TLT Rebuild

[McFig]

So I'm rebuilding my TLT crawler. I'm ditching the chassis and TLT tranny. I'm using a Regin K2-3L chassis that I painted black.

The big thing is that I'm going to use the CR-01 tranny. Also got some Big Horn tires from Junfac.

Tamiya CR-01 Parts needed:
9005887 - A Tree - Part 9005887 Link (http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=9005887)
51325 - Gear Bag - Part 51325 Link (http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=51325)
9400725 - Metal Parts D Bag - Part 9400725 Link (http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=9400725)

On to the pictures:

This is what it looked like before:
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_684.jpg

Here is the CR-01 tranny:
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_707.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_708.jpg

In the chassis. Had to turn one of the mounts on the tranny around to make it fit, but it fits perfectly.
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_709.jpg

Here are the tires. The foams are not full circles which I haven't see before.
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_705.jpg

The RC4WD wheels I'm going to put them on.
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_706.jpg

[Blazerbogger]

Those wheels look Awesome! Are they 2.2's? Are you going to use the same body or a different one? Looks good so far. First build-up I've seen utilizing the CR-01 tranny.

[Wyoming]

Sweet build mcfig, That wonderful CR-01 tranny is another product Tamiya should consider packaging for sale as a separate complete unit to go with the axle kits. Compact, sealed and reliable. looking forward to seeing what you end up with.

[teebeehex]

That wonderful CR-01 tranny is another product Tamiya should consider packaging for sale as a separate complete unit to go with the axle kits.

oh lord yes! :agree:

[teebeehex]

McFig, I know they are not Tamiya tires but could you give us a quick review of those please.

[McFig]

Thanks guys. I'm trying to get the built as fast as I can, but there will be a few stall points as I go.

Blazerbogger - Yes they are 2.2s. Different body. Got a discontinued Tamiya F150 lexan body.

Wyoming - Thanks man. Yeah, the kit would be a great idea. The nice thing is you only need to order those three things I listed above. You do end up with some extras, not not too much.

teebeehex - Sure. I really like the feel of the tires. They are a soft compound and seem like they will perform well, but we shall see. They are a little bit wider and a little bit taller then Moabs. I'll snap some pics.

[McFig]

Here are tire shots next to a Moab

http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_710.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_711.jpg

[Wyoming]

Dang them's big 2.2s Almost clod sized by looks of it.

[Blazerbogger]

Dang, those are going to be like tractor tires under the f150 body!

[McFig]

Here is a mock up

http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_712.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_713.jpg

[teebeehex]

ooh, I can see some body hackin' coming up. I love a bit of creative cutting with these lexan bodies.

[Blazerbogger]

ooh, I can see some body hackin' coming up. I love a bit of creative cutting with these lexan bodies.

It's an ABS hardbody by the way.

[SMOKE-DOG]

It's an ABS hardbody by the way.

A clear ABS hardbody? Did I miss something?

Chassis looks real nice. Very creative use of the CR01 tranny.

[Moondoggie]

This looks like one sweet build! Off to a good start I see! :) Definitely like the looks of that sealed CR-01 tranny.

Makes me wonder if Tamiya will ever sell a tranny kit for crawlers/scalers...:rolleyes:

[Blazerbogger]

Doh! I was thinking about sods Yota build when I posted that.:bangin: Sorry. Anyway, I thought you were going to use the Tamiya TA-02 F150 body. This one is much more fitting.

[McFig]

Thanks guys. Yeah its a lexan for now. And yes I will need to cut that bad boy.

[Blazerbogger]

Don't cut her up too much, you should try to keep the original body style as much as possible.

[Wyoming]

That is a really good looking scale body choice mcfig, May also consider a Tamiya Wild dagger shell which is similar styled with bigger arches

[McFig]

Installed the link plates, now I need some drive shafts

http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_716.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_715.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_717.jpg

[McFig]

Changed out the shocks for TLTs and added drive shafts and plates to mount electronics and what not. Did the drive shafts by getting two extras and cutting them off. I then epoxied and screwed them together. Works great.
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_719.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_720.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_721.jpg

Quick review on the tires. They work great. I'm running them with no foams and they are very soft. They grab the rocks very well.
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_718.jpg

[teebeehex]

Thanks for the bit on the tires. I have a set now and (doh!) have assembled 2 (beadlocks) already with the foams. Haven't tried them out yet - will soon.

also, thanks for the tips on the planetary gearbox. I got my bits today and have 92.5% assembled it. Planning to build a crawler (what else?) using this & maybe tlt or hilift axles and some kind of unconventional chassis setup. wish me luck!

[McFig]

Good luck. Make sure your post some pictures of your build.

I need some opinions on where to put the battery. Front or Back and why?
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_729.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_730.jpg

[Blazerbogger]

On the common crawler, the best place to put the battery is on the front the axle. So you would want your battery under the hood. This is so the crawler won't flip over while going up hills.

[McFig]

See thats my thinking too, but I wanted to see what others said. Thanks

[teebeehex]

Ideally, the best option for battery placement is low and central. Looking at your configuration, there are some reasonable options: saddle pack in the centre, half on either side of the transmission; stick pack over the front axle (this sits it over the servo, raising the c.o.g. slightly); or stick pack over the rear axle (as BB suggests, not so good for steep inclines but lower c.o.g. than the front axle). Keep in mind you might not be driving up that steep hill.

The battery has been a problem with my crawlers also. I'm thinking of investing in a saddle-pack or similar config from cheapbatterypacks - just waiting for the exchange rate to recover a little.

[McFig]

Got it all finished up.

http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_731.jpg
http://www.tamiyatrucks.com/mkportal/modules/gallery/album/a_732.jpg

[Blazerbogger]

Are the lights painted in too?! It looks great! How does it perform?

[McFig]

Lights are painted too. Everything is painted except the black line on the side and the Ford emblem on the front, those are stickers.

[Wyoming]

That really looks mean, nice work. I'm not going to be much help as I usually just run the batteries wherever they fit and are hidden the best since I have scale crawlers. A few of my rigs are battery in back, a few in middle and a few have small packs on the front servo.