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Do any of you have suggestions for a body for my Turbo Optima other than the stock T.O. body, which I don't really care for? I *love* the original Optima body but it's too narrow to fit an 8.4V 7-cell battery. Have any of you tried other bodies and found they fit quite well? Cheers!

That's going to be tough: there were very few bodies around that took 7 cells across, and no modern ones as far as I know

You can use the Salute body if you want. It came with 8,4v 7cell battery pack.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Kyosho-Salute-Body-Wing-Driver-decal-fits-all-Optima-/180540834370?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Radio_Control_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a09128242

I believe this will work. I can get you a width measurement when I get home tonite to see if 7 cells will fit under it.

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=13993

The open side off the salute did give me some ideas: a tamiya re-re boomerang body or even hotshot should work... it did for my ultima

Thanks guys. Mr. ED, that's a cool mod, I remember reading your thread on that (Kyosho Hotshot). I remember drooling over the Hotshot--this was when I was rockin' The Frog--but when it came time to buying my next car, I was working in a hobby store and saw practically every car from the 80's up close, and by that time was quite nonplussed by Tamiya's extensive use of plastic. It just didn't seem "serious" to me. Then, the Optima came along...

Needless to say, Tamiya was never a consideration thereafter. Here's a thought...would people agree that Traxxas is the Tamiya of the 2000's?

I use a ProTech I on my Turbo Optima, but I'm don't think it'll have the clearance for a 7 cell.

The Salute is a cute idea...I believe someone on the forum commented that the Salute must've been designed by George Jetson. Indeed...you can almost hear that sound of Jetson's bubble-topped spaceship when you look at the Salute.

Get a Javelin rollcage. These look great, but they are so expensive and really only for shelf-queens now.

Get a Javelin rollcage. These look great, but they are so expensive and really only for shelf-queens now.

The Associated Viper body is about 6.25" wide where the battery would be if it was mounted on an Optima; in comparison, a Turbo Optima body is also 6.25" wide at the battery, so the Viper should work.

Viper: http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LX2708&P=7

Regards,

Robert

I didn't mention it before; thinking it was not easily available anyway... but I just saw Team Blue Groove is making repros: Stinger MK2.
I have one to measure if you're interested

Mr. ED wrote:I didn't mention it before; thinking it was not easily available anyway... but I just saw Team Blue Groove is making repros: Stinger MK2.
I have one to measure if you're interested

Sure, if that'll fit on the Turbo Optima chassis and will fit an 8.4V flat pack, I might be interested in that design--looks pretty cool!

I'm quite sure it is wide enough in the rear, but I don't know if the widest section is forward enough... I have the body but no optima and 8.4V battery to test it out.
What's the distance from the front shocktower to the front of the battery and how wide is the battery?

Mr. ED wrote:I'm quite sure it is wide enough in the rear, but I don't know if the widest section is forward enough... I have the body but no optima and 8.4V battery to test it out.
What's the distance from the front shocktower to the front of the battery and how wide is the battery?

I have the battery dimensions right now, as I just received today the Duratrax DTX4600 battery I bought online a few weeks ago. The battery length (not including wires/connector) is exactly 6-1/4", or 158 mm. The width is about 47 mm or just under 1-7/8". I'd figure an extra half-inch or so would provide enough space for the wires to route properly under the body.

When I get home, I'll install the battery and measure the distance from the front shock tower to the leading edge of the battery.

Thanks for the help!