TOPIC:

Hi, I've got a vintage Hornet and a Grasshopper 2. I've noticed that getting tyres for them now is nigh on impossible, so I want to swap over to the 12mm hex driven wheels.

I know Tamiya do a part, but that's

Agemax has been very busy lately with most of the things you talk about above...
Here's his topic : hopping up a vintage grasshopper .
I think he has made some of the rear hexes too. And he lives in Britain so that should work out alright.

When you switch to 12mm hex you can basically run any tyre set that fits on a DT-02.
But with the right mods, many other wheels are possible.

Bobzilla wrote:

any tips on how to sort out the fron end?

What are you referring to more specifically? There's a few things to sort out.
Width, shocks, play usw...

Original parts for a Grasshopper II is a tough one. Not much of that around...
But a Hornet (or Grasshopper) should be no problem at all.
And Super Hornet parts can be a replacement for the GH2.

take a look at my grasshopper thread. i used those hex adaptors on the rear and they are fine. i have made my own for the front, 7mm wide for standard uprights but i have fitted longer axles from a lunchbox which runs 16mm adaptors. they run fine but i am in the process of fitting bearings to them. when they are done i can let you have a set.
if you want to make your own you can buy 12mm hex brass bar for a few quid on ebay

On second thought - I think agemax got the rear hexes on eBay.
No need to get Tamiya original. I'll see if I can find some knock offs on line.

Edit @agemax - Aha, I see you logged on...

these are the ones i bought off ebay
www.ebay.co.uk/...2008wt_821

agemax wrote:

these are the ones i bought off ebay
www.ebay.co.uk/...2008wt_821

Those were the ones I found. If you buy off their website they are 50p cheaper and no extra item surcharge.

www.radshapercs...od-59.html

Am thinking I might be able to mod the front suspension to take an oil filled damper too. I am thinking that the bottom end should be able to take a damper mount as standard, and the top end should be able to be modded to accept the top end of the damper. Will let you know how I get on.

12mm bearings will be too big to fit in the hex adaptors, you can get 10mm diameter but that dosent leave much meat on the adaptor, i have gone for 8mm diameter bearings.
the lunchbox uprights have wider axles on so you can fit super wide wheels no problem

Agemax's wide stance setup is very original and even still in development.
Think the same mod will be necessary to fit oil shocks on his car like what you're planning on.
Curious about what your solution will be....

Team CRP has a very cool upgrade with Futaba FX-10 parts :


I did a Super Hornet conversion myself :

agemax wrote:

12mm bearings will be too big to fit in the hex adaptors, you can get 10mm diameter but that dosent leave much meat on the adaptor, i have gone for 8mm diameter bearings.
the lunchbox uprights have wider axles on so you can fit super wide wheels no problem

Woah, slow down there. Bearings on the hex adaptors? If you're talking rear wheels, why do I need bearings? The wheels move with the rear drive shaft, so the only moving parts are in the gear box. If you're talking front wheels, do you mean the internal hex on the wheel?

I had assumed that the 12mm was flat to flat, not corner to corner. If its corner to corner then I'd drill out slightly to 9mm and use a 9x5 bearing, as the flat to flat is 8.5mm, so it would be easy enough to drill out to 9mm, perhaps use two bearings as they're only available in 3mm wide.