RC-model MN78 1:12 customization. Part 2: chassis changes and full story.

The end of the customization story. Here I described what changed in the hardware and posted the full history of upgrade. The first part here.

I wanted the winch with the remote control from the main remote (not the second remote only for winch). So had to replace the whole remote equipment: transmitter and reciever. And also installed a brushless motor. Stock plastic propeller shafts broken very fast. So replaced them with metal ones.


The main gears in both axles worn out. Installed metal portal axles. The drive shafts in the front axle broken during the first drive. They're really thin there. I ordered them, because they are available as separate parts. Shipped. So began to unscrew the screws of the portals. Screws' heads turned out to be licked off and there were no options to unscrew them at all (at the same time, rear axle was disassembled easily). I drilled all the screws except one normally. On the last one, the hand wavered and drilled through the portal body. Freaked out, cursed, and threw away both bridges.

Installed standard plastic axeles back. I ordered a repair kit for them (all the shafts are metal with bearings). Replaced them. And happily drove for a long time. The gears in the axles have worn off again.

I ordered them not from powdered metal but made of solid metal. And happily drove for a long time. But I wanted portal axles again. This time I ordered from MN99, they have shafts of normal thickness. And they turned out to be so high-quality that I still use them. Widened fenders, install wheels with a diameter of 73 mm and weighted them.

Changed shock absorbers, the thread in the front pad, where the shock struts are installed, has slipped off, because it is plastic. So ordered metal pads and replaced them. I also changed all the links to metal ones, but they has so huge free play that the axles had a free forward-backward stroke of about 5 mm. I threw metal links away and installed back stock plastic ones.

Gearbox stuck. Plastic gears worn. I ordered full-metal gearbox. Disassembled and greased it, but it still rattles and feels like the shafts are spinning much heavier than when they were in a plastic case. So metal case was thrown away and all the metal shafts and gears were installed into a stock plastic case.

Here the story ends. As a result only body, longerons and links are from stock model. Everything except them has been replaced with upgreded parts.


Now this RC runs very good in any conditions.


The articulation of the suspension is very good:

One of the disadvantages: it has not big breakover angle because the body is high and quite heavy. But the angle of approach is something about 50 degrees.







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