Sal Barley

I as well had all of the Yeah Racing (IMHO not the best) alloy/aluminum bits and pieces all throughout the car. (A DF03RA) I would agree that poor fitment = more slop. When I ran brushed motors no issues but when I went with a 5.5t 6000KV brushless (almost by accident, I think it's a wee too muchfor a df03ra) I switched back to plastic original parts and left aluminum damper mounts and steering gear and the upper gearbox stiffener. I ruined 2 cva's when i first got it due to a loose rear diff but as it sets it has dogbones in the front and cva's in the rear. I have 4 set's of Tamiya CVA's on order now. no issues to date. As far as suspension I got the TRF flourntine (sp?) coated shock set that fit the df03ra and have 900# heavy oil and 3 hole pistons and I can glide across a baseball diamond outfield fairly impressively. It can ride right over a little tuft of grass about 1.5-2in high. When I switched to brushless i noticed that little dips in the road suddenly become freaking ramps for my car to launch out of. I flipped the car end over end 3 times when the car launched out of a dip in the road. I used to be able to slam on brakes and turn hard and get the car to flip once and end up right side up exactly 1 ft away. now it is really sensitive at the new speed and that trick is out the window. Record for barrel rolls 6. I am paying attention to my shocks more as well at these speeds and really need to either run car on baseball field, infield or a really flat street. I guess I need to adjust and drive, adjust and drive. It is almost like a whole different car. What is your take on adjusting out the lower ball ends on the shocks to get a little more ride height? Is it too dangerous for the ends?

Thanks for the replies, What ezrun setup do you have in yours? I picked up a 5.5t setup. I wondered if it might be a little too much. I just went back and switched out all of my aluminum arms and c hubs and stuff back to the plastic. Don't know why. Something told me to do that. Right now it has been raining for the last three days and I haven't had a chance to run the car with the 82/23 setup. Take care!

Has anybody actually put a DF03 "M" part gear cover part # 0115365 on a DF03RA chassis? (The cover over the spur/pinion) I purchased a Topcad DF03 gear cover w/ the plate and when I tried to install it would not allow the rear upper arm to connect to the ball end without binding. I would like to be able to cover my gears as I have both sets of spur gears for my DF03RA chassis 75, 78, 82, 85. I really want to know if a "M" parts tree for a DF03 specifically with the gear cover will work on a DF03RA. Someone had mentioned they couldn't imagine why they would change the M parts as far as the gear cover between the two but I think it has to do with the shorter suspension arms. If you look at a 03RA where the inner ball end is you can see how a regular DF03 gear cover might be too big. Just because the upper suspension arms are shorter. Let me know. Any info is appreciated!!

Nothing I could tell actually. I was fiddling w/ too many settings and not taking in to account the tax it takes on the 3600mah nimh battery I am using I put everything back to default except for the "punch" mode. It would make it stutter. Thanks!

I got the issue sorted, it was the BZ motor acting flaky. I got a brushless setup in in now and am just dealing with the correct gear ratios to keep the gearbox from going out. Thanks!!

Thanks for the replies, Got the motor/esc wired up and running and the thing is much more faster w/ the 5.5 than the BZ. I think I do have steel pinions if I have the Tamiya .05 ones that came with the kit and the corresponding option pinions. 23t, 25t, 27t, 29t, and 32t I have a 75, 78 and 85 t spur gear set as well. I am fiddling with the gearing. I got my 32t t pinion so hot it started to discolor. Does pretty good with the 78/27 but I am running it on the street though. I'm just not good at gear ratios but TA-Mark had given me a gearing combo list that it seems due to the heat that some gear ranges can generate with this thing I feel I need to pay more attention. Getting ready to do a 85/23 now. What would you put in for spur/pinion if you had a df03ra and a 5.5t brushless ? Also should I crank down on the slipper clutch? It's set at about 3mm now. Thanks! Overall I like so far. I just have to keep close eye on the gearbox. no sealed bearings yet, next week. All bearings are in good shape. I went over them last night after a half a pack or so. I need to readjust the stance on the thing due to the fact I adjusted out the lower ends on the dampers to give it a little more ground clearance. It rides higher but with that motor I need to drop it down a touch to control better. I have a hard time driving it because it's fairly zippy. programmed the esc for less aggressive control and put the timing to the motor to 0. need to bump it back up to 15 though. Found a good use for the foam protector that comes with a BZ and dirt tuned motor. You can take it and place it over the fan on the esc and use one of the bands to keep it in place. does not hamper airflow an will keep out debris. Take care all!

Would I be giving too much juice to my receiver if I add in a dedicated receiver 6v reedy 1800mah battery to my setup? I am having the mysterious motor shutoff, steering still responds issue. What worries me was that the car was on the bench w/ wheels up. Gave it a slow throttle then gave it a quick burst and after I let off the throttle and try again no response. fingertip on the ESC, no heat, the tip of the motor shaft hold a minimal amt of heat. I look at the LED on ESC and when the motor cuts out it is barely flickering solid red. When you go through the range of throttle the light will glow hard red when it is functioning correctly but when the failure happens it still glows bright red but when the motor does not respond the light will be a weak flickering red but when it functions correctly the light will go off at the end of max throttle. I am stumped at this point as I have gone through troubleshooting from another post with a member that had airflow issues and ventilation fixed the issue as mark had suggested earlier in the post. However when the car is on the stand and just turned on w/ fresh nimh pack and it does this it freaks me out. Currently the car is set up w/ 78/32 gearing and a Futaba 330 ESC and a Futaba 3PM and 603FF receiver. I have reset the settings on the TX and went through set up procedure twice. Don't think it's a radio issue as steering will still perform flawless when the motor stops responding. Oh well, I have a brushess kit coming in a few days that might banish the Impreza gremlins... I never recalled having so many troubles w/ my SuperChamp except for possibly outright frying a MSC but at leasst I knew what the source of the problem was. I just rememer needing 2 sets of extra a arms for the SC when I would run it. *snap* I am kind of sick of fiddling with it for now . I might throw in my stock ESC in and the stock 540 because the only thing I have not done is eliminate either the ESC or the motor by swapping them out with a nib esc and motor. But when I do that and it works fine I should be content in enjoying the thing and not being greedy for performance when I can barely even control the thing Ideas would be appreciated. It's sad where I live that I can't take it to the hobby shop and have them get some experienced physical hands on the issue. There used to be several rc shops in my greater area but when i dial the phone #'s they are all disconnected. The static model/railroad shop i go to for my static kits refuses to order RC parts for me and I have evven let them know they can make some $ off of me. It's a shame that I have eatch part#'s and they won't simply order what I might need down the line to any existing order they might be making. Is there anywhere elso to order what I might want off the instruction manual other than directly from Mfg? I should stop griping and drive my car! before the motor quits. one more thing, is it a papers width between spur and pinion or is it a folded papers width? I guess I mean doubled? Thanks!! Nate

Hello all, I have just ordered a 5.5T Hobbywing ESC/Motor brushless kit for my DF03RA. Hopefully I have not overdone it as I hope the gearbox can take it. I have takes some advice from some folks where I need to pay attention to the CVA's and the bearings and wheel nuts. Tamiya tungsten diff balls, Front/center one way, slipper clutch, 3racing rear diff cups. Tamiya U-axles all the way around and clamp type wheel nuts w/ a nice set of bearings. I was told I should be able to change the settings in the programmer to tone the settings down a little if I fear that the motor is too much for the car . If it is too much all the way in general I will have a ESC/motor brushess setup for sale! Thanks! Should I possibly go with a 8.5 t motor instead? Take care folks!! Can anyone recommend a quality/reasonable priced sealed bearing set for the DF03?

Thanks a ton for the gearing info Mark!. I just compiled my next RC Mart order and I am picking up a Hobbywing 8.5T brushless motor/esc kit. I figure it will bolt right up and since its waterproof/dustproof I figure hey, i can get the thing a wee bit wet (nothing serious though.). I also swapped out the 27t pinion for the 29 and will probably stick with the78/29 to start for the brushless setup. badword, with the Tamiya BZ motor it will balloon all four tires upwards about 1/3 the width of the tires!! Blew the CA bead off of one of them! Stupid question, I have my receiver sitting closest to the motor to take advantage of the rear center antenna holder due to the short receiver antenna. I know the power wires from the motor look visibly short and I can't get a idea of how long the ESC motor leads are as I am worried I won't have enough length due to the ESC being on the other "corner" of the driver side tub with the space in between the ESC and receiver used to bundle cables. I am assuming the motor leads from the ESC are the standard length for a ESC? Do you know off the top of your head if the Hobbywing kits are quality? I know HW has done rc stuff for years and comparable to the prices of Team Orion and Novak, I figure it was a entry level kit as far as brushless goes. With the 60MAH ESC and 8.5T motor I wonder if the rear diff and CVA's can handle the motor? I am ordering 2 sets of tamiya CV kits and 4 Yeah racing axles as backups as well as Tamiya Tungsten diff balls.. let me know..... I will let you know how it turns out after my order comes in. Thanks again for all of your help and advice! I need to size down some photos for the gallery to post the car Did I mention when I got the car I picked up more than 275$ worth of hop ups? I 'm scared I won't be able to get over the shelf queen mentality with it, I have jammed it under a few car undercarriages so I am working on it nate

10/4, thanks for the info, I am going to order a Associated 14T LRP GT3 motor and see what I can burn up in the thing. what do you think? I ordered a new set of spur gears and was thinking about doing a 78/23 setup with the associated motor. I am a little nervous about the fact that I paid no attention to gearing and not really being able to get the same performance on and off road w/ the same pinion/spur setup. I guess the higher the ratio, the weaker low end power versus the quick out of the gate power and lower top speed, but then mixed in there is torque. I will just have to fiddle with it. I guess a rule of thumb is I shouldn't try to go lower on the parameters of gearing that Tamiya suggests meaning the .05 style pinions and the 78 and 75 tooth spurs. I guess on the road I could use the 85 tooth spur w/ the cover off. It's the ratio chart on the slipper clutch instructions that got me. It says a 23T pinion will cover the most range of ratios with a 85T spur. I think I will start with the hot motor with the 78T spur and the 25t pinion even though it shows no ratio in that column. I don't know what's wrong with my brain, I can troubleshoot lines of software coding but I can't get my head around dividing the spur by the pinion, etc... Wish me luck!! (I do remember someone telling me I needed to keep the ratio between 8.5 and 11 or so to be able to stand the stresses.) I have plenty of replacement CV kits in my box.

The paint color is Metallic Blue, Tamiya # PS-16 but you can paint it whatever color you want. Go to RC mart and check out the hop ups for DF03RA kit. Don't get the alloy gearbox cover, it won't fit on the ra model because the rear upper suspension doesn't clear the cover.

I put my DF03RA together about a month ago. It is a pretty smooth build w/ plenty of hop ups to keep you happy. Things not to get for the df03ra from RC mart. The topcad gearbox plate and gearbox cover won't fit. no aluminum aftermarket cover will because the rear upper suspension arm's angle doesn't clear it. Hopefully 3Racing will be coming out with something. They have a lot of DF03RA "coming soon" parts Also, get some aluminum or titanium turnbuckles. 18mm x4 for the upper arms and 2x 10mm for the steering. Slipper clutch a must but if you get center one way kit you can't use the tamiya aluminum propeller kit for the rear propeller joint. you should be able to get away with using a 3racing or Yeah Racing propeller cup. also the bevel gear you need for a center one way comes with the car kit so don't toss the extra white bevel gear with the big opening in the back. It's for the one way bearing. It is helpful and worth the money spent on slipper clutch and one ways for the front and rear as it eases the strain on the drive line and gives more response in turns. Also invest the 40$ on 2 sets of 39mm drive axle kits. They are a must as they seem to bend/wear and or break. Have fun. I opted to get about 260$ worth of extras for my df03ra and it was worth it as I have all of the original plastic pieces as spares. Also something I am eying is the 3racing carbon fiber body conversion kit. Helps with rigidity but some say is unneeded as for a off road car as it too brittle and might break but since the DF03ra is on and light off road I am going to get it just to see how it performs. I picked up my kit from Stella and was there in a week with mid-level shipping. RC mart has the biggest selection but takes forever for shipping and a few stories of rip offs (obviously unintentional) Enjoy, How do you like your TT-01 kit? That's what I was looking for for a fairly simple easily upgraded street car.

Thanks for the reply! I was guessing it might be the ESC overheating. When I was running the car and the shutdown happened it was about 35F outside and my fingers were a little numb so the ESC might have been super hot and I didn't even notice. I have a .05 23T and .05 25 T pinion set coming. The mesh on the gears is pretty tight so I should do the paper trick to re-mesh. I cut a 1"x1" hole in the bottom left corner of the windshield and covered it with screening. (guess it doesn't make any difference since I dump about 1/2 lbs. of dirt out of the thing anyway) Just wanted to give it a finished look. I have the receiver bagged in a balloon to keep the dirt out b/c it isn't sealed on the inner walls of the connector housing and dirt piled up in it. I also bagged the on/off switch as well. Took about 5 minutes to break the toggle off of the on/off switch on baseball diamond grade dirt getting in the switch. just spliced a new one on. I appreciate the advice and am just waiting for the 10 inches of snow to melt here to try it out... One other thing that might relate to thermal overheating. When I buzz the thing up and down the street with just radial tires, it seems the car does not experience the "shutdown" could the dust and dirt of a baseball field cause the ESC to overheat as opposed to "clean" running on the street where it might be getting some semblance of airflow? Thanks!! On a side not how long could I expect a 3600mah battery to last in this setup? about 12-15mins? Oddly enough the difference of being 12 and the difference of being 38 is time heh, heh. I haven't had time to run a battery flat in this car between the 4 year old and the wife. I already am in turmoil about picking up a pure street car or a pure buggy car or both. I was impressed at the fact that my wife though it was pretty cool as it goes fairly fast. I was thinking she thought it was like a car that comes from Target or a toy store. Then we get in to a "it's not a toy , but it is" kind of conversation. she doesn't think it's that expensive as a car kit is $200 or so and a radio is $200 or so. Accounting for the $500-600 spent in between is what I'm hoping she doesn't catch on to. I am assuming I can switch radios between cars as my 3PM has the capacity to hold 10 different setups in memory. I might just get a new receiver for each new car I get and use the same radio. I feel the addiction coming on. I actually entertained the idea of taking the Family to HK and dropping a grand at RC mart just piling **** up on a cart as opposed to waiting two or more weeks to get my bits and pieces. thanks!! I am going to post up some pictures in the gallery.

Hello All! this is my first post here and I am just getting back in to RC cars after more than 25 years. Here is my deal. Tamiya DF03RA w/ a Futaba 3PM 2.4GHZ spread spectrum transmitter & a Futaba R603FF Reciever. I also have as a ESC a Futaba MC330CR I use a Tamiya super stock BZ motor w/ 27 pinion and 78 Spur. The servo is a digital S3050 and the 6 cell 7.2volt battery is a associated NiMH 3600mah. The transmitter and receiver are in HRS mode with the ABS turned on. the steering servo is hooked to "channel 1" on receiver and the ESC on "channel 2" Set up was fine, I can run the car for about 10-12 minutes then the motor quits (I could be hauling flat out and it will just cut out and coast to a stop) but when I place a finger on the bell end of the motor it passes the 5 second heat test so I don't think the motor or ESC are overheating as I could probably stick my tongue on them and not get burned. I put in a fresh battery and turn the system on but the throttle does not react but the steering does. No gears binding up. Is the receiver shutting down the motor as it detects a "low battery" state and does this as a failafe? I see how some people talk about a receiver that doesn't have DSC function does not like being powered by a 7.2 volt battery. Does anyone have any ideas or if i did not mention something then let me know. It seems that the throttle will respond correctly if I give the thing about 10 minutes to sit. I am not really sure what I am missing on this one.... I appreciate any ideas in advance. I hope I am not powering the receiver wrong. Should I put the ESC connector plug in the B/C connection instead? Should I switch the transmitter to PPM mode?. I thought the engine might be overheating but like I said I can touch the motor all day and the heat is tolerable. I still have the BK-101 ESC that came with the kit but never tried it. I also have a 6v reedy battery that I got for the receiver forgetting that I didn't need it and that the electronics run from the main battery.