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Spitfire1979

Original monster beetle

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Hi guys, complete novice here!! I've finally got around to getting my late brothers original monster beetle back on the "road"! Do you guys have any fairly simple and inexpensive modifications I could do to get more speed and durability out of it please?

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The biggest problem with the MB is the gearbox and the hex shaped drive shafts.  With more powerful motors the side plates of the gearbox can spread causing the gears to slip and were out.  You can strengthen the gearbox with a couple of washers like Thirteen30 did below, or just not fitting anything more than a Sport tuned motor.

image.jpg

 

Also you can replace the hex shafts with the dogbone style ones used in the MB re-release.  Also if you haven't already ditch the plastic ball races and replace with proper metal ones, this will give an improvement in both run time and performance

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Thanks for your help, I have an old King Blackfoot that has long since bit the dust, would any of the parts from that be compatible with the MB?

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10 hours ago, Spitfire1979 said:

Thanks for your help, I have an old King Blackfoot that has long since bit the dust, would any of the parts from that be compatible with the MB?

 

The best bet to fix up your MB would be to build a hybrid with your KBF...  Try to save the KBF tranny/rear end and front end...

Google and DL the manuals and you'll see that both the MB and KBF are built on the same Chassis Frame (ORV) and share many of the same parts...

Here's some pix of my hybrid Bush Devil/Blackfoot...  http://jpegbay.com/gallery/004853290-1.html#1

Terry

 

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I was thinking of doing that as there are a few bits on the MB that are broken. Could I use the esc from the KBF on the MB?

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I 'restored' a Blackfoot, which is the same chassis as the MB a few months ago he is a link

Might give you some help, of what to do and what not to do.  I stuck with the original gearbox, but upgraded it to ESC, Lipo etc

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21 hours ago, Spitfire1979 said:

I was thinking of doing that as there are a few bits on the MB that are broken. Could I use the esc from the KBF on the MB?

Yes, you should be able to use all the electronics from your KBF in your MB.  

Terry

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AAAAHHHHHHH! I tried swapping the esc for the MB's msc, after a few snips and swear words, discovering that something isn't right. Having now put everything back as it was albeit with a bit more black electrical tape, it doesn't want to move (the back wheels move when I move the msc myself) when I try and make it go with the radio, nothing!! Please help!

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What wires did you cut, and what happened when you installed the ESC.  It should be a case of removing the the MSC and replacing it with the ESC.  I have converted both a Blackfoot and a King Blackfoot from MSC to ESC and didn't have to chop any wires

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I cut the wire that goes from the power switch to the receiver and the connection on the servo from the KBH is different than the connector on the MB receiver.

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That motor is overkill for even a mad bull or bear hawk gear box, without serious mod work to the mb/kbf gear box, it will take the gears, chew them up, and spit them out the sides faster than you can order a burger with fries and a drink.

for fun controllable tamiya cars that won't have gear boxes and diffs explode in a shower of parts, stick with the 2600-3600 kv range, and with the weak stock gear box of the MB/BF/KBF I'd drop down closer to 2000 kv, also that is a 4 pole motor, they produce double the torque (or possibly more) of a standard 540 can brushless motor, so I recommend hunting down a standard 2 pole motor

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My mate has an original MB, with no mods that has only ever been run with the sport tuned motor that was in it when he brought the car, he has had no problems what so ever with the gearbox.

the gearbox should take the torque tuned also, but it will have less speed than the sport, but will pop wheelies easier with it than the sport or silver can.

if you find the speeds to slow, there is a number of different mods you can use that are inexpensive, like the washer mod that @Pumesta posted earlier in the thread, there is also the mod that @mheald is having produced over in this thread: MB gear box mod

and then there is the screw mod, which I believe requires drilling through the drive cups and inserting a screw and nut like a ball diff setup. You can also hunt down a thorpe diff, but at the cost of the kit new for one I don't find them a good option these days.

I'm sure there are other ways to sort out the fragile nature of the MB gearbox, given the base chassis has been used for so many cars now.

Edited by Darat76
corrected a member tag

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Get a Sport Tuned.  And a TBLE-02.  Get a modern radio and receiver as well...  Up to you, but you can replace any broken pieces with Re-Re parts.  Some people only do Vintage...  I think its all fair game...  Try to keep the body as original as possible, that part has changed significantly...  

Get the new MB gear box mod kit, once it becomes available.  This should really help with Tranny troubles...  

You might want to upgrade the shocks when you get the thing back up and running...

Terry

 

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I already have some shocks on my watch list on a well known auction site!!! And have a modern ish radio! But was thinking of updating the receiver! Many thanks for the help guys!

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Mine is an original vintage running a Sport Tuned, it won't break any speed records but it is probably the best comprimise for the chassis, I have ran hotter motors in it but you end up breaking things, you will no doubt encounter the same issues as I do when I run it, 25 year old plastics crack quite easily! 

I am not an vintage only kinda guy so for me the Re-re was great, has allowed me to replace some old bits that where damaged and now I have no worries using it, if I break it, go on ebay and a few quid later it is fixed :D 

 

 

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yes that esc will work perfectly for the MB, just only ever run it on nimh/nicad stick packs, or at most a 2s lipo

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Esc and motor turned up today and fitted! The MB lives, and omg it's quick! Sport tuned motor coupled with a 3300 mah nimh, within 10 seconds of being on the ground it was upside down!!!!

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