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Returning_Jim wrote:I haven't run it yet. I'm trying to find some turnbuckles and rear shocks.

Anyone know where to buy turnbuckles in various lengths?

There's tons all over eBay, just look for the lengths you need. Aluminum is good (better than black steel) and titanium is better, but pricy, unless you score a deal. Which ones are you upgrading, the camber links F & R, or the tie rods? Look for M3 (3mm) threaded ends. I seem to remember the Optima's tie rods (not including ball-ends) are somewhere around 49 mm. I believe the camber links are approximately 32 - 34 mm without ball-ends. You're running non-stock wheels but I don't think that changes anything with regards to the links & tie rods as the arms and suspension parts are the same.

3 x 18mm (I've used these to make custom stabilizer links):
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Tamiya-54247-OP1247-3x18mm-Aluminum-Turnbuckle-Shaft-/191513092874?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c9711e30a

3 x 23mm:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Aluminum-Turnbuckle-Shaft-3X23mm-2Pcs-Tamiya-/191472311555?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c94a39d03

3 x 32mm:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Tamiya-54249-OP1249-3x32mm-Aluminum-Turnbuckle-Shaft-/321677323933?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae5766e9d

3 x 42mm:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/3x42mm-Alu-Turnbuckle-Shaft-2-Tamiya-/191518066140?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c975dc5dc

3 x 50mm:
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/53944-TAMIYA-3-x-50mm-Hard-Turnbuckle-Shaft-2pcs-1-10-R-C-Car-Hop-Up-Part-/311293888032?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item487a8fc620

Those are just aluminum ones. You can find titanium ones, even in sets, if you search for "Lunsford", but those get a tad expensive.

Thanks for the links.

Looks like I'll be bustin' out the Greased Lightning to remove some anodizing...

Returning_Jim wrote:Thanks for the links.

Looks like I'll be bustin' out the Greased Lightning to remove some anodizing...

Easy Off heavy duty oven cleaner works great for that, too. Spray it on, wait about 2 minutes, and it'll start running right off the aluminum. About 5 minutes and a gentle scrub with a toothbrush and it should remove pretty much all the ano.

That looks mean doesn't it? Nice job. I've been thinking of building something similar, but I'll base it on a 4wd chassis. Trick is that I have really nice Robbe Planeta 500 motor with integrated planetary gearbox that (from memory) is about 3.7:1 ratio. I used this in a 2m electric soarer many years ago. Should be pretty useful crawler gearing I reckon.
Those tyres/wheels, where do you get em?
-Jools

Jools wrote:That looks mean doesn't it? Nice job. I've been thinking of building something similar, but I'll base it on a 4wd chassis. Trick is that I have really nice Robbe Planeta 500 motor with integrated planetary gearbox that (from memory) is about 3.7:1 ratio. I used this in a 2m electric soarer many years ago. Should be pretty useful crawler gearing I reckon.
Those tyres/wheels, where do you get em?
-Jools

Thanks!
The wheels came from RC4WD, but as I showed further up the thread, two of them self-destructed while sitting on the shelf, so I can't recommend them. I decided not to buy any more of them, and instead am sticking with the Optima wheels shown above.

Another thing about the RC4WD wheels is that the axle hole is sized to suit a Tamiya axle rather than Kyosho, so you actually need some sleeves to make up the difference, or conical-seat axle nuts, which I wasn't able to find.

Coelacanth wrote:What are your plans for a motor? I'd think something between a 13.5T and a 10T would be good, and you can dial down the punch if necessary. Running tall, heavy tires means the motor will need to work a bit harder to spin them, which you'll be freeing the stress up a bit by down-sizing the pinion to a 9T or 10T. I'm interested to see how it runs, hopefully you'll record a vid!

It has a LeMans 240ST in there right now just because that's what I had sitting around. Ultimately, I'd like to put in a mild brushless set-up.

I was finally able to run this thing today for the first time, and it was really nice.

I had to mix and match some parts from other cars in order to get proper length tie rods in front, and I temporarily stole the rear shocks (which have very little oil and improper springs) from the Optima I just bought. I used an old Duratrax ESC, a 25 year old battery pack, and opened up the box for my Flysky gt3b as well.

All things considered, the car ran great. The gearing seems to be just right (10t) and it really handles pretty nice especially given the fact that it hasn't been "set up" at all. I can highly recommend these "Ebay tires"...$12/4 shipped and they've got a nice soft compound that allows the car to turn a lot better than you'd expect. The roar you get on pavement is cool too. The only downside to the tires is that the foams could be harder and the brakes don't work so great with all the tire inertia.

The best part is that the car does the main thing I wanted it to do, which is to drive in grass, effortlessly. And it still looks and acts like a buggy, at least to my eyes. Basically, the big tires give the car more ability, without taking away any of the fun.

Returning_Jim wrote:All things considered, the car ran great. The gearing seems to be just right (10t) and it really handles pretty nice especially given the fact that it hasn't been "set up" at all.

Sounds great, thanks for the feedback with the gearing; it's nice to hear that the theoretical gearing suggested by my gear ratio calculator is right on, functionally.

I'd love to see an action vid!

I'm going to make a video once a get a better battery. This one I have goes soft after about 45 seconds.