TL-01 Wild Willy

[shenlonco]

I would use a exacto knife just slide the blade across the plastics cut edge gently this will take off a smooth even amount... don't use a dremel wheel it will make the edges not flat and wavy compaired to when done with a exacto blade.

After you fuse the chassis together I would do this

On the bottom put a large section of plastic across the cut sections with the cement also

Round the edges so it won't get hung up on anything.

On the tops by the cuts do the same with a plastic sheet going far accross each seam and bond it over the seams .

Do this on the sides also near the top and this should help as well.

This will make the chassis much stronger.

[30YrsL8r]

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I've removed most of the superglue (will finish it off before I try again) without affecting the cut lines too much. I could tell when I was through the glue because the dust turned from white to grey and I could smell hot plastic. Anyway, I have also cut out some inserts from the left-over chassis parts and shaped them to fit inside the two halves. I will cement these over the joins so that I get more than just an edge-to-edge contact. Hopefully you can see this in the pictures below.

I've been reading up on solvent-based cement that's suitable for ABS plastics and I think I'm right in saying that ordinary Humbrol Poly Cement modelling glue will do this job (I can pick some up when I'm in town this afternoon). Am I right?

[30YrsL8r]

I bought "Plastic Weld" from my LHS yesterday (£2.79 for 57ml). I'll include all the details about it below because it's fantastic. I stuck a couple of scraps together with it and completely destroyed the result with pliers and didn't get the join to break. The results of joining the cut-and-shut TL-01 are shown below. You are supposed to hold the two pieces together and brush the liquid around the edges so that it can cover the join through capillary action. On the basis that this method is strong, I decided that brushing it generously on the two surfaces to be joined would be even stronger! That might be the case, but it also means that the liquid gets to run and the plastic melts, which is visible on the outside of the chassis. Not to worry; it's not going to be entered in any beauty parades, but it is going to get some bashing. I'll most likely fill the remaining gaps with standard Poly Cement.

EMA Plastic Weld

Use Plastic Weld to cement any of the following plastics to each other, or in any combination: Styrene, Butyrate, ABS, Acrylic (Lucite or Plexiglas), Perspex.

E.M.A. Model Supplies Ltd, Unit 2, Shepperton Business Park, Govett Ave, Shepperton, TW178BA

Tel: 01932 228228 Fax: 01932 253766

Plastic Weld dissolves a thin film on each surface to be joined then evaporates very quickly forming a welded joint - one as strong as the surrounding plastics.

[dyahipfakta]

What ya gonna do with the drive shaft? I had the opposite idea of making a stretch tl01 for a heavy duty truck but then realised I would probably have to ditch the 4 wheel drive so I decided it wasn't worth it.

[30YrsL8r]

What ya gonna do with the drive shaft?

It's just an aluminium (could be steel) rod - I can either cut it down and drill an new hole through it for the gear-engagement pin or create a new one with rod from the DIY shop. You could do the latter for the stretched one. Look towards the bottom of this post:

http://www.tamiyaclu...53

[mr crispy]

Yep the standard prop shaft is easy to cut and drill . It's 5mm so you can pick up steel rods in DIY stores like Wickes for about £4-5 in 1 meter lengths.

[30YrsL8r]

Nothing too clever today. Aside from fixing up a second steering servo mount to replace the one I cut out, I was essentially building a TL-01. I haven't tried to improve the cosmetic appearance of the joints; I've decided that this guinea pig has already had a tough life so I might run it hard and use a newer donor to do a better job if it breaks. I think there might be enough space behind and under the steering servo to fit a small ESC and receiver inside the chassis.

[OldSchoolRunner]

Ha I found your project. Keep the pics coming!

OSR

[mr crispy]

That's looking good, I'll gonna have to try some of that plastic weld.

[30YrsL8r]

Ha I found your project. Keep the pics coming!

OSR

Likely to be a delay now; I have neither the WW body or any appropriate wheels (although I know which wheels I want). I'm trying to source the bodywork cheaply, which normally means it'll take a while.

[30YrsL8r]

A few changes (I needed the extraordinarily long servo lead for Frankenscorcher and the Sport Tuned needed to go back in my touring car) and it's now a runner (sort of). Receiver is tucked away behind/below the servo inside the chassis (removal of the plastic screw hole for the ballast resistor required) and as many of the wires squeezed inside as possible. Doesn't seem to interfere with the radio signal. Currently running a 21T pinion (19T is in the TC) and unable to wheelie at the moment; maybe when I can get my hands on bigger wheels....

[mr crispy]

It wont wheelie with the battery stacked on the backend like that? That surprises me. One thing I did to mine to hide the wiring was turn the motor around 180 so the wires come off the terminals and go backwards and then up over the can. Once you have a larger tyre fitted it hides them nicely, Im also thining to paint my motor body satin black so it doesnt stand out as much.

[GregM]

I guess the weight of the front diff and the lightweight LiPo battery will play a role in the wheelying capability. I'm sure bigger tires will help with that, too, as they rise the center of gravity for the whole car. At least they helped my buggys to wheely better than with the regular sized tires.

However, it's good to see you're progressing with the shortened chassis, and I think it looks great.

[dyahipfakta]

Would be a really good basis for a quad with a rider like the savage shells. Looks really good

[Percymon]

unable to wheelie at the moment; maybe when I can get my hands on bigger wheels....

small wheels, sticky rubber and four wheel drive = traction all round = minimal wheely action

[30YrsL8r]

To be fair, I was trying it in the garage so traction wasn't great and I was loath to give it too much juice in case I hit something. It's true that the LiPo is light, too. Will try it on the road outside now. And....

Good news: With a bit of reverse before full throttle, I can wheelie for over 6'.

Bad news: I'm stupid. I only put the back bumper on (acts as a wheelie bar with the small wheels). Hit a curb and cracked the front gearbox.

Good news: My cut and shut joint held up nicely and a bit of my new magic adhesive should sort the gearbox.

Good job it's a prototype!

[mr crispy]

Oh man, as I was reading down that last post I thought to myself "I must add a post recommending that he fits the bumpers on before running it again" and then got to your bad news! I did the exact same thing with mine, just clipped something with the front wheel and it was enough to bend the gear case behind where the front arms mount. All fixed up now but I learn never to run without the bumpers as they hold the gearcases together. 6 foot wheelie sounds pretty cool.

[dyahipfakta]

Get the bumper off a tl01b for the front much better for this kinda purpose.

[30YrsL8r]

Get the bumper off a tl01b for the front much better for this kinda purpose.

That looks a lot like the bumper on my son's DT02, which went 2' up a tree this morning. Not so much a bumper as a deflector shield.

[dyahipfakta]

Exactly lol don't go through the tree go over it

[30YrsL8r]

Not much of an update but, whilst cleaning up a FTX Enrage, I thought I'd see what the wheels look like on my TL-01 WW:

The rears are a little wider and taller than the fronts. The wheels just catch on the motor terminals at the back (although they could probably be bent slightly) and the bumper at the front limits the amount of turn. If the bumper wasn't there, they'd catch on the prop shaft gear cover.

Anyway, now I know...

[30YrsL8r]

Made some more progress after buying a Wild Willy 2 with spare NIB body set off ebay.

The WW2 rears fit nicely on the back of my TL-01, without fouling the motor at all. On the front the tyres rub the prop shaft gear cover on full lock so I took the longer stub axle and 12mm hex from the WR-02 and now the tyres clear the case. Oddly, the steering arm hits the case on full lock and full shock compression, so I may modify the servo horn to reduce the steering throw and go back to the original axles (the WR-02 ones make the front track slightly wider than the rear.

I mounted the older body shell by drilling new mounting holes for the rear, allowing enough space to locate the LiPo as high and as far back as possible (can't believe how lucky I've been fitting this battery in my models - I only bought this type/size because it was cheap). At the front I wasn't happy about drilling more holes in the bonnet, then had a brainwave and used the indicators! This way, I can move the shell backward/forward using the front mounts and up/down using the rear to get the best wheel clearance. I'll probably spring-load all the mounts to help the shell survive impacts.

The front bumper and rear wheelie bar were transferred from the WR-02 chassis and (once the small lugs were removed from the TL-01 chassis) fitted straight onto the shortened one.

Unfortunately, the WR-02 is 2WD, so only the rear wheels have the 12mm hex fitment. My 4WD version needs it on all four. Does anyone have a pair of WW2 rear wheels they can part with?

[dyahipfakta]

How is the torque and temps with these. Mine really struggled with similar size tyres and stock gears

[30YrsL8r]

Can't tell you about the temps. Unfortunately, I can't run it with only two wheels

[30YrsL8r]

Now I can tell you about the temps: hot!

Following my post about converting the WW2 front wheels to rears (http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=70210&hl=), I've now put in the electrics and taken it for a spin. All of the electrics, except the motor and the steering servo, are mounted at the back of the shell.

With the smallest TL-01 pinion, the motor gets VERY hot VERY quickly.

On the road outside my house (i.e. not on rough terrain or grass) I can whiz up and down, popping long wheelies (with a little bit of reverse first) and cornering hard, but after only a few minutes the motor is too hot to touch.

The front end is very bouncy at speed and the steering suffers as a result but a little brake and the weight shifts forward, giving a very small turning circle. Accelerating hard whilst turning lifts the inside front wheel. It's all good fun.

Looks like I need a higher-turn motor to keep the temps down - it should also help a lot when I take it off-road, as the heat will only get worse with the motor that's in it now on hills.