Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
orge_24

Adapt TA02SW for off-roading

Recommended Posts

Folllowing dusting down my old Taisan Starcard Porsche TA02SW I used to race in an indoor track (stock car) some 20 years ago, I want to give it a new lease of life with a focus for some off-roading. Ideally I want to retain some of the original aspects and not spend too much but struggling to decide what is the best route to go to get good ground clearance and can attack some jumps...!

Current thoughts are:

- TA02T Ford150 (which I understand perhaps maybe a relatively easy conversion) - truck style, but looks like it can handle some bumps

- Manta Ray / blazing star (?) reminds me of my Madcap days but unsure where to start converting this (also understand chasis needs changing out as well)

- TA02 rally spec, though it seems the rally cars don't achieve great ground clearance and thus not good on grass/bumps and small jumps

Some advice/thoughts would be appreciated. Once decided I can then try and work out what I need to order to crack on with my rebuild!!

 

p.s. found this some other threads related to this but nothing specific

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/showroom_model.asp?cid=48983&id=2193

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/89225-%C2%BB-the-definitive-df01ta012ff01-wheelbase-guide-%C2%AB/&tab=comments#comment-744136

https://www.tamiyaclub.com/forum/index.php?/topic/70837-help-from-ta02-experts/

 

 

rc car.JPG

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You got to go rally cross with that chassis. The body is already hammered so trim it up, lengthen the dampers a bit and throw some knobby tires on it

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I agree with Shodog. Also, the F-150 bodies are getting harder to find, unless you go with TBG. Also when you put the taller truck tires on it, it will roll easy. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Lengthening shocks and more grippy tires sounds the way to go. What’s generally the longest shocks we can go with on a TA02SW without having to change the front suspension arms/linkage? Also thoughts re slightly bigger wheels to improve clearance (without going into Ford F-150 territory)?

Finally as part of the changes what to upgrade the stock motor (assume not going brushless) and move away from the retro manual speed servo (!) - any particular recommendations. I guess I will need to buy some new battery packs as well!

i have some old bearings ‘hop ups’ but assume probably best to replace those as well.

cheers

 

B1FA9369-7162-4C96-9159-650ED5071931.jpeg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

To check the maximum shock length with the standard arms and links, remove a shock and let the suspension fall naturally to maximum extension. Then measure the distance between the upper and lower shock mount screw holes.

As for wheels and tyres, I'd go for Tamiya Rally Block tyres which fit standard touring wheels. The wheels are available in a range of offsets, so you can retain the wider stance at the rear if you wish by using bigger offset wheels.

For bearings, I'd order a set of rubber sealed ones from rcbearings.co.uk. They are affordable and will last longer in dirty conditions than the standard metal shielded variety.

As far as power goes, there are many affordable water-resistant sensorless brushless combos out there that will give stonking performance and decent runtimes at little cost. If you'd like something more refined, a TBLE-02 ESC and bluebottle sensored brushless motor at around 13.5t doesn't cost the earth and while not waterproof, is reasonably resistant to dirt ingress.

Or if you want to stay traditional, a 1060 brushed ESC and GT-Tuned or TZ brushed motor would go well.

Whatever motor you choose, get it a steel pinion if you haven't got one already. This will last longer and help preserve your spur gear.

The bolt-through mod ought to also help your gearbox housings survive a power increase. See this thread if not familiar with it. 

 

Also, if going for a more powerful motor which draws more current, changing your battery connectors would be wise. Deans or XT60s are the most common choices, able to handle far higher current than the Tamiya/Molex connectors without melting.

And is that a stock wire coathanger propshaft I see? If going for a power increase, you might want to get a stiffer one, either Tamiya's hardened steel one (which is my personal preference, in stock at Tamico) or one of the aftermarket alloy ones from RCMart or Ebay.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
6 minutes ago, TurnipJF said:

I'd go for Tamiya Rally Block tyres...

Agreed, now tamiya makes two variants so you can choose - classic hard compound (50476), they don't work very well off road, but they last longer if you want to bash on tarmac. And soft compound(54861), which are better suited for gravel.

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
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...