Schumacher CAT XL 2WD (T402) for vintage racing

[LurkingCAT]

Yes, tooling marks are part of the charm and identity of many of the old cars. Always interesting to look at the metal machining, whether it is platework, milling, cast or lathework. Also how traces from the moulds leaves marks on plastic parts, wear over time or rebuilt moulds for updated parts.

So far the XL build has been true to original parts. Mostly old refurbished used parts including the infamous slotted screws. Some new old stock, and of course fresh o-rings and so on. Also swapped the M3 studs used as front and rear track rods on the XL with M3 turnbuckles for easier adjustment on the track.

However, I want this car to have the looks of an early XL with the grey bumper, and for all of you knowing about the rarity of the original bumper, it would be a kamikaze ride to put a grey Schumacher warhead on a vintage racer…

So, homemade grey bumper in the pipeline. Grey kydex, trace the original shape, cutting, heating (150°C) and bending = not perfect, but acceptable grey bumper. The texture of the new kydex is slightly off and the shade of grey lighter than the original, but gives me the unsexy look I’m after

[LurkingCAT]

Shocks are on and I will leave further chassis adjustment for the last stage.

Time for electronics. This car will be set up to meet the Nordic vintage challenge rules for “Classic 2WD”:

*Models limited to production year 1987 and earlier.
*No minimum weight.
*Brushless motor limited to 17.5 turn or brushed motor limited to 19 turn.
*ESC must be set to Forward/Brake only, no reverse. Other ESC settings are free (boost, timing etc).
*Batteries limited to 2S LiPo or 6 cells NiMH.
*Tires: If the car is fitted with 2.2 wheels it must follow the tire regulations for the 2WD class.
If using smaller wheels than 2.2 any spiked or grooved rubber tires can be used. Slick tires and foam tires are not allowed.
*Maximum total width is 250 mm.

I will run a brushed setup and ordered the LRP V10 SPEC.6 19x2 to make the CAT trot at a brisk pace.

Etronix Probe WP esc and Savox 1251 servo.

Even though not an optimised solution I want to keep original battery clamps and run lipo stick pack.

Can't make myself take off the old Coke paper sticker. Been there since the eighties...

[Moggie XL]

You've made a really good job of the car, I think this is only the second 2wd CAT I have seen. You'll have to let us know how it goes.

[Groomi]

This has been a great read. :thumbup:

I have raced two 2wd CAT XL's over the past 6 years or so - initially one built from original parts and latterly a re-re. I've had some great events with both cars, on occasion far exceeding my normal level. Those performances have been enough to encourage 2 or 3 others that I know of to try building them, but for whatever reason, none of them have got on with the car.

Personally, I love it - it's a great car to drive.

[LurkingCAT]

Thanks guys! It has been a pleasure to build

I will let you know what I think about the drive. Inspiring to hear about your good experience Groomi, and I’ve also seen people not getting on with the 2wd. However, they were rere XLS’s driven in 4wd where they just disengaged the front wheel drive by removing the axles in order to run them in the 2wd class. No 2wd front tires or anything.

I am looking very much forward to give it a go. I will do the first trial as is, and it will be interesting to look at weight balance, see how it responds to weights, rear roll bar etc.

I have an old scruffy body with eighties paint I will clean and give a light touch up on scratches etc. Also need to look in my boxes for some 2.2 wheels and fit them with tires compliant with our rules – probably cut stagger lp in front and Cactus rear.

[LurkingCAT]

As mentioned above I have an old original bodyshell that I’m going to clean up.

The wing was too flimsy so it will be replaced with a new one. Painting it with a similar grey as the base colour found on the body.

I use rere wing collars on this runner, as originals are very rare in my drawers. Mounted with slotted screws to get the XL look.

[LurkingCAT]

So, on to the last chapter before test drive.

Took an old body shell painted in the eighties, cleaned off glue, touched up some damages, added a new wing, and some old decals.

Black disk wheels for Schumacher from JC Racing will be used on the track. Didn’t have narrow front wheels, so I cut down a pair of 4WD fronts. Ended up with Schumacher Fusion slim front tires and Cactus rear for the first trial run.

While resting on the shelf between performances on the track, I found a proper set of original wheels and the legendary full spikes

[1911Colt]

Excellent build! It looks great and I like the color choice.

[Moggie XL]

Those 1980s paint schemes have always been my favourite looking and it's made this car look perfect, really nice.

[LurkingCAT]

Thanks!

The looks of the car turned out the way I wanted

I’ve always thought it looks a bit strange with the 2.2 on the old cars, but it really makes life a lot easier on the track. Good to have an original set of wheels and some worn and very hard full spikes to look at on the shelf. Then I get the eighties feel trigged easily

However, I ran into a problem… For most of my vintage rides I use shorty lipos. I also have some different lipo stick packs going in cars like Fox and Zerda where they make a perfect fit.
Nonetheless, they are a tad larger than the old Nimh and simply impossible to get into the original battery clamps (no matter longer screws or heavy shaving). Since time is limited and I want to be sort of rational with my vintage runners, I’m not ready to go down the route of using special battery packs for this car just now.

In order to use the lipo stick packs I could of course use zip ties. But then again, the main goal was to use the original battery clamps. Leaving this concept, I might as well give in and convert to shorty as I use in other cars. Going to find a solution without drilling extra holes in the chassis.

[LurkingCAT]

Also must mention the battery clamp for the rereleased XLS Masami. This clamp has part number U7202 and is called "lipo clamp" in the web shop. From the new naming one could maybe assume they had made them a tad larger than the old C058 to accommodate the ever so slightly larger lipo stick packs – regardless they are the same size.

[LurkingCAT]

Here is a little update on the XL. Gave up using the original battery clamps.

Ended up with the short lipo posts (U7046) to accommodate low profile shorties. Straps are the U7234 for XLS and Procat.

Just had a very brief trial run on carpet, but enough to give a very good impression and put a smile on my face

Looks like the first proper try out will be on a vintage race taking place at the end of march. Both me and the CAT are eager to run!

[hoppenj]

this is a great thread, I have a SWB, XL,XLS and a Pro Cat that were all in various states of disassembly when I acquired them and all in the same box. I may have to move some parts around now

[1911Colt]

this is a great thread, I have a SWB, XL,XLS and a Pro Cat that were all in various states of disassembly when I acquired them and all in the same box. I may have to move some parts around now

Good problem to have, though.

[LurkingCAT]

this is a great thread, I have a SWB, XL,XLS and a Pro Cat that were all in various states of disassembly when I acquired them and all in the same box. I may have to move some parts around now

Good to hear this thread can be useful. Moving around parts is great fun.
Would be very interesting to get a look at the inventory of that box