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ThunderDragonCy

Grasshopper (DT0)3 - Adventures in getting back into RC - Now with Proline truck shell

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Been running the car for a couple of weeks now and I think I've found my setup. Someone mentioned the other day that it's a bit hard to figure out where I am with this because I've changed so many things, so in a rather *******-about way I'll do a kit list for the setup I have settled on. Note I run 3300 NiMH batteries and an ABS shell, so pretty heavy. If you're running Lipos and the Lexan shell you'll probably need softer suspension. This was last night after checking out the final change and running the truck wheels for the first time in a while. VERY broken and battered body will be replaced by the Mad Bull shell I cut and painted a few weeks back when MCI deliver my decals.

2017-05-23_03-15-51

So, the build is:

  • Racing Fighter kit which included the Sport Tuned Motor and CVAs
  • Upgraded Kimborough Servo Saver

Drivetrain:

  • Sold the Sport Tuned straight away and got a Speed Passion 13.5R MMM Brushless running on the TBLE-02S ESC.
  • 17t steel pinion
  • Geared diff with 300,000 cst diff oil filled about half-2/3 full
  • Full bearing set.
  • 53056 Metal hexes are the rear (only got these are changing wheels all the time started to deform the kit plastic ones. I wouldn't say you need metal straight away)

Suspension:

  • Upgraded CVAs with red seals, 
  • 54043 piston rods rear
  • 50601 front to use plastic pistons on CVA sprues. 
  • 53927 DF03 Setting Spring Set
  • Associated 30wt and 40wt oil
  • 54561 DT03 Anti Roll Bar
  • 9804206 Ball Connector Nuts to replace Step Screw on shock top mounts
  • 50591 Ball Collars for bottom shock mounts to replace step screws (some filing needed on fronts)
  • Cut bridge kit plastic front shock mounts to allow my body to fit.
  • GPM DT03 Aluminium front shock uprights
  • GPM DT03 Aluminium front wishbone lower mount
  • GPM DT02/3 Aluminium front C Hubs
  • 54395 Suspension shafts for outboard front wishbone pivots
  • 53479 Suspension shafts for the 25.3mm shafts to do the king pin pivot in the c-hub/steering upright

After a lot of playing around I use the following setup:

  • 3 hole pistons front and rear
  • 30wt oil rear, 40wt front
  • DF03 soft black springs front, gold medium spring rear
  • Low setting front, high setting rear
  • Front soft red anti-roll bar

I run a lot on loose gravel so it's more tuned to this. The front ARB helps give some grip and stability to the rear, and the stiff diff oil really helped traction and allows using the soft front springs again. I found I just need the ride height at the rear with this setup. It's pretty soft at the rear for traction and does still bottom out a bit, so I run it a little higher. Running high at the front just gives bad handling. 

The aluminium parts are mainly because I needed to stiffen up the cut shock bridge and shipping was so ruinous I bought extra GPM parts each time. The C-hubs are known weak points although I never broke my plastic ones.

All the suspension shafts were added piecemeal as I started seeing screwpins backing out during extended running. I wouldn't bother straight away unless you're racing. Wait to see what comes loose.

The metal driveshafts or universals are a must if you ask me. The plastic kit shafts catch and bind on the suspension and the metal shafts just allow more droop and easier rear suspension movement.

Turnbuckle kit I'm not so sure. I still have the rear installed, but I got annoyed with constantly chasing camber on the front, and put the kit wishbones back on. Not only are they much stiffer (noticeable with the truck wheels), but they also have a fair amount of neg camber dialed in, so I'm happy enough. 

Wheels:

Three sets of wheels in the end....

  • Kit wheels with Schumacher Cat Block Yellow front and rear with medium inserts. They're supposed to be for 2" wheels, but they work great on gravel and grass.
  • Schumacher 12mm hex rear black wheel and Tamiya bearing black dish front wheels with Schumacher RT1 Green front and rear tyres with medium inserts. Great for street running for not wearing out buggy tyres and green compound is not too grippy so you can still power slide and muck about with the car. Tried B30 and they're just far too sticky!!
  • Blitzer Beetle orange truck wheels 9335134, which required Blitzer uprights 0445207 and 0445169 to replace the kit ones. I ran up some plastic spacers to use buggy wheels on these uprights too. I use Schumacher 1/10 truck tyres, Stagger Rib Yellow Front and Vee4 Yellow Rear with inserts.

The suspension setup works with all of these different wheels, and the truck wheels are loads of fun with a bit more clearance and grip. 

So there we go. My Grasshopper (DT0)3!

 

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I was actually just thinking the other day of asking you for a summary of where you're at! There's a load of information here and wanted to make sure I had followed it correctly. 

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15 minutes ago, ALEXKYRIAK said:

Thunder, did you consider adding the DT-02 ball differential set (53863)? 

 

Considered it, but never had a ball diff before and most things I read about them involved tearing them down every 5 packs to clean and rear grease them. Couldn't be doing with that and 300,000 cst diff oil is about 15% of the price of a ball diff!

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Nah, you're quite correct re. ball diff maintenance. The diff in my F103 wants cleaning and rebuilding after every second race meet or so, which equates to six packs. A ball diff in an enclosed gearbox would probably be willing to go for longer between rebuilds, but it would still require more maintenance than a gear diff.

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Finally got the time and weather to finish off the replacement shell for the now completely broken original GH2 shell. You can see posts on the mods further up the thread. In summary it's a cut and drilled Mad Bull shell. My original decal idea hasn't worked out and I didn't like the greenish colour the fluoro "yellow" came out so I re-primed in white and sprayed Halfords car paint  neon blue. MCI for stock hopper2 decal design in orange/black. Got it clearcoat education last night so going to wait a week for that to firm up before running it. 

Made a start on the replacement shell for the DT0320170529_09153020170529_09155020170529_09160220170529_091639

 

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Hi

First post - been a long time lurker! ;) 

I am considering a DT-03 Aqroshot with a view to trying to fit a Blitzer Beetle body with similar size tyres and this build thread is very helpful! I would consider nearly all the upgrades that have been applied to the chassis  - I also really like the Grasshopper 2 body shell on this (used to have a Grasshopper as a boy). 

Does anyone have a Blitzer Beetle Shell and a DT-03 chassis to hand to see if the longer chassis looks alright?

- I have decided against a full Blitzer Beetle build as the chassis and drive train imo are not as good as the DT-03.

Edited to add - I assume you could swap the arms over to reduce wheelbase - not sure what this will do to handling. ;)

 

 

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Hi. Glad you found the thread useful. No idea about the blitzer body, but I do know flipping the arms lengths the wheelbase, not the other way around.

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11 minutes ago, ThunderDragonCy said:

Hi. Glad you found the thread useful. No idea about the blitzer body, but I do know flipping the arms lengths the wheelbase, not the other way around.

I was thinking of the rear arms - but that might cause issues with the drive shaft length - and also put more weight to the rear - more realistic for a beetle ! ;) 

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Liking the new bodyshell Thunder. Nice. 

(Might have to give MCI a go also, they look very interesting for custom body schemes. I currently can't decide on a colour scheme for the Racing Fighter I'm building....)

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Blitzer has a 260 mm wheelbase, DT-03 287. I don't think you could do anything reliable to reduce the length at this point.

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The DT-03 and WR-01 have comparable wheelbases IIRC, so you could get some idea of how it would look by taking a gander at that build thread showing a modern take on the Monster Beetle - I'll see if I can find a link...

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Can't find the build thread I was thinking of, but a photo of the vehicle (belonging to Terz1) appears in this thread:

 

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12 hours ago, DaveBuildsRC said:

That is one awesome ride.

Thanks. It's a fun car for sure. Been running it a lot on gravel with the truck wheels recently. Such a hoot.

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I don't mean to hijack your thread but have you ever had your wheel drive shafts snap. I just snapped my right one. The left one broke a few days ago. Maybe it's just wear and tear. They both broke off flush with hex. It just seems weird.

20170628_182914_zpsgqqyzixi.jpg

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No, never had that on these or my Thunder Dragon (same design). Not sure I run quite such high power in mine though. 13.5t brushless on nimh. I also run in quite big areas where there's not a lot to hit!

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Both times I haven't hit anything as such. Only a little small kerb like a 1/4 of an inch or less where the surface changes from tar to bricks.

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Righty I have the following arriving soon:

Aqroshot DT-03 58610
54561 Anti Roll Bar
GPM DT3027 Front Shock tower brackets
GPM DT3028 Front Shock Tower
GPM DT3008 Suspension Mount front lower
GPM DT3055 front bottom wishbone lower
GPM DT3019 Front C-Hubs
GPM DT3030 Rear Shock Tower
GPM DT3056 Rear Lower Wishbone
GPM DT3010F Front Wheel hub hex adapter
GPM DT3024 Servo Mount
GPM DT3010R rear hex adapter
GPM DT3022 Rear wheel Hubs
GPM DT3160ST Steel Turnbuckles Steering
54628 Steel 17T Pinion
9805551 Metal Driveshafts
50823 Hub end cups for metal shafts
9804237 Metal shaft gearbox outdrives
54566 Gearbox Bridge
54572 DT-03 Turnbuckle Set
9335228 Stadium Thunder neon yellow wheels
Speed Passion MMM Series 13.5R BL Motor
TARX3 Tamco RC 2.4GHz FHSS 3ch Receiver
SAV-SG-0351 Savox Standard Digital Coreless Servo
U6503 Schumacher VEE 4 - Blue Truck Tyres
U6502 Schumacher VEE 2 Blue Truck
U6541 Schumacher  Truck 2.2 Foam Tyre Insert (Soft)

 

Already have bearings and will try std suspension to start with.....

 

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