Murd0ck

did you loose any chassis strength after dremel?

Casper06

I don't think so it was a small chunk, just enough to get the wires to fit properly.

aflipz

My Feedback: (10)

I agree that it probably doesn't do much harm but if you want there's a brace to strengthen that very same area;

http://www.3racing-parts.com/shop/ta...-10000739.html

alexchen86

Thanks Casper06 looks like it's Dremel time! Do you know if I unscrew those two screws on the back of the motor can I take off that black plastic covering and possibly remove the rubber grommet that houses the 3 wires?

This way I should be able to have more room for the wires. Down side is the tabs will be unprotected from the elements right?

Casper06

I've never pulled apart a Castle motor, I guess because the ones I have haven't broke yet which is a good thing. So I'm no expert on this but I would think that the rubber you see there is for a reason. I have driven it through mud, rain, puddles, done everything short of submerging it and it is still running.

alexchen86

I'm going to shave a bit off the upper brace on the rear to clear the wires. Just got my rotary tool today. I think the rubber grommet around the wires back there prevent mud/dirt/debris from tampering with the soldered motor tabs.

By the way what do CV's do?

http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/rc-ta0...h=595_744_1292

I am more familiar with them on competition rc rock crawler where you can squeeze out a bit more steering than with the standard dog bone/drive cup setup.

Casper06

Yeah I wouldn't mess with pulling it apart and taking the rubber out. CVD's are great because you don't loose dog bones anymore, I need to get a set for my car. I think Aflipz posted some Tamiya branded ones some time ago if you read back. Yeah Racing is hit and miss sometimes with the quality and fitment.

sheograth

Hmm Tempted to snao one of these kits up. I have a s soft spot spot for lancers.

alexchen86

Here you go guys DF-03 slipper, DF-03 shell, waterproofed RX, waterproof Traxxas 2075 servo, CorrosionX'd Sidewinder.

Dremeled out that rear brace to clear the wires much better now.




And my street legal STi beater body with scale damage lol...I never run my blue Monte Carlo WRC body.

Casper06

Very nice! [8D]

Casper06

I just ordered a set of the CVD's a.k.a. Universal Swing Shafts. It is Tamiya part# 53792:

http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/ite...oduct-id=53792

Krazy Chicken

nice body damage.

alexchen86

Damn ball differentials! I went to a hard pack clay track today meant for 1/8 buggies and short course trucks and decided to run my DF-03Ra to see how it would perform....first lap was awesome besides the fact the stock tires SUCK!

But then the one of the rear tires seized up on the right side looking from the trunk area. It sounded very gritty when I was rolling it as well so dirt must have got in it or the bearings. Or maybe my ball differential was no longer tight. I checked the gear cover and the spur/pinion were fine.

So I took the rear ball diff apart cleaned and relubed the bearings. Nothing melted inside with the new 4600kv motor seemed like just one of the large bearings on the output shaft seized I guess.

Then I tightened up the 1.5mm long screw that holds the shafts together and it snapped!! Hopefully the LHS has one. How tight am I supposed to tighten that screw anyway?

Casper06

That used to happen a lot on my TB02 chassis. I wish Tamiya was more specific on their instructions on torque but they are not. I really love the ball diffs on Associated's stuff and they give exact tightness on the instruction sheets. Never had a problem with theirs coming loose on my TC4 and I have ran multiple 3s packs without ever having to tighten it down. Anyways what I do is tighten it down till I can't anymore while using minimal force, you don't need to muscle it. You should see that if you turn one wheel they will both spin in the same direction. That is too tight, so you need to back out the screw in small increments until you are able to spin one wheel and the other wheel spins in the opposite direction. You could also apply a little bit of Loctite and that'll prevent the diff screw from backing itself out.

alexchen86

Okay guys for all you DF-03Ra owners that will need to do ball diff maintenance and accidentally break that stupid little 2x25mm cap screw I broke turns out you can use the Losi XXXT ball diff screw set.

It took me 2 and a half hours at the hobby shop to find something I could use since in Houston there's no Tamiya suppliers. What you need to do is break open the ball thrust bearing's center bronze holder since Losi's screw is too thick to pass through it.

Once you get the holder broken DO NOT LOSE THE FREAKING BALLS. Put them into the housing one by one and while holding all the balls together with the bearing case slide the entire bearing into the male end of the differential output (Part MA37).

Then shave a bit off their plastic nut holder (Part D5) to fit into the female differential output (Part MA38) and put the 2mm lock nut in as well.

After all that thread in the screw as before...hopefully with Losi's thicker screw shaft it won't snap off as easily!

alexchen86

Went to the off road track today again...I now know better than to take a rally car off jumps meant for 1/8 scales lol. For some reason I could not get my damn 4000mah 2S lipo to fit in the tray again....I'm going to have to do more cutting somewhere.

Anyone have pics?

alexchen86

Well I dremeled away very carefully to avoid structural loss. Worked the battery tray and also a little on the upper deck. Fits very snug but does the job. No way a hard case would fit in there for sure though!

If anyone needs pics let me know!

Casper06

Yeah hard packs definitely won't fit. I have a few Reedy Lipos that fit in most Tamiya cars. I really wished tamiya would redesign their battery compartment to fit other batteries. It is still designed around nimh sticks.

JCAustralia

Hi guys

Great thread and that's one of the reason I got a DF03RA

I'm doing the wheels at the moment and there are no tyre insert, just wheels and tyre.....

Does the kit comes with tyre insert?

I would like to confirm before I start gluing to the to the wheel....

Thanks a lot.

Cheers

JC

aflipz

My Feedback: (10)

No, the rally block tires that come with the RA are designed to run without inserts.

MD6

Casper06 - I think the lipos shaped like NIMH stick packs will fit. They fit in the Tamiya Minis.

Casper06

Yeah I had to order new LiPo's just for the Tamiya stuff I have. For reference here is the proper specs that will fit any model Tamiya vehicle:

Dimensions: 5.4 x 1.7 x 0.87" (137 x 44 x 22mm)

JCAustralia

Thanks AFlipz

alexchen86

Or dremel away slowly with a sanding wheel! Lol. Or you can get that DF-03 upper brace that connects the rear assembly to the main chassis if you bash super hard or cut too much down.

But yeah I finally got my freaking 2S in there now. By the way those sponge things that go in the drive cups to "seal" the diffs...is there a better option out there? I seem to have lost one of them so I just used some thick foam from a tire insert and packed it in there.

I'm keeping this baby on road until I know she's dirt ready.

theibault

Ok, so I spend most of my time here on the tank forum but I've been a car guy since I was twelve (thank you Tamiya and that one Hornet I got from my LHS with lawn mowing money for a hooby that has been with me all my life). Recently on the car front I've been bored. I have a purpose built TC3 drift car, a CR-01 and Axial crawlers, and numerous SC trucks in all scales and gas/elect. Frankly, I was getting bored. None of those vehicles have been giving me the "grin" like they used to. And then I saw the DF03ra. Instantly I was transported to being 14 in CT. It was a long fall weekend and my rc buddy Jonas and I had both just bought Tamiyas new Porsche 959 rally. We spent Fri after school and all day Sat at his house building our kits. Sunday was the big day. We spent the whole day either driving our cars or waiting for packs to charge. That car kept us excited and having fun the rest of the year. I have not been this excited about a car since I can remember. I shouldn't feel this giddy at 37! Anyways, as you can tell, I'm patiently waiting for the kit to arrive today. Just curious, would anyone want to see a build thread on here? I'll keep it short and it'll be box stock as of right now. Let me know.