APEX CROIX REBUILD: I decided to refresh the board and turn the Apex Croix into the Rally Croix
I worked with @Skyart and @MoeStooge to make HD 3-links with a 22mm profile adapter to fit my Apex jump drives. They fit great - thanks Moe.
Goals for the refresh include more turning and lower ride height.
Plan is to use a short link in front and a long link flipped reverse in rear. In my mind this was a symmetrical setup, which turned out to not be true. Unfortunately, I made some bad assumptions with this build, but that’s DIY for ya. It will be fine in the end. Just needs a bit more power tooling than I expected.
Parts arrived:
Stripping down the build
I took the motors apart to clean them - can you tell which one was one the rear? lol.
Swapping Apex parts for 12mm to use 10mm bearings and spacers.
Parts on and feeling good at this point.
Where I start to realize that I have screwed something up. The front of the board is facing way down. This does not feel good.
Reason #1 - I overlooked that the short links have a shorter master heim than the long links do.
No problem, we can fix that.
uhhh, shit… still not level. still facing down. what the %^&*
Realization #2: short links have longer wheelbase than the flipped long links (axle is further away from the deck).
Solution = drop it lower in rear
STILL UNEVEN… Realize that the split angles on the lacroix deck are affecting the level. So I put a total of 10 degrees of angled risers on the front truck. (yes, I hate this too, but I’m desperate at this point to just get this damn thing level)
The deck is finally level and rideable. No wheel bite on 8" wheels.
Turn test - the front short links turn a LOT
Flex test. The flex is ridiculous with all the leverage from the extension brackets.
All in all I’m stoked on how this thing is turning out. I haven’t taken it for a ride yet, but first impressions are that this thing is going to be ridiculously fun.
I’m not satisfied with the front truck wheelbase and janky angled risers, and I’m debating whether I should drill new holes in the extension bracket so that I can bring the front axle ~2cm closer to the deck. Right now, I have 8" wheels on the board that @Skyart is letting me test out, but I could fit 9" tires on the board without wheelbite. If I shorten the extender bracket, I don’t think I can run 9" tires anymore… decisions 
@rafaelinmissouri I know you were interested in this, so here are a couple thoughts on the 3 link mountain board approach.
- The short link in front causes challenges, but it’s basically required to use the short link instead of the long link to avoid wheelbite. If you were using wheels smaller than 8" or are ok with chopping the deck a little like @Yeahthatperson did, you could use a regular long link in front too.
- Having 4wd adds additional restraints here. I do not think the front motors would clear long links facing forward in front.
- If I was starting from the bottom and doing this again, I would probably do just a 2wd board with regular (long) HD 3-links. I would still use the extension brackets. Run the rear flipped, and the front links facing forward. Cut the front of the deck as needed to avoid wheelbite. If anything, I’m finding that the short link in front turns borderline too much. So I think a long link up front would do well on this setup. Again, the front motors prevent me from doing much different from my current setup, but for 2wd, I think long links all around is probably the move.