5mm Carbon Chassis Kit & Brushless Upgrade for WLToys 104001

[@FZERO20]

Thanks dude. I swapped my chassis over as I watched your video and I was relieved that I had most of the parts and hardware needed to make a safe swap. Only thing I need is that front bumper for the caster sweep

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I tried selling them for a while, but there was little interest. So, I decided to put the 3D files online for free on www.thingiverse.com so anyone could have them for free. You'll need a 3D printer or access to one. Here are the links to the pages for the front wedge and for the shorty battery mounts. www.thingiverse.com/thing:4949284 www.thingiverse.com/thing:4949305/files I hope this helps, CJ

[@FZERO20]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott thank you dude😀

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@FZERO20 Any time! I hope you’re enjoying your buggy.

[@markwalhimer8972]

Dear Christopher, Love your channel! Found your channel last night and was up until 5am watching your videos. Sent you a small donation. Great work, cheers.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Thanks Mark, I'm glad you're enjoying my videos!

[@chrishonor6435]

Very inspirational I love the fact that your generous with sharing and giving tips please could we have more and if you could show the actual vehicle running

[@luissimoes8106]

Very Cool 👌 Not a "ready to run" upgrade once you have to print a part but it's very well thought an executed to give the car the missing caster with the "flat solution"👌👌👌 About the video; very well explained, very good time to read the texts, but once I made that error on a car review.... I noticed that people just quit sawing the video. Hope you have better luck 🙂 Now it's only missing a vídeo of that car bashing and special on a skate park, "RC Shredder Machines", as I call them; very useful to see the quality of a build🙂 Congrats and Thank you man🙂

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Thankyou for the complements and comments! Regards, CJ

[@DavidPilcher83]

Hey. Love what you’ve done with your 104001... I finally received mine in the mail about 3 or 4 days ago from banggood... it came in the standard rc brand box wrapped in a heavy duty bag all the way from China.... gotta love banggood’s effort.... at least I finally received it... now I just pray it wasn’t damaged in that long shipping.... but the box is surprisingly intact, corners are a little rippled but for shipping in bag, it survived shockingly well... only took 3 months from pre-order... I’m just happy I finally have it. Now I can attempt to do most the stuff you have already done lol.... speaking of center difs I have seen one person on KZbin successfully convert it. It does take some modification but I can see your not afraid of that... in the end his looked pretty nice... not quite as clean as you like your car to be, but it proves it can be done successfully with some patients and effort... here’s the link kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaPMn32or9OFp7M Just a note of this persons video... he had to do a good amount of modification and he doesn’t clean up his work as well as he could have, but I do believe it is feasible and with a little more care and patient you could make it look nice and professional and it does work so it might be worth it. Watch the whole video and he shows it running quite well... Please check it out and let me know what you think and if it’s feasible and with your skills hopefully done as cleanly as your car is now. If I already shared this video with you in a prior post then i am sorry, but Like you... I’d really like to rid myself of that humongous spur gear... hope it helps, or at least gives you hope it is possible and can be done.... thanks. Love your channel. Keep up the good work 👍🙂

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Hi, I've seen this video and I wouldn't try this myself. I want the vehicle to be able to pass tech at a race and this would most likely be rejected. Also, a lot of people who mod the WLToys cars don't take proper gearing into account. The reduced diameter of the drive gear and the increased size of the pitch of the teeth means this gear has half or less the original tooth count. To recreate the stock final gear ratio would require an impossibly small pinion gear. This means that the motor is going to be over stressed and prone to overheating and burnout. The ESC could also fail as a result of the increased load. An RC car is a total package... change one thing here and there is a change required somewhere else... this is especially true of the drivetrain. I'm waiting for someone to source a center diff or slipper clutch that fits the existing mounts and drive shafts without any modification. These cars are fun to play with, but unless your goal is to tinker, I recommend saving and buying a proper race car. I like the 104001 and believe there is definitely a place in the hobby for such cars. They are particularly attractive to young or entry level hobbyists and for people who love to experiment and tinker. But they are a poor choice for someone who wants to actually race. Many of the plastic parts are made with soft, sub-standard plastic to save money. Many parts that would normally be made out of aluminum alloy or carbon fiber are made from stamped steel, again to save money. There are many grades of aluminum alloy... some are flexible and resilient, some are very stiff but more brittle. Choosing the right one is critical and the higher the quality, the higher the cost. There are also chemical dips and processes to harden these alloys. But using them increases production time and cost... the fact that WLToys didn't use a high quality alloy when making the chassis and didn't do any hardening treatments is one of the reasons why there is a flex issue with the 104001. At the same time, they have brought a 1/10 scale 4wd RC buggy to market ready to run with all the electronics including a battery for under $150 US. You can't buy a quality brushless sensored ESC for this class of vehicle for that price. I'm currently building an Associated RC10 B74.1 Team Kit and am spending around $1000.00 US completing the vehicle. The unassembled kit with no electronics cost almost $500 by itself. Add several sets of wheels and tires, an assortment of spare parts, various springs and swaybars for tuning, fluids, a transponder for lap timing, several lipo batteries and I'm probably into it for over $1500.00... that's ten times what a RTR 104001 costs. But, I will have a reliable, competitive race car that I know I can get parts for at almost any hobby store in the country without having to wait a month for them to be shipped from China. In short, you get what you pay for.

[@DavidPilcher83]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott thanks for the info. With mine I don’t plan on using it as a racer, and it’s not going to do any speed runs either. I just wanted a nice little casual driver... I was thinking of turning it into a FPV car possibly.. I’ve already bought a lot of upgrades for my 104001. Enough to where I probably could have just bought a whole different car, but I didn’t, I wanted this one. I honestly don’t mind waiting for parts if I have to. But by the time I’m done most parts on it will not be original. Time will tell... I hope your right and some day someone sources a proper dif for the car but that could be years from now, never or tomorrow we just don’t know. which kinda sucks... I’m a tinkerer and like I said I don’t plan on having it be a spec racer just a decent everyday driver that’s has long term investment... I just want to get rid of that giant spur gear... thanks for the response and the info...

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

​ @David Pilcher Then you made a good choice. Like I said, I think it's a great car for certain purposes. As someone who likes to build, experiment, and see what he can make out of am RC car, you've got a good base to work with. Making an FPV car sounds like fun... I've thought of doing the same at some point. I also like to tinker... I'm more focused on building race cars, but that's me. As you've seen if you've watched all 8 videos, I like to design parts and print them out on my 3D printer. I also like to see what I can source from off the shelf kits like the sway bars I added. I don't think any less of what you have planned than what I'm doing myself. I hope you understand that anything I wrote previously was just conversation and info, and not intended to be condescending or insulting. One of the great things about this hobby is that it is what we make of it with our expertise and imagination. My only issue with speed runs is that many people don't warn their viewers about the dangers involved and urge caution if their viewers try emulating what they are doing. Imagine one of these cars hitting a person in the foot or ankle at over 100mph? Maybe I'm getting old... I was disabled in an accident caused by a carless drunk driver. It ended my career and has left me in constant pain. This hobby is about all I have left... one of the reasons I started the channel was to have some purpose back in my life. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the videos and I'd like you to drop me a note from time to time to let me know how your project is going! Regards, CJ

[@DavidPilcher83]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott thanks. I am enjoying the videos quite a bit and I completely understand... as long as your happy with something and enjoy what you’ve done that’s all that really matter... I’m glad you showed they sway bar video. I’ve been wanting one but I didn’t want to spend money if it wasn’t going to work so I really appreciate that to took a chance and showed us it doors work well... I appreciate the comments, I was not offended in any way I knew you meant what you said with the best intentions... and as with speed running I agree.. it could be very dangerous and they never really tell you how difficult it can be or what you need to do it correctly in the first place, let alone have a free runway to actually do it.... But to be honest I do like fast and I do want a fast car, but fast on my terms if that makes any sense I’d be more that happy with say 35 to 45 mph 50 tops and that’s only if I decided to throttle up on throttle trim... to be honest for me personally speed runs are kinda boring. That’s just me though.. you have a car to drive it... and going in straight lines as fast as possible is not driving it to me lol.... As for racing I’d be ok building a racer I just don’t have or know of any track even remotely close to where I am so there’s no point in me building one at this moment... so I’m happy with just having a nice car with lots of possibilities that I can drive and enjoy... maybe jump a little but not crazy and not until I can work out issues that might damage it... that’s kinda why I was interested in guys said video with proper gearing of course... I probably won’t go his route but if I did I was considering instead of drilling new holes in the chassis creating a mounting plate that mounts the dif and dif case and the using existing chassis holes to mount the thin plate that way it could stay unaltered.... but that was just me trying to think of other possibilities.... I’ll probably just wait til someone comes up with a better alternative... and yes I’ve watched all your 104001 videos multiple times cause you gave me lots of help and good ideas and knowledge on how to improve mine so I appreciate it... i keep watching and I’ll keep in touch when I’ve had a good chance to improve mine as well...thanks again. Keep up the good work...

[@strexttp]

Interesting upgrades 🔥💪😃

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Thanks! I hope you're enjoying the series on this SCT. Hopefully you'll check out some of my other videos too. CJ

[@NeoIsrafil]

I've been wondering how the 5mm compares to my 3mm. Honestly I love the 3mm, I have no flex issues because I used the aluminum brace AND the carbon one in the front. It fits perfectly. Literally put both, one on top of the other. Just use the carbon one in the rear. There isn't room for both there. The towers are perfect so far though, no flex issues. As for bending, yah heat could do it, so they say. You'd need a torch though...

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I didn't know there was a 3mm kit. MakerFire has a 2mm kit where all the parts including the chassis are cut from 2mm thick carbon fiber sheet. And there is the 5mm kit where the chassis is cut from 5mm sheet and all the other parts are cut from 3mm sheet. The 2mm kit was available right away, and the 5mm was a preorder until recently... I preordered the 5mm kit and received it a few days ago. Banggood has a kit, but they don't specify the thickness. Since it was available at the same time the 2mm kit was available on MakerFire, I assume it's the same. I went with the 5mm kit because 3mm thickness seemed more appropriate for the shock towers. BTW, it's easier to put a 5 degree shim under the front diff than to try to bend the carbon fiber. I worked as a mechanical engineer designing components for US Navy ships and subs, but I mainly worked in aluminum... occasionally some stainless steal items. But I've got no professional experience in carbon or composites. Still, from what I do know, bending cured carbon sheet is more likely to do damage than to make a successful bend. I'm selling the plastic shim with bumper that is in this video. I can adjust the CAD file and print one so that it will fit a 2mm chassis if you're interested.

[@zeurdozeurdo5409]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott hello is what the calle fits on a 5 mm carbon frame

[@renonobody2284]

2018 x-ray xb4. The center diff fits . Also if you are still making the front bumper wedge. I will send you my info. Where did you pick up the 5mill carbon chassis?

[@perspectivemeditation7648]

Thanks alot for this walk through

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@RC-Elevation]

Keep up the great work man. You're one of the most committed people I've seen for this platform. Looking forward to seeing your driving impressions. I saw someone create a 3D printed spur to take the weight out of the heavy metal one. Granted, it's still direct drive, but is that something you've considered doing?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Thanks for the complement! Do you have a link to that 3d printed spur? I'd be interested to see how they did it.

[@RC-Elevation]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott only saw a picture in one of the Facebook groups. But basically a 3D printed replacement for the spur, assuming would slide over the stock spindle.

[@RC-Elevation]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott facebook.com/groups/571765586889900/permalink/965694397497015/

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@RC-Elevation Thanks for the link! I asked to join the FB group.

[@stepnyvlk9695]

If you have the G2 esc it has a reverse polarity protection :) but the caps dont the sell non polarity caps aswell;)

[@regalbond5626]

Bonjour, quelle produit as tu utilisé pour protéger le carbone ? Merci.

[@modalsoul4748]

CA glue

[@mgladh]

Hello! Are you selling and shipping the plastic kick for the carbon kit? Love the series of videos for this model. Very good info for a newbie like me.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Yeah, I can print one out and send it to you. Email me with your first and last name, your mailing address, and your choice of color (black, blue, red) to [e-mail]... also let me know if you're using the 2mm or 5mm carbon chassis. I'll send you an invoice through PayPal. The part is $20 plus shipping.

[@DeRock401]

I am getting this as a roller soon. I have a max 10sct combo already. Will this motor and esc fit into the car without any mods or special motor mounts ?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I think that a motor made for short course trucks is going to be a bit much for this buggy... as to whether it will fit, the motor will probably fit, but the ESC may be a bit large for the available space. Why didn't you go for a combo suitable for 1/10 4wd buggies? SCTs weigh more than buggies and have to turn larger wheels & tires so the motors are usually lower KV and higher torque. If you can return that combo, I would... Best of luck!

[@DeRock401]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott I had it lying around already. That’s the only reason.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@DeRock401 And I certainly understand that situation... why not give it a try. Nothing to lose. Like a mentioned, the size of the esc is the biggest roadblock as far as fit goes. Let me know how it works out.

[@jacksonjames993]

hay just to let you know the LC racing LC10B5 diff or slipper should fit since the wltoys is a clone of the car also most if not all of the parts from the LC racing LC10B5 will fit

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I tried it... it's covered in one of my videos. The outdrives are not long enough. It fits in the mounting brackets, but the driveshafts don't engage with the outdrives. It's unfortunate... I did a lot of trial and error and looking at different options, but no joy. WLToys needs to bring out a part of their own.

[@zeurdozeurdo5409]

Hello Did you encounter any problem installing the 5mm carbon kit on the 104001?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

No, it went together easily... all the holes line up with the original parts.

[@TheFrankencrx]

and it was never heard from again?

[@briyenmartin5154]

I just purchased the 104001 and I'm interested in the 3d wedge. I don't have access to a 3d printer and I'd rather get the part from you if I can. Please help 👍🏾👍🏾

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Sure, send me an email with your full name, email address, and mailing address, and I'll send you an invoice through PayPal... email me at [e-mail] Don't forget to let me know if you are doing the 2mm or 5mm carbon chassis kit so I print you the right wedge.

[@pattyofurniture5674]

Where can I get that wedge

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I was printing them myself and selling them, but so few people were interested that I put the files on line for free. Here's the link to the wedge files: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4949284 And here are the files for the shorty pack: www.thingiverse.com/thing:4949305 You are free to print these for personal use. Regards, CJ Scott

[@NsUtubechannel]

Have you had any tack time yet? I subscribed hoping to see how this project does at a racetrack. Any updates?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Sorry, I haven't gotten to the track. It's a long story and includes a couple deaths in the family. Hopefully in the spring I'll have gotten things together. Thanks for watching and again, I apologise for not following through.

[@NsUtubechannel]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott Sorry to hear about your losses. I look to forward to any future videos about this platform.

[@garygallant5390]

First time I ever heard anyone pronounce chassis the way he does

[@albertdelbosco9686]

Be nice if they made a 3mm chassis I think it should have a little flex. My 1/7 buggy dosen't have a 5 mm chassis

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Yes, it would... especially if it came with the 3mm shock towers that are included in the 5mm kit. If it wasn't so expensive to buy both, I would have bought the 2mm kit for the chassis, and the 5mm kit for the 3mm shock towers, and then bought the carbon top braces... but that would be another +$100 on top of the cost of the kit. What this kit really needs is a center diff or slipper!

[@FortycadeConcept]

why the single spur gear makes the car slower compaired to the center diff ?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

The spur gear is more of a flywheel... it's solid steel and weighs 3.11ounces which is an awful lot. If you remove it and hold it in your hand, you'll know what I mean... it's the single heaviest part on the car. Ex: it weighs more than the front and rear diffs and their cases combined. A center diff or slipper clutch would weight less than 1/3rd of that spur gear assembly. The reduction in weight would make the car faster. Not having to wind up that massive rotating mass would make the car quicker too. I made 9 videos on this buggy including a full disassembly and rebuild. There are a lot of things that are not well assembled from the factory that you can improve with little or no money. I go over the spur near the end of Part 1 (first video). Here is a link to a playlist of all 9. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iH-uf2N_jqd3fZo You might be interested in Part 7 where I go over how to add anti-roll bars to the buggy. Nobody has come up with a replacement. I tried several different parts and combinations of parts, but couldn't get something to work in its place. BTW, I'm going to be taking the buggy out to an indoor race track and making a video about how it performs on a real clay track with a decent set of tires. Thanks for watching! CJ

[@FortycadeConcept]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott thanks alot for your time and reply bro !

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@FortycadeConcept Hopefully it will be online in the next 2-3 weeks... I'll try to remember to send you a note here. But, this would be a good reason for you to click the bell icon so you get notifications... if you haven't already 😀 I'm really glad you're enjoying the videos. Getting positive feedback on my work makes it all worthwhile!

[@FortycadeConcept]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott iv already hit the bell. i love the in-depth videos you make of those builds. im racing fpv quadcopters, and now im ready to go in for some 1/10 carpet race, and your builds are damn good.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@FortycadeConcept ​ Thank you very much! Let me know what class, make, & model of 1/10 carpet car(s) you're planning to build and race. BTW, I just subbed and hit the bell on your channel... I'm gonna take a few to watch some of your videos. Will hit Like!

[@justaddafan]

You didn't show the (lack of) flex! IMO, this can't be a useful race buggy without a center diff or slipper. The gears bevel gears take too much abuse without some means of absorbing gear stress in the transmission. Not to mention the handling benefits.

[@Mason-Dain]

Nice , screws are m3 ?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

That's correct. You can find M3 titanium hardware on Amazon for good prices... usually you'll get 10pc for $8 US. Let me know if you want some links...

[@Mason-Dain]

Thanks

[@Mason-Dain]

Wedge for 5mm chasis

[@Mason-Dain]

How can get one thanks

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@Mason-Dain I will print one and ship it to you for $20.00 usd plus shipping costs. Email me with your full name, mailing address, and the color you want (black, red, blue, white) at [e-mail] and I will send you an invoice through PayPal.

[@foyjustice7212]

Any updates on this project?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Soon, I've been meaning to get to the track with this car and do some testing... I'm going to go on a weekday when I'll have the track to myself, mostly. I'll do a video with video recorded at the track and what changes I make to tune the suspension. I've got a lot of projects on deck, but I'll get to it as soon as I can. Thanks for watching and for being patient. CJ

[@chrishonor6435]

Yes please more update

[@derfg1502]

For the tiny bit extra $ just buy a Losi 224 kit

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

I agree! But, there are a lot of newbies who can't afford the investment. This buggy gets them started for under $150... I'm building the Team Associated B74.1D and after buying all the not-included items, plus a couple sets of wheels and tires, I'm spending over $1000 easy. I have to try to speak to all of my audience which includes a lot of people that are new to the hobby.

[@foyjustice7212]

A 22x4 is a more than a bit extra. I had one. $540ish. Never ran it had to sell it. But I run TLR cars. My main car a 22 5.0. But this lil wltoys is pretty slick for the money. It is actually is pretty good. I have tons of TLR extra parts. Running losi shocks and turn buckles on my 104001. Dropping a trinity 13.5 and same esc in this vid in mine.

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

@@foyjustice7212 There is only one problem with trying to race the 104001... well, one big problem and that's the fact that it's to wide for ROAR rules. Now the track/club where you race may not make an issue out of it, but if they do, the car can't pass tech. Just FYI. A lot of clubs don't tech the cars at all and it's not like running an illegal battery(3s) or something blatant like that.

[@foyjustice7212]

@@MyRCChannel-CJScott Good to know. I Imagine that could be solved with some different hex adapters. It doesnt seem to be more than a mm or 2 wider than my 5.0. The local track is not to hard spec rules unless its a big event. All in all im hopeful it can be a great entry point for those wanting to run 4w buggy. my local track rents out slashes. maybe this would be a good option down the line. It defo does appear it needs a few issues fixed in regards to durability. Kills me to see it get so much criticism. Rc is great and man we all love our Tamiya cars lol. Ill keep working on mine and maybe load up some vid. Good times man!

[@tripyramidpictures9224]

You should tell everyone what “CA” is…

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

Point taken. Thanks for watching!

[@jennyetherington3326]

Great Video 👍 I've fitted mine with a 5mm full Carbon Kit but don't have facility to make front kick up unfortunately. I have my own page over on Instagram @rcmodelcarsmania Jenny 😊

[@zeurdozeurdo5409]

Hello Did you encounter any problem installing the 5mm carbon kit on the 104001?

[@jennyetherington3326]

@@zeurdozeurdo5409 no problem at all went together good, I've now fitted the Carbon Upper Deck I'm 3mm

[@derfg1502]

Anybody else cringe at a full grown man pronouncing CHASSIS wrong!?

[@MyRCChannel-CJScott]

You try talking to a camera as you assemble a new kit for hours on end.