Traxxas Slash Buggy

Traxxas can, no doubt, be credited with kicking off the official short course truck craze that has swept the industry. Since then, manufacturers like Losi, Kyosho and Team Associated have gone beyond short course trucks and have each released their own short course buggy—but not Traxxas. Luckily, ChuckWorksRC has a chassis conversion and body available that can convert the 2WD Traxxas Slash into an LCG short course buggy that can compete with all the other short course buggies on the market. Once I received my conversion kit, known as the SliceDb from ChuckWorksRC, I wasted no time in building my very own Slash buggy!

THE BUILD
To get started, I took one of my well-loved Traxxas Slash short course trucks (I have a few) that had been sitting on my shelf for some time and cleaned it as I completely tore it down. I then read through the instructions that come with the SliceDb conversion from ChuckWorksRC and started to assemble. The conversion kit consists of a new chassis plate, side plates and all other required hardware. Some of the parts had a bit of a tight fit but this is probably because I had an early production conversion. As I completed assembly of the chassis I replaced the stock suspension arms, shock towers, shock ends and spring perches with fresh new parts from RPM. Additionally, to add more durability and some shiny bling, I used Traxxas red anodized aluminum shock caps, C-hubs, steering knuckles and rear hubs. The stock shoes were pretty worn out so I replaced them with some pre-mounted Lineup SC tires from Duratrax.

Additionally, I replaced the stock electronics to take performance to the next level. A Castle Creations Sidewinder SCT and 3800Kv brushless motor replaced stock brushed units and a Spektrum S6000 steering servo now snaps the new Duratrax tires from side to side. I also went with a New Wave 2S, 5200mAh, 50C LiPo battery pack.

To top things off, literally, I sent the body over to Bradley Farmer of Bradley Fine Line Design. He gave the Slash B a killer paint job that complemented the red anodized components exceptionally well!

HITTING THE TRACK
I took the Slash B, as I like to call it, to the outdoor dirt track at R/C Madness in Enfield, Connecticut to see how it would compare to the other short course buggies on the market. The track was a bit rough as off-road racing for the season had not started yet. The track was not groomed at all so this was a sure torture test for nearly any vehicle. On power, the Slash B had a small push but that made it controllable and drivable. Over rough sections of the track the suspension worked overtime but was able to keep the wheels well planted with just a little bouncing. Jumping was a sheer pleasure as it did not have the parachute effect many short course trucks have when in flight. The Slash B could clear most doubles with ease and seemed to always keep the proper attitude from the point where it left the jump until it landed. The top speed of the Slash B is great thanks to the Castle Creations 3800Kv motor. It was plenty fast and sent the Slash B screaming from a dead stop while top speed on the long straightaway was just awesome. Even in short bursts the Slash B got up enough speed to clear most jumps and obstacles. The Slash B also cornered like a champ thanks to the new SliceDb LCG (low center of gravity) chassis.

WRAP UP
If you are one of the thousands who have purchased a Traxxas Slash and are now looking to do something new, consider the SliceDb classis conversion kit from ChuckWorksRC. It has a fresh new look and performs well due to the new narrow LCG chassis. Better yet, it can be backyard bashed with your friends or raced at your local track against other short course buggies.

PARTS USED
CHUCKWORKSRC
• SliceDb conversion kit ($94.00)

CASTLE CREATIONS
• Sidewinder SCT ESC and 3800Kv motor (010-0090-00, $135.99)

DURATRAX
• Pre-mounted Lineup SC tire C2 rear (DTXC3679, $20.25/pair)
• Pre-mounted Lineup SC tire C2 front (DTXC3678, $20.25/pair)

NEW WAVE
• 5200mAh, 50C LiPo battery pack (NEW52002S50C, $59.99)

RPM
• Black rear A-arms (80592, $11.95)
• Rear shock tower (80832, $8.95)
• Front shock tower (85852, $7.95)
• Black Front A-arms (80242, $10.95)
• Black shock shaft guards (80402, $11.95)
• Black wide front bumper (81162, $6.95)

SPEKTRUM
• S6000 digital steering servo (SPMSS6000, $23.99)

TRAXXAS
• Red aluminum caster blocks (3632X, $24.00)
• Red aluminum shock cap set (3767X, $14.00)
• Red aluminum read hubs (3652X, $35.00)
• Red aluminum steering knuckles (3636X, $35.00)

Links
Bradley Fine Line Design, earthroamer.com
Castle Creations, castlecreations.com
ChuckWorksRC, chuckworksrc.com
Duratrax, duratrax.com
New Wave, rpmrcproducts.com
RPM RC Products, rcmadness.com
Spektrum, spektrumrc.com
Traxxas, traxxas.com