RE-DRB 1.8 CS SSG HT OD - Build

Here is the RE-DRB 1.8 CS SSG HT OD build in pictures.

This version is the Hyper Drive High Traction SSG Special with Front One Way included.

This includes. (translated from box)

SSG High Traction main Chassis and Upper Deck, Front and Rear Damper Stay
Hyper Centre Bridge and Centre Bulkhead
Titanium turnbuckle and Tie Rod Ends
Blue Aluminium front and rear bulkhead

Blue Aluminium Hyper Motor Mount
Aluminim Oil Shock

Front One Way Included.

But there was also a special offer inside the box.  a FCD gear set of your choice for free. I sent away and it arrived in two days.

So now there are these parts.

and the 1.8 cs drive pulley

Now everyone has been recommending these Overdose bearing C Hub and Camber steering knuckle set. Extra cost. But you have to replace the stock ones anyway for more castor anyway.

This is the new chassis.

Plenty of space for a large spur.

the first step in the build is the case chassis.

the battery holder is also included at this point. The clip will be replaced with something more useful soon or maybe just a tether will be added.

Rear adjustable bulkheads are next.

And it starts to take shape.

Next up is the main drive unit and motor mount. You need to start to use the CS belt at this point.

Because once it's on, maintenance becomes difficult.

This is the main drive close up. The cover for the spur is quite nice. but that will soon be replaced with a better size. There are still parts you need based on preference.

You end up with these. The rear rigid axle can be deleted at this point as the CS axle will be used.

So you get some leftovers early on in the build.

Note how the adjustment is done for initial tension.

There's a small spring and single ball under the crescent for clicking into position. Over designed maybe.

The front pulleys in place. main pulleys are both 15T

Next up are the ancillary hyper drive parts and servo parts.

these are the caps for the bulkheads which also hold the damper stays. Adjusting tension is going to be difficult once it's all together.

So with the belts in and the axles clamped, its smooth.

Next up is the secondary tensioner.

and steering which is also part of the main Hyper drive bridge.

It seems that everything in the DRB is interconnected which is clean for presentation, but not good for maintenance. Hopefully not too much is needed.

steering hangs under the bridge. The bridge binds all the chassis together.

Next is servo saver (the cheapest part of the kit.) I think an Overdose servo set will replace this.

More turnbuckles now installed for suspension setting.

These are the main parts in the suspension set.

These are the replacements and the parts to be replaced.

Front Set looks great. L and R are printed on these and they have nice machined sections.

Detail is nice.

So it's now looking like a chassis. Next up are the dampers.

Everyone hates building dampers because there's a lot of threads that are hard to grip and a lot of parts that get repetitive.

Exploded view... you can see I've already made the pistons.

These are Active Hobby slow rebound pistons for DRB. Actually they should be called high bound. Because in theory they are faster to compress than decompress.

Stock Springs are pink and black with two different weight oils front and rear. Maybe good for asphalt, but for carpet, springs are too hard.

Anyway, something for the future or target surface.

Simple snap on the base and one screw on the top mount. Easy.

The final bag in the set is #14 that's the bumper and posts.

unfortunately the front bumper is not thick enough to match the posts. so a drift package item will need to be purchased or replace the set. It's the only poor piece in this impressively easy build and it comes right at the end.

Anyway, chassis is complete so I'll walk you around the chassis in pics.

45 degree steering equipped with Overdose R88 C Cup set with ball bearing inserts. Yokomo High Spec drive shafts, Alloy wheel clamps and aluminium wheel nuts. Alloy dampers and titanium turnbuckles.

BD5 Spec one way drive pulley axle. SSG front and rear damper towers.

Hyper Drive Bridge and belt tensioner set. Spur gear has an a aluminium cover plate. All screws are Hex wrench.

SSG chassis can accommodate a large spur of around 92T Aluminium motor mount and servo mounts.

Note... you need to remove the pinion to remove the motor.

Rear pulley tensioner has no teeth to avoid slippage. lower suspension mounts are 0 deg front and 3.5 deg rear. Front is not adjustable for wheelbase. Rear is 3mm adjustable. High Traction chassis is quite small design at the rear.

Rear drive-shafts use the plastic cup system for reduction in play. Front one way cannot use this. Rear 1.8 FCD drive pulley and alloy axle is used in this build.

Battery holder incorporates an single Body Pin for release and two thick rubber bands for mounting.

Damper mounts are aluminium top and a ball end at the bottom.

So thats it. Finished. I hope you get an appreciation for the DRB. It is worth the money compared to many other chassis on the market. Buying a basic kit and upgrading it will cost more than the DRB.

That should be considered from the beginning.

So enjoy some more pics of the chassis with Top Line Jupiter DRS-10 Wheels. +9F and +12R 

HPI Wheel Stays

If you are like me then you have a million wheels that need sorting.

Nothing worse than a bag full of these searching for matching front and rear pairs.

These little items make things easy.

Just slide them on, and push down the last one.

And turn the end to retain. Cheap and easy.

BTW these are Top Line Jupiter DRS-10 Wheels

Swirl O-Rings

This is a great product that I've been using a LOT!

It lets you swap tyres from rim to rim. For carpet this is especially great, because you really only need one or two sets of tyres. They never wear out.

This literally takes only a few seconds to swap rims. The fit is tight so there's no slippage.

They work well on wheels with a large flat section. Wheels with two raised bars are quite difficult. The method is very simple though.

Slip the o-ring over the wheel near the outside. It's best to put a twist in it.

Sit the rim on top,



The push down. Finished.

One minute for a whole set.

Benri Desu Yo! That means EASY!

By the way, wheels featured here are these... 4 Spoke wheels from Street Jam.

RE-DRB 1.8 CS SSG HT OD Preview

Progress is underway on the RE-DRB 1.8 CS SSG HT OD.

I'm about 75% through the build with the remaining shock assembly parts waiting for rebound specs. I'll have a step by step on the site soon.

First impressions are contrasting so lets have a look at the chassis so far.

Good points are that Yokomo have included all their top spec parts in the box so it oozes quality. Fit and finish is near perfect. The alloy blue is very well finished. Turnbuckles and new design ball ends have almost no play. Small details like the clamp wheel hubs and shock ball points are nice inclusions.Wheelbase spacers and other small anodized items like wheel lock nuts are also included.

Pre-assembled top spec drive shafts front and rear are also a nice touch. Front one-way and full ball race bearings eliminate play from all areas and the steering is flawless.

I'm using Overdose front hubs which are awesome and easy to assemble.

SSG chassis is very well cut and includes space for a big spur, but it doesn't "shine" as much as I'd like.

CS upgrade parts are very nicely made and the rear makes the front plastic spur look a bit average.

Now the drive system. While very smooth, I can't help thinking it's overly complicated.

Basically the same design is used front and rear to adjust tension and this is done at the hub in an oval shape bearing holder. While this is okay in principle, the inclusion of a tiny ball and spring is a bit too fiddly. The route of the rear belt requires two pulleys (one geared) and a bearing runner and another tensioner especially for the rear. It's similar to a 3 belt design with two belts.

So as the chassis comes together, its getting heavy. All the alloy is weighing it down.

BUT, that just means more power. Steering response should be fast. The position of the spur is perfect. Test fit for all my bodies is fine. I can't wait to get my gear in it and it looks amazing.

I'll be doing weight comparison with Drift Package, RE-R, CE-RX and RE-R and looking at the details soon.

RE-Amemiya Initial D "Takumi 7" - Part 5

Touge Time Attack Battle. Is this the ultimate for Takumi and Project D.

Refreshing this old body hasn't been easy. But I think the result has maximum impact. Lights are connected and ready to go.

The body is just sitting on my display chassis. You can see the side skirts quite well here. They are actually from a HPI Mazdaspeed Body left over from a D-Stage conversion.

The difficulties in bending lexan to create complex shapes is tough. So I chose this sharp diffuser option. It's basically reinforced with electrical tape that just happens to match the body color.

It's bolted onto the existing body in 10 places.

Can't wait to get this out for some driftage...