You'll also need: A Traxxas Stamped/Rustler/Bandit transmission, (4) 2.2" wheels, (4) 2.2" tires, A Bulu chassis, (or other similar chassis) Traxxas Stampede/Rustler/Jato drivelines, (2) Traxxas steel output yokes, 6/32 allthread (threaded rod), 3/16 aluminum tube, Traxxas ball ends, a motor and pinion gear, ESC (speed controller), Radio and receiver, Body, battery, charger, assorted screws, lock nuts, and spacers, and some other things I'm forgetting now that'll come up later.

I'd suggest a Dremel for cutting, but you can use whatever makes you happy.

Build your TLT-1 axles according to the manual. You'll want to lock the differentials in both axles, and there are a few ways to do it. You can CA glue, JB weld, Hot glue, or use some "Lock Snot" on the gears.(Available from RCRockgear.com) You can also lock the TLT diff by installing a 3rd spider gear in between the 2 other gears.Be sure before you apply the glue that you'll still be able to close the diff cases! Screw the diff together and let the glue set. I've had good luck with CA glue.

There are many 2.2" wheels that will fit the standard TLT hex. HPI, Traxxas, RPM and Tamiya all make good ones. I'm using some HPI wheels for this truck. Know that with some wheels, like the stock Traxxas Stampede ones, you might not have a lot of thread for the wheel nut to go on. To correct this, you can get some Tamiya TG-10 Long wheel axles, or King Blackfoot wheel axles. These are longer and will give you much more thread sticking out of the wheel. Make sure to keep your wheel nuts tight to prevent the wheel hexes from stripping. In the event of a stripped hex, you can CA glue the palstic hex into the wheel, or upgrade to aluminum hexes.

You'll use your steel output yokes on the ends of the TLT axles. You can use the plastic ones, but they tend to break and/or pop off much more easily. You need to cut off the end of the yoke so that the set screw can make contact with the flat part of the TLT axle. I used a Dremel with cutoff wheel.

Some people drill a hole through the TLT axles output shaft so that you can use the included Traxxas pin to secure the yoke to the axle. Both ways work, but this way is easier and I havent had any problems with it.

In order to mount the Stampede tranny to the Bulu chassis plate flush, you'll have to bust out Mr. Dremel again and shave down the round ends of the base of the tranny. Remember that the motor faces toward the front of your truck.

You'll attach the other side of the chassis like this.

You'll use the included spacers push the right plate out the proper distance. These are 1/2" spacers, and any tyep will work. I use nylon ones from Home Depot or Lowes.

There are many tires to choose from! We've found through extensive testing that the Proline Masher 2000's work the best. The Proline Moab 2.2's are also quite good. Imex makes a bunch of cool looking tires, and they work alright, but Imex's compound is not as nice as proline's for rocks. The 2.2" Swamp Dawgs look particularly cool, as they resemble a real Super Swamper Bogger.

Now we're going to make the upper link attachment plates. You'll need some Kydex, Aluminum or "whatever" sheet of decent thickness. Use the stock TLT servo mount as your template and trace the shape, marking the holes with a sharpie. Add about 3/4" to the end of the plate. This is where the upper link bracket will attach. Make sure to add enough length to the end to still be able to fit whatever steering servo you plan to use! Also know that these plates will soon be available from RCRockgear in aluminum! (See the products section) (UPDATE: These plates and other like it are available in the vendors section at rccrawler from lots of people!)

Here you can see the link mount attached. That piece is included with the TLT-1 kit.

Attach the lower link/shock mounts to the axles. These pieces are also included in the kit. You'll have to use longer-than-stock 3mm scews to reach the nuts once you've added the mounts. You can see the pieces in the picture, mounted at the ends of the axle.

Time to build links. You'll need 6/32 threaded rod, 3/16 Aluminum or Brass tubing, and Traxxas ball ends. (Part #1942) You can also sleeve the rod with brakeline.

I find it easier to thread on the ball ends if the are first drilled out a little, but it's not needed. You can use a 1/8 bit, or a 7/64 bit if you are worried about the threaded rod pulling out with the 1/8th.

Thread one end on and snap in the ball. There are many ways to make links, and you can even use various turnbuckles from the hobby shop if you dont want to make your own.

At this point I like to set up the chassis and axles with the ground clearance and wheelbase that I want the truck to have. Use a tape measure and figure out how much center clearance you want, then find some objects to support the chassis at that height. CD cases work well. I've planned this truck to have about 3" under the chassis with full suspension extension.

There are tons of ways to run battery packs, and many different types of packs you can use. Battery placement is very important for conquering obstacles, and a good competition rig should have them up front and as low as possible. This truck will spend most of it's life playing, but also need to perform well should it find its way to a comp. It'll be able to use both regular 7.2v stick packs and small cell packs.

Once one end is threaded on, I attach it to the chassis and measure (inlcuding the 2nd ball end) how long the whole link needs to be. I mark the rod with a sharpie, then remove it for cutting.

Once the rod is cut, grab it in some pliers and thread on the other end. Then connect the whole thing to your chassis and make sure the length is ok. remember to make 2 of the same length.

You want the upper links to be the same length, and the lowers to be the same length so that the axle is square with the chassis. I use nylon 1/4" spacers when connecting the lower links to the outside of the chassis so that they dont get bound up when articulating. Once all the links are mounted, test the axles articulation and be sure it doesnt bind up. (It will bind up once you exceed a certain degree of articulation, but that's normal)

Do the front end just like the rear!

Now that the links are done, it's time to sleeve them. You'll need some aluminum or brass (or whatever) tube from the hobby shop. I use 3/16 aluminum. Cut the tube to fit over the links, then unscrew one end of the link, slide the tube on, and reattach the ball end. All done!

Ooooo, pretty.

Time to mount the shocks. Attach them to the axles as seen in the left pic. I mounted them in this fashion so that the tire, when turning and articulating, will not rub the spring. This will most likely not be a problem in the rear of the truck. Once the shock is attached to the axle, eye where it should mount on the chassis.

Using your favorite fabbing material, cut out a little shock tower. Drill holes that line up with the chassis holes, and make sure to leave enough space to allow for alternate shock mounting locations. I like using Kydex, which you can get at the hobby shop, because it's easy to cut and drill and quite strong. There are many materials that will work, from aluminum to thick lexan or some various plastics.

Drill a hole and mount the shock. I like to use fuel tubing through the top of the Maxx shock, but there are many ways to do it. Make sure to use a 3mm Lock nut. I use 3mm lock nuts on the whole truck.

Here's a shot of the steering servo mounted. Feel free to use a better servo. ;)

I could have left even a little more space for the servo, but it just fit in front of the link mount.

Here's a closeup of the 1/4" nylon spacers I use from Home Depot. You can also use additional Traxxas ball ends as spacers.

The front links.

Time for the rear shock towers. I mounted the shock to the axle, then estimated where the shock was going to need to be mounted. The towers are neccessary to keep the angle of the shock reasonable with the 60/40 chassis bias. Cut out a basic shape for the tower and bolt it to the chassis, then mount the shock. It's a good idea to leave extra room for more shock positioning options.

The shock placed.

Both shocks mounted. I rounded off the towers on a bench grinder.

I decided to mount the front links to the inside of the mount in order to clear the turning tires. This isnt as neccessary if you cut the inner bead off the wheel before mounting the tire.

Battery mount: I wanted to make a battery mount to both hold a regular stick pack and act as the front chassis brace. This design is held by one screw at each side of the chassis so that it can pivot the battery up and down when the suspension flexes. I made this piece from a bent strip of wide aluminum. There are many ways to mount batteries. Some people zip tie or velcro the pack to the links, or suspend it over the servo from mounts that extend from the top of the chassis. If you run a little pack, you can mount it right to the servo.

Here you can see the standard pack in the tray.

A close up of the tray.

I cut down the front of the tray so that when it pivots it doesnt hit the other shock tower screws. I cut slits at the bottom and used velcro to secure the pack.

In order to keep the pack from sliding back under the motor and contacting the driveshaft, I drilled a hole in the chassis and slid a long screw through to block the pack. I used some antenna tube over the screw to increase its pack-blocking ability.

Driveshaft time! The front Jato driveshaft fit with no problem, although I switched the outdrives to Stampede metal and plastic ones. It's a good idea to use the expensive metal outdrive at the axle end. The plastic ones suck. (Well, you can get away with them if you drill a hole through the TLT axles' output, and use the screwpin that comes with the plastic outdrive) You can also use Stampede/Rustler or Emaxx driveline. Be creative!

Since the chassis is split 60/40, the rear driveshaft needs to be longer than a stock Jato shaft. I cut off the end of a male Jato shaft, and slid it in the female end about 1/2 way. I CA glued it there.

Now you can use another female Jato shaft mated with the long one you just made. Voilaielau! A long driveshaft.

Using some 6/32 threaded rod and brakeline, I made this rear shock tower support. Kydex is flexible, and this helps keep the towers stiff.

Parma universal body mounts were used both front and rear. I drilled through them and attached them to the shock towers.

Here you can see the steering linkage setup. I used a metal servo arm.

Unless you plan to run 4 Wheel steering, you'll want to lock out the rear steering hubs. There are a number of ways to do it. I used links that go from the steering arms to one of the TLT axle housing screws. Run a longer 3mm screw through the axle, attach the link end, then use a lock nut. You can also run the lock-out links to the tops of the TLT axles.

A good way to mark and already-painted body is to shine some light through the inside while it's sitting on the post. I used a little LED light.

A few final details went on the Proline FJ40 body, suck as Jerry can and rubber fenders. The fender material is rubber hose, available at Napa or most hardware stores. I hot glued it in, so it's removable.

The Super Rooster ESC is mounted to the side of the chassis. I double sided taped it on, and hot-glue reinforced it. You can mount the electronics where ever you see fit!

The test Lipo battery fit nicely in the tray.

I wrapped the receiver in a balloon and zip tied the end to protect it from rain and mud. It's Zip tied to the rear shock tower support.

The finished product. Notice that the rear body mounts were not tall enough, so I grafted on some Emaxx extenders!

The chassis sits with just under 3" of center clearance. This is adjustable by changing the shock locations.

The rear.

The front.

A Poseauer shot!