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iluvmud

My new Lunchie project

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So, I have a ton of projects in my queue for restoring some vintage cars but Ive had an idea in my head for a small project for some time and here it is.

To start, let me headline that this is not a major undertaking like a lot of the custom jobbers I've seen but I think it will be fun and I hope it works as well as it is in my head.

The project is my simple way of paying homage to a classic, the car that started it all for me when I was 12ish - The Lunchbox. Now dont get me wrong the Lunchie is built on one of the most basic and fun chassis that Tamiya has produced and reproduced, that's why one of my only runners is the same platform, but I thought it would be cool to build it to where it is still carried the nostalgic feel to it but maybe a tad more capable and modernized, a Lunchie part duex if you will.

Ive seen people build Lunchboxes on crawler chassis, or custom jobbers with TLT1 axles etc. and theyre all cool but Ive run TLT1s and Crawlers and........... to me, they are just not that fun. Plus I thought it would be cool to build something that Tamiya could do if they ever wanted to. So in Tamiya form that means build something with parts that they already have molds for etc.

My take on this is to have my Lunchbox project run on a WR02 chassis. Yes that simple BUT with some other things to help performance along the way and of course keep it in the tradition of using all Tamiya parts if possible.

I have a plan to keep the cost as low as possible and I have an idea on the parts Ill be using but will post with photos as it happens.... seeing I just got the platform in the mail today and with that being said..........

The building starts now!!! :)

The base has arrived :)

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with the "spare parts" that were included I took apart the gearbox and used those metal shielded bearings for the tranny...

right now I am clipping parts off the trees and prepping them to be built.

 

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Sorry for the delay guys, parts came in sooner than expected and then I got sick so ive been sleeping pretty much the whole day.

Anyways, let me post some updates

The donor car for the suspension

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and with that, i got all the suspension parts moved over onto the WR02, and the new WR02 parts onto the TL01 which will be going up on ebay. The rear CF chassis extension pieces arrive yesterday or the day before and I went ahead and got them installed as well.

Here's how it looks now.

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will need some rear axles to pud into the front of the TL01LA setup to be able to add the wheels, will then figure out steering, and mounting up the body too.... i think.

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Well this is where progress starts to slow as I have yet to score a Lunchbox body kit, nor some of the other parts needed to complete the build. BUT since I was going to need a set of long out drives for the front I figured what the heck and ordered a set of universals for the rear instead and did some actual modding to the new front out drives to kinda go with how they look on other vehicles.... (only cause I'm anal....... and Tamiya could make these if they dont already).

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So the front is set up so to speak....

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I was able to get a good setup for the body mount and have the front setup how I think it should go (eye balled it using my shelf queen vintage LB body) but once I got the tires on I realized that the mount will be too low which isnt a big deal and will be addressed once I get an actual body for it.

But here is my grocery list

SHOCKS!!!!!! these stock things are horrible Id almost rather have it sitting on the chassis than even have these mounted.

LB body kit....

^I actually think that is all I will need to complete this.......... well the main part of it.... I think.

 

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So nothing much as of now, pricing out Lunchbox shells but I did go ahead and add in the electronics, a MG low profile kopropo servo with aluminum HD servo saver, and the standard fare TBLE02S with a Team Checkpoint $ 19T spec motor (is was soldered onto the esc from a previous build so figured Id try to run it.... I think the ESC will hold up.... I hope.

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Rear universals came in today, and now Lunchie is standing on his own and now I can see that the wheelbase is spot on to the CW01 chassis so it wont look wonky! I must say it looks a little meaner with the longer wheelbase, more fitting IMO.

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This is great! I've been kicking around a similar idea for years. Where did you find the extension plates for the chassis? The width looks great too. Are the TL01 arms between the stock WR02 length (a little too short) and the TL01B/WT01 arms (a little too long)?

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52 minutes ago, Saito2 said:

This is great! I've been kicking around a similar idea for years. Where did you find the extension plates for the chassis? The width looks great too. Are the TL01 arms between the stock WR02 length (a little too short) and the TL01B/WT01 arms (a little too long)?

Thanks, the chassis is a piece made my Square http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tamiya-WR-02-Carbon-Sub-Chassis-Set-Blue-Post-40mm-LWB-Square-/252437816190?hash=item3ac677637e:g:hPgAAOSwv0tVHLWu they have different color combos.

As for the arms, the WR02 uses stock TL01 arms, what I am using is the TL01 Long arm kit, the arms  themselves are wider, but the c hubs and rear hubs mount inward to where there is no track width change, only a change in handling. Kinda like the Yeah Racing long arm kit for the MF01X.

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On 3/18/2017 at 2:50 PM, Saito2 said:

Thanks!

Anytime :)

went ahead and ordered the LB body set minus the decals as I have a couple of sheets of them.

So it was really awesome that I didnt really need to mod anything to get the body to line up with some stock body mounts so it looks like im good, now just to paint it and get some shocks.... i NEED shocks.... lol.

 

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Although not completely finished (everything else needed is simple WR02 hop ups) I went ahead and painted the body. I chose to paint it closely to the color I painted my original Lunchbox as a kid (saw it painted this way in an old RC Car action magazine).

Its so pretty Im scared to drive it, that and these friction shocks are horrid!!!

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Nice, I love that colour, fine paintjob! Can't wait to see it finished!

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What a great idea! I've built a couple of CW-01 chassis vehicles recently, and while simple, they are pretty horrible (particularly the suspension) - so using the all-round independent suspension WR-01 chassis instead seems to be the perfect alternative, especially since you can get the wheelbase and body [mounts] to line up so effectively - it looks like it was made for it!

Excellent work!

 

Jx

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12 hours ago, Mannyp1980 said:

The Lunchie looks awesome, what colour is that?

It's actual car paint - GM Dark Toreador Metalic

9 hours ago, JennyMo said:

What a great idea! I've built a couple of CW-01 chassis vehicles recently, and while simple, they are pretty horrible (particularly the suspension) - so using the all-round independent suspension WR-01 chassis instead seems to be the perfect alternative, especially since you can get the wheelbase and body [mounts] to line up so effectively - it looks like it was made for it!

Excellent work!

 

Jx

That is a really huge compliment coming from you Jenny, thank you! :)

8 hours ago, wildwillhappy said:

Is it me or does the TL01 chassis seam to be the swiss arm knife of the tamiya world. :D

That it is bud, so much so that they remade it......... the MF01x ;)

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Have been looking at the MF01x and there seams to be a quite a bit of moding going on with that chassis, to sort out the over sights of the tamiya designers.

Still like my ww2 but looking at saving for a sand scorcher and relive my childhood lol

wild

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hi iluvmud 

just going over some old post and just found yours about the luchbox on a wwr02 chassis and was wounding where you got the carbon bits on for the chassis

wild

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Hi iluvmud 

I have a few questions about this project

Q1: you show the front body mounts..what are they from? 

Q2: you dont show any rear mounts.please can tell me how you mounted the rear end of the lb body

big thanks 

Neil

 

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OMG guys sorry, can't believe its been 2 yrs. not sure I should even update this. Been out of RC for some time now but still have this guy.

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Ok, I'll post some finished pics of it.... never ran it as Ive gotten out of RC stuff.... but I only added a few more things to it.

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On 6/23/2019 at 3:58 AM, iluvmud said:

Ok, I'll post some finished pics of it.... never ran it as Ive gotten out of RC stuff.... but I only added a few more things to it.

Awww I would have loved to see how it ran vs the original.

 

I was just looking up those extensions, seems they are discontinued. I wonder if i could make something similar with some trial and error.

Great build either way!

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On 6/24/2019 at 4:06 AM, nowinaminute said:

Awww I would have loved to see how it ran vs the original.

 

I was just looking up those extensions, seems they are discontinued. I wonder if i could make something similar with some trial and error.

Great build either way!

OH no I still have it.... and my vintage original LB, its a shelf queen and Id hate to drive it lol.

the LB2 id drive but I dont have any electronics any more

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9 hours ago, iluvmud said:

OH no I still have it.... and my vintage original LB, its a shelf queen and Id hate to drive it lol.

the LB2 id drive but I dont have any electronics any more

I neeeeed to see how it drives lol, the curiosity is immense. I did a lot of work to my Lunchbox to make it handle better but it's still a Lunchbox. It would be interesting to know how it compares to an inhrrently more sophisticated chassis. I looked on youtube to see if I could find any examples of a LWB wr02 running but there's nothing there.

I'll have to lend you some gear at this rate lol

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On 6/29/2019 at 6:46 AM, nowinaminute said:

I neeeeed to see how it drives lol, the curiosity is immense. I did a lot of work to my Lunchbox to make it handle better but it's still a Lunchbox. It would be interesting to know how it compares to an inhrrently more sophisticated chassis. I looked on youtube to see if I could find any examples of a LWB wr02 running but there's nothing there.

I'll have to lend you some gear at this rate lol

i have a radio........... and motor... let me look.....

 

well it looks like its 90% there. It still has a tble02 esc and a team checkpoint 19T mod motor.... and steering servo. I might even have an old school am radio that could go in it.... will see.

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