rumbot
Member
- Messages
- 10
- Reaction score
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- Arrma RC's
- Granite
Dear fellow bashers
I’d like to setup my Granite BLX so it is as weatherproof as possible, so it’s going to require as minimum maintenance as possible.
A bit of context: I live in Scandinavia, therefore will drive in mud, wet grass, humid gravel and dirty puddles at least 6 months a year. I’m a busy professional and dad to 2 kids, so I have very few half hours of sparetime a week. Total RC noob, just got into the hobby, I have a traxxas basic tool kit, a bench and a compressor, no stockpile of extra/spare parts.
I’ve been reading the forums to find tips & tricks to setup, mod and upgrade the car to make it more resistent to the weather. This is what I’ve learned so far and planning to do for modding/upgrading:
- motor cover (dusty motors)
- velcro around the motor shaft (although in doubt if necessary, when using a motor cover)
- gorilla tape on the side of the motor (again to cover the motor shaft)
- gorilla tape inside the lexan
- loctite on critical scews (motor plate, suspension shafts)
- sealed rubber bearings (when the stock ones will start get crunchy)
- waterproof servo (when the stock one will fry)
About maintenance, I’ve read different contrasting opinions about cleaning and replacing parts. Maybe because people living in different weather conditions have different methods that work for them? Anyway, this is what I’ve learned so far:
- clean the car with brushes and compressed air after every run
- if very dirty/muddy, clean with soapy water, rinse, then compressed air
- use wd-40 and/or lube on all moving parts (some people say wd-40, others say that it damages the metal parts and collects debris?)
- replace bearings as soon as they get crunchy (though I’m in doubt about motor bearings - some say every 5 packs, others every 100 packs??)
What do you guys think about all this? Are these good ways to ensure maximum driving time and minimum maintenance? Would you give some alternative and/or extra advice?
Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance for that!
Cheers
rumbot
I’d like to setup my Granite BLX so it is as weatherproof as possible, so it’s going to require as minimum maintenance as possible.
A bit of context: I live in Scandinavia, therefore will drive in mud, wet grass, humid gravel and dirty puddles at least 6 months a year. I’m a busy professional and dad to 2 kids, so I have very few half hours of sparetime a week. Total RC noob, just got into the hobby, I have a traxxas basic tool kit, a bench and a compressor, no stockpile of extra/spare parts.
I’ve been reading the forums to find tips & tricks to setup, mod and upgrade the car to make it more resistent to the weather. This is what I’ve learned so far and planning to do for modding/upgrading:
- motor cover (dusty motors)
- velcro around the motor shaft (although in doubt if necessary, when using a motor cover)
- gorilla tape on the side of the motor (again to cover the motor shaft)
- gorilla tape inside the lexan
- loctite on critical scews (motor plate, suspension shafts)
- sealed rubber bearings (when the stock ones will start get crunchy)
- waterproof servo (when the stock one will fry)
About maintenance, I’ve read different contrasting opinions about cleaning and replacing parts. Maybe because people living in different weather conditions have different methods that work for them? Anyway, this is what I’ve learned so far:
- clean the car with brushes and compressed air after every run
- if very dirty/muddy, clean with soapy water, rinse, then compressed air
- use wd-40 and/or lube on all moving parts (some people say wd-40, others say that it damages the metal parts and collects debris?)
- replace bearings as soon as they get crunchy (though I’m in doubt about motor bearings - some say every 5 packs, others every 100 packs??)
What do you guys think about all this? Are these good ways to ensure maximum driving time and minimum maintenance? Would you give some alternative and/or extra advice?
Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance for that!
Cheers
rumbot