Jump to content
Juls1

Juls's Jimny to Porsche MF01x repurposing project.

Recommended Posts

So I bought a MF01X with the idea of turning it into a mini trail rig. Turns out the mf01x is a useless trail rig even with modification. So I gave up and it got stuffed in the corner.

82456246-D564-4FDC-A277-1C2B1271BB79.thumb.jpeg.9c2b7a6192e34e3fe6eda2ab8ecd51f3.jpeg

So here she is, body was run once, not sure what i'll do with it now. 

AA6B5EC5-C9A2-4A7F-8603-A4E085DDAB60.thumb.jpeg.0ff6b5eb431dd8b9c138a63915e71851.jpeg

So the chassis is fairly stock, usual bearings, oil shocks, has been grinded and tweeked to try get more suspension from it. Diffs have been firmed up.

FE81083F-C3B8-4649-9D3C-22433F81FC60.thumb.jpeg.657bb461c8353d8b967a9e181141239f.jpeg

3E183BB3-1DD3-4A43-935B-00CE7FC3D287.thumb.jpeg.28b08add7bdd9194c28ce3508881472d.jpeg

Actually the biggest bug bear with the MF01X is the way the upper arm connects to the top of the chassis on the rear, limiting down travel. But more importantly it doesn't have a standard upper arm mount, so I cannot use a TL01LA suspension set like i had planned. I have to retain the RA Mini uprights in order to make this work. 

0388CB31-97A8-425B-A1BF-8DE2EF9F22E2.thumb.jpeg.e38e59dd52b3abd8453b8d9b6300b98f.jpeg

So by now you have figured out that I need to both lengthen and widen the chassis, My porsche shell is 251mm x 185mm where the stock Jimny is 225mm x 165mm. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

FB22E2BB-D781-4183-852C-4B8F95DD7C25.thumb.jpeg.d5441bf47f6ed48ac378524d01beff1f.jpeg

luckily the Mf01x comes with several spacers, none for 210mm, short for 225mm and long for 239mm. This always leaves one spare, so when all are installed this brings us right up to the 250-254 area, close to my target. Tamiya doesn’t however make a compatible driveshaft to keep the 4wd. Since the project is a Porsche, which is rear engined and rear drive this doesn’t present a big problem the plan was always 2wd. 

607F3CB3-819B-4AF6-87B2-46C545E8FDC6.thumb.jpeg.9809c995f53ea8a291c21c4b966b95f9.jpeg

since I also need to widen the chassis the stock m chassis arms are being replaced with standard TL01 arms. These are directly compatible with the standard mf01x parts. I also had a set of black RA uprights so I’ve gone ahead and ditched the red bits. 

FFAC1266-14A8-40F2-9983-3F888EFEBD5E.thumb.jpeg.55de4e50bc21288574c3a0d3469d3081.jpeg

here you can see the difference between a m chassis dogbone and a TL01 dogbone. Luckily all cross compatible. 

8AC1D258-FB35-412E-A786-BB548D8732A6.thumb.jpeg.02ce44e4d45fafa377fa94c564ed6f6d.jpeg

ECE5A346-F4C0-449D-BF2A-0576D9A54979.thumb.jpeg.283fc2d36efd04787ce0a8caa4c526ef.jpeg

now we can see the difference in the tl01 arm over the stock jimny. Red side is stock mf01x. Looks like everything just slips on, this is too easy.

 

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So then I had a thought... since everything else TL01 is just cuddling up so nicely to the mf01x, then maybe in this super long wheelbase config, the TL01 driveshaft might fit? After all the TL01 is 257mm and this is about 254mm..5A89B753-F9EA-4876-BEB7-00A65B9A6EDD.thumb.jpeg.d7ca0aec3bf8257a8ca105a107afc7d6.jpeg

but no such luck, the driveshaft is about 2mm too long, simply won’t work.

6DA10CE8-9B32-4307-A3EE-3E0A9CCFCBB8.thumb.jpeg.946b6cd89758241e58c502cc5d3c1442.jpeg

then I thought “well I’ve butchered stuff to make it fit before why should this be different? “

DD80D5FB-2FFD-4BB5-8620-3692902E3CCB.thumb.jpeg.3bf6ece252a5a1b995dce885d7491420.jpeg

so I cut it down and it fit into the chassis but alas it was not going to be that easy, the gears could never mesh.. note in the picture above the top shaft is my cut down tl01 shaft and the bottom is the mf01x shaft, note the hole position vs the rod end length. On the mf01x the hole is drilled further up the shaft. But not far enough that I could drill new holes in the tl01 shaft. Total fail i can’t mod the shaft to make it fit. 

73E8AAD4-E60D-402C-9E00-ECCFB76AB4CA.thumb.jpeg.8262da600fd790e13b316de4b0c1c6ca.jpeg

BUT!! I can grind the slot in the gear to mimic the hole being further down the shaft! Actually took quite a bit of grinding.. and I’m thinking this isn’t going to work. 

9EFE76F5-5AAE-468A-BFC6-305F7AACF410.thumb.jpeg.6b70fd1a9293bd1d952d10122cdba0a1.jpeg

but a short while later... SUCCESS! It works! 

  • Like 6

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So it’s ment to be 2wd rear motor Porsche but I just installed a tl01 driveshaft to make it 4wd... 

A7389A08-CE7F-4816-926B-9F788B03BCD5.thumb.jpeg.8d36624fc3bc73c83ed1e6545447acd1.jpeg

Actually it’s still going to be rear drive only. 

0C0E5DC5-4EAE-40DE-A0F9-B85686767F2A.thumb.jpeg.5662d605398d7d2960b294cba0d5d10f.jpeg

But I’m installing a TA02 one way bearing into the front diff “in reverse” 

F8C9149B-B007-4285-A522-C553489662E1.thumb.jpeg.70893d3ee71f0eca4881d9f1916fcd94.jpeg

what this does is stops the front wheels driving under power, so we still have only rear drive, however what I gain is 4 wheel braking and 4wd reverse. The biggest bug bear of a rear drive only electric car is the rear only brakes making it hard to stop. This setup makes the car even more realistic in terms of keeping things scale.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

046A409B-2C8D-48D2-A1C9-6248AF34E647.thumb.jpeg.27c8fd312ef38551de98be5e2e857933.jpeg

so the TL01 suspension has all fitted up pretty easily. 

878A6773-4BFF-48BC-8ADE-82A3393DBC46.thumb.jpeg.a43d6a63587dc6e856ca40bdd0f984c6.jpeg

the rear suspension all worked out ok.

EDD630C8-5C57-4D60-8304-B65646D7DDE1.thumb.jpeg.67f22282861ba7502c4f69e3082b2583.jpeg

so on paper I should have ended up with 254mm wheelbase. But in reality I’ve ended up with exactly 251mm. I guess I won’t know for sure till I put the body on. But I’m a little ways away from that just yet. 

  • Like 5

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Loving these M-chassis hacks. That M04XL RR thing some guy built for a capri a few months ago was one of my favourite builds. This is right up there. Nice work.

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Jules Jimny had a certain ring to it :lol:

Looking good though. I've made custom length prop shafts for the TL01 / MF01 using 5mm extruded carbon fibre tube - which is effectively what the now-illusive (and therefore expensive) TL01 Carbon Propshaft item 53323 is. It's easy to cut and drill and being 5mm OD it just fits straight into those 1150 bearings.

Great project 

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I have used those carbon shafts in the TL01, however they kept splitting and binding up the drivetrain. For this application though made from that would be perfectly ok I’d say. Thing is I don’t have easy access to that tubing sadly. 

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I LOVE those wheels!

really clever project, i’m impressed so far. 

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So im pretty terrible at body’s so don’t look too closely. I had my first attemp at the score and snap way of cutting out and it was less than a great experience. I think my olfa knife way simply too sharp, it kept falling through the body, usually the moment that it went off line. 

Lets just say there would be less stuff ups and damage if I’d stuck to the lexan scissors. 

Ive not finished the electrics yet, because the two piece wheels didn’t come with the 20pcs 2.6mm x 8mm screws. I’ve got 197585327942 x 3mm screws in my parts trays but only 1 of the screws I needed for these wheels, so waiting for eBay sellers now. So I can finish it and take it for a test drive and work our if it’s a viable rwd chassis. 

 

C7514442-B1C6-4FF9-A1B8-EAA37637EE57.thumb.jpeg.852dd7d18564e8ed4758934f4ece866f.jpeg11DCB257-65D1-46E7-9792-9E0B0B2551A3.thumb.jpeg.79316059eaec1876902b6f965bf5326a.jpeg

  • Like 6

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You've done a great job of that, looks really cool. I'm intrigued by the reversed one way as well, seems to be the perfect solution to having a rear wheel drive car that you can actually brake hard without swapping ends! 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

ED5BD1EF-95D0-4D55-9587-380B155C7329.thumb.jpeg.4fcc9f367bfd197a4cd1cd91592213ac.jpeg

Got around to putting the electrics together, and sorted out the shocks. 

913D187A-9785-41D2-8D1B-735376D27402.thumb.jpeg.9150848d9e71c616391b642fb1e350ad.jpeg

dropped her over the setup station my guestimations where close up front but way out at the back. This is another Tamiya chassis that even measured upper links doesn’t work. This little setup rig has proven to be a excellent investment in getting my cars to handle evenly turning both directions. Nothing worse than a car that pushes turning one way and then loops out turning the other way. 

CFC2BFD5-CB57-4850-80BB-5C2732060F0A.thumb.jpeg.4806c73c380f78f7b43ac7565c3107f8.jpeg

i took her for a run and she’s incredibly stable to drive, my setup must be spot on as she changed direction left or right identically. However these Tamiya tires you get on the side rims are not really up to the job, I’ve ordered some of the Tamiya radials to see if that will let me run a bit faster motor. While the handling is decent a little too much power and you go into a spin that’s nearly impossible to catch (although they say that’s what some of these old Porsche’s handled like anyway). I do have putty in the gear diff, it’s probably not helping as it’s too tight. Might swap it for a totally open gear diff or drop a ta03 ball diff in and see if it helps.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I tried a ball diff in my RWD Capri - it was OK, but I went back to the gear diff eventually. I just have a light silicone spray on the diff gears to keep it as loose as possible. Definitely helped. Also added a few grams of lead ballast out back to help plant the rear end though I haven't tested that yet. 

Porsche looks great so far - well done! 

  • Thanks 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...