Capo 1:8 Jeep CD15823

[Prop Shaft]

Received my Capo Jeep. Going to start it tomorrow. For now heres some unboxing pics.


Engerish much?


The body pieces are all cast aluminum

The most scale looking shocks i have seen to date, 8mm bodies.


The wheels really are a work of art, very impressed with them.

Lots of cool parts in the bottom of the box! Radiator, hardened steel helical gears, etc. cant wait to get started.

A look inside the axles and the diff locking mechanism.

[Prop Shaft]

Got started on the build. Doesn't feel like I have much done when I sit back and look at it but there are just so many pieces its mind boggling. Started with a complete tear down of the axles to grease and thread lock all fasteners.

Inside the differentials. Someone voiced concern about them being made of pot metal but they look strikingly similar to the re-re bruiser diffs. Right down to the hardened steel planetary gears. Which have proven to hold up great on my bruiser even under brushless power. I recently took the rear axle apart and it all still looks brand new. For this reason I chose to use the same Tamiya ceramic grease in these axles.

Wheels are 2.8 and they look to be about the same diameter as the RC4WD mud slingers on my bruiser.

A look inside the front axle. They use cvd's and have no 4mm nut holding on the hubs, just an e-clip.

The first problem I encountered was with the tapping of the holes for the 6mm screws that hold on the diff cover. They weren't drilled or tapped deep enough to use a 6mm screw like the manual states. The axles came pre assembled and the screws were all sticking out 1 to 2mm. My fix was to shorten some screws. 4 of the screws that hold the diff on are short ones, the other 4 are 12mm as they secure into the 3rd member itself. Which meant I had to shorten the 14mm scale bolts I used as there aren't any in a 12mm size.

Completed front axle. Scale Bolts all the way around. The link mounts are 2 pieces that are screwed together with 4 m2 screws that clamp the axle, and an m3 screw is used to key them on the axle. I forgot to slap on both calipers for the pics.. Whoops.


For the rear axle I decided to fix the 6mm screw problem differently. I drilled through the case and retapped the holes to accommodate the longer screws. It will add a bit more strength as opposed to shortening the screws. I considered going back and doing the same type of fix to the front axle but it took so long just to get to this point, I wasn't about to tear down the axle again.

Completed rear axle. The link mounts bolt on much the same as the front, this time with 4 m2 nuts though.

Chassis assembly. Chassis consists of stamped steel rails and solid aluminum bars connecting them.

Lower links and the grommet and sleeve mounting method. Pretty scale. The uppers are standard ball type links.

This is where I am at with it so far. It took most the day to get to this point. All in all a great looking 5 link setup.



More to follow soon. Hoping I can do more tonight. Im at the point where I need to start putting in some servos believe it or not. The steering and diff lock servos mount on the rear of the chassis. And 3 mini servos mount inside the faux motor housing. Need to hit the hobby shop.

[Prop Shaft]

Work continues, stayed up late last night and spent some quality time with the jeep. The bearings were really tight on the steering shaft, and very loose fitting into the housing. So i pressed them in with paper towel. Also shimmed the shaft so there is no up and down movement. End result was a nice slop free steering arm.


Routing the steering cable. This was the easy part. Things get a lot trickier on the servo side.



This is how the servos mount together.
And heres the cables mounted up. Your basically stuck using a futaba type 25t spline servo because thats the only size horn included with the kit.


This is where the servos are mounted for steering and diff lock.


Thats it for now. Will be working on it some more today so the next update should be soon.

[Rakthi]

WOW, nice piece of kit! You must be one of the first to have this. Last time I checked they were still taking pre-orders.

Have been hoping someone would get one and start a build thread.

Thank you for that! Keep the pics and info coming

Looks like it will be a great vehicle when finished.

Cheers and congratulations!

Stephan

[RCP57]

That's cool! Thanks for posting. I love the larger scale models.

[Prop Shaft]

Originally Posted by Rakthi

WOW, nice piece of kit! You must be one of the first to have this. Last time I checked they were still taking pre-orders.

Have been hoping someone would get one and start a build thread.

Thank you for that! Keep the pics and info coming

Looks like it will be a great vehicle when finished.

Cheers and congratulations!

Stephan

Thanks. They're pretty much readily available now, even *** is selling them. I bought mine from the same guy I bought my Tatra from. He gave me a better deal.

Originally Posted by RCP57

That's cool! Thanks for posting. I love the larger scale models.

I've always tried to stick to true 1:10 scale myself. All though once in a while a model comes along that is so cool I throw that rule out the window!

[Prop Shaft]

Finally got the steering working properly. It was proving near impossible to get the steering arm centered at the same time the servo was centered. Plus there was alot of play in the cables my first attempt. Had to get clever and mount a spare link to the arm and chassis to hold it still.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbL0vPB9X9M

[Prop Shaft]

I found it necessary to trim most of the rubber grommets off the servo wires. They are awful close to the horns and I was worried about them rubbing. I needed to get a sharper bend out of them. Also zip tied them to the servos to keep them clear.


Added a washer to the rear bumper mounts.

And got the servo bank all mounted up.

Front links assembled.

Mounted to axle.

Filled the shocks with oil. Don't forget the slime!

Decided to use some purple spacers here as there was over 2mm of slack.

And this is where the real problems started. After getting everything mounted up. I noticed the travel up front was being limited by something. Turned out the axle was hitting the pan-hard bar mount. The immediate fix was to extend the pan hard bar but then the axle was WAY off center. At least it looked it to me... Others might not have noticed but it was driving me nuts. Notice how much shock travel is left at full compression.


What I ended up doing was shimming the steering box/pan hard mount off the frame a bit to give it more clearance. And living with the axle being just a bit off center. It rubs now, but at least it has almost full travel now. Hoping after things break in it wont be an issue.

And heres where I'm at now with it. I spent a large portion of the day on this thing but the progress doesn't seem to show it. Its slow going being as meticulous as I am with something with so many parts....

[Rakthi]

Hi Prop, looks like their quest for realistic scale has infringed on the suspension. Seems like you found a solution though. On the pictures I can not make out if the axle is of centre. Did the oil for the shocks come with the model or is that an extra purchase? Looking forward to your next update. Must say the parts look meticulously machined.

If you are going to use the Jeep a lot you might have to trim the steering from time to time due to cable stretch. I guess they have provided the means for that.

Trimming the rubber of the servo wires ... neatly done! I would probably have nicked the wires themselves trying to do that.

Stephan

[Prop Shaft]

Originally Posted by Rakthi

Hi Prop, looks like their quest for realistic scale has infringed on the suspension. Seems like you found a solution though. On the pictures I can not make out if the axle is of centre. Did the oil for the shocks come with the model or is that an extra purchase? Looking forward to your next update. Must say the parts look meticulously machined.

If you are going to use the Jeep a lot you might have to trim the steering from time to time due to cable stretch. I guess they have provided the means for that.

Trimming the rubber of the servo wires ... neatly done! I would probably have nicked the wires themselves trying to do that.

Stephan

Its hard to tell in the pic but the axle more to the right, and under compression it gets closer to being centered. No oil or grease is included. I threw in some 30wt. Yup there are adjusters for the cables. And the trimming the rubber wasnt bad trick is to use a nice sharp exacto and bend the grommet while making light cuts. If that makes any sense...

[Prop Shaft]

I wasn't able to get to work on this last night, but i managed to get a few hours in tonight. After making sure everything was thread locked and tighten up on the front end, I noticed yet another issue. This it the pass side sitting normally.

And this is under full compression. Notice how much shock travel is left, and that the steering link is touching the frame.

My solution was to bent the steering link into more of a strait link then the bend it came with. Seeing how it needed to be lengthened anyways, it worked out perfect. Steering kink as it came in the kit.

And after a date with a vice and some pliers.

End result. Problem solved. Link now touches the frame right at full compression.

Here's the rear diff lock cable installed.

And the front diff lock cable.

Rear bumper beam/frame x member.

Bumper installed.


Then I came across an issue with the front frame mounting to the middle frame bars. The holes they say to screw into in the manual isn't threaded. You can clearly see where it was drilled out after anodizing.

My solution was to put a nyloc nut on a longer bolt.

The manual states m2x6 screws to mount the wheels on. But as you can see, theres maybe 1-1/2mm of thread sticking out the back side of the wheel. I chose to use an 8mm screw instead.

We have a ROLLER!

Front bumper installed.

[Prop Shaft]

So heres where the real disappointment comes in. The steering seems to, well.... SUCK! I have dialed out all the slack, to the point where all i can do now is back off the adjusters, and rewrap the cables on the servo horn to tighten them back up.. There seems to be a lot of cable stretching. But with out even any real weight on the truck, the steering is struggling to center itself. Granted it might work fine while its moving, but I cant see it performing very well while crawling or under moderate bind situations. Take notice of the actual servo horn in this video. Its a 425 in/oz servo and is crazy strong. But the setup looses so much by the time it gets to the steering arm.
http://youtu.be/yo61bnruUCM
I smell a chassis mounted servo in this rigs future. Looks like theres plenty of room at this point. The motors sitting a little crooked but you get the idea.

Bit of a size comparison. I set it on top of my Capo 8x8, which is a huge, true 1:10 scale tatra.

Its actually a bit wider then the Tatra.

[Rakthi]

Neat solution on the steering linkage! You are a brave man bending things on such a pricy kit.
Weird that they choose to have the steering done by cables. Even more so with the distance between servo and steering. Maybe, like you say, gets better once moving. But that self centring is indeed a bit of a worry.
Nice progress though! And putting it on top of the Tatra makes me realise it's even bigger than I thought.
This is going to something else once finished!

Stephan.

[Prop Shaft]

Originally Posted by Rakthi

Neat solution on the steering linkage! You are a brave man bending things on such a pricy kit.
Weird that they choose to have the steering done by cables. Even more so with the distance between servo and steering. Maybe, like you say, gets better once moving. But that self centring is indeed a bit of a worry.
Nice progress though! And putting it on top of the Tatra makes me realise it's even bigger than I thought.
This is going to something else once finished!

Stephan.

Thanks. Turns out I didnt have the steering rod oriented the right way. The instructions were very vauge. The bend in the link was supposed to face forward and not up. Still im fine with the end result.

[Prop Shaft]

Got to work on the engine/transmission.

Shift forks


Bolted on tranny tail

Transfer case mounted

Gears installed

A look at the 2wd/4wd shift mechanism



It seems to work really smooth. Only thing im not thrilled about is how open the top of the trans is to outside debris.

Disc brake cam and piston


No brake pads to speak of. Just metal on metal.

Mounted up

Using the 45 can motor that came with the cross 8x8. 45t is recommended in the manual and I had this one laying around so.... Notice the brass helical pinion gear. Hope its durable.

Rest of the gears installed.


All greased up and ready to close up.

Oil pan installed.

Started mounting the 3 sub micro servos.

And this is where I leave it for the night. This thing reminds me alot of the original bruiser trans. It functions much the same way, with the exception that it looks realistic on the outside.

[Rakthi]

The gears in the gearbox and transfer case look up to the job, not like the brass gears they used in the Capo. I presume the brass on the motor will be up to the task and in worst case would be a sacrificial part?

Outer casing looks very well finished and realistic. Like the transfer case brake. Just like on the Defender I used to have. (although there it was drum brake).

3 servos. Guessing one for the gearbox, one for the transferbox and one for the brake?

All in all very neat kit, nice machining/casting on the parts and looks like excellent fit too.

I guess by the time you finish this build I will be sorely tempted ...

Stephan

[Prop Shaft]

Originally Posted by Rakthi

The gears in the gearbox and transfer case look up to the job, not like the brass gears they used in the Capo. I presume the brass on the motor will be up to the task and in worst case would be a sacrificial part?

Outer casing looks very well finished and realistic. Like the transfer case brake. Just like on the Defender I used to have. (although there it was drum brake).

3 servos. Guessing one for the gearbox, one for the transferbox and one for the brake?

All in all very neat kit, nice machining/casting on the parts and looks like excellent fit too.

I guess by the time you finish this build I will be sorely tempted ...

Stephan

Yeah all the gears with the exception of the pinion are big and beefy, and also hardened steel. The pinion could be considered sacrificial, if I knew where I could get a replacement. Having a helical cut makes it pretty unique as far as pinions go.

The brakes are an interesting animal... Im not sure how usefull its going to be, but i plan on controlling it with a dial. So it can function as an adjustable drag brake on the fly. Are you talking a 1:1 landy that had a brake like this? Or a scaler?
This kit overall shows some pretty presice machining. I cant however vouche for the tapping of the screw holes. Im constantly finding ones not tapped deep enough for the specified screws, and one on the trans case wasnt tapped at all.
I would say to anyone if you dont mind having to perform numerous small tweeks and modifications, you will be more then happy with this Jeep. Im not even a jeep guy and I love it lol.

[Prop Shaft]

So I made a trip to the local hobby store today, and boy my wallet payed for it...
I was looking for a dx8 or futaba 7 channel but all they had was a DX9. A hefty price tag but I rationalized it by telling myself this will be the last transmitter ill ever have to buy. Im good at convincing myself I need to buy things lol. Now I can install servos and make sure they are centered properly. And I have my switch layout mostly figured out now. Plan is lights and a winch for the extra channels. Work will continue tonight!

[Rakthi]

Originally Posted by Prop Shaft

Yeah all the gears with the exception of the pinion are big and beefy, and also ... more then happy with this Jeep. Im not even a jeep guy and I love it lol.

Yes, the Defender was (or is, still not sold, sitting at dealer on consignment) a 1:1 truck. Very very nice car if you like primitive, noisy, cramped and kind of unreliable ... Wouldn't have used that on the fly though, would probably rip the whole transmission to pieces. After going trough some reasonably deep water and then parked it up with the transmission brake applied, the bloody thing would rust and be a real pain to break it free.

Don't know about your Capo, but on mine I had some cross threaded screws, a couple of holes without thread and the load bed didn't fit. The holes were off with about 3/16th inch. Seems they have not improved there. Doing all those little tweaks does make building it more interesting.

Noticed there are some companies selling helical gears, so you might be lucky to find one with some searching. Or a good machinist should be able to duplicate it. If you are really going to use it in rough terrain, I would take some measurements and pictures of it.

For the brake, have you thought of putting/gluing some thin felt as pads? Might make them more controllable.

I see you as good at convincing yourself as I am ...

[Prop Shaft]

Originally Posted by Rakthi

Yes, the Defender was (or is, still not sold, sitting at dealer on consignment) a 1:1 truck. Very very nice car if you like primitive, noisy, cramped and kind of unreliable ... Wouldn't have used that on the fly though, would probably rip the whole transmission to pieces. After going trough some reasonably deep water and then parked it up with the transmission brake applied, the bloody thing would rust and be a real pain to break it free.

Don't know about your Capo, but on mine I had some cross threaded screws, a couple of holes without thread and the load bed didn't fit. The holes were off with about 3/16th inch. Seems they have not improved there. Doing all those little tweaks does make building it more interesting.

Noticed there are some companies selling helical gears, so you might be lucky to find one with some searching. Or a good machinist should be able to duplicate it. If you are really going to use it in rough terrain, I would take some measurements and pictures of it.

For the brake, have you thought of putting/gluing some thin felt as pads? Might make them more controllable.

I see you as good at convincing yourself as I am ...

What is that brake intended to be used for?

I had similar issues with my Tatra. With exception that I can muscle my bed on, the hole dont line up perfect, but enough to get the screws started.

I may be able to find some pinions for this, havent really looked.

On my jeep if i deem the brake usefull i will look into some sort of pad, felt idea isnt bad.

Ive gotten pretty good at convincing myself, my wife on the other hand....