Monster Truck Madness: Building a JConcepts Reactor Monster Truck Part 2
Hey folks, it’s time for the second and final part of my JConcepts Reactor build! Here is a link to Part 1 in case you missed it. Let’s get right to it!
The chassis went together smoothly. As an FYI, the only differences between the short and long wheelbase chassis kits (mine is the 13″ version) are the frame rails and chassis cradle. Everything else is identical.
One of the coolest parts of the build is the movable top cage. It’s designed to slide forward or backward depending on what body you’re using, and the end result is a very nice scale-looking tubular setup.
Ah yes, the body! I’m using a JConcepts Chevy S10. After getting it cut out and mounted, I sent it off to my good friend Travis Sutton of Sutton Motorsports and Machine. He’s done various paint jobs for me over the years, and they have all been top notch. The only notes I gave him were that I wanted it to be a Rotten Apple truck, bright green, and packed with early-’90s vibes. More on that in a second!
Last up on the build were the leaf springs and shocks.
In regard to the leaf springs, the kit provides various helper leaves if you want to stiffen the suspension and raise the ride height. I only used one helper leaf in each pack, as I wanted the truck to sit low and have the suspension be as flexible as possible. The double-shackled leaf springs are about as smooth and compliant as this type of setup can be. Very nice!
The shocks—all eight of them—went together smoothly as well. I opted for the two-hole pistons, though several different piston options are included in the kit. Bleeding all eight shocks consistently is definitely a time-consuming process, but once I got them all feeling the same, they were ready to mount up.
For electronics, I used JConcepts 27T Silent Speed motors, a Spektrum SR215 receiver (paired with my DX5C radio), a Tamiya TEU-106BK ESC, and a Hitec 7955TG servo to provide plenty of yank on the front end.
For wheels and tires, I went with JConcepts Tribute wheels (using the 12mm adapters) and JConcepts Golden Year tires in Gold compound with no foams. Note that I originally planned to use Blue compound Firestorm tires, but I’ve decided to mount those on a separate set of wheels later for dirt racing.
The Reactor’s first event will be on asphalt at the BIGFOOT Open House, so I needed to use the harder Golden Years, which are excellent on paved surfaces.
As is usually the case, Travis sent the body back with no teasers. The first time I see the finished product is when I open the box.
He absolutely CRUSHED IT.
The second I saw the finished paint job, I knew I needed to do something special with the wheels to match.
I started by hitting my gray Tribute wheels with Tamiya white primer, followed by Krylon fluorescent pink. To finish them off, I added some black and purple paint splatter to tie everything together with the beautifully splattered body.
For the coup de grâce, I added a JConcepts triple-carb setup protruding through the hood.
The result? UGH ALL THE 90’s VIBES! I absolutely LOVE how the Reactor turned out!
I’m planning to do a dedicated driving impressions post after the truck has seen competition, but I will say this: after wheeling it around the house a bit, it handles incredibly well. I did have to tighten the slipper clutches a fair amount from the recommended settings, and I made some final toe-in adjustments, but once those were dialed in, the truck felt smooth as butter.
Onward to competition!
Look for a post-race shakedown report in the next week or so!
