Needed Tools
All you really need is one tool; a rotary too. The most
popular rotary tools are the Dremel and the Black and Decker RTX. You will
need just a few accessories for your rotary tool; cutting discs, grinding
stones (various sizes), sanding drums, drill bits, and spiral saw bits
Step One
Remove the unnecessary plastic from the fuel tank box. Most
of the fuel tank box is unneeded plastic; the only parts you really need are
the upper lip (where the rubber cushion for the fuel tank sits) and the
round posts that go up to it. The squares and rectangles of plastic between
them is useless. You can see this modification on my friends Nitro Rustler
(look toward the center of the image).
The quickest way to do this is to roughly cut out the
rectangles with a rotary tool using a cutting disc. Then, using a sanding
drum (or grinding stone if you must) smooth out the edges.
If you have the tools and accessories needed, this step is free.
Step Two
Remove the unnecessary plastic from the front arms. The front
arms are full of plastic that serves no purpose. All of the little recessed
areas just occupy space and add weight. You can see this modification on my
friends Nitro Rustler.
The quickest way to do this, is to drill holes into the
corners of the recessed areas. Then, play "connect the dots" using one of
the spiral saw blades. If you want to, you can then put a small grinding
stone in your rotary tool to smooth the rough edges. You can also use the
grinding stone to round over the leading and trailing edge of the arm.
If you have the tools and accessories needed, this step is free.
Step Three
The rear arms also have a lot of extra plastic on them. The
bumps on the top pf the arm aren't needed, and neither are the thinner beams
that go along the main supports. I also felt that the outside half of the X
isn't needed either. You can also get rid of the cross brace near the end of
the arms as well. Like the front arms, the trailing and leading edges of the
can be rounded over, except where the pins go through. Below is a picture I
edited to show the modifications.
The accessories required to do this are cutting discs,
sanding drums, and grinding stones.
If you have the tools and accessories needed, this step is free.
Step Four
The front bulkhead is one of the strongest and most supported
pieces on the truck. You can cut out a lot of it and not weaken it one bit.
The recessed sections can be cut out the same way they are on the arms, but
you can get rid of the brace in the front. You can also remove the thin
vertical section that serves no purpose. Below is a picture I edited to show
the modifications
The accessories required to do this are drill bits, rotary
saw blades, grinding stones, and sanding drums.
If you have the tools and accessories needed, this step is free.
Step Five
The rear bulkhead is also a strong part with some extra
material. The recessed sections and the round cylinder things can be
removed. I also removed the material that is above the camber mounting
holes, and outside of the tower mounting holes. It looks like the tower will
break easier, but it won't; the part I cut off didn't support the tower at
all. This mod can be completed just like the front bulkhead mod in step
four. Below is a picture I edited to show the modifications.
The accessories required to do this are drill bits, rotary
saw blades, grinding stones, and sanding drums.
If you have the tools and accessories needed, this step is free.
Step Six
The engine mount has a lot of unnecessary material as well.
The extra material not only weighs the truck down, but it also restricts
gear combinations. I am talking about the piece that runs parallel to the
chassis, and connects the front and back halves of the mount. Just cut it
close to the main mount, and smooth it out with the grinding stone or
sanding drum. Below is a picture I edited to show the modifications.
The accessories required to do this are rotary saw blades and
grinding stones or sanding drums.
If you have the tools and accessories needed, this step is free
Step Seven
Convert the engine to a non-starter version and use a starter
box. The weight dropped by removing the parts needed for the starter isn't
the only advantage. Without a starter, there is no one way bearing or
starter shaft, which means there will be less drag and rotating mass for the
engine to turn. Less rotating mass and drag means the engine will rev
quicker and higher.
This mod requires you to spend some money. Some engines can be converted to
a non-starter version by simply changing the backplate. Other engine may
require you to buy a new backplate and crankshaft. You will need to buy a
starter box. The box I have cost about $100 to get completely working. You
need the box, a power supply (two 7.2-8.4v batteries or one 12v), a charger
for the battery, and, if you don't already have one, a glow plug igniter.
Step Eight
If you aren't using the ez-start to start your truck, the
wiring harness and bracket for it are no longer needed. Remove the wiring
harness and grind the bracket off of the battery cover.
The accessories required to do this are grinding stones and sanding drums.
You may use a cutting disc to cut through the material quicker.
If you have the tools and accessories needed, this step is free
Step Nine
Install the Carbon Fiber parts. If you get all of the parts,
you will remove more than 4oz of weight.
The only tools you need are Phillips head screw drivers (#1 and #2) and a
5.5mm wrench (the box wrench that comes with the kit has a 5.5mm wrench).
This step will cost you some money. If you go for the full carbon fiber
treatment (tie bar, brake, upper chassis, front shock tower, and rear shock
tower) like I did, it will cost $70.75 plus shipping.
Step Ten
With the carbon fiber front shock tower, you will notice that
the front body mount is exposed above the top of the tower. You can cut off
that extra material and not hurt the piece at all. First trace where the top
of the tower lines up with the mount, and then cut it off. I used some end
snips to get the rough cut, then used a grinding stone to smooth it out. You
can use a cutting disc to do the rough cut if you want.
If you have the tools and accessories needed, this step is free.
Step Eleven
Make yourself a AAA cell receiver pack. I went to my local
RadioShack and bought a 4 cell AAA battery holder which has a built in
switch. The AAA batteries are smaller and lighter than AA batteries, but
still produce the same 6 volts of power. Because AAA batteries are smaller,
the mah is lower; this means you will get less run time on a set of
batteries. I decided to go with rechargeable alkaline batteries by Rayovac
(they are 1.5v each). On one charge you can get about a half hour of run
time in. The simple solution is to buy eight batteries. With the RD upper
chassis, you can mount the battery pack nicely between your receiver and the
front shock tower (mine is mounted with the switch on the right side of the
truck). This mod will cost between $2 and $45 depending on what you have.
You will need the battery holder, a charger for the batteries, a female
connector/male casing BEC battery lead (you need to solder it to the battery
holder), and the batteries.
You will need a soldering iron and a small Phillips screw driver.
