My First Scale Build...Jeep Tuber

[NCNitro]

I have always wanted to build a Jeep tuber, however the price tag on a Boyer is a bit up there and I just never got around to doing it. Well recently I have been doing some work for a welder so I roped him in to helping me build my own. So I have finally started building my own Jeep tuber.

Originally I was going to use a set of Clod axles I have on this project but have since changed my mind and decided to make this a scale trail rig rather than a crawler, since I already built one of those. So I sold off the clod axles and decided to go with a set of Axial axles.

The tube chassis is 3/16 steel rod, mig welded. It's built to fit inside an HPI Rubicon body so that I can use the hood and sides of the body over the chassis. Forgive the bad pics but my digital camera recently expired and I had to take these pics with my camcorder...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DCFC0005.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DCFC0009.jpg

Here it is after some more tube work...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0310.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0312.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0309.jpg

I added the rear bars, changed the center section a bit since I have decided to build a full interior for it and will need to add another section a bit lower for the tranny to allow clearence for a floor. I have also started cleaning up all the welds.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0327.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0332.jpg

I also made a front brush/rock bar, I still need to add a few support pieces to the hoop, and the tabs to bolt it to the chassis .The grill guard will be removable rather than welded to the chassis, that way I can make different style guards and change the look if I want to.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0328.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0325.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0324.jpg

[NCNitro]

I mocked it up with the rims and tires from my sons stampede to get an idea of how it will look, heres a few pics of it mocked up, actually it looks more scale in person than it does in the pics, I will actually be using the new 2.2 Mudslingers made by RC4WD and Junfac beadlocks...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0320.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0318.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/IMG_0321.jpg

I decided to do a full interior on my scale project, my sons (with a little help from my wife, lol) got me a couple Recaro racing seats for it for my birthday. These look sweet! I love them. I will be making the floor, and interior fire wall from styrene scale diamond plate, the cardboard is just to mock it up and get the size I will need, also so I can figure out how much lower the bottom motor/tranny section will need to be to clear the floor. I will also be making a dash and center console for it as well.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DSC00407.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DSC00417.jpg

I got the front and rear upper link mounts and shock mounts welded to the chassis

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/rearshockmounts.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/FrontShockMounts.jpg

They were still rough when I took these pics, you can see in the pic of the front link mounts on the inside where I started grinding them down. I have no less than 5 hours in just cleaning up all the welds from the link mounts.

I decided I wanted to go with the no doors look, so I cut the doors off the body, but did not like how the chassis looked at all with the bars crossing right across the door openings.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/SideTubes2bRemoved2.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/SideTubes2bRemovedNaked.jpg

[NCNitro]

Out came the dremel and using a diamond cut off disk, off came the bars across the doors.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/SideTubesRemovedNaked2.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/SidesTubesRemoved2.jpg

At this point I have all the welds cleaned up and added the lower tranny mounting location. The chassis is now basically done other than the powder coating. I still haven't really decided on what color I want to powder coat it yet.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/RoughFinishedChassis9.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/RoughFinishedChassis6.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/RoughFinishedChassis8.jpg

I made the front bumper grill guard a removable piece rather than welding it to the chassis. It worked out real nice and will give me different options, where I can also make different style grill guards, brush guards, and rock hoops and change them out should I want to, or should I damage one.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/RoughFinishedBrushGuard2.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/RoughFinishedChassis3.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/RoughFinishedChassis2.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/GrillGuard.jpg

[NCNitro]

I removed and replace the side bar where the doors would be and was much happier with the new design over the way it was.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/Updatedsidebar4.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/Updatedsidebar3.jpg

So this is where I am at now...

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/RoughFinishechassiswithLid5.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DSC00889.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/RoughFinishechassiswithLid.jpg

[NCNitro]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DSC00996.jpg

I am now getting to where I have to get it powder coated before I can continue on with the interior. I have made a few pieces of the interior though just to keep this moving forward. I used some 2mm styrene to make the floor and then covered that with some diamond plate styrene, then painted it silver, it looks like real diamond plate and I was very happy with the results. I also make a rear plate for it where I will mount a high lift scale jack and some other scale accessories in the future. I have also started on the dash but until I get the floor mounted solid I can't really continue with the dash. Very soon I will also be starting on a center console, also custom made from styrene.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DSC00982.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DSC00983.jpg

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DSC00993.jpg

I did however pick up the tires I want to use on it. They are the new 2.2 Scale 4x4 Mudslingers from RC4WD. These are some sweet looking tires, they look very similar to the old TSL Super Swampers. If they perform half as good as they look they should be awesome!

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/jpicior/DSC00998.jpg

I am trying to decide on a set of rims for it. Right now I just threw the tires on a set of Stampede rims just to get an idea of how they were going to look. I would love to get a set of RC4WD true scale bead locks but they are a bit pricey so I have been looking at the Junfac beadlocks, they look real nice for the money and I have heard very good things about them. But I want to wait untill I have the axles so I know what kind of offset I will want to go with.

So that's about it for now, hope to get some more work done to it real soon.

[1BadJeepBruiser]

Nice work so far, the frame cleaned up really nicely.

[NCNitro]

Thanks, I lost track of how many hours I spent cleaning up all the welds, lol. Now I just need to find someplace out here on the island where I can get it powder coated.

[master_of_desaster]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[colintrax]

definatly powdercoat it silver or black. also it looks ................AWSOME!!!:eek:

[NCNitro]

Yeah, I definately want to go with silver powder coat, I think it would look best silver. Just gotta find someplace local who can do it, I really don't want to mail it out anywhere after all the time and work I have in to it. I would be a nervous wreck until I got it back, lol.

[master_of_desaster]

i hear ya..tough tough tough. its look superb! good clean work!

[Pistonhead29]

Very nice work, the detail of those seats is crazy. Thanks for sharing.

[JasonC]

I used a shop here in Augusta that did me well:

http://www.powdercoatservice.com/

http://www.powdercoatservice.com/photoshoot5.htm

[NCNitro]

If you dont mind me asking, what did they hit you up to do the pc on your tuber? I am just worried about trusting the mail with mine, I have waaaay too much time in this now, I wouldnt sleep good till I got it back, lol.