DF-03 Dark impact Re-build

[novicelad]

So this is really just to document my re-build of my recently acquired Dark impact which I picked up for under £30 with controller all the electrics and a battery (the battery is dead!)

Last night I was able to get it tested to see whats working and what isn't I was fully expecting there to be something not working but so far so good.

The Controller was covered in a horrible sticky substance and the battery compartment was covered in acid which with a bit of Alcohol all come off  and now works fine! 

The car came with a Modelsport UK Sniper RV-12 ESC which seems to only have one direction and doesn't respond to programming so I guess its shot.

Not had a chance to check out the motor yet, but it will need two new snap connectors which are on order.

The car is not clean and has a red spray paint over it which I hope will come off with a bit of a scrub

 

 

 

[Wooders28]

Superb! 

Are you going for upgrades? (although not much available these days) 

Speed run car (57.8mph to beat 🙄) 

I quite liked these shocks on mine, swap the oil to something a bit thinner and I found they worked better though.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/3Racing-Aluminum-Oil-Shock-Damper-Set-Ver-2-For-Tamiya-DF02-DT02-DT03-TT02B/132143947261?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

[novicelad]

1 minute ago, Wooders28 said:

Superb! 

Are you going for upgrades? (although not much available these days) 

Speed run car (57.8mph to beat 🙄) 

I quite liked these shocks on mine, swap the oil to something a bit thinner and I found they worked better though.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/3Racing-Aluminum-Oil-Shock-Damper-Set-Ver-2-For-Tamiya-DF02-DT02-DT03-TT02B/132143947261?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I probably will just rebuild at this stage bit skint with xmas coming up, running it on the bench the tyres where starting to balloon so will be interesting to see what motor it is.

All I want to do at the moment is make it look a bit tidier, I do have the brushless motor I could use which is currently residing in my lunchbox 

I dont really get time to do speed runs and anything over 20mph down my road gets a bit scary! A 20MPH lunchbox is interesting! 

I may sell off the DT03 to fund this 

[Wooders28]

5 minutes ago, novicelad said:

I may sell off the DT03 to fund this 

Post up on here, or on facebook, if you're needing parts. I've old parts I've taken off when doing upgrades ,diffs and gearbox mostly. 

[novicelad]

So few hours stripping and cleaning all the plastic and not moving bits.

The motor looks pretty good 15 x2 what does that mean?

Fully ball raced all the way through so now all I gotta do is put it all back together all nice and clean, plus the red paint seems to have come off 

Ready to strip

All stripped ready to clean

 

After a nice soapy bath

Decent motor?

[Wooders28]

3 hours ago, novicelad said:

The motor looks pretty good 15 x2 what does that mean?

A 15 double will have 2x copper wire , (but half the thickness of a 15x1 motor), wrapped around the armature 15 times. Less turns = higher rpm but requires more amps. If i remember right the difference between single, double, triple and quads, was the torque curves, so you would change winds to suit tracks.I couldn't afford a selection of motors bitd, So I just had to make do! 

The 1060 esc will run down to a 12t on 2s lipo.

[novicelad]

5 hours ago, Wooders28 said:

A 15 double will have 2x copper wire , (but half the thickness of a 15x1 motor), wrapped around the armature 15 times. Less turns = higher rpm but requires more amps. If i remember right the difference between single, double, triple and quads, was the torque curves, so you would change winds to suit tracks.I couldn't afford a selection of motors bitd, So I just had to make do! 

The 1060 esc will run down to a 12t on 2s lipo.

OK so basically in the grand sceme of things its a 15t motor but with a bit more finesse?

At the moment i'm thinking this will be far more suited to the brushless motor that's in my LB and this motor would be cool in the LB, I have used the brushless motor in the LB a couple of times and its just silly! 

[Wooders28]

20 minutes ago, novicelad said:

OK so basically in the grand sceme of things its a 15t motor but with a bit more finesse?

Yep, pretty much. Bitd when esc's weren't that tuneable and nicads were all we had.

22 minutes ago, novicelad said:

At the moment i'm thinking this will be far more suited to the brushless motor that's in my LB and this motor would be cool in the LB, I have used the brushless motor in the LB a couple of times and its just silly! 

I run/ran a brushless in both of mine without any issues (apart from breaking stuff 🙄), but i did the hardened gear mod on both.

I first did the mod years ago, when the car's were getting heavily used, I'm thinking light use with mild brushless shouldn't strain the aluminium gear too much.

[novicelad]

8 minutes ago, Wooders28 said:

Yep, pretty much. Bitd when esc's weren't that tuneable and nicads were all we had.

I run/ran a brushless in both of mine without any issues (apart from breaking stuff 🙄), but i did the hardened gear mod on both.

I first did the mod years ago, when the car's were getting heavily used, I'm thinking light use with mild brushless shouldn't strain the aluminium gear too much.

Its only a 3000kv motor from China it should be fine!  I don't get to use my cars daily sometimes not even weekly! 

[Percymon]

The great unloved DF-03, always seem cheap on eBay.  I got mine a few years back for £30; it was a bit of a mess with shell painted inside and out (badly in both case), thick grease packed into the tranny , chipped drive cups and dirt everywhere else. I managed to transform it pretty cheaply (thanks to banzaihobby parts prices) with new gears, diff cups, drive cups and some blue bling..

before

after

 

Thankfully your's looks to be a better start point than mine was.

 

[novicelad]

38 minutes ago, Percymon said:

The great unloved DF-03, always seem cheap on eBay.  I got mine a few years back for £30; it was a bit of a mess with shell painted inside and out (badly in both case), thick grease packed into the tranny , chipped drive cups and dirt everywhere else. I managed to transform it pretty cheaply (thanks to banzaihobby parts prices) with new gears, diff cups, drive cups and some blue bling..

before

after

 

Thankfully your's looks to be a better start point than mine was.

 

Looks awesome, i dont have the cash at the moment to upgrade apart from being filthy its not actually that bad. No wear on gears which all seemed to have the correct kind of lube in them.

So can just put back together really, will rebuild the shocks maybe and will need some new tyres. After Christmas may get a new body 

[Percymon]

Good are good runners but they are worth peanuts; reliable too with sensible motor choice

[novicelad]

Started to rebuild last night this is how far I got, quite straight forward putting back together! 

[Percymon]

Good progress - always easier rebuilding as the plastics are already prep'd for the screws and you have the knowledge from stripping down, Satisfying to see it clean and assembled

Almost half way there

[novicelad]

52 minutes ago, Percymon said:

Good progress - always easier rebuilding as the plastics are already prep'd for the screws and you have the knowledge from stripping down, Satisfying to see it clean and assembled

Almost half way there

Its feeling a bit more satisfying than a new one!

Feels the same as when I strip my bike and rebuild, but rather than a week it takes me a few hours! 

[novicelad]

Chassis all done and electrics installed, the esc on this brushless setup is too big and is a squeeze bit annoying but it works. May go with the 15t brushed motor that came with it.

Going to see how it goes when all tidied up.

[Wooders28]

That was looks massive!

What is it? 

[novicelad]

2 minutes ago, Wooders28 said:

That was looks massive!

What is it? 

Cheap Chinese jobby surpass hobby. I've looked at taking the fan off but you cant 

[Wooders28]

They don't give you much room anyway, my mamba max pro is a squeeze.

[novicelad]

Just now, Wooders28 said:

They don't give you much room anyway, my mamba max pro is a squeeze.

Will see how it goes, is a bit of a squeeze is pushing the chassis out a bit. And the motor doesn't fit great either

[Wooders28]

48 minutes ago, novicelad said:

Will see how it goes, is a bit of a squeeze is pushing the chassis out a bit. And the motor doesn't fit great either

Had to just force my motor in, and the wires landed ok ish where the bolt holes lined up, I have a feeling they weren't designed for brushless! 😕

[novicelad]

7 hours ago, Wooders28 said:

Had to just force my motor in, and the wires landed ok ish where the bolt holes lined up, I have a feeling they weren't designed for brushless! 😕

Guessing a sensored brushed would be OK as the cables are on the back plate rather than at the top, my issue was with the rubber bit at the top of the motor 

[novicelad]

Looks really shiny and cool with the body on

 

[Percymon]

Great job, looks almost new built

[novicelad]

So had a little test up and down the road. Not feeling this brushless motor really one I have the new connectors for the 15t will put that back in and test