Juhunio 7102 Posted February 20, 2023 Funny story... Ahead of building the steering, I took this photo of all the assembled parts Then I opened up the steering set and looked at the instructions 😂 So, of the parts in the photo, the steering set... uses 38mm and 42mm turnbuckles, so my 32mm ones are redundant. I've got 1x 42mm but no 38mm shafts, and Tamiya only seem to make the 38mm ones in titanium, not aluminium. I've ordered a pair which will take a couple of weeks so will have to install it with the stock steel ones for now uses the F104 style servo horn and offsets it rather than sitting it dead straight. So the TT02 servo saver & horn set is redundant. I'll need to dig out a 51000 servo saver and the 54159 from another parts box attaches to the chassis using its own steering posts and 25mm screws, so all the Low Friction step screws are redundant. Thankfully I have some 25mm hex head screws so I can keep the hex theme going uses 3x8mm screws to attach the bridge to the arms which are JIS but also a flat head screw (as opposed to button or cs). So they will have to be the only non-hex screws in the build Sometimes assembling all the parts up front doesn't quite pay off 🙄 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pylon80 4147 Posted February 21, 2023 Looking so good... I think 42mm turnbuckles would fit just fine; since you have 42mm steel ones in the kit on hand you can do a test fit to confirm. From TheRCRacer's article they fit tine too: https://www.thercracer.com/2020/10/54965-tamiya-tt02-type-s-aluminum.html I don't like offsetting servo saver horn as it kind of looks wonky. I have used the TT-02 aluminum horn and it is a perfect fit. What I do thought is shim the ball nut at the steering set to get the center turnbuckle perfectly horizontal and shim again at the servo saver horn to get it perfectly perpendicular to the centerline of the chassis. Doing this gives you a symmetrical leverage so that the steering throw is the same left and right before you even start programming you Tx. Step screws are definitely redundant and got me worried when I first saw them in your build I always make it a point not to have a single JIS screw in every build (just a quirk of me...) and so on mine the screws were replaced with button hex ones. If you observed a button head with a magnifying glass you would notice enough of a radius that the head would not rub on the bearing's seal and therefore the flat head screws is not required and if anything looks a bit strange to me. For reference, pictures from last year: 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 21, 2023 53 minutes ago, Pylon80 said: I think 42mm turnbuckles would fit just fine; since you have 42mm steel ones in the kit on hand you can do a test fit to confirm Yes, I thought they probably would do but I needed to order a couple of bits from Vellrip anyway and he had the 38mm titanium ones in stock, so they're on their way 54 minutes ago, Pylon80 said: I don't like offsetting servo saver horn as it kind of looks wonky. I have used the TT-02 aluminum horn and it is a perfect fit. What I do thought is shim the ball nut at the steering set to get the center turnbuckle perfectly horizontal and shim again at the servo saver horn to get it perfectly perpendicular to the centerline of the chassis Agreed, and thanks for the info and guidance, much appreciated. Thanks also for sharing that RCRacer article on the steering set, I hadn't seen that before and notice that he also uses a straight-fit servo horn. I'll have a crack at using the TT02 part 56 minutes ago, Pylon80 said: I always make it a point not to have a single JIS screw in every build (just a quirk of me...) and so on mine the screws were replaced with button hex ones. I do my best too! Good to know a button-head will fit, I wonder why Tamiya opted for the flat-head screws? Anyway, I'll use button head hexes 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 21, 2023 Thanks to all the helpful info earlier today, I decided to push on with the steering 😀 First step is attaching the arms to the bridge and building the tie rods and servo link. For now the tie-rods use the supplied steel shafts until the shiny blue titanium ones arrive in a week or so Then the ball connectors on the front uprights get replaced by ball nuts, and on the left hand side the spacing gets doubled from 3mm to 6mm. Happily I had a one piece 6mm spacer which looks a bit tidier than 2x 3mm spacers That ball nut will get replaced when the new blue ones arrive 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 21, 2023 Then the steering posts attach onto 16mm screws threaded up through the chassis. I had two 16mm titanium screws left over, so in they went Then the arms and bridge drop onto the posts and it's all held together with blue short lock nuts Then on go the rods...it's all very precise, very solid, and very smoooooooth 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 21, 2023 Emboldened by this success, I thought I would crack on with the servo installation. Nothing kit-standard here! And...it didn't work. The Savox servo lead comes out the side of the casing which is incompatible with the Hop Up servo mount 🙄 In fact, it would be incompatible with the standard kit plastic servo mounts too. I've fallen foul with this issue with this servo before so I should have known better. I'll have to find a different servo, which is annoying... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 21, 2023 After the servo debacle I thought I would cheer myself up by attaching the heat sink. I mean, what could go wrong there hey? Well... The TT02 heat sink is incompatible with open bell motors. Like the GT Tuned. So it doesn't fit 🙄😂🙄😂 So that's me done for the day, I'm off to bang my head against a wall instead... 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pylon80 4147 Posted February 21, 2023 1 hour ago, Juhunio said: After the servo debacle I thought I would cheer myself up by attaching the heat sink. I mean, what could go wrong there hey? Well... The TT02 heat sink is incompatible with open bell motors. Like the GT Tuned. So it doesn't fit 🙄😂🙄😂 So that's me done for the day, I'm off to bang my head against a wall instead... As a fan of this thread and having spent too much time and money on TT-02's I thought I would chime in again. So the servo mount issue is annoying indeed. Tamiya don't acknowledge the existence of low profile servos for the TT-02 I have been using either the Eagle Racing one (so hard to find now) or the stock one that is very easy to Dremel out; I then attach the servo with blue dimple washers. The result is solid and looks good. The plastic they use for some reason can be tackled with a Dremel mini sanding drum and the result looks like it's been machined or something. For the heat sink I literally went through the same thing last week! I have started running a Super Stock BZ and I didn't want to hide that beauty with a fan or heat sink. Do not despair my friend. With a FDR or 10.7 the car is a blast to drive and the motor is just warm after 5 min of continuous running on my test track (which is basically a postal racing style smaller track). You might not need a fan at all. And if you do not like the temps then you could just attach a black fan next to the motor, directly to the lower deck like our very own @wttc5 has done in the past I intend to do that comes summer. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
compass 195 Posted February 21, 2023 1 hour ago, Juhunio said: Then the ball connectors on the front uprights get replaced by ball nuts, and on the left hand side the spacing gets doubled from 3mm to 6mm. i think both sides should have a 6 mm spacer. not just the left side. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 21, 2023 6 minutes ago, compass said: i think both sides should have a 6 mm spacer. not just the left side. Good spot, I had missed that in the illustration in the instructions. It even seemed odd at the time that it would only need to be changed on one side, so I took a few looks at the illustration and still missed it I’ve looked again now and it is there, but I still think it’s not entirely clear. That’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it 😂 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
compass 195 Posted February 21, 2023 and for the servo, you could cut a little piece out the bottom of the servo case. And pull the wire a little backwards. Then slide the servo mount from the top down over the servo. (i hope this is clear, my english is not my own language) 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 21, 2023 8 minutes ago, compass said: and for the servo, you could cut a little piece out the bottom of the servo case. And pull the wire a little backwards. Then slide the servo mount from the top down over the servo. (i hope this is clear, my english is not my own language) Your English is perfect, I understood you completely 😊 But that’s a £££ servo which I don’t fancy cutting holes out of 😳 I think I’ll find a different servo and use the savox somewhere else 😁 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisRx718 4712 Posted February 21, 2023 Thanks, I've spent the last 5 days reading a bit of your thread at a time over a cup of coffee! If you ever panic that you're talking to a bit of an echo chamber and get reservations about whether anyone is actually reading your ramblings then fear not - I've read it all and absorbed it and enjoyed it. I'm trying to get back on the bandwagon again and this thread is an inspiration. I'm a massive TA03 fan, having bought and sold far too many over the years. Regrettably, I only have 2 left, but at one point I had enough to fill the dining room table: 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
svenb 4512 Posted February 21, 2023 3 hours ago, Juhunio said: After the servo debacle I thought I would cheer myself up by attaching the heat sink. I mean, what could go wrong there hey? Well... The TT02 heat sink is incompatible with open bell motors. Like the GT Tuned. So it doesn't fit 🙄😂🙄😂 So that's me done for the day, I'm off to bang my head against a wall instead... I'm sure it'll be ok, just keep it forward on the motor 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pylon80 4147 Posted February 21, 2023 35 minutes ago, svenb said: I'm sure it'll be ok, just keep it forward on the motor I agree, you can slide it from the front of the engine. It's standard diameter. In my case I didn't want to scratch the finish or the sticker of the Super Stock. I don't really mind on the silver cans but it's my first SS 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 25, 2023 On 2/21/2023 at 8:18 PM, Pylon80 said: As a fan of this thread and having spent too much time and money on TT-02's I thought I would chime in again. So the servo mount issue is annoying indeed. Tamiya don't acknowledge the existence of low profile servos for the TT-02 I had fallen foul of this before on a TB02-R and Evo III, these Savox LP servos are only really compatible with low stepped servo mounts or the post-type that comes with the TA03, TA04 etc However, the solution on the Evo III is going to be the same here...this Etronix LP servo fits perfectly 😀 It's in, TT02 servo horn and all! 5 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 25, 2023 On 2/21/2023 at 8:18 PM, Pylon80 said: Do not despair my friend. With a FDR or 10.7 the car is a blast to drive and the motor is just warm after 5 min of continuous running on my test track Thanks for the encouragement 😀 The FDR on mine is 6.8 but well in the comfort range for the GT Tuned Motor so you're right, generally speaking heat shouldn't be an issue. On 2/21/2023 at 10:05 PM, svenb said: I'm sure it'll be ok, just keep it forward on the motor I just think the TT02 heat sink is too long for open bell motors...it is bloomin' massive! I won a bundle of parts in an auction a couple of weeks ago that included a smaller form heat sink (53399) which I reckon will be a better fit when it arrives 👍 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
droidy 91 Posted February 25, 2023 On 2/22/2023 at 5:49 AM, Juhunio said: The TT02 heat sink is incompatible with open bell motors. Like the GT Tuned. So it doesn't fit 🙄😂🙄😂 Tamiya 53664 (OP664) TT-01 Aluminum Motor Heat Sink is very compatible with brushed and brushless motors so I prefer it to the TT02 heat sink after having exactly the same problem. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 25, 2023 On 2/21/2023 at 9:42 PM, ChrisRx718 said: If you ever panic that you're talking to a bit of an echo chamber and get reservations about whether anyone is actually reading your ramblings then fear not - I've read it all and absorbed it and enjoyed it. Thanks Chris...it does feel like that sometimes! But I do enjoy it and at a bare minimum it serves as a memory trail for me in terms of what I've been up to. It's always better when it sparks some conversation though, and I've really benefited from some advice and guidance from the community Glad to hear you've enjoyed reading it and really look forward to you getting back into the saddle. That was a lovely collection of TA03s...I've worked on a couple of those too over the last couple of years, such a great chassis. I reckon it and the TA04 are my sweet spot, for so many reasons What's gonna be your first comeback project? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
droidy 91 Posted February 25, 2023 On 2/22/2023 at 5:44 AM, Juhunio said: And...it didn't work. The Savox servo lead comes out the side of the casing which is incompatible with the Hop Up servo mount 🙄 Tamiya 53596 (OP596) Aluminum Servo Stays (Short) might work. You need a couple of mm spacers between stay and chassis to get the right height, and also between stay and servo (or on the horn?) to get the right fore/aft position. It seems stronger and more precise than the kit plastic stays but I don't know how good it is long term, yet. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 25, 2023 This afternoon will be all about...dampers 😀 They even namecheck the Type S on the box, which makes me happy 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 25, 2023 My first time building Big Bore dampers...the pistons are much chunkier than the usual TRF jobs; the lower e-clip sits inside them rather than below, and the rod guide and spacer are combined into a single piece The Pin Vise came in handy again! You have to drill a 1mm hole through the upper ball connector cap, I guess for a bit of aeration? Shhhhh....they're resting 😴 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Re-Bugged 11682 Posted February 26, 2023 If it’s any consolation @Juhunio, the blue stickers on the Etronixs servo suit the build better anyway 👍🏻 Nice close up shots of the TRF shocks to see what the fuss is all about with them too. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Juhunio 7102 Posted February 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Re-Bugged said: If it’s any consolation @Juhunio, the blue stickers on the Etronixs servo suit the build better anyway 👍🏻 Nice close up shots of the TRF shocks to see what the fuss is all about with them too. Thanks very much 😀 They're finished now...very smooth, perhaps a little slower than the usual TRF dampers, but very smooth 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites