The most major thing I've done is to relocate the battery forwards and downwards. The standard Axial battery plate fits perfectly in its new home - in fact if I had had to make one it would have been the exact same size. It clears the shocks by less than 1/16 inch. It is supported on just four 2.5 mm cable-ties, which is all it needs, and retains the standard velcro straps so that I can change batteries at will. This first major modification has done wonders for the centre of gravity - in fact it is now pretty much in the same place as on a full size truck. As for the looks - well judge for yourself!
The speed controller lost its plastic mounting box to make way for the battery, so now it's on the top of the relocated battery plate. The velcro of the battery strap was in the perfect place for the controller, so I only needed an inch by a half-inch of the thicker hook type to match. The battery lead length works perfectly, these were originally cut down to size for my TL-01s so are now truly dual use. The aerial found its way into a black plastic tube and the front wheels also gained 75 grammes of weight in each.
I've mounted a rear servo in anticipation of having four wheel steering, and have programmed the transmitter (a Futaba 3PM-FM currently shared with the 'Zilla) to suit. I've ordered the various parts to do the conversion, some are already here and some are still travelling the world somewhere in the mail system. More about this in my next post.
