CEN Genesis Monster Truck

[Big Cennner]

Hey it went through that time. that is my baby. its really dirty but she is fully upgraded. there is hardly any plastic at all left on this truck. i consider it more of a show truck than actual basher though. if you notice i also upgraded the shocks with dual polished aluminum cantilever arms in front and back so instead of the x-10 shock system i have an x-12. =-) and it uses the integy msr5 shocks. i have a full body roll cage if you can notice it underneath the custom body shell. all of the A-arms as well as the linkages are aluminum as well as the hubs and spindles. i also traded out the plastic upper and lower body braces for aluminum parts i got from various sources. although mostly from www.neweramodels.com they have a boatload of aluminum parts that you can get at a decent price. i put solid billet aluminum front and rear bumpers on it that i polished along with polished front and rear skid plates. i added some under carriage blue l.e.d. lighting which gives it a great effect reflecting off of the shiny chrome in the darkness. i also have the headlight/foglight/ with working tailight assembly too. like i say its my show truck. ;-) i got the venom combo heat/failsafe/volt meter on it as well. i also have a supercharger for this truck to give it some added power for the weight increase. but i had to take it off due to the fact that you cant keep the supercharger from overheating the motor. but i hope to rectify this situation with some modifications to a new motor i'm having done. hopefully it will allow for the use of the charger system. that would be very cool! anyways. this is my show truck. i'll add some more picts in my next post with my others.

[Big Cennner]

This is a picture of all 3 of my trucks that i built. the top left truck is a nemesis convert that i built and sold to my brother. if you look close at it you can see something that i think looks cool to it that i did. was i had stripped the chrome off of the genesis wheels and then i painted them white. man it really looks good when they are clean! the other lower left truck is my latest build. its basically a nemesis but i built it from scratch. every single piece on it i put together. although it has a few upgrades and modifications that i did to it myself. such as i removed the shocks and added some losi lst shocks on it. they are integy MSR6 shocks and man they are HUGE! i had to make some custom brackets to get them to fit but it works. i also had to cut a little on the back of the frame and had to move the fuel tank forward just a bit to accomadate the larger shocks. oh and i also had to make a bracket for the header piper to hold it up just a little bit higher than (not much) normal. it works good. the motor in truck has been ported and polished and it is a bullet! last night was the first time that i had ran it with a broken in motor. my goodness that thing flies! but thats my trucks. im not really thrilled with the standard nemesis wheel. they are just too ugly. i saw a guy that slotted the wheels on his nemesis to look like a 5 spoke pattern. it looked really good! i'm tempted to do that to mine. i got some other hex heads to allow me to use other size wheels cuz there just arent that many options for genesis/nemesis sized wheels. anyways. gotta jett fellas. take it easy!

[Tig]

Thanks for responding Big C
:eek: HOLY SHMOLY, That looks great. I was looking at the shock towers from New Era. Do you have any pics with the body off? 12 shocks :D, I would like to see that set-up, it must be a pretty plush ride now. I cant wait to see your other trucks.

[Tig]

lol, Big C
You just posted your other trucks right before I posted. Man you have done some pretty sick mods. I was bidding on some LST shocks to do the same conversion. They look great, keep it up man.

Later

[Big Cennner]

Hello Tig. Thanks. yeah those shocks towers are one of the easiest upgrades you can get that makes the truck look good right away. that and the A-arms. i dont have any picts with the truck tops off. but i will take some later. i had went over to my brothers house and took my trucks and "parts shop" which is just my biggg duffel bag of cen parts in it. haha his clutch bell had ate some teeth so had to replace it.
Yeah show truck. I call it "Superman" you can't see from the picture but on the hood there is a grey Superman crest on it. it really looks good. i got that custom painted from Steve Zeilke. he sells a bunch of his bodies on ebay i went through his website and got it. he does awesome work! yeah the ride on my show truck is pretty smooth and needless to say its as tough as nails. with the added weight i upgraded to use the hitec servos with the 333kg oz. i left the trucks over at my brothers or id snap you some more picts. i just took those last night on an instant last minute thought before i came home. ill try to get some today. do you use the stock pipe on your truck Tig? thats one of the first things i upgraded. i bought the upgraded pipe from the new era website at first. it sounded ok. then after i had decided to go all out making "Superman" a show truck i bought a Tsais Race Pro with side pipe. it was kind of pricey but man it's sweet! and it sounds awesome! it came in black chrome really went well with my color scheme. especially when its all dirty! =-) i put the new era pipe i bought on the gem/nem convert i sold my brother. and for my nemesis that i built i put a Vantage carbon fiber pipe on it. oh man that pipe is perhaps my fav pipe of all 3. it has the best sound of any of the tuned pipes i've heard plus the vantage pipe that i bought gives it a little more lower end torque. i would suggest getting that pipe if you ever want to upgrade that porting of your truck Tig. Yeah those losi shocks are a little bigger than i thought they were going to be. although i dont know if the standard losi shocks would work like the integy MSR6's do. although i had seen a guy that put some on his he just couldnt get the rear to work for him. the standard LST shocks that ive seen dont have that piggy back chamber on them. which that is what allowed me to make them work on the gen because the hole for the msr6 shocks weren't directly on top of the shaft they are over to one side whereas on the standard LST shocks (that ive seen) they are. i'd check those out Tig if you were wanting to do that. although you will have to make a bracket for the bottom of the shocks to screw into to hold them to your lower A-arms. ill take some close up picts of that too and post so you can see what i'm talkin about. well gotta go pretend like i'm working again haha.
Later

[Tig]

Whats up Big,
So far my truck is stock, honestly I have not had a chance to break-er in yet :(. I am going to do it this week, I just got back from vaca. and a very hectic couple of weeks. I do plan on getting the Vantage pipe. I will probably go with the Integy shocks instead of stock LST2 ones. All you had to do for the mounting of the Integy shocks is make a bottom mounting bracket? It seems a little easier to go this route.
How is the ride with only 4 shocks? By adding the Integy shocks, did you lose a little weight of the truck? I am adding some 23mm wheels w/40 series tires to cut some weight. I talked to someone from CEN and they recommmended this to cut weight, they also suggested swapping motors to, I cant give up the motor just yet :). Thanks for taking the time to answer and share your mods, i appreciate it.
Later

[Big Cennner]

Hey Tig.

Ah havent had time to break in the beast yet eh? well you know, since you havent broke it in yet you should try to use the Heat cycle method to break it in. do a search for "heat cycle method" and it will give you instructions on how to do it. i prefer to do it rather than the cen old school version of breaking in a motor. heat cycle is less stress on the motor plus it allows you to keep a higher compression and longer life for your motor. yeah if you go back and look at some of the past posts i posted the name of the vantage pipe i bought. i really like it! yeah for me the integy msr6 shocks were the best. the front was much easier than the rear to install. im trying to remember what all i did to it from memory without looking at it. dang. cant remember without seeing it. the harder of the two mounts was definitely the rear though. the only place you can mount them is in the front. and you have to trim part of the frame off. just a little crescent moon shape off the end so that the shocks dont rub it. youll also have to move the fuel tank bracket forward justtttt a bit so that it too doesnt hit the shocks. cuz those MSR6 LST shocks are HUGE! you'll see what im talkin about if you get them. also because the shock is bigger youll have to raise the header pipe up just a bit. what i mean is you know how the header pipe comes out the back of the motor like at a 30% downgrade youll have to raise it to where it's only like a 20% downgrade so that it clears the barrel of the Msr6 shocks. i dont guess you HAVE too but it helps to stabilize it and keep it from bouncing around. the ride is really good with the integy shock setup. they use the heavy duty red springs and i think the spring is rated at 5lbs per. the truck is really really light right now. id say the truck weighs between 10-12lbs yeah im just using the stock 23mm wheels on my truck with the sniper tires. they are ok. id weight on the engine swap until youve had a chance to play with it. i mean what are you planning on doing with your truck? race? or bash? or both? unless youre really thinking of trying to go the race route id keep the motor i mean it is 5hp! not many on the market can match that. the thunder tiger runs a .70 motor but those things are crap! they are just junk! too many problems with those. but that is the only truck that matches the power of the genesis powerplant. even the hotbodies/truckzilla version of the .46 motor doesnt put out the same power or torque as the genesis powerplant does! oh and no prob about mod share. its nice to find a thread dedicated to your own brand of truck and just read what others have done to their trucks!

later Tig

[Megabyteme]

Here are 2 quick vids quality is low but my daughter did a good job getting the truck in the picture.
http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/megair/?action=view&current=IM000850.flv
http://s70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/megair/?action=view&current=IM000848.flv

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/megair/th_IM000845.jpg (http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/megair/IM000845.jpg)
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/megair/th_IM000788.jpg (http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/megair/IM000788.jpg)
http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/megair/th_IM000787.jpg (http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i85/megair/IM000787.jpg)

[Big Cennner]

Hey mega what size are those wheels on your truck? are they 14mm hex heads? what kind are they and tires? im looking for another set of of wheels for one of my trucks. i just checked out your vids. very cool! your daughter did a great job keeping the truck in the video. i always think its cool when you got such a big truck and it being so quick and agile! oh yeah i talked to the guy doing the mods on my motor yesterday. he said he was nearly complete with the motor and i should get it this week! really looking forward to it! =-) ill still have to break it in though when i get it but itll be fun! Cool truck though Mega! got any vids of it catching some air on dirt track? =-) when i go over to my brothers house we go down the road from his house to this big dirt and gravel parking lot at the city resevoir that has these concrete parking dividers. its actually just like racing track. first time i went there with my brothers truck he was coming around acorner doing about 30mph+ and he hit some very lose gravel than spun him around so i told him to do a donut (he had just bought the truck from me) and he's like i dont think it will so he just gased it and it did like 4 donuts before he turned out of it..his mouth was just gaping wide open at the power it had! good times!

[Megabyteme]

When I get a chance I'll get some dirt vids. I have done some jumps and it handles Like a pig in the air. I have the msr5 shocks on it and it blew out 2 of the on the back when I landed a 2 foot jump. had to rebuild them. Until I can beef up the shocks I will jump it more.

[Megabyteme]

Those are the stock savage 17mm rims or 14mm they come in both. I'm not sure whate I'm running. The tires are stock savage x tires. I think 6.6 inch.

[Big Cennner]

Those tires look pretty good! ive been switching out tires trying to find a good combo that i like. the standard nemesis wheels are ok but to me they just look like a generic lawn mower wheel. haha.. i may have mentioned it before but i saw a guy who cut out his wheels to be like a 5 spoke wheel and it looked pretty good! if you look at my picts i posted the nemesis convert in the upper left corner if you look close at it , it has White genesis wheels. i stripped the standard genesis wheels and i repainted them myself in pearl white. i tried several colors at first. blue, red, yellow but i finally decided on white to match the standard nemesis CP 2.0 body. they look pretty good if i say so myself! i just purchased some Imex 44 blue romulins with imex 44 blazer tires. im not to sure how the blue is gonna match up with the rest of the truck but if i dont like the color ill just strip'em and repaint them(probably white). the tire height on the blazer tires are 6 1/4" and W 4 3/4" so they are fairly large. i think they will look good. i'll post some picts when i get them. should get them monday or tuesday.

[Megabyteme]

They do look good you have a nice looking set of trucks. Have you looked at the imex swamp kong or jumbo kong tires. That is what I'm going to put on the big truck.

[Tig]

BIG,
I am deffinately going to use the "heat cycle method" to break-er in. I am going to get that Vantage pipe to, I am a BIG fan of Carbon Fiber. I ordered some ProLine Wabash wheels and Road Rage tires, I will see how they work. Worst comes to worst, I can throw them on my Revo. I am going to wait on the motor swap, it was just a though.

Mega,
That was a great vid, your daughter did a very good job. You also have a pretty sick truck. I like the stance, with the wheels and tires. Looks awesome.

I do have a question though. Has anyone seen that Nemesis or Genesis with a conversion that has a 1/5 or 1/6 gas motor in it? I think FG did the conversion, nopt sure though. I think I saw it on Ebay.

Later Fellas

[Megabyteme]

If you find it again post a link. Most of the conversions I've seen are hack jobs. I would look at a metal pipe. Carbon fiber is nice but from my understanding of how a 2cycle engine works a composite pipe robs some of the exhaust impulse by absorbing some of the sound waves. This is what pushes the fuel back into the engine on the compression stroke of the cycle. They do work but I think you will get a little more out of a metal pipe. look at your pipe choices because you can get a pipe for bottom, mid, or top end. Thanks for the props on the truck. I took it to the track last night and it tried to go through all the jumps instead of over them. I ran over a mini lst. didn't hurt it it just looked like a rabbit or squirrel getting hit by a car.

[Big Cennner]

Hey mega hows it going.. yeah i looked at the jumbo kongs tires but i think those things are too big.. i would go with them but i want to wait till i put more power on a truck before i use those. they just look too heavy. i wonder how much they weigh? hey i got the romulin wheels and tires today. man they look pretty good. i also got my modified engine today too! im gonna try to get it on tonight and see how it runs i still gotta break the motor in on it though. yeah Tig i think heat cycle is definitely the way to go when breakin in a new motor. and ive seen that Cen gen with a zenoah 26cc motor in it. some folks out of texas make it. ive seen it on ebay for sale they sell them for like $1200+ =-O holy smokes! and they put like 16 shocks on it. but i dont know. i wasnt too impressed with it. i like r/c trucks to LOOK like r/c trucks when you pull off the shell.. know what i mean? About the carbon fiber pipe.. the vantage pipe i put on one of my trucks has given it quite a little extra jolt of power not to mention a nicer sound. the vantage pipe i chose is for low end. it does make sense what you had said though Mega.. but like i said between the metal pipes ive used and the vantage pipe i can tell a performance difference. here are some picts of my nemesis with the MSR6 shocks.. i put some picts of the brackets i made to allow them to be placed on the lower front/rear A-arms. after many tries i figured out you had to make them like this. i tried putting just a spacer in between the shock and the a-arm and using an extra long screw but when you used the longer screw after making just a few jumps the shocks vs weight of the truck would bend the screws. i finally figured out you had to make a bracket. attach it to the a-arm and then fasten the shocks to the bracket. so far its working. =-) also for the back of the truck (ill put more picts of the back later) you had to raise the header UP some cuz of the size of the shocks so i made a bracket to hold the header up just above the shocks. in the pict i just have a zip tie holding it but that was just to see what it would look like.

[Big Cennner]

dang had to resize the pictures.

[Big Cennner]

here is pict of lower bracket u have to make to get the msr6's to work on the a-arms

[Big Cennner]

here is a pict of my version of an X12 shock system utilizing the HD msr5 integy shocks.

[Big Cennner]

another view of the x12 shock system =-)

[Big Cennner]

another pict of the x12 shock system =-)

[Tig]

:eek: HOLY SHMOLY Big, thats insane. Nice work and saaweeet truck.
You got your parts, sweet. Man your trucks are awesome. One of these days mine will look that good:)

For some odd reason that conversion popped in my head. I do remember it being pretty odd looking when you lift off the body.

Later

[Megabyteme]

very sweet dude. I'm going to see if the cantilevers will work on my truck. it's turning into the bastard child of a savage/ cen mating.

[Big Cennner]

Thanks Tig and Mega.. when i first started upgrading i just got carried away on my first truck.. haha.. oh well it looks cool to me so im happy.. i didnt get a chance yesterday to break in any of the new mod'ed engines but im hoping too later this evening.. hopefully things wont be too busy and ill be able to get them going.. yeah those cantilevers from new era models look really good and are much lighter than the stock ones that come with the genny.. in fact most all of the metal parts that ive upgraded my "superman'' truck with are basically the same in weight. you can tell much difference at all.. if there is any weight difference its a mere ounces.. yeah TIG that cen genesis/nemesis convert that that company did was a bit odd.. but then again to gain the power of an engine of that size you do have to do quite a bit of modding... anyways lunch break.. gotta jett
later

[Big Cennner]

Well... i started the break in process on the fully modified motor.. im doing the heat cycle technique.. im down to the last 4 min running process before its done.. but on the last cycle you can really get into the throttle.. and let me just say.. wow.. man that thing scoots! i didnt even fully tune the dang thing and its like a rocket! i am very impressed with the new found power this thing has! id say it has at least 1hp gain at least! although i didnt get to fully break it in cuz i was running it in the dark on the street over at my brothers house.. and haha ill be damned if that street curb wasnt bigger than it looked in the dark! haha i missed the drive way and hit the curb right as it bolted to 3rd gear! minor damage though.. all i broke was the upper a-arm.. i replaced it but i decided it was just too dark to be running anymore... oh and this wasnt on my truck.. my brother and i put it on his truck... ive kind of got a problem with my nemmy... perhaps someone can give me a clue as to what has happened... cuz i cant figure it out.. check it out.. sunday i was rolling in the yard of my brother and i went into the pavement in the circle drive i was doing circles while waitin for my bro to get his truck going. i accidentally gased it too hard and got confused with the steering and i turned right into a curb with the left front wheel.. it hit pretty hard and then ramped up and into the basketball goal foundation.. i didnt think nothing was wrong with it and i got it put it back on ground started to go and noticed it wouldnt turn to the right.. i was like ah heck i must have broke a few teeth in the servo.. so i put a new servo on.. and same thing.. what happens is.. the servo keeps wanting to make the wheels turn to the left now.. and when you try to turn to the right it just gets them back to the straight position.. its like.. i can turn the truck off straighten the wheels turn the truck on they are fine but as s oon as i turn on my transmitter radio the wheels turn left.. and ive checked the trim settings on the radio too and everything is set properly.. im using the futaba 3pm fs pro with the 303 synthesized receiver. its very weird.. i opened up the new servo to make sure that no teeth were broke in it either.. but still the dang thing keeps going to the left... anyone have any ideas on what might be causing it?
it was fine before i hit the curb but not now.. dang thing! i am stumped! i posted the prob on another forum and guy told me to check the linkages really well perhaps something was stuck in it.. i didnt check it out too much but ill try to do that today...

oh and here are some picts of my nemmy with some imex 44 blue romulins with imex 44 blazer tires... very wide tires! i also put pict up of this truck with the vantage pipe on it.. oh and if anyone is interested in getting their engine modified as i have just let me know and ill give you that guys email that modified my motor... i am gonna send him another motor to modify! =-)
ZOOM ZOOM!

[Big Cennner]

another pict of the imex 44 blue romulins with 44 blazer tires

[Big Cennner]

here is the vantage pipe

[Megabyteme]

very very nice! check that the servo saver didn't flip to one side or the other see if you have a link bent or in a bind. then the bad thing the reciever got a shock from the hit.:(

[Big Cennner]

Hey mega.. i didnt get a chance to check the links or anything.. a guy on another forum told me he had the same problem with his and what happened was that he had stripped the teeth out of the servo horn itself. so i'm hoping thats all that is wrong with it.. thats the one thing i didnt check! haha.. so im hoping thats it and not the receiver! man that would suck.. on another note.. here is some picts of my nemmy converted truck that i sold to my brother.. i striped the chrome on the wheels and i painted them white.. i think it looks really good!

[Big Cennner]

here is another pict of the white wheels

[Megabyteme]

They are all nice. you did a nice job. It isn't just another quick hack job thrown up for all to see.

[Big Cennner]

Hey thanks Mega.. well i checked the truck out last night. and found what the problem was.. upon closer inspection i saw that the servon horn was indeed stripped out so i put a new one on and it works fine now! cool! which i did order some aluminum replacement servo horns for my trucks but after thinking about it for a little bit.. im thinking that it actually might be better to just keep the steer servo horn plastic because it being plastic acts as a safety device in that it breaks before the servo itself breaks when you take a bit hit like that. cuz if it was metal horn it might have caused the servo to strip a gear out which would be more costly to replace than just a plastic horn.. so im thinking i shall keep it plastic ill just buy a big crap load of spares! haha..

[Quinton]

Ofna aluminum servo horns come with plastic inserts so you get the best of both IMO.

[Megabyteme]

quinton has a point they are nice. that is what i have on mine since my throttle mod.

[pantera]

hi all,

I got a cen genesis, and I am very happy with it altough its only the first weeks and already broke a few parts... :) I have this action photo here, which displays the genesis as a real grass mower. I would like to ask something. Where do you buy all those upgrades? Ive seen some of the pics and theyre amazing!
Please send me some links
thanks

[Big Cennner]

I'll have to look into those Ofna servo horns.. they sound pretty good! anyone have any idea when that new Cen "GST" comes out? ive looked at their website but they dont have the time for its release out yet..

[Big Cennner]

Hello Pantera- welcome to the cen gen club. ah already broke some parts on your genesis eh? it happens. there are lots of different websites that you can buy upgrades for your truck. all i did was type in "aluminum upgrades genesis" and found lots of sites. one site that has quite a bit of upgrades is. www.neweramodels.com they have a bunch of parts that you can upgrade with! another site is um.. let me think.. www.gpmracing.com they also have a lot of stuff.. but you can always just go to ebay and just type in "cen genesis" in the search of course thats on the U.S. version of ebay because i noticed you were in Europe. most of the sellers on ebay will ship out of country so it wouldnt be a problem buying from them and i'm sure they sell it cheaper than over there as well for i've heard cen genesis trucks are kind of high over there. To mount the different wheels on your truck you just got to get adapters for the genesis and there are several you can get.. 14mm , 23mm , i believe i've seen a 17mm too and of course the gen is 19mm . and of course you can always mix and match other items from other trucks on to your genesis. and then just make it fit with a little elbow grease. =-) you can always just read through old posts from this site as well as a few other forums that are dedicated to cen trucks and read up on the upgrades that guys have did to their trucks . they usually tell how and what they have done to their trucks and post picts. but anyways that should get you started pantera... have fun! and enjoy your truck!

[pantera]

big cenner

thanks for your help - i already found a lot of parts. Just one question. How do you upload pics to this forum? Im having a problem because when uploading, I get this stupid error message: File Too Large. Limit for this filetype is 102.4 KB. Your file is 107.1 KB. Isn't that extra stupid? Another question- do you know where I can buy lexan bodies for the genesis? Do HPI ones fit? and can you change to an fm digital radio setup whilst keeping your analouge servos? (they cost me plenty)

thanks very much
pantera

[Big Cennner]

Hey Pantera-

No problem. Glad you found some parts. to upload picts you just go to the advanced tab but looks like you know where that is already since you are getting the error message too. i got that myself until i resized my picts until they were able to be sent through the post. you'll just have to lower the size ratio until it sends. about the bodies there are several bodies that will fit the genesis. Any of these 1/8th sized trucks bodies will fit the Genesis. Team Lost LST, Team Associated MGT, Tamiya TNX, XTM Mammoth and the larger Savage and truckzilla bodies..which you know the Genesis is really larger than a 1/8th truck it's closer to a 1/6th than 1/8th so even the bodies from an FG truck would fit. being that FG is made across the pond over there you could probably find those in abundence. You know, ive also even seen some Revo 3.3 bodies that will work too! there are several guys that do custom paint schemes for the shells too. i got my custom body from a guy named steve zeilke i think his website is http://www.zielkeracing.com he has nice choices for shells and he does custom paint schemes.... lots of the painters sell their bodies on ebay at much lower prices than on their sites. the radio that i use on my truck is an Fm radio. its the Futaba 3PM FS-pro with the digital synthesized 303f receiver and it works well with the basic Cen servos and the new Skion servos that cen is using along with the Hitec servos that i use for steering. i can usually find the new skion servos cen is using on ebay for $25.00 + shipping. which isnt bad! as i said.. they work well with my setup.. on the other two Cen GEN trucks I've had I use the Futaba 3PM FM radio w/receiver, and they utilize the crystals and have worked well with the servos too..

Good day!

[Garnz]

Hi Guys!!!
I just thought I would send a shout out from Australia. This is a great forum with heaps of info... We don't have a great deal of Cen stuff available or popular down here. My friend and I just ordered two Cen Genesis LTD and we pick them up on friday, cant wait!
The guy at the LHS actually tried to talk us out of buying them because he said we could get a much better truck for a lot less. They are a lot more expensive here too, were paying AU$1100 which is about US$825, you would think he would appreciate the business!!! But we stuck to our guns and ordered anyway. I just fell in love with it and had to buy it. We aren't racers we just wanna bash on the weekend.
I hope to post some pics soon as we have planned heaps of alloy hop ups to get rid of the plastic and make her a bit stronger. I hope to eventually have a truck almost as good as yours Big Cen!!! Thats a hot body by the way, I am thinkin of having a go at the airbrushing myself so I'll post some pics if it works out. By the way Big Cen, the LHS said the Nemesis was much better, but all I could find that was different was no reverse, 2 speed and a front hardened drive shaft? Could you tell me what you think cos I am sure you know both of them inside out?
Can you guys tell me what the best parts are to keep in the tool box? I would like to have them on hand to fix easily because we are a bit isolated down here and its about a week to order them in.
Cheers,
Garnz

[Big Cennner]

Garnz  Congrats on your purchase. i'm sure you'll have fun with your new Cen truck. i've really enjoyed mine. wow those things are expensive there!! holy smokes!  Actually there isnt much difference in the Nemesis and Genesis LE besides not being a reverse and the front drive shaft.. the only other thing is  the teeth counts on the expanding clutch on your tranny and motor... and of course the lighter wheels with sniper tires.. which to me look like a generic lawnmower wheel! haha..  oh and of course the x10 shock system is reduced to 8 with the white springs. oh there is one thing about the nemesis that i really like though and it is the MTM braking system. that is a great setup. but you can order a MTM brake system over the net and get it in kit form. its basically the shell of the nemesis tranny and then you just take the internals out of your basic genesis tranny and convert it to a nemesis tranny with a 3rd gear!  plus you then get to use the MTM brakes!  its only like 25$-35$ plus shipping!  plus its a very simple conversion!  About best parts to keep on hand as spares.. first thing i would do is (and then you wont need spares) is upgrade the A-arms to aluminum because those are one of the first things that will break with a heavy hit.  i would keep some extra servo horns too cuz as i found out they tend to strip out after a hit quite well too!  haha  i'd probably upgrade those to ofna aluminum horns. i would also keep an extra servo or two on hand as well cuz after a number of hits the gearing in those will strip out too.  the next thing i would probably upgrade my draglink/centerlink to aluminum cuz the ends have a tendancy to break with a semi heavy hit. i'd probably also get spare rod ends for your drive links too...
it would probably be wise to keep some spare Outdrive cups for your differentials cuz they have a tendancy to wear down after a while too..  i would definitely buy an extra set of Wheel axles for spares and probably and extra Dog bone axle. it would probably be wise to purchase a complete screw set for the truck too.  id probably purchase some extra bulkheads. ive broke a few of those until i upgraded it to aluminum.  a couple of glow plugs might not be bad either. and perhaps a few sets of crystals in case you find interference on your signals. of course if you upgrade to the synthesized radio system you can just tune your own channel in! =-) anyways thats about all i can think of.. anyone else have any thoughts?

[Big Cennner]

Ah yes Garnz.. when you go to break in your new motor you might try the Heat cycle method. i think it works much better than standard "old" way of breakin in a motor. do a search on Heat cycle method for instructions and benefits of doing it as compared to the standard 'old' way. it doesnt take as long to break in a motor this way and its much better for the engine with longer life and longer lasting compression through the life of the engine. oh one other thing when you get your truck you might go through the screws and make sure they are on tight cuz they do tend to come loose after a while and heck some are just loose when you get it brand new!! so you might just check those. oh and let me tell you something else. the best allen wrenches to use on the truck are the ball end kind. you might purchase a metric set of those and keep handy cuz believe me you'll use them a LOT! =-)
but .. there ya go! Bash on!!

[Garnz]

Hi BigCen,
Thanks for all the info. I did find some screws sold by bigheadhobbies.com last night and I was gonna ask you about them, coincidence hey... heres the link to ebay, it looks good to me and it looks like it has the ball end type.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CEN-Genesis-46-STAINLESS-STEEL-SCREW-KIT-NEW-over-300pc_W0QQitemZ190018911186QQihZ009QQcategoryZ3406 3QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

I think $22 is cheap but you may think otherwise, let me know. I am making a list to take with me to the LHS when I pick up the truck so I will order everything then. If anyone else has an opinion please post it and save me some trouble later. :)
I have already arranged from parts from GPM to replace the plastic for the steering assembly,front and rear upper arms and the front and rear C hub arms. This is all for AU$170 Delivered from the states. I will also look into those parts you mentioned. What would I do without ebay hahaha.
I would like to also hear from other genesis owners and see some pics or vids of there trucks in action.
Cheers,

[Garnz]

One more thing.. I read on a forum that the .46 has some tuning issues. Something to do with the tank or something, can you guys comment on the tuning of your trucks? Thats the only thing i am worried about.
Garnz

[Big Cennner]

Garnz- Yeah its always good to have extra screws around. never know when you are gonna need them. you can get them from ebay or you can buy a set from that www.neweramodels.com website they sell a complete stainless set on there site and give you some allen wrenches to go with them and come in little enclosed box. i believe they sell for the same price too! yeah i have the alum from and rear c hubs myself. =-) that is another good buy and they are pretty cheap too! Hmmm are you sure that that was the .46 motor on the site you read? cuz thunder tiger puts out a .70 motor with their MT and its just crap! everyone other one is just a real POS!
I think the motor is rather easy to tune myself and i've only been in the nitro fuel r/c trucks for about a year. when you get the truck its pretty close to factory settings usually its a little bit rich. but it should crank after a few pulls. oh yeah thats another thing you might an extra of is a pull crank starter. i have a pull crank and the eletric start option but i replaced it back to the pull start. its just much easier when or if your truck dies out in the field to just hit the pull start rather than depending on the battery cuz once your battery packs run down you have to shut down. also i would switch out the standard battery pack on the truck for a hump pack 5 cell batteries.. they will last longer... and ive found just keeping alkalines in the transmitter work better than the rechargeables do. so thats always good to keep a bulk pack of those around. other than that you should be ready to rock! post some picts when you get it up and going! later !

[Garnz]

Thanks man. I have ordered a rotostart to pick up at the same time on friday and also have an adapter for the cigarette lighter in the car. If worst comes to worst I will just put the pull start back on if all else fails. We are also getting a hump pack to go in the car, but i'm not sure which one yet. How long would a 1200 hump pack last for in the receiver? Also how often would you have to change the batteries in the transmitter? I am planning to go out of quite a few hours every tuesday.It sounds like it could get a bit costly.
The engine difficulties came from a guy named Scooby heres the link:
http://www.bannedrc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9166&highlight=genesis
Its the only time i have heard it mentioned.
Thanks for your reply.
P.S. Are we the only ones in here???? Helloo o o o o o o o

[Tig]

Garnz,
I am not a very big fan of RotoStarters, I had one and it worked for a few runs then never worked again, go figure. Receiver packs last a pretty long time, I'd throw it on the charger every few days, or after a few runs(if you plan on running for a few hours). Transmitter batteries have lasted me longer than expected. I have used Duracel, pretty good luck so far. I would like to get one of those radio battery packs.

That link that you posted. He said it's with the Genesis LE version. He said to look at the Nemesis or GST.
Doesnt the Nemesis and GST have the same motor as the Genesis? Isnt the only difference the 3 speed, and some cosmetic stuff.

Hah, yeah, we are the only ones in hear. I am not in that often. It doesnt seem to be a very popular truck. I dont know why.

Big,
Your truck is insane. One of these days my truck will look half as good as yours. Thats if I ever get to break it in, until then its my shelf king.

Later

[Quinton]

Can 1 of you guys give me the wheelbase of the Ganesis? Just measure from wheel nut to wheel nut.
Thank you

[mariner]

Good day Garnz. this is a great forum and your getting good advice from these guys. I"ve had my gen over two years now and really like it. I'm using the roto start but instead of their driver I use my Craftsman cordless drill. No more dead driver batt in the middle of your fun. Just make sure you run the drill in reverse when starting as the roto start must be turned counter clockwise. As for bodies, I put a 1/10 body on my truck and I think it looks pretty cool , and why hide all those shiny upgrades? Here are some pix with both the stock and 1/10 bodies. I scratch built a trailer for my 46" Enforcer gas powered RC boat. Just cant seem to get up the nerve to jump the truck w/ boat and trailer though. :)

[mariner]

more pics

[mariner]

one more pic

[mariner]

Quinton, my manual says15.63"

[Garnz]

Thanks for your advice and pics guys. I am in luck and just had a phone call to pick up the truck early. I plan to charge it over night and run it in tomorrow. Finally. That was a good pick tig, he did say he would buy the nemesis or gst and they do have the same engine, hahaha. I dont know, when you spend that much money I suppose you just look for the problems you may come up against. I'm sure it will be fine.
I will be using the heat cycle method tomorrow so if anyone believes the break in written in the cen manual is better, please let me know.

Thanks again,
Garnz

[Quinton]

I broke in some of my engines where I get them up to temp but really baby them and others I've got them up to temp and drove them like I plan on driving them (other then the 1st 5 tanks or so). I've had better luck (last longer) when I drive them kinda hard compared to taking it easy on them.

[Big Cennner]

Hey thats a nice ride you got there Mariner! and you made the trailer for your boat too? way cool! i was thinking about buying a boat or a heli for my next step.. im thinking ill end up getting a heli cuz theres not sufficient areas to run a boat around here.. i notice you polished your cen pipe. i did that to one of mine too. they actually look pretty good when polished dont they. good idea with the air filter too. would look cool if you could manufacture a hood scoop for it. thatd be trick!

[Big Cennner]

Garnz - ive did both methods.. to me the heat cycle is better. ive emailed a few tech guys about it too and they say it is as well.. its just too much stress on the motor following the directions that cen had. even in their later revisions of their instructions theyve cut down on the idle process. ya know i was just thinking garnz the lastest cen truck the GST is supposed to be out at the end of this month or next it would have been tempting to have postponed your purchase and waited for that one to come out.. but its basically going to just be the same truck with combined parts of the gen le and nemmy and you can dothat yourself.. the only thing that i would be interested in is the motor and what mods have been done to it.. cuz they still dont have anything on their website about it. but heck i already have a highly modified cen .46 motor and im about to send another to get modified today! =-)
so heck i already have a gen 'super truck' ;-) on another note fellas.. i drew out some sketches on different setups for putting two of these motors on a truck.. i was thinking i could use the same frame.. with a few mods..in one version it would work.. but in another it wont.. heck to me its just fun trying to figure out how it can work and then actually doing it! in my designs im trying not to have to get too much custom work done and trying to keep it where i can use a lot of the cen setup and parts.. anyways... adios guys... have fun with your new truck Garnz!

[Garnz]

Thanks BigCen and Quinton, It's good to hear what you guys have experienced. I am having trouble finding a step by step for the heat cycle method. I have the gist of it but I was wondering if you guys know where I could find a list so I don't make a mistake. I searched google and nothing came up.
Yeah we did enquire about the GST but it's not out as you know and just like a kid at christmas I want it now now now!!! Anyways I picked it up today and and all the accessories to go with it.
I will run it in tomorrow afternoon as I am just finishing the charging process and its 1am. One question: I bought 2300milliamp AA's for the receiver against bigcen's advice, I also bought a charger called a Swallow Advance DC. I charged the AA's at 2 amps and they were done so quick and the receiver shows only 10.8 Volts. Does anyone know what the correct charge output is? 3-4 amps? I know it sounds silly but the batteries came with nothing and the directions on for the charger are quite vague.
Anyway boys gotta run but thanks for all your help, I now actually sound like I know what I am talking about at the LHS. Ha ha ha ha.
Cheers

[Garnz]

Oh one more thing... Mariner, How did you polish the stock exhaust? Looks great!!!

[mariner]

I put a buffing wheel on my 6'' bench grinder and and use jewelers rouge and lots of elbow grease. It's a filthy process and the parts get hot as you work them, so wear gloves. I polished the top of the cooling head as well as the skid plates and tank guard. I think it would outrageous to build an all aluminum Gen/Nem and polish every inch. Anybody know if thats been done?

[Quinton]

I think the heat cycling method is also called the BESS Method. BUT, all you need to do is cycle the heat. Here's how I do it. Everyone will give you different opinions, but here's mine from what I've learned over the years from others.
Remove the glow plug, put in ARO and turn the flywheel by hand quite a few times to prelube the piston and sleeve. Put back in the glow plug, screw it in and then back it off a little. Take off the air filter and squirt some fuel in the carb to prime the engine (less dry turning of the piston) Put back on filter and fire it up. It will probably be VERY rich and it will want to flood itself and die. Not good if this happens many times over and over, so once it starts I pinch the fuel line off and on/off and on by the carb just enough to lean it out to keep it running. Once you feel its running decent set it down and take off. Go out and do circles and stuff to keep the engine clean (ie not flooding). After awhile bring it in and see if it idles by itself, check the temp (I shoot for 200 for the first 5 tanks or so (actually I run half tanks, instead of full since they're so big on MT's). If it tries to die pinch the line again and then take off (only going up to half throttle) to finish off the half tank. When done, park it (make sure the piston isn't at TDC) and let it COOL off (usually around 10 minutes or so).
Then go back out and do it again over and over. You will need to slightly lean out the HSN every tank you run as the piston/sleeve will get a little looser. Make sure you get it up to temp (not good to run it too cool) and let it cool off completely between runs.
That works great for me!

[Garnz]

It was well worth the effort Mariner. It looks great! I thing I might have a stab at it and see how it turns out.

Thanks Quinton, It is exactly what I thought except for the TDC bit. Why cant it be there? Does it cool quicker at the top?
I didnt get a chance to check the post today so I have already idled one tank. I did exactly the same thing but at idle running at 212 degrees. Tomorrow I will run the rest of the tanks using the heat cycle method. It is pretty simple and basic common sense I just thought there may be more to it. Thanks for your help guys.

[Quinton]

If you let it cool at the top the sleeve will squeeze back down and the piston will get stuck at the top and it will lose some of it's pinch.

[Big Cennner]

No problem Garnz.. here is the heat cycle method that i use and it is one that was put out by Stephen Bess.. This break-in method should apply to virtually any ABC hobby nitro engine (except for ringed engines).

(((If you are still idling at least a tank through during break-in, you're using the old-school accepted method (still works well for some!) but it's not the method that the top engine guys (Ron Paris, Dennis Richey, Rody Roem, Michael Salven are just a few I've spoken personally with about this) recommend anymore.

From the very 1st time you start your engine, plop the car on the ground & begin running it in a parking lot in 2-3 minute intervals, tuned only *slightly rich* getting the temps up in the 200F range on a normal day. Every 2-3 minutes, shut the engine down & let it cool completely with the piston at BDC, and then fire it back up; continue this cycle until you've run 15 min or so, and then bump up to 3-4 minute intervals. Vary the RPM and don't be afraid to get the temps in the 200's. What you want is heat cycling of the components without the incredible stress that comes with breaking an engine in when it's overly rich & cold. After cycling the engine in this mannerfor about 20-25 total minutes, it'll be ready for the track and race tuning. I realize this method goes against the old-school "idle on the box" routine, but you'll be amazed once you've completed this break-in routine, your OS will still have amazing pinch w/out sticking at the top AND your OS's compression will last far longer than it will with the "old school" method .

You say you run the engine at "factory settings" for the first FIVE tanks? That alone causes lots of stress, as the factory OS settings are very rich on every OS I've ever owned or tuned. The piston & sleeve haven't expanded to operating temps, and every time the engine turns over, the piston slams into the pinch zone at TDC. The not-so-surprising result can be a cracked con-rod at the crank pin--that's where the majority of the stresses occur as the engine turns over. I've only heard of about 6-8 OS engines breaking con-rods, and they're ALWAYS during the first gallon...and almost every time it's because the guys have performed the break-in procedure you described. Doesn't seem like a mystery as to why it's happening. Drawing out the break-in routine really stresses the engine & actually wears away compression along the way. This method I've outlined will feel weird at every step, but after you try it once, you'll notice a big difference in your engine's performance & lifespan. this will give your engine longer life & more power))))

That is from the article on another forum.. but i use it and plan on using it again... ad it works very well for me. =-)

[Big Cennner]

Ah couldnt wait for the GST eh Garnz? i hear ya! haha.. oh well if you plan on modifying your truck it doesnt take much to acquire a "GST" of your own! AH. you bought the rechargeable AA batteries eh? well perhaps i should of explained it further. my fault. the problem with those rechargeable batteries is that they will never charge higher than 11.0 volts and they run down MUCH quicker than say even regular alkailine batteries do. and being that these servos are high powered they drain a LOT on the battery pack. so after maybe 15mins the batteries are dead. so unless you buy about 20 of them and constantly put them in after they run down you are in for a pain. i myself ran Energizer 2500 mAh rechargeable's in them until guy at the LHS explained to me why they ran down so quick and explained to me why a 5 cell hump back battery pack would be much better than the AA recharger kind are. although i dont recall all of the reasoning/explanation perhaps someone else can?

[Big Cennner]

I put a buffing wheel on my 6'' bench grinder and and use jewelers rouge and lots of elbow grease. It's a filthy process and the parts get hot as you work them, so wear gloves. I polished the top of the cooling head as well as the skid plates and tank guard. I think it would outrageous to build an all aluminum Gen/Nem and polish every inch. Anybody know if thats been done?

Thats what i use to polish my metal mariner. i bought a polish wheel specifically for that purpose.. and as you know it takes a lot of elbow grease to get some items coming out looking like a mirror.. although dont forget to put a wax on the shine to seal it or it will revert and dull and fog up after a while. i polished my side frames and every piece of plastic part that i replaced with aluminum will get the full polish. i am well on my way to having a FULL aluminum truck! i just got my aluminum battery box and receiver box's a couple of days ago although ill have to custom mount them i think theyll look good once i do get them mounted. i bought a altogether new radio/battery/receiver box i am going to disassemble it and make one myself out of aluminum.. that should be fun! :) after that i might check into getting a aluminum nemmy tranny case made. that would be cool! and ive seen aluminum servo covers to finish out my metal conversion. it will indeed be indestructible when im done! hahaha oh and Mariner i have seen a finished total aluminum /chrome Genesis on ebay about a year ago. it was pretty sweet! i think it sold for 2k! but it was totally awesome! anyway fellas ive got to get back to work!
take it easy!

BC

[Megabyteme]

Big C have you finished the break in all together on the port and polish engine? How does it run? You should try NO2 with a truck with half the wheel base of mine it should be interesting what is the weight of your truck with the aluminum? Mine is about 20lbs. So if you are less than that it should be a missile with NO2.

[Garnz]

Hey Cen,
Thanks for the run down. I idled the first tank cos it felt weird (as you said) to put a new truck through the driving part. I have sort of used both methods combined now!!! I idled the first tank and left it overnight cos I didn't want the neighbours complaining about the noise at 8pm. It has been raining so I'm stuck under my patio and there are two of us doing the same thing so it's pretty loud.
Today was the next stage as we only had a limited amount of time until the sun went down. I used the heat cycle method but I did it with half tanks. I wish now I read your post earlier!!! It seems ok, I only used the factory settings for the first tank(idling) and started to lean out to get the temp up. It ran between 208 and 256 degrees. I made sure it wasn't at TDC without reading the last post cos I was told to but didn't know why... thats trust in you guys hey!!! I spent most of the afternoon running it in and most of it was taken up tuning and making sure it starts. The factory settings are so inaccurate... we have to of exactly the same model and batch, my gen was so much richer than my friend's. When I first adjusted the mixture after 30seconds I had to walk away because my eyes were burning from the fumes!!! No problem now though, its lean and mean. So far I have used about half a gallon so I have half to go to see if my con-rod holds up!!! I think it will be ok, I am half way between heat cycling and old school, but I always sit on the fence. haha
My hands are covered in blisters so I am so relieved that I put the rotostart in tonight. Tomorrow will be fine tuning and transmission tuning. I really wanna give it some stick, but we will have to see if the weather will hold up cos the patio is only so big.
Now Batteries. I have a five cell hump pack in the receiver box which I have had since I picked up the truck. The rechargeables are in the transmitter. You are right they only charge to 11.2volts but they held up today for four hours off and on and there is still 9.7 volts left. I will let you know if anything changes.

[Big Cennner]

Garnz- I was just reading your post real quick as i was eating breakfast. i forgot to tell you and i didnt realize it until i just read it on your post. youre not supposed to put the rotostart on your truck until AFTER you have broke in your motor. i know its a killer on your arm breaking in a new motor because of all of the torque the engine has but until the motor is broke in ya need to just use the pull starter. although sounds like you did you the pull starter for quite a bit since you mentioned the blisters that usually come with breakin in a new motor. haha ill bb!

[Big Cennner]

Hey mega - hows it going. i need to weigh my aluminum truck and see how much it weighs. yeah the break in is complete on that modified ported and polished motor. and it runs like a jett plane! if you run it lean for racing its like purposes its like mad crazy! i bought some aluminum large fuel line that is supposed to boost the in line fuel capacity by 300% i just got it a few days back but i cant really see that much of a difference between the inside diameter of the lines and the basic plastic fuel line. in fact the large diameter blue line is larger than the alum. fuel line that i bought. so i guess ill just try it and see how it goes with that. btw i didnt put the modified motor on my show truck i put it on one of the nemmy's. i might put the motor i just sent in to get modified on it though and then try the supercharger on it to see if that cures the overheat problem with those things. if that works heck i might add the NO2 system and see how that works. Vroooooooooom! Vroooooooooom! haha

[Garnz]

Hi Everyone,
My truck is finally run in. It's great, heaps of power as I expected and more. I put the rotostart on after I ran it in BigCenner. I put it on for the sixth tank so I don't think it should cause any issues. What I think may cause some issues is that I followed the stupid factory settings after run in. First it wouldn'y start and then when I got it started it wasn't idling smoothly. I tuned it some more and got the idle and low end fine and then it stalled!!! Stupid me didn't keep an eye on the temp and it went up to 400 degrees!!! I let it cool slowly and started to tune the top end. It seems fine apart from the gear changes. I think Cen does it to all the stock cars, second changes real quick and third doesn't even engage so thats my job tomorrow if this rain leaves us in peace. So much for the sunny country hey!!!
I took the truck out on the dirt today and it drives completely different. It seems to be so at home gettin dirty and bouncing around in the dirt. The problem I have on grass or road is that it pulls hard right under full load but tracks straight at low speed. It seems to me that the enormous load of the engine is putting all the weight to one rear wheel. The LHS said that the center lock will stop the problem but in the manual it says that it will cause excessive wear on the drive train.
Can you guys let me know what you think?
Also I was wondering how high the idle should sound? Mine sounds really high but the wheels dont even try to turn. Is the low end too lean?
Thanks in advance for helping the newbie.
Garnz

[mariner]

I tried the center lock and it does accelerate drive train wear , lets you pull great wheelies though. To help fight the tendency to lift one front wheel my buddy installed a torsion bar on the rear of his gen. He made it from a piece of hardened steel rod and some fittings he got at the LHS. He used the holes in the rear plate that were provided for the rear wheel steering servo horn. Here's some pics

[mariner]

another pic

[Big Cennner]

Hey Garnz - ah put the rotostart on after the break in eh? good.. although i think in the long run you may switch back to the pull starter.. yeah those factory settings are just a generic standard start point ..you tune it for your own particular climate from what they have listed. what might be good for me wont be for you. and vice versa.. you need to keep an eye on that heat man and dont let it get that high! 400degrees wow! yeah you might check the settings on the tranny.. and make sure that they are set correctly. it should go into 2nd gear within 20ft from takeoff acceleration and into 3rd soon thereafter. which i need to check the tranny settings on mine as well. yeah the trucks drive great in dirt and very much at home in gravel too.. hmmm so your truck pulls to the right when you accelerate to full throttle? one of my trucks does that when i go to my brothers house. his grass is very thick and fluffy and my nemmy which i had lightened seems almost too light in the front.. especially with the nem wheels and sniper tires.. its just way too light on grass and it doesnt turn very well on it.. now when i put the imex 44's on there which are much wider it turns GREAT! in fact the turning radius is probably almost half of that with the nem wheels/tires. i dont think that i would add the center lock on there though Garnz because it will cause wear very quickly! although as mariner said it does pull some great wheelies! =-) idle sound doesnt really matter that much.. as long as the wheels dont turn and the truck tries to take off without you controlling it! haha what is the rule with good tuned truck? what is it the 6second rule.. pinch the fuel line and if it takes longer 6 seconds before the motor dies its too rich and if the motor dies before the 6 seconds its too lean? i believe thats the "rule" you might try that Garnz..
good day!
BC

[Garnz]

Hi BigCen,
Thanks for your help. 400 degrees is huge hey, so lucky I didnt crack something. The fuel line pinch test today was 4 seconds. I read it in some other post and tried it out. It was so lean today when I was playing with the tuning that it was less than 1 second. That was my overheating problem solved. I tuned second and third gear and I am still having trouble with 3rd engaging. Although I did set it to change late to get maximum speed out of it, if I don't go full throttle from stand still it wont engage. The revs of the engine waver like a rev limiter on a car. It is like it gets confused between second and third!!!! I will adjust it to change earlier maybe a quarter of a turn. Funnily enough that will make it exactly what cen says in the manual- 7and half turns out.
I also noticed that my idle screw is out a fair way. When I look into the carby at idle the gap is only half a mm. If I make it 1-2mm like everyone says it revs really high and tries to engage first gear. Should the gap be made bigger and the low speed needle richened??? I am starting to second guess everything now and I just cant wait to get it right so that there is only one needle to worry about. The top end is so easy because you notice the difference with even the smallest change. I will be back to my frustrating tuning tomorrow, any help from you guys would be great.
Garnz

[Quinton]

Should the gap be made bigger and the low speed needle richened???


Yes.
You want your gap to be about as thick as a credit card. But if it's idling good, your pinch test is good, not overheating, got some smoke, and is shifting good then I wouldn't sweat it.

[Garnz]

Hi Guys,
I have the truck tuned and it seems fine. Thanks for all your help. I have found that the 3rd gear is not engaging so I found a forum that tells you to put a washer in the third gear clutch.
http://cenracing.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=48&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
My problem is that to me it looks like the third gear, centre diff and braking unit are all one unit. If this is the case I would have to pull the whole truck apart to fix the third gear problem. Could you guys let me know if you have had any experience with removing the clutch?
I also have a story for you. We went out yesterday for a thrashing at the local soccer field. I can get the truck up to about 50-60km per hour without third and was racing around with a guy with a buggy. At top speed I misjudged the distance, from about 150 meters away, and hit a steel light post head on at full throttle. I heard it hit from that distance and it then flipped four or five times. We all looked at each other and thought, oh ****, something has to be broken. I ran over and put it on its wheels and took off. It didn't even stall!! Apon closer inspection I scratched the chrome paint off the bumper and bent the front scratch plate slightly. Amazing, what a tough truck this is!!! Steering is fine and it still tracks straight.
About an hour later I had a break and when I started it again and it took off at half throttle across the park, between two fence posts, across a road and then got about six foot of air flipping onto someones front garden from the gutter. I wondered what was wrong until I realised that I didn't switch on the receiver. IDIOT!!! But still no damage. This time not even a scratch. I guess it was my lucky day so I will have to make sure I am a lot more careful tomorrow when we go out otherwise it will cost me a fortune.
Anyways, I thought you guys might want to have a laugh at my expense. Heres a pic of the minor damage.
If someone could help with my clutch problem it would be great.
Thanks,
Garnz.

[CEN Racing]

The new GST will have some modifications to the engine. The pull start has been revamped and the engine will be more effiecent. The head has also changed a bit as well. It has a completely new block and the crank is modified. also the pistion will be a bit differnt as well.

The entire engine will have a new and completely different part numbers.

[Megabyteme]

Will there be a significant HP increase? Will there be an rpm increase?

[NIdaho Mudder]

Anyone hear yet on a date for Gst?

[kylew]

the gst 7.7 is out now.

[NIdaho Mudder]

cant wait to read what people think, untill i get mine

[kylew]

yeah, I got a post reply on another thread where the guy said it kicked ass. he then went on to say that he didn't have one. So i'm going to hold off untill I get some real input.

[NIdaho Mudder]

Well i just ordered mine should have it early next week,

[kylew]

Sweet!, lemme know how you like it (And how fast/far it jumps)

[NIdaho Mudder]

man this waiting is worse then CHRISTMAS!!!

[kylew]

so, did you take advantage of the free mini madness offer? I saw that on their page, and I almost bought one outright. either way, I want you to think this one thing: it's almost here, you can almost take it out and run it, any day now...
seriously, getting a new truck is better than some of the sex that i've had.

[NIdaho Mudder]

ITS HEREEEEEEEEEE, Looks very tough now to start the break in

[NIdaho Mudder]

Ok gonna try an post some pictures

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n36/NIdaho_Mudder/Body-1.jpg

[NIdaho Mudder]

Yea it worked
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n36/NIdaho_Mudder/Bottom-1.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n36/NIdaho_Mudder/Front-1.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n36/NIdaho_Mudder/New-Old.jpg

[NIdaho Mudder]

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n36/NIdaho_Mudder/servos.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n36/NIdaho_Mudder/Side.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n36/NIdaho_Mudder/side2.jpg

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n36/NIdaho_Mudder/Side-Body.jpg

[kylew]

man, that thing is HUGE! how does it run?

[Tig]

Nice, it looks good with the green chassis. Thats a sharp lookin truck. Hows it runnin?

[NIdaho Mudder]

well still on break in SOOO i can say it IDLES for a LONGGGG time on one tank of fuel have 2 more to get done then can start to play a LITTLE

[NIdaho Mudder]

Well time for the review... Only problem with truck has been the pull start not retracting like its supose to now it broke and i will replace with rotostart. The steering servos are a tad weak to the left. This could be fixed with a adjustment im not sure yet. I have jumped off 10 foot gravel piles, endoed,rolled,flipped jumped and hit the side of my house, I also hit a suburu flat tire on wheel full speed knocked it 2 feet , backed up and took off again. I have a few scratches on the skid's 1 small chip of missing paint in the CEN name on bumper. Other then that the truck could be sold as new!!!

The handling and stability is great for its size and the acceleration is awesome. Im sure when i get it dialed in good will even be more impressive. I have had no problems with the half tank leaning issues and my standard temps run maybe 200. The run time on the tank is much longer then my tmaxx. The hill climbing power is great as i can climb a 25ft high pile of crushed rock thats loose. I also noticed when i flip it and its upside down it runs untill i get there and knock it over. Its very nice to NOT have to keep restarting my truck.

Any questions just be spacific and i will try to answer. If your LHS doesnt carry these cars they are really missing out on a tough truck. After the weekend am thinking Tmaxx's were a huge waste of my money

[QUAKE&SHAKE]

After the weekend am thinking Tmaxx's were a huge waste of my money
Ive said that for over 5 years now:)

I had the pleasure of seeing this truck at the Chicago Hobby Show. WOW! They demoed it on a carpet track it took a beating with crashing into the 1/8 buggy they have. Hitting the driver stand. Numberous flips cartwheels clips. Not squareing up on the small ramps sending it in a roll, it held up. The susp on it was very very absorbing. The jumps was just plush and go. Soaked up the running over the track barriers a maxx would have been thrown around.

OH Maybe this truck needs its own thread here. It is NEW and different isnt it?

[NIdaho Mudder]

Yes the Cen GST 7.7 is all new, Cen doesnt get much attention here or other forums for that matter. Sofar i have the GST an Mini Madness which is a blast in the house. Will be ordering the new matrix TR *truggy* next month. According to what i hear from CEN its supose to eat up the Jammin's.

[mugenX5]

How's this thing to work on? Any issues with the truck NOT from abusing it?

[pantera]

hi guys,

Im back from the blues, which so much work I rarely got to touch my truck, it had been on the shelf until last saturday. I took the opportunity and took some pictures, and if I succeed I will post some. It has never given me unsolvable problems since, and I can say it is the best truck I ever owned, and very happy with it. I have just this one problem, I wish to buy some upgrades for my genny but I am looking for a web site which ships worldwide. I live in Malta and websites which ship here are a rarity to find, and now I'm asking for your help, so if you know some, please post them , I will be very happy.

Till Later

Pantera

[NIdaho Mudder]

Well mugen im new to rc but i havent had anything BREAK in 1 gallon sofar, I took out the engine an changed to roto start and it still works. Im VERY pleased with the truck and will be getting other cen products, after my traxxas stuff there is NO comparing the 2. now to find a home for my tmaxx's lol its sad i dont even care if its a GOOD home

[Megabyteme]

ok is there a big difference between the genesis and the gst 7.7 or it it like a savage x and a savage ss? I have the cen .46 in my savage and it is a torque monster is the gst engine a lot better?

[domJuan]

Do the pinions have any affect on third? The (stock Gen)17/21 pinion set up, or the (Nemesis 2 speed) 21/25 set up, will they affect the speed in third gear (making it taller)? Does running the 21/25 pinion setup in the three speed transmission just give you 2nd and 3rd gear ratios that are too close?
I just need to know if 3rd gear will still be bigger than 2nd if I switch to the bigger pinions.
Im giving myself a headache trying to figure this out.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

[domJuan]

OK having used the gps on both sets of pinions in the 3 speed trans, 17/21 and the 21/25, I found that 3rd gear is 3rd gear regardless of the pinions. Top speed was right at 40mph. It seems that third gear final drive is very close to the same ratio as the 25 tooth pinion on second gear. Thanks again for the input.

[Challenger]

Hi Guys,
I have the truck tuned and it seems fine. Thanks for all your help. I have found that the 3rd gear is not engaging so I found a forum that tells you to put a washer in the third gear clutch.
http://cenracing.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=48&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
My problem is that to me it looks like the third gear, centre diff and braking unit are all one unit. If this is the case I would have to pull the whole truck apart to fix the third gear problem. Could you guys let me know if you have had any experience with removing the clutch?
I also have a story for you. We went out yesterday for a thrashing at the local soccer field. I can get the truck up to about 50-60km per hour without third and was racing around with a guy with a buggy. At top speed I misjudged the distance, from about 150 meters away, and hit a steel light post head on at full throttle. I heard it hit from that distance and it then flipped four or five times. We all looked at each other and thought, oh ****, something has to be broken. I ran over and put it on its wheels and took off. It didn't even stall!! Apon closer inspection I scratched the chrome paint off the bumper and bent the front scratch plate slightly. Amazing, what a tough truck this is!!! Steering is fine and it still tracks straight.
About an hour later I had a break and when I started it again and it took off at half throttle across the park, between two fence posts, across a road and then got about six foot of air flipping onto someones front garden from the gutter. I wondered what was wrong until I realised that I didn't switch on the receiver. IDIOT!!! But still no damage. This time not even a scratch. I guess it was my lucky day so I will have to make sure I am a lot more careful tomorrow when we go out otherwise it will cost me a fortune.
Anyways, I thought you guys might want to have a laugh at my expense. Heres a pic of the minor damage.
If someone could help with my clutch problem it would be great.
Thanks,
Garnz.

The above link does not work and I suspect third gear never did engage on my Genesis.
Any help on this is appreciated. :)

[domJuan]

I later concluded that my witness, who heard two shifts, was probably drinking the nitro. The problem with third from what Im understanding , is that it is not quite heavy enough. The rotating mass of the plastic 2 piece clutch doesnt pull with enough force to do it. To add weight to the existing one (drill out plastic,add set screws etc) weakens the whole thing but has been done. See PPmon at CENs website for pix. Someone just needs to make one that is slightly heavier material and SHAZAM. It should work.

[Challenger]

I later concluded that my witness, who heard two shifts, was probably drinking the nitro. The problem with third from what Im understanding , is that it is not quite heavy enough. The rotating mass of the plastic 2 piece clutch doesnt pull with enough force to do it. To add weight to the existing one (drill out plastic,add set screws etc) weakens the whole thing but has been done. See PPmon at CENs website for pix. Someone just needs to make one that is slightly heavier material and SHAZAM. It should work.

Is CEN aware of this problem with third gear? If so, why don't they give a good answer on the MB? I understand the new Nemesis is a two speed. Does this mean the Genesis three speed is junk? "See PPmon at CENs website for pix". Where is this at, any link?

[NIdaho Mudder]

www.cenracing.com
Go to area 51 which is cen's forums. there are alot of fix's from owners as well as company tech's.

[domJuan]

I'm not sure how far into denial Cen is about third gear. Here is my opinion of the situation: If you buy a Gen and go thru the break in (seal the case for air leaks!) and get her running as intended, OMG this thing is BIG, fast, runs over other trucks, goes up curbs, takes rough terrain like no other truck on the market and is going so fast at the top of second gear that you had to let off for fear of losing sight or going over the horizon or whatever the excuse is, and are just too macho to bitch about not getting into third 'cuz their ass was scared that third gear WOULD hit when going that fast. Please excuse the run on sentence but it gets the point across. Unless you have some really wide open areas, third gear is not "much" of an issue. Another issue regarding third gear; This Gen has the wheelbase similar to a jeep. Imagine going 250mph in a jeep with balloon tires, then shifting into third. If this model were scaled to a truck chassis (maybe 5 in longer) then stability would warrant demanding a better set up for third gear. It is hard to look them in the eye and honestly say that you NEED it. Besides if you are truly dialed in mechanically and run consistently without exceeding critical temps and want to hit third anyways, all you have to do is give the top end a full turn towards the lean side. Yeah, it will ruin the motor quicker than normal but its " really" third gear and only money right? You will get what you paid for! KnowhatImeanVern?

[Challenger]

I later concluded that my witness, who heard two shifts, was probably drinking the nitro. The problem with third from what Im understanding , is that it is not quite heavy enough. The rotating mass of the plastic 2 piece clutch doesnt pull with enough force to do it. To add weight to the existing one (drill out plastic,add set screws etc) weakens the whole thing but has been done. See PPmon at CENs website for pix. Someone just needs to make one that is slightly heavier material and SHAZAM. It should work.

Ok, I found the article from PPman and pics but have a couple questions:

1.) Any thoughts on the size of screw to use?
2.) Where do you get the Kevlar/carbon fiber?
3.) Will fiberglass cloth glued on with epoxy also work?
4.) When he says "8 turns" does that mean run the the adjustment screw in until snug then back it out 8 turns or?

Any help is appreciated!!

[domJuan]

1. 6/32 or #8

2. ?

3. Yes , keep it as thin as possible.

4. Yes.

5. Good luck!

[domJuan]

Another suggestion...install the 6/32 machine screws as described and then reassemble. If you look at the nylock nut you'll see enough bolt sticking out to add another nylock (upside down). I'm thinking this might be enough to do it. If not then go ahead and laminate as described. My hope is that using the smaller machine screw leaves enough material to keep it strong so you do not have to laminate and the extra nylock is a very easy way to add weight.

[jato-racer33]

finnaly ordered my 7.7 :D . any time now....

[jato-racer33]

one less day to wait...

[jato-racer33]

cant drive my beast now cuz, wile i was jumping over a table top, i lost my wheel nut and gotta another from the net:( gonna be a long wait

[dom223]

Does the GST 7.7 suck the fuel down fast?. I been interested in this truck since it came out, but i never got one because i thought it would be a fuel hog. And is its durability very good?

[ftwilliams616]

I have a CEN GST and I love this thing.The third gear issue is kind of iffy,it's hard to tell if it shifts but my truck is just too fast unless I get it in A BIG OPEN AREA! The gas goes fairly fast but no faster then most I think.Very durable,the only issue I've had is when I ran into a wall hitting some doubles,I broke the reverse gear plastic shift lever.The truck is a serious beast and gets major attention everywhere I take it.My trucks in this months(June) Best Paint Competition under amateur,it's the Chrome Grave Digger.

[chunkem]

Hi good evening, I was wondering if you could possible help me out. I purchased a Cen GST 7.7 about two weeks ago. I read the manuel over and over, and tonight Friday February 6th, 2009 I attempted to break in this monster.

Well to put it nicely I'm missing some skin on the fingers however once I got it going it would not stay going. I had to actually keep on the throttle in order for it not to stall. I also turned up the idling screw and it ran fine for about 5 seconds and then stalled again. I did this is a garage with heat and I also used a blow dryer to heat the motor...

Is there anything that I am doing wrong or can you suggest a better way. My fingers and hand are killing me. I did manage to cycle three tanks, but most of it appears wasted from continually pulling.

I have recently just got back into the hobby with my little guy. I do have a concern that I was on the throttle too long...

Can you give me any advice..

Thanks in advance,

New guy in Ontario.

[chunkem]

Hi good evening, I was wondering if you could possible help me out. I purchased a Cen GST 7.7 about two weeks ago. I read the manuel over and over, and tonight Friday February 6th, 2009 I attempted to break in this monster.

Well to put it nicely I'm missing some skin on the fingers however once I got it going it would not stay going. I had to actually keep on the throttle in order for it not to stall. I also turned up the idling screw and it ran fine for about 5 seconds and then stalled again. I did this is a garage with heat and I also used a blow dryer to heat the motor...

Is there anything that I am doing wrong or can you suggest a better way. My fingers and hand are killing me. I did manage to cycle three tanks, but most of it appears wasted from continually pulling.

I have recently just got back into the hobby with my little guy. I do have a concern that I was on the throttle too long...

Can you give me any advice..

Thanks in advance,

New guy in Ontario.

[jzemaxx]

Post this info in the www.cenforum.com