I got me a T - nickname "Basketcase" lol

[orcusomega]

Well on New Years Eve i picked up a used T clone, and have been replacing the clone parts with genuine HPI parts - love it so far! I knew it needed some work, so it has been fun to wrench on - should have the engine today!

I'll post pics soon!

Bob

 

[Pope]

I have a nickname for it.

 

[orcusomega]

Don't be a hater!

Yes, it is a basket case - a lot of the $$ I have spent so far is cuz I wanted to (upgrades, etc). The only things I NEEDED were the RX batt, tires, and a rear body mount... It ran when I bought it, but the first time I fired it up, it ran 30 seconds and died - turns out the wrist pin retainer popped out and snapped the ring... Instead of rebuilding it I just ordered a HPI engine - known quantity, good motor, lots of aftermarket support and surprisingly inexpensive. I added a few goodies along the way - upgraded air filter, upgraded shocks, just ordered the pull start filter and crank case filter, plus a much better kill switch... When I add everything up, I am still MUCH lower than a new HPI, and turns out I have all the important HPI stuff HPI motor, radio box, hi-torque HPI steering servo, engine, and rear diff. I broke the entire thing down, cleaned and lubed everything. Rear diff, which is apparently supposed to be significantly different than the HPI, but it was apparently upgraded by the previous owner.

All in all I am pretty happy - so far I have a remote kill switch coming that will work off the third channel on my DX3S, either automatically if it glitches or loses contact with the TX, or I can kill it remotely from the controller (the kill switch is connected to the manual engine kill switch on the side of the case, its a pretty slick design).

I hope to have it running tomorrow - motor should be in today!

Bob

 

[ryugaiden05]

Good luck on the build. It is always fun to get one used and put on it what you want.

 

[orcusomega]

OK, so here's some pics:

When I got it, it needed a few things:

Tires:

RX Battery

Rear shocks:

So I started putting together the needs and the wants While I was waiting for the goodies to come in, I started tearing it down. The trans had been completely swapped out with an HPI trans (you can tell from the purple anodizing and the HPI differential - all broken down, cleaned, lubed, and re-assembled)...

I also pulled off the head cover, and found that the previous owner liked to drive in the grass:

and in trying to start it, I found out that there was a problem inside too - while pulling the starter cord, the engine locked solid. I pulled the engine apart, and found that the wrist pin retainer had popped out and lodged between the piston, intake port, and the cylinder wall. It did run, and well, when I tested it before I bought it - oh well. I just ordered a new engine off eBay for $85

Last night, I got it all put back together - ready to try it tonight or tomorrow - cross your fingers for me!

More pics, and hopefully video, soon!

Bob

 

[Pope]

My money says the little blue guy walks all over it. :stickpoke:

 

[orcusomega]

Well, took it out for a few mins today - let me know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ld3YpL0vhqY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PMfMTSZYwY

I didn't tune it particularly well - just went through the HPI Baja tuning video and I need to change some stuff It also has the 8K clutch spring in it and I am not at all sure I like it - I have a 6K spring I am going to put into it and see how that goes

Bob

 

[Pope]

Looks like alot of fun.

 

[MikeK1981]

Definitely looks fun! I want to get a 5T once I've been back to work for a while. Now... how to convince the wife that we have room for it? LOL. That thing makes the XL look tiny!

 

[orcusomega]

Well, been a few weeks, and this thing is fun as hell

The T body and all the trimmings are HEAVY, so I sprung for the parts necessary to convert it to a B - then I can have the best of both worlds. Here's what she looks like after the conversion:

I did remove the red rings - they don't fit quite right with the Badland rear tires. I have a decal set coming soon to tie it all together!

More to come!

Bob

 

[rody]

Looks good! After I bought my Baja, I rarely play with anything else. I've been thinking of letting all my other RC's go...even my Savages. It's just so much easier to gas and go!

 

[orcusomega]

Looks good! After I bought my Baja, I rarely play with anything else. I've been thinking of letting all my other RC's go...even my Savages. It's just so much easier to gas and go!

I know - isn't that the truth! Tuning is stupid easy, but they weigh a hell of a lot more than a Savage

Bob