Step-by-step building the X-Ray (E) 808 Buggy!..

[auto2]

your outer tie rods are on backwards. the rim will hit them like that.

thing looks like its coming along well shaun, cant wait to see it going! have a nice hangover! lol

[MetalMan]

Lookin' good! I too spent a long night last night assembling my new buggy... Total build time for mine (including today) was 7 1/2 hours. But of course I didn't get the awesome build pictures you have... Even if you won't be racing this buggy on Sunday, you should still bring it!

sorry to thread jack but METALMAN! i need to see pics of this buggy. im still debating if i should get one or not. (your talking about the sh z car right)

[jnev]

Its looking great so far TDC! Definitely looking forward to the next update. Can't wait to see it in action at the SoCal bash!!

[TDC57]

Originally Posted by lincpimp

I have to say that the buggy looks really nice. I do not own any xray products, but they look extremely nice! I also had a chuckle at your "hangover and asprin" situation. I am a cognac drinker, and do not know if that would be a good idea when working on my r/cs! I prefer to have a few "ladies" around when I drink, just in case the "need" arises!

Your build looks great, and fun too! I am currently assembling a tamiya kit (tons of tiny nuts and screws) and having a blast. The build process is my favorite part. Not so fond of working out the kinks, but sometimes it has to be done! Have fun Shaun!

Good to hear from you Sir lincpimp…
Thanks for the kind words and the encouragement to press onward, cognac haa.. (classy!!) I cant even imagine attempting to do these builds with something that will kick you a$$ after two drinks and I loved your comment on the ladies around just incase the need arises.. I laughed out load.. I’ve been married for 18 years with two kids that need is long gone (the wife killed that years ago!).. can you say UNIC?? Haaa haaa.. But more power to you SIR..

Which Tamiya kit are currently working on??, got any pics of your progress??. The build! is what keeps me coming back “for sure” that is my favorite part out of everything!!

Thanks again for your comments and encouragement!!!

Have a great one

Shaun.

Originally Posted by auto2

your outer tie rods are on backwards. the rim will hit them like that.

Hay auto2..
It took me 4 times reviewing my truck but I final found that screw-up on my part.. Thanks soooo much the comment.. I really appreciate it!! This is my first buggy so I'm kind of learning as I go, I'm just glad this one was discovered now.. Did you see any other mistakes on my part?? If so please feel free to forward them along.

Thanks again…

Have a great one..

Shaun.

Originally Posted by big greg

thing looks like its coming along well shaun, cant wait to see it going! have a nice hangover! lol

Thank you “BG”.. It’s been a blast and tremendous learning experience so for.. This morning hangover wasn’t even close the Fridays / Saturday morning one.. I just need to learn that my limit on Screwdrivers is 3 glasses not 4.. I went through 70 percent of a 750ml bottle that night!..

Have a great ONE… and thanks for stopping bye..

Shaun.

Originally Posted by MetalMan

Lookin' good! I too spent a long night last night assembling my new buggy... Total build time for mine (including today) was 7 1/2 hours. But of course I didn't get the awesome build pictures you have... Even if you won't be racing this buggy on Sunday, you should still bring it!

Good evening MetalMan… Thanks for the kind words, I checked out your build and was extremely impressed!!! (NICE!!).. I still am having “personal issues” that you can build it twice as fast as me (but then you’re a better Man than I am!!).. I'm looking for forward to next weekend at the track with you and others, I'm hoping to learn a thing or two!!.. Again thanks soo much for stopping bye..

Have a great one SIR…. And best of luck with Awesome build yourself.. (Not that you need it!)..

Originally Posted by jnev

Its looking great so far TDC! Definitely looking forward to the next update. Can't wait to see it in action at the SoCal bash!!

Hay Jnev… Thank you Sir.. I really looking forward to our planned excursion, have we nailed down the exact date yet??.

Thanks again for stopping buy and leaving a positive comment!!

Have a great one.. and a fabulous memorial day…

Shaun.

[TDC57]

I’ve got some questions for the team / family (hope you don’t mind)??

1. What is Drooop?? And what setting do I / have you used with any success?
2. Isn’t there supposes to be some kind of dust boot covering up the ball joints?? They are totally exposed and I can see the front tires kicking up everything on my rears every time when driven?? What am I missing here??
3. What is going to be braking on here, I hate beaning down (much like you) and feel the need to order extra parts, got any suggestions??.
4. Does anyone have a SETUP sheet they can send me?? This buggy has sooooo many different options I don’t even know where to begin other than what the instruction recommend..
5. Not that she’s running yet, but how do I judge service on a buggy and to what length is involved??, a complete teardown or just regular maintenance??, what is regular maintenance on a buggy anyway??
6. What is the recommended shock rebound setting for buggys?? The instructions give me three options (low, 50% and 100%) what are your thoughts / suggestions..

I'm SSSssoooo sorry for the newbie questions!! andThanks SOOOooo much for your time and have a great one!!!


Shaun.

[MetalMan]

Originally Posted by TDC57

I’ve got some questions for the team / family (hope you don’t mind)??

1. What is Drooop?? And what setting do I / have you used with any success?
2. Isn’t there supposes to be some kind of dust boot covering up the ball joints?? They are totally exposed and I can see the front tires kicking up everything on my rears every time when driven?? What am I missing here??
3. What is going to be braking on here, I hate beaning down (much like you) and feel the need to order extra parts, got any suggestions??.
4. Does anyone have a SETUP sheet they can send me?? This buggy has sooooo many different options I don’t even know where to begin other than what the instruction recommend..
5. Not that she’s running yet, but how do I judge service on a buggy and to what length is involved??, a complete teardown or just regular maintenance??, what is regular maintenance on a buggy anyway??
6. What is the recommended shock rebound setting for buggys?? The instructions give me three options (low, 50% and 100%) what are your thoughts / suggestions..

I'm SSSssoooo sorry for the newbie questions!! andThanks SOOOooo much for your time and have a great one!!!


Shaun.

1) Droop is commonly referred to as the amount of down-travel that the suspension is limited to. The setting you use often will depend on the track/surface. For example, on a track with HUGE jumps you will want to unscrew those little set screws to increase down-travel, as this will allow your suspension to work more. However, too much can be a bad thing because it will allow more body roll which decreases handling capability (sway bars are a fix for this, though).

2) Which ball joints are you referring to? Typically 1/8 buggies/truggies don't use dust shields anywhere except on the shock shafts. I never really thought about it it, but I suppose it might be because these vehicles are able to withstand such punishment. (Are you comparing the dust shields on the Revo?)

3) Obviously I can't answer this question 100% accurately, but in general you might want to stock up on front and rear arms (upper and lower) and if there are plastic arm mounts (or hinge pin plates, or whatever you want to call them) those could also be good candidates.

4) Do the instructions have a reccommended setup? That's always a good place to start. Aside from that, I am of no help here.

5) Things that often wear out the fastest are hinged suspension components, such as the suspension arms, arm mounts, rear axle carriers, and front c-hubs (if the front suspension uses a c-hub). This will be different from buggy to buggy based on the design (for example, my new SH buggy uses rubber bushings between the hinge pins and the suspension arms to reduce wear). Shock seals also wear out, and you can buy shock rebuild kits which include o-rings, shock pistons, etc.
I am not a big fan of doing maintenance on these buggies, so I just like to wait until I notice an unacceptable (by my standards) amount of slop in various parts to replace them.

6) I don't yet have enough racing experience to thoroughly answer this. That said, I tend to build my shocks with between 25-50% rebound, and make sure that all the shocks (or at least the fronts and the rears) rebound the same.

Any more pics of your awesome buildup?

[TDC57]

Awesome.. Thanks soooo much for the advice…. I'm building my shocks now and had no idea where to start as for rebounding settings.

Thanks again for everything …

Shaun.

[JERRY2KONE]

Shaun as usual your builds are entertaining and educational. With the cost of the G3R I will pass on that one. This one looks to be something that I definitely want to do down the road after I get the 4 SuperMaxx trucks up and running the way that I want. The quality of the parts in this 808 kit look to be some of the best that I have seen. They did a great job making this one perfect. Your phase by phase nararation is very inspiring and informitive. I love reading your project along the way. You may want to take it a little bit easier on your liver and kidneys though. Death by booze is not a pretty site. Moderation is the key. Anyway thank you for your project sharing program. Keep up the good work on the build and the photo updates along the way. Your efforts are much appreciated.

[TDC57]

Good morning team, today I decided to move the build inside so I could spend to time with the family, while kids were watching sponge bob, I was planning my next step, IE installing the center drive shaft. This ended up being relatively painless with the only modifications to date being the removal of the Nitro braking servo plate.

[TDC57]

With that installation completed it was time to install the side plates, hey it’s starting to look like a buggy at this point..









Now with the main chassis installed it was time to move on to the steering servo installation

[TDC57]

So with the basic chassis complete it was time move on to the construction of the shocks. I was extremely impressed with these / quality. I’ve had lots of experience dealing with the Traxxas big bore and the Integy MSR ones but these (but far) are superior, I can now understand why Neil installed them on his G3.0. again Neil is the man with the plan..






Please note that these bad boys consist of no less than 22 components per shock!





And they are HUGE!!! Here is the spring diameter





Well with the internal parts installed and set at 50% rebound (per Metalman) AKA Travis, I used a cutting tool on a Dermal to cut a little groove in the centre of the adjusting nut. I did this after I had assembled the shocks and made sure it was screwed all the way on to the body. It just means you can easily make equal adjustments left and right.






Excellent, now that the shocks are built it’s time for the installation of these bad boys, witch in turns brings me one step closer to completion. I did find it weird that the front right and rear left required a special silver screw turned counter turned clockwise is required, but hay who am I to question the manufacture / direction requirements. Especially at this hour.

[TDC57]

Ok I'm totally stocked at this point, now it’s time to install the rims and tires and the wing on this bad boy,
Yes I went the easy route and just purchased a set of buggy wheels with Bow-Tie installed on them already.











Wow my first impressions of this build once the basic build is complete is (wooow this thing cute!!)

Ok Now that the basic buggy is complete minus the motor and ESC (something just doesn’t feel right??) sure it looks good but lets do some comparison with it competition, AKA the GR3 E-Revo.. Wooow the differences are huge!! I hate to admit it but my first impression is my E-Revo will dive over this buggy and wont even bother looking back, What am missing here??. It’s a 1/8 scale same as my GorillaMaxx but it’s shorter, lighter and just feels / looks like my Meu 1515 !.5 ys will rip a hole in it!?? there is no way in hell this thing will last / take the kind of punishment I thought / hoped it would..


Team, am I missing something here??? It’s is truly stronger and handles better than I can imagine?? As stocked as I'm with this build it just feels / looks fragile compared to my GR3 and my other builds..










Shaun.

[JERRY2KONE]

Well after reading and seeing your photos during this build I know I just have to have an 808. I need to branch out a bit anyway, and a buggy is a must at any track. This thing is so well made. Are there any after market hopups for this thing yet? Nice truck, nice build, nice photos, and nice job Shaun. I look forward to the completion and testing of your project, and for getting one of these for myself. I guess this will be my Xmas wish from the wife this year. I can't wait to see how the BL gear gets mounted and how well it works in this vehicle. Keep up the good work TDC.