Thunderbolt II Pro Race Buggy Build

[pwaicon]

I haven’t seen a build thread for the TB2, probably due to the fact they come assembled from the factory, so I decided to completely strip down my TB2 Pro Race and document the build. Started it this evening and hope to have it up and running by next weekend, fingers crossed. So far I assembled the rear end to the point where it is ready to be mounted to the chassis. I did a few little mods, these are some of the things I ended up doing to my Titan and I think they will serve the TB2 well. One mod involves the center drive cup, this cup is normally held on using to grub screws. What I do is take HPI item number 86632; it is a pin with a threaded end, and cut the pin to length. The pin will then fit into the hole on the shaft the center drive cup goes on, this gives the cup a much better connection to the shaft and greatly reduces the chance of it coming loose. You could use just one pin, I choose to use two. The other mod I did involves the diff housing. The top of the housing is held together using two screws which work well but over time can come loose allowing the diff housing to separate. This is mainly an issue if you are going to use a modified engine due to the extra torque. Instead of using the supplied screws I install a bolt and nut. Slight trimming of the diff case is required to allow the nut to line up with the bolt, but the trimming is very minimal and does not affect the diff housing. This keeps the top of the diff housing from separating under the stress a modified engine can create and in turn keeps the mesh correct between the ring and pinion gears. Here are some pics of the mods and the build thus far.

297298299300301

[pwaicon]

Here are some more pics of the diff assembly

302303304305306

[pwaicon]

More pics, these include the center drive cup mod

307308309310311

[pwaicon]

More pics, these ones include the diff case mod

312313314315316

[pwaicon]

Here are a few more, sorry about so many post but I am only able to upload 5 pics per post.

317318319320321

[pwaicon]

Last set of pics for now, hopefully I will get to the front tomorrow and get them mounted up to the chassis.

322323324325326

[dc2 man]

like i said on rcu man looks great keep it coming :)

[mooman007uk]

I shall be doing the diff housing bolt mod ready for my full mod 27.2 and propipe...cheap and simple insurance...nice one

[pwaicon]

Thanks dc2, will do.;)

Moo,
Funny thing is you were someone I had in mind when I posted this mod. I know with your driving style and the motor/pipe combo you have planned this mod will serve you well.:)

[46u]

pwaicon what diff and shock oils are you going to run?

[pwaicon]

I think for now I will just run the stock oils and see how the buggy handles. I only opened one of the diffs for the build thread and I don’t plan on disassembling the shock just yet.

[mradlin]

:good idea: on those mods. I can't wait to see what else you come up with.

[46u]

I am considering starting with the oils Chris told me that came in it but since there is SO many different ways companies mark there oils hard to use this as a comparison. Does any one know what brand of oil Nutech uses in there vehicles? If I know the brand and it is on the link I posted I could start with what comes in it. PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN. I am waiting on 3 orders to get here to get mine running which I hope will all be here this week.

[46u]

pwaicon all ready modified this. When I got my TBII Pro Racer I was concerned about one of the screws holding the rock guard on under the fuel tank rubbing the tank as well as making where you had to take the fuel tank off to remove the rock guard. So we relocated the hole.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r123/46u/Thnderbolt%20II/DSCF3473.jpg
Now you can get to the screw with the tank on.
http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r123/46u/Thnderbolt%20II/DSCF3475.jpg

[pwaicon]

Thanks for the pics 46, that will be what I will do then and like you said it will also allow removal of the rock guards without hassling with the gas tank. I am also going to shim the tank with rubber washer like Moo did.

Here are some more pics of the progress I made yesterday.

329330331332333

[46u]

I do not know why but there are times I cannot get on this site. I get an error say connection has timed out. Then it will take me at least 10 to 20 minutes to get on.

This is what I did on mine for spacers. They are not rubber but nylon. Being the tank sets on the rock guards I thought nylon would be fine and still give a little movement. All so it was what I had handy LOL!

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r123/46u/Thnderbolt%20II/DSCF3478.jpg

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r123/46u/Thnderbolt%20II/DSCF3481.jpg

[46u]

I all so am going to shim the wheel hubs to take some of the play out and put some tubing in the drive cups to take some of the play on the dog bones out both center and rear since the fronts are CVD will not shim them. I all so do not like using grease on the CVD or dog bones. I like to use Teflon Multi-Use. It does not attract dirt as bad as grease.
http://www2.dupont.com/Consumer_Lubricants/en_US/products/dryfilm.html

[pwaicon]

Here is another mod I used on my Titan and it will work here also, it’s not necessary but it will stop you from loosing the bottom bolt that hold the steering knuckle to the c-hub. These are specialty bolts and I haven’t been able to find them in my local hardware stores or hobby shops so I wasn’t willing to take a chance to loose another one if it were to come loose again. All I did was make a small backer plate, make a grove to clear the bolt head then dill and tap for two counter sunk screws. It is a quick and easy insurance policy.

334335336337338

[46u]

pwaicon not trying to high jack your thread but I thought better for me to post here about my build so we do not have to keep going between several different threads.

Anther thing I am going to do as I saw someone else here do is try HPI baja shock boots on the shocks to help keep the dirt out of the shock seals.

[pwaicon]

The rest of the front end assembly.

339340341342343

[46u]

I just pulled my rear wheel cups and wonder why they have a busing in between the bearings? I can guess there reasoning but do not see where they are necessary. This is where some of the slop comes from. None of any of my other RC vehicles have these. All so the bearings are shield and not sealed. I will be replacing these shortly.

[pwaicon]

pwaicon not trying to high jack your thread but I thought better for me to post here about my build so we do not have to keep going between several different threads.

Anther thing I am going to do as I saw someone else here do is try HPI baja shock boots on the shocks to help keep the dirt out of the shock seals.

No problem, feel free to post up any pics, suggestions or mods. The more information the better, it’s all about Team Nutech.

I tried the shock boots on my Titan, but with the boots on it didn’t allow the shocks to compress fully and in turn didn’t allow the chassis to bottom out on big jumps. I am not sure if the same thing will happen on the TB2, I am looking forward to your results if you decide to try the shock boots on your TB2.

[pwaicon]

I just pulled my rear wheel cups and wonder why they have a busing in between the bearings? I can guess there reasoning but do not see where they are necessary. This is where some of the slop comes from. None of any of my other RC vehicles have these. All so the bearings are shield and not sealed. I will be replacing these shortly.

I only had the washers on the front axles and not the rear; my guess would be without them the wheel hub would rub the steering knuckle.

I will also be changing to sealed ones. I think on the RTR version the shielded ones are acceptable but on the Pro Race version they should have sealed bearings, this is something I will pass on the Chris and Ethan.

[46u]

If I take the bushings out between the two bearings I do not think I will need to shim. Can set the play by the wheel hex.

[pwaicon]

Boy I read your comment wrong. I thought you were referring to the washer between the otter bearing and the wheel hub (square drive block). The busing between the bearings is to prevent binding when you tighten the nut that holds the wheel on. Without the bushing you will get some binding if you over tighten the wheel nut. I had the same “slop” and all I did was file the bushing until the slop was gone. I would recommend using the bushings, that way you can tighten down the wheel nut without any binding on the wheel bearings.

[46u]

OK with the FG style wheel hex set up you have to run the brass spacers. This is my first experience with this style set up as my baja and 1/8 buggies are different. So until I get off my lazy butt and set up my lath will have to deal with the wheel play.

[46u]

Boy I read your comment wrong. I thought you were referring to the washer between the otter bearing and the wheel hub (square drive block). The busing between the bearings is to prevent binding when you tighten the nut that holds the wheel on. Without the bushing you will get some binding if you over tighten the wheel nut. I had the same “slop” and all I did was file the bushing until the slop was gone. I would recommend using the bushings, that way you can tighten down the wheel nut without any binding on the wheel bearings.

Yep just figured this out! But thanks.

[46u]

pwaicon on your rear upper A arms did it come with thread bolts? Really need a shoulder bolt or a pin here as I am afraid the threads are going to wear the A arm out much quicker.

[pwaicon]

Center diff assembly

344345346347348

[pwaicon]

pwaicon on your rear upper A arms did it come with thread bolts? Really need a shoulder bolt or a pin here as I am afraid the threads are going to wear the A arm out much quicker.

That is another point on my notes to Chris. I too believe the threaded bolt will wear much quicker. Not only will it wear the upper arm the threads themselves will become worn and create a sloppy fit.

[pwaicon]

Time to get the servo saver mounted to the chassis. I would recommend switching the bushing to bearings for a smoother steering system.

349350351352353

[46u]

That is another point on my notes to Chris. I too believe the threaded bolt will wear much quicker. Not only will it wear the upper arm the threads themselves will become worn and create a sloppy fit.

Cool as I brought this to Chris attention as well.

[pwaicon]

Finally get to start mounting things to the chassis.

354355356357358

[46u]

The bearings or at least the wheel bearings are ABEC5 rated which is VERY GOOD!

[pwaicon]

This is the last set of pics from yesterday’s progress.

359360361362363

[dc2 man]

man that looks well

it has a considerable amount of alloy in comparisson to the megamonster.
so any idea when its due for release? i know its all testing in progress but they must have some kind of deadline.

[46u]

At first they where shooting for Dec 2009 but do to some changes and wanting to do more testing it was moved back. As of now do not know of any release dates.

[paintendave]

This is the last set of pics from yesterday’s progress.

359360361362363

" AWSOME" JOB pwaicon your "RC"S are allway's top noch!

[NUTECH RACING]

Cool as I brought this to Chris attention as well.

change already, not test yet.

[46u]

change already, not test yet.

Chris please keep us posted as I would like to change this on mine ASAP.
Thanks.

[pwaicon]

" AWSOME" JOB pwaicon your "RC"S are allway's top noch!

Thanks, my other cars must feel neglected as the TB2 is getting all my attention at the moment, too many toys and not enough time to play.:D

[pwaicon]

Well I am almost finished, still waiting on my clutch which should be here this Thursday. I installed the engine just to make sure everything went together okay with the pipe, but will have to take it out when the clutch get here. If everything works out I should get some track time on Sunday.:dance:

370371372373374

[pwaicon]

More pics installing the servos and the air filter.

375376377378379

[RCKIWI]

looking good, can't wait for you to get it on the track! change the gears around before you do tho!

[pwaicon]

Temporary installing the engine and the Nutech tuned pipe. I am very curious to see how this pipe performs.

380381382383384

[pwaicon]

looking good, can't wait for you to get it on the track! change the gears around before you do tho!

Good eye, I knew someone was going to catch that.:) I am use to my Titian with the bigger wheels.

[mradlin]

It's really close now!!! Looking good. :excited:

[mooman007uk]

pwaicon where did you get those steering bellcrank bearings...and what size are they, I'll be ugrading to the alloy steering shortly and want some of those ;)

[46u]

pwaicon where did you get those steering bellcrank bearings...and what size are they, I'll be ugrading to the alloy steering shortly and want some of those ;)

6x10x3 I put them in mine and shimmed some of the play out.

[pwaicon]

That’s the size. I picked them up at my local hobby shop, I think it is a standard size on a lot of cars.

[pwaicon]

I finished up the build yesterday and I even finished painting the body. I also decided to go back and put an o-ring on the air filter.

396397398399400

[pwaicon]

Here is the finished buggy.

401402403404405

[paintendave]

"Nice Job Man!!

[Asphaltcowboy]

Great, i like it very much !

:yahoo:

Greetings Maik

[NUTECH RACING]

very very good.:excited:

[Clubin]

Damn good looking buildup. That is more beautiful than my MCD RR.

[mradlin]

That looks great!!!! What wing are you using? :excited:

Also, I changed the settings for the forum. Posts can now have lots more pics in them at once. :good idea:

[RCKIWI]

Yep as I said on RCU that thing is sexy! Looks like an FG wing to me

[dc2 man]

nice job...

cant wait to get my new nutech MEGAMONSTER :top secret:

it will have every available hop up for it..

cy29cc engine/ proline shell :dance:

really excited.

[pwaicon]

Thanks guys for all the positive comments, it sure was a fun build. I am already working on a few mods, which I will post once I make some progress on them.

I ran the buggy for the first time today at the track and I was very satisfied with its performance. As soon as I am able to, I will edit and post the video. Chris I will make sure to post one on photobucket for you now YouTube recipients, it will probably have to be shorter than the YouTube version though due to photbucket’s MB limit.

[NUTECH RACING]

Thank you Brian.:excited::dance::boxing::band::punk:

[pwaicon]

I finished up the video of the TB2 at the track and I have to say it performed really well. I will need to experiment with the shock oil as the rear was a little bouncy. The Nutech tuned pipe performed better than I expected it would, so that was a pleasant surprise. I always seem to have issues watching videos with Photobucket so I have posted it to both YouTube and Photobucket. Well enough talking here is the video.

http://s707.photobucket.com/albums/ww77/pwaicon/?action=view&current=TunderboltIIFirstRunAtMilestone12-0.flv

[pwaicon]

Here is the YouTube link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COinYvvLNv4

[RCKIWI]

Is looking great, and as you say the rear end seemed a bit bouncy, I changed to 2000 rear and 3000 front with heavier springs

[Clubin]

See, that's weard, I can not access the PhotoBucket vid I have a account with thousnads of pictures nad video's, but I watched it on YouTube. Thanks for posting both. Great video, and awsome looking track.

[mradlin]

Great vid!!!! I love how you were running with the Hurricane C5 at the end! :punk:

So what is your overall opinion of the Thunderbolt2 Brian?

[NUTECH RACING]

NICE! NICE! NICE!:boxing:

[mooman007uk]

nice vid, always say it but jealous of the track and kudos to your camera person...very steady.:)

[pwaicon]

Thanks guys, I am lucky to have such a nice track near by. Hopefully soon I will be able to try out the new 5th scale track in the San Diego are. Moo, I am lucky the wife enjoys filming and even though I have hit her a couple of times she keeps coming back for more.



Is looking great, and as you say the rear end seemed a bit bouncy, I changed to 2000 rear and 3000 front with heavier springs

Yep, the buggy is definitely a little bouncy in the rear. Is that diff oil or shock oil and what brand of oil is it? Also, what heavier springs are you using?

[RCKIWI]

Thanks guys, I am lucky to have such a nice track near by. Hopefully soon I will be able to try out the new 5th scale track in the San Diego are. Moo, I am lucky the wife enjoys filming and even though I have hit her a couple of times she keeps coming back for more.




Yep, the buggy is definitely a little bouncy in the rear. Is that diff oil or shock oil and what brand of oil is it? Also, what heavier springs are you using?

I use different brands of oils Venom, FG, Xray I am pritty sure diff and shock oils are the same in wt, I think Innovative Hobby have good selection.
Springs I used Outlaw RC (Australia) HPI Baja heavy duty spring, but most of the brands overthere would also work.

Did you try the Cleon wheels on it like I suggested?

[46u]

Great videos!!!!!!!!!! Thanks

[pwaicon]

I use different brands of oils Venom, FG, Xray I am pritty sure diff and shock oils are the same in wt, I think Innovative Hobby have good selection.
Springs I used Outlaw RC (Australia) HPI Baja heavy duty spring, but most of the brands overthere would also work.

Did you try the Cleon wheels on it like I suggested?

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try the Cleon wheels. I actually drove the Cleon first and I had some MCD RR wheels on it so I could use the Cleon wheels on the TB but I busted one of the RR wheels. I ended up putting the stock wheels back on the Cleon and never got around to installing them on the TB. They really hook up well on the Cleon and its 2wd so I am sure they will hook up nice on the TB. Next time I promise I will try the Cleon wheels and of course I will shoot some video of it.;)

[RCKIWI]

Ok great thanx for answering!

[pwaicon]

Well I got the video uploaded and I think the CPI pipe performed great. I still need to finalize my rear shock tower design and I will also have to build a custom roll cage as the stock cage doesn’t fit with this pipe. So far I am very pleased with the TBII performance and I haven’t encountered any major issues and the factory has been very responsive to suggestions and ideals regarding the buggy. . If all goes well I plan on giving the TBII its first bashing test this weekend. I know it’s the Pro Race version but I think every car should get at least one prober bashing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrB9V06HHUw

[pwaicon]

Chris, here is the Photobucket link.

http://s707.photobucket.com/albums/ww77/pwaicon/?action=view&current=ThunderboltIIFirstTestWithModifiedC.flv

[VancouverHobbies]

Looks good Brian, by the sound it comes on pipe in the mid rpm range and powers all the way to the top. Keep up the good work, always interested in your projects :excited:

[NUTECH RACING]

What brand and what size engine you use?

Very nice video!:punk:

[pwaicon]

Looks good Brian, by the sound it comes on pipe in the mid rpm range and powers all the way to the top. Keep up the good work, always interested in your projects :excited:

Thanks GJ, this was a project I was planning for my Titan but that all changed once I got the TBII. I can’t wait to try it out in an open area and once I get a roll cage on it I will be able to drive it more aggressively.


What brand and what size engine you use?

Very nice video!:punk:

Chris, it was a CY 23cc that I put a race ported 28.5 top end kit on. I probably could have gotten some more power out of the engine if I took more time to tune it, but I was too anxious to try out the pipe.

[RCKIWI]

Very cool vid pipe seems real good, can't wait until you have a cage on it to unleash the power properly:D

[pwaicon]

Thanks RCI, you and me both. I even picked up DDM’S deal of the day last week when they had an ESP modified and race ported 4 bolt on sale.:dance:

[mradlin]

Looks like a great combination you have there!!! Nice vid!! :excited:

[pwaicon]

I finished up my project on the CPI pipe and the rollcage. I also modified the steering link. I busted a bolt on the steering link so I decided to do modify it. I made another steering link using slightly thicker stock in order to use 2 flanged bearings this would enable me to use a 4mm bolt and also give me smoother steering since I was using bearings instead of bushings. I am pleased with how the steering upgrade came out as well as the CPI pipe and rollcage. I might have over braced the rollcage but a least it should protect the pipe and the buggy in an impact, which I am sure I will have quite a few of those once I get to take the buggy out bashing.

436437438439440

[pwaicon]

I just realized you can now upload more than 6 pics per post.:) Here are the rest of the pics.

454455456457458459460

461462463464465466467

[RCKIWI]

WOW that is awesome Brian great job love the rear shock tower nice and thick! funny been thinking of making my front shock tower from 6mm as bent the std one a couple of times now in testing roll overs:D

[VancouverHobbies]

As always very impressive! looks bullet proof!

[Asphaltcowboy]

I just realized you can now upload more than 6 pics per post.:) Here are the rest of the pics.


Really good modifications !
I like them very much ... :excited:

greetings Maik

[NUTECH RACING]

Nice mod Brian,

we will consider to have option shock tower to fit good tune pipes.:good idea:

[mradlin]

I finished up my project on the CPI pipe and the rollcage. I also modified the steering link. I busted a bolt on the steering link so I decided to do modify it. I made another steering link using slightly thicker stock in order to use 2 flanged bearings this would enable me to use a 4mm bolt and also give me smoother steering since I was using bearings instead of bushings. I am pleased with how the steering upgrade came out as well as the CPI pipe and rollcage. I might have over braced the rollcage but a least it should protect the pipe and the buggy in an impact, which I am sure I will have quite a few of those once I get to take the buggy out bashing.




I just realized you can now upload more than 6 pics per post.:)

I changed the option a little bit ago Brian. ;)
Great job on the mods! they look great!!

[Asphaltcowboy]

we will consider to have option shock tower to fit good tune pipes.:good idea:

This is a very good idea !

greetings Maik

[NUTECH RACING]

We need to know which pipe will be the best tune pipe for tb2 then can decide how to make a new option shock tower.:punk::boxing:

[mooman007uk]

damn i missed this one somehow....real nice work Brian...love the cage... and the steering link and the shock tower:punk:...what's the size and where did you get those bearings??? I want some

[pwaicon]

Thanks guys for all the positive comments.


WOW that is awesome Brian great job love the rear shock tower nice and thick! funny been thinking of making my front shock tower from 6mm as bent the std one a couple of times now in testing roll overs:D

I actually made a front shock tower but decided to leave it off to see how the stock one holds up when I go bashing. I will take it along so if or when I bend the stock one I will have a replacement. I used 3/8” which is about 9.5mm for both the front and rear, it was probably overkill but that was what I had.


damn i missed this one somehow....real nice work Brian...love the cage... and the steering link and the shock tower:punk:...what's the size and where did you get those bearings??? I want some

I used 4x8x3 flanged bearings. When I stacked the two bearings the space between the flanges was the perfect thickness for the 3/16” aluminum.

[RCKIWI]

That is a great mod for the steering rack plate! a flipped mine 180deg so the little hump at the end of plate now sits backwards, by doing this it eliminated the bump steer:D

[pwaicon]

Thanks for the tip; I will give it a try next time I go to the track.

[sickboy]

sweet pwaicon once again you have exceeded your self what grade alloy did you use for the tower?

[pwaicon]

Thanks for the kind words and sorry for the late reply, didn’t see the question. I used 6061 T6 and so far everything has held up great.

[NUTECH RACING]

Dear Brian,

when can we see your new videos?

I like your great videos :excited::excited::excited:

[pwaicon]

Hopefully I will have a new video up very soon.

[NUTECH RACING]

Cool! Can't wait to see your videos.:excited::dance::punk:

[mooman007uk]

Thanks for the kind words and sorry for the late reply, didn’t see the question. I used 6061 T6 and so far everything has held up great.

you can heat treat 6061 T6 like you can 7075 T6 if you need to make it tougher...it's not as strong as the 7075 but with heat treat it'll be close to untreated 7075...which is tough stuff

[pwaicon]

It’s been a while since I updated this thread, here are a few pics of the new look. It now has the longer MT arms as well as the MT shocks and I put on the Beetle shell. I figured it needed a new look for when it wasn’t on the track.

1056105710581059
10601061

[RCKIWI]

Very nice I like it! thats the good thing about this platform with very little changes you have a different car!

[sickboy]

Looking good as ever :punk:
we would all love to see this baby in action

[NUTECH RACING]

I like all black and green body! COOL !:punk:

[mradlin]

Looks great pwaicon!! :punk:

Top notch as always.

[mooman007uk]

Looking good, are you using the old titan alloy outer diff housings? how do you like it with the wider stance...should be better on the track

[pwaicon]

Thanks guys, I think the Beetle body is by far my favorite.

Sickboy,
As soon as I get some time I will edit the footage and post up a couple videos. I have some bashing footage and some of it on the track from this past weekend.

Moo,
I was using the older alloy otter diff housing, but like others have experienced they didn’t last long. Hopefully the new CNC ones will be better, they should. The wider stance really helped at the track. I also ran the softer springs which also really helped on the track.

[NUTECH RACING]

The CNC outer diff housing is far better than Titan ones. We tested over 2 months, nothing broken.:boxing:

[pwaicon]

I know it took awhile but I finally was able to edit some video of the TBII with the Beetle body on it. I still need to work on the track footage but I was able to put together a short bashing video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwN4GP9HlHk

[Pipeous]

Lots of room to rip it up there

[pwaicon]

It's a great place to bash, it is one of my favorites in that area.

[mradlin]

That does look like a great place to bash!!

I like the theme on your beetle body. :yahoo:

[mynameismud76]

Like to try that big hump of a jump myself.

Did you take any damage from the nose dives? These Punibolts are tough as bag of nails aren't they? LOL

[pwaicon]

That does look like a great place to bash!!

I like the theme on your beetle body. :yahoo:

Thanks. The funny thing was the green was actually two shades of green faded together but when I went back to finish up the body I forgot to back the greens with white first. The end result was of course was one solid green color, so much for all that air brushing.:damn:


Like to try that big hump of a jump myself.

Did you take any damage from the nose dives? These Punibolts are tough as bag of nails aren't they? LOL

No nose damage, I got of lucky because on one of the jumps it hit pretty good. The following week I was going to the track so I didn't want to push my luck otherwise I would have jumped it more. The only damage was a few minor body cracks and I blew out the rear shock pistons, which is why it was a little bouncy in the video.