About this build:
This article will take you through the build process of a CR-01 Jeep. The chassis components are identical for all CR-01's so this will help you on any CR-01 Build.
I will point out some important things along the way, these will focus on some common mistakes when building a CR-01. One of the most important things on any build is to use loctite where instructed. Make sure to keep loctite away from plastics as it will harm most plastics.
I will be adding some important Tamiya CR-01 Hop-ups to make your crawler more capable and assist in less maintenance during the vehicle's life. CR-01's come with full ball bearings for maximum performance and runtime.
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Box for the CR-01 Jeep
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Opened the box to get at all the stuff
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Pulled the parts out I needed to start
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Step #1 Assembled Catilever tops (build 4)
**I'd like to make a note please read step #1 atleast 10 times before assembly. This is one of the most mis-built steps on the CR-01. Pay attention to the angle of the pieces and direction they are facing, or you will have to rebuild them again.
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Step #2 - 3 Assemble frame rails (Make 2)
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Step #4 - 5 Assemble top deck and frame rails
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Step #6 Assemble Diff Gears (Make 2)
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Step #7 Assemble axles (Make 2)
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Step #8 Assemble axle mounts (make 2)
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Step #9 Assemble lower spring mounts (Make 2)
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Step #10 - 11 Assemble uprights (make 2)
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Step #12 Assembled Steering Servo
It's Important you power up your servo so you can find the neutral point, this will allow you to set up your servo saver quicker. Use of a standard servo will work, but of you want some extra power while turning you might look into a higher torque servo.
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Step #13 Servo plate and links
The stock plastic servo plates do their job. But if you can budget the Hopup plates, you will gain more control. Plastic will flex and when you are in the rocks needing that extra torque to make a tight turn, the aluminum servo plates with stand up to the rigors of torque and give you that extra effort. Not to mention they look nice as well!
Our manuals measure up, Items like rods can be measured directly on the page due to the scale drawings.
Step #14 Mounting Servo and Bumper
Step #15 Mounting Rear Plate and Lockout
Standard setup is front wheel steering, you can add a 2nd servo to give you rear steering. Adding a second servo requires either a radio/receiver with 3 channels/mixed or a servo "Y" cable on a 2ch radio setup. This will give you tighter turns but heighten your chances of turnovers at higher speeds. **Note if you were going to use this vehicle in crawler competitions, some rules may prohibit rear wheel steering. So consult the rules for more information regarding rear wheel steering.
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Step #16 Rod Assembly
In this step you will make 2 "S" and 6 "L" rods. Please note that BC3 (3x15mm screw) has a hex on one end, so you can use a 1.5mm hex wrench to help thread them into BB5 (Rod ends). Apply loctite to other end of BC3 before threading them into rods. Pay attention to the orientation of rod ends for each end of rod.
Shorter "S" rods go towards front attaching top of front axle to chassis.
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Step #17 - 18 Assembly of Dampers
Dampers are never my favorite part of a build. But there are ways to make it a bit easier.
Use of a Damper Air Remover, will take the time out of getting all that trapped air from the oil filled dampers. This can be a builders best friend and cut your built time down considerably.
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Step #19 Assemble the Springs
If you don't look at the springs closely you will miss that they are marked by colors to signify spring rate. The Front Springs "Blue" are hard, where the Rear "Yellow" are medium. There is a Hop-up setting spring set that will give you more choices for damper setup.
Color to Spring Rate
hard (blue)
medium (yellow)
soft (red)
Once you figure out your springs assembly is very simple.
Step #20 Add the dampers to chassis
assemble 4 turnbuckles and add them with the dampers to the chassis. Be careful to mount the dampers in the right chassis holes.
PRE-Step #21 Tranny Mods
The tranny on this CR-01 comes pre-assembled
I will be adding the Tamiya Aluminum Skid plate and Motor Heat Sink to this tranny.
What will these do for me?
- Skid Plate will add rigidity and create a smooth surface for less friction over rocks.
- Motor Heat Sink with its heat sink fins aid in cooling the motor while crawling.
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I wanted to use something different than the stock motor, so I chose one of our old M-Motors (Item 53251). This motor is 35T so I expect some more torque while keeping the wheel speed acceptable. It has a nice compact design, so it will be tucked in from the edge of the skid plate.
The CR-01 Jeep comes with pre-assembled prop shafts. I wanted to beef up my driveline for some tough crawling and opted for our Steel with my 35T motor. Item #54112 85mm REAR and Item #54113 95mm FRONT are the correct ones for this build. You can see the profile difference between the two here. The manual asks you to grease the shafts, but where I crawl there is dirt/sand and I find this will attract dirt and cause excessive wear and binding. If you were only going to crawl indoors or rock courses with no dirt present, you could lube the shafts. Make sure you loctite all the set screws or expect to rebuild them quickly.
Prop Shafts mounted to chassis, please note as stated above 85mm shaft goes in the rear position.
Step #21 Tranny/Prop Shaft Installed
Step #22 Electronics
Use the supplied double-sided tape to mount your ESC and Receiver. Either coil wires or ziptie them into place for a clean install.
I will not be using the standard tube antenna, but I will use a internal antenna. Luckily with crawling you are always in close range to your vehicle so using an internal antenna works nicely. It will give you a more scale look as well as eliminating the chance for your antenna to get snagged on the course. I always keep extra clear plastic from product packages or lexan around to cut/bend and notch. Wrap your lead around it and you have a low-cost internal antenna. You can buy these pre-made at your local hobby stores as well.
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Step #23 -24 Bumper/Front & Rear Cross member
Make sure you use loctite so you aren't dragging a bumper through the rocks.
Step #25 Attaching Wheels
The Jeep CR-01 comes with pre-assembled wheels/tires. I have chosen to add aluminum BeadLock rings to my build.
These will not only add a little weight down low compared to the plastic rings, but will help keep the beads locked during heavy torque conditions.
And the look cool!
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Step #27 - 32 Paint and Finish
Before I start painting there are a few items that need work. On the top you will find a mold mark, I put some Tamiya Putty and will sand it smooth.
There are sprue cross members in all the windows that need cut. After cutting you are left with a little work
By using sandpaper
You will get a nice smooth finish
After putty dried and I sanded it smooth, I hit the whole body with some light sanding to rough it up. Blew the body off with compressed air and washed it with water and dish soap. After letting it dry, I hit it with the first coat of primer
After applying a 2nd coat of primer and masking of the top, laying down a light first coat letting dry for a day. I have applied my 2nd coat of Mica Red and will be letting it dry for a couple days.
After 3 coats of red and 2 coats of clear, it was time to tape off the roof.
Shot the roof with 2 coats of Buff with my airbrush.
Taped off the rear handle and shot with black
Taped more on the side and shot the side fenders in black and details around window in gun metal
Added some paint to the bumper and turn signals.
Painted the hold-down hooks and side marker lights.
Shot of some of the detail on the side
Hope to finish this up in the next day or so.
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Fit & Finish
Bling
Front Grille
Painted off-road ligh covers Yellow and added a set of LED's to them. A TLU-01 comes with the Jeep but only has enough LED's for Front lights and Tail lights. You can easily add another set of LED's to the off-road lights and plug them into the TLU-01.
I added a spare tire on the rear. The both the CR-01 and CC-01 Jeeps, come with the Jack and Fake Tire Carrier. The CR-01 has you mount the Jack, where the CC-01 has you mount the Spare. I decided to do both but mount a actual 1.9 spare instead of the equipped plastic carrier. I know a 1.9 on a 2.2 looks odd but the 2.2 on the back was way too big and carried to much weight. I cut the cap from a Tamiya Spray Can to cover the rim and give it a nice finished look.
I used a spacer on top of the jack mount and mounted the tire all the way through the body to secure it.
Rear shot of Jeep.
Side Shot of Jeep.
Front Shot of Jeep.
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Here are some quick shots of the lights
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Video from Corona Del Mar Beach
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More Updates Coming Soon...
Last Updated 2009-08-06 10:25:00
Hoping to get it out in the rocks for some fun and pics soon!!!
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