Just some 2WD action from last Sunday's bash

Traction's been awesome at the track lately after a bout of rain followed by a couple days of sun...

TRF502

Almost finished with this build. Initial thoughts:

• Although there've been comments that this car is a AE B44 clone, it is quite a different car being similar only in overall layout of electronics
• build quality is typical TRF, i.e. simply excellent
• love the adjustable battery trays (forward and aft positions possible)
• quality of plastics feel very good, quite unlike the softer type used in the TRF201
• not much space for electronics though, for this car, small stuff will work better.
• compared to the B44, this car should be far easier to wrench on
• price of the kit is less than initial release prices of the TRF501/511 but they did skimp on some parts: turnbuckles are the cheaper ones released with the DB01 (I believe steel?), no HL (gold) shock bodies or ti-nitride coated shock shafts, basic steel diff balls...
  

Overall I really enjoyed the build... far more than when I built my B44. Looking forward to hitting the track with this buggy!

Maybe a different paint scheme from the typical yellow blue and red?

YZ10 Track Test #2

Had a chance to run my YZ10 with some other vintage cars yesterday. It's only got a black can motor installed (standardized motor for the upcoming vintage run) but it's quite zippy. I imagine with a faster brushless in this buggy it'll really rip!

JRX-2 Front Hingepin Brace

One nice advantage of running the Andy's front arms is that they actually allow room on the hingepin for me to easily fit a brace on.

Quick job on CAD and then to the Sherline and this was whipped out - a front hingepin support for the buggy. This should give the front bulkhead that little bit more protection.

JRX-2 Track Test

Project Losi JRX-2 Update...

The JRX-2 is now a runner. All the electronics are wired up and I've even made an undertray for it to protect and preserve the vintage chassis. I also managed to score a pair of Andy's front arms from Ebay and fit them on - turns out they are just a tad wider than the stock arms which is exactly what I needed to bring the front track up to match the rear (not to mention they look great too!).



Also painted up a shell from Mr Lexan. I've always loved the looks of the older Losi shells and the JRX-2 shell is no exception. One unique part of the design I really like is how the rear shocks are inside the shell and not outside - very cool. Here's the shell in signature BC colors.



A side profile...


There've been some questions about the lower links I machined on this car and some requests for more information. Here's another picture of the link showing the smooth underside which should ensure it doesn't get hung up on stuff or collect dirt.


Essentially, a channel 5mm wide has been milled into the top of the link to fit the Kyosho shock end snugly. On one side of the link a step has been milled to ensure it clears the chassis during suspension movement. On both ends I've used Losi ball cups which are the most rigid cups I've come across. Length of the lower link is identical to the stock link.


I've modified the rear of the car to run current day 2.2" wheels and tires. The car is pictured here with JConcept Goosebumps tires. To fit these on the rear, I had to drill new holes for the axle pins and add spacers to push the wheel out to normal track width. I've also added a small 2.5mm thick spacer where the lower link attaches to the upright just to give a bit more clearance between the link and the tire. Here's a pic showing the spacer and the lowerlink-tire clearance.


So here is the JRX-2 pictured with the Yokomo YZ-10 both in my standard paint scheme - ready for the vintage run coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping the slipper shaft I ordered for the JRX-2 arrives before so I can install a slipper for the run too.



Drop me a comment and let me know what you think of the project so far. :)