Kyosho ST-R Brushless Conversion Project

[robmob]

Since I will be trying my hand at racing an 8th scale brushless buggy this coming racing season, I have decided to convert my old truggy to brushless as well.

Since it is an old school Kyosho ST-R, I will also be adding the ST-RR chassis to lengthen it by about 1" which will match all the other truggies on the market right now.

Here is the before pic.

I have not touched this rig for a couple of years. It has a bad ass Ninja .21 (Italian Version) which was nails for power and tuning. Best nitro engine I ever owned and it will go in to my S3 buggy which I have decided to keep.

I will be using the Kyosho brushless conversion kit so that when it's done it will have the factory look to it.

Here are the parts that will be used.

A Neu 1515y will be used for the motor.

I got the engine removed and vacuum sealed it for storage. Pickling it has protected it, but this will ensure it will stay perfect.

I have removed the front and rear ends and center diff. The front diff has leaked so will need to be rebuilt. Might as well rebuild them all since it has a couple of gallons on it.

Of course since I need new gaskets and o-rings for the diffs which I don't have and need to order, I now have to lay this project aside to wait for parts.

More to follow.....

 

[savon]

Nice, I always liked those truggys, can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[robmob]

Here are the major components that will be reused from the old ST-R.

Here is a comparison of the old chassis to the new chassis.

 

[Lessen]

I REALLY liked that you vacuum sealed your old mill. That's genius man :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[robmob]

I finally got the seals to rebuild the diffs so a little bit of progress has been made.

Center diff assembly is put together and ready for mounting to the chassis.

Battery/ESC Box is put together and the brick fits perfectly.

The Battery/ESC Box is keyed to the chassis which is a huge plus and also includes tabs to route the ESC wire.

Just need to replace the Traxxas plugs with Deans and I can mount it to the chassis.

 

[sweetdiesel]

Looks awesome Rob. What gearing will you be running?

 

[robmob]

Looks awesome Rob. What gearing will you be running?

I have a 50T spur and the manual states to use a 11t or 12t pinion when using an Orion 2000kv motor. Kyosho must be in bed with Orion since no other gearing options are given for other motors.

I am using a Neu 1515 1.5y, so I think I will start with a 15t pinion and go from there. I have a feeling I will need to go up a few of teeth.

 

[drdoom405]

Vacuum sealing that engine IS a great idea...my GF is wondering why I just jumped up off the couch and grabbed ours out of the cabinet...lol

 

[sweetdiesel]

I have a 50T spur and the manual states to use a 11t or 12t pinion when using an Orion 2000kv motor. Kyosho must be in bed with Orion since no other gearing options are given for other motors.

I am using a Neu 1515 1.5y, so I think I will start with a 15t pinion and go from there. I have a feeling I will need to go up a few of teeth.

It does make sense that the manual states to run a smaller pinion since the truggy has larger tires/wheels. Is there enough clearance to run the larger pinions?

 

[robmob]

Yes it does. I have a 20t that easily fits.

 

[slowngreen]

Very nice and clean as always Rob.

 

[HPIguy]

That's gonna be one nice truggy.

 

[robmob]

Thanks guys.

Now that the Ve8 is down to the electronics, I am going to lay it aside and get this one to the same point.

I basically need to tear into the front and rear diffs.

I also got a good deal on a set of Kyosho big bore shocks for it which should be in my hands this week. The Ve8 big bores make the my old ST-R shock look like tooth picks and that will not do. LOL

 

[robmob]

OK

After waiting for 3 weeks for some big bore shocks and springs from a seller on ebay only to get nothing, I filed a PayPay claim and they actually got all my money back.

So much for saving $40.

Anyway, Blue dropped off some shocks and springs from trusty Stormer Hobbies 3 days after I ordered them so I can finally get back to this project.

 

[sweetdiesel]

Rock on! Looking forward to the rest of the build.

 

[robmob]

I was able to put a few hours this past Sunday on this. Let me tell you that Kyosho's attempt to make the conversion kit universal has been challenging. The instructions are a PITA to follow and I had to shim the motor mount in order for the spur to clear the chassis. As a result, I am only able to use 2 of the 3 mounting screws. No big deal since most conversions only use 2 and the 3rd screw is only 3mm. It didn't matter anyway since that hole did not line up with the hole in the chassis. LOL.

Some progress pics....

These are what I call BIG BORE shocks. Makes the old ST-R shocks look puny.

Front diff all rebuilt and mounted back up.

Rear diff all rebuilt and moutned back up.

Motor mounted.

Shocks mounted.

Houston we have a problem! The ST-R rear chassis brace is not long enough for the ST-RR chassis. It is supposed to make it to the 2 holes. Order placed with AMain for the proper brace.

I'm in the home stretch with this build.

I should get it buttoned up this weekend and all that will be left is painting the new body.

 

[robmob]

Creeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaakkkk..........raising this from the dead.

5th Scale pretty much derailed me from anything smaller for the last few years.

Nevertheless, I finally completed this build recently.

Here are some finished pics.

 

[slowngreen]

Lightning McQueen ! ! !


Good thing your not a project manager

 

[WoodiE]

I like the flat black look you've done with this and your EXO. I've been thinking about doing something plain and simple like this with my trucks. Can't go wrong with flat black.

 

[robmob]

I love the flat black look. I spray the body on the underside like normal and then apply any decals to the top after pulling the mask. I then coat the top with Tamiya PS-55 Flat Clear.

I did do it on this body, but on my erevo body I trimmed the mask around the windows before pulling it off so that they stay crystal clear.