Project Hybrid Theory is a project truck that started off as a simple paint idea for a body which soon blossomed into a much more complex idea.  I first wanted to paint a tribute body to the band Linkin Park which has some personal ties to my wife and I as well as our best friend.  From there is I thought it be an awesome idea to put a more scale looking chassis under the body.  Thusly, Project Hybrid Theory was born.  Click the images for their full size.

Starting off with a Tamiya Volkswagen Race-Touareg chassis is where our project begins.  It features a solid rear axle and independent front suspension design that is true to Chevy trucks.  The suspension and width fit however the length was way too short by about 3 inches so the rear half was cut off to allow a custom rear chassis to be adapted.

The front gear box is assembled per instructions with the only changes at this point being the addition of ball bearings and an Integy 55T motor.

The rear axle is assembled per instructions with once again the only addition being ball bearings.

Here is the completed front section ready to accept the new chassis.

Placing the completed front section into the body allowed me to figure out just how long the new chassis piece would need to be.

Aluminum "L" channel from the local hardware store provided the right base for the new chassis extension.  Strong yet light, it would also provide great torsional stiffness.  Here you can see it has been cut into left and right pieces and the holes have been drilled.

Test fitting the new sides shows that all the measurements were proper and it is ready for cross braces and a floor pan.

A section of fiberglass was cut to provide a floor pan and the remaining aluminum channel was cut to provide cross braces.  Here you can see the holes being drilled to accept the screws that will hold it all together.

The chassis assembly is screwed to the Tamiya front portion.  It is a rather stiff assembly and should provide plenty of strength once finished.

The body is fitted once again to provide measurements as to just where to mount the rear axle.  Yokomo dish wheels makes it easier to measure with the wheel arches.  Marks are made on the bottom of the chassis so that the suspension can be laid in.

Numerous measurements were taken from the stock chassis and then applied to the new chassis.  After several checks to make sure it all lined up properly, it was time to see if everything was measured correctly.

A trip to my drill press and a few minutes later the holes were drilled.  If they were off it was too late now.

The suspension components are installed and finally the rear axle is a part of the truck.

A check with the body revealed that all of the measuring was done correctly.  The shape of the truck is finally taking form.  At this point the only thing left to do is to make the new driveshaft and to install the shocks.

Here you can the molded in fenders were cut to allow the room needed for the 2.2" wheels and tires.

The HPI wheels have been narrowed by taking the outer beads off of both sides.  The chrome plating is being stipped to allow to tires to be glued to the inner area.

The body has been mocked up to show what the truck will look like and to make sure everything is measuring up correctly.

I made a new skid plate to replace the stock plastic one that is in the kit out of aluminum and attached the front bumper from a HPI Hellfire.  Here it is attached to the front of the truck.  I may go and etch in a design on the skid plate like they do on many full size trucks.

Here is a mockup with the body on and the new front bumper and skid plate combo in place.  The front of the body had to be trimmed slightly to allow it to sit properly over the bumper.

A set of Mini LST shocks from 3Racing were purchased because of their size and the quality of the parts.  They were rebuilt with 40 weight oil and new rod ends to allow them to be mounted to this truck.  Rear trailing arms were constructed from 6-32 all thread and aluminum rod with Traxxas rod ends.

The new trailing arms next to the stock units.  The reason they are being replaced is that they allow too much movement which limits the shocks effectiveness.

HPI Geolander tires were chosen instead of the Pro-Line rear buggy Dirt Hawgs that were previously mounted.  MSD rock rings were installed to give them a tougher appearance.  The machining is of very high quality and are installed using 4-40 button head screws.

The rear trailing arms are installed and now its time to make shock "hoops" so that the upper part of the shock has a place to mount.  Once again fiberglass is used.

Finally, the truck is able to stand under its own weight.

Close up of the front suspension.

Close up of the rear suspension.

I quickly painted up the Chevy Silverado body in straight black and slapped it on.  Since it is scale I added some mirrors from a HPI drift detail set.

You can see I changed my mind on the tires and wheels.  I'm using the tires from the Tamiya F-350 kit and HPI wheels.  Tire size has changed from 2.2" to a more scale 1.9".  Don't worry though, the original wheels have been kept and will be used in a future project truck.

Here you can see the electronics are finally fully installed at this point including a working winch.

The body has been fully stickered and I have also built a custom light mount.  Nothing suited me commercially so I made one myself out of styrene.  Unfortunately I got so into building it I forgot to take pictures of it during the process.  You can also see the new Integy aluminum wheels I picked up for the truck.  I think they really set it off.

Here is a close up of the light mount.

After spending an hour soldering the lights are finally mounted and put to the test.