Looking to do a Buggy conversion, need advise.

In the past I've owned a Stampede, a converted warhead (Takedown), and a converted Raze buggy (bennyhill016). They were both great, but I would like to do my own conversion. I've decided it will be a buggy. I don't race, I only mess around on the track. I want something easy to convert. I want to buy a roller, slap in a pre-made motor mount, put in a MMM, and a 8xl or something. I want something simple that I can call my own. Parts support is important to me and I was looking at the 8ight, rc8, lightning, Hyper, etc. The thing is, I want the buggy to be indestructible. I have a $600 Stampede that is pretty tough and I want something that I wont have to worry about. Everytime my pede takes a spill I have to worry about the body breaking, the motor temps, etc. I just want something i plug in, beat the hell out of or just mess around on the street, and then unplug, clean and be done. I really like the 8ight, but it looks like a complete racer. Looking for some advise. Not looking for any crazy expensive buggy, just a fun one to convert.

[brushlessboy16]

what are you going to use the buggy for, racing or bashing

Originally Posted by brushlessboy16

what are you going to use the buggy for, racing or bashing

Bashing. I would however like to mess around on a race track, but not get serious into racing. Just need a tough buggy, basicly.

[brushlessboy16]

I'd look into the hyper 8.5 maybe a used jammin x1

Originally Posted by brushlessboy16

I'd look into the hyper 8.5 maybe a used jammin x1

I need lots of parts support, especially if i'm breaking it all the time. I will look into those two, thanks.

[brushlessboy16]

if its a durable buggy you wont be breaking much...

[BrianG]

I've had pretty good luck with my Hyper8. The only thing I've broken is a shock tower, but that was from a direct hit on the tower with a wall at around 50mph. I've also had the CVD set screw loosen, so make sure to lock-tite those well.

You'll need the following for a Hyper-based buggy, but this setup will be similar no matter what you get:

- Motor mount.

- Motor. Take your pick. Feigao XL motor for the cheap end, Neu on the high end. The kv depends on the voltage you use. Shoot for around 35,000 rpm max.

- Battery tray. I know Mike can make custom sizes depending on the battery you choose.

- Battery. I'd go with lipos for weight/runtime/power. 4s is a solid start. 5s and up would be better for higher voltage setups, but then you may have issues trying to get them to fit under the body. For runtimes around 20-30 minutes, look for 5Ah capacity. For higher runtimes, you'll need around 8Ah. Of course, this depends on how you drive, ESC settings, terrain, gearing, etc.

- ESC. Up to 4s, the Mamba Max is a good solid ESC. For 5s and 6s, I'd use the Monster Max. Both have tons of features, computer programmable, built-in LVC, great customer support, etc. If using the Mamba Max, you should use an external UBEC - the Monster Max has a switching BEC built-in.

- Depending on the height of the battery you use, you may have to raise the body a bit for clearance. The sides of the body are kinda shallow.

- Mod1 5mm bore pinion. Tooth count determined by the speed you want.

- Spur. You can use the stock steel spur, but they are heavier and noisier. The Kyosho 46T spur is a direct replacement. Quieter and lighter, yet still holds up fine.

[brushlessboy16]

i beleive he has 2 2s lipos and a mamba max along with a 9xl already :D

[BrianG]

Originally Posted by brushlessboy16

i beleive he has 2 2s lipos and a mamba max along with a 9xl already :D

Do you have ESP? Unless I'm blind, I don't see that listed.

[brushlessboy16]

i talk to him outside the forum :D, he has my raze now

[bl-is-future]

i like my hyper 7 but would get the hyper 8 if i ever needed to replace it.

Originally Posted by brushlessboy16

i talk to him outside the forum :D, he has my raze now

Yeah. Someday I would like to do my own conversion. Thanks all for the tips. My Stampede does something wrong every time I run the thing. It never breaks, but always stupid stuff. For example, last time I was running my receiver popped out and broke off the wire. It's always something stupid, but it's always something. I'm new here, and thanks for the quick replies.

Here is what I do - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESdvD0XPME0

[bdebde]

What does your local hobby shop carry the most parts for? You may also want to think about a high quality motor if you don't want to worry about temps.

[jhautz]

If you want a tough as nails buggy for a very fair price take a look at the CEN buggy. That thing was just about as bullet proof as it could be. I loved mine cuz it was all but impossible to break without getting really stupid. Mike sells the motor mount for it now also so the conversion would be simple.

[auto2]

and if you want a CEN the track where i race may have one lieing around. ill ask if your interested. with lots of parts....