Traxxas Bandit Racing Build, Project ODB - Part 1

As the pictures showed in our introduction, our "ODB" project bandit was very old, dirty, and worn out. Anxious to get the ball rolling, I hopped on eBay while on vacation, and purchased a few things.

Ebay User DollarHobbyz_2 had a great deal on the Bandit VXL turnbuckles, front and rear suspension arms, steering rack, and fiberglass front hinge pin brace! Only $8.99 + 3.00 shipping.

Turnbuckles are a much-needed upgrade for the Bandit. Since ours was an original bandit, (Not even XL-5, had a mechanical speed controller!) we had fixed plastic links. These links, while ok for bashing, take away much needed adjustment from the Bandit. By being able to adjust front toe, and camber all around, you can EASILY manipulate the handling of the bandit with the turn of the wrench.

I sourced this body on eBay as well, from user Steggun29, for $16.34 Shipped! Our bandit had the older, square body, with the stock graphics. While those graphics are great looking, I wanted to be able to personalize our car a bit, and one of the best ways to do that is with a custom paint job.

I then stopped by our local hobby shop, Hobbytown USA in Vancouver, WA. While buying online is great, it's also important to support the shops that keep this hobby alive all over the country. We picked up:

-Losi Rear Pink Springs (Clearance)
-Losi Silver Front Springs (Clearance)
-Losi XX4 Wing Mounts (Clearance)
-Pactra Bright Red Paint
-Traxxas Spring Cups and Retainers
-Traxxas aluminum shock caps
-Traxxas Bandit Wing Wire
-Traxxas Wing Buttons
-Traxxas Shock Rebuild Kits (x2)
-Traxxas Carbon Shock Tower, Nitro Sport (Clearance)

Even with tax, this haul was under $50. While that sounds expensive, keep in mind most bandit's already have these parts! However our cheap find did not.

And with the parts on hand, we began pulling the Bandit apart.....

 

Close up shot - Look at all the dirt!

 

 

After removing electronics and shocks, a toothbrush and simple green made quick work of the plastics! Removing 10+ years of grime and dirt is no easy task. Takes a bit of patience and of course, some work.

 

I looked through some parts bins, and found a set of HPI blitz hexes. While not the correct thickness for the rear, they will work great on the front. No modifications required, they slipped right on and bolted up!

 

 





Here you can see the new front arms, turnbuckles, and hinge pin brace.

Much better then the picture we posted above! Nice and clean! To top off a fresh look, our friends at Mayor R/C (MayorRC.com) sent us one of their new stainless steel bandit screw kits! Stainless screws are an awesome touch to the Bandit! Really gives it a clean look and adds functionality. While Phillips head screws are great, they're easily stripped.


That concludes Part 1! Stay tuned for Part 2!


Missed The Introduction? - http://www.rccarbuilds.com/2014/01/traxxas-bandit-racer-project-odb.html