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Cannonball Run 2016 "The Aussieball" Official Build Thread


TFchronos

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Well ladies and Gents, it's that time of the year again. The 2015 Cannonball CBP is over, we had a total of 22 finished builds. Last year's theme was a Sleeper build and let me tell you, there were a ton of amazing builds. The competition was so strong that voting ended with a tie!

With that said I would like to welcome you all to the 2016 Cannonball Run CBP thread.

Before we get to far into this I would first like to thank Tim (wagonmaster) for starting last years build thread, Rob (Jantrix) for finishing it and Mike (Lunajammer) for handling the poll. Also I would like to say that this is my first time handling a CBP, it's a true honor that it gets to be the Cannonball CBP, a CBP I've enjoyed being a part of these past few years. I will do my very best to see this to the end and be as active as possible to keep this thread updated. I would also like to ask that everyone reads this post fully. Thank you!

After much deliberating and planning with our fellow members we decided to do another themed build for this year. Huge shout out to Ray (Helix) for the idea!

The theme this year is a Australian Outback/Off road theme. Or as we will know it. The "Aussieball"

That's right, forge your passports and get you cars ready cause this year we're invading The Land Down Under, Australia!

This year we'll have a mix of both on and off road driving in a sort of checkpoint style run, not closed course, just cites and towns we'll need to drive through so that all the drivers face a fair mix of on and off road terrain. So make sure your cars are built accordingly. A light run down of rules and build recommendations will be listed below.

But first, as with every year the official start date will be January 1st 2016, and the end date will be December 1st  (15th) 2016.

"I'd like to welcome you all to an event that's sometimes been called the Automotive counterpart to the Bay of Pigs."

"You are certainly the most distinguished group of highway scofflaws and degenerates ever gathered together in one place"

 

CBP rules:

.1) First rule, as per Rob (Jantrix) this is all about having fun. Build you car as complex or as simple as you want. There is no skill level requriments anyone can join as long as they follow the rules and guidelines.

.2) You must show a picture of the kit, collection of parts, or re-builder that you are starting with. If it is possible try to post at least 1 update per month even if it just says "I haven't finished any work, but I'm still here."

.3) You can build as many entries as you want, I can safely say we all enjoy watching them be built. But only one of them will be accepted for voting at the end, 1 driver = 1 car, naturally you choose the one.

.4) Build scale is 1/20 to 1/25. No other scales smaller or larger will be accepted.

.4) Entries are accepted at anytime from now all the way up to 48 hours before the end date.

 

Build Rules:

.1) The entry needs to be capabile of both on road and off road travel. They don't need to be SEMA show quailty, remember these cars are going to take a beating.

.2) Must "appear" the be road legal to Australian standards. Now before we go any further I would just like to say this isn't as daunting as it sounds. Your build doesn't have to follow every single little law in the book, we "are" Cannonballers after all. Google will be your best friend for examples, but for those interested below is a link to Australia's gov site which should have a lot of helpful information. Year, Makes, and Models are unrestricted.

https://infrastructure.gov.au/roads/legislation/

.3) Right Hand Drive (RHD) and Left Hand Drive (LHD) rules. While it is highly recommended you convert you build to a RHD to a compliment the roads Australian importing laws do allow LHD cars to be imported. So we will carry that over to the build, the rules for this are very simple.

If the vehicle is over 30 years old it can be LHD.

If the vehicle is under 30 years old it must be RHD.

Of course any vehicle of any year can be RHD it's just if you want a LHD then it must be over 30 years old.

.4) Here is a short list of recommendations for your builds. These are not required (if any are someone please let me know) but for now these are merely suggested.

4WD, just to clarify 2WD is acceptible.

Good ground clearance. Doesn't have to be sky high but you know, no lowriders.

Beefed up suspension, 2 shocks per wheel, for example.

Push/Guard bumpers (Roo-Bars).

Skid plates to keep the vitals protected.

Over sized, concealed fuel tank.

Making sure everything is securely mounted.

And lastly, make sure you have a dental appointment booked to have your fillings put back in after the race. As per Fred's (Zenrat's) suggestion.

Again as far as I know these aren't requirements only suggestions. Build what you think you'll need to survive the course.

 

Speaking of which. 

The Route:

Our Starting point is the Skycity Casino in Darwin. Finish line is the Skycity Casino in Adeliade. There will be a total of 5 checkpoints through the course.

#1: Katherine

#2: Kununurra

#3: Halls Creek

#4: Alice Springs

#5: Port Augusta

Here is the course, red is on road driving and yellow is off road driving, I believe.

 photo The_Ghan_route_map_zps1p4tutbw.png

I think that's about it, if I need to add or change anything I will.

With that said, the 2016 Assuieball is officially under way!

Good luck, have fun, get building!

Entries list:

  1. Pat Minarick              - '69 Chevrolet Camaro
  2. Helix,                         - WRC Toyota Corolla
  3. Jhedir6                      - '17 Ford F-150 Raptor
  4. Zenrat                       - '87 Buick Grand National 
  5. MeatMan                  - '80 Toyota Land Cruiser
  6. Belugawrx                - Chevrolet ACDelco
  7. Wrecker388              - '50 Ford F-1
  8. Iysleder                     - Nissian Skyline R32
  9. Erik Smith                 - '64 Plymouth Belvedere
  10. Wagonmaster           - '69 GMC Astro 95
  11. JTalmage                 - '80 Ford Bronco
  12. Pim                           - '85 Ford SVO Mustang
  13. Jantrix                       - Fun Truckin' Courier
  14. Grid_88                     - Ford F-350 Super Duty
  15. Ridgeback                 - Renault Fourgonnette
  16. Jay's Customs           - '50 Chevrolet 3100
  17. bill_67                        -  Lancia Stratos
  18. Misha                         - '72 Chevrolet K5 Brazer
  19. CFMgarage               - '69 Dodge Charger
  20. Canso65                   - '48 Ford Woody
  21. KeithJackson            - Ford Van "Highjacker"
  22. chunkypeanutbutter  - '96 Chevrolet Caprice
  23. TFchronos                - '70 Dodge Coronet 
  24. oldcarfan                  - Bre Datsun 510
  25. MLMDesign              - '71 Plymouth Duster

A very special thanks to Ray (Helix) and Fred (Zenrat) for all the information and help they have offered for this years run.

Any revisions or changes (should they be need) will be posted below.

 

Update 03-06-16: Accepted scales of 1/24 & 1/25 changed to 1/20 through 1/25 to support more build options. 

Edited by TFchronos
Updating roster
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And away we goooooooooooooooo!

Hey Jonathan, make the second check point Kununurra which is south of Wyndham..... Wyndham is a bit out of the way;)

My entry is the WRC Toyota Corolla. I'll be adding a few extra's to this car :P!

IMGP8807_zps9bymtl2p.jpg

 

Edited by Helix
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I have no model planned thus far, but I will keep this in mind when I go to the spring swap meet locally. I don't have a rally car in my collection yet and it would be a good addition.

I would like to add though that this is the NINTH annual running of the Cannonball Run CBP. When I started this CBP back then on the SA forums, I never thought it would become as popular as it has. I'm very pleased and honored to be part of such an excellent group of builders. I hope this CBP continues for many years to come.

Happy New Year guys. 

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Quick question since this is my first CBP, do I post WIP pics here in this thread, or do you make your own thread in the proper section for the vehicle type you're building and tag it with the CBP Aussie Cannonball Run in the title?

Thanks,

David

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Quick question since this is my first CBP, do I post WIP pics here in this thread, or do you make your own thread in the proper section for the vehicle type you're building and tag it with the CBP Aussie Cannonball Run in the title?

Thanks,

David

Yes, please post wip pics here. If you want to start wip thread in the proper section feel free to do so. But please also post some progress pics here as well.

Thanks for joining David! Good luck with your build.

 

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Nice truck Bruce.

Mine's going to be more on the stock side, with some added refinements. I plan to use the Jeep Rubicon tires, chassis & interior pan from the 2015 Raptor, roll cage from an old rally car, modified and widened to fit the Raptor. Some aftermarket racing seats and some other bits I'm keeping underwraps for the moment.

Here's a couple mock up shots, note the Blue Raptor is from my box build that's not yet complete, its just getting used to see how things will look.

008_zpshf0tfsni.jpg

009_zpswseast0z.jpg

010_zpsvcoxyur7.jpg

David

Edited by Jhedir6
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This will be the first time I enter the cannonball run. After long deliberation I have decided that I will prepare and race a R32 Nissan Skyline. 

This is a pointer as to what I have in mind;

DSCF1589_zpski4ejlbm.jpg

 

DSCF1590_zpsxhlu18u9.jpg

 

Now, please keep in mind that this is not my actual entry. I will start with the gr.A racecar kit, as it comes with a stripped and built interior. I have one ordered, but not received yet. This one in the pictures is the street version of the same kit. Note the full civilian interior. Once I get going, I will (of course) have to raise and sort the suspension, add roo bars and a rack on the back for the spares, body mods as needed - that is mostly adjustments to the fenders to accommodate the bigger wheels- auxiliary lighting, and the list goes on.

Before I picked out my chosen ride, I took inventory of my stash looking for suitable candidates. I also researched the localities to get a idea of just what kind of challenges the course would bring. The Monogram CJ-7 and Tamiya Wrangler quickly fell to the floor for being just not fast enough. The Nissan Terrano and Mitsubishi Montero, while rugged, I felt could do with a lower centre of gravity. My Lindberg F-150 stayed in the running for the longest time, but in the end I figured it to be on the big and heavy side. Then there was a number of on-road cars like my Tamiya rally Peugeot, but the lack of an engine, but presence of LHD dash made them an less than ideal choice. So at the end I was left with the Skyline. A fairly low and sleek platform, equipped with a powerful engine and 4WD. And not to mention a closed coupe so I can have my air conditioner running. The drawback is that the undercarriage is just not up to the job, so that will have to be addressed. While researching I came to understand that although the corrugations will be bad, the course should be reasonably flat so that excessive ground clearance wouldn't be necessary. A decent amount of suspension travel would come in handy though. In case there is a sudden need to embark on a real off-road excursion. As in evading an obstacle or such. Then of course there is the question of reliability. Is a race tuned twin turbo inline six going to go the distance? And what about the independent suspension all around? For the engine I will have to de-tune it a bit down from gr.A spec, and for the suspension I'm going to take a good hard look at the two Paris-Dakar kits (remains of, that is) I have in my parts box. If a design/setup is good enough for that race, I figure that a similarly equipped car should be good enough for the Aussieball.

Either way, I'll be back when I have something real to show

Edited by lysleder
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Thanks for the launch Jonathan. Count me in with a Toyota Land Cruiser.  I'm planning on updating it and adding a few special touches.

 

Tamiya Land Cruiser 80.jpg

This is an excellent kit Dennis, complete with working suspension and all the options will make this the perfect vehicle for the Aussie Outback ;)

Look forward to the progress, I've built this one because I owned the real deal a few years ago :)

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Some fantastic ideas presented guys, look forward to everyone's progress!

I've Just been doing the bar work and now ready to 'flip' the dash ;)

The only downside to this kit is that it's not the Safari Version, so I'll have to think outside the box and scratch build a snorkel and a few other things :mellow:

I'll have to change the tyres as well because they're slicks :blink:

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How "Offroad" is the outback?  This route goes North-South.  I know they have a highway that runs East-West, but are we talking gravel roads torn up by semi trucks traffic, or total jeep trails?  If we are talking mostly gravel roads and the like, any good street car with improved tires and an inch or two of extra clearance would be great, and a rally car would be awesome.  Otherwise, we might be talking Jeeps, 4WD trucks and huge rocks and the like.  Are the push bars for  Kangaroo defense?  From what I have heard, those things are like deer on pogo sticks, and about as hard to miss with a speeding vehicle.  

Interesting choice of themes.  I'm not sure if I'm in or out with this one, yet, but I did just think of a possible theme for next year.  Big Rigs.  What better reason to get every law enforcement agent on an entire Continent after you than making a couple of extra bucks on your load?   My first thought when I saw Australia in the theme was the outback highway and building a road train with a little extra gravy in the train.  (so to speak)  I know that's a roughly paved road, but with a few washouts, dust storms and other assorted hazards.  Driving one of those road trains might not be too different in spirit than what moved the early cannonballers.

 

I will be watching this build with interest.  It looks like there are some great ideas already.

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Dave, it can get pretty bad in some places, the Tanami Road (Track) is well used by Campers and Road Trains, the corrugation on this is not the best......

From Darwin to Halls creek your on the sealed highway sharing it with the likes of the above mentioned vehicles and Police....lot's of them.

From Halls Creek to Alice Springs is where the fun starts, then afterwards the Old Ghan Route is even more interesting!

From Port Augusta to Adelaide your back on sealed highway and once again, shorter versions of Road Trains called B-Doubles occupy the road (Third trailer cannot be attached south of Port Augusta) this is a busy highway with all sorts of vehicles including the local Police who really love the speed freaks :lol:!

Your not going to see many Police through the Off -road sections so this is where you go flat out!

As for Roo-Bars and all the extras, the choice is up to you mate......you either hit a Kangaroo or you don't, that's what it's like, you can be lucky or not.......don't do what a lot of tourists do and swerve to miss the animal because this is when you can get into real serious trouble.........

Edited by Helix
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Thanks for the lesson!  I have never been to Australia, so I am pretty much going on what I learned in Middle School Geography and World Studies class.  (Back in 1975 or so...)  Sounds like a Land Cruiser would be a lot better than a rally car for most of this.  I see the Tamiya reissue comes with a RHD dash...

Up in Michigan, the locals know not to swerve for deer.  We add in the additional factors of snow and ice to our "Living Slalom" course.  (BTW, we tend to refer to deer as "SpeedBeef" up here)  

 

Thanks again,

Dave

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:lol:"SpeedBeef" , I like that Dave and your welcome for the lesson mate, no worries!

My WRC Kit will do the trick, these things can mix it with the big 4X4s,

Bit of trivia regarding the WRC Corolla, all wheel drive- 2 litre twin cam 4 cylinder engine, 4 valves per cylinder, turbo charged with an output of 300BHP...it's been known to produce close to 350BHP.....that'll do me ;)!

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350hp.  Is that all Ray?  I'm using an 800ci mountain motor detuned for reliability to a mere 1000hp.

I've already begun forging the unobtanium gearsets for the tranny, transfer box and diffs...

:lol:

BTW Dennis.  When painting the Tamiya 'cruiser watch that mica red plastic.  You might think you've sealed it under your paint but then put down too heavy a coat of clear...
Don't ask me how I know.

 

Edited by zenrat
because of the voices in my head
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350hp.  Is that all Ray?  I'm using an 800ci mountain motor detuned for reliability to a mere 1000hp.

I've already begun forging the unobtanium gearsets for the tranny, transfer box and diffs...

:lol:

BTW Dennis.  When painting the Tamiya 'cruiser watch that mica red plastic.  You might think you've sealed it under your paint but then put down too heavy a coat of clear...
Don't ask me how I know.

 

Thanks Fred.  I was planning on using Dupli-color automotive primer on it first.  You think that would suffice to seal the red menace?

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Being an American, I am not too familiar with what RHD vehicles are out there.  Is there a general list somewhere of what is available in RHD?  Of course I have seen the Land Cruiser VX 80, but I figure that may be an obvious choice.  Thanks.

 

I can't recall a list off the top of me head but converting a LHD to a RHD is really easy. Just make a basic box dash, like a race car and just put the gauges and Steering wheel on the right. Or you can still build a LHD car, it's just got to be older than 30 years. 

My entry will be starting as a LHD and I'm planning on making it a RHD by making a custom dash.

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