Build Thread Wltoys 144001 Brushless Conversion "Build Thread"!

[The_RC_Dude]

Hey guys, as I've said in a few places before, I'm converting my 144001 to brushless! This is the full build thread, I'll update you guys here as parts come in and the build progresses. As always, feel free to leave questions, comments, concerns, ect.! I should have all the parts here before December 13 (Dec 16 is my b-day, I want to have it ready to install by then), if anyone's curious, I ordered all the parts off of Ebay (you can get them from Banggood, and some parts from Amazon too). I've already gotten the Loctite (for the motor screws, motor mount screws, and pinion grub screw), as well as the 15t Wltoys A959 pinion. Now, time for the pics!
Man, that is one small grub screw! I had to start with pliers to get it into the thread!

 

[The_RC_Dude]

Update: Guys, I just finished the conversion a few days ago! All the rest of the parts (motor/ESC, motor mount, motor/mount screws) came all on the 27th and I got right to work! (may have stayed up a little late wrenching...lol, we've all done it!) Finished on the 28th.

I also ordered some hook-and-loop (aka Velcro, Velcro is a brand that makes hook-and-loop), and converted my 144001 from body clips to hook-and-loop. I haven't lost any clips yet (still using the 2 stock ones, thanks to my little Gorilla tape body clip tether thing), the main reason why I'm trying out hook-and-loop instead of body clips is mainly for (hopefully) an easier time putting on/removing the body with gloves and/or cold fingers (in the winter). Still gonna keep the clips where they are, in case the velcro fails. Once I'm sure the hook-and-loop is reliable, I'll probably take the clips off.

Anyway, here are a handful of pics, the rest are on my iPad (build and unboxing pics), and I'll post those once I can get/share them to my laptop (dang Apple has to use their own system...). I'll try to get a running video up sometime! I'm loving the brushless setup! I've taken it for a short run (actually 2, but the first test run was ~1 minute long, and it was misting rain!), and already I can feel the extra power and acceleration! I thought my 144001 was fairly lively before with my HW ESC and stock brushed motor, but now it's a beast! Even at 1/3rd throttle, I can do nearly on command drifts/slides (the street in front of my house was wet, so that helped)! It also gets up to speed (which was 1/3 full throttle) very briskly, I let my neighbor/friend has a go, and he was impressed! Might have mentioned this before, but I followed QuadifyRC's 144001 budget brushless guide, highly recommend! Gosh, enough blabbering, pics!

 

[WickedFog]

I have been watching the 144001 since it came out. Outsourced RC did a vid on one and it looks like a nice handling buggy. How is the aluminum in that kit? Is it very bendy?

 

[The_RC_Dude]

I have been watching the 144001 since it came out. Outsourced RC did a vid on one and it looks like a nice handling buggy. How is the aluminum in that kit? Is it very bendy?

Finally someone showing interest!

I really like the 144001, it's my first RC! It's very impressive for the price, the more you tear it down the more surprised you are, in the good way! I don't do "extreme bashing", I don't like wrecking my RC. I haven't bent or broken any of the alu parts, as far as I can tell and I give my 144001 a lot of care (keep it clean and running smooth).


Oops, hold on, actually I bent the front shock tower in a crash...it was my uncle driving (don't ask, long story short, don't let people drive you RC at 25mph indoors into a big oak desk!), but I straightened it out with pliers in a few minutes. The metal parts aren't as strong or stiff as, say Arrma parts but this is a much lighter kit (mine right now with all the upgrades and BL system weighs in at ~2.3lbs, fully loaded with the battery). Chassis is still straight (these cars come stock with a slight kickup angle front and rear on the chassis. It does handle nicely, I haven't got it to traction roll yet under heavy throttle and full steering lock (though I don't go WOT), speaking of steering, the steering radius is good, somewhat tight. It's very nice being able to chuck it in a backpack and go for a bash.

Lots of parts available, both from Wltoys and LC Racing (Wltoys took heavy insparation from the LC Racing stuff, and a lot of the LC Racing parts are compatible with the Wltoys lineup, the LC Racing stuff is a little pricier, but high quality and sometimes more durable).

BL system really makes it a whole new beast, and you can do the whole conversion + the car price for ~$150!! I have more than that in my kit, (I now have a spare 550 brushed motor and Hobbywing ESC) because I have various hop-ups, from LCR, TBR (T-Bone-Racing front bumper), and some custom handmade parts. Would recommend!

 

[Oldfart]

I like the fact that the WL toys parts are so available from the factory or aftermarket and they're cheap enough to have one or two of everything and they all pretty much can share parts. Really nice build. And thanks for the heads up on LC racing.

 

[The_RC_Dude]

I like the fact that the WL toys parts are so available from the factory or aftermarket and they're cheap enough to have one or two of everything and they all pretty much can share parts. Really nice build. And thanks for the heads up on LC racing.

Yeah, cars and parts are easily sourced from many places! If you're gonna run them a lot and break them, buying a second car is the cheapest way to get all the spares! Yep, the 144001/124019 platform share everything except the chassis, body, driveshaft, and top deck (the 124019/8/7/6 all have a slightly longer wheelbase than the 1440001/2).

Thanks! I've worked on my 144001 a lot, and have done some mods that you can't see, like greasing the diffs, changing the shock oil to a thicker weight (50wt front and rear from Losi).

LC Racing cars are where Wltoys got a lot of insparation from, however they are not indentical. The LC-R cars (my own abbreviation) are better build quality, and are brushless out of the box. They use a different drivetrain (only the dog bones/CVDs are compatible with Wltoys), which is to say pinion/spur gear mod, different pitch diff crowns and diff pinions, they have slippers, and have floating central driveshafts. If you're going to upgrade your Wltoys rigs, a few LC Racing parts will help, as they are better quality (granted, the stock Wltoys parts are decent). Do some research before fitting some parts. Check out quadifyrc.com, he knows a lot about Wltoys rigs, has done many brushless conversions, and there is just a ton of info on his blog! What Wltoys rigs do you have?

My 144001 isn't quite done yet, I still want some Remo P6973 tires for it, as well as metal front knuckles, front caster blocks, and rear hubs. Maybe some metal wheel hexes too. I've moved the ESC switch to the right side of the ESC housing too. I also made some front shock top caps, like what the Arrma cars come with, to protect the front exposed shock caps from the ground in a crash. I made them out of a cut-up white bottle cap!