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I built my first Tamiya Blackfoot reissue and want to share hop-up tips for your build. These are simple, cost-effective improvement suggestions that can improve the performance of your Blackfoot, Monster Beetle, Mud Blaster family line of vehicles. Some ideas are from the internet, and some are my own. I hope this summary with pictures will help you! Click on photos for better resolution.

1) Ball bearings (get them)
2) Use a zip tie on the servo saver...or better yet just superglue the whole thing (tighter servo horn for more responsive steering). If you crash all the time, then do nothing or a zip tie is fine. I use an old Robinson Servo saver I had around which gives me more tension/resistance.
3) FLIP those ball ends that go on the servo saver! This simple step removes 99.25 percent of the nasty bump steer on this truck. So instead of the ball ends going on top of the servo, they should point down!
4) Also, install aluminum spacers on the ball ends of the left and right steering axle. You will need a ball end as shown. Or, you can use extended-length ball ends by Tamiya.
5) I used .1mm, or 2mm, or .3mm shims to remove play in the front suspension arms (I prefer less shake and wobble)
6) In the transmission, add a shim to the metal diff gear plate (this supposedly addresses the "clicking" sound in the tranny).
7) I use anti-wear grease in the diff gear shown in the photo below. Grease the gear cavities. This is just enough resistance, withoutstuff flying everywhere in your transmission. I put the slightest amount of anti-wear grease on the differential gears, like imagine almost putting nothing at all. It's not necessary to put grease on the metal gears IMO. DON'T let this stuff get on the white gears, that is the main point. I also put the anti-wear grease on the shaft of the outdrive diff (shown in the photo) below. Do this carefully, and you get a limited-slip differential for more traction!
Ceramic grease is okay for the gears, but again, the lightest coating is best. Most people put too much grease on the nylon gears. Super light coating with a tooth brush is enough. You risk mixing the ceramic grease with the anti-wear grease, and that is a bad combination.
9) Forget the use of rubber "o-rings" in the diff or rear axle outdrives. They bind the transmission for the most part. You definitely don't need TWO o rings as suggested in the manual. Play with it for smoothness. I have only one O rubber ring on the rear left outdrive. I think having no o-rings anywhere on the diff axles is perfectly fine actually. Your transmission will run smoother IMO.
10) There is an 850 size bronze bearing modification (it comes with your truck...assuming you have a spare since you installed ball bearings above) should your outdrive axle popout. I show you where to insert the metal bearing to push out the diff drive so that your axle doesn't pop out. I didn't do this modification because I don't have this problem. If you love jumps then maybe this axle popping out is an issue for you?
11) Replace the rear suspension spring with a slightly softer, or shorter, spring option. This will remove bounce and stiffness from the rear.
12) Be careful about tightening things too much in the rear suspension trailing arm...they have a tendency to create other issues.
13) Add a bronze bushing (850 size) next to shims as shown for wider track in the front and less play. Tighten the wheel nut carefully so it spins freely.

Click on picture for higher resolution. Add shims in the following places. For those who have an issue with the axle popping out, insert a bushing here (very bottom picture).

Awesome write up! I’m about to build my Blackfoot soon so this will help

Nice write up!!! Been a while since I had a Blackfoot but it’s a fun little truck…if you drop the size of your pinion it’ll wheelie quite easily as well but don’t do a lot for speed however it’s a ball to play with…

Very detailed writeup! How are your pics so clear before even tapping on them?

coxbros1 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 16, 2022 6:42 am Very detailed writeup! How are your pics so clear before even tapping on them?

Start off with a better camera.

Even a screenshot of an image from my S21 is clearer than an actual photo from my older Samsung tablet.

Hey Derek and others,

Thank you for the kind comments. Let me know if it works and helps. I added some new pictures (and removed the old one) using a different camera phone. Not sure why it is needed to click on the photo for higher resolution. But I digress. This post is really helping Blackfoot, Monster Beetle, etc builds without breaking the bank. I tried to make it clear as possible for ya'll. The cowboy had driver comes from the Holiday Buggy DT02 buggy I had around and painted. I think it is appropriate for this Ford truck!

Bringing back memories, I fell in love with the Blackfoot when I first had seen the Tamiya ad in a magazine in ‘86 or ‘87. I do remember those half shafts stripping out quite easily though.

Another huge improvement is switching to monster beetle tires. Its a game changer. It has a way softer compound. Even with spikes worn off its 3 times the traction.

Man, I was just complaining to a friend about the ridiculous amount of bump steer my freshly built re-release Monster Beetle had.
Tried your trick of installing the ball studs on the underside of the servo saver and POW! Gone!
You've made my day.
I must say that the MIP ball diff was probably the best thing to add, after ball bearings. I always order a full bearing set when I buy any Taamiya kit.
Using those plastic bushes goes against every mechanical engineering bone in my body.
I bought a billet alloy transmission with carbon fibre side plates for it, too. Couldn't resist it.

I decided I needed a break from my all Losi, all the time schedule and traded some rare parts for a complete, but fully stripped Optima Mid, which I restored.
Somehow this snowballed into buying, building and restoring all six Optima Mids made.
Then I thought a Tamiya kit would be fun, so I bought a Subaru Brat kit.
I already had a much modded brushless Bigwig and somehow I wound up buying a Monster Beetle kit and just last week, a Boomerang.
I haven't counted,, but I know there's well over 50 cars here, now.
I REALLY need to get back to my Losi collection, I've got everything they made, up to the XXX series, apart from the XXX Kinwald and XXX BK2 to compliment my XX CR Kinwald.
All I'm missing is an NXT and a Rally Weapon, but I fear I have enough nip parts to build one.

FasterLouder wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:55 pm Man, I was just complaining to a friend about the ridiculous amount of bump steer my freshly built re-release Monster Beetle had.
Tried your trick of installing the ball studs on the underside of the servo saver and POW! Gone!
You've made my day.

Kiora! Glad you found it helpful, seems like you made your blackfoot bulletproof for faster speeds. The Subaru brat polycarbonate body is a nice looking lighter option for running too.

I miss New Zealand, studied abroad at Auckland University back in the day, and regret not eating way more lamb and mussels when I was there.
Took a class on Maori studies, and the underground BBQ pit Hongi was a lot of fun.

i have a vintage Tamiya Blackfoot that i put a brushless system in what do i do to stop it from shaking every five seconds .
the front suspension doesn't move on one side properly and how should i fix the steering as the front left wheel turns right when the suspension compress's
also i bought monster beetle oil shocks for it i put the longer shocks on the front should i have done that