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taliesin

TLT-1 questions

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1. Anybody know of manufacturer of upgraded chassis parts - like carbon fiber side plates for the little beast?

Just don't care for the great slab 'o aluminum plate look. Maybe painted black with some scale stickers like a real Monster would be OK too - but carbon fiber goodness is better.

2. Also, recommendations for a smallish Lipo that would work rather than the pyramid hump pack that it normally calls for?

3. Other recommendations for a solid runner?

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Tamiya and (I think) GPM made carbon fibre chassis plates.

I think most people would recommend locking the centre diff, it just seems to perform better that way. If you want to use it as a crawler think about locking the axle diffs but for general running it isn't necessary. And buy some spare belts, just in case!

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Spare belts - check. Will order some today if they can be found. Out of curiosity - is that a known weakness or just a prudent buy since parts are getting scarce?

Lock center diff - check. This will be a general basher, so I will leave the axle diffs open but lock the center.

Will check for Tamiya and GPM. I've seen some blue aluminum and that is a possibility too, but carbon fiber would be trick.

Thanks for the tips!!

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Most of the chassis kits extend them to more of a 1/10th size, but yeah, there were a few stock size in the day.

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I bought this with the idea to strip the axles and make an old school crawler rig or maybe a trail rig, but ... I'm deep in the grip of a Monster Truck thing at the moment, and well ... you know, its a Monster Truck. Just a very small one. :lol:

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I have an old chassis kicking around, PRP TLT-10, I think it was called. The first after market chassis for the TLT as far as I know. A FRP and aluminum jigsaw puzzle that uses Traxxas gears in the middle and gives you a 11" wheelbase, so 1/12th monster if you use Wheely King tires!

Will take a photo of it if I can't find one... and yes, the PM button is there if it takes your fancy lol.

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Not mine, but the same. You can see the relief for a normal stick pack to run across the frame, just rear of center.

elarge6pp_zpshfzotn0x.jpg

Again, not mine... I squirrelled a few photos when they were new, as I never could of afforded one at the new price lol. Something like $300...

1large9wh_zpsqmybyvv5.jpg

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Ooh, that's a good looking setup. That was my first idea was to go old school and get closer to 1/12 or even a 1/10 scale rig, but now I'm thinking just to build it as original but with a few upgrades for looks and better function.

Seems to be a nice little rig and my only complaints are the great hulking slab 'o aluminum sideplates and the can't use it for anything else battery configuration. If I can't find some nice carbon fiber sideplates that keep it the original size then plan B is to paint them black and to sticker them up to give the illusion of something different.

The battery thing - well, there must be a small Lipo that will fit nicely it just might take some looking.

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Wow, those look good but they certainly aren't giving them away.

I also saw a site for Penguin RC here, but it looks old - note the 2004 date at the bottom: http://www.penguinrc.com/products/tamiya/p2300.html

Not sure that one is still around or available.

It looks like most of the chassis plates out there are to make crawlers which I totally get. That is still an option I guess, but I'm very curious to see how these little guys go as a more or less stock MT rather than a crawler. I've got a pile of cash into a dedicated crawler and just don't need another since the one I've got far exceeds my skills, LOL.

Just out of curiosity, how are people locking the center ball diff?

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Looks pretty simple then. Thanks for the link - that answers that question!!

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I just had an idea, albeit simple, to get around the slabs of aluminium. Go to a sign writer and get some matt black vinyl adhesive sheet and cut little triangles and rectangles to make it look at a glance like a frame?

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That's a really good thought and would be quite simple to do and a bit of a fun project. While the carbon fiber and anodized aluminum look great the price is a bit dear for this project. Going to have to rethink this thing, and the vinyl idea is a cracker! Nice one!!!

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Dorvack, what bushings are you referring to? Do you have a picture or link?

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In my TLT when it ihad the stock transmission, I used Traxxas slipper clutch friction pegs. I am not sure if you can still get them (since Traxxas has changed their design now) , but they were these little red hard rubber cylinders that fit through "generic" spur gears instead of the usual 1/8" balls, like the original RC10 and pan car ball diffs. I just used them instead of the balls. Would work fine for your application.

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I also saw a site for Penguin RC here, but it looks old - note the 2004 date at the bottom: http://www.penguinrc.com/products/tamiya/p2300.html

Not sure that one is still around or available.

I picked up one of the Penguin chassis kits on ebay a few years ago for a reasonable price, it's really nice to put together. I don't have many pics of it, but there is one at the bottom of my showroom:

http://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?id=21086&cid=81312&t=07052015205855

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It's really easy to do custom projects with a TLT-1. It's fun, and admittedly you're better off throwing out the original gearbox: It's Centre of Gravity (CoG) is way too high. This is what I made:

DSC08030.jpg

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It's pretty simple really: These are the mods I did:

- I replaced the standard gearbox for a Traxxas 1/16 unit - it lowers the CoG, it's cheap and more durable than the Tamiya unit, it has a slipper clutch in it (even if it's a basic one) and the option for a centre diff..

- I made a custom chassis with a longer wheelbase from G10 composite material.

- I used adapters and Traxxas telescopic driveshafts for the drivetrain connection.

- The 4-link system is lengthened with M3 threaded rod - it's not the most durable solution as they buckle in hard impacts, but that also reliefs the stresses on other parts.

- I bought some extra TLT-1 parts - to be precise, the battery tray and the long chassis screws and posts.

- I replaced the small TLT-1 tires with ones from the Wild Willy/Lunchbox/etc. for some extra ground clearance.

- I bought an HPI Wheely King body to fit on the car.

The result is a 1/12-ish scale Monster truck in which I can fit a 540 or a 380 motor - though I can tell you from experience, 380 brushless power is plenty :lol: The double battery cradle means I can fit a 'Shorty' LiPo pack in it.

The car is seriously quick but at the same time it's still fun-sized - it fits in my backpack! :)

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This started off life as a TLT-1:

img33435_15072012232000_1.jpg

img33435_15072012232000_3.jpg

but the only TLT parts on it now are the shocks. When I started the project I found that the stock TLT chassis performed an awful lot better with a set of Mad Bull rear wheels and tyres all round. The extra tire width made it more stable, and the larger diameter gives a better ground clearance.

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