Quincy 370 Posted June 19, 2021 As I have to wait for some parts to be delivered for the Super Astute, I am devoting myself to another project: TA-03F PRO David Jun Although I had never own a TA-03 before I am torn between love and hate of this chassis. Last year I got this special edition from Japan for a good price, so I`ll have to give it a try. The car is quite in good conditions, even if though it was used. Due to the FF-01 addiction during the last year, there had been no time to spend on this project. But I had used the meanwhile to get some Hop-Ups: Now it is time to dissasemble the kit and clean everthing up. Since it`s going to be a runner I will make some modifications. First I will use gear diffs at the front and rear and Modul 0.6 instead of 0.4 also the torque splitter will be removed. Regarding to the setup I will try to keep it very similar to my FF-01 setup, e.g. blue springs in the front, reds in the rear. But I don`t know what to do with the anti-roll bars... Do you have some recommendations? I want to mount them, just because they are neon color. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DarkSonic 212 Posted June 19, 2021 Back in the days we ran mainly TA03 on our schoolyard races. I never owned one, but I know the others had problems of understeer. Especially with the F setups. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 19, 2021 3 hours ago, DarkSonic said: Back in the days we ran mainly TA03 on our schoolyard races. I never owned one, but I know the others had problems of understeer. Especially with the F setups. I have a TA-03R-TRF also, but sits on the shelf. Like this unusal 4WD layout, so I give it a try. Already worked a little bit on the TA-03F. The previous owner replaced the J5 part to aluminium posts. They were blue anodized and unfortunately not in the Tamiya blue. So I decided to polish it, think this will fit better to the other silver aluminium parts. Small parts, but lot of work... The David Jun is euipped with a lot of aluminium parts. Originally it comes with CVDs in the front only, but I have another set in my FF-01 box, so why not have CVDs in the rear too? 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DarkSonic 212 Posted June 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Quincy said: I have a TA-03R-TRF also, but sits on the shelf. Like this unusal 4WD layout, so I give it a try. Like that too. Like the predecessor of the XV-01. Was a very radical design change in comparison to the TA01/02 Definitely in my list to have. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThunderDragonCy 7777 Posted June 19, 2021 @Quincy Very nice. I like the silver parts a lot. My TB03 has a majority of silver parts which i really like. Looking forward to hearing how it runs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futureworks 861 Posted June 20, 2021 Nice that it came with the front knuckles (53325) and also the Alu steering set (53326), as these were not included in the original David Jun version of the kit, and both command high prices if you can find them, especially the knuckles. The Carbon stablilizer part at the rear is also an addition - didn’t come with the DJ, but was included (like the steering arms) with the two (R and RS) TRF versions that followed (58227, 58243). Such a quirky design, worth having just for that. I used to have one, now I’ve just got the TA03R-TRF ready to build one of these days 👍 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 20, 2021 12 minutes ago, futureworks said: Nice that it came with the front knuckles (53325) and also the Alu steering set (53326), as these were not included in the original David Jun version of the kit, and both command high prices if you can find them, especially the knuckles. The Carbon stablilizer part at the rear is also an addition - didn’t come with the DJ, but was included (like the steering arms) with the two (R and RS) TRF versions that followed (58227, 58243). Such a quirky design, worth having just for that. I used to have one, now I’ve just got the TA03R-TRF ready to build one of these days 👍 Thanks for the informations! Did not have known that these parts are rare, as I´ve got a second pair with it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
futureworks 861 Posted June 20, 2021 No worries. The universal drive shafts are also not original. You have two sets of 53310, but the kit originally came with the identical, but silver only 53172 for the front, and it used standard ‘dog bone’ shafts in the rear,. Full manual available here (free to sign up) https://tamiyabase.com/downloads/download-categories/category/2-58xxx-kit-manuals-pdf?start=200 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 20, 2021 After everything has been cleaned, it's time for assembly. First, the carbon deck was sanded and sealed and a protective film was applied: So everything is prepared and the building started. First of all I am going to use gear diffs at front and rear: But then the problems started. The front gear box is broken on several positions. Luckily I will get new black A-Parts to fix this issue. So I decided to start with the rear. But unfortunately the rear gear box is damaged too. Black B-Parts are sold out everywhere, so I will try to fix it, as there are no heavy loads at the gear cover. But this arrested me to continue the build, so I started to paint the body. I am sure you can guess what body I have choosen. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wtcc5 4684 Posted June 20, 2021 Maybe something like this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 21, 2021 7 hours ago, wtcc5 said: Maybe something like this? Yes 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 21, 2021 Today some brand new A-parts arrived and I could`nt resist to continue the build. I just love these little tuning parts, like the carbon axle in the front. Also mounted an adjustable upper arm set, as well as Modul 0.6 gears. Finally the front is done. Looks really solid, but I am just wondering how I could control of the motor heat. But no worry, Tamiya takes care of this problem, by including an air channel for cooling. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tizer 604 Posted June 21, 2021 Nice car! I too have a love/hate relationship with the TA03(F). My first TA03F was a drift car for me, about 15 years ago, when I didn't have the money (or knowledge) to maintain it well. It would always break and wasn't very good to drive. I got rid of it in favor of a TB02 which was much better at the time and have hated the TA03F since. But I absolutely love all other cars in the TA0x series and would one day love to have a TA03 in full Tech Racing options. Maybe this thread will convince me to finally get another. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sweatpants 101 Posted June 23, 2021 On 6/21/2021 at 2:56 PM, Quincy said: Finally the front is done. Looks really solid, but I am just wondering how I could control of the motor heat. They make a metal motor plate that sits between the gearbox and motor, it does help. #53357 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 24, 2021 9 hours ago, Sweatpants said: They make a metal motor plate that sits between the gearbox and motor, it does help. #53357 Tamiya 53357 is already installed. But this aluminium motor plate sits in the middle, so no Chance to dissipate the heat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sweatpants 101 Posted June 24, 2021 15 hours ago, Quincy said: Tamiya 53357 is already installed. But this aluminium motor plate sits in the middle, so no Chance to dissipate the heat. it should assist in heat transfer directly to the gearbox though. especially if you have the aluminum motor cover too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 24, 2021 I have managed to get new black B-parts. So I spent some time completing the rear gear box, also fitted the dampers and anti-roll-bars. What a difference! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
svenb 3735 Posted June 24, 2021 Looks great 👍the 03 is a fantastic looking chassis. The black gearcases look way better in black. I have a trf R which I've spent a fortune on 😕 Are you going for the full hop up build? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 24, 2021 4 minutes ago, svenb said: Looks great 👍the 03 is a fantastic looking chassis. The black gearcases look way better in black. I have a trf R which I've spent a fortune on 😕 Are you going for the full hop up build? Yes I am going for full option, as it will be a runner I only change some parts for better handling/easier maintenance. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 27, 2021 Let's complete the build... First of all, the carbon deck. This is what a TA-03F should look like: As there are some red accents (Super Stock TZ, ESC) I decided to add a little bit more: The next steps took a lot of time, especially the electronics. But Tamiya was far ahead of the times with the carbon battery mount, because my shortys are fitting perfectly! And here it is: I have also solved the heat sinking problem, by adding a fan. Now it is time for working on the body... 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tizer 604 Posted June 29, 2021 What ESC are you using? Doesn't look like a HW 1080. The red servo stays are a nice touch! Pretty rare parts, right? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted June 30, 2021 14 hours ago, Tizer said: What ESC are you using? Doesn't look like a HW 1080. The red servo stays are a nice touch! Pretty rare parts, right? Yes the Red servo stays are quite rare. I am going to use a Robitronic Cube 2, as it is equipped with a lipo cut off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tizer 604 Posted July 1, 2021 On 6/30/2021 at 6:49 AM, Quincy said: Yes the Red servo stays are quite rare. I am going to use a Robitronic Cube 2, as it is equipped with a lipo cut off. Cool, I didn't know that ESC. Looks nice. Similar to the Tekin RS Pro, which I've been using for my M-chassis since it has a lipo cutoff and is programmable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Quincy 370 Posted July 2, 2021 Let`s go on with the build... After the painting of the body, there were still many parts for masking: But I like the result: After spending a lot of time in bodywork, I had to realize that the body didn't fit, because of the front motor of the TA-03F. I`ve not checked it before, because the TA-03 was disassemble at that time. I was really disappointed and and I wonder how I should explain to my wife, that I will need another body? No problem my wife said "Don`t worry just buy another chassis for the Mercedes body and another body for the TA-03". I had never expected that kind of answer! But first I worked on the chassis a bit more. Managed to fit double cardans at the front. Therefore the front knuckles had been changed to plastic ones, to fit the new bearings in. Not much space, but it works real smooth und no loss of steering angle. As time is rare and I don`t want to do another body yet, I fall back on a body in storage. Fits very good and matches to the Primera: Both chassis will go out for a track day tomorrow. Can`t wait to see how it performs! 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt.Speirs 1240 Posted July 4, 2021 On 7/2/2021 at 11:42 PM, Quincy said: Both chassis will go out for a track day tomorrow. Can`t wait to see how it performs! Pretty well, I guess Share this post Link to post Share on other sites