Lunchbox Basics

[Burmanater]

All right so far last month I decided to take the plunge at 21 years old and finally get the RC's I wanted growing up. I've always wanted a Lunchbox, Midnight Pumpkin, and a Clod Buster. I got early supposedly 1987 LB, a similar year MP for parts and lastly another MP RR for the fiancé. Sorry but here goes my long winded story.

The MP RR was very nicely painted with aftermarket aluminum oil dampers, ball bearing upgrade, steering linkage upgrade, TEU-104BK ESC, Futaba FP-R122JE receiver, Futaba T2PH remote, and slow charger and an unknown age 3000mah battery. This was supposed to be RTR but right now I'm having trouble with the ESC and the classic flashing/ beeping red LED. I bought this last.

The 1987 LB was an almost gutted roller with a motor, and The MCS setup. This was the first one I bought and prolly overpaid for but o well. I wanted a real deal old school LB that I could mod. So far I got the upgraded steering linkage, alloy body mounts, alloy lower rear shock mounts, and alloy front steering knuckles. I then took all the parts I needed from the MP below to make it a runner. My intention is to build what I prolly would have bought second hand at a garage sale when I was a kid like I dreamed. Then pretend that I left it sit for 10 years and then got re interested dug it out of the closet and set about making it cooler in my eyes. Plans are to keep the stock bumpy shocks for the fun factor but make it overall un breakable. Ball bearings, alloy rear wheel hubs, alloy servo mounts, a Tamiya BZ motor, and cheap heat sink, are next on the list.

Then the next MP was a pure parts purchase to obtain all the old school electronics to make my LB old school. This gave me 2 Futaba FP-S129 servos, Futaba FP-R1O2GR receiver, and all the other odds and ends in working order. I also now have a complete spare roller chassis with motor and a spare MSC.

I also picked up a Futaba Attack(original) with the standard up/down left/right controls in working condition for dirt cheap that I'm hoping to use for the LB for that perfect old school look. I've also got a couple sets of crystals on order.

I then ordered a genuine IMAX-B6 battery charger for field charging with an adaptor for regular house charging and 6 Tenergy NiMh 3000MAH 7.2 flat batteries. Haven't gotten everything yet. But it's coming.

So very excited as tonight I got to run the LB for the first time at 3am in the dead cold using the crystal and Futaba T2PH remote from the blue MP and had a blast for the 20 min the battery lasted. I think the motor or battery is a little weak as wheelies didn't really happen that often even going from reverse to forward(tires are glued). I've got those other batteries on the way though so we will find out then. I love these little beasts and hope with what I learn here that I can eventually get all the Tamiya Rc's I want and have a blast with playing with them with my fiancé, 1 year old son, and other little person on the way.

I do have a few simple questions though. What can I expect my average run time to be with the Blue MP and the Orange LB? I know they will probably be different due to setup differences but rough guesses are ok. Also any ideas on the flashing/ beeping led with the TEU-104BK ESC in the Blue MP? Did the crystal change, battery change(truck and remote),checked all connections, and reset it. Still nothing.

Thanks for reading all this if you did. Just wanted to get all the basics, backstory, and info out there so I can get more accurate answers in the future. Pics below are as I bought them and how they are now. Hope you enjoy and thanks for any help or comments you give. It's 630am I haven't slept yet and have to be back in to work a 2PM so goodnight gents. Clod Buster is next after the funds regenerate.

[Percymon]

Welcome to the mad house - you won't be the first, or the last to perhaps pay too much for a project, but then thats half the fun !

On a fully charged 3200mAh battery I'd expect 25-30 minutes running on a silver can motor, if the chassis is fully ball raced and the drivetrain free. It depends on where you run but on hard ground 30 minutes is typical. In wet mud or long grass where there is more starin perhaps 5 minutes less.

On a torque tuned motor run time should be almost the same, on a sport tuned maybe 3-5 minutes less (depends how you drive as to how much extra current draw your are using). Witha BZ motor you will be ca 5 minutes less.

Old motors will have worn commutator and brushes, so will be down on power - i wouldn't bother buying a new silver can 540 motor, not at UK prices - best to look for a Torque Tuned (mild upgrade) or a Sport tuned motor. Both available cheaply from www.banzaihobby.com if you use the SAL airmail shipping method, and will happily run with the MSC or Tamiya TEU-104 ESC...

http://banzaihobby.com/radio-control/motors-brushless-motors-esc/tamiya-motors-esc/54358-rs-540-torque-tuned-motor

http://banzaihobby.com/radio-control/motors-brushless-motors-esc/tamiya-motors-esc/rc-rs540-sport-tuned-motor-u53068

The MSC is a much harsher on the drivetrain, especially when going forward/reverse.

As to wheelies, a good stock motor with a good battery charge will pull wheelies from a standstill

[GregM]

Also any ideas on the flashing/ beeping led with the TEU-104BK ESC in the Blue MP? Did the crystal change, battery change(truck and remote),checked all connections, and reset it. Still nothing.

The beeping and flashing usually occurs if the BAT-connector (2-pin, red) of the ESC isn't connected (or wrongly connected) to a free socket on the receiver.

[Burmanater]

I actually found another battery and charged it and now have no doubts in the motor or drivetrain. Wheelies from a stand still and very aggressive and fast enough for me. The battery only lasted about 10 min but it was a 1500mah and may not have been fully charged. Can wait to get my IMAXB6 so I can start charging for real. I'll stick with the stock silver can I've got a spare and the one in the LB seems really good. I'm going to be curious to see what a fully charged and new battery will do in this as the batteries I have now I know nothing about or how old they are and the one is a 1500mah starter battery for a roto start for the HPI Savage x 4.6 I got recently. That is a whole other project that I wont discuss here lol. Thanks get back with you guys later.

[Burmanater]

So did the ball bearing conversion today on my LB and wow what a difference. Longer run times and more speed. This was a set that was already in the Blue MP can anyone recommend a place to get another set with the proper sizes? I'm sketchy on some of these ebay sellers. I will say that today was mainly an exercise in pulling apart 3 different gearboxes and it was easy. I learned a lot and think I could rebuild one in under 20 minutes now. I have one question now, has anyone ever made a posi rear end in a MP/LB by somehow locking the spiders? I'm in love with these things. So easy to build and maintain. What kind of lube are you guys using in your gear boxes? I no longer have any plans to change the motor now as I think it's plenty powerful and fast.

[Shodog]

Ball bearings from Hong Kong will be your cheapest source. 8 5x11mm and 2 5x8mm so nothing special there. Thorp made a ball diff and RC4WD made a spool that fit the hornet and clod. I would imagine a solid diff would make steering impossible. As for grease I like to use quality bicycle bearing grease.