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The best thing about owning an RC car are the countless ways that you can modify and upgrade your ride into a customized unique build. Whatever you can imagine can very well be made into reality with some time and creativity. Here we are going to show you 3 killer Pro-Line build options for the Traxxas Slash.
This is a great illustration of what can be achieved when setting out to transform an RC car or truck. By using the same vehicle as the starting point, we show that it is very possible to end up with three very different builds. The Traxxas Slash is a great platform to work off of since it is built tough, exhibits on and off-road capabilities, there is excellent parts support and it is affordable. Then when you add a company like Pro-Line which gives you access to numerous aftermarket parts and accessories, your build will turn into something special and one to be proud of.
1) TRAIL TRUCK
The first of the 3 killer Pro-Line build options is converting the Slash short course truck into a trail truck. As soon as we saw the release of the Pro-Line Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Clear Body (#3542-00), we knew it would be perfect for this build. The Jeep body is far narrower than a stock Slash body and thus fully exposes the wheels to give it that trail truck look. Jeep fans will love this body as it blends iconic Jeep styling cues with the toughness that these trucks are known for. The body comes clear so that you can add a custom paint job of your choosing and finish it off with the included detail decal sheet.
You will need to pick up the Traxxas LCG chassis (#5830) and a set of the Pro-Line Extended Front & Rear Body Mounts (#6070-00) to install the Rubicon body onto the Slash. These body mounts are adjustable so that you can perfectly position the body over the chassis to get the look you are going for. With these mounts you also benefit from the screw on body mounting system that does away with annoying body clips. The Secure-Loc Cap screws into place and keeps the body properly attached to the body posts.
We can’t keep the stock Traxxas wheels and tires on this build and since trail trucks typically lean toward the scale side of things, we selected the Pro-Line BFGoodrich Baja T/A KR2 SC mounted tires (#10123-10). These tires are modeled after the full size BFGoodrich race tires used in competitive off-road events like the King of the Hammers race and the Baja 1000. The Baja T/A KR2 tires feature large tread blocks with swooping cuts and a specially developed sidewall tread to offer better desert racing performance. An added bonus of using this tire package is that they come already mounted onto the Pro-Line Raid SC Removable Hex Wheels. With the removable hex, you can easily change the offset of your wheel to fit different applications or it can be simply replaced if it ever becomes damaged.
Since this Slash build will be hitting the trails, let’s make sure it is ready for whatever adventurer it comes across and add light bars to keep the action going for when the light starts to fade. A great way to add lights to a build like this is with the Pro-Line Overland Scale Roof Rack (#6278-00) that was designed to accept a light bar on the front and at the rear. This is not just a means to mount the light bar, but it also adds scale detail to your rig. It is molded from durable black nylon with a two-piece tubular rack design with many cutouts so you can affix other scale accessories onto it. It has a hemispherical shape so that it can be mounted on either a body or a roll cage that is not perfectly flat.
Onto the Overland roof rack, you can install the Pro-Line 4” and 2” Super-Bright LED Light Bar Kits (#6276-01 / #6276-00). Each light bar comes with the LED light bulbs pre-wired with a 12” long cable that you can either plug directly into the receiver for power or directly into a battery source. The outside of the light bars is a housing molded from durable black nylon. The 4” light bar installs on the front of the Overland roof rack and the 2” nicely mounts at the rear.
2) DRAG CAR
Unless you have not been paying attention to the world of RC, you know that no-prep RC drag racing is super popular and continues to grow. Pro-Line keeps their eyes on what is going on and have released quite a few products for the drag racing scene. One chassis that is used quite often is the Traxxas Slash and Pro-Line is there to make it happen, so it only made sense to have this as our second Pro-Line build option for the Slash.
When we think of a drag car, we picture a big, intimidating-looking, classic American muscle car and the Pro-Line 1969 Chevrolet Nova clear body (#3531-00) fits the bill. Pro-Line specifically made this body just for the no-prep drag racing scene. It is molded in one-piece from durable polycarbonate and includes a rear spoiler with hardware, a detail decal sheet, window mask and overspray film. Once you lay down your drag-inspired paint scheme, this body really comes to life.
To make your drag car look as scale as possible, there are some additional steps to finish off this sweet build. Pro-Line designed the body with a narrower track width than the typical short course body. Following is a list of parts and tweaks that need to be completed.
- Pro-Line Extended Front & Rear Body Mounts (#6070-00)
- Traxxas Bandit Front Arms (#2531X)
- Traxxas Bandit Rear Arms (#2750R)
- Traxxas Bandit Front Caster Blocks (#2432)
- Traxxas Bandit Steering Blocks (#3636)
- Traxxas Bandit Axles (#2437)
- Traxxas King Pins (#3740)
- Traxxas Front Camber Turnbuckles (#2444)
- Traxxas Rear Turnbuckles (#2443)
- Traxxas Toe Link Turnbuckles (#2445)
- Shorten rear drive shafts
- Remove front bumper
One of the latest product releases is the Pro-Line Stinger Drag Racing Wheelie Bar (#6351-00) that will not only give a drag car added scale looks, but it also provides the function of keeping your car tracking straight. The durable nylon wheelie bar is lightweight and has a single wheel setup that rides on a ball bearing to reduce friction. Pro-Line made it adjustable so that you can control how much lift you get out of the front end and so that it easily bolts right onto the rear end of the Slash chassis.
The body alone is not enough to truly complete the look of this drag car build. A wheel and tire package that exudes that drag racing vibe is the remaining thing to finish it off. Pro-Line comes to the rescue with wheels and tires that give you performance and scale looks. Up front we chose the Pro-Line Hoosier Drag 2.2” drag racing front tires (#10158-203) wrapped around Pro-Line Pomona Drag Spec 2.2” black front wheels (#2775-03). The Hoosier tires are officially licensed complete with the white Hoosier logos on the sidewall. Pro-Line spec’d their soft yet very durable S3 compound or their more stable MC clay compound for these tires. You don’t have to worry about getting a good fit for the tires because they were designed to work perfectly with the Pomona drag wheels. The multi spoke design mimics the type of wheels you would see competing at the Pomona Drag Strip on any given race weekend. They have the proper offset to work with the Slash, have a 12mm hex and are lightweight…ideal for drag racing.
For the rear tires of this build, we went with the Pro-Line Reaction HP SC drag racing belted tires (#10170-203). These tires are ideal for drag racing because they won’t balloon or expand thanks to their special herringbone weave pattern belt inside of the tire. This allows you to get maximum control while putting the power down and the soft S3 compound provides excellent grip. Since we went with Pomona wheels up front, we are keeping it in the family and selected the Pro-Line Pomona Drag Spec black wheels (#2776-03). They have the same 12mm hex as the fronts, are built to be lightweight have the same spoke design. Glue the tires onto the wheels, mount them onto the chassis and you will be ready for some drag racing.
3) RACE TRUCK
The last of the 3 killer Pro-Line build options is not a huge deviation from a stock Traxxas Slash as far as appearance is concerned. The concept for this build is to transform the Slash into a competitive short course race truck for the track. The key to make this build happen is by utilizing the Pro-Line ProTrac Suspension Kit (#6062-00). Pro-Line put a lot of work into researching and developing this suspension setup and you can reap the rewards for all of their effort. By adding this kit you will find that it greatly increases forward acceleration, corner speed, consistency and drivability. The kit includes front and rear suspension arms, front and rear shock towers, hub carriers, camber links, steering links and a full set of Pro-Line Impulse black ProTrax wheels. According to Pro-Line, your truck will have faster, more consistent laps, more fluid suspension geometry for jumping, will be lighter in weight, offer more tenability, more durability for jumping and is easy to install.
To compliment the ProTrac Suspension Kit, add a full set of Pro-Line PowerStroke Shocks (#6063-00/front, #6063-01/rear). These shocks will enhance the overall performance of your Slash SC truck. The feature aluminum shock bodies, caps and stout 3.5mm shock shafts. A big plus to these shocks are that the come preassembled and are a direct fit onto the Slash chassis.
A good set of tires is critical for a race vehicle and the Pro-Line Blockade SC tires (#1183-02) which were derived directly from championship winning 1/8-scale buggies tires. These Blockade tires work on a variety of conditions from hard packed to blue-groove and loose to loamy. The big meaty lugs offer class leading tread life with perfectly balanced tread spacing for optimum forward bite and specialized side tread to keep you planted when tackling the corners.
Topping of the race truck build is this sweet-looking Pro-Line Flo-Tek Ford F-150 Raptor SVT clear body (#3366-00). And no we did not pick this body just because of its great looks. The term Flo-Tek refers to the technology that Pro-Line created that allows short course trucks equipped with Flo-Tek bodies to perform better on the track. There are strategically placed openings on the body that allows the air that gets trapped under the body to escape, thus keeping your Slash from blowing over. It will also help it maintain its composure when airborne. The body comes clear with overspray film, window masks, decal sheet, number and side dam plates and an aluminum hardware pack.
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