Stabilizer bars F&R on a Lunchbox - are they of any use ?

[KEV THE REV 2319]

I like the look of the F&R stabilizer set for sale on eBay for the LB . I wonder , given the nature of the LB beast , is fitting a stabilizer set a waste of time ? , coupled with the fact that I've done the FX10 mod , 5th shock mod , oil dampers , tie bars etc . It will work out expensive , especially if I get stung for import charges , as the kit is already £45 ish - so I don't want to go chucking cash down the pan if it's not worth it - so the upshot is has anyone fitted a kit and loved it !!? - or is it a waste of time and dough ? Thanks guys

[Bromley 681]

I'd suggest you are better off putting the money towards another car. Enjoy the Lunch Box for what it is...embrace the chaos!

[Grumpy pants 4485]

When does a Lunchbox stop being a Lunchbox ?  😂

I’m a bit obsessed with ours and I’m trying to Hop it up progressively.

I have some catching up to do, but I’m really interested in your mods and your feedback on them.

 

[KEV THE REV 2319]

20 minutes ago, Bromley said:

'd suggest you are better off putting the money towards another car. Enjoy the Lunch Box for what it is...embrace the chaos! 

I've got more cars than I can deal with right now and have been getting shot of some recently , but my LB is in my sights again and was just wondering if anyone had experience of this kit on an LB . TBH I think it would be a waste of time as the LB is not a performance vehicle , so I think I have gone as far as I need to with it as regards mods. ( unless anyone can convince me otherwise ? .

[KEV THE REV 2319]

16 minutes ago, Grumpy pants said:

When does a Lunchbox stop being a Lunchbox ?  😂

I’m a bit obsessed with ours and I’m trying to Hop it up progressively.

I have some catching up to do, but I’m really interested in your mods and your feedback on them

Yeah , good question . Tamiyas LB mod journey started with oil shocks , then came - sport motor , top brace , 5th shock , FX10 , front weight , tyre inserts , rear bracing , rear damper support ,alu heat sink and motor mount , and many other mods , when will it end ? , I guess never as long as there are LB's and MP's etc around . I just love my LB runner and it is one Tamiya that I will never part with as it has a lot me in it , and I think it will become a ' triggers broom '. I need to give the LB a good run out to try out the recent additions / carve ups

[KEV THE REV 2319]

Darn it , I've just overturned myself . I've bought some TRF stabilizer ends to build some Stabs. out of the hardware I have here , as I just can't leave it now until I build it , whether it works or not is another thing , but it should look good if nothing else . 

[Juggular 4964]

It's a hobby.  You are supposed to do what's fun for you! 

I see nothing wrong with it if you want to put 8 legs on LB and call it a Spider Box.  I'm curious also, so if you don't mind, post some pictures and your opinion, please.  (I had planned to just glue a 5mm styrene bar across the front only. Haven't done it yet.)  

 

[KEV THE REV 2319]

Will do . I asked the question about stabilizers to find out if they actually work on an LB as I haven't seen many with them fitted . I would say they might have some effect on a straight out of the box LB built as stock with pogos and all . We will see once fitted to my LB if there is any noticable effect , but I shall enjoy building them anyway :)

[KEV THE REV 2319]

I've made up a prototype rear stabilizer unit on a spare LB chassis / axle and D parts to make it easier to see whats going on without the need to dismantle my runner LB for now  . It is very cramped in there with very little space available , but it is in and it works when the rear axle is moved by hand , I fitted a dummy motor to check cleance on the stabilzer end with axle rotation . There is adjustment on the stabilizer ends to move them foreward and back to achieve the optimum clearance of the motor , further tweaking may be needed once it is in the runner . I've made the mounts from thick plastic as templates for aluminium , but they seem to work well as they are with no flexing , so I will keep them as is and see how they hold up .I made the triangular parts to fill the void in the axle but tbh you only need a spread washer . I had the drill the other side of the axle case at this point to bolt in the trangle ,I used HPI 35mm M3 button head hex drive bolts , one of them cut back to 25mm , that is the only mod to the truck needed to fit this all up .

[KEV THE REV 2319]

White parts are now sprayed black and the kit is now fitted to my runner . There is more motor room on the runner than on the mock up due to the 5th shock and damper buffers on the runner .As I thought , the kit is somewhat effective as the 5th shock does the main job , but the kit does stabilize the axle lift at the side . On to the front

[KEV THE REV 2319]

Finished the front . This was easier than the rear  , especially with the FX10 arms - which I was worried about from the start . The bar is wrapped around the front of the chassis , with notches cut into the front D part to sink the 2mm bar into to . I made some plates to clamp down the 2mm bar . The lower rod ends fit into the space in the FX10 arms perfectly . While I was there I made an alu protection plate to cover the front of the chassis . The stabilizer works well with no clearance issues . I'm pleased with how this all turned out , and this whole deal only cost me £6.50p for the red stabilizer ends as I had all of the other parts .

[smirk-racing 253]

I thought my 4-link Lunchbox was cool but this is awesome!!

 

Can you let us know how it drives? Might need this....

 

 

[nowinaminute 2815]

On 12/13/2018 at 8:37 PM, KEV THE REV said:

I wonder , given the nature of the LB beast , is fitting a stabilizer set a waste of time ?

Some people say any mod on a lunch box at all is a waste of time but I disagree. No matter what RC you have, there's always something better so you could argue that hopping up any RC at all unless it is the best you can get is a waste of time. 

I don't see how making a lunchbox work better is any more a waste of time than making an Avante work better. You can always say car x is better so just buy car x instead but that misses the point, car x isn't a lunch box. You're not doing it because you want to make the world's best RC, you're doing it because you want to make the best Lunch Box.

I totally understand why people prefer to keep them standard but upgrading them is cool too, hobbies are for enjoyment at the end if the day, not logic and efficiency.

[KEV THE REV 2319]

On 12/16/2018 at 8:31 PM, smirk-racing said:

I thought my 4-link Lunchbox was cool but this is awesome!!

 

Can you let us know how it drives? Might need this....

 

 

Thanks, I'll report back once I've had a chance to run it

[KEV THE REV 2319]

I agree . My thinking was ,  mechanically is there an advantage , but I intended to build it because I could and I wanted to , the mechanical side was pretty irrelevant .

[Biz73 603]

Even if they don't make a huge  effect on driving, modding projects are fun. It's always cool to see what others come up with as well. Thanks for sharing.

[smirk-racing 253]

I think sway bars up front will make a difference (should cause more traction at the rear, which is nice to help reduce diffing out).

Modding a lunchbox to the hilt (while preserving its character and charm) is a lot of fun...

It can go crazy on 6s and perform really well on sand:

 

Or go really fast on flat ground:

 

 

[Scipunk 383]

Following along as you know i just got one. Those videos are great!

[emory70 153]

Am I the only one who prefers slow motion videos to full speed?