Is This Doable???

[beaglegod]

Ok so Im totaly new and havent even recieved my Rock Buster kit yet but Ive been doing alot of reading here and elsewhere. I wanted to modify the TLT-1
while building it wrather than disassemble but being short on cash and time I wanted to keep it all within reason.

Any way to make a long story short I read this article from RCCA:

http://www.rccaraction.com/online_ex/tltrockclimber.asp

and I was wondering if I could do some of these mods and have a cool first build, basically I was thinking of replacing the stock turnbuckles with:

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFUH0&P=7

and

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFUG8&P=7

Replacing the stock dogbones with :

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=++&search3=Go

and using duratrax long ball studs

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCZJ5&P=7

and the matching ball cups

http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXAMC6&P=M

as per the article.

Besides this a I would lock up the center diff. with JB weld and use the rest of the stock kit parts.

Is this worth the effort or would I be best off sticking with the stock kit as is?

Thanks for helping a new guy out.

[elbo]

hey i am new too, saw the same article, and am going to try the same setup. i have bought everything except the dogbones. i think i will go with the same dogbones as the ones you suggest. my lhs doesnt like cen racing.

my max climber kit comes in today and the tamiya diff parts will be in on friday. i will try to take some pics along the way so we can compare. i ended up getting the stock steel turnbuckles for the mgt. i figured the weight would be better and i dont really want to scratch those nice blue ones. and for $22 for everything, thats half the price of 1 set of the titanium ones.

i am leaving work at noon to go pick up my kit and begin the build. this is my fifth r/c car and i think the one i am most excited about. your setup looks nice and i think it is definitely worth it. from what i hear the tlt is more show than go in its stock form...this build is cheaper than a complete chassis and i think it will be able to hang with the best of them.

i am going to lock my diffs a different way. if you put two gears on the "Y" and sandwich the third in between the two, your diff is now locked they say. havent tried it yet. but will by tonite. good luck.

[xjman]

Its a good place to start. You don't have to go crazy to have fun with the build. One thing you will notice you want to change is going to be the tranny. the stock belt drive just doesnt give you what you need in a crawler.

With that change you can go to revo or maxx sliders for your drive shafts, that will help keep your dog bones from falling out.


But just build it, and have fun. Anything is better than the stock kit.

[Thorsteenster]

if your going to do all that and keep the stock tlt trans, id recomend this, its all in a kit and ready to bolt together very much the same way the stock tlt goes together.

http://www.junfac.com/conversion_tracer.htm

and this to lock the center diff

http://www.craftlab.net/epage/etechtltdifferrential.htm

both work excellent. yes, its a belt, it will stretch and slip with use. im in the process now of converting mine to chain drive. as soon as i have everything ready to put together i'll start a thread.

[badger]

Originally Posted by thorsteenster

both work excellent. yes, its a belt, it will stretch and slip with use. im in the process now of converting mine to chain drive. as soon as i have everything ready to put together i'll start a thread.

That is a HUGE overstatement. If you want a excellent working tranny, install a Stampede tranny.

[bugman72]

When it sounds like a ratchet when your trying to climb, it's time to either replace the belt and gear or get a new tranny . What happens is a bit of everything...the belt stretches, the teeth wear down, the grooves in the gear wear. Besides that, the tranny is just too large and won't allow for a sufficent amount of GC.

Oh, BTW slugg...I remember you from my days of Xmods. I bought a set of your CF driveshafts for my 40+mph AWD Supra. Seems your taking the same evolutionary step as I did about a year ago.

[Thorsteenster]

Originally Posted by badger

That is a HUGE overstatement. If you want a excellent working tranny, install a Stampede tranny.

i didnt mean the tranny itself works excellent, but the ball diff locking method. fawkin newbs, dont ya read?

the tranny really isnt all that bad with a good locked center diff. ive ran mine now for a few months, same belt and only a few slips.

[badger]

Originally Posted by thorsteenster

the tranny really isnt all that bad with a good locked center diff. ive ran mine now for a few months, same belt and only a few slips.

Then your not driving it hard enough. I would destroy that tranny the first time I went out.

[Thorsteenster]

Originally Posted by badger

Then your not driving it hard enough. I would destroy that tranny the first time I went out.

true dat, the parts i left out is ive only comped with it once and thats when i had the slips, nothing bad though, not as bad as i was expecting from what ive heard. the rest of the running has just been lite duty crawling. the chain drive i got in the works is .1475p ss roller chain with 180# tensile strength. if that breaks i got .250p chain that has an 800# tensile strength.

[MaXX_CrAWlER7]

Originally Posted by badger

That is a HUGE overstatement. If you want a excellent working tranny, install a Stampede tranny.

2x they're awsome

[elbo]

so with that tensioner and a thicker belt the stock tranny would last a while right? i switched my center ball diff for diff bevel gear set and locked it(no jb weld here) i dont think i really need a stampede tranny. im new so im sure you more experienced guys will disagree but thats why this is a forum...let me know???

[beaglegod]

From what Ive been hearing, the stock tranny will get your by if you just fooling around in the back yard or in the house,and especialy if you stick with the stock size wheels.

The Pede tranny mod seems to be the next step when your gonna realy open up the footprint and use larger wheels for some serious crawlin.

So I think Austincrawls has a nice little setup that should get us by until we get our feet a little wet and start getting crazy with the fully dedicated crawlers.

Correct me if Im wrong, I havent started building yet and wont be able to untill a few weeks so Im still tossing stuff around!

[Tzi]

i think some of these guys forget what its like to try stuff out, and see how it goes before ripping into it with mods that cost more $$.

Somtimes people just need to get it running and have some fun without costing the world... and THEN they will upgrade in their own time.

I myself am building a TLT at the moment... and i am stuggling to understand WHY tamiya even put that wreched ball diff in the thing anyway!
If it was a geared diff, it would be easier to lock, or even put something in it to make it a LSD... ya might even get the clod effect with the front wheels clawing at stuff instead of flipping over

I think i'll go the screw through the side method and see how that goes while i am waiting for my 'pede' or rustler or whatever trans... all things in time.

[kris]

Buy the links from Ebay you will pay half as much and don't use the ball and cup methood use the link ends that come with the kit also don't mount anything to the bottom of the axel housing it just takes away ground clearance. If you do build it with the stock link mounts don't drive it to hard it will break the upper chassis mount and if you can run a whole comp with a stock belt the course is to easy I put new parts in mine for my first comp and did not make it 5' into the first course before the belt slipped

[nitromtcrawler]

i have just tried this and it works great but u dont get a lot of flex