Ratrod-RC

Ratrod-RC Ratrod-RC...
random builds, tips and thoughts.

When i talk about other "projects" on the side, this is what I am referring to. I picked this up at the local swap meet....
09/06/2026

When i talk about other "projects" on the side, this is what I am referring to. I picked this up at the local swap meet. A Traxxas TRX4 "high trail". It was in kind of rough shape, front axle was not working, rear axle was tight and it was missing electronics and a few other pieces.

After looking it over and finally cracking it open to investigate, I found rusted and seized bearings and some internals just not "right". Well, I have an older trx4 sport that I had cut up and mangled to make something different. And I have always thought about rebuilding it and putting it back to a stock(ish) set up. So I just swapped parts over...Basically, the whole drive train (axles, transmission & electronics) to have a stock(ish) trx4 again. Maybe later I will revisit the leftover parts and try to make something different...or maybe just rebuild what's leftover and sell the stuff...idk.

Anyways, back to tinkering. Thanks for reading.

~RR

09/06/2026

Besides the cheap sand car project that's going on, I am also working on things behind the scenes so to speak. Other, more basic builds... currently, rebuilding a 2wd Traxxas Rustler xl-5 that i acquired, that was a basket case. Replacing bearings, screws and the associated components and doing basic upgrades. Probably going to try and sell it, but any "profit" will be slim. After that, I am going to rebuild the donor stampede that u started with fit the sand car project with left over and gathered parts to try and recoup some money from that original purchase.

I still have my long sand car to finish up, hopefully this week so I can run it next Saturday at our club sand drag race..I will post some pics for that later, if I can complete it ever. Just always busy with rc related things and it seems that I never really have dedicated time for it...

Cheap Sand CarUpdate 6.5?Well let's start here. Traxxas Rustle 2wd chassis. New cost $15, I have s couple that are used....
09/04/2026

Cheap Sand Car
Update 6.5?

Well let's start here. Traxxas Rustle 2wd chassis. New cost $15, I have s couple that are used... used cost $7.50 i need two, so total cost on the used side, $15. Hopefully some work will get put in this weekend.

Pictures, ideas and the like to follow.
Sorry that it is taking so long.

08/31/2026

Cheap Sand Car
Update #6 (week 6).

I really thought for some reason that this would go a little quicker and by now I would be halfway there...

No luck at the swap meet, so i guess we just build with new or used parts that i have...I will break into the spare parts and see what I can come up with. Still going to be keeping track of the price point on some level though.

Obviously new parts are retail cost and how about used parts bring 50% of retail. Does that sound fair? Let me know what you think down in the comments.

As always. Like, follow& share.
~RR

08/24/2026

Project:
Cheap Sand Car

Update/ week #5

Well, as far as trying to score parts at the swap meet for this project... it was a bust. On the other hand, i did win some raffles... so i walk away with money to spend. The question now is, do i want to spend said money on parts or stick to my dirt cheap initial plan?

Help me decide! Comment and help guide me in a direction! Spend some cash or keep it cheap as intended?

Cheap Sand CarUpdate #4 (?)I played with gearing a little. I switched to 32p gears and geared it 50/19. Woke it up spee...
08/21/2026

Cheap Sand Car
Update #4 (?)

I played with gearing a little. I switched to 32p gears and geared it 50/19. Woke it up speed wise but overloaded the speed control so there was a lot of cogging off the line. We are going to pause the running/ speed testing for a minute though as this weekend is the local rc club's big weekend event. There will be a swap meet on Sunday, so i am hoping to pick up a few cheap parts for this build. I will post up next week with what I purchased (if anything) and a few ideas of where the build will go.

Like, follow and share!
As always, thanks for reading.
~RR

Cheap Sand Car.Update #3 First round of the build. Its first run was as expected, slow with wheelies as seen in the pre...
08/10/2026

Cheap Sand Car.
Update #3

First round of the build. Its first run was as expected, slow with wheelies as seen in the previous post. It's short wheelbase, subpar tires and short wheels bar makes the truck slow to start and hard to control.

The first set of cheap mods is a bit of a cheater mod. Replacing the stock wheelie bar with a custom made one (more on that a little later) and some gear changes. I say cheater mod because I already have some gears. But I will include the over the counter price for them even though I didn't buy them specifically for this build.

Still looking for a name for this build. Drop your suggestion below! Otherwise I'm just gonna name it myself...

Let's see what happens.

Like, follow & share.
Thanks for reading.
~RR

Project cheap sand car. Traxxas Stampede "Bigfoot" 2wd bl-2s.This was a Facebook marketplace find. Overall in good condi...
08/03/2026

Project cheap sand car.
Traxxas Stampede "Bigfoot" 2wd bl-2s.
This was a Facebook marketplace find. Overall in good condition, looks like it had been flipped over a few times, but I would say it is still an 8 out of 10 condition. It came with a 2s, 3000mah lipo. I actually thought that this was a brushed version because the listing stated that it was. Listing price was $120, picked it up for $100. This is my base to start the project with.

Still searching for a project name though, comment below with your suggestion.

The cheap sand car build starts next week...I need a project name, any suggestions?
07/31/2026

The cheap sand car build starts next week...
I need a project name, any suggestions?

Well, I was thinking today since I had a bit of downtime at work...How about a cheap build? Starting with nothing and bu...
07/28/2026

Well, I was thinking today since I had a bit of downtime at work...

How about a cheap build?
Starting with nothing and building a competitive car, built for a particular class. Right now i an running the sand drag program at our local rc club, so i thought, how about a cheap, competitive sand car?

Buying, trading or bartering to get to the end result and keeping track of the spending to see if it is actually worth it in the end. I will keep track of everything, post pictures of the build process and videos when possible.

Any suggestions on a spending cap?
Like, follow and comment to be a part of the process.

Thanks for reading
~RR

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