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CakeOrDeath

Cheap Chassis Recommendations

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On a whim, I recently bought an Escort Mk.2 shell from L&L Models, which I was going to drop onto my XV-01 TC Pro chassis. Having finally got around to cutting it out and masking it for paint, I trialled it on the chassis and it won't fit. Right wheelbase (257mm) but the front mounted motor on the XV is getting in the way - even after removing the foam bumper completely. Can't remove the hard plastic bumper as it connects to the frame around the motor, and gives stability. I'll get another body for the TC Pro, maybe do a road Sport Quattro to go with the LD Rally Quattro. 

So, we're on to plan B for the Escort. Which I don't have. I was looking at the M class RWD chassis, but none have the right wheelbase. Do I have any alternatives other than the TT-02, which would be readily available? And is there a way of freewheeling the front diff on a TT-02 to make it highly RWD biased? If I'm chucking a Mk.2 Escort around a car park, the least I need is some gratuitous oversteer. 

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I have been wanting to do a Mk2 Escort under a CC01 for a long time.  I'll probably have to make custom rear links to get the wheelbase right, but otherwise it should all theoretically be possible.  A CC01 can run in RWD mode without the front gearbox components fitted.  It would probably need some ride height adjustment (although smaller touring/rally wheels will be a start) and maybe some chassis trimming to get it under the shell.

Another option is the M04.  The M04L achieves its wheelbase with the use of a spacer.  IIRC, with an additional spacer parts tree, you can extend the chassis to normal touring length.  That, or something approximating it.  Or you could make a custom spacer.

You can run a TT01/TT02 in RWD trim by leaving out the prop and front gears, or alternatively you could get a front one-way diff and fit it backwards (I'm sure a conversation came up about this a few weeks ago), that way you at least have 4 wheel braking going into corners so you don't spin out before you even reach the apex.

Be advised that any chassis that hasn't been designed to run as RWD will probably be a pig to drive.  To be honest, even the M04 is a pig to drive.  "Gratuitous oversteer" might equal "loses the rear end on every corner" - and with limited steering angles it might be hard even for a gyro to catch it.

 

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M-chassis will all be too narrow also - even if you fit wider / taller wheels, the chassis is physically narrower. Even the 'L' configuration of an M-chassis will be too short @ 239mm.

The only 'proper' rwd 257mm Tamiya platform is the F103GT, which is neither cheap nor practical for what you want. Motor-on-axle and more akin to a pan car with the ground clearance of a fag paper! :lol:

Best solution is a TT02 / TT01. I prefer the TT01E to all of them in terms of least slop tolerance, but always bear in mind that these are entry level chassis and will never be 'great' so go in open minded and don't throw unnecessary money at it! Either chassis can be easily converted to RWD only by means of removing the front dogbones and diff output shafts. The front diff has to remain due to the design of the propshaft / spur arrangement on this chassis. Your propshaft will still spin of course, but the diff in the front won't be connected.

A front one-way tube for a TT01 can also work as @Mad Ax suggests, but it's not great value for money, even aftermarket. Consider keeping the 4WD system active but just locking the rear diff with blue-tac or similar to get the rearward bias. The 4WD will make it much easier to drive in any event whilst still capable of epic slides and doughnuts. A 4WD chassis converted to RWD only never really works unless it's a specialist drift conversion package, even then it won't perform as well as a chassis designed to be RWD from the outset.

 

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Both make some good points - thanks for that. I bought the TC Pro second hand, on a whim, as I was building my XV Long Damper, and I was planning to reverse conventional wisdom and run far lighter oil in the front diff than the rear on the TC Pro. The XV pivots nicely anyway, so this slight change might well  have worked to make it more slidey. And then the TC Pro arrived, with its locked front diff... cue the facepalm. Forgot about that one. 

Looks like a TT02 might be an answer, then. Cheap enough, easy to mess around with. Lock up the rear diff, fit the right tyres, and begin fiddling. Got to have some semblance of control, I guess. 

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