smirk-racing

Anyone have insight on the last few questions about what a stock / vintage Optima would have drawn back in the day? Probably won't limit myself to that but just curious to get a sense of it.

Agree with @Alex97 XT30s are very small/compact. As it happens, XT30 specs are higher than Tamiya Molex connectors, so you could in theory run them anywhere you'd have a run the old tamiya connector. If you were extremely constrained on space, you could try Deans (not my preferred connector but they work well and are very small, while still being a proper 10th scale connector). XT60 connectors will not fit through the little opening on the XV-01 (I have that chassis too). Two solutions: 1) dremel/cut/trim out 1-2mm of additional space. I've done this and it works fine. You only need to remove a tiny amount of material. 2) use a battery (like many standard 2s batteries) that has bullet connectors on the battery side (https://www.amazon.com/Powerhobby-8000mAh-Battery-Bullet-Connectors/dp/B07GC8Q2NL) and then you can attach/detach the connector easily from the battery. Then the XT60 connector doesn't have to pass through the opening in the chassis.

Congratulations. You're in for a treat. It is a beautiful build. I just completed mine last month. I believe the kit had everything I needed except blue threadlock for a few metal on metal parts. For servo, I opted for a low-profile servo even though it doesn't matter (a full-height servo fits fine, and in fact the face of the servo is in the same position no matter what, so I just picked the low-profile because I like how "tucked" it looks inside the chassis). I used to buy very expensive servos but over the last two years I've switched completely to the amazon specials: https://www.amazon.com/Readytosky-Degree-Standard-Digital-Steering/dp/B088H5369M/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1DOOVM7ZXTMQ4&keywords=low+profile+servo&qid=1701675691&sprefix=low+profile+servo%2Caps%2C137&sr=8-5. They work perfectly and seem to be lasting just fine.

Updates on the hackmotor from yeah racing: 1. To my surprise, it delivers almost precisely the rated RPM (34,000) when measured with a little digital tachometer. It shouldn't be surprising that the product did what the spec sheet said it would do, but deep down I just thought maybe the specs were a lie. I have a digital tach like this one. Bought it during COVID when I had high hopes to measure/optimize various things, it sat unused until now. Got the full purchase price worth of value in a single session. Fwiw, I measured 34,450, give or take. 2. With a 34k RPM motor and the stock 25t pinion from the kit, I was getting 30mph on a 2s lipo. At these low speeds, everything should be pretty linear, so you can estimate your own top speed pretty easily based on motor RPM. 3. Motor temps were too low to be worth measuring while driving (barely warm when touched). Ironically, the motor got much warmer to the touch when it had no load and I was measuring the RPM. When in the actually vehicle, there was no temp worth measuring after half a dozen passes. Ambient temps were 60F/ 15C, roughly. So it was cool but not cold. I was running without a body though so that helped with airflow. 4. The hackmoto has adjustable timing. I'd never adjusted timing on a brushed motor before (went to brushless more than 15 yrs ago, never looked back) so I gave it a try. Only took 30 seconds. Measured new RPM on tach, got about 38,000 rpm. The math would imply top speed should increase by just over 10%, and indeed, the GPS speed went from 30 to 34mph. That's where the buggy stands right now - 34mph on flat smooth streets on foam tires. Can you Optima experts help me with a few questions? What is a right ballpark for the original vintage speed for this vehicle? What amperage did vintage motors draw? I am building another Optima that won't use vintage specs for the motor, and I curious to get a baseline before dropping big brushless power in that one. Thanks!

To keep things interesting: just discovered this motor is rated for 3s. I cannot imagine what that will do for motor longevity (only bad things I am sure) but 3s will resolve the speed problems. Will add that to the testing. https://www.yeahracing.com/hackmoto-v2-13t-540-brushed-motor-mt-0012-00056715

I run this motor: https://www.yeahracing.com/hackmoto-v2-13t-540-brushed-motor-mt-0012-00056715 Supposedly 34k RPM. Need to measure that and see how real that is. Just got my mid up and running for test runs on the street, haven't GPS'd it yet, but it feels slower than I'd like. I don't intend to drive it a lot (let alone bash it hard) but I do want it to show itself well when I drive it once in a while. I am running the stock pinion right now and the next steps for me are: - get out the GPS and temp gun - increase the pinion a few teeth (measure speed & temps) - increase timing (measure speed and temps) I don't need it to be a brushless rocket (I have plenty of those) but the current speed is just too slow (I am guessing 25ish MPH just based on eyeballing it). Thanks @Willy iine for the tips on the brushed motors... I don't intend to drive this even 5 times a year, so I think it will be ok without too much maintenance.

+1 for gf-01 (specially the heavy dump truck). multiple of my neighbors’ children (their equivalent of Timmy let’s say) fell in love with that vehicle and went on to buy their own after seeing mine.

Thanks guys! Lots of great tips here. Two more questions: 1. I thought sharp corners (like, 90 degrees) were a no-no, as they create weak spots which can lead to cracking. There are a number of sharp corners in the Optima body... Including for the body mounts (those are rectangles). I could round all the corners and even use a circular hole for the body mounts. The hole would not be a perfect fit over the mounting point like the rectangular slot is, but the issue of corners would be resolved. 2. To sand or not to sand the inside of the body? I've googled this and there's no clear answer - seems like a roughly even number of people in both camps (not that I can measure scientifically...). For the shelfer body it is probably not an issue, as the body won't see any use/abuse, but for the runner, perhaps it matters. Since the rest of the web seems unable to agree on this point, I'll just take what TC says and call it good. Sand the inside of the body or no (for the supposedly better adhesion of paint)? Thanks for all the rest of the great tips!

Hi all, Any tips/tricks on cutting out an optima mid body? It has so many very sharp angles and tight curves... I used all the tools I could get (new, sharp): body reamer, straight lexan scissors, curved lexan scissors, x-acto knife, utility knife, etc... The only parts that came out cleanly were the long straight bits along the bottom/sides of the body. The complex bits in the front, and the rear over the spur gear look like an angry gopher chewed at them. It is quite unpleasant to look at! I am hoping you all have some tips and tricks that can help me. The only saving grace is that I had already planned for a shelfer body and a runner body, so clearly this first attempt is going to be the runner body... Thanks in advance!

If you want expensive upgrades, here's one option: https://www.ebay.com/itm/314773498590 I bought a similar one from a guy who made them by hand (in the UK actually) but haven't had a chance to install it yet. I am excited about the vastly overbuilt parts I have waiting for the blackfoot

any running videos? love to see how it goes!

Hi All, Looking for some advice on a new Clod build. I am interested in starting with a mostly stock build and modifying from there so I can appreciate all the individual improvements (vs just going all out from the very first moment). However, I am worried that the actual stock performance is so bad that it is not even worth starting at stock, and maybe I should put in a few upgrades even during the initial build. If you were to build a clod "mostly" stock, but were willing to put in an initial set of modifications, what would they be? I have no trouble cutting into the chassis (saw one vid about that) or performing other serious mods if warranted. Thanks!

Looks like fun:

It would never occur to me to race a 'Pede, although I guess if you had a class just full of 'Pedes maybe it could work. The Gorgon, being mid-motor, kind of bites down and turns even harder when you hit the throttle. It is surprisingly nimble. I've stuffed a 3665 brushless motor into mine, turned down the punch in the ESC, so of course you can get it to wheelie, but you can also get it to track properly and stay planted. I've been blasting across the local schoolyards at upwards of 35mph with full control on grass (about 40+ mph on asphalt, although that chews up the tires very quickly). Seems highly likely. Not sure what the crunchiness is about. I've tried three different motors and half a dozen pinions and had no issues. If anything, it is a very quiet model. No metal on metal (just plastic on metal) and a minimal drivetrain to begin with, so most of the noise is the motor itself. I do wonder about the diff itself, as the design is sun and planet which I dislike, but so far it has been very very smooth. My one area of concern is the motor mount. All plastic, and integrated into the chassis. So far I've had no issues, but it feels like a potentially weak spot. However, because of how the motor fits into the chassis (basically drops into a cylinder made for a 36mm motor) maybe there's not going to be any significant stress in that area even in a crash. There's a lot of support for the motor on all sides so even in a big crash the motor can't really go very far.

My favorite version of a power driver is a gyro-driven screwdriver: https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF682N1-Gyroscopic-Inline-Screwdriver/dp/B011WRUODC Because it has a gyro, there is no trigger or a button to activate the motor. To drive a screw, you just twist your wrist. The more you twist your wrist, the faster it turns (in either direction). You have total control and total connection with the work. Once you use it for say 5 minutes, it just becomes an extension of your hand and you stop thinking about it actively. Problems with torque and over-tightening are vastly reduced (almost the same as using a non-motorized tool). As a fallback, there's a 15-step clutch to control torque on the tool above. If you set it pretty low (say, 1-2) the screw will barely be any tighter than if you had twisted it into place with your bare fingers. At about 5, I can use it with total impunity and never worry about stripping any holes, ever. I've tried plenty of normal screw guns and drivers. A gyro-based design is the absolute best in my opinion. The only problem is they are pricey... Christmas is coming - treat yourself! No exaggeration: this is my number one favorite tool in the entire garage. There's nothing like it.