[A couple super clod buster questions]

14 hours ago, MadAtComputer said:

when using a larger diameter servo horn do I need to do anything different with the linkages(lengthen, shorten?) that go from the servo to the axle mounted servo savers?

 

If you have to do any adjusting, it's easy, just pop the rod end off the ball and turn it in or out. 

[Crawler setup (electronics)]

I don't know if I could recommend the complete correct way to go for the electronics, because my setups are all over the place depending on the vehicle. 

I can say is use a good metal gear high torque steering servo, but don't go overkill or underpowered.

8-11 Kg-cm servo for a light CC01 is plenty in most cases, but 25 kg is overkill.

Class 1 crawlers may require more than 10 kg depending on vehicle weight.

25 kg or higher servo for a class 2 or 3 crawler is good in most cases, 11 kg is the minimum but 8 kg is not enough.

Some setups can draw so much power that they overload the built in BEC and everything shuts down for a little bit. This is called a brown out, an external BEC is usually what is needed to cure this issue.

Some of the things I have stated may be a close to what others say as well, but it works.

As for the rest of the setup and whatnot, it's more of personal preference. 55 turn crawler motors and crawler esc's may be the norm and most recommended, I sometimes do things a bit differently. 

 

[A couple super clod buster questions]

1 hour ago, MadAtComputer said:

My budget is $400. If I skip a new battery for now I cold probably get a lexan body and better cutting tools. I I do have a new can of ps-5 black sitting from my last lexan body attempt that ended in the trash.

I'd want to keep it a chevy, plan is to have  ford chevy and dodge tamiya trucks(blackfoot, clod, lunchbox). I am liking the j concepts 88 silverado body. hmm

No rush for things. Use what you have for now and save $$$$. The body and other upgrades can wait if you just drive it carefully for now. Just run it stock, but do get a bearing kit and install it while you are assembling the truck. At your budget ball bearings is the best upgrade I recommend. Back when I bought my Super Clod the kit was just under $200, that's less than two 3rds what the kit costs now. So things may have gotten more expensive, but some things got better, like the cheap high torque servos, the cheap ESC's and more affordable bearing kits.

1 hour ago, MadAtComputer said:

Edit: looks like the wheel base on that is a 1/2" to long.

It's just right for the 280mm wheelbase, no big problem. You could also cut the wheel arches a bit to match better if you have too.

Also, if you are replying to someone, quote them so they get notified.

[A couple super clod buster questions]

11 hours ago, MadAtComputer said:

I'll get a set of the aluminum anti rotation brackets. I have a couple larger round servo horns, I'll give one of those a try.

I know someone who used one of those large round disk horns. He just drilled the holes for the pivot balls, installed it and it worked perfectly. 

 

11 hours ago, MadAtComputer said:

I have considered the j concepts K2500 lexan body. but I am honestly terrible at cutting out lexan bodies. And the ABS body looks a lot better IMO. I'm not to worried about beating it up. my blackfoot body is holding up well. Although it is a lot lighter truck.

The hard plastic bodies always look better, but it's cheaper to replace the lexan bodies. If tipping over is rare for you, it's not a big worry, but you have some very cool options if you ever decide to go lexan.

I have two clods, one of them is an early super clod that still has the power and economy switch(which I might hook back up) and 19T motors, which now has a new-ish body, because more speed + stock steering = more rollovers. Lol, the old body is a mess, but split perfectly in half.🤣

 

[A couple super clod buster questions]

8 hours ago, MadAtComputer said:

I plan to leave it stock and upgrade whatever breaks. Might go for some 23 turn or so motors later on, or some 27 turns with advanced timing made for the clod such as the team brood ones. I have a 35kg servo for it and a receiver and I will be sticking with the stock steering.

You don't want to go any faster than the stock speed using the stock steering. Trust me, I've been there and done it, and it's sketchy. The servo you have has more than enough torque so you should be good there. Since you are sticking with the stock steering system, there are a few things that can still be improved.

The servo horn that comes in the kit is too small and does not give enough throw. Just a simple fix is to use a larger heavy duty servo horn. 

Next, upgrade the servo savers. That right, there are multiple servo savers, two of them, one on each axle. Get stronger metal replacements and you don't have to worry about breaking them.

A lexan body is a good idea if there's a good chance of rolling over, which there is. There are many bodies to choose from, checkout what J Concepts has. Pick up what you like and save the hard body for parading and showing off on the stand.

For the battery I recommend the typical 5000Mah 2s 20-70C hard case LiPo. I know you don't want too, but consider it when you're ready. 5000mah should get you a 40 minute run time on a stock clod, which is more than enough for one battery, just use a good peak charger for the NiMh batteries so they can live just a little longer.

Lastly, as said before, upgrade the anti rotation brackets. The plastic ones can break sometimes. Here is mine right now:

 

[Recommisioning 30 Yr old models]

Hello and welcome!

Sounds like you have some fun projects. You can 100% run NiMh batteries. If you ever decide to run LiPo batteries make sure to study up real good and use the proper charger.

[RC10 Graphite - the next re-release from AE?]

On 10/3/2024 at 4:48 PM, Saito2 said:

They're doing it because there's a market for it.

100%

[58742 Hornet Evo coming!]

7 hours ago, TurnipJF said:

I must admit that my initial enthusiasm for this model is being tempered somewhat by the price. Especially considering that a TD2 can be had for less. Totally different buggies I know, but still...

The TD2 costs way more money here in the USA. 🙁 

Or does the Hornet evo cost less here?🤔

 

 

[wtcc5's Novafox: !Banned from Racing!]

3 hours ago, Aurigarius said:

why ou even mention my name here.

That's fair enough, no need to share people's real names on the forums.

3 hours ago, Aurigarius said:

Are you trying to make a sensational headline here that will get you more clicks at the expense of others?
So why do you feel it's good to tell this tragedy here? It's all just as creatively invented as your RC creations, which is a real shame.

To the reader here you are really not helping yourself.

3 hours ago, Aurigarius said:

Your car was neither banned nor were you disqualified. Because you won first place, right? 
Above all, I have never been angry and I have never raised my voice. People who were there or know me from the races know that the person you are describing can not be me.
I am still not angry but deeply disappointed.

I came to you to tell you in a friendly and calm tone that the car did not comply with the regulations because of it's width. All the other things were ok, but the widened wishbones were not, as the standard parts have to be used there. Since you're a clever guy, you knew before that your car didn't comply with the regulations, but you still went ahead to beat standard Foxes, Wild Ones and DT-01 with your spaceship. Well done.

I don't really know what happened, but based on your and the other public statement, which me an outsider can assume is that you are a rule goblin and that letting someone know that their car doesn't comply to the rules due to an external measurement being out of spec before the finals was bad timing on your part. Really cars should be checked by the tech inspector, and failure to find something like that which takes seconds to check is just embarrassing. Of course, I could only guess using the information provided here, but do you check the cars before the races? If so then the issue would have been addressed before any racing for that class ever started.

Now of course you could be trying to get into the OP's head by bothering them right before the final. That's an old trick, which sometimes works when you want your opponent to be off their A game. I was not there and I don't know you, so that idea could be very far from the truth, lol, but would be funny.

 

[58742 Hornet Evo coming!]

Too bad the Hornet Evo is coming out during the cold weather season for me, there are tests I want to do. I figure doing a comparison with the Evo and my original Hornet modified with Ampro suspension parts would be fun. I have everything thing I need to get the new Hornet Evo going, all the radio gear, different weight shock oils for tuning, wheels and tires for the track and on road surfaces. It should be interesting and I'm looking forward to it.

[Advice on motor.]

1 hour ago, NUFCRc said:

Thanks dude. I do have a 60 turn motor from an FTX Kanyon, that should do nicely. It's even got a decent 17t pinion attached. 

If it fits, it sits. Just make sure the gear pitch is the same, or just use the stock gears for now and order what you need.

[Advice for the hornet and a super hornet]

There are multiple paths you can take with these cars, I recommend the easiest path, which is buying the re-release cars (Substitute the Super Hornet), put the old cars on the shelf and make the new ones tributes, but that's entirely up to you. 

Really both cars are a total mess and are now pretty much parts cars if anything is worth saving. If you want to spend the time and make them fully functional, you can, but you will either end up replacing 95% of what you have,  or resort to do whatever to just make it work and it will still be junk. Trust me, I did the latter, but it was over time and with new and old junk. 

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/107202-my-old-grasshopper-revival/

[Advice on motor.]

I don't have experience with the MF01X, but I do think anything from a 55 - 80 turn crawler motor should help quite a bit. In my CC01/XC Bronco I run a 55 turn RC4wd motor and it does really well on low speed trails and climbing. In my Pajero I have an 80 turn motor and it's very slow, but has very controllable power. 

[How did I end up with so many lipo batteries?]

Oh no! I took my M06 Beetle off the shelf and forgot I had another battery in it, lol.

Lol, it's brand new! How did I forget?🤣

[Say what you will about Traxxas as a company...]

I have a few Traxxas trucks. One of which is an old Rustler that still has a mechanical speed controller and the 20 turn stinger. I really need to revive it and put a new body on it, it just needs a few things and it's back in action. I like running my Tamiyas, but having a Traxxas for bashing is less stressful when parts are easier to get.

[TT-02 conundrum - R vs Type S and what hop ups?]

On 10/8/2024 at 8:27 PM, alvinlwh said:

Amazon has the high speed gear set on Prime Day deal for £8.07.

Alternatively Modelsport has the YR version for £7.39. It does not come with a spur gear, which I actually prefer as I use 48dp gears instead of 0.6m whenever possible. 

That's actually a good idea since 48 pitch gears are much easier to get than the metric pitch Tamiya uses. 

[The Hotshot II, Cool But Flawed (Improved With Traxxas Parts!)]

Just did a little repair last night. The front gearbox case had a broken one of the ears and had another crack elsewhere. I figured I'd build a complete upgraded front gearbox but I was missing a few parts, so I had to use the some of the old parts. 

The old gears looked fine so they went into the spare parts bucket. While installing the new gears in the new case, I replaced all the plastic and brass bushings with ball bearings and used a light amount of silicone grease on the thrust bearing and gears. This gearbox turns sooo smooth now, it's a good thing I bought a bunch of the most common bearings in bulk.

One really annoying thing is the wire C clip that goes on the inboard drive cup. I think the new re-re Hotshots use an E clip instead, so that definitely dates mine as vintage if anyone questions it.(Also the wire drive shaft is original.)

The buggy is all back together waiting for it's next fun run session, but I do think I should order some extra transmission parts and get some E clips so I can have another spare gearbox just to be prepared, but that will be when I find a deal on parts.

Edit:

The re-release part gear case is not the same, which I just found out. The bearing for the drive cups sits in a little further and the diff could not function properly because the gears would skip under load. So on one side I left the C clip in and added E clips to both sides to reduce the play and bring the bevel gears closer together. Still turns smoothly and the bevel gears don't float out of place. Above is the old gear case and below is the new one.

[17.5T brushless vs Torque Tuned]

I have a 10.5 sensored system in my TT02 type S. It felt like it would go without much punch with the stock gearing, which had me scratching my head. Sensored brushless systems are a different animal, it stayed very cool, so I figured it needed more load. I was right. Put in a 58 tooth spur from a TT01 and it woke up(forgot what pinion I used). It was like the esc knew when to give the power(it probably did).

So I would say it depends on setup.

[When to clean]

After some runs I clean my cars with compressed air and and sometimes brushes. If it's really bad and messy, I take things apart and scrub clean the parts in a bubble bath. Oil the joints and bearings during reassembly and keep everything working for a long time. 

Back when I did customer repairs when I worked at a hobby store, people would bring in their car caked in dirt and other stuff. They would do nothing to take care of their cars, it was really bad and made the repairs more expensive. No one wants to pay for expensive repairs on a hobby grade toy. If I ever decide to do RC repairs on the the side, the cars brought to me to fix better be reasonably clean enough or they go somewhere else. 

[The Hotshot II, Cool But Flawed (Improved With Traxxas Parts!)]

On 10/11/2024 at 1:31 AM, Andreas W said:

PS: JC Racing makes Hotshot wheels in 2,2. I have them on my Thunder Dragon (which is trying to be a Hotshot-derivate). I think their proportions are still good and you can run whichever modern 2,2 tyres you want.

 

That's really cool! I wish I could find those wheels in the US, lol. Well... at least I have many choices for dish wheels. 

On 10/11/2024 at 2:51 AM, Grumpy pants said:

I’m really enjoying this thread 👏

I regret selling my Super Hot Shot earlier this year, I know they are heavy, outdated and a pain to work on, but nonetheless a great looking buggy. 

Thank you.

Despite the design issues of the Hotshot 2, I've been able to fix some of them for cheap. It's all stuff that can be done by many hobbyists, which is great. Also, I've been thinking about using the Super Hotshot suspension components, but I don't feel like spending that much money on the avaliable parts, but it would be cool. 

[New Set of 4 Buggy Wheels & Tyres (set 2)]

5 hours ago, Grumpy pants said:

MadAntare these any good for your HS? 

If those work great offroad, then sure, but there is a lot of loose dirt and gravel where I run. Maybe the more blocky tread would work for me. 

I'm in the USA, so I unfortunately can't buy them from you (taxes, customs and very long delivery times). Maybe I can match up something similar here.

Thanks for trying to help though👍

[The Hotshot II, Cool But Flawed (Improved With Traxxas Parts!)]

No tuning today unfortunately, but I did do some cleaning. It's been a long while since I had the original wheels and tires on the car, that's probably because the rubber is hard and does not do so great for traction. Anyway, they were dirty, so I scrubbed them clean and put them on the buggy just for looks.

I do like the look, if anyone knows of some good modern big lug looking tires that get good traction, let me know. I might hop over to the hobby store on Saturday and buy a set of tires and wheels for the carpet tracks too.

[motor questions for blackfoot (edit: I used a dirt tuned)]

I know the topic was discussed over a month ago, but I agree with trying the stock motor first, especially if running with a hard body. If using a lexan body to bash with, then going a little bit faster is not as big of a worry. Just for certain cars, don't go with brushless.

[Springs set #54797 length]

6 hours ago, skom25 said:

Hi,

Any owners of #54797 springs set?

I need information about spring length. Are they 26 mm or shorter?

Those are touring car springs and should be able to fit the super mini CVA and other shocks set up for on road cars.

Sorry I don't have measurements, but I have spare different touring car springs that fit the same application. 

What do you need the springs for? It might help if you let us know.

[How did I end up with so many lipo batteries?]

Oh no! It fits! 

Ok, I'm not gonna run these old SRB's anytime soon, lol. I do have two re-re SRB's though, so the shorty packs have become even more useful.