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A refresh is long overdue for my DB01-R:

IMG-20200220-100907.jpg

The original plan was just to do a full strip down and rebuild onto a new chassis tub, but I then got a bit distracted over at Plaza Japan and ended up ordering quite a few new parts!

I was keen to get hold of an RR or RRR chassis tub, as this is moulded to accept square pack lipos. Unfortunately you can't get them anywhere so I managed to source a brand new R chassis instead. 

The R chassis still allows for a square pack, but it sits a little higher due to the traditional 7.2 pack mouldings. I'm aware that you can mod this with a Dremal tool but I'm not overly concerned as its worked fine to this point. 

Interestingly, the DB01-R has its own unique chassis, different to the Durga and Baldre. It looks very similar so I'm guessing it's primarily materials:

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I was tempted to just buy a full RR or RRR kit, but I'm not a fan of gear diffs, and I kind of don't want to part with my original R if I'm honest.

So the plan is to take all the best parts from the RR and RRR chassis and mod them on to mine, and at the same time refresh some of the key components. 

The main mods I have planned will be fitting the big bore aeration dambers and adding the rear upright setup used for the RRR. This uses the reinforced XV01 uprights and a few other bits. 

Other minor mods will include adding the aluminium motor plate and some hop up steering components along with a new 6.5t motor (the original one imploded!). 

The first few parts have arrived:

IMG-20200220-100931.jpg

Anyway, if anyone is interested in seeing this project let me know and I'll attempt to add the progress to this thread.

Dave

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Does anyone know why my embedded photo's are appearing blurry on a PC browser, is it to do with Photobucket?

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I have a very large consignment of parts waiting for me in UK Customs. Waiting for the inevitable customs charge letter to come through, hopefully early next week so I can get these delivered 🤨

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Teardown progress:

IMG-20200222-160445.jpg

Everything seems in pretty good order, though there's a fair bit of lube leakage from the bearings which has attracted a load of dust.

Think I might sell the TRF dampers as they're being replaced by the big bores 😉

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Watching with interest. I loved my db01r, I had gear diffs in mines but with no oil just aw grease and they were fantastic, easily on par with the ball diffs but zero maintenance pretty much. Also the big bores are a nice upgrade, great for tracks with a lot of jumps, but the stock aeration dampers are better for flatter surfaced tracks. 

James.

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Teardown is now complete, so everything is boxed and ready for cleaning:

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Also, some parts turned up today 😉:

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I'm still waiting on some spare belts and front and rear arms, these are due to turn up on Monday. 

As mentioned at the beginning of this thread the main upgrades will be the big bore dampers and the RRR rear upright conversion (this is what the TRF bearings are for). 

I was considering upgrading to the RRR full hex wheel conversion but I already have 2 really good sets of stock wheels and tyres, and I've never really had any trouble with the standard setup (even though it is a bit fiddly). 

Any thoughts on whether it's worth replacing all the bearings, as it's clear that some lube has escaped them and they're all a bit dusty, or is it just a case of clean and re-lube? 

Also, if anyone has any upgrade suggestions before I start please let me know, though they'll have to be cheap because I'm pretty much maxed out on how much I can spend on this now!

More updates soon hopefully 👍

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Tamiya DB01-R "Evo" Step 1

I Managed to grab 45 minutes this evening so made a start on the rebuild.

I'll be working through the DB01-R manual as I rebuild but will refer to the DB01-RRR manual for the shock fitment and rear upright conversion. 

Firstly I'll need to remove the new parts from their packaging:

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Steering posts are first. I already had the Hop Up alloy ones but they were slightly worn, so I added a new set to my shopping basket while I was over at Plaza Japan as they were only £2:

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Next up are the alloy front suspension mounts. I'm re-using my existing ones as they had minimal wear:

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Next is this little fella, which I had to buy an entire parts tree for! It's the little plastic insert that sits in the bottom of the chassis. No idea why Tamiya added a slit in the chassis here, it's not like you can access anything! Anyway, you need to add epoxy over this once fitted, as it's still leaves enough gap for dust and debris to enter the drive train. My old one was epoxy'd into my original chassis, hence the need for the new one:

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Here it is fitted, epoxy to follow:

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Next we add the lower motor cover. I decided to re-use my existing part here as the wear doesn't impact the usability or performance, and I intend to run this buggy so it will end up scratched anyways 😉:

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Moving to the rear of the chassis we now fit the alloy rear suspension blocks. As these were a bit more worn I decided to replace them with a new set:

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And fitted:

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In case you're wondering, I'm using thread lock for all screw to metal parts:

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Finally for Step 1 I fitted the new Hop Up alloy motor mount. These seem to be really expensive, around £35 - £40 here in the UK, and I've seen them as much as £60 in Europe. Luckily I spotted this on Tamico.de for £17!

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Aside from the slightly lighter weight and the lovely blue anodising I was surprised that this part wasn't actually as good quality as the original kit part. The kit mount has more intricate mouldings and just feels better made and more sturdy to me. I'm sure the Hop Up version is up to the job, but I was a little disappointed with the comparable quality. Either way, it looks awesome:

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This completes Step 1 of the build. I'll leave you with a few images of the main chassis at this stage. Till next time 👍

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Looking good, I should really finish my RR and DB02 builds one day and the associated forum thread! 

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Juls1, you need to finish off and run it mate, it's an amazing buggy! 

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I'm skipping Step 2 for now as I'm still undecided whether to leave rebuilding the diffs as they feel pretty good. 

Step 3 is putting the rear gear cover and shock tower together.

Im fitting a new shock tower as the one on the car was scratched from some "wrong way up" driving 😉:

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I've gone for the kit standard carbon reinforced as these are super tough and stiff. 

I also have brand new wing support parts as these were on the parts tree that the chassis insert came on:

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The carbon plastic is incredibly tough, I should have pre-tapped the shock mount holes but I didn't have the tools to hand. The screw got pretty hot as I screwed it in! 

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The first deviation from the R manual - following the RR instructions, in order to fit the big-bore shocks you need these little 3mm "stand off" nuts. The pack came with 10 but I only need 4 for the shocks. Some of the left over nuts will come in handy for another modification idea I have:

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The finished gear cover/tower assembly including new ball connectors:

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You can see the difference in plastic types here - the shock tower is carbon reinforced:

IMG-20200307-225147.jpg

 

 

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Did this ever get finished? Mine got a whole load of upgrades so it's pretty much RR spec now. 

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