Just got home to the Seattle area from Guam
I ordered a Kershaw Designs nitro to electric conversion kit while I was there, and it was waiting for me when I got back. Part 1 of this review is going to concern the kit and parts, and once I get everything sorted out and put together, I'll go more into how well everything works.
The instructions are fairly clear, and even have pictures. There is also a list of included parts. However, the parts included didn't match those listed. I seem to have several extra pieces, and parts bag #2 (Dogbones) was nowhere to be found. . . It isn't an extended chassis, and I checked the length between the Traxxas and the K.D. and they are the same, so. . . ??? I decided to just use the stock drive shafts (they did fit.)
The design and build quality appeared good (MORE ON THIS LATER), but - and this has been commented on before in this forum - the finish lacks the polish of a piece from Integy. As long as it also lacks the weakness of Integy junk, that's fine with me, though. Polishing and dressing aluminum is easy, but time consuming, so this keeps the cost down. I try to keep the thing upright so I don't have to look at the chassis, anyway.
The Traxxas chassis gets it's strength from the bends in the aluminum. The K.D. is flat, but it is slightly thicker than the stock part, and it has a dual layer. The bottom plate should add strength, as well as giving you a place to put the batteries.
The Revo is a VERY nice design to work on, so swapping out the chassis is surprisingly easy. All of the servo locations are different, though. The steering linkages needed to be replaced with much shorter ones, but the reverse and brake linkages will work with some modifications. I'm not sure if the chassis will allow the use of a rear brake if you decide to go with a center diff, but I probably will look at that later.
Everything was going well with the conversion, UNTIL. . . I picked the truck up with the front bumper, and the body mount popped out of place. The stock chassis has two holes in the very front, and is cut straight across, so it has a flat nose. The K.D.'s nose is notched back about 1/4" or so in between the bolt holes, and ground a bit thinner (to match the stock thickness) for about another 1/8". The body mount hooks over the end of the chassis in the front, and holds the upper suspension pins in place. With the area that it hooks onto removed, it is really only held in by the single screw in between the shocks. Right now, I'm at an all stop until I can either discuss the problem with Kershaw Designs, or figure out a way to attach the body mount. I have no idea why the chassis was cut like this.
I'll be updating this review or adding a part 2 as things progress.
Linear Mode
