my m03 sand scorcher

[renben 2]

finally dug out my old but little used m03L bmw mini from my storeroom. read a few guides on the web on things i could do with it. some online shopping at stella and my local tamiya agent.

The result is

1 m03 rear wheel drive conversion

2 sand scorcher body + wild ceptor wheels n tyres

pictures and steps coming up soonest!

[mr crispy 2293]

Watching this with interest

[SteveU30 1011]

Yup, subscribed!

[neverfollow 599]

Same here!

[renben 2]

here's a first pic with the now rwd m03 chassis

and one more to show the correct wheelbase of 250mm achieved for the SS body. body has yet to be mounted, any ideas on how i can do it without drilling the beautiful bug?

[Skottoman 306]

Oh this is a cool idea... Can't wait to see how this turns out!

For mounting, I'd use velcro or magnets. Cut down the posts and build a small shelf to attach velcro or magnets.

Someone may have a better idea, but that's probably what I would do.

Cheers,

Skottoman

[SteveU30 1011]

Take a look at the last few posts of sabreuk1's thread here for how to mount the body: http://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=70738&page=3#entry507972

[mr crispy 2293]

Looking good so far. I have a few questions, did you just use a regular chassis spacer to get the wheelbase to the right length? Also how have you mated the Brat tyres to the chassis?

[renben 2]

I used the 239mm chassis spacer,and reversed the front lower arms. By chance, it turned out to be exactly 250mm ish. Will upload some photos of the arms later.

As for the brat tyres, I bought the RC boys Wild Ceptor kit to get the wheels and tyres. Maybe I was lucky again but the offset of the rear wheels was just enough to give the rear wide stance that a SS would have!

[renben 2]

here is a shot of the reversed front lower arms. note the use of the m06 pro ball head suspension shafts to mount the shocks

a top view of the chassis. rear end is wider than the front by about 2cm

front damper mounts fabricated using a tamiya 3mm thick plate with holes. m05 turnbuckles used in place of upper arms

chassis cut to allow upside down servo mounting and direct steering. reduces bump steer.

next up, will be installing the m05ra uprights to increase clearance. this sand scorcher is going to be as capable offroad as a 2wd buggy!

[renben 2]

finally... after a trip to HK to pick up parts from stellamodels, my m03 rwd sand scorcher is now a reality!

here's a top view of the chassis. you can see the TL01 bumpers being used here. m05 turnbuckle set used all round

the side view shows the body mounts in greater detail. i only had to drill one more hole right in front to mount the ss body. rear mount clips directly on ss body rear clip

front body mount done horizontally on a customised plate from tamiya hobby range

TL01 front arms used in reverse direction to give more width and leverage to front suspension, as well as proper ss wheelbase of 250mm. i didnt use the TL01 rear arms as i didnt have any 42mm dogbones on hand. the 39mm ones i have are a teeny bit too short. i prob will get some 42mm swing shafts to go with my m03 assembly universal shaft set

whats next? well i am going to paint the body, however its my first time with a hard shell! any suggestions on the paint scheme to go with my chrome rims?