The evolution of an HPI nitro F3.5 buggy

[Kris407]

So I bought this buggy a couple years ago and thought I'd post a little timeline of how it's changed over the years. HPI has given up on this buggy but I haven't and I bet there's not another like this one! I'm working on fixing the Toe and Camber this weekend so I can put tires to dirt soon.

 

[ninnon]

View attachment 17114 View attachment 17116 View attachment 17117 View attachment 17118 View attachment 17114 View attachment 17116 So I bought this buggy a couple years ago and thought I'd post a little timeline of how it's changed over the years. HPI has given up on this buggy but I haven't and I bet there's not another like this one! I'm working on fixing the Toe and Camber this weekend so I can put tires to dirt soon.

HPI haven't discontinued it, they've just made a "new" one by discontinuing the one with that engine, and they've just put the newer engine on and sold it as whole new car. That looks real nice, unlike mine, which is currently in pieces... The woven graphite servo tray and center diff plate would look fantastic with the blue fuel line

 

[Kris407]

The steering arms and hub carriers I bought are for the Trophy truggy 4.6 and are different from the original ones from the Trophy buggy 3.5 so now the upper suspension arm is too long even at its shortest point and the front wheels are cambered way out. I have a new set of the Original hub carriers coming this week so I'll figure something out. I will post some photos of the changes I had to make to fit parts from the Trophy truggy 4.6 the Hot Bodies D8 Tessman buggy and the HPI D8S 3.5 onto the old Trophy 3.5 Buggy.
I started with a 2013 HPI Trophy 3.5 buggy everything stock but here's a list of what I have put on it after bashing it up and repairing it.
Nitro Star F3.5 V2 engine w/three shoe clutch
Dynamite 086 pipe
Trophy Truggy 4.6 steering arms and hub carriers
Trophy Truggy 4.6 center differential and brake mounts (same as the buggy ones)
Hot Bodies D8 Tessman big bore shocks-40k oil
Hot Bodies Tessman air filter
Hot bodies Tessman Wing
Savox steering Servo with Aluminum horn

I liked the old 3.5 engine better. It was smaller and lighter and I like the old cooling head better.

 

[ninnon]

The steering arms and hub carriers I bought are for the Trophy truggy 4.6 and are different from the original ones from the Trophy buggy 3.5 so now the upper suspension arm is too long even at its shortest point and the front wheels are cambered way out. I have a new set of the Original hub carriers coming this week so I'll figure something out. I will post some photos of the changes I had to make to fit parts from the Trophy truggy 4.6 the Hot Bodies D8 Tessman buggy and the HPI D8S 3.5 onto the old Trophy 3.5 Buggy.
I started with a 2013 HPI Trophy 3.5 buggy everything stock but here's a list of what I have put on it after bashing it up and repairing it.
Nitro Star F3.5 V2 engine w/three shoe clutch
Dynamite 086 pipe
Trophy Truggy 4.6 steering arms and hub carriers
Trophy Truggy 4.6 center differential and brake mounts (same as the buggy ones)
Hot Bodies D8 Tessman big bore shocks-40k oil
Hot Bodies Tessman air filter
Hot bodies Tessman Wing
Savox steering Servo with Aluminum horn

I liked the old 3.5 engine better. It was smaller and lighter and I like the old cooling head better.

Did you notice any improvement using the 086 pipe on the stock engine? Nice shocks too, I'll have to try find them over here and see what pricing's like. Looking nice. What upgrades are you planning next?

 

[Kris407]

Alignment is fixed and it's ready for the pavement. Of course it's been raining all day

In these photos you can see the modification from trophy 3.5 buggy hub carriers to the Truggy 4.6 ones. I had to twist off the regular end of the front upper arms and I used the end off one of the chassis stabilizer rods and a swivel ball from an old bent shock. I also had to turn the ends vertically rather than parallel with the ground. I had to pop off the little "balls" on the ends of the chrome shock mounts to mount the big bore shocks. Everything turned out really good

 

[Kris407]

Well it's running again but it needs some tuning. I didn't have much time but I wanted to crank it up and overall I'm happy and could tell a HUGE difference in how she feels. Much better
The 086 pipe makes a huge difference on the stock engine in my opinion.

 

[Nitrotrout]

That's quite a transformation. Nice work!

 

[ninnon]

Very nice, looks so much more nimble- It seems I've got to step up my game

 

[Kris407]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it.

 

[cbaker65]

Nice run!

 

[Rolex]

Nicely done! Enjoy, enjoy. Build, bash, wreck, rebuild. Gotta love this hobby.

 

[ninnon]

Nicely done! Enjoy, enjoy. Build, bash, wreck, rebuild. Gotta love this hobby.

Rebuilding is the best bit, as you just feel satisfied once you know every single bit is checked and in as best possible condition as can be.

 

[Kris407]

Yeah its the best hobby and knowing everything is done right is priceless. Understanding how it all is supposed to work is another huge benefit, you start to feel the differences and know exactly what is giving you better control or what is dragging you down.

 

[ninnon]

Yeah its the best hobby and knowing everything is done right is priceless. Understanding how it all is supposed to work is another huge benefit, you start to feel the differences and know exactly what is giving you better control or what is dragging you down.

It's just finding the money to do that

 

[ninnon]

Here's mine at the minute. Currently doing a total rebuild, I've re-done shocks, changing diff oil and gears all round and just replacing worn parts, fuel lines, tank, radio box (the radio box had had it, the seal was gone and all 4 threads were ruined.) Should be able to clean and rebuild front and back ends+diffs at the weekend, so it's not road worthy yet.
My current list of upgrades is so:
-Savox 1256 TG (Steering)
-Savox 1258 TG (Throttle)
-Woven Graphite centre diff holder (got it for 60p, normally £9)
-Orange fuel line
-Aluminium front toe block
-Hardened diff gears all round
-Heavier (45wt) shock oil
-6V Hump Pack (Actually says 4.8V, but reads 6.0V)
-Fuel filter
-Nanda badlands wheels.
So nothing too pricey. I'm hopefully going to look for the graphite servo tray too, if I can find it cheap. And then I might consider a Dynamite 086 and again, some big bore shocks. Maybe even some AKA EVO wheels with I-beam tyres, purely because they look awesome and seem pretty good, and I can get them cheap. The ones I've got now are surprisingly good for the price, however I've had to re glue them and they're looking a bit tatty- plus they're a pain to clean. They're not really necessary at the moment though as I'm happy with the performance as it is, and don't race.
Sorry about the quality, bad lighting, bad photographer and bad camera.
It's over 3 years old now, so the chassis is looking a bit tired, and the cooling head is a total mess. (the underside of a BMW did that, plus a WOT into a concrete kerb causing it to flip didn't help to wear and tear.) But overall you couldn't find a spec of dust on it and is in full mechanical working condition.

 

[Kris407]

It looks good. I'm running 45k in my shocks and I love it. The big bores were $90 and they're better but there's nothing wrong with the stock ones if anything I would say try stiffer springs if possible. A new chassis was cheap and sure made it look pretty. I got front and rear shock towers, radio tray and stock servo tray for $8 in a package. The problem is that cooling head, I couldn't find one to fit the original engine so that led me to buying the new one but I also got a three shoe clutch with it which makes a huge difference.
Overall here's the things that I have felt had the most impact on actual performance besides electronics because they obviously help:
#1 get the air filter for the D812 or one like it.
#2 Three shoe clutch
#3 better pipe
It's got a good tune now and I'll post a video of it tomorrow.

 

[ninnon]

It looks good. I'm running 45k in my shocks and I love it. The big bores were $90 and they're better but there's nothing wrong with the stock ones if anything I would say try stiffer springs if possible. A new chassis was cheap and sure made it look pretty. I got front and rear shock towers, radio tray and stock servo tray for $8 in a package. The problem is that cooling head, I couldn't find one to fit the original engine so that led me to buying the new one but I also got a three shoe clutch with it which makes a huge difference.
Overall here's the things that I have felt had the most impact on actual performance besides electronics because they obviously help:
#1 get the air filter for the D812 or one like it.
#2 Three shoe clutch
#3 better pipe
It's got a good tune now and I'll post a video of it tomorrow.

I wouldn't of thought the air filter would of made a difference if I'm honest, but clearly it's the case- although when you think about it, the stock one is pretty restrictive.

 

[Kris407]

I just happened to put my savage filter on it one day (being lazy) and noticed an immediate improvement. That's when I bought the Integy one for it but after observing the 4.6 Truggy air filter I realized its a better design and the Tessman D8T edition works perfect and it was only six bucks including shipping

 

[ninnon]

I just happened to put my savage filter on it one day (being lazy) and noticed an immediate improvement. That's when I bought the Integy one for it but after observing the 4.6 Truggy air filter I realized its a better design and the Tessman D8T edition works perfect and it was only six bucks including shipping

You seem to be able to find stuff pretty cheap over there- a D8 air filter over here is $15, and those big bore shocks are $150 for 4...

 

[Kris407]

That kinda sucks. I rebuilt the entire buggy for under $100 including all new diffs (you can see it on my YT channel). Then I spent $90 on those big bores, ouch.