Anyone with a TAMIYA "DARK IMPACT"?

[THE H.P FREAK]

HI!... Anyone here running a Tamiya "DARK IMPACT"?

I just ordered one a few days ago and it should be here in a week or so.







1st off I'll be doing something a bit different with my DF03. I'll be building a custom DF-03 "HORNET". Kinda combining old school with new school. Here's a few pics of what I'll be doing :







The guy who built the original prototype is in Japan. He has been very helpful in providing me with info on his creation.

Here's a few vids of it in action :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grahoo/4332654468/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grahoo/4331892929/


O.k now down to it. I'll be running this mostly on pavement and on dirt like in the vids. I'll be running Zippy Flightmax 7.4 volt, 5800mAh, 40C or occasionally 11.1 volt 3s, lipo, 5000mAh, 40c.

I'll be running this ESC/motor combo : (already bought)



Now I've read about all the hop-ups for this DF-03. i Some have changed as time has gone on.

What are the best hop-ups currently available? I'm looking for strength and durability here due to I'll be running a hot BL set-up. So far this is what I've come up with :

- TAMIYA slipper clutch. (already bought)



- TAMIYA heat sink. (already bought)



- 3RACING front/rear steel diff shafts :

[Overdriven]

Get a set of turnbuckles. Tamiya put regular threaded rod on them, so you have to take off one end to adjust anything, royal pain. Haven't seen the 3racing shocks, but the tamiya ones are pretty sweet.

[THE H.P FREAK]

- 3RACING aluminum front/rear shocks :



Or spend the money on the

- TAMIYA oil shocks :



Which shock set-up would be better?

- 3RACING graphite front shock tower : (already bought)



- 3RACING graphite rear shock tower : (already bought)



- 3RACING aluminum rear gear box stiffener : (already bought)



- 3RACING Graphite front suspension brace : (already bought)



- TOPCAD motor heat sink plate :



- 3RACING front/rear Diff. Shaft - Heavy Duty Ver. 2 :



Now what would the best CVD be, to buy?



Also if there is anything else I should get?

[George16]

There's a bunch of them at the Japanese LHS I go to. They're nice but I don't like them or else I could have bought one. They're cheap compared to buying them in the U.S.

[el tomaso]

I had one with front oneway, slipper and som other goodies. Was my favourite car until I bought my lazer zx-5 fs, then I got into 1/8 scale and even the lazer is at rest on the shelf.

Get the kavada(?) 48p spur conversion or whatever its called.

Thomas G

[el tomaso]

I just remember why I hopped up my keen hawk so much, my LHS called one day and said nobody bought df-03 cars, and I could get 50% on every tamiya df-03 hop-up and a brand new MS kit for parts. Everyone else wanted the durga, I had one but sold it after I got the keen hawk. The durga felt so heavy and slow IMO.

I think the df-03 is a great buggy for bashing, but a little too "different" for competing with the race cars. But that isn't what it was made for anyway. I think your plan is very interesting, and I like old buggies, or new ones with some old school thrown into the mix.

I am never going to sell my tamiya top force, IMO thats the best buggy from way back. I drive it even though its a rare classic, but I only have a GT-tuned brushed motor in it. Did you know the top force is the grandfather of the dark impakt, it is the df-01, kind of cool.

What kv is that motor, and which esc, is it the 60a? If I remember correctly thats a 5 or 5,5t motor right? If so 3s will be seriously dangerous

I tried my lazer zx-5 fs with xcellorin 6,5t on 3s once in a gym after hours, it was fun but I don't need that much speed. I am more of a drivability person. Still, drifting on a gym floor with that much power was something special. Wish I still had access to that gym, with all the snow out.

Good luck with the build, and post more pics and a video. I may buy another df-03 if I can find a decent used one.

Thomas G

[THE H.P FREAK]

HI!... Well I picked the DARK IMPACT up on Friday and started building it right away.





Well I made a stupid mistake and put all the stickers on and afterwards realized the body had a clear tear off coating on it! LOL! So needless to say they are all scrap now. So after painting the body today I just threw on some stickers I had laying around.

[THE H.P FREAK]

HI!... I didn't car for the spur/pinion gear set-up on this thing. Teeth are way to fine. With me running a brushless 6000KV motor I figured they wouldn't last too long. So I built a conversion kit and converted it to a M-0.8 gear set-up. Currently running a 54spur/15pinion.







Here's my ESC/RECEIVER set-up :

[THE H.P FREAK]

HI!... Well I picked up my slipper clutch and started modding it already! LOL! I still want to run my M0.8 gearing set-up. So I took the gear shaft from the slipper clutch kit and drilled a small hole in it to accept a dowel pin. Then I simply modded a TRAXXAS slipper clutch and mounted it. Turned out pretty good. Sorry for the crappy pics, old digital camera.

[THE H.P FREAK]

HI!... Is there any after market company that makes the REAR/FRONT ring/pinion out of steel instead plastic?

P.S : I just emailed Robinson Racing to see if they make and steel gears or if they would be willing to make a run of them. I explained the issues with them. Who knows mabey they might if theirs enough interest in them. We should all start emailing them asking.

[THE H.P FREAK]

HI!... Well I've been talking with a gear company across the way to get some bevel gears made up out of steel (hardened possibly). They want me to send them some of the gears I want made out of steel so they can look at them and get me a quote. Would there be a interest here in buying some of these gears if it's feesable? Probably the more I get made the cheaper they would be.

These are the two bevel gears I'll be sending to them :



Is there any other gears that are prone to breaking that I should have them look at as well? Let me know and post up a pic of what you think would be another candidate.

Neal.

[el tomaso]

The aluminium idler(or whatever I would call it) in the rear gearbox was the first to go in my df-03. IMO the bevel gears do just fine as is.

TG

[THE H.P FREAK]

Originally Posted by el tomaso

The aluminium idler(or whatever I would call it) in the rear gearbox was the first to go in my df-03. IMO the bevel gears do just fine as is.

TG

HI!... I must have a newer version then. I have no aluminum idler in mine. All gears are plastic except the main spur gear shaft gear which is steel on mine. There's guys on other RC sites that are destroying the bevel gears front and back and melting the large diff gear in the rear. I've been told to stay away from the front one way due to it destroys the front bevel gears.

[THE H.P FREAK]

HI!... Well some more parts came in today. I got the 3RACING front/rear composite shock towers, one piece inputs, driveshaft, front "A" arm support and rear gearbox support. I still have to get the higher voltage electric fan for my ESC and the CVD's.

[Kcaz25]

Looks great! You know in the first picture the back tires need switching around to make the tread direction right unless you are doing that on purpose and in the las picture all the tires are on wrong. Regardless of the other pics in which I didn't look at the tires. Nice job otherwise! I was thinking about doing one of these but I didn't know it had a ball diff.