Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 9 – Bumpers, Side Bars, Wheels/Tires

The Build – Part 9
The final step to our Vaterra Ascender K5 build has us attaching the front and rear bumpers, side bars and wheel/tire assemblies. We’ll also be installing the body mounts however I won’t be showing you how to do the body, just in case you’ve decided not to use the bad ass K5 shell.

Build Notes:
As I mentioned before, I won’t be showing the body install here. If you aren’t using the K5, you’ll need to adjust the body mounts to fit whatever body you’re using.

You’ll be using CA glue to mount the tires to the wheels. CA glue is some nasty stuff and glues things together very quickly … even fingers. Be especially careful during the tire gluing step. No one likes to glue their fingers to the tires.

Start by attaching the two tow hooks and winch cover to the front bumper.

Attach the front bumper to the bumper mounts on the chassis. Don’t forget to use the plastic spacers. These extend the bumper out far enough to clear the K5 body.

Attach the tow hooks to the rear bumper.

Now attach the rear bumper to the chassis. You’ll be using 2 plastic spacers per side to extend the bumper out.

Attach two of the side bar extenders to the mounts on the chassis. The mounts should be angled up just slightly.

Mount the side bar to the extenders. You may need to adjust the extenders slightly fit the side bar. Do this on both sides.

We’re skipping ahead slightly to the body mounts since we’re still working on the chassis. Slide the front body mounts into place. Don’t worry about the height of these; you’ll probably need to adjust them during the final body install.

Attach the rear body mount. Again, you’ll probably need to adjust this during final body install but go ahead and make sure, at this point, that both the left and right are in the same mounting hole.

Stuff the foam inside the tires (if it’s not already in there) and then wrap the tires around the wheels. Using a very fine tip on your glue bottle (I ALWAYS use the CompetitionX Gloo Toobs), run a bead of glue around the tires. Wait for about 10-15 minutes (to make 100% sure it’s dry), then flip the tire assembly over and do the same to the backside.

Now attach the tire assemblies to the axles, lower the body into place and get out on those rocks!

Thanks for following along with the Vaterra Ascender K5 build. If you have any questions or need additional help, feel free to contact CompetitionX and I’ll see what I can do to help you out.

Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 1 – Transmission
Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 2 – Front Axle
Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 3 – Rear Axle
Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 4 – Chassis
Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 5 – Electronics
Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 6 – Shocks
Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 7 – Suspension Links
Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 8 – Chassis Assembly
Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build – Part 9 – Bumpers, Side Bars, Wheels/Tires, Body

Back to the Vaterra Ascender K5 Blazer Build List