FS*MT*4WD

Hi all
so i decided to make a thread regarding what i think needs to be done to have a reliable Fs 1/5th truck/car.
It is also a step by step guide when reassembling your vehicle.

The bare chassis, i stripped the paint off of mine just for the look, no real reason behind it.

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next is the lower A arms, i connect my hubs before for ease, but you can also do it later,

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the diffs need to be sealed at the bottoms with some silicone, helps keep dust out and your diff grease in.

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i install the center diffs and shafts first, make sure their is no slop in the cups,

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then its the steering system,

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next step is important, make sure their is no slop between the cup and the first bearing(small one) this is essential is prolonging the life of your diff gears,
drill a hole in your diff and fill it with fg grease, apply a set screw, the reason behind this is because you cannot locktight the screws that hold the diff together cause if you fill the diff from the top and then put your screws through it all the lock tight gets caught in the grease and is no longer effective,
apply at least 1 cm of grease in the plastic housing for the diff,


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then you are ready to drop in the upper diff housing,shocks,upper arms and front bumper(i keep all these attached for ease)

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now its time to install the fuel tank,

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very important step, the shaft that runs thru the fuel tank has alot of slop in it, to eliminate this you have to place a peice of fuel tubing in the cup by the first small center diff, this causes it to push up against the bevel gear and shaft, make sure that their is no space in between the first bearing and the cup(same as with the front diff) it only needs to eliminate the slop so make sure that its not pushing too hard because of the tubing,if so then use a smaller piece of tubing(ie cut in half)

The mesh between the bevel gear and the diff should run smooth, the distance is app 1cm,

once that is done you can install the rear diff housing and shocks and upper arms, notice the MOD done to the rear diff housing, this support helps to keep the diff housing from splitting during jumps and hard landings.

now check that everything runs smooth and it should have a bit of resistance because of the grease in the diffs and housing and cause you have eliminated slop. check that their is no slop or cup movement anywhere,

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next you can install the servo tray,servo saver and gear carrier and the brakes(make sure their is no slop in the brake shaft) notice the mod on the gears, the shafts have been filed back so the gears can go up against the bearing, then the shaft have been drilled and tapered and used shims and a bolt to keep them locked in, the reason behind this to eliminate the slop in the gears and not have to use those unrealible e screws to keep them snug.
very important to eliminate the SLOP, if you have slop in your shaft,gears or anywhere on the truck then you will have problems with your diffs and bearings. thats the reason for alu center diffs and gear carrier, if its plastic and you are bashing it hard then its gonna flex and cause slop. also a reason for the alu servo tray and posts.

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finally once you have checked everything again and all runs smooth, then you can drop your engine in,
use good fuel tubing for your engine and get a clunk filter for the tank, the stock parts are not up to scratch.
once the engine and exhaust are connected and everything is working like it should, then set up the roll bar and attach the wheels,
MAKE SURE TO BOLT THE GEAR CARRIER TO THE ENGINE MOUNT

get a good airfilter and cover, also get a pullstarter cover,

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take your vehicle to a open area where people will not be disturbd, adjust the H needle to 1 1/3 turns out and the L 1 1/4 turns out, this is a good adjustment to start off with, prime till you see fuel returning, place the choke on give her a pull till you hear a low rumble, then place the choke up and give a pull, if everything is done correct she should fire right up,

run your vehicle 1/3 of the throttle for the first two tanks and be very gentle, on the third you should be able to open her up for a few seconds, adjust your needles accordingly, very minor adjustments make a huge difference
CHECK YOUR WHEELS NUTS EVERY FEW MINUTES AS THEY TEND TO COME LOOSE


things needed: good tool kit including a good allen key set,
LOCKTIGHT!!!!!!!!
Alu center difs
Alu gear carrier
steel gears(atleast the C and D gears)
Good Radio system (speky,futuba etc etc)
Bearings, wheels usually go first, vb bearings has a awesome deals on bearings
some sort of failsafe system
outerwears covers,
better wheels,
servos
servo plate and posts
fg grease

im sure there is a few bits and pieces to add,

A HUGE Thanks goes to SICKBOY for all the mods and help,

enjoy your truck and regulary check screws to see if nothing has loosened

have fun
regards
The Fshopups Team

nutechracingusa

Wow [sm=teeth_smile.gif] nice job FS*MT*4WD hands down this is a well put together how to on rebuilding it and re-enforcing the weaker points nice job [sm=thumbup.gif] .

P.S how much stripper did you go through lol ?

bentley marshall

heres some pics of a mod you can do to make the plastic gear carier stronger and last a lot longer

i have 2 steel rings made ...they are a tight fit and allso put some locktighted them allso

bentley marshall

allso file the point off all the grub screws on the drive cups helps them from coming undun all so lock tight them in

if you have probs geting them undun use a soldering iorn to heat them up will undun easer

domizgood

when you guys are listing your mods can you also include part numbers and where you got them from?.....just to make it that much easier for us newbies. thanks dudes and sweet pics!

FS*MT*4WD

lol, used drano for the alu parts, and used paint stripper for the chassis, hard work but well worth it for the end result,

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clubin

All in all not bad I haven't had my "slop" today yet though JK. One thing that is a real good thing to do is this
HPI boots on the centre drive shafts


some Vertigo stuff is always a good upgrade, beats screwing around with the plastic crap.

asphaltcowboy

Hello,

some news,

In Germany a big Electronic Company - Conrad Electronics -
who sells at 12.19.2008 the FS 2WD Buggy as a 1:6 GP BUGGY CARBON FIGHTER 30CC 2WD RTR.
This model has the metal gear set and better radio and a failsave.
Look here :

[link=http://www.conrad.de/goto.php?artikel=236600]1:6 GP Buggy Carbon Fighter[/link]

Also you can download the Operating Instructions Manual, written in 4 Languages here :

[link=http://www2.produktinfo.conrad.com/datenblaetter/225000-249999/236600-an-01-ml-BUGGY_CARBON_FIGHTER_2WD_de_en_fr_nl.pdf]Operating Instructions Manual[/link]

I hope, this will help.

FS*MT*4WD

There has been a few FS owners complaining about breaking pins in the diffs, here we show you step for step on how to mod your diff to prevent it happening in the future,

Tools needed
Vice,
Drill
Taper tools
small flat head screw app one centimeter long
FG diff grease
Beer
syringe

this is the correct way for the gears to go in the diff
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clean out old grease, then place the gears in and locktight the two screws and close up the diff,

next drill a hole at the top

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taper that hole

then fill it with fg grease

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place the flat head screw in and make sure it doesnt lock the gears, if so use a shorter screw.

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the main reason behind this mod is so that you can locktight the two screws holding the diff together, if you fill the diff up with grease without making a filling hole then when you want to put the two screws through with locktight on them the grease will rub all the locktight off and then the screws will vibrate loose causing the pins to snap again. also it puts less strain on the gears and pins, and makes the vehicle more responsive.
Thanks to Sickboy for this awesome mod!!

Regards
The FShopups Team

speedy.d

i have also found that a little hand filing on the edges of the planetary gears can reduce stress inside the diff. i have also had good luck with coating my gears with grease then reassembling thegearsin the diff taking care not to slop the grease around,then if you are carefull (remember the game operation) you can get the bolts threaded into the diff case your threadlock will hold. and after 2 months of driving at least once a day in very different temperatures it has held up very well.

speedy.d

as far as loose wheel nuts, try the mcd nuts the have a grub screw that sinks into the wheel. they work great

baryracing

i can't seem to find anywhere that sells FG diff grease, can I use automotive bearing grease or something available from auto stores?

FS*MT*4WD

no fg grease is thicker, i get it from www.pitstop-shop.nl

jkr_1100

My Feedback: (15)

Regarding the diff mod (pardon me the noob) - Would it not be better to skip the locktite initially and then open it back up after drilling the hole to clean any shavings out, then locktite, reassemble, grease and fit flat head screw to seal.

Mark

speedy.d

i dont drill mine at all i use royal blue auto motiv grease, i bevel the edges on each gear tooth, file any flashing away. after that i coat ech gear heavily with grease making sure there is just enough room without grease so the bolt can pass cleanly to the case holes.i put a drop of red loctite in each hole(yes red i dont have a problem breaking them loose either). i then put thje diff in a drill and run them in.i have yet to blow a diff assembled this way.

FShopups

drill hole first then taper, clean out shavings, then assemble,loctite red or blue, then fill with grease,
i have never had to file mine to mesh correctly,
you should refill with fg grease every 5 tanks..
also the alloy diff housings help to prevent the diff from moving in the case.

fsmt4wd

in my 'how to' i mixed up the steps, so yes drill hole then taper, clean out shavings, loctite. then fill with grease

speedy.d

im not saying it has to be done but my diffs are as smooth or smoother than any mcd diff ive ever seen. they feel like they are out of a 1/8 scale buggy. the less resistance you have the faster you will go!

dc2 man

very nice thread.

enjoyable read,even though i dont have an fs/mcd but im sure very handy for newbies.

if money wasnt an object wouldnt it be a lot easier to buy a competition mcd,cost every bit as much in long run upgrading,i have upgraded a few machines now myself and its not cheap,but on the other side of it upgrading a stock model doesnt always turn out expensive and is a lot of fun.

nice thread.

speedy.d

with the fs most of the mods that need to be done are fairly cheap. steel gears, better radio and a cy or a zen are all you need to buy to have a reliable r/c. the rest is just a little work. and the end result is a solid running car. im sure that some time in the future i will have a new mcd, but i like having a variety of cars.i will always have an fs around, ive tried kicking the habit but it didnt work.

FShopups

thanks dc2man , i watch your threads too!!

jkr_1100

My Feedback: (15)

I agree these lads are very slick. It is great to see so much good will in the community.

trs90stang

Great write up! I'm new to the 1/5 scale after having and still have several nitros and electric trucks. I just got my FS truck tuned, and blew out 2 of the pins in the rear diff. I'm going to do everything that you had done with yours. My question is, who did you get your center diff aluminum holders from? I've been looking at the MCDs, and the price is right, just need to make sure they will work prior to buying. Also, who carries the alum diff housings for the front and rear diff, if anyone? Thanks.....

snooptalian

My Feedback: (7)

Nice pics and info. Just a couple questions: Where did you get the alloy servo tray? Which Zenoah engine is a direct drop in replacement for the stocker? Finally the guy with the pic of the Vertigo alloy gear carrier, where did you get that?

My stock engine will no longer start after only a half tank. It has good compression, good spark and is getting fuel yet it will not even fire now. Ran fine last night and started today easily then shut off and won't fire at all now. Even if I do manage to get it running again I will want to upgrade it to Zenoah anyway, so just need to know what engine will fit without any mods, just a straight drop in, plus I'd like info on that alloy gear carrier and alloy servo tray seen in pics above...

Thanks for the info...