Just Got Myself A Blackfoot Extreme

[tamiya monkey]

hi all while i await my newest basher, just woundered what upgrades i should get, i dont know anything about this chassis so any advise would be great, also what parts would i need to make 4wd.

[Mad Ax]

Congratulations on a wise purchase! The Blackfoot Extreme, while a bit basic, is a great fun truck and pretty sturdy, too.

Upgrades list are:

Metal bearings all round (I consider these essential)

20T pinion for extra top speed - standard gearing is very slow

Super Stock BZ motor has plenty of punch and won't stress the drivetrain

Look in the Monster Trucks forum at the Wild Dagger threads - there's one about loose steering servos, and there's some simple mods you can do to firm it up. Alloy servo posts are a good start, as is some bracing between the servo sides and the chassis.

After that, the next step is:

Alloy or carbon shock towers and 4" oil shocks. There are various towers to choose from and 4" shocks from a huge variety of trucks or aftermarket suppliers will fit.

Rear CVDs to cope with the extra suspension travel offered by the longer shocks

From there, it depends on how far you want to go. Brushless, metal chassis, metal suspension arms, custom-made adjustable top arms, the world, quite simply, is your oyster.

To convert to 4WD you will need to buy a second rear gearbox housing, internals, bearings, screws, outdrives and driveshafts (or CVDs). A look at the exploded diagram of your Blackfoot Extreme gearbox should show you what you need - however it is quite expensive. When I converted my Blackfoot Extreme to 4WD I found it cheaper to buy a second-hand Wild Dagger rolling chassis from TC and swap the complete gearbox across. This means I have loads of spares should anything go wrong, and almost enough parts left to build a second Blackfoot Extreme, should I want another 2WD variant Given the HK prices on new Blackfoot Extremes, it might be cheaper to buy a whole new kit from Ebay than to source the individual parts bags from your Tamiya stockist - then you've got plenty of spare parts AND a complete spare shell. Worth bearing in mind

Best of luck - I was very disappointed with my Blackfoot Extreme on its first run, but when I slung in a Super Stock BZ and a 20T pinion, it became my favourite runner - and has been steadily upgraded ever since. Now running 4WD, twin 550s, 14.4V and an aluminium chassis

[tamiya monkey]

Thanks for the extensive advice mate, going into buying mode ebay here i come.

thanks again.