Tamiya DT02 Hop-ups and Mods Part 3

[@Arethereanyhandlesleft]

Nice series of tips. Tinkering and problem solving makes it so much more of a hobby.

[@MarkBryanRC]

Nick Pearce thank you very much for your comment - I couldn't agree more - finding little ways to improve these cars is very satisfying!

[@NordicRC]

Brilliant brace! You really know your DT-02s. Thank you very much for sharing, Mark! I can learn a lot from your videos.

[@MarkBryanRC]

Many thanks for the compliment - I'm sure you could teach me a thing or two also! It's when we combine ideas that things get really interesting!

[@IowaBudgetRCBashers]

That’s what that noise is on my holiday buggy. The battery.. awesome tip !!

[@MarkBryanRC]

Cheers, dude! Yeah, the simple little mods are the best, usually! :D

[@catcancrunch7260]

Those shock mounts supports are really innovative and really cool idea 👍👍👍

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hey Cat - thanks a lot, man! Something had to be done after breaking 3 shock towers! Not broke one since fitting the brackets, so they must work! Thanks again, Cat! :)

[@petergoodwin2465]

Very good inventions, this is real Rcing and actually looks good. Will come in handy when I break most rcs . Thanks guys.

[@MarkBryanRC]

Thanks Peter! 👍 We ran these rigs so much and learnt so much about them, it was easy to come up with a few essential mods. They do run better now and that brace on the front has prevented so many breakages. Thanks for watching and commenting, mate! 😎👍

[@russscott646]

hi guys I have holiday buggy re release, on dt-02 chassis, I have replaced bushes for bearings( always easier when doing build) fitted 540 brushed motor, replaced shockers for oil filled ones, I have put springs on front, which came with kit, wow what a difference, it looks like it bottoms out, but that's what there supposed to do, if front shocks bottom, belly pan takes all stick, which saves on broken parts, I'm currently awaiting delivery from flea bay of 2mm alloy plate to make front shock stiffer (great idea) other mod ive done is fit carson chrome wheel n tyre set, as this chassis fits sand rover re release I'm currently running one chassis and interchanging wheels and bodys when wish to have two separate looking vehicles GREAT VIDS LOOK FORWARD TO MORE

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hi Russ, many thanks for the comments and compliment - makes it worth doing the videos! It sounds like you have been busy with your DT02 - yeah the fronts can bottom out but it's far better than just bouncing around with the stiffer springs on. Try using a vice if you have one to bend the alloy plate - can be a bit tricky. If the plate doesn't fit exactly at first the aluminium can be cut and bent to fit with a little tinkering and really does help the front end - I hope it works for you. More in-depth videos to come - please sub and check them out! Let me know how you get on with the new mods - cheers!

[@MrDarkLord78]

Thanks for the tips, very helpful.

[@MarkBryanRC]

MrDarkLord78 - I'm glad you found the videos useful - makes it worth while making them - many thanks for the comment!

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

Excellent Series of Tips, Mark & Alf!! 👍👍 Those Shock Tower Braces look quite strong. AND, from what I've seen of mine, extra weight up front, balances out the Handling nicely! The front end of these Buggies are FAR TOO light (even on my Holiday Buggy, with the heavier Hardbody). I have improved the Handling noticeably, by actually adding Lead Weights to the front of the Chassis, as low as possible! I don't know the conversion off hand, but I added 1.8 ounces, and it really made a difference on these back-heavy machines!! I found the stock front Springs even too stiff for my liking! I've installed standard RC-10 Springs. Much better Springs! All my Rigs are set up to have a little "Droop". That's where the Suspension is allowed to *compress* a little at rest, loaded with Batry. That way, when running, your Tires can drop INTO dips, instead of merely floating over small dips. Noticeably improves Handling as well!! You've given me an idea as well. I keep forgetting that the TBLE-02 ESC was designed for Sensored Brushless Motors! I may see if I can find a cheap 15.5T Motor for me Buggy - AND a 21.5T for my CC-01!! 😎😀 Thank you for the enlightenment! Carmine 🚂

[@MarkBryanRC]

Yet again another detailed and informative comment, thank you Carmine! The front braces work really well, and have significantly reduced the number of breakages of the fragile front shock towers. And maybe the little added weight also helps the handling. Yes, I too leave a little 'sag' in all of my suspension for exactly the reasons you state - I use the concepts applied to real-life cars when setting up my RCs, e.g. toe-in and negative camber, as these still apply when you scale things down, after all, physics is physics!!! Seems like we have a lot in common my friend! I will sure be checking your channel later, in the mean time, many thanks for the help and support :-)

[@CarminesRCTipsandTricks]

@@MarkBryanRC CAN'T believe I forgot about the Braces!! 😲 NEXT on my mods List. I may look into Brass, for a few extra grams up front, or Steel, if Brass seems too soft. At first I didn't quite get your "Triangulation" principle... Now it makes perfect sense! The Base being away from the base of the Shock Tower was intentional, and has definite purpose. 😊 Getting this to work on the HB Body will be so much easier, because the front of the Body sits higher up. Thanks Mate!! 👊 All our Best my Friend!

[@MarkBryanRC]

@@CarminesRCTipsandTricks Hi Carmine - can't beat a bit of bracing, mate! All the best from us, too! :)

[@PeteWylieRC]

Ah yeah the alu brackets on the shock tower. You are a genius mate !

[@MarkBryanRC]

Cheers Pete! Well, I don't know about genius mate! But it really does reinforce the shock tower and help prevent breakages - you could make one out of thin steel plate and it would be even stronger! :)

[@dasrc4575]

Thanks for the good ideas, I love the sand viper. I'm going to try to make a brace for my front shock towers like yours has. I'm curious about the shocks on the sand viper, how well have those held up? I was looking at getting that same set for my racing fighter

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hi, thanks for the comment, DAS rc! The Trackstar shocks have worked very well on the Sand Viper, I am really pleased with them. I used #900 oil and the damping is very good, plus there is a lot of adjustment available for the preload using the threaded adjusters. Just remember that they do not come with the ball-ends, you need to order them separately. Have fun with your Sand and Racing Fighters! :))

[@bamboozledbob3298]

Something i did was dremel away the lug and the bit between the screw holes in the front of the battery compartment, put some foam in the back and then cut a slot in at the sides for some velcro to slip through to secure the battery. Gives you a bit of extra weight on the front axle.

[@MarkBryanRC]

Robert K - sounds like a good modification, there is not enough weight on the front as it is - will look at that mod too, thanks mate=)

[@bamboozledbob3298]

Pleasure :)

[@NordicRC]

Nice (again) Mark. Hmm. Isn’t the normal upper brace mod enough for the front tower? Have you tried it? I remember I had it on my DT-02 MS in the beginning. Maybe also the Desert Gator. Didn’t brake with that on (although the whole bulk head broke further down).

[@MarkBryanRC]

Thanks Mikael (...again!) Never tried the normal upper brace. I broke 3 of the front shock tower parts, either one of the shock mount arms snapped off, or they broke lower down where the metal suspension pins attach. I wanted to strengthen the whole thing, rather than just the upper arms. Well, this was my solution and it seems to work, but the standard brace mod may be just as good.

[@NordicRC]

Mark Bryan RC Yeah, I think your solution might be the winner. As said, I have also broken the entire bulk head down at the suspension mounts.

[@NordicRC]

Mark Bryan RC Can you start a mass production so I can buy one? 😅

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hehe! I could make one just for you, I think I still have the cardboard template somewhere! But as for mass-production, at 2 or 3 hours per bracket I think I would be losing money! :)

[@madsrcbuggy]

That's a nice one to watch, Mark! I just watched all three videos in the series, obviously doing some DT-02 research. I haven't got a DT-02, but I have an 03 spare, so I thought I'd convert it, probably sometime during the summer, but always good to start watching videos well in advance, ha ha!

[@MarkBryanRC]

Cool, thanks, Mads! Ah, the DT02 is an old favourite of mine, doesn't need much doing to it to sort out the little issues but is a great buggy at the end of the day. Sounds good to get ahead on those projects. Best wishes, my friend!

[@santrade10]

Thanks for these great mods. I am having a go at making the shock tower brace out of aluminium sheet. May I please ask what did you cut it with? Thanks

[@MarkBryanRC]

Thank you very much, my friend! So good you are making your own shock tower brace. I used a small hacksaw and some tin snips to cut out the aluminium plate, and then shaped it with a file. It's a bit fiddly, but take your time and take it slowly and I'm sure it will turn out just fine! Best wishes from Mark... :)

[@santrade10]

@@MarkBryanRC thank you for the tips! Love your vids!

[@MarkBryanRC]

Any time santrade 10! :-)

[@richlien5598]

Great mod video. Very intuitive. What aluminum thickness did you use? Thanks.

[@MarkBryanRC]

Cheers, Rich! The aluminium on the front brace is 2mm. If you use steel, you could get away with 1mm as it's much more rigid, but harder to work with! All the best! :)

[@PeteWylieRC]

Hi Mark. Watching your beach video reminded me about your aluminium rear wing. Can I ask how you attached the ends please ? Ta :-)

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hiya Pete - I pop-riveted the end-plates using little 90 degree bent steel brackets - the fixing needs to be very secure as the end-plates are the first thing to dig in when the car goes upside-down! I'll see if I can take a photo of the underside of the wing on messenger - are you thinking of making an alloy wing too, and for which RC? - cheers Pete :-)

[@krs7709]

Top tips brother👍

[@MarkBryanRC]

Thanks very much, krs 7! I really hope some of these simple tips are useful to the RC community! :-)

[@georgebilton3997]

Did you fit ball diffs in any of them?????

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hi George - no I haven't upgraded to the ball diff - purely on a cost basis, I think adding an element of limited-slip would be an advantage though - if it was a cheap option I would definitely give it a try :-)

[@tomsmith6741]

Inspired me to dig my superfighter out and have a fettle!

[@MarkBryanRC]

Thanks for the comment Tom. I hope you do get your super fighter going again, if you post a video of it let me know!

[@bradsbunker]

Love the alloy rear wing

[@MarkBryanRC]

Thanks very much - yeah, the standard wing only lasted a few crashes! Any the alloy one is still going strong 2 years later, just bend it back when it takes a knock! I appreciate the comment buddy! :-)

[@modelcarjedi]

Great mod!!

[@MarkBryanRC]

Thanks, Keith! These are great Tamiya buggies, with a little tweaking they are simply fantastic! Much appreciated my friend! :)

[@schuttrostig5729]

i like the front wheels on the right one (spiked ones) what brand are they/ how are they called. NM its mentioned in part 2, thank you

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hi Schutt - yes, the tyres are Turf Rippers. They are fantastic on grass and dirt - but never run them on a hard surface like Tarmac (asphalt) or concrete - the spikes won't last 5 minutes!

[@russscott646]

forgot to say replaced spur gear to a metal 17 tooth runs as smooth as a gravy sandwich and tears up the dirt, will look at altering wheel camber

[@russscott646]

oops I meant pinion gear not spur gear

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hi Russ - nice one, I should have said in the videos to change to a steel pinion as the stock aluminium one wears VERY fast and makes a nasty grey mess in the gearbox. I changed mine for the steel 19 tooth pinion and as you say runs smooth as butter! Better top speed too if your motor can pull it. It's hard to remember every detail when you are filming a live video, but I'm getting the hang of it!

[@MarkBryanRC]

Hi again Russ - no worries, I knew exactly what you meant! :)