1969 El Camino - custom / lowrider

[frizzen]

It's not Trucks or Contruction, or even a scale that will play nicely with anything. This is toy grade 1/12

I really shouldn't share this project until i've tracked down a couple more of these old things, but i like you guys. Besides, the other people who can't afford a Redcat 1964 impala are raising the prices on these anyway.

Back around 2001 (08A01) RadioShack came out with a line of rc lowriders. 58 impala coupe, 64 impala coupe, 67 impala coupe, and 69 el camino. The 64, 67, 69 all had the same chassis that had a solid front, but could raise and lower the rear, and hit a 3-wheel. The 58 chassis would only do front and back. At the time it was not spectacular enough to get me away from just buying ZipZaps.

A while later (just after they went discontinued) a couple guys figured out many improvements on these chassis, then even went on to scratch building better ones to put under the bodies.

Eventually while looking for ideas for my lowered Split-Window VW truck that got 'air-ride', i again ran across the Jevries style builds on these. ****, i kinda want one now, if nothing else it'll scale to building a front end under my CrazyTaxi build later.

The cheapest one i could find arrives and starts getting worked over. Customs are always 'Built not Bought'.





I realized I can't make a dropped bed full of Batteries and Pumps and hardlines and fake wiring due to the moving rear pod stuff. Next best thing i can figure for scale is make a tonnau cover with a corner unsnapped and the ground disconnect hanging out.

Anyway, sharing the chassis mods will come a little later if anyone wants to take a ride.

[frizzen]

Time marches on, computers die, and servers shut down, plus Photobutt ruined quite a bit of the internet back in 2017. So much of my original reference materials were long gone. Places like The Mad Modeler forum, LayItLow, and even Lowrider used to have some really great content on making these things more awesome.

Jevries website keeps getting changed up as years go by, here are some useful links to get an idea what's up.
https://www.jevries.com
https://www.jevries.com/rclowriders
Check out "Beswitched" and "Lost Angel" plus some "switch action'' for inspiration. There are several other guys building customs than just Jeroen, but it's easier to get ideas off these pics.

[frizzen]

Yes i DO know the convention was that i'm actually building a "Custom", and the "Lowrider" here is actually whoever is holding the remote driving it. Meh, everything is a "custom" to some extent once it leaves the dealer.

If Frizzen builds a lowrider...
https://youtu.be/JqmGOKTK5Ns

Anyway. We're skipping around in the build so that you don't suffer through the down time since it arrived back March.



There is a horizontal cam on the top of rear axle that works against an arm coming off the 3-wheel yoke, this changes ride height. I lowered the 'dumped' side of the cam, trimmed the arm to where it no longer touched the center top of the cam. Then added some epoxy to the bottom side of the cam so it wouldn't flex as much. I'd rather just run a servo on rear axle that can work against the 3-wheel yoke, but that's maybe version 2?

The "3-wheel yoke" is held into the chassis by a top cap with 4 screws. This has a limiter bar that can be trimmed down for more articulation. Everybody likes a high 3, but if you went too far it could fall out of the chassis. So that was trimmed to just shy of body contact.

Front end is where it gets fun, so I hacked off the front of the chassis.
Kept the knuckles, tie-rod, top steering alignment plate. Made some aluminum lower arms, brass stiffener plates. Basically it now became a scaled up ''U - bar'' that can be pushed down, or pulled down.
It still needs some hingey thing, so break out the brass tube to make a chassis tie in. Then i grabbed some rod, balljoints, and too much triangulation. It keeps it centered, but i kinda wanted to hit more 'sides' before it lifts into 3-wheel.

I'm not sure if this would be better off with a front 'fishing line PULLdown' or a ''servo PUSHdown' . Traditionally when hopping models or rc cars, guys run a motor for a pulldown line to snatch the cars front end up. Most seem to run a stance servo with hop motor, but now we can also get much more badass servos that have can have the power and speed to do both.

The new production Redcat 64 uses a push-down hop servo. The older creations based on these tended to run pull-down motors

[egronvold]

Such s cool car and project!

[frizzen]

Glad you like it!

It's probably going for a Larry Watson inspired paint job. Panel Paint!!!
Maybe some Lace work.
If i get real angry with it, might also try something like the Rose Simpson car "Maria" (Black on black gloss/satin.)

Strip the gold and redo with Molotow chrome unless i feel crazy and get it redone in real chrome.

I'd been thinking some Jevries chrome True13s since i started looking for these cars again
https://jevries.bigcartel.com
But his site goes down a lot, and honestly i'm probably going more Old School with this than when Daytons crusing popularity took off

I've also been kicking around the idea of putting it on Supremes or Starwires
https://www.3dscaleparts.com/1-12-fo...-shack-impalas

[frizzen]

I'm not sure if for this car or another Cruiser i'm planning, but i'm thinking i may need to build one of these

https://youtu.be/1igItsLogX0

Bluetooth rc car subwoofer

[jerry56]

I just saw 2 of those Impalas you were talking about...I think...$1000 buck a copy...wow... Go with the El Camino.

[frizzen]

These old 1/12 scale toy grade hardbody Radio Shack low-lows show up pretty often around $200-300 for 'complete' or 'with box'. The custom ones, like you noticed are up around a Stack. This one was just under $50 to the door, with no remote and some minor damage i can work with.
These are NOT the 1/10 scale Redcat 64 impala setup, which is around $600, with hobby grade electronics, and a lexan body, and many upgrades on the way.

Realism Bonus about all that: this Car came in cheaper than the Wheels i want to put on it... And the Electronics it's gonna take... And the Paintjob if i had someone else do it... Riding isn't cheap.

I need to go take more pics to explain stuff, this is a Wall of Text not a build thread.

Uh. Make chassis functions, throw hubcaps, start bodywork, then wheels, then paint. Maybe.

[frizzen]

Front view of the custom "U-bar axle" progress. It straddles the chassis.


Side-ish view with the hingey chassis adapter thing


There's some green fishing line attached which can pull the axle down to the chassis. Or pull the chassis up to the axle if you're all going to be all "Glass half full / half empty" about it.

This front setup swings the wheels kind of forward / aft instead of doing the correct Double A-arm action with camber changes.
Much like the rear axle doesn't drive with a 'dog track' when articulated up into a '3-wheel' since i don't have a 3-link or 4-link on a solid axle.

It's only a problem if i were being *that* OCD about the juice in my ride. It's fairly pimp, even if it's not the most gangster setup possible.

[frizzen]

New chassis tie piece to span cutout.



Roller for pulldown lines. Probably getting more cutouts for ride & hop lines before mounting

[jerry56]

Interested to see how this turns out....

[frizzen]

Um, nothing...



Pfft, everybody knows El Camino is spanish, it means "The Camino"



'Cause I'm gon' get a fly girl, gonna get some spank and drive off in a def OG
Everybody go, "Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn"



Uh, I don't know how most of the electronics for The Journey ended up in a mini-truck several months ago, or about finding this other chassis