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ChrisRx718

DF02 Aero Avante Money Pit - Renamed

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OK, so not an exciting build thread but worth documenting anyway since there's not enough activity on these forums! 

So years ago I had a couple of Baja Champs - the TL01B buggies were pretty good all-rounders but never really got used much. I've now got a much larger collection, and part of that is my regular "runners" in the form of a WT01 and WR01 Monster truck together with a DT02 Rising Fighter GR for the quicker stuff. All good fun.

But no 4WD buggy! 

I have been very tempted by the TT02B MS which can be had from Time Tunnel Models for just £118 delivered. However, reading XV Pilots thread comparing the newer buggy with its predecessor the DF02 plus the appearance of a good used example coming up for sale nearby meant that by yesterday afternoon I had picked up the following :

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For £40, which I thought was pretty good value.

Here it is, safe at home on my "workbench" aka, the family dinner table :

ED4BB5DC-76B8-4B76-800A-AC3F35948862.jpg

The body, whilst a bit battered and bruised, was finished to a high standard, which led me to believe that this was probably an XB model rather than a kit. Suspicion confirmed by removing the bodyshell and revealing how the electronics had been packaged :

31A91E1B-4AB5-4B58-AFAC-C01753DFA5D8.jpg

Definitely an XB. 

So plans are simple -

1. Rebuild

2. Check for any damaged parts

3. Reassemble with brushless power and faster steering servo

4. Go have fun

Simple really! 

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Not bad for 20 pounds! Even comes with an ESC and battery.

If you're searching for parts, keep in mind these cars share a lot of parts with the TT01 and TT01E, and therefor, can use hopups technically not made for the DF02. On a TT, if you plan on putting any sorts of power through it, go to an aluminum central shaft. The plastic one gets all wobbly after a few spirited runs with a quick motor. I'm 90% certain the shaft from a TT01 will fit this buggy. 

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I think I might have a spare TT01 propshaft somewhere so I'll see if it fits.

First up was to strip everything down. The DF02 always came with a steel pinion gear as standard, we used to get lots of orders for the 7-digit part all the time as people became wise to the fact that they would fit in other models! 

DCD782B9-D73F-42BD-AA60-912C0FCA1F66.jpg

All looks good, no wear to eithet pinion or spur. Sand was all over this model but it appears to have stayed away from the precious drivetrain. 

Another tell-tale sign that this model was once an XB is the bearings. All the "internals" ie. Those which are within the gearboxes are ball bearings, whereas outer drive shafts were on nylon jobbies. That said, the diff support bearings are looking rather worse for wear - this is why TC members recommend fitting rubber seals in this sort of location, because they're still exposed to the dirt-

43630590-2DA3-437C-AFF9-F829025AA219.jpg

Another oddity (I thought anyways) was with the dampers. What apoeared on the outset to be CVAs were in fact some kind of Frankenstein friction damper using CVA parts. Inside the damper where you'd expect to find an oil seal and the oil itself, sat instead some dried up moly grease!

6D4B476D-B1AF-419D-B386-6318299869C2.jpg

Eurgh. And it was really hard to remove. 

I'd like to rebuild these as CVAs, I have the rubber seals, the oil etc - but I will need to replace the current step screw with a proper piston rod - but what length? I'll have a look at the instructions for a TT02B - the damper length can't be far off.

So after just 20 minutes of stripping it down I was left with this:

34437F86-C2A4-4671-B39D-433526C51F30.jpg

Which is a major triumph when your Mrs is on her way home from work unaware you've bought "another toy car" when all you have to show for it is some easily hidden bags of bits.

Next up; cleaning time... 

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I saw exactly what you did with those dampers, they look like cva's, but just have a screw for the shaft.

Have since worked out, the df02 uses the same shocks as the blitzer's, short on the rear built to max length, and mini on the front built to max length.

Another thing I have noticed with this car is the servo mount, to fit another brand servo you may need to get standard mounts for it, as the one that came on it doesn't appear to line up any other brand of servo's correctly, and causes the servo saver to rub on that little dished part that it sits above. Due to lack of servo mounts atm, mine has been left with the original tamiya servo in it, and to be fair, it has been more than up to the task of steering my lipo powered 3300 kv sensorless motor. Mine also has the plastic centre shaft in place, and it's still going, given that I've twisted a dog bone on mine, it's likely the driveshaft has a twist in it also...

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3500kv is the rating on one of my sensorless motors...could make things interesting! (or more likely, increase the likelihood I'll break something!) 

Anyway - bathtime!

E1E9EF0A-0A68-426F-93C5-84CB13420906.jpg

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Well I trawled the manual and have ordered the CVA pistons from Time Tunnel Models - gawd knows how long they'll take to order in though - fingers crossed it's not too long. 

The other compromise on the XB model is the omission of turnbuckle tie rods from the upper suspension arms - instead the XB model uses the fixed length plastic uppers from the TL01B. Hmm, to replace these with 38mm turnbuckles things start to get a little more expensive than I was happy with on a cheap runner. Anyone know of a cheaper source for 38mm/close-to turnbuckles at less than £5 a pair?

 

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Part no. 53788 contains a full pack of turnbuckles, ball joints and mounting hardware for all 4 upper arms and all the steering linkages. I don't know how much you want to spend, but they can be sourced from the Far East for under 20 quid including postage.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tamiya-53788-OP788-DF-02-Turnbuckle-Shafts-/191827655199

 

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Found a set of steel turnbuckles from Abisma RC for just £5. Happy days. 

Meanwhile I rebuilt the buggy over a couple of evenings. 

One bag of freshly cleaned bits and some electronics I'll donate to another project. 

0F212AE5-FB59-4A04-AD79-5A6251447297.jpg

These are the crucial piston rods I was waiting for. Delivered by Time Tunnel Models in about 5 days, not bad for a non stock part. 

0B90F84F-3C96-4E33-A33E-85F514989D77.jpg

Wasted no time converting my friction shocks into the CVA dampers the kit version had. 

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Shock stand is very useful when filling with oil. You can fill the dampers, give the piston a good wiggle and go and grab a coffee. Then when you come back, the air bubbles have gone.

Ready to go-

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I have a bit of a TT01 problem in my house - I have 6 complete chassis' in total and a lot of spares. Being as I'll be running brushless and lipo power I took the measure advised by @GooneyBird and fitted an aluminium propshaft. 

02ACD25A-1C2C-495F-9E28-A00BA4FF57AB.jpg

I skipped a lot of this build because it's not that interesting - it's an entry-level buggy at the end of the day, hardly groundbreaking stuff here! The other hop up fitted was a TT01 Metal Motor Mount. Partly because I had a spare, but also because if I'm running bigger power I want to limit any flex. This design still isn't brilliant, but the metal version is at least a bit more rigid than stock. 

20A92318-4BCE-4CDF-9B79-99676B06741B.jpg

First intentions were to go with this 3500kv sensorless motor from Speed Passion - but there was a problem with the motor connection points:

073C7C97-D442-49FA-B3F4-A8CD8AB63870.jpg

I'm not sure how clear this is, but I can't get a good connection no matter how I rotate the motor without cutting at the chassis. Of course this would've been straight forward, it's hardly a key point for strength, but it was quicker to fit another motor I had laying around. Do you think the sensor cable will be long enough?!! 

EDF0251B-FCC8-447B-9F3F-D33A2D9EF11E.jpg

I think I'll order a shorter one.

Like I said, I didn't document the whole build because it's not interesting, so here's the majority of the build done -

DB30F368-0ED9-4073-9D5C-C11A72096073.jpg

I fitted a Blue Bird high speed metal geared buggy servo together with 3Racing servo saver and aluminium bit (only cos the purple one was reduced to just over a quid!) 

240F773A-F013-4FCA-84E6-85CDC6F5F04C.jpg

The bulk of the hardware has been upgraded to socket head stainless steel. The exceptions were at the upper suspension mounts and steering linkage, which I'm hoping to upgrade in due course. I always feel like this not only looks better, but also in my experience the Tamiya hardware can go rusty / corroded over time and loses it's shine quite quickly. 

8663D566-928E-4A76-9446-7AF9C5A24AA8.jpg

Cleaned the rims and put it all back together. I have a big ol' ABS wing to go on (bottom left) which should look the part and hold up to more abuse than the lexan one, which has clearly seen better days!

E5DD8D15-5EF7-47DA-82A2-72D26CFF532D.jpg

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hey Chris, do you happen to have the part number handy for those shock shafts? thinking I should get some for the original shocks on my rising storm

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Nice build Chris, congrats on the purchase, I missed this. I have an Aero Avante DF02 and it's a great runner at the bmx track. I fitted Vajra wheels and tyres to it for some better clearance and it's perfect. Bargain at £40 and the Tamiya radio gear is lovely for a vintage type all Tamiya build. 

:)

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Have you guys done the epoxy mod to the lower arm mounts? I have read that it toughens them up quite nicely.

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@Darat76 the front ones are regular CVA parts - 50601, the rear ones are much longer 9805917.

The Aero Avante is definitely the best body ever fitted to a DF02 @Nitomor, but not easy to come by at all even though I'd love one. There's one on eBay but it's nearly £30 - that doesn't really suit the budget approach to this project haha

Personally I've not reinforced the chassis in any way, but it's obvious where the weak points are at either bulkhead. I'll just have to rely on my godlike Rc driving abilities. 

Ha!

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So all we're missing now is some we some running video Chris! I will eventually need to add a Tamiya buggy to my collection... What's the difference between this DF02 and the DF03 ( I like the DF03 Dark Impact I've glanced at)

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I have actually owned 2 DF03s and built one of them, both since sold without turning a wheel.

I was moving at the time and had no garden or free time. Now I've 2 young children but crucially I have a back garden - hence the buggy purchase! 

The DF03 suspension layout certainly felt a lot more substantial from memory, as did the steering setup. There are many reports of a weak drivetrain on the DF03 though - but don't ask for my experience as I never got that far!

The DF02 isn't a far cry from a TT01 with which it shares many parts. I think if Tamiya felt the TT02B was a new design when essentially they share a drivetrain then that says a lot about how strong the DF02 internals are - they're even seen as an upgrade on the newer buggy. 

Can't wait to take it for a spin but waiting on a shorter sensor lead and needs a receiver pinched from another model. Not sure how long I'll manage to go on the TBLE02S without fan unit and running at the 10.5T limit, on an off roader of all things... I give it 120 seconds haha!

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Well Chris atleast the ambient temperature is dropping now so that might get you your 120 seconds of balls out fun!

I think one of these buggies would appreciate those little skate ramps to launch off, the ones that are only 10-15cm high!

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Like this one? :P

IMGP0731.jpg

IMGP0710.jpg

It's actually frightening how much air you can get off these little ramps. My brushless DT02 can jump a good 10 feet at full speed!

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That's the one!! Even better is you can jump from both sides :)

Gotta get me one for some jumping fun... I only have a massive one from my 1/8 MT/Truggy days but it's overkill for Tamiya's ;) 

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The most important thing to remember if you're using this for bashing is that it's mega easy to fit a 3S LiPo :). Just put some longer battery posts in and jack up the bodyshell on the body posts and hang on !.

I also did use a 3 racing TT-01 spur gear set in mine to boost the top end even more, but I did shear it off with 4000Kv / 3S after about 3 or 4 runs.

FYI The TT-01 one way roller also fits in the front, ;)

 

 

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On 04/10/2016 at 10:30 PM, MadInventor said:

The most important thing to remember if you're using this for bashing is that it's mega easy to fit a 3S LiPo :). Just put some longer battery posts in and jack up the bodyshell on the body posts and hang on !.

I also did use a 3 racing TT-01 spur gear set in mine to boost the top end even more, but I did shear it off with 4000Kv / 3S after about 3 or 4 runs.

FYI The TT-01 one way roller also fits in the front, ;)

 

 

MadInventor was that your Gravel Hound? What gearing and other set up did you run at its fastest settings?

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2 hours ago, Jason1145 said:

MadInventor was that your Gravel Hound? What gearing and other set up did you run at its fastest settings?

Yes, (Although I ditched the one way roller in favour of a locked diff in the front for the straight line speed runs, as I like brakes on the front wheels at that speed).

I can't remember the exact setup, but I used the spur gear out of the 3 racing kit with the most teeth on it (I.e the slowest one), and I think the largest pinion that would fit with it. It was very scary to drive, a lot faster than the 49mph I posted in the speed runs thread. The gearing with that spur set has the potential to go very fast, but I think the spur gear would shear off with the power required. I have it ticking over in the back of my mind to buy a steel 0.8 module gear from HPC gears and make my own high speed spur gear, and a custom aluminium mount on the lathe to make a stronger connection onto the drive shaft, and then shoehorn in the 1/8 brushless 4274 (Which is a 3000Watt motor) I was using in my TXT-1 for a speed run attempt. It is quite easy to stack 2 4000mah batteries in the DF-02 to give a high capacity 4S capability ;)

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On 10/4/2016 at 10:30 PM, MadInventor said:

Just put some longer battery posts in and jack up the bodyshell on the body posts and hang on !.

@MadInventor hey, did you have a source for longer battery posts? I need about 6mm longer on my DF-02 for the lipos I have... if I had a lathe I could access I could just make some aluminium ones.

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8 hours ago, pirtoo said:

@MadInventor hey, did you have a source for longer battery posts? I need about 6mm longer on my DF-02 for the lipos I have... if I had a lathe I could access I could just make some aluminium ones.

If you have a dremel or similar it might be worth looking at removing the curved 'cradles' for the stick pack in the bottom of the tray so the lipo can lie flat. 

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7 hours ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

If you have a dremel or similar it might be worth looking at removing the curved 'cradles' for the stick pack in the bottom of the tray so the lipo can lie flat. 

The lipos I have only needed a little bit of a trim to get the battery to fit other than height.

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On 10/26/2019 at 12:34 AM, pirtoo said:

@MadInventor hey, did you have a source for longer battery posts? I need about 6mm longer on my DF-02 for the lipos I have... if I had a lathe I could access I could just make some aluminium ones.

I made them myself on the lathe. I'm fairly certain I sold them with the car...…...

 

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You could use the standard battery posts, but attach them with longer screws that allow you to add a 6mm spacer under each post. 

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