Getting back to running Losi LST(2)?

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D3MON

Hardcore RCTalk User
Messages
2,172
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974
Location
Missoula MT
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
hey guys,

well i started a thread for my MGT and working on getting it back going, so going to do the same for my Losi LST, at the moment its kind of a Frankenstein rig between LST and LST2 (i think?) wouldnt mind help identifying.
this was my newest purchase before getting out of RCing for awhile, and is setup almost exactly the same as when i bought it back in 07-08 or so.
i only ran a few tanks through it.
so the truck has the 2 speed transmission with the hi-lo selector, it does have reverse (probably going to be going FOC in the future.)
Notable LST1 features:
it has plastic difs (LST1)
it has the blue m26 motor (LST1)
and blue anodized shock with ano caps, non threaded (lst1)
Notable LST2 features:
heavier duty axles w/ 20MM hex
larger heavier A-Arms (LST2)
hub carriers to fit A-Arms (LST2)

either way, it was a fun truck for those few tanks so gettin it back running here soon. (too cold lately i dont want to stress plastics more than necessary.
getting the radio (JR R XS3) on this thing workin correctly was definitely a learning curve. as somehow i messed with it and had the radio mix the throttle channel and the aux channel.

well wish me luck and hoping to post results before long!
 
My 2 biggest issues with my aftershock (even after the LST2 2-speed install) was the two speed pucks hopping the flat spot on the input shaft and the chassis rails snapping between the front and middle.

I'd put a new 2 speed hub in and new shoes, then I'd go about half a gallon or so, then it would lock up because the pucks would hop then lock in 1st and 2nd at the same time.

Now that I"m thinking about it, I wonder if it had anything to do with me running traxxas 3.8 tires/wheels on it (smaller/lighter than stock) with +2 gears on the bell. So, I was spinning the input a bit faster than was intended.
 
i remember the output shaft the grub would loosen causing 2wd, but that was the only item i remember, ill have to watch out for that. was it a large launch that caused the frame rails to snap? or? seems to be decently beefy plastic there. ill have to make sure to watch those for wear/cracking.
 
The first time, I was jumping out of the skate park into a ditch. If you over shot it much, it would land hard on the face of the opposite side of the ditch. That's what I did and the truck nearly folded in half. I broke them 3 or 4 times before doing something about it. Usually it was just jumping too high, or as high as I did with my savage at the time. I ended up making a skid/belly pan that connected the front skid to the center. Later on, I picked up a hardcore racing top deck for the chassis for pennies of what it cost originally. I think stormer was just dumping all their HCR stuff because HCR stopped making it. I had to cut a piece out of it to fit the LRP starter housing in it as it was made to work with the stock motor/spin start.

This is where they would break:
2007-1117-ASChassisRailBreak02.jpg

2007-1117-ASChassisRailBreak01.jpg


My first draft was just steel strips bent to match the chassis over the chassis rails:
2007-1119-ASChassisRailBraces.jpg


Then the HCR chassis deck, probably didn't need it, but couldn't pass it up for the price:
2008-0125-HCRChassisCutOverStock.jpg


What I cut out:
2008-0125-HCRChassisUnderStockBlownUp.jpg


Then the skid with a wear bar on it because after running it a bash or two, it was grinding through my skid. With the time it took me to make that thing on a bench vice... I did not want to make a second one:
2008-0217-ASSkidPlate01.jpg


Wear bar:
2008-0830-SkidProtectionBarInstalled02.jpg
 
what led you away from using the meta strips down the frame rails? not enough protection to the servos/battery etc? will have to do something similar. thanks for the tips and pics!! love these trucks can't wait to start running it!
 
They were steel and rusted all up. They were also really thin, so I couldn't countersink the screws enough to have them flush. I found a hunk of scrap aluminum and figured I'd make the entire pan instead to avoid having the pieces crack if I just used strips.

I found another guy that did a full pan from front to rear... but I had all I could do to get the two bends right in my vice. Adding 2 more bends and getting all the holes right would have been a real pain, especially since I didn't have a drill press or anything but a hack saw/saws all/dremel to cut it up with.

As it was, I never cracked the chassis rails to the rear. Only the front. Perhaps the XXL LSt would have had more issues as I think it was lengthened in the rear.

I also found that using RC Raven dual rate springs with a bit heavier oil than stock worked out a lot better than the yellow springs as well. Made it less bouncy in the rough stuff while still being stiffer than the chrome or black springs on full compression.
 
They were steel and rusted all up. They were also really thin, so I couldn't countersink the screws enough to have them flush. I found a hunk of scrap aluminum and figured I'd make the entire pan instead to avoid having the pieces crack if I just used strips.

I found another guy that did a full pan from front to rear... but I had all I could do to get the two bends right in my vice. Adding 2 more bends and getting all the holes right would have been a real pain, especially since I didn't have a drill press or anything but a hack saw/saws all/dremel to cut it up with.

As it was, I never cracked the chassis rails to the rear. Only the front. Perhaps the XXL LSt would have had more issues as I think it was lengthened in the rear.

I also found that using RC Raven dual rate springs with a bit heavier oil than stock worked out a lot better than the yellow springs as well. Made it less bouncy in the rough stuff while still being stiffer than the chrome or black springs on full compression.

Lol......You put that Losi through a serious a$$ whoopin!.........
 
They were steel and rusted all up. They were also really thin, so I couldn't countersink the screws enough to have them flush. I found a hunk of scrap aluminum and figured I'd make the entire pan instead to avoid having the pieces crack if I just used strips.

I found another guy that did a full pan from front to rear... but I had all I could do to get the two bends right in my vice. Adding 2 more bends and getting all the holes right would have been a real pain, especially since I didn't have a drill press or anything but a hack saw/saws all/dremel to cut it up with.

As it was, I never cracked the chassis rails to the rear. Only the front. Perhaps the XXL LSt would have had more issues as I think it was lengthened in the rear.

I also found that using RC Raven dual rate springs with a bit heavier oil than stock worked out a lot better than the yellow springs as well. Made it less bouncy in the rough stuff while still being stiffer than the chrome or black springs on full compression.

ok makes sense, going to try to make some sort of skid pretty soon here, i like them being covered to and not as much at the mercy of the elements to the underside as bad. and attempt to make it less of a scoop shovel design in soft stuff. will have to play around with mock-ups and see what materials i have. its alot easier for me to acquire steel so that may end up being the route i take but will see.
I'm almost wondering if i can find some sort of sturdy plastic i might be able to form underneath and see how that holds up.
will have to look into those springs, seem pretty inexpensive and looks to be a good upgrade.
do you have a question on the high low selector, do you find it worth it to keep in the truck? if not do you recall what kit it is to delete it or part #? i can't seem to find one online. for what i plan on (Bashing) to my understanding that the high gears will be fine.
again thank you for all the help!!!
 
also love the video!! love watching bashing videos!
 
Quick update:
Got a FOC for the truck, and have a chassis brace in the mail. (Mine is not broken, but I had been reading the cast aluminum is prone to cracking). Got some aluminum plate that I need to cut up to make a skid, wanting to do the full skid as well for protecting servos.
God i hate how losi used 1/16 Allen's for everything exposed on the bottom... anything into metal and the screws was stripped instantly, found a thread where they put 3mm screws instead that I may try. The screw into the bevel gear in the tranny was a joke too... really wasn't as much weight as I though that was removed with the foc.
Side note: there is so much dust on this thing...
Will never let them sit like that for as long as I did unkempt.
Kind of thinking the original owner barely had it broken in before sold, given the lack of scratches and almost none of the screws have been removed besides what I have, not even tooling marks in screw heads anywhere.
 
I replaced everything except the upper motor mount screws with 3mm or 4mm. The upper shock mounts, I drilled them out and used 4mm bolts.

When you make the alloy skid, you may want to make steel wear bars to put on it. Considering the time/effort it takes to make the skid with all the holes and appropriate angles, sucks to have it get ground through on the front area where it bends up by the servos. I made a front to center skid for mine because I kept breaking the chassis rails by the servos. After changing those out for the 4th time in a few months... I had to do something or I was going to set the truck on fire.

My aftershock with a steel bar on the skid I made:
2008-0830-SkidProtectionBarInstalled02.jpg

You can see where it was wearing through the skid, and that wasn't very long after installing the skid. I did not want to make that stupid thing twice!

Also, the screws for the engine bay brace like to back out regardless how much locktight you use, so I found it best to use locktight and to run longer screws through with locknuts:
2008-0321-ASHCRChassisEngineBrace01.jpg
 
good info! yeah i have some strips of steel somewhere i was going to reinforce the skid with. going to have to do that trick with the longer bolts and nuts as well! ended up stripping the slipper nut putting it on, going to have to run to ace or the LHS to see if they have anything. ended up mounting the battery on top of the RX box as well so removed the tray for it. btw do you have any idea what that cutout in the chassis is for that looks like a servo mount spot under the gas tank? been puzzled by it ever since i got the truck. the tank is even lifter right there to allow room for something. that green chassis plate looks so nice under there!
 
good info! yeah i have some strips of steel somewhere i was going to reinforce the skid with. going to have to do that trick with the longer bolts and nuts as well! ended up stripping the slipper nut putting it on, going to have to run to ace or the LHS to see if they have anything. ended up mounting the battery on top of the RX box as well so removed the tray for it. btw do you have any idea what that cutout in the chassis is for that looks like a servo mount spot under the gas tank? been puzzled by it ever since i got the truck. the tank is even lifter right there to allow room for something. that green chassis plate looks so nice under there!
That chassis was a lucky purchase when stormer hobbies was dumping all their Hardcore Racing titanium parts for nickels on the dollar. Originally, that was a $150+ part. I think I paid $30 for it. I had to modify it though because I ran a non-stock engine and the pull start housing hit a spot on the chassis. Was a pain dremeling that out.

You know, I forgot all about that hole... the LST1/aftershock had a tank with a recess in it to put a servo there as well for 4wheel steering. Found a thread on it elsewhere:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/losi-monster-trucks-319/2738631-4-wheel-steering-mod.html

I upgraded to the LST2 tank (and removed the primer as it was prone to leak) so I had more run time. That tank didn't have the recess for the servo on the bottom.

Kind of funny, all that time I had the aftershock, I never even questioned why that hole was there and never ran across a thread where anyone used it. lol!

As for the receiver pack, I just kept mine in the stock location and modified the receiver box to have a charge jack in it.
2008-0105-ASChargeRecepticalInternal.jpg

2008-0105-ASChargeRecepticalExternal.jpg
 
i wonder if it was meant to be there for a rear steer application? so strange how they put it there and had a recess and didn't say anything about it. more or less saying they'll figure it out if they figure it out. its kinda funny i bought the truck for less than that chassis at regular cost alone. quick question though, how did you route your fuel line or did you keep it routed same as factory? seems that the fuel filter right almost up against the head is a terrible spot to have it, soon as the truck gets to operating temperature it seems like it would boil the fuel back making it about impossible to get started once warmed up. i could be wrong though. that is a really smart idea on the charger jack! might eventually relocate it back under the chassis but for now gonna try it up front.
 
I looped it around the shock tower to the filter, then back around to an associated primer bulb that rested on the spur side of the tank.

2008-1230-ASFuelLineRouting01.jpg

2008-1230-ASFuelLineRouting02.jpg

2008-1230-ASFuelLineRouting03.jpg
 
engine brace came in the mail today,
every time i remove any screw that i haven't removed and replaced I'm just reminded by how much i hate the screws they used to begin with, had to drill the heads off all the screws on the existing engine brace, all the shanks are still in it, going to need a vice and try to drill and figure out how to get the rest out.
fit well and looks all pretty and blue, will try to post a pic later.
gonna need to run to Ace or the LHS to get more of the SAE screws for the brace though, hopefully they have some phillips or larger hex drive 4-40s
my LHS has a new piston and sleeve in stock for the stock Mach engine, tempted to buy it just to have it. gonna run it as it is first though and see how much i like the engines performance. found a carbon fiber chassis plate that I'm thinking about picking up for the truck but dont really know if that will matter to me besides having a spare lol.
 
I looped it around the shock tower to the filter, then back around to an associated primer bulb that rested on the spur side of the tank.

2008-1230-ASFuelLineRouting01.jpg

2008-1230-ASFuelLineRouting02.jpg

2008-1230-ASFuelLineRouting03.jpg
Thanks for the pictures!
think I'm going to do this as well, have you ever had any air leaks with the primer bulbs? i remember reading that it seemed to be a major culprit of air leaks back in the day, i never had any issues with mine on my MGT, but i chalked it up to me just being luckier than most.
 
Thanks for the pictures!
think I'm going to do this as well, have you ever had any air leaks with the primer bulbs? i remember reading that it seemed to be a major culprit of air leaks back in the day, i never had any issues with mine on my MGT, but i chalked it up to me just being luckier than most.
Nope. I use 4 zipties on them, one on each end of the bulb and one on each fuel line. I have had them on all my nitros for many years without issue. Well, once there was fuel in one when I put it on the shelf for months, then it turned into gel and I had to take it apart and rinse it out. Other than that, no issues. Just easy priming without blowing into pressure lines or turning a cold engine over needlessly.

They are very soft though, so you have to be mindful where you put it so it doesn't get poked/punctured/tore by something.

OFNA had one that was a filter and primer. Those tended to leak from what I read. never had one.
 
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