Congratulations on you purchase. I have a couple suggestions. First, put a new thread on the RC Tanks forum instead of resurrecting a zombie thread in the War Room. The war room hasn't much traffic, unlike the RC tank forum. Nobody reads Zombie threads (from years gone by...this thread is 7 years old). You have an interesting subject that deserves it's own thread.
Next, try checking this website out,
tanks.linite.com It's a site ran for, and by, a rabid big tank guru...RCU username "TANQUE" I've met him, and he's the real deal. He does what you want to do with this tank. He'll have some good resources for you.
Good luck.