wtcc5 4690 Posted April 14, 2021 @Carmine A: Most Ebay prices are over the top. Of all shown, the Clio price looks pretty fair. It is one of the most wanted cars. Shipping across the pond is not so easy right now, but if you see a FF01 on ebay-kleinanzeigen.de that you like, then let me know. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Carmine A 2046 Posted April 14, 2021 16 minutes ago, wtcc5 said: @Carmine A: Most Ebay prices are over the top. Of all shown, the Clio price looks pretty fair. It is one of the most wanted cars. Shipping across the pond is not so easy right now, but if you see a FF01 on ebay-kleinanzeigen.de that you like, then let me know. THANK YOU Kevin!! I'll take a look at that. Unfortunately my Wife has said that I've "Exceeded my allowance"!! 😲😖 Probably after spending over $2000.00 on a Grand Hauler Semi and a BUTTLOAD of Hopups and Accessories!!! By next Month I'll be READY. She's just trying to make sure that this Money lasts the rest of our lives. Besides it, we're both fixed income pensioners. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted April 15, 2021 On 4/9/2021 at 10:15 PM, Sweatpants said: bummer the bumper doesn't really work with heat sink.  Thanks for this impulse! Could this be the reason why my other blue heat sink was hacked at the front side...?  I will check the fitment later, haven't thought of this until now... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sweatpants 101 Posted April 15, 2021 3 hours ago, wtcc5 said: Thanks for this impulse! Could this be the reason why my other blue heat sink was hacked at the front side...? Â I will check the fitment later, haven't thought of this until now... I got all excited when i got my bumper about the same time as the blue heatsink i got.. bolted the posts on, zero clearance. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanMcBoost 22 Posted April 15, 2021 Quote 9118018 J-Parts of 84431 - if you want to use the frp or cf chassis plates 9804959 steering post for frp chassis 9804967 3x25mm tapping screw 9805631 Rosette Washer 9805745 M3x25mm countersunk screw 50578 3x10mm tapping screw 50581 3x12mm tapping screw 51633 3x16mm tapping screw Then choose between the frp plates (4025040 & 4025041), the carbon plates (53195) if you get them or just go for the Yeah Racing plates (YR-TA02-S01). Thanks a ton for that list!! Posts as epic as this one gets me too excited about driving them again. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted May 29, 2021 A long time nothing happened here. This may change in the coming weeks. The weather gets better every day and after @Quincy, @Sgt.Speirs and I had our fun with offroad, we are looking forward to onroad schoolyard racing... Well... we still need to ask Sgt. Speirs if he wants to join that too, after bringing his awesome buggies last time out The reason for this post is chassis number 23 in this collection. A nice used one, that is a typical german representative for an FF-01: The body had received a few hits, but is overall in a good looking condition. The purple metallic color suits the livery good as well. The painter was clumsy and the color thickness differs between "thin as it should be" and "painted with a bucket". So you can see the difference from the outside (spots of concentrated metallic flakes).  For this price (77€) I don't care much...  It even came with era matching electronics & transmitter and has this nice Graupner esc that is shaped like a servo to replace the throttle servo of a mechanical esc: My plan is to clean and check it and then refine the wiring job to let it stay an rtr-runner.  Funny story of this purchase: Quincy saw this car for sale on another site, but then was outbid by another interested customer after the deal was nearly done. It was then offered on Ebay and I put it on my watch-list (without knowing about this). Some days later, very late in the night I was automatically remembered and just thought: "Who is on Ebay at that time?" and nobody was, so nobody was bidding except for me  And that is how this car found its way into Quincy and my FF-01 collection after a short detour. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt.Speirs 1240 Posted May 30, 2021 18 hours ago, wtcc5 said: … and after @Quincy, @Sgt.Speirs and I had our fun with offroad, we are looking forward to onroad schoolyard racing... Well... we still need to ask Sgt. Speirs if he wants to join that too… When I have no other dates at the same time and you let also drive a TA02SW (Porsche RSR 934) beside your FF-01…of course  2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted May 30, 2021 4 hours ago, Sgt.Speirs said: When I have no other dates at the same time and you let also drive a TA02SW (Porsche RSR 934) beside your FF-01…of course  Perfect! If you also want an FF-01, let me know 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ruebiracer 1024 Posted May 30, 2021 Cool that you are already 3 now, I noticed @Sgt.Speirs last week for the first time, and thought he would be from Germany. Have fun! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted May 31, 2021 Thanks, we will  The chassis of the Mondeo is already cleaned. The work on it was pleasant. The first owner really cared about this car and that makes me wonder how and why it was offered so inexpensive at first... For example: The diff is like new. Balls and plates are fresh and not the ones that came with the kit. The outdrives are good as well. Also impressive is the condition of the dampers. Only one had air inside, the green seals look fresh, too. The gears are the first ones, but show hardly any wear and also became shiny and white again. The chassis has scratches underneath and on the sidewalls like it was driven on gravel once. Two rims look like new and two got some small hits. The tires were driven once and came with inserts. Some of the screws were mixed up and/or replaced, but except for one screw, always in favor to shorter screws (like 3x10mm tapping screws for the bumper instead of 3x15mm). I guess this car was driven regularly for some time, got repaired/serviced with new parts by the owner and then driven once or twice. The only concerning discovery were the uneven running rear axles (both sides... already replaced ). Fortunately there is no slop or other damages or wear in the rear unit. Overall a nice work time.  Since I saw the esc, I am a huge fan of it. I had a deep wish to clean and restore it. So today I disassembled it and the love for it grew even more! It was easy to remove the housing. Underneath I found electronic components of Sanyo and NEC. The underside of the housing says "Made in Japan" and instantly sent me daydreaming to the era where "Made in Japan" meant the best and highest technology available (for me all the portable music player, TVs, Camcorder, ...  ).  The condition was dusty and ugly cables, but overall very good. In the process I also cleaned the receiver (the double sided tape became a thick gel) and the servo.  I cleaned the housing, circuit board, heat sink and cables. I wanted to motor cable plugs to match the Tamiya motors and used spare cables with plugs, that I had removed from TBLE-02S (for brushed you need only the yellow and blue cables, so the red ones were removed). The old yellow Tamiya plug was replaced by a T-plug. Now it looks very good again. As I couldn't test it yet, I pray that it still works  In the next steps I will rebuild the dampers and replace a lot of the stained screws and sleeves. I also need to buy some batteries for the transmitter.  3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted June 2, 2021 @wtcc5Â The ball diff in my FF01 is getting very rough (it was never great to start with). What parts do you suggest for an upgrade? Thanks, Cy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted June 2, 2021 To be honest, I never made it to a super smooth diff when building it like the manual suggest;Â not with ceramic balls or this special hop-up pressure bearing. Using ceramic balls made no difference in smoothness. Using AEs diff grease, I can leave the diff a little more open without it slipping. Also the pressure bearing is just a help building the diff. Now with the Mondeo the previous owner very generously put a white grease on the (original) pressure bearing. This diff is a little better. My guess is, he used Cera-Grease and this makes a difference in smoothness. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted June 2, 2021 @wtcc5OK i'll get some fresh diff balls and regrease. I have some proper diff grease now so it will be as good as it can be. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted June 2, 2021 @ThunderDragonCy: What FF-01 are you building on? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted June 2, 2021 Just now, wtcc5 said: @ThunderDragonCy: What FF-01 are you building on? My only one, but the diff has never been great. Works fine, but never that nice. I plan to race it at the club later this month so a few pounds on new diff balls and a rebuild is a good plan. I spotted the motor fan on your schoolyard racer too, so i will fit one as we finally have warm weather here. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted June 2, 2021 The fan makes a huge difference! Good you saw it. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted June 2, 2021 I finished my work on the Mondeo today. New screws and rebuild dampers were the last steps. Then it was showtime! I stole some batteries for the transmitter from all the remotes I found... I have to admit, I was afraid if the esc would function, so it was a great delight, when it did. And how it did! I would have never thought, that it could be that smooth. So I was not bored, nor did I have good material, and still I made a little video of me using a stick radio and driving in circles in the living room xD It was probably just the happiness motivating me...   After finishing the video, I am pretty sure, that the esc is adjusted wrong, like driving forward the lamp for "back" lights up... 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted June 3, 2021 Really looking forward to run a FF-01 for the first time this year. My runner has so many updates from the last time out: - new C-hubs - DCJ - geardiff - outdrives - rear hex and axles - tires - motor - bodyshell   Lets start with the motor. Some weeks ago I found the Super Stock series very attractive. I bought the BZ for my Fire Dragon and also stumbled over the RZ with its "crazy" 27500rpm. I bought it mostly to have it near me, but it was teasing me to use it  And so I put it in my runner. Now I can hardly spin the front axle. I am looking forward to its top speed.  As @Quincy and I are the "Primera-Fanboys", the next Onroad run will feature my restored Castrol- and Quincys brandnew Calsonic-Primera. Our several Primera related deals over the winter season lead to me drawing and Shapeways printing the needed exterior parts. I for example needed one set for the restored body (and Quincy received one original set from my side as exchange for a brandnew body, you maybe remember). This printed set was already Shapeways smooth surface, but still needed a lot of sanding with fine grit paper (800-1200) to perfect it. Especially the rear wing needed the "steps" to be removed. Then with some layers of primer (and again sanding) and layers of Italian Red it became smooth (my favorite word ). Anyway, the outcome is good: Stickers for these parts is a little problem... I only have original ones left and couldn't convince myself to use them for that...(lets see if they survive first).  The tires are Rides cheapest variant with inserts and a nearly era correct wheel design. Nothing beats low price tires after spending hundreds on the car They perform and that is important.  Now only the weather has to meet Quincys rare playtime schedule. 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RichieRich 660 Posted June 3, 2021 @wtcc5 Great pics of the Ford Mondeo! You know, I'm wondering...someone should really market a 21st century esc specifically for vintage cars that have a throttle servo slot. I really like the way that worked out. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted June 7, 2021 @RichieRich: That would be cool. But I don't think someone will. The target group looks to be very small. A Rere of some old systems/units/components would surely attract some vintage lovers/collectors like us.  As the weather is grey and rainy at the moment, I tinkered around with my FF-01 a little bit more. I somehow found the state of my Audi A4 STW chassis too sad. It consists of the worst leftover parts that accumulated. It is full functional, has ball bearings, universals (black ones) and original vintage metal hexes. Both shocktowers are broken at the usual spots. I corrected that with my workarounds, but it is overall not nice to look at. Therefore my ugly PIAA Honda Accord body sits on a very good condition shiny chassis. Both bodies switched chassis, ball bearings and hexes changed chassis as well. I took the opportunity and replaced stained ballstuds and screws, too. Remembering the fun with the vintage electronics Mondeo, I picked out the old esc, rx and transmitter of the Dyna Blaster to complete the STW Audi to a full RTR. Like last time the the esc needed some cleaning and new cables/plugs. This esc has also a unique design. In comparison it has a lot of space between the cables. The housing was made to open it and so it was very easy to work with. Again the old double-sided adhesive tape was a nightmare to get off (I soaked it in brake cleaner).  The "operation" was a success. A cleaned (older) black sport tuned motor went into the chassis. Unfortunately I had no more Tamiya motor plugs (female) left, so I soldered it directly. Space-wise I could fit everything in the little compartment where the servo is:  The function test was good. This esc lacks the super smooth acceleration the Grauper Speed-Profi has. Now I have four RTR FF-01, three with (typical german) vintage electronics and my full option runner.     5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tizer 604 Posted June 7, 2021 That's so typical German indeed All of the secondhand cars I used to buy locally had the same kind of electronics too. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DarkSonic 212 Posted June 8, 2021 Absolute German, but ironically both companys don't exist anymore I was more the GMracing or LRP guy. Really like your FF01 fleet. Sold my FF few years ago after my friends left the RC car scene (Still have my 2 AWD TC). Now I only do Offroad on my own. Sadly you guys life 2 hours away from me. But there are some good offers in ebay Kleinanzeigen 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4690 Posted June 8, 2021 @DarkSonic: This is a pity... Would be nice to have another enthusiast around. In which direction from us do you live? Maybe we can meet in the middle? In todays news: I found fun in new projects again. One of these will be a FF-01 project consisting of (mostly) era correct non-Tamiya-tuning-parts.  More to come... 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7779 Posted June 8, 2021 @wtcc5Â Ooooo nice things. I have those dampers and most of that Eagle kit on my FF01. So nice! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DarkSonic 212 Posted June 8, 2021 @wtcc5Â I live in a small city between Karlsruhe and Stuttgart (nearly in the middle) This would be nice. Maybe we can arrange something. Â Very nice! In my opinion the best looking dampers! Cool new concept. Â Share this post Link to post Share on other sites