I want to make my re-released Montero look like the older Pajero
model. Normally when I do a modification I just jump right in, but
I'm going to need to do a lot more planning this time to figure out
what I need. The Montero was not
originally on the CW-01 chassis, it was on it's own chassis. The most
obvious visual difference between the original 58044 Pajero and the
updated 58499 Montero is the wheels and tires. No problem there, the
original wheels and tires were the same as on the Subaru Brat, and since
that has been re-re'd they are easy to get. They even bolt right on
using the same unusual 5 spoke hub instead of 12mm hex. (Pajero- Montero - Brat)
The Pajero chassis and the CW-01 have a lot in common, almost
everything. They begin with the same chassis tub and use the same rear
axle and front suspension arms. However, the Montero is "lifted" by
inserting extra parts as shown. This lift allows the battery to slide
under the chassis tub instead of sit on the rear panel. If I leave the
CW-01 as-is, it will be way too high with those much smaller tires. No
problem for the front suspension. I will just omit the lift parts and
put a smaller battery in the back. (Pajero - Montero)
For the rear suspension things are less simple. If I omit the part which
lifts the rear axle, there is no place to install the axle. The shorter
parts do not come with the Montero kit and the Pajero is long out of
production. However, it looks like the Grasshopper uses the same parts,
so I should be able to get those from the re-re. (Pajero - Montero - Grasshopper)
That's sorted, now what about the shocks? Not only will the shocks from
the Montero now be too long, but the way they attach pushes the rod
through the tub into the area where the battery will now be. That means I
need the Brat shocks which also appear to be shared with the
Grasshopper. Not only that, many of the needed parts are included on the
parts trees of the Montero unused. (Pajero - Montero - Grasshopper)
I was under the impression that the Montero
and Pajero used the same chassis tub, but there are actually minor
differences. In particular, see the images above comparing the forward
shock attachment. The Pajero has a cutout in the tub but the Montero
actually has a padded up area. This means if I try to install the
original Pajero shocks they will be too short. I'll have to figure out
how to use a longer bolt and some kind of spacer. (Pajero - Montero)
Similar but different ...... (Pajero - Montero)
Not surprisingly, this turned out to be a lot more complicated than I
anticipated once I started working on it. There were a couple of times
when I almost gave up, but I managed to get there in the end. The
first obvious thing to do was change the tires. As I predicted, the Brat
wheels and tires fit directly but they are a lot smaller than stock.
Here's a problem. The front spindles are way too long because the stock
wheels are much deeper than the Brat wheels. I was able to steal the
uprights from a Grasshopper which fit just right.
Here are the new wheels and tires installed, but now the clear problem is that the suspension is way too high.
I started modifying the suspension by removing the lift parts discussed
earlier, but this revealed a new problem. The CW-01 mounts the steering
servo differently than the original Pajero, and this makes it hang down
and interfere with the suspension arms. I was able to modify the
location by looking at the original Pajero instructions and drilling
holes to match.
Here the front suspension has been lowered and you can just see the new servo position. These pictures are before and after.
My plan was to use some donor shocks from a Fast Attack Vehicle to
replace the now much too long original front shocks. These are compared in the
pictures above. I ended up having to use a lot of spacers both inside
the spring and above the deck because the upper attachment is in a
different spot than the original as previously described. I also needed
to use shorter steering tie rods. The second picture shows some of the
parts I used while experimenting.
The front is done! Looks like the back might need some work though.....
My plan for the back was to replace the shocks using FAV parts like on
the front, then replace the axle support with the parts shown on the
right. It didn't quite work out. One happy surprise though, is that the
parts trees that come with the CW-01 include all the plastic parts
required to make the rear shocks. All you need are the rods and springs
from the FAV.
The problem is that the new (old) rear shocks interfere with the motor.
This is because the CW-01 uses a 12mm motor spacer to move the motor out
and install a long, tiny pinion. Presumably this small pinion was
needed for the big wheels. I was able to remove the spacer and the 10
tooth pinion and replace with an 18 tooth pinion like the Brat. This
moves the motor and fixes the interference, and also makes the truck much faster.
Here's the installed rear axle after mods. Note the parts that had to be removed to change the shock mounting location.
Next issue: once the new smaller tires are installed and the suspension
is lowered, the wheelie bar is not at a good angle. I did some cutting
and grinding with the Dremel and was able to increase the wheelie angle
as shown.
Done. Before and after tire change:
Before and after lowering. Note that the wheelbase shortened in the back to line up with the body.
Overall before and after:
Track width before and after.
I can't even explain how great it works. This is by far a better wheelie
machine now than my Midnight Pumpkin, Lunchbox, or Wild Willy. It will
hold a wheelie all the way down the road, and it is fast and stable.
Highly recommended mod. For anyone interested in doing the same thing, here are all the parts I
removed and replaced (as well as the wheels and tires of course).
