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TriumphChris

Newbie Builder - Unimog

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Hi

No experience of building any vehicles but have been producing my own drawings and scratch building RC boats for the last 4 years.

I'm having to spend time at my mother's every week and with time on my hands have been looking for something to build, ideally in the lounge, and with the minimum of tools. Obviously a Tamiya model fits the bill and have always liked the look of Unimogs. I like the squarer front and so have ordered the 425 with CC-01 chassis.

A friend on a boat forum has already suggested using ballrace bearings and replacing the steering parts with alloy but I would welcome any suggestions for improvements and tips. I've already done some reading of the forum builds and painting which are really useful.

It will only be getting light use i.e. mainly around the garden but would like to use better parts where appropriate. Watched a video on YouTube and fancy lights and a sound module - any suggestions on those?

I've already got some good RC transmitters and receivers so I'm Ok there. I use Hobbywing ESCs so will use a Quicrun of some sort. I use Nimh and Lipos and would welcome suggestions on what will fit and a good motor.

Thanks, Chris

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The alloy steering makes sense as the steering is the main issue on the CC-01. Ball bearings are a must in my opinion for every build. Depending on your plans with the Unimog you should choose a slower and stronger motor. I had a 55T in my Unimog. Apart from that I would build it stock and see what needs to be done for better performance (you will recognise very soon that the tires are not very capable). But it's part of the fun to improve the car step by step imo. And the CC-01 has a lot of potential to tinker with it.

Have fun.

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Thanks. Are the rubber sealed ballraces off EBay Ok and do you know what steering parts are required?

Must resist but there are at least a couple more cross-country vehicles that I fancy!

Chris

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The rubber sealed ones are a good choice. For the steering I had the GPM parts back in the day which improves the steering definitely. But I guess there are better options out there. Maybe other members can give you a more detailed advice.

There is also an interesting thread from @Mad Ax where he compares hop-ups vs. home made parts.

 

 

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Welcome to the forum.  There's a lot of threads on CC01 upgrades, problems and fixes so I won't cover too much old ground.  It's been a while since I looked, but I think the Hot Racing steering setup gets lots of positive reviews.  They are all much the same, I had some non-branded steering parts on my CC01s and they were giving me trouble, but anything is better than stock.  It's a known weak point and although it sort of works in standard trim, if you use the car much it will wear quickly and be hard to fix without replacing the chassis tub.

Any bearing set for the CC01 should be fine, if you're going to drive through puddles then a shielded set is better.

For LiPos - I use Core RC stick packs, these fit well in standard Tamiya chassis.  I think there are other brands that fit but the majority are (for some bizarre and inexplicable reason) too big and won't fit.  It you used a smaller soft-case LiPo it would probably fit fine in the battery tray and for an added bonus, not have the lead exiting from the chassis side in the perfect place to deform the body.  If you can scratch-build boats then you can come up with a way of keeping the battery in place.

Finally, the rear axle is the other known weak point on the CC01.  If you buy a ball bearing set then you have a selection of spare plastic and bronze bushings to play with, you can use these to shim the rear diff to reduce float and extend the life if your crown gears.  This video explains it really well:

 

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Just read all of your thread that Aerobert linked to and picked up some great ideas - will start drawing up a list, so much for a stock build to fill in some time!

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Thought I'd go the whole hog and as well as a set of ballrace bearings I've ordered the Yeah Racing Complete Conversion Kit.

Just got to see what's required for the pinion and will be good to go. Unfortunately the Unimog kit is on shadow order so doubt I will get it until the New Year?

So in the meantime it's back to the boat builds.

5 Builds Underway.jpg

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How fast would like the Unimog to travel? 

Out of the box with a silver can it will do approx 15 mph. That's a fun speed for bouncing around the grass a brisk pace.

If you want crawler speeds to creep over obstacles with precision under 1-2 mph, it will require some modification.  

 

The diff gears are "pot-metal" if I am not mistaken.  They are reasonably strong and unlikely to skip.  Tamiya anti-wear grease in the diff is a good compromise between open diff and lockers.

Some of the CC-01 kits came with diff gears AND an insert to lock the diff.  Not sure if the Unimog comes with but it can be purchased separately: Diff locker for front or rear - Tamiya CC-01 XC Pajero Wrangler Unimog MU 1 pair | eBay

The CC-01 chassis is extremely versatile and takes well to a huge array of modification for every type of terrain.

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Thanks. Not looking for high speed as will mainly be running around the garden. And not looking for serious crawling ability but it would be nice to have smooth low-speed performance.

I take it a better motor would be beneficial for this and if so any recommendations?

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I’ve just built a CC02 and used a Tamiya TR motor I picked up from Plaza Japan, they’ve got some good hop ups and generally if you put together a few bits even with postage it’s cheaper than ordering in the UK, can also recommend the rock block soft tyres I think, the stock ones on the G500 CC02 are absolutely rock hard.

The motor is a 33t and using a HW 1080 ESC has great control but also a reasonable bit of speed if needed, I think it’s a reasonable balance for my driving!

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You would likely

4 hours ago, TriumphChris said:

Thanks. Not looking for high speed as will mainly be running around the garden. And not looking for serious crawling ability but it would be nice to have smooth low-speed performance.

I take it a better motor would be beneficial for this and if so any recommendations?

A motor in the 35-55t range and possibly an Axial AE5 speed control will yeild excellent low speed control.  There's likely a Hobbywing equivalent, but I don't know which. 

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Thanks for the additional info. guys.

I enquired off a seller about the diff gears and was told that they are diecast and neither steel or aluminium. I've ordered a set but thinking about it should I have ordered 2 sets, one for each diff?

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Just been doing a bit to this now and again and having to wait for some more bearings and grease etc. as mentioned in my Bearings thread.

Chassis is almost done now (apart from servo and ESC) including fitting the Yeah Racing Conversion Kit. Really impressed with the quality of the YR parts. Got to do some dismantling though to modify the bottom plate (or whatever its called) as the steering arms/turnbuckles are fouling it. Not good and found this on a YouTube vid after I'd screwed things together. Minus point there for YR and no mention of the problem or modification required in the instructions. Otherwise all good and enjoyed the build.

 

IMG_5792.JPG

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