Smitty's ultimate thread.

[smittyzz]

Not sure what you're using to trim the body with but I'd invest in some proper lexan scissors and go over what you've already trimmed. Or use some sandpaper to clean that up, and make that look nice.

Yew will be doing this soon.

One another note.

801~ tightened all screws. Took engine off tore down and cleaned inside(a 15degree decrease from onw day to the next sent my temps well over 300 sadly but caught and shut down!) No compression lost and engine feels better then before after cleaning.replaced old flywheel, clutch shoes, and clutch bell with the tamiya factory one.(had front clutch bell bearing seize up completely the other day.
And i landed q jump wrong and cracked a rim bad, but
Siperglue fixed that!
New 12 dollar pull start fits perfect and has a more heavy duty string and feels beefier so is on.

9.5~ got its pull start back(after i had to restring it 4 times the last 3 days.
Front and rear diffs were leaking due to no gadket so i made my own and testing them now.
Waitong on servos to be rtr

Raze~ still sitting. Might throw somes servos and an engine on her just yo test

---------- Post added at 8:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 8:14 PM ----------

And last note. Phone screen smashed, so havent been and wont be that active until i get my new screen in and fix it.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Phone screen smashed, so havent been and won't be that active until I get my new screen in and fix it.

I figured you did most of your posting from a phone, given some of the auto corrects it does to you here

No desktop or lap top? I think I'd go nuts trying to do very much on these boards from a phone!

 

[smittyzz]

Yea all by phone sadly
Forgot to mention my biggest gripe on the tomiya Is the brake padsI ate to one of the rear ones in both of the front one t so I am metal on metal in the front and my brakes actually work now

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Forgot to mention my biggest gripe on the tomiya Is the brake padsI ate to one of the rear ones in both of the front one t so I am metal on metal in the front and my brakes actually work now

Did you glue them to the backing plate?

 

[mrbones]

Not sure what you're using to trim the body with but I'd invest in some proper lexan scissors and go over what you've already trimmed. Or use some sandpaper to clean that up, and make that look nice.

Looks like he might have been using a hacksaw blade.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Looks like he might have been using a hacksaw blade.

I was thinking he chewed it out with his teeth.......

(Just pokin' a little fun, Smitty! It's all in good spirits! )

 

[smittyzz]

Lol yea i glued them, might have been too much superglue caused it, lol but today i ran her. My one way shaft really hurt me(temps went way too high the other day). Seized one one way bearing on it loosened the flywheel nut, and did a number on my brand new pull start. got everything right and i test it and it keeps locking up even with my other slipping one way, so i threw the other back plate and shaft from my (might as well be parts engine now ) and beyween that and the internal cleaning, shes alot more snappier, runs and idles better, and sounds better. No more seizing

And if i didnt have my abs brakes on itd prolly flip over hitting the brakes and turning at the same time. Brakes are the best ever!

But i have to get a new rim as i cracked one on a bad landing and just finished it off tonight sadly
Superglue held but not long enough. Tomorrow i will finish my 9.5 rear diff is all set and no leaking, fronts next and might have to redo center as well.

---------- Post added at 5:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 5:15 PM ----------

And no i cut little 2 mm strips and bent them so thats why it looks like it has teeth lol

 

[wacmartin]

2mm strips! Jeez how long did that take?

Trimming bodies is my least favourite part of this hobby I would have to say.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Trimming bodies is my least favourite part of this hobby I would have to say.

Ditto.

However, I've found 3 things make it far less aggravating:

-curved toenail scissors
-a good, sharp hobby knife
-die grinder with fine carbide burrs

 

[wacmartin]

I use a curved and straight lexan scissors. Depending how much "cleaning" up needs to be done I'll take a straight grinder with an arbour I made up when I was working as a machinist. Which is just a piece of straight rod with a notch cut through the width of it about a 1/2" down the rod, wrap some fine grit emery paper in there tape it at the end with some electrical tape and viola.
If it needs a lot of cleaning up then I might break out the high RPM pencil grinder with fine burrs or a fine grit flap wheel.

Pencil grinders have destroyed the nerves in my index and middle fingers, so I now avoid them at all costs and try not to use any grinders at all. My fingers now go white in the cold, and I'll lose feeling in them if theres continuous vibrations on my right hand.

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Pencil grinders have destroyed the nerves in my index and middle fingers, so I now avoid them at all costs and try not to use any grinders at all. My fingers now go white in the cold, and I'll lose feeling in them if theres continuous vibrations on my right hand.

Well, that sucks! I can relate, though; years of slide hammers and beating on metal things with mini sledges has done a number on my elbows, plus some pretty gnarly carpel tunnel from removing and installing literally hundreds of thousands of screws, nuts & bolts over the last couple decades. Also grip pens as though they're trying to get away from me :\

 

[smittyzz]

My brake pads not lasting are because of all the snow that I put my rigs through. I checked last night and it was soaked in water and falling apart Lol
So now I have to adjust my rear brakes again. So there now medal on medal in front and back.
Another note. I read up on how to properly tune and I am doing a lot better I feel so much more confident. And my temps are finally under control. And it can actually idle now as well for long periods of time. Before it would load up and die.
Part of my problem was that the low speed needle is on the opposite side as my ofna force, and that threw me off till last night.
Retuned it and was having troubles hitting 200 because I went to break in specs
And my 801 is a tank. It will plow threw snow 3-4 inches deep no problem.
And sixty, I found out that I am running 4 inch tires, the new ones I just got are actually slightly smaller. But there perfect. And I'm happy that I got them!
Should get my 2 new rigs in the mail todayas well so I'm pretty happy.

Phone screen came in and it didn't have a digitizer so I decided I'm gonna pay the 173 to get a whole new screen and housing and make it quick and easy

 

[Nitro Nerd]

Yeah man...tuning is all about the LSN and idle combination. I thought I knew how to tune until I went to a track for the first time and was like Daaaayummm! Each time wed go out they'd tell me things like "lay down your idle" or "fatten your bottom a tad". Etc. Taught me how to listen to things I had no idea about. Also learned the importance of fuel and plugs. You have to first know what the end result should be (ie what to listen for in a good race tune). The hard part is getting to that point. I'm still learning an picking up tips as much as I can.

 

[smittyzz]

Snapped another a arm Lol
Bad landing lol
Same side too Lol

 

[Non Crimen]

Snapped another a arm Lol
Bad landing lol
Same side too Lol

You should stop doing that.

 

[Nitro Nerd]

C'mon man...don't tell me this! Where did it snap? Those arms seem brittle as is. Did it snap in the same place as last time? I've read where three people have broken these a-arms the first time out with it.

In fact, I know a company working on a solution to this as this is gaining exposure. I went ahead an also ordered the shorter arms/drive shafts as that is supposed to help. Who knows.

 

[smittyzz]

Well I do aaaallllooottt of jumping. AMD I sometimes get roust, I think hitting the front tire on a noise dive on a 6-7 foot jump will snap a lot of a arms... But it snapped just at the front hinge where the pin goes threw, I'm gonna boil my 2 sets I get I just ordered.
And I have been having a lot of fun now that she's tuned. She almost wants to wheelie going threw three inches of snow Lol

 

[Nitro Nerd]

Most people with truggies run them hard - they are designed to jump...and 6-7 feet is not that much, Smitty. Hate to tell you that. Buggies/truggies at our track go 15-20 feet easily. Sometimes kits have 'known' problems. People find work-arounds for it instead of continuing to break the same part. Take this for what you will. ;-)

And my disclaimer continues - we've not run this yet. But I know if I ever kept breaking the same part, I would look to solve it. I'm glad you have yours tuned and its a tank and all of that. I just hope I have better luck with parts breaking on this than you do - because ours we'l be doing a lot of jumping as well. ;-) Sometimes you just have to make changes to your vehicle to get it how it should be - it's quite common in this hobby, as I'm sure you know.

Additionally, here is some good intel on locking it down.
http://www.rctech.net/forum/nitro-off-road/235139-tamiya-trf801xt-86.html

 

[smittyzz]

It was mainly my fault landing on the end of an a arm after a bad jump off a snow bank Lol
I Prolly give the short @RMS a try but I like the way she looks now. And the fact that the a arms were being driven through snow and pretty cold didn't help its durability at all Lol
On another note, I still haven't gotten my servos from overseas, and I will have my package with my 2 new its in the mail tomorrow

 

[Sixtysixdeuce]

Most people with truggies run them hard - they are designed to jump...and 6-7 feet is not that much, Smitty. Hate to tell you that. Buggies/truggies at our track go 15-20 feet easily.

Long, not high. 15 or 20 feet high will break any kit, unless you get real lucky. Shoot, I don't think I ever even got 20 feet high with my KTM 300MXC. That's two stories, man.

I don't know how Smitty is landing that he keeps breaking arms & wheels, but I haven't had that issue, and I've done some rough ones. I've got 5 packs through the electric and 8 or 9 post-break in tanks through the Nitro, so far the only casualties have been the knuckle and shock I took out on the stands, and all four body mount posts on the electric; two from upside-down landing, the other two at the indoor track on Sunday when I launched it into the wall on my first go. As I mentioned in the other thread, though, I had to move the posts up on the e-truggy to clear battery, and that leaves one of the holes in the post dead even with the top of the mount. They have been replaced with softer Losi LST posts, those are hanging in there so far.

I don't think Smitty is running on a track, either, so guessing a lot of his landings involve concrete/asphalt. Pretty unforgiving surface.