Mr. ED's ULTIMA'S: Proj. 004 taking it 1 step further again!

[Mr. ED]

EDIT: re-opening this thread with lots of improvements, a new body (again), and action pics!
Scroll to the end for the latest and greatest

EDIT: The final version is on page 2 in a few minutes

We've come a long way baby!
http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?p=5739#5739

modifications since then:
Suspension narrowed backdown to meet race reglementation, different chassis, new shocks, home-made shock towers and decks, A&l transmission , standup low profile servo and central steering.
All that and an all new style body to accentuate the battery orientation.

Hope you all like it.

(to add still: the ESC I can't find anymore, antenna mount and motor with right pinion-spur combination. And for racing: some new 2.2 wheels and rubber.)
PS: yes I know one rearshock is in a different position than the other on the pics, I already corrected that)

[Synergy]

That's a pretty mad body trimming idea, the whole car looks very purposeful. I just don't seem to have the imagination to create cool things like this, good project Sir

[Mr. ED]

Thanks for the compliments.

Guess what the inner sidewalls were made of
(the ones with the checker decal)

[RichieRich]

Nice work. I always wanted to figure out a way to load the battery in longways like that in the Ultima. Seems there was so much extra space between the battery and the rear bulkhead in the stock configuration.

[Synergy]

Thanks for the compliments.

Guess what the inner sidewalls were made of
(the ones with the checker decal)

I guess the bits left over from the body chop I like how thin the car is, much like one of the new 4WD buggies, looks mean

[Mr. ED]

Hi Richie,

There was guy in the club I raced my boomerang at who had this on his original ultima. By the time I got my ultima-pro he was gone however and I couldn't figure out how he did it and it kept bugging me.

I did the lengthwise battery a couple times later and it improves the handling very much.

first time I used cut down RC10 arm carrriers and trimmed the lower part of the bulkhead so the battery could slide all the way back agains the gearbox. I used a home made alu chassis: U-profile with bend up nose and cut down sides in the rear. It was about 2 or 3 cm shorter than the original even. Had to use direct steering with a Kimbrough servosaver to get the large servo to fit.

On my racebug I kept the bulkhead original but put the steering servo up.
Didn't have a low profile servo back then, but with the beetle top it did not matter.

On the moster truck I left the original bulkhead also but with 8 cells I had to move the servo on its side between the cutdown front bulkhead. An extra topdeck and bumper protect it.

The current setup with the narrow buggy cockpit wouldn't work without the low profile servo and small scale electronics of the last years.

Ferretti,

I wanted it to look more like the first ultima body or even B5, especially since there would be nothing under the sides anyway.

The new side dams were cut from a blister packing of inlay-soles. I kept it for this purpose for several months.
The checkers are Parma decals I picked up.

[Asso_man!]

great finished project Mr Ed, an other Belgian brewed one

[Mr. ED]

thanks Asso,

how did you and Kenooze do on the GP last weekend?

[Asso_man!]

thanks Asso,

how did you and Kenooze do on the GP last weekend?

well, that was my first one and had no time to prepare nor to train and prepare the car (I am just done with the moving). I thing Kenooze went in the E final and I was in the I one... The general level was between pro and semi-pro and I only participate to 7 races a year, so I was like a small fish among hungry sharks... I promise I will do better next year. It was also a great pleasure for me to meet Kenooze in person, he is a very nice guy. He also took a ton of pictures and told me you were to meet in Japan in the next months but can't remember on which occasion... So sad I can't afford to go there and meet you too... one day maybe, time will tell

[Snake Plissken]

looks mean and lean Mr. Ed, but I think that driving without the upper fiberglass deck (or other sort of front end reinforcement) will get the front end of the chassis to bend on the first head on impact.
Mounting the battery lengthwise on the Ultima seems very popular among the Japanese vintage racers, here are some pics of converted Ultimas that might give you ideas for future projects: http://www93.sakura.ne.jp/~time-tunnel/07-3-4-1.html

[mrlexan]

I saw that article on Timetunnel last week. Those guys over there sure can be innovative, not too mention there workmanship seems to be top notch as well. Wonder how or where they get all their pieces cut? Too bad we don't have an increased particpation from the east in the forum. I am sure the could add value here.

[RichieRich]

I like the Ultima buggy there with the exposed cells. Gotta watch out for shorts with the aluminum chassis. Looks like they used a low profile servo and barely got in in there. Yeah, I was wondering about chassis flex too without the top deck installed. How is that working out for you?

On a side note, I think those vintage Ultimas look a little odd with the 2.2 wheels.

[Mr. ED]

Nice to see my creation put some live in the forum, It's been awfull slow lately.

The cars on the time tunnel site are incredible, and though I know the site for half a year now, it just keeps turning up stuff I somehow missed earlier.
I wouldn't hope too much on the guys there coming over to RC10talk.com though: Japanese are very shy about their low level of English.
(Contacting them in English won't work either: the home page says the site owner disregards all mails in english for all the spam he receives.)

I'll be going to the world championship in Japan in september with Kenooze. (I won't drive, just him). Hopefully we'll meet some timetunnel people there. The place they normally drive at is too far from where I live.

The side by side cell pack would worry me too.
But with a lower body like mine that actually sits inside the alu-chassis it should be ok. Or use stick packs as I do.

As the subject says the project is allllmost done.
Improving the front is definitely still on the map. For now it was not a priority as I don't have anything to hit head on
It will proove hard I think: the top of the servo is too high (even with the low profile servo) to have a topdeck at the normal level, and there's very little space left unfer the body. (This body is lower than the ultima original I think from the pics.)
I'd reall like to know how they got the steering to fit in. Think I'll write him an email , translate it by babelfish, and let my wife check it for obscenity :0

The link to the central steering tube is good for keeping it from bending straight back, but anything under an gle could twist the front now.
(where's the icon for sweatpearls?)

The last weekend of the month there's an offroad competition I'd like to take the car too, so I better hurry to fix that and hopefully a slipper to protect the A$L belt.
I want to put 2.2 wheels and rubber too since that track is pretty beaten and hard baked with just a bit of dust on top. Larger fronts should actually help saving the front suspension from the puthole impacts a bit.

The weather this month however is not very motivating to get things done: rainy season here. So the track may look more like a mud wrestling ring.
Big typhoon expected to come over this city tonight also

[Tripp]

Sorry is I missed reading it but what body did you use? I have a Ultima parts car that I may try something similar with.

[Mr. ED]

It's a cut-down desert gator from Tamiya,

check this tread for the pics of the fit before cut-down, and pics of Ferreti's sand viper body fit

http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=1768

Both are really cheap and easy to come by.
Wellcome to the forum and put some pics on when she's dressed up.