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raysan

M04 Chassis Shortening

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I have an ABC Toyota corolla body and would like to make it fit the M04 rwd chassis (Guilia GTA). I need to shorten it about 15mm. Has anyone done this? Will another chassis from say a mini m03 fit and still maintain the rwd? I have no problem chopping mine up, but was just wondering if there is an easier option available to me.

cheers

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I have an ABC Toyota corolla body and would like to make it fit the M04 rwd chassis (Guilia GTA). I need to shorten it about 15mm. Has anyone done this? Will another chassis from say a mini m03 fit and still maintain the rwd? I have no problem chopping mine up, but was just wondering if there is an easier option available to me.

cheers

It's much easier to convert an M03 into a RWD, than it is to even attempt shortening the M04 I think, considering there may not be an suspension arm with the perfect angle...

There's a discussion on it in this forum about 4 years back...

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?...c=36284&hl=

And Tony did this: http://www.rc-mini.net/MiniWeb1/M03_RWD.html but link is down?

anyways, you'll have to reverse the motor wiring, and gut the rear chassis of the 03 so you can connect the servo to the knuckles.. suspension arms can be swapped front to back, no mod. Reportedly, it actually drove better than the 04, plus the gear ratio...

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I would just cut the M04 in half and add some sheet of cheap metal on the sides or top and bottpm to get some strength back.Somebody just did this but i cant find it now. I think it was to fit a M04 under a Punpkin.

The M03 way leaves you with a slower car as the pinion in the M04 can be larger. And also you will also have issues with running a motor backwards. Either it wll be slower, or you would have to use a motor with adjustable timing. Also you will loose your rear body mounts as they will make the back of the Toyota body set about and inch to high.So these would have to be cut off a long with the orginal servo mount. So you will have to figure out a way to mount the rear of the body. Also with the low hood of theToyota you might have to cut off the front shocks and lower them also.

Swapping a M03 to rear wheel drive isnt that hard but when you try and use the ABC Toyota body you run in to a lot more problem.

If you go the M03 route you might as well get a M01/M02 as this is the chassis the body was designed for and you can mount just about any bpdy ever made for a M-chassis car on one. Or get an ABC Genetic if you dont mind 4WD.

Good luck the Toyota Corolla is a very nice looking body :P

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The reason I wanted to shorten a M04 was that I already have a spare kit. I haven't cut anything yet but was just wondering if anyone's done this before. It looks like there would be enough room to do it. By removing a section of the chassis somewhere between the steering servo and the battery holder, it would mean a little reinforcing would be done. A little extra weight wouldn't bother me to much as I dont race. I just thought that maybe the spare part chassis from the m03 might be able to be used, whether the screw holes would line up at all. I just dont have a M03 chassis to compare it next to. Thanks for the reply.

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I'd also go with the M-04 option and just replace the centre chassis section with 2 flat bits of alu cut to the right length with a hole for the battery :D . The front and rear suspension assemblies of an M-04 would just bolt straight onto your custom centre piece.

With the TL-01 dog bones and suspension arms you also have the option of widening the track of your model and they are a straight bolt on replacement.

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With the TL-01 dog bones and suspension arms you also have the option of widening the track of your model and they are a straight bolt on replacement.

What width does that mod bring it out to ?

Raysan, can I be cheeky & ask if you have the F3 & F4 parts & would you be interested in selling them ?

I need a pair to lengthen my M-04 project.

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What width does that mod bring it out to ?

If you use the wider TG-10 stub axles I think it pretty much brings it out to the same width as a standard TL-01 or TT-01. Check out the Stratos in my showroom, thats is an M-04 chassis with extra spacers and TL-01 arms, dogbones and TG10 stub axles. The Carson shell it uses is designed for the TT-01/TL-01 and its a perfect fit with the mods.

Cheers,

Chris

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Ta for that Chris, oddly enough it's to fit under my ABC Stratos shell :D

Hehe, funnily enough I also have an ABC stratos shell and M-04 donor ready to be built up in the '79 Chardonnet Monte Carlo winning colours - just need to find / make some decent coffin spoke alloy wheels......

The M-04 is such a versatile chassis with the chassis spacers - I wish Tamiya would do more like this. I also plan to use an M-04 modified and extended under one of the vintage HPI Camaro shells.

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Great feedback guys, I'm glad I was told about this club. Last night I was thinking that, yes, why don't i just make some new rails up. I will stop at a shop on the side of the road and get some alloy. Living in China has its perks, i'll probably be able to get a drill and drill bits too for the same price as the just alloy in Aus ( I bought a 60W solering iron a whole roll of solder and a flux tub all for less than $5 on the weekend). As for the extender pieces I recon I'll hang onto them in case I want to make a longer chassis one day, good try though! I think that this chassis is a little marvel, great peice of engineerinng, so simple yet solid and versatile. Onya Tamiya.

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I was actually thinking about a M04 project myself for the North Craft 210mm wheel base bodies, until I found the chassis can't be shortened like the M03.

raysan, please let us know what alloy plates you found, I would be interested in doing the same. I could probably source something similar in HK.

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Check this out:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.a...1&sid=15729

This is (was) my Midnight Pumpkin Lowrider M04. I used two strips of aluminium to make new chassis rails. The M04 mounting points are the same width front and rear, so the chassis rails are mounted parallel - it's as simple as that.

You need to be quite precise with your cutting and drilling, especially around the motor, as the contours need to match the motor closely so you have enough metal left to drill the screw holes into.

I didn't bother to cut a battery hole into my chassis because the pumpkin shell isn't wide enough to accomodate a sideways pack, but it would be a good idea for a lexan M shell, as there's nowhere else for the battery to go.

Alternatively, you could cut the standard chassis and superglue it back together. I did this with my prototype and it worked well - it didn't get a test-run, as the cuts were only make to prove the dimensions under the shell, but the glue passed my "hand-tight twist test".

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Nice one Mad Ax, I liked the metalic looking rig. Now I have some good ideas I'll see what I can find and do with a leatherman and a scalpel. All my workshop is in storage back home.

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post-25454-1331103195_thumb.jpg

This is it finished, i'm not sure if i put this picture up before or not but this is where it belongs. :D I will resize some of the chassis pictures and put up a few of those. Short M04 with ABC Toyota Levin Corolla body. I ended up making new chassis rails from ABS.

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That shell really does look awesome - and great stance (if that word is still allowed these days) over that chassis.

I was reading thru this thread thinking "I must post up details of how I did my shortened M04 Pumpkin Lowrider..." And then I saw my name and my truck.

A blast from the past :)

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Thanks Mad, i am trying to get some more pictures up, i really like this car and i agree that it is a sweet little body. I've not posted a pic for ages and couldn't work it out t first. So i looked up how to post pictures in the search feature and saw some more that i had posted a while ago!! I rekon i've figured it out now so i just need to remember what image site i am a member of...........pics will follow soon. This last pic must have already been on tamiya club somehow from another blast from the past.

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Here are components that will be used to put the chassis halves together. I went for ABS sheet, ( i need to double check but pretty sure it was 3mm high grade). When the 2 halves are glued/chemically bonded together they will be as strong one piece. We were cutting 3mm that day so it was just easier than doing it in 6mm.

DSC02016_zps3eb764d0.jpg

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Can see it needs a little sanding off. The solvent/glue has bonded the ABS and in the battery holder and steering arm hole you can just see some of the melted plastic has come out between the 2 halves. This is a good sign and should be prove to be a decent bond.

DSC02018_zps8e6003b2.jpg

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DSC02022_zpsf317941e.jpg

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cut these bits off

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like this

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to get this

DSC02043_zps626133fc.jpg

Shortened M04 chassis :) ready for assembly.

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DSC02044_zpsf2f235e3.jpg

DSC02045_zpsebcf5783.jpg

DSC02046_zps626ae319.jpg

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The white pieces of plastic were stuck to the board for me to double check the wheelbase centerline against them (plastic bits) with a set square before I took it any further. The axle centers really are directly over the egdes even though the picture tells a lie. Will post some of the body fitting another time. cheers

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