Fat Freddy

Hello? Anyone out there? Can’t believe none of you have done this in (how many years??) since the Vantage came out so c’mon folks, share your wisdom with me. 👍 Thanks

Hi there, Apologies, I’m sure this has been discussed before but..... Have you ever fitted a different body shell on a Vantage? And if so... What did you fit? Where did you get it? How did you do it? What problems did you have? How’d it work out? Was it worth it? Got any pics? Thanks in advance, Fred

Thanks for your responses. I shall forget magnets and stick to clips. Got to say @Ollykamakazi that looks great. What car is the body mounted on?

Hi folks, First some background. On an impulse I bought myself a FTX Vantage after some 30 yrs away from RC. I have to say I’m really enjoying it so far. I only use it for messing about, not racing. Have changed the wheels for larger ones to give myself a bit more ground clearance as I kept grounding out (should prob have thought about it longer and got a truggy or truck instead.. maybe even a crawler.. I just saw “RC CAR” and bought it). So now I’m hooked and want to start modding it. Not for speed (yet), just looks. I’m crashing less and less as my skills improve but the crashes I do have are getting bigger. As my confidence grows I get faster, so when it all goes wrong...... I will eventually get to the request(s) for advice, honest..... I want to move away from the buggy look and have a yen to put a truck/truggy, possibly a rally car, or even a crawler type body on it. Not one of those expensive replica jobs. Something cheap that won’t break the bank if (when!) I trash it. Partly because I think it’ll look cool and partly so the body takes the hit rather than the suspension towers. wheelbase is 28cm and width (inc new larger wheels) is 27.5cm. So, firstly where is a good place to get body shells from? Any particular company you favour? Has anyone else with an FTX Vantage or similar done the same thing? (It’s probably in the vantage thread but that is SO long) Any advice on how to choose the right shell? Any advice on what NOT to do? And once I’ve chosen my shell, any advice on how best to mount it? The FTX carnage body mounts apparently fit straight on without any need for modifications so I thought that might be a good starting point but obviously they are intended for the carnage body. So any advice on how to do custom body posts? (I notice there is an unused hole in each corner of the base plate that I could maybe use as a fixing point for new body posts?) finally, I find spring clips really annoying but they are at least pretty foolproof. I like the idea of magnetic mounts for convenience but are they strong enough to hold the body shell on in a crash (multiple rolls for instance?) Apologies for asking so many questions at once. Hope you can help folks. Here it is, filthy after a bash in the wet. I know this is pretty low-brow stuff compared to some of the stuff you guys have, but trust me, 30 years ago, this would have been amazing for the price 😋👍 thanks Fred

I relented after another little bash and found my motor was super hot. Put the 17t pinion in, had another little bash, motor noticeably cooler. Might get a 20t pinion anyways. No harm experimenting eh?

I saw a vid on YouTube re this, sorry can’t remember the title but basically it involves removing the rear diff/suspension and simply sticking a couple of bits of tape over the gaps between the chassis and the spur/pinion mounts. Seems like a simple fix. Plan to do it myself when my current spur/pinion wear out.

Thanks @Tug And you are right @Markmoo my original pinion and spur gear are already knackered from bits of grit and small stones. I’ve got spares already (cheap as chips) for when these finally become unusable but before I replace them I will take your advice and block those holes. re the gearing. I got a carnage (17t) pinion with the intention of swapping it at the same time as the wheels. But after a quick test run on the new wheels I haven’t bothered. It may possibly have less acceleration but I can barely tell. It’s definitely faster though. Interesting how the larger wheels affect the handling. Definitely better for bumpy ground but a lot less sharp in turns and a propensity to roll over if turning hard at speed. The only real downsides I’ve noticed are slightly shorter run times and after a run, the motor and battery are hotter than before. I will experiment with different sizes of pinion, maybe try a 20t which is halfway between the vantage and carnage pinions. Anyways, I think she looks Bonny with the bigger wheels.

Hi there Am new to this forum so forgive me if I’m posting this in the wrong place. Returning to RC after a 30 year gap. Got myself an FTX Vantage. I don’t have access to a track so all I’ll ever do is mess about with it in the park or up some unmade roads nearby. There are some abandoned quarry’s near me that I thought might be fun, that sort of thing. Was a bit of an impulse buy tbh and although I’m enjoying it, I can’t help wondering if I shouldn’t have gone for the carnage or the bugsta instead. Something with a little more ground clearance. Anyway, too late now as I don’t have the budget for another car so am thinking of adapting/modifying this one. Nothing too radical, as I said, I’m on a tight budget. It crossed my mind that if I fitted a set of larger (carnage?) wheels that would give me a little more ground clearance. But then surely with the larger diameter wheels that will raise the gearing? Potentially making it faster?(not sure I necessarily want faster as the places I’m using it in are so bumpy, speed =crashes) So, if I do this, is there a danger I will put a strain on the (brushed) motor? (A bit like trying to pull away in your real car in 3rd gear?) Am I worrying unnecessarily or should I look at swapping to a smaller pinion gear at the same time as swapping wheels? If so, are vantages easy/difficult to dismantle/reassemble? Is it easy/difficult to set up the gear mesh? Any tips, hints, or opinions welcomed, thanks.