Factory long wheelbase TCP new build
Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2021 7:48 am
I was recently very very fortunate to get chatting to a gent who used to be heavily involved in the upper-echelons of Traxxas UK, and after quite a bit of discussion he agreed to send me some of the remaining Traxxas parts he has left over from his days with the company. Turns out he was a lovely and very chatty guy, full of old stories and experiences within the industry. Fascinating!
Imagine my surprise when opening a package I found what was a virtually complete TCP (Total Competition Package) in kit form.... including brand new paperwork and instructions. There were only a few small items outstanding, but the key unicorn items such as the various shock lengths, the optional TCP wishbones, the slider dogbone driveshafts etc... were all there. Best of all, the gent had also mentioned that he had one example of the Team Traxxas graphite LWB upper and lower chassis, which again he agreed to let me have. Amazing find. I didn't even know such a thing existed until he mentioned it.
During his time at Traxxas UK he attended many shows and exhibitions, and as such commissioned a professional painter to spray up some bodyshells for the various display cars on the stand, and amazingly I got sent the TRX-3 shell they used on the display TCP, along with a new undertray. Super-cool.
So fast-forward a little while and I have started putting it all together to find out what is there and what is missing.
Here is how it currently stands:-
And here is the bodyshell. I will be adding some decals to finish it off, but it is a lovely space/stars effect with a deep red slash across it. Quite effective when you see it in real life and the condition is still really good after all of this time in a loft.
The main outstanding bits are some, though not all, of the gearbox internals, bumper, front stub-axles and the battery box (amazingly I have a brand new battery strap!) I am aware the bumpers and battery boxes have been 3D printed so they are always an option. The rear shock tower is also absent, but i have already taken delivery of a NIP hop-up Composite Craft graphite one from the US, so that is sorted.
The shocks on this thing are buttery smooth. The best I have come across i think. I have gone for long fronts and rears out of the options available. I did initially build up the XL rears but they required bump-stops to be added on the inside to enable use of the slider dogbones (or so the instructions stated) so there seemed little point using them in the end and i reverted back to the longs.
Who else has a TCP and does anyone else have the LWB graphite chassis on their cars? It is basically elongated at the nose with the rest of the chassis profile remaining exactly the same as the standard fibreglass version. It is around 10mm longer, and the upper chassis is also of a different design and although the same 10mm longer at the nose does not extend as far back along the edges of the battery box.
Imagine my surprise when opening a package I found what was a virtually complete TCP (Total Competition Package) in kit form.... including brand new paperwork and instructions. There were only a few small items outstanding, but the key unicorn items such as the various shock lengths, the optional TCP wishbones, the slider dogbone driveshafts etc... were all there. Best of all, the gent had also mentioned that he had one example of the Team Traxxas graphite LWB upper and lower chassis, which again he agreed to let me have. Amazing find. I didn't even know such a thing existed until he mentioned it.
During his time at Traxxas UK he attended many shows and exhibitions, and as such commissioned a professional painter to spray up some bodyshells for the various display cars on the stand, and amazingly I got sent the TRX-3 shell they used on the display TCP, along with a new undertray. Super-cool.
So fast-forward a little while and I have started putting it all together to find out what is there and what is missing.
Here is how it currently stands:-
The shocks on this thing are buttery smooth. The best I have come across i think. I have gone for long fronts and rears out of the options available. I did initially build up the XL rears but they required bump-stops to be added on the inside to enable use of the slider dogbones (or so the instructions stated) so there seemed little point using them in the end and i reverted back to the longs.
Who else has a TCP and does anyone else have the LWB graphite chassis on their cars? It is basically elongated at the nose with the rest of the chassis profile remaining exactly the same as the standard fibreglass version. It is around 10mm longer, and the upper chassis is also of a different design and although the same 10mm longer at the nose does not extend as far back along the edges of the battery box.
