Money Buys Happiness With This V8-Powered Remote-Control Monster Truck

Somehow, things are cooler in miniature, which is why many auto enthusiasts choose scale models or remote control cars as a side quest to the real thing. Things get even more exciting the smaller and more detailed they get, which is why one YouTuber’s R/C monster truck with a genuine, gasoline-powered V8 pegs the cool meter all the way to the redline. Running what the video creator calls the world’s smallest V8, the miniature “Squarebody” Chevrolet pickup truck sounds even better than it looks, making us want one of these little guys almost as much as a full-size Silverado ZR2.

The Build-Up Is ASMR Heaven

The video comes from JohnnyQ90, who put the miniature V8 under the plastic skin of a 1:10-scale Chevrolet K10 with a stepside truck bed. This isn’t the first time one of the YouTuber’s videos has had us transfixed; the channel previously featured a build-up of a Toyan 28-cubic-centimeter V8 complete with a custom-built clutch and manual-shifted transmission. For the Squarebody, however, the unit is a Cison 44cc V8, which sticks out of the hood thanks to a custom 3D-printed air scoop – not unlike some hot rod pickups of old.

JohnnyQ90 had to undertake a little custom work to make the engine fit in the R/C chassis. An earlier iteration of the truck featured a four-shoe centrifugal clutch that simply slipped when put to the task of locomotion, so the YouTuber had to custom-machine a much larger clutch bell from an earlier 1:5-scale V8 project. The process of assembling the new clutch is equal parts relaxing and incredible, with tons of precision CNC work going into the design. It’s great fun from start to finish, with the payoff being a screaming little V8 grumble once the whole truck is put together and ripping four-wheel-drive donuts and pulling wheelies just like Grave Digger.

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The V8 Is A Pricey Little Add-On

The engine that (barely) fits under the R/C’s skin comes from Cison, a manufacturer that builds functional internal-combustion engines in miniature. The company’s V8 is based on the famed Chevrolet small-block engine design, including a cam-in-block design with pushrods and overhead valves. Unlike other models, the kit runs on 95-octane gas thanks to a single four-barrel carburetor, with a cooling system comprised of an electric fan, radiator, and the tiniest water pump you’ve ever seen. Cison even offers the mill with a direct-current electrical system with a belt-driven alternator and voltage regulator.

The YouTube channel covers the engine build in an earlier video, which is just as fun to watch as the monster truck project. Fully kitted down, the engine costs more than $2,000, meaning you could theoretically get a full-size Chevrolet square-body for the price of the miniature V8. Sure, it’d be pretty clapped out, but that just means you could drive it with the same reckless abandon as a remote-control truck, bounding over whatever obstacles get in your way. At the end of the day, though, a full-scale truck probably wouldn’t be as much fun as this teensy little hellion – and insurance is a lot cheaper on a wrecked R/C to boot.

Source: JohnnyQ90 on YouTube