E3: Tamiya Hornet Stock Front Suspension Replacement

[@72Z15SS]

I have an original grasshopper I purchased in 1984 and have been trying to tighten up the suspension then found this. GREAT STUFF.. Just might have to order a set... Thanks

[@AMPROEngineering]

Cool man glad to hear it! Remember that the Grasshopper shell will need a notch to clear the upper brace and also need to have the body mount altered a bit to get the upper brace AND shell to fit.

[@72Z15SS]

The original body is long gone and now has a polycarbonate body. It's been well used over the years and I just ordered a new body for it. Also have an original Clodbuster a friend gave to me a few weeks ago which I tore apart and re-built. Enjoying your engineering on these old fun Tamiyas man. Keep it up!

[@CarmineRC]

I've had my Hopper since 1986, but got tired of it quickly after upgrading to a middle of the road 540 mod motor.... It STOPPED turning! It would understeer until it hit something! Hornets and Grasshoppers have NEED this since day one. Like I said in another clip of yours, I'm gonna go wipe the cobwebs off of my old Hopper, and try this kit - and the rear suspension mods I just saw on your Shapeways store!

[@CarmineRC]

AND, you should make a King Blackfoot Front suspension, to fit the first Blackfoot AND the new one!! That front end was sloppy on a FROG! On the Blackfoot/Monster Beetle, it's downright uncontrollable!

[@AMPROEngineering]

I see you found the video! I have upgrades for the ORV front end right now (like anti bump steer knuckles) but have been focusing on the double wishbone rear end. That has been a fun upgrade! Remember that I do not recommend anything more than a stock motor with these front arms as the nylon, though strong, is weaker than the stock ABS. Episode 48 shows a fully mod'ed hornet on the track.

[@jamurphy8386]

AMPRO Engineering - I would definitely be interested in the no bump-steer knuckles for my Monster Beetle. I can also verify that Carmine doesn't use hot motors on these kind of bashers. 23 turn Sport Tuned, black can Tamiya is about the wildest thing his Tamiya's have had since the early days. When we did F1 - different story!! 11 turn triples were more the norm. And yeah, what he said! I'm trying to dig up a King Blackfoot, so I could drop it's superior front arms with turnbuckles on the front of my Beetle. It would be awesome if you could make that great geometry available for the front of the ORV series. It's just better. Murph

[@SANDSCORCHER]

Another superb and elegant solution.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Thank you! I think it makes a big difference on the car with no change to the look or the need for a single irreversible mod.

[@Violetlunar666]

Im an industrial design student and a rc guy. I have a lot of appreciation for guys like you that make old stuff better, we need more guys like you! also i was wondering as u seem to have a few of these, have you found a source for new tyres for the hornet chassis?

[@AMPROEngineering]

Thanks man. It is all a lot of fun. As for the tyres, Tamiya re-released the car so you can get them on ebay or from Tamiya direct.

[@jonathanwilliams1593]

25:00 is such a great comparison.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Thanks Jonathan.

[@TheOttomann64]

7 years later....and you can still order the stock fit in 2023 :)

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh I have no intention of pulling these parts! The hornet is too popular.

[@NordicRC]

Nice mod! Good one. Looks like a good fit.

[@AMPROEngineering]

It's a super easy one for a stock hornet. Massive changes to the handling too.

[@tomcook5813]

I was surprised how well they take paint, my Hornet AMPRO cage took silver metallic Rust oleum rattle can paint with no issue.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Right?! It sucks it up!

[@gorrammit]

I bought the hornet suspension with 20mm offset and it didn’t come with the upper ball mount. I ended up mounting the ball joint on the grasshopper body mount hole. This gave me camber loss as suspension compressed ( not to mention having to relocate the headlights to the base of the A pillars). I later decided to mount the ball joint under the deck above the suspension arms and now it works like the stock suspension -__-

[@AMPROEngineering]

How did it not come with the upper mount? It should have come with two variations of them. What did you order? [e-mail]

[@Racer-X-090]

Cant wait to mod my Hornet!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Haha!

[@RussKnize]

Where did you find those ball cups? I'm not sure if a normal ball end would clear due to the screw head.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Boy....I think these were on ebay years ago. They are pretty generic TBH but seem to work fine. I would run an ebay search and see what comes up.

[@silviamills5218]

What size are the Grasshopper/Hornet wheels?

[@AMPROEngineering]

1.55 ish

[@GreatBirdOfHope]

Do you have any way to get rid of all the slop between the part where the front suspension arms fit into the chassis? There is a lot of play and slop there...

[@AMPROEngineering]

Not really. The issue is how they slot into the chassis. They need to pivot in and then rotate for operation. Plus, they car is so basic, the slop in there doesn't change how bad the Hornet/Grasshopper drives.

[@thegee-tahguy4877]

FOR SALE.... An original R/C Tamiya Opel Ascona. It worked when put away in the 80's. Still has it's mechanical speed controller. Shares many parts with the original Wild Willy. Rear end and original 540 motor should still be AOK. Could be easily brought back to life. Will go on ebay soon. Serious inquiries only please.

[@AMPROEngineering]

Oh man I remember those.

[@silviamills5218]

What tires are those

[@AMPROEngineering]

Some old prolines

[@twisteds2fast4u]

I have a grasshopper and iam about to do the crp/fx10 mod to it. thats where you graft a crp double wishbone with shock tower to a grasshopper but Iam possible looking to do something from your product line instead. Problem is i want to use crp after market shocks that does not use the stock shock tower. Any ideas on what i would use of yours? thanks!

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah I know that install all too well. Well for my design using the arms in this video, you would use the stock pogo sticks. I also have a set of arms that have a mounting point that is 20mm lower, allowing you to use any 60mm touring car shocks. It is an easy install that requires zero cutting to anything on the car. That said, I don't know that the CRP units and my units would be able to play well together. I think if you are wanting to use the stock tower and the CRP arms, that could be a bit hard. I do not know if the geometry will even allow that. Have I understood your question or have I missed something. Let me know.

[@twisteds2fast4u]

ill have to measure the length of the crp shocks i have. i wonder if i could use you 20mm offset arms with those socks and the "u bolt" shock mount?

[@AMPROEngineering]

Hmmm, you may be able to. Those CRP shocks are around that length but I don't have any on me to confirm that.

[@modelnutty6503]

I like these lower arms for the double A setup. if they were stretches out sideways maybe 3/8" (for 3/4" more width up front) or 1/2" to make 1" wider, shock at near the same point could make softer front suspension with a little more wheel travel happening along with it?

[@pattyofurniture5674]

where did you get those front shocks for the hornet I've been looking for that type for my hornet

[@AMPROEngineering]

HI Patrick. These are vintage units from You-G. They are found every now and then on eBay. I must warn you that if you plan on driving the car often that you should not get these. They are trash. The shock shaft is 2mm brass and bends when you look at it. They are not rebuildable and as they are 25 years old now, they leak like crazy. They have no adjustable pre-load and they cost a ton of money. As someone who owns a mess of them I know how pretty they are. That is their only saving grace. If you want better front shocks, look at my video of the 20mm offset front end. That version is bulletproof.

[@brandon.r3411]

hey what would be the best way for me to contact you for a custom build, thanks

[@AMPROEngineering]

Hey Brandon, you can email me at [e-mail].

[@pattyofurniture5674]

Instead of the you-g shocks I was thinking about using 1/16th or 1/18th shocks on the front of my hornet

[@AMPROEngineering]

Yeah do NOT use the you-g ones. They are expensive, weak and leak badly. 1/16 units are usually expensive and too long. If you want oil filled units, get the 20mm offset arms and some 60mm touring car shocks. Cheap and easy! It's in episode 7.

[@ShenRC]

Nice! LOL dogs are not supposed to chase hornets!

[@AMPROEngineering]

uhg that dog is always chasing my cars! He used to chase my cat but then she went for his face. No longer chases the cat. Lol.