Just dug up a TL 01

[Novtec1 2]

Hello all,

 

  Newbie to the whole RC world , back in 1992 when i was Stationed in Germany i bought a old Subaru TL 01 setup. Nothing fancy just out the box fun that we would have races in the barracks and she held her own. Car has been in storage since 2003 and i opened the box and figured...Why not. Been doing a LOT of reading but most of the stuff i find is older (8-10 years old). If anyone has any info or could point me in the right direction i would greatly appreciate it. From what i have been reading suspension shocks, and a few minor tweeks will make this a good running car. Not looking for a speed demon, just something to have fun with.

    

[Nobbi1977 1793]

Hello

 

Seems the lockdown is bringing a lot of old models out of the wood work.

Do you have a radio and speed controller with the car? They are the biggest changes in the last decade or so and make it much easier and safer to run.

 

[Novtec1 2]

Yes i have a old futaba T2ER AND the stock ESC it came it . ima pretty used to the radio so i kinda wanna keep it.

 

Mostly im just looking at info on upgrading and bringing the chassis up to date. I tinker on my real cars so i figured this would be just as fun...just cheaper...lol

[Nobbi1977 1793]

I would strip it down and give it all a good clean looking for any hidden damage.

Rebuild with bearings if it does not already have them. 
 

I would replace the mechanical speed controller with the modern electronic one, they are about £20. 
 

Post some pictures up here of how it looks before and after

[Tudorp 239]

Where in Germany were you stationed? I was stationed at Hahn AB from 82-86. That is also when I bought my first RC (Wild Willy & Super Champ). 

 

[Novtec1 2]

Already stripped down and cleaned, bearings are on order and looking into ESCs as im typing this. Once the suspension parts come in ill do a complete tear down and rebuild. Im really looking forward to this. Anything else you guys recommend me doing while i got it tore down? gears or anything?

[Novtec1 2]

Just now, Tudorp said:

Where in Germany were you stationed? I was stationed at Hahn AB from 82-86. That is also when I bought my first RC (Wild Willy & Super Champ). 

Schwienfurt 90-93  Baumholder95-97  and back to Schwienfurt 2000-2003 Bought the TL01 my first trip over..we used to have RC drag races in the barracks...where she did some serious damage ..lol

 

 

[TurnipJF 9192]

2 hours ago, Novtec1 said:

Already stripped down and cleaned, bearings are on order and looking into ESCs as im typing this. Once the suspension parts come in ill do a complete tear down and rebuild. Im really looking forward to this. Anything else you guys recommend me doing while i got it tore down? gears or anything?

The TL-01 is still a decent runner, able to keep up with even current-generation plastic chassis cars in the right hands.

Key upgrades are bearings, oil-filled shocks and a steel pinion. A Speed Tuned gearset also helps, especially if you want to upgrade to a brushless motor which benefits from a taller ratio. A lightweight propshaft helps it accelerate a bit quicker. And of course the ultimate handling upgrade is a long-arm suspension set, expensive these days but very beneficial. FInally, if you want to run on less than perfect surfaces, a TL-01B kick-up front bumper helps it rise up and over obstacles rather than into them.

[Novtec1 2]

Thanks appreciate it @TurnipJF trust me im taking in all the input i can get. Anymore advice im all ears....

[TurnipJF 9192]

4 minutes ago, Novtec1 said:

Thanks appreciate it @TurnipJF trust me im taking in all the input i can get. Anymore advice im all ears....

No problem! I am quite a fan of the TL-01 series, and it is great to see another one being brought back into active use.

Thinking of the other upgrades I have tried on the ones in my fleet, some other parts you may want to consider are turnbuckle tierods to adjust toe angle, toe-in rear uprights for geater straight-line stability, turnbuckle upper arms to adjust camber, a high-torque servo saver and alloy arm to give crisper steering and a quick-release battery holder for convenient battery changes. The chassis is also compatible with the TA-03 lightweight kingpins, which don't provide any sort of significant performance benefit as far as I can tell, but they look nice.

[No Slack 454]

An upgrade I made to my TL01 is changing the standard C-hubs for the ones fom a TB01. This changes the negative caster to positive caster so the car is less nervous. I found this tip somewhere on the net.