available parts, 5. Minimal modification, 6. Super durable, 7. Eliminate inherent binding issues with the Stampede, 8. Allow for complete flexibility of shock attachment to the front of the arms, 9. Allow for a wide variety of options for camber links or even multiple camber links. 10. Can use all four wheels interchangeably.
Disadvantages	Two different wheel types. Have to Cut into arms. Hard to change position of shocks on the fly. Even with trimming some binding points exist.	Have to Cut into arms. Hard to change position of shocks on the fly. Even with trimming some binding points exist.	More stuff to buy than other builds. Some items may be tougher to find. Heavier build if optional shock tower brace is added.

Optional and really handy
1 - extra set of 4 Duratrax captured ball ends and screw in balls in case you screw some up.
You may like these so much that you may want to use these also for the steering linkage.
2 - sets new 2.2" wheels. Hey your are doing the upgrade spring for new wheels
Just about any standard 2.2" wheel will work with a hex hub just don't buy Stampede Rear wheels.
2 - sets new 2.2" Tires. Hey your are doing the upgrade spring for new tires also - your choice
plus remember the tire glue if you don't have some already.
1 - set new springs - This is really optional - I kept the stock springs in place.
* - Other upgrades you somehow can justify in your head while doing this mod.

The first thing is to disassemble either the right or left front suspension, however I would recommend that you leave one side or the other in place so that you have a post point of reference so you can put everything back together.

The Project Stampede Ultra-Pede wide-pede conversion only request the removal of 1/2" of the rear top
rib of the arm. This is the only arm modification required. Although not absolutely necessary, it will allow for bind free clearance of the bearing carrier when it swings all the way in if using the arms it their most downward position. A Dremel tool with a mini-sanding drum works best for this.

The shock mount holes should be drilled out all the way through one side of the arm with a bit that matches the size of the hole which I believe is a 3/32" or slightly larger (in a standard home drill bit set).

Using a 1/8" bit re-drill and widen the hole in the shock pistons and the caster blocks. Drilling the pistons is easy, however drilling the caster blocks takes some time because what is really needed is a No. 30 or No. 29 drill bit to make the hole big enough that it does not bind on the chassis pins when installed. What I did was let the drill bit spin in the caster block hole for a minute to widen the hole a bit. This is trial and error. Stop once you can hold the pin in your bar had and spin the caster block, the caster block should not spin freely on the pin or you will need to buy a new set of caster blocks because it will be too loose. I screwed up and went up one bit size during this part, because I was inpatient and had to buy new caster blocks.

After completing these items attach the arms to front of the Stampede with the shock holes facing to the front and the extra bracing on the arms facing down. The arms should be installed/positioned exactly as the rear arms are installed and not flipped or turned over. Use one shock piston on each side of the chassis as spacers and screw the chassis pin in. On the bottom, attach the caster block using 3 #4 washers on only the front side of the caster block. The arm at this point should fit perfectly and be as tight and secure as stock.

Camber Links
The easiest solution for camber links is to go with the Jato 58mm turnbuckles or the X series set of Aluminum turnbuckles. They are a direct fit for both front and rear camber links however the Traxxas Shim Set Jato balls #5529 will need to be put on the ends that are not already installed for clearance with the big washer side out to prevent accidental pop-offs. Standard turnbuckles 72mm turnbuckles can also used with standard Traxxas ball ends with the Traxxas Shim Set Jato balls #5529 installed on the ends.

Dual Camber Links only Option
Making new camber links - I found that by using the 72mm Traxxas Turnbuckles, which you use for rear adjustable camber links, I did not need to cut or trim the turnbuckles, however I did screw them pretty far into the ends. Using the 72mm turnbuckles, attach a shortened pivot ball end (use a nail clipper to cut off/trim back 1/4" from one of the long captured ball ends - shorter ball ends may not require this step) to one end and screw down to pretty far onto the rod, then do the same on the other end with a standard captured pivot ball end. Check the length from the caster block to the camber link attachment point on the shock tower. Adjust the rough length as needed. Fine tuning can be done after assembly. Repeat you need two.

Screw in the pivot balls into the back (stock placement) caster block and the back (stock placement) shock tower. Also on the bottom of the steering servo saver with two #4 washers each. Attach the threaded female pivot ball studs on the other side of the exposed threads of each pivot ball.

TIP - use a electric drill and a crescent wrench or pliers to screw in the ball ends

Making new steering tie rods - I found that there is no such thing as a 94mm Traxxas rod (I couldn't find it) as specified in Jang's Ultimate Stampede project it is 96mm. Using the 96mm Traxxas Turnbuckles attach a ball end to one end, then do the same on the other end with a standard Traxxas bar end. Repeat you need two. Check the length from the bearing carrier to the steering servo. Adjust the rough length as needed. Fine tuning can be done after assembly.

Attach the steering rod and camber links (front of shock tower to rear of caster block). The steering attachment to the caster block should be set up exactly as the stock configuration.

Next attach the shocks by first screwing in the grub screw, followed by a #4 washer, 5mm pivot ball (or some such idea), the shock head, that thing that looks like a plastic shoulder bolt in the Traxxas piston head set. Then option A. a washer and nut. or B. your previous front camber link fitted as a shock brace, then a washer and nut. The key here is NOT to crank it down really tight and to assure that the shock does not bind when it pivots. The pivot ball only give you a little wiggle room, and if it too tight the bottom of the shock will not make the swing over to the front of the arm for connection.

Attach the lower shock as normal with the stock front shock arm screw/bolt. Using, the second from the top hole should give you about stock set up. But with the Ultra-Pede conversion you can use any of the holes. I have changed over to Jato 58mm turnbuckles since publishing this and have attached at the front of shock tower to rear of caster block. Overall I think this is plenty strong and in my opinion has a more linear path of travel than other mounting options.

Roughly tune the camber links and steering turnbuckles and attach your new wheels and continue tuning the chassis.

There should be no binding. The cool thing is that you can also run dual camber links on each side, or better yet use the Jato turnbuckle as mentioned above for the camber link. Additionally you have the flexible mounting options and can move your camber link to also attach on the back of the shock tower. If you are running your suspension really low snap on the steering linkage on top of the servo saver. This build gives you ultra flexibility - Have fun with the Ultra-Pede.

All modes - Re-attach the front wheels by assembling onto the axel as normal but add two locking star washers just before screwing on the nut. The front axel is just a little bit too long and the star washers assure the nut can properly tightened.

Other Pics. - Click on any for a larger view.

Also Dual Front Camber links

This is and example of the flexibility of the Ultra-Pede build I was mentioning above. They work great and were a permanent modification until I moved to the Jato Camber links.

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Traxxas Jato Turnbuckles on Rear for Camber Links

A direct fit is the Traxxas Jato Camber links turnbuckles 58mm #5539 - also a direct fit for rear camber links on the Stampede. Don't think I am going to bust these.

Make sure you use the captured ball ends and go with the Traxxas washer machine head screws otherwise there will be to much play if you use the stock shoulder bolts without the captured balls.