jeekelemental

Well, the car is almost reaching its definitive shape and waiting for a Quicrun 1060 ESC that has a cleaner cables layout than Mtroniks or HK ESC. Meanwhile I've made or planned some improving: spite my first intention dampers mounting is made via uniballs to reduce parts needed to hold them in place or to simplify maintenance operation; Tamiya#53218 outdrives have been ordered to swap the GPM ones previously installed because it makes me more confident; Some washers have been added to avoid suspensions slacks; I'm also considering to build an alluminum front strut because front shocks tower flex a little.

Bullets both for batteries and motors.

Mine comes from a character from a sci-fi trilogy written by Christopher Hinz

Everyone of my cars, in different moment, have been neglected but, well thinking, the car I do not want to drive/modify/upgrade is my FF03. I've wanted a FF since FF01, maybe it because cars became a little complex, but it's a car I wouldn't buy again... and if possible I sell.

Small progresses: all the damaged plastics have been replaced with new plastic, all the machined screws ,(mostly coming from my FF03) have been swapped with self tapping screws and, to avoid, much play whitout using uniballs the dampers step screws have been improved with a kind of bushing made out of heatshrink.

Sorry guys but it wasn't my intention to start another "lipo vs nimh" thread , forums are full of them and no one of them have reached the final conclusion and I guess it depends by the constant batteries evolution and by several factor, different for everyone of us: am I a basher or a racer? Am I an old school guy or not? Do I need to use, always, the newest product? Do I run brushed or brushless motor? And more... I intented to share, whit a little of irony, my decision... I guess my poor english doesn't helps . When I switched to Lipos I was conviced that it was a kind a necessary evolutive step (and, of course, before doing it I bought a proper charger and proper electronics) but it never became enthusiastic about it. I run several brushed motors from Sport Tuned to a 14x2 modififed and the feelings have never been exciting as driving my Yokomo Works 91 or my Lancia Delta TA01 with a 16x2 and 1700mah nicads in the good old days or my Wild One re-re with a Sport Tuned with a 4500mah nimhs . I Speak only for me: It's all about personal feelings not about graph. I drive thoose little things for the sensations, for the fun and for the kind of nostalgia it gives to me and holding a bomb at home is not my kind of fun and, I confess that I'm tired to be evasive with my wife about using safety bags while charging . But, i repeat, I will never, never wear animals fur and I will never go to work with a wooden club instead of my messenger bag . p. s. I'm pretty convinced that my Hyperion charger is not doing its work properly. p. p. s. in the good old days I was used to warm my butt with just used batteries in the pants pockets so batteries if well squeezed warm up no matter about your motor has brushes or not.

I do not agree. ESC is, from decades, the natural upgrade for our rc cars while Lipos are a single not definitive step in the perfect power source search. IMHO their temporary success are due to the massive chinese industrial capacity that has flooded the market with lipos in every shape but we are handling something not safe, not stable and that needs attentions that the average user can not ever give. IMHO Lipos manufacurers are too quicker in flooding the market whit their batteries to do the necessary quality inspections. They delegate the market to do a kind of natural selection that, in this case, is unsafe and customers pay for it.

Well... MSC is one of the thing I quit for first and I don't feel so nostalgic about it

I feel a little nostalgic about assembling batteries and about cell specs stickers

Yesterday I've ordered a pair of comfortable and stress free 5000mah NiMH! I've seriuosly and proudly tried to enter the modern era but when 2 of the 6 Lipos I've bough during this years started to bulge I've decided to throw them away: my fault, for sure. I do not drive often my little cars and after my moving in Venice I haven't neither a proper workbench to take care of my stuff so I've decided to switch back to NiMHs. Of course I will not start to wear animal fur and to carry a wooden club but for a while I will comfortably remain in the NiMH limbo

Great job, I love to see this kind of restoration.

Well, before purchasing the spares, I'm thinking about these breakages from a while. Screw holes have been not tapped before but I've used another (well lubed) screw to prepare them, I've been delicate to avoid cracks and plastic overheat as in my habit. As shown by the pics cracks are not through the holes but in front of them and, IMO, it's pretty clear that the gearbox it's not well supported by the topdeck that allows a backwards movent during the impact. So I've realized that the problem should not depend by that screws but by the long step screws I've used instead the 3x25 self tapping screws showed in the manual. I guess that the allow the slack for the backwards movement of the entire gearbox that at a certain point cracks. Before ordering the spares I wil improve the structure mixing the Top-Force alluminum posts or ordering the 3x25 self-tapping screws.

Thanks I came to this solution after many attempts (only thought and actually built): the first concern a more classic double vertical dampers but, considering the short suspension arms and the resultant much short lever arm, that configuration, IMO, doesn't added the handling I figured so I've started to surf the web looking if anything was done in the good old days. The first mono-shock design made only adding an alluminum triangular arm parallel to the original arm is my version of the You-g/Parma one but to work well it needs a specific damper and I wanted to put in a standard one. So I've added i kind of push-rod: unfortunately it wasn't enough. After years (because it took years) I decided that it was the time to finish this project so (considering that all my CR01's cantilevers during it's heavy modifying were in surplus) I reach the final result with enough push to manage a standar damper. Of course the internal springs have been removed. The car handles more ore less like a Citroen 2CV and it's what I was looking for, it looks a bit overengineered but, sometimes, Tamiya do the same so I consider it a kind of (natural) evolution of the specie.

Linking to tcphotos works fine only with mobile devices, sorry for posting unuseful links.

Steel RW pinion have been arrived and mounted. Not very proud about it: I hit for the second time the sidewalk and, in a second, the new front plastics became rubbish. It's a shame 'cause after a re-built of the four dampers and a new set-up the car was performing well and it felt to be less wild than the first time. I'm in doubt if this pronity to the cracks could depend by the machined screws.

Final: <a href="http://tcphotos.net/image/I9dx"><img src="" alt="brat004.md.jpg" border="0"></a> <a href="http://tcphotos.net/image/IzSl"><img src="" alt="brat003.md.jpg" border="0"></a>

Second: <a href="http://tcphotos.net/image/Ifjt"><img src="" alt="brat002.md.jpg" border="0"></a>

Taken inspiration also from that mono-shock seen on the Net and with the intention to keep the original horizontal damping scheme, during the years I've made some "experiments". First attempt: <a href="http://tcphotos.net/image/Ie3u"><img src="" alt="brat001.md.jpg" border="0"></a>

Same tought, different "me"

I've read the original thread and, as accountant, I have to bow to the numbers :-) Of course that wheels (shaped as a pair of big fans) move a certain amount of fresh air in the warmest part of the car. Still in doubt about the intake :-D Concerning the DT02 its motor place (and its full plastic mould) is one of the thing I don't like 'cause I've supposed at first sight that increases motor overheat.

It's all about your choice, you've chosen the darkest side, the shelf side

Are we sure that the air intake deserve so much attention and work? Are we sure that the air intake is really useful? I try to explain my assertion, please be patient due to my poor english The idea of fresh air that flow to the motor is smart but if the air doesn't flows "thorugh" the motor to improve the cooling the air intake will be only another exotic part screwed on our car. In the DS the motor sits in a claustrophobic place without much metal parts (except for its plate) that help to dissipate heat and the slots in the Nimrod motor guard IMO are not enough to allow air to flow freely and plentiful. But we are talking about a shelf queen, so mine is only the umteenth observation of a teen grown spending much time on Rc magazines, Tamiya catalogues and motorsport magazines

Same with Windows 10.

What about a short shakedown, to shoot a video for the guys here on TC?