Academy SB Sport - beginner advice wanted please :-)
 

Hi everyone

New to this as a hobby. Recently picked myself up an Academy SB Sport (original version one model). Having looked around this forum, I gather they are not too popular :( . Still, it only cost me £65, complete with a 12x3 Mtroniks viper (edit! make that a Vision Pro, not a viper) motor, an upgraded carbon fibre top-deck, and a steering servo.

So, is there anything I can do to this car to improve it? I gather they are prone to breaking bits - can these bits be replaced with better parts from another car?

Alternatively, should I write it off as a bad lot, and keep an eye out for a cheap Losi XX4 WE / Kyosho zx5 / other car second hand, whilst abusing the Academy till it dies?

Also, while I'm hassling everyone, the 12x3 motor seems to eat batteries. I'm considering something tamer, but cheap. Which of theVenom Fireball 17x2, 19x2 or 21x2 motors would slow my car down the least compared to what I already have? http://www.modelsport.co.uk/?CallFun...n&ItemID=21424 Only racing mates around gravelly tracks for the time being, not attending serious race meets.

Thanks if anyone can spare the time to help me out :)

Steve

the car you have already is ok if you are having a go out on some dirt, thrashing around and learning how to jump the car and get a good idea of how to learn to drive. the parts are very cheap so if anything breaks it isnt going to cost an arm and a leg..

motor wise if you can get a " Checkpoint 19 turn money motor " with silver brushes which are an extra and are around the tenner mark from some model shops who stock them, they may be a tad expensive but they last ages and youre motor will not need a skim for a good few runs ( somwhere in the 40s id of guessed ) plus with this motor its fast and wont kill youre batterys too quickly ;) .

i would reccomend some good cells to get the most out of the motor and run time :) ..

hope this has been of some kind of help ?

will you be having a go at some racing shortly ?

Garry

Your car is great! You just need a few things to make the diff stronger. When i was tightening my friend's diff, i actually broke the screw! I suggest replacing the screw, thrust bearing, and t-nut with associated parts.

Bolt/nut:http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LX2869&P=7

Thrust bearing:http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LX2885&P=7

The thrust bearing looks funny, but it actually works better.

if you are racing on gravel tacks, you might want a little more ground clearance so your chassis doesn't rub. If you look at your chassis under the susp. arms you will see that the chassis actually touches the susp. arms. This is because the car used to be a tc, and the arms didn't have to have any droop. On an offroad car this can greatly increase the traction on bumpy surfaces. Take a look at your chassis from the bottom, mark a line with a silver sharpie, and then take everything off of your bottom chassis. Tske s dremmel and carve along the line. Finish off the rough edges with hand sanding. Stay away from the steering assemblyand just carve out enought for the arm to pass by.

Lazerboy, you really don't know your stuff fella, gravelrash, if you pm me, I will send you the link to the old Academy support forum.

are you kidding me? I practically own one!

you practicaly own one, or you own one, Speak to Body Paint, Ian Southwell, myself, Millzy about the SB, we have been there.

cutting that part of the chassis WILL make the arms be able to droop down low enough to raise the car. And i DID break a diff screw when tightening the rear diff to cure the slipping that was occuring. The associated screw is thicker, and the thrust bearing is smoother, so it only makes sense to replace these items.

right, lets start a list....

Diff outdrives wear due to the drive pin in the driveshaft being too short and too much play in the ball to outdrive, fix is to drive the pin out of the axle and fit a longer, stainless steel pin.

Shim the gearboxes properly.

Get the purple alloy motor mount and modify it so the motor don't drop out.

Dremel the chassis to increase droop, but then limit the shocks a little

reinforce the steering arms on the front

solid topdeck

the list is endless.

how can i post a photo from my computer? (not the inet)

read this http://www.oople.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1459

here's the droop mod:
[img=http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/5667/academysbmodsjz4.th.png]

Theres no need to cut out that much, the shocks shouldn't push the wishbones that far down and you will be putting more flex than nessessary into the chassis.

tthat's why you put spacers inside the shocks to limit downtravel. And chassis flex isn't an issue with this car.

On high grip, grass etc it was a major problem for most of us.

he said that he races on gravel, and that's why he needs that much downtravel.

Put monster truck tyres on it :D

that's what i want to do when i get a 4wd buggy, just with stadium truck tires, and an st body so i can have the worlds first 4wd electric 1/10 stadium truck.;)

does anybody know if the v2 pro motor mount will fit in the v1 sport?

Hey everyone. Thanks for all the responses!

Quite alot to take in, but I have had another look at the car, and have picked up on the following:

Diff outdrives wearing - yep. already happening. Where the pins on the dogbones sit in the diffs, they have eaten little bites out of the slots they sit in. I'm guessing these are the diff outdrives right?

Alloy motor mount - actually, it ain't purple, and the motor seems to be fairly solidly mounted. Is it possible the previous owner already sorted this?

Diff thrust bearings and bolts - thanks for the links. Looks like a job I can get on with

Extra droop mod. - Thanks for the pic. Makes sense. Can see whats going on there, should have noticed myself really. Will use my common sense regarding how much to cut away.

:eh?:

Hey, and no need to argue on my behalf!