The $100 HPI Baja

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Z.hb71

RCTalk Qualifier
Messages
145
Reaction score
128
Location
Illinois
RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
i know this isnt very large scale intensive but i figured id show it.
i was scrolling facebook and found a hpi slider for 100 usd, it was in sad shape but i knew i could rebuild it to be great. here was the ad
119891


so naturally i bought it ?:LOL:, that coming Saturday, I received my new Baja!!!
was disassembled for shipping - less work for me!!! was in pretty sad shape
The $100 HPI tore the rear clip apart for a deep clean
took apart the transmission, needed greasing, but nothing was damaged!! there you see the plastic diff case, which means its a really really old original hpi I think. thats going bye-bye!
and it has original hpi diff gears (hard to come by)
after cleaning everything, I started reassembly of the rear end, left the transmission out as thats gunna get some goodies. but first, here's a sample of my cleaning job :cool:
after
uprights
arms
top plate
chassis mated back to the main chassis
gear plate and motor braces
fuel tank
cage
front end time!
cleaned the arms
looks like the original owner must've smashed a pole, would explain the aftermarket chassis
cleaned steering assy
cleaned alu
i like the purple tbh!
cleaned reassembled bulkhead
arms an bumper back together as well as the shock tower
front end mated with the rest
electronics time!
switch in
servos in
batt in and wire managed
installed box!
done for now!
all the plastics were in awesome shape, bearings felt good. just a dirty rig, i got an awesome deal i think!
if you didnt know, i have a rovan baja, i dont like that thing becuase its a clone and becuase whenever i buy an upgrade of any sort, theres 9/10 fitment issues for the reason that the clone is not exactly identical to the HPI. so i got an hpi to fix those issues. I'm gunna build off of this hpi and sell the rovan likely
 
i know this isnt very large scale intensive but i figured id show it.
i was scrolling facebook and found a hpi slider for 100 usd, it was in sad shape but i knew i could rebuild it to be great. here was the ad
View attachment 119891

so naturally i bought it ?:LOL:, that coming Saturday, I received my new Baja!!!
was disassembled for shipping - less work for me!!! was in pretty sad shape
The $100 HPI tore the rear clip apart for a deep clean
took apart the transmission, needed greasing, but nothing was damaged!! there you see the plastic diff case, which means its a really really old original hpi I think. thats going bye-bye!
and it has original hpi diff gears (hard to come by)
after cleaning everything, I started reassembly of the rear end, left the transmission out as thats gunna get some goodies. but first, here's a sample of my cleaning job :cool:
after
uprights
arms
top plate
chassis mated back to the main chassis
gear plate and motor braces
fuel tank
cage
front end time!
cleaned the arms
looks like the original owner must've smashed a pole, would explain the aftermarket chassis
cleaned steering assy
cleaned alu
i like the purple tbh!
cleaned reassembled bulkhead
arms an bumper back together as well as the shock tower
front end mated with the rest
electronics time!
switch in
servos in
batt in and wire managed
installed box!
done for now!
all the plastics were in awesome shape, bearings felt good. just a dirty rig, i got an awesome deal i think!
if you didnt know, i have a rovan baja, i dont like that thing becuase its a clone and becuase whenever i buy an upgrade of any sort, theres 9/10 fitment issues for the reason that the clone is not exactly identical to the HPI. so i got an hpi to fix those issues. I'm gunna build off of this hpi and sell the rovan likely
awesome score man!!! looks so nice now! definitely gonna need to check back here often to see the updates :) you end up selling that 71CC or gonna try mounting it to this thing?
 
awesome score man!!! looks so nice now! definitely gonna need to check back here often to see the updates :) you end up selling that 71CC or gonna try mounting it to this thing?
Keeping that motor, just not the original chassis. but I'm not sure if I'm going to rebuild it this winter. i might stash it, save, and buy smaller, 8 hp engine (still gunna be prety fast) and then spend the rest on the actual chassis, so when next winter rolls around, ill rebuild the 71cc and slap it in, everything will be able to handle that motor at that time. just an idea
 
Keeping that motor, just not the original chassis. but I'm not sure if I'm going to rebuild it this winter. i might stash it, save, and buy smaller, 8 hp engine (still gunna be prety fast) and then spend the rest on the actual chassis, so when next winter rolls around, ill rebuild the 71cc and slap it in, everything will be able to handle that motor at that time. just an idea
that sounds like a good plan, be able to take your time with it while still being able to run the truck.
btw the HPI purple does look awesome on those. orange from the newer stuff looks good, but whenever i think HPI, i think purple lol or when i see purple rc i think HPI.
 
that sounds like a good plan, be able to take your time with it while still being able to run the truck.
btw the HPI purple does look awesome on those. orange from the newer stuff looks good, but whenever i think HPI, i think purple lol or when i see purple rc i think HPI.
yeah i love that purple! if i get a bunch of parts anodized, all the purple parts we be re done in the same as they the anodizing is a bit rough. but the color is awesome nontheless
 
K I'm Gunna start updating this thread about my rig. I started collecting parts not too long ago. So here's my stash
IMG_20191130_134023.jpg

I also have a bunch of other stuff, like misc, unexciting stuff.
And then, on Dec 8 I ordered me a nice motor for it. It's a OBR 7.5HP, 30.5CC longblock, with billet case and intake manifold.
IMG_20191226_121925.jpg


IMG_20191226_121932.jpg

If your not familiar with obr, they are a company out of Cali that take Zenoah motors, and port them to make more power (Dyno proven). They also partner with Turtle Racing (another big name in 1/5 which makes upgrades) to make the billet crankcases (which is what I have).
And lastly, I'm Gunna be doing a custom body for it. Here's the paint scheme I'm going with
15774150563364563896257261115470.jpg
The pink will be candy purple, the blue will be candy blue. Should be a nice ride if I do say so myself!
 
Looks good man can't wait dor it to start coming together!
 
So, I couldn t resist. I had to take the pipe out of the packaging and mock it up. Love what it looks like! 2 things tho, for 1, the pipe mount is trash an took me forever to figure it out ? and 2 I'm double minded about a body. As putting the body on with the pipe is quite a manuever. An can scratch the body, so while it looks good, it's not practical. But I still might do it idk ??
15774333377706251763006340741631.jpg

15774334363146083165045883967445.jpg

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Great looking car and the engine is beautiful..
Thanks.
So a mate of mine over on large scale forums cut me a killer deal on some used parts that I need. Some hex hubs (front an rear), velocity stack, Baja 5t cage (I mainly wanted that for the spark plug.guard, some team chase upgrade uprights, and a diff case. The uprights also came with A TR brace and bulkhead I might resell or keep.
IMG_20200103_115533.jpg
 
Contravercial move but the purple has been removed. Went for a brushed finish and did another mock up. Those shock covers aren't permanent, they are beat torn and stained so i want to get new ones.
IMG_20200220_154657.jpg

IMG_20200221_211107.jpg

IMG_20200221_235309.jpg
IMG_20200221_235325.jpg
IMG_20200222_150620.jpg
 
looks good dude! can't wait for that thing to be "finished"!! dont think any project is ever actually finished lol
 
looks good dude! can't wait for that thing to be "finished"!! dont think any project is ever actually finished lol
Thx Yeah no such thing as finished lol. Not alot more to go now ?
 
If you get tired of the brushed, you can always get them anodized or powder-coated in a color that you prefer.
 
I had to read this from beginning to end. this is kinda of what I'm doing right now with a TA SCT10 4x4 but I'm trying to build two of them. Just tell me how fun or frustrating this was for you so I can get an idea. I love reading this cheap finds and then the process of a good build.
 
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