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Recycle Your RC
Tony Arnold – StampedeProject.com
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EDITORIAL WARNING
Tony is a professional and sadly a little nuts. Several of these overhauls are verge on dangerous using products way out of the manufacturers’ intended use. Attempting the following modifications may result in RC & property damage, bodily harm, and/or death.
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[Image-WD40-3-in-1 product group]
Suggested Cleaning Equipment
- WD-40 Smart Straw & Big Blast Sprays – Cleaning, Lubing
- WD-40 No-Mess Pen – Sicker removal
- 3-IN-ONE Pro Heavy Duty Cleaner Degreaser
- Boca Road Power spray – Bearing & engine cleaner, lubricant & after run oil
- Toothbrush & Air Compressor
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Hired Muscle
I’m sane enough to know that with four RC’s to overhaul, I needed hardcore cleaning, lub’ing, and wrenching power and some new product finds came in handy. Hitachi
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Standard Rebuild/Overhaul on Each R/C
- High level inspection and RX battery replacement
- Test run to determine what works and what doesn’t
- Tear down, degrease, and soak with 3-in-1 Degreaser & WD-40
- Blow off excess with compressor
- Detailed parts inspection
- Replace/rebuild/recondition parts as necessary
- Engines received a quick disassembly, clean and lube
- Glow plugs were replaced
- Air filters cleaned and reloaded with fresh filter oil
- Fuel tubing was replaced where necessary
- Bearing inspection and exterior clean and relube
- Lock-Tight applied where necessary/everywhere
- Final test assessment of engines and systems
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Hot Bodies donated a used carbon fiber Andrew Hillman World Champion edition Cyclone roller in almost perfect condition. I say almost because 90% of the screw heads were stripped and it needed bearing and belt replacements.
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Cyclone Upgrades
#1 Screw extractor bit
Cyclone chassis screws
Mamba Max 7700 System
MaxAmps 14.8V 4S 3000Mh Lipo Pack
Geared 50/88
Jaco High Speed Rated Foams
ProtoForm DNA Body
Belt replacement
Zero Degree blocks
Boca Secret Weapon Plus Plus Ceramic Bearings
Spectrum RX/TX
Not Pictured
Castle BEC (
High Voltage Industrial Cooling Fans
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Since this outstanding RC has sat patently waiting for something special to happen, I decided to let it see some speeds that many RC’s only dream about. Initial testing of the Mamba Max 7700 A123 3S powered Cyclone went very bad when an old front belted tire blew at 57MPH at mid-throttle and broke the rear blocks and a couple pins. Despite the damage, I still wanted more speed. Sure 7700Kv motor isn’t recommended with the 4S packs like the slim MaxAmps pack I used, but there have been more than a few nuts like myself to go ahead and do it anyway. Although Hot Bodies also sent alone their new roomier Cyclone Brushless Motor Mount, I made some extra tweaks on the mount with my Proxxon mini-mill to allow for the extreme 50T/88T gearing.
After breakage and belt replacements, I swapped the stock bearings for some Boca Plus Plus Ceramic models for maximum spin. A Spectrum RX/TX set was added to assure high-speed control. I topped it off with a DNA ProtoForm body with wheel wells intact for better aerodynamics and pre balanced high shore Jaco foams to handle the speed. How fast? Let’s just say with the later added Castle BEC and fans on the ESC and motor it easily and consistently ripsway past 70MPH on high speed runs without thermaling. UPDATE - Since this didn't make it to print I can say this... I hit a little over 110MPH GPS confirmed speed before I decided to call it quits and not to destroy the car, but alas the car has a new owner now. The Cyclone is now a bullet that will outrun all but the most specialized RCs. Drop the gearing and voltage to something normal and that Mamba Max system will easily spin all day at the track.
HPI Savage X – From Salvage to Salvation
Apparently, the magazine ended up with two Savages, one to beat relentlessly and one for photos, guess which one I received? The obvious “house” favorite testing Savage was in serious need of more than a few things including a new motor and other replacement parts. I decided on a NTB (Nitro to Brushless) conversion with another fan cooled Mamba Max but with a fat Hacker C50 Maxx motor delivering the spin. Instead of replacing damaged pieces, I started talking with Jamie of FLM – Fast Lane Machine. Based on those discussions FLM actually developed their new NTB Savage kit for this article. FLM’s kit features hardened machined aircraft aluminum parts including extended adjustable arms, extended and lowered chassis, shock mounts, diff cases, bulkheads, and all the servo and mounting hardware to transform the Savage into a brutally tough upsized 1/7th scale hardened 6061 T6 Aluminum work of art.
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Savage Upgrades
Full Savage FLM Extended Chassis kit
FLM NTB Savage Conversion Kit
Ebay’ed Aluminum Shocks
Boca Savage Ceramic Yellow Seal Bearing Pack
Castle Mamba Max ESC
High Voltage Industrial Cooling Fan
Castle BEC (
Hacker C50S Maxx Motor
2 - 6.6V A123 4600Mh Lithium Ion Packs
Pro-Line 40 Series Mulchers tires
Axial 40 Series Beadlock wheels
RC-Monster.com Mod1 Pinion & 3.2 to 5mm adapter
Pro-Line Cadillac Escalade EXT Body
Signal Y Splitter
Hobbico CS-170 333oz/in Servo
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A signal wire splitter was used to send stop signals to the brake servo and go signals to the ESC, and a Castle BEC was used to provide plenty of power to the upgraded Hobbico servo. Toped off with Axial beadlocks, Proline tires and body, this was the perfect setup for a recycled Savage. Plug in batteries, and start having fun without worrying about tuning - crazy power and more speed with less hassle. Although our roughly 45MPH figures and constant wheelie-ing torque were fun, the FLM chassis is a show buy itself and leaves everyone drooling. Words cannot explain how unbelievable this kit is.
Schumacher Menace – The Giggling Gaser
I have been dieing to get my hands on this little rocket for one purpose, a NTB conversion. But as much as I wanted to make a brushless Menace, with the exception of a broken shock shaft, fresh tires, a new body, and a inline fuel filter, it was in excellent condition and fired up perfectly every time during testing. That still leaves the Menace craving for the extra top end to work that top gear – the solution is laughably simple.
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Menace Upgrades
Havoc springs
Shock shaft replacement
Inline fuel filter
Pro-Line QuickLids Body
NX Adjustable RC Nitrous Oxide System
Dimension Engineering Pico Switch
Traxxas TQ-3 RX/TX unit
Custom NX kit bracket
Pro-Line 30 Series Dirt Hawg Tires
Pro-Line 30 Series All-Purpose Wheels
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Although I love brushless, I also love gas and especially when it is aspirated with that laughable giggle gas, we call nitrous oxide. As it turns out NX (Nitrous Express) who makes the nitrous systems for real cars, just introduced a newer lightweight adjustable nitrous boost system for RC cars. This was just what I needed to make the Menace scream in third gear. This compact 8oz. bolt on system uses widely available 16g nitrous oxide culinary cartridges (yep you get them at restaurant supply houses) for up to 90 seconds of boost time and can boost HP by up to 50% and torque by up to 30%. Although setup suggested simply using the included mini switch to activate the nitrous anytime full throttle was hit, I went a step further and wired up the arming switch through a Dimension Engineering Pico Switch. This little battlebot spec’ed gadget plugs into any servo output and provides electrical on/off switching which allowed me to arm the nitrous system remotely with a flick my transmitter’s third channel switch. Now I could time the moment the giggle gas was triggered to maximize HP, torque and the use of those 90 seconds of nitrous injection. More importantly I could actually richen up the high needle to take advantage of the nitrous boost. The result was the Menace screaming up to top speed under the juice boost for a real third gear workout without wasting a particle of Nitrous during my other throttle heavy driving endeavors. For those 2-cycle Nitrous naysayers, adding the Pico Switch in conjunction with the a little needle tuning changed my mind about Nitrous on RCs and makes one interesting conversation starter.
Hot Bodies GTX2 Twin Force – GTX2 to “The Sod Ripper”
Although the final result may look simple, the GTX2 was the toughest of the overhauls. According to the previous owner, “dual engines were in reality twice the fun but also twice the headache”. He was right, because I seemed to only keep one engine running at a time and when both motors were running it was far too loud for me. All I really wanted was to see this 1/7th scale beast wheelie’ing down the street with unnatural power, but I was short on engines for power. After attempting and failing to make my 31cc weed whacker motor fit and a few “what’ca doing?” questions from my wife, I decided it was time to again go brushless. But what? A RC this size and weight is a stretch for even the large Savage class 10th scale systems like the Tekin, Castle, and Novak units. The only thing that could handle something this size was a 6S + rated ESC with a freaky big motor. Hmm…three phone calls later and there was no question, this huge 14lb 1/7 scale beast was going brushless with some RC firsts.
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GTX2
Neumotor 1527/1D - 2160Kv Motor
MaxAmps 22.2V 10,000Mh LiPo Pack
Castle BEC
Pistic stick to pistol TX convertor
NTB Conversion Custom parts
Pro-Line Ford F-650 Body
Pro-Line XL
Pro-Line 23MM Wheel Adapters
RC-Monster.com Mod1 Pinion
NTB Conversion Custom parts
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After spilling the car’s specs to Steve at Neumotor he simply said “I will surprise you” and then did with the infamous 1527/1D - 2160Kv motor. What’s the big deal you ask? The 1527 is rated at over 4000Watts, will handle 8S with ease, has the equivalent of about 6-7HP on 6S, has the same internal resistance as a Dean’s plug, and is the world record speed motor of choice for boat and cars – Yeah, that should do it. To round out this industry first NTB conversion, Castle suggested a Pheonix 110 - 50V rated ESC, and MaxAmps suggested dual 11.1V 3S 10,000Mh LiPo packs. The Pheonix ESC is designed for aircraft stick transmitters, but never fear, Offshore Racing has a Pist’ic gadget that allows you to use pistol transmitters with any aircraft ESC, so the stock transmitter could still be used.
This conversion was similar to the Savage with brakes and braking servo retained and a signal splitter assuring the brake servo and ESC get the proper signals. I fabricated a braced ¼” thick T-6 aluminum plate with my Proxxon mini-mill that secured the motor in place with four massive 4mm screws. The motor and ESC leads were even tipped with huge 5mm connectors.
With easily twice the power on board as stock, the GTX2 not only wheelied on command you can flip this 14Lb RC with glove up put on safety goggles, hide pets and small children levels of power that torqued the 1/7th scale monster to over 50MPH. This brushless beast removed and tossed stripes of sod from my lawn with every throttle pull. Throw this thing on the track on even 1/8th scale days and you will have people clutching their buggies in fear like miniature poodle owners at a Rottweiler convention. Ultimate brushless power like this should be require a special permit (insert evil laugh) – it actually scared me.
Behind the Scenes of the Project
This year long project almost did drive me nuts. There more than a few RC, part and tool throwing moments of shear frustration. Waiting on parts and then waiting some more, lots of manufacturer calls, promises never kept, products never introduced, and even a mini-mill purchase. This project went so far that FLM created their Savage brushless conversion kit specifically due to this article. NX is also planning on making the Pico switch available for their nitrous kits due to my findings. A very special thanks goes to all the twenty plus vendors who participated in this article and trusted in my insane vision. The end result of transforming these second hand RCs into something very special that are again head-turning, fun, also ground breaking RCs was worth all the long and very painful headaches.
One the Other Hand
With the two exceptions of FLM and RC-Monster (who are both as insane as me), almost every manufacturer lectured me… yes, I know it isn’t advised, yes yes I understand it’s irresponsible writing... blah blah blah. As promised here is the disclaimer - although I pretty much ignored ESC recommendations with this project and found ways to push the ESCs/Motors/batteries to the max and still keep them running thanks to lots of planning, retaining braking, and some high voltage fans, “you should of course follow manufacturer recommendations for the use of their products.” But then again I wouldn’t be me if I did that now would I? See you at the track, just stay out of the way of the GTX2.
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Sponsors/Sources: A123 – www.a123racing.com, Max Amps – www.MaxAmps.com, Boca Bearings – www.BocaBearings.com, HPI – www.HPIRacing.com, Hot Bodies – www.HotBodiesOnline.com, Schumacher – www.racing-cars.com, FLM – www.FastLaneMachine.com, RC-Monster – www.RC-Monster.com, Castle Creations – www.CastleCreations.com, Pro-Line – www.Pro-LineRacing.com, Proxxon – www.Proxxon.com, Off Shore Electrics – www.OffShoreElectrics.com, Dimension Engineering – www.DimensionEngineering.com, Neumotor – www.Neumotors.com, Hacker – www.Aero-Model.com, Nitrous Express – www.NitrousExpress.com, Hobbico – www.Hobbico.com, Axial – www.AxialRacing.com, Hitachi – www.HitachiPowerTools.com, WD-40 – www.WD40.com
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