- Team Associated T4.2 - Tony Phalen - Build -


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The Build – Part 1 - Steering

The steering is typically the first part of almost every build, and the FT T4.2 is no different. It’s simple and straightfoward. Let’s get to it.

Build Notes:
* The instructions show the addition of the little foam dust covers over the ball ends. While I didn’t use them, I would suggest doing so. It does help prolong maintenance.
* You will need a small dab of blue threadlock later in the build. Get it ready now.

Step 1

Step 1 - The first step is to screw both black ballstuds into the steering rack. I used the front sent of Ackermann holes per the manual. Moving the ballstuds back will change the Ackermann and the way the T4.2 feels on the track.

Step 2

Step 2 - Insert one of the silver ballstuds into the blue, Factory Team bellcrank as shown. A very light dab of blue threadlock will help keep the ballstud from backing out.

Step 3

Step 3 - Slide both ‘tophat’ bushings into the steering rack from the top. Attach each of the bellcranks to the steering rack with the 4-40×3/8 screw. You’ll want to add a dab of blue threadlock to these screws. Do not use too much or you could lock the screw to the tophat bushing.

Step 4

Step 4 - Insert the steering rack bearings into position. There will be one on the top and bottom of both bellcranks.

Step 5

Step 5 - Take your steering bolts and slide them through the steering brace, then up through the bellcranks. Keep in mind that the steering bolts are different lengths; the long one will go through the taller bellcrank.

Step 6

Step 6 - Slide the assembled steering unit into place on the top plate and tighten both screws down. You want to tighten them down enough that there isn’t any play, but not to tight that it binds the steering movement.

Step 7

Step 7 - Time for the ‘free-movement’ test. Hold the new steering assembly on its side, swing the steering rack to the top and let go. Does the rack fall quickly to the bottom? If so, you’ve passed the ‘free-movement’ test. If not, loosen the two steering bolts SLIGHTLY and try the test again. The easier it moves, the less work your servo will have to do.

Step 8

Step 8 - Align the front bulkhead with the bottom of the top plate and press into place. Note the direction of the front bulkhead; the two molded ‘pins’ should face forward. Now attach this assembly to the chassis (using the back two holes) using the 4-40×5/8 screws.

Step 9

Step 9 - The final step is to secure the top plate to the chassis using the 4-40×1/2 screws. Don’t forget to use the cool Factory Team countersunk washers!




The Build – Part 2 - Front Suspension

The front suspension of the Factory Team T4.2 is similar to the rest of the B/T series; dual bellcrank, long, ‘gull-wing’ suspension arms and adjustable camber, caster, toe and roll centers. The FT T4.2 does away with the older bearing-on-axle front hubs and instead moves to the more acceptable, clamping-style hexes.

Build Notes:
* The caster and steering blocks are directional to pay attention as to which side you are mounting them. The steering blocks are marked with a R and L, however the caster blocks are not.
* You’ll need thread-locking material during this step as well.

Step 10

Step 10 - The first step is to build a pair of front steering knuckles. Slide one of the Factory Team aluminum washers onto a silver ballstud and attach it to the knuckles. Secure it on the bottom with an aluminum locknut. The locknut recesses into the bottom of the knuckle, so be sure it is seated correctly before tightening it down. Build 2 of these.

Step 11

Step 11 - Slide one of the 5/16×3/8 bearings all the way onto the front axle. Take the 3/16 C-Clip and snap it into the groove on the axle as shown. It may take a bit of force, so I would suggest using a pair of needlenose pliers to seat it all the way into the groove. Build 2 of these.

Step 12

Step 12 - Slide the axle assembly into the knuckle from the back side as shown. Build 2 of these.

Step 13

Step 13 - Press the 2nd 3/16×3/8 bearing into the knuckle. Again, using a pair of needlenose pliers (or even channel-locks), press the univeral roll pin through the hole in the front axle. You’ll want to center it to the axle as shown. Slide the FT, 12mm aluminum clamping hex onto the axle and key it to the univeral roll pin. It should slide onto the axle all the way to the bearing. If not, you might need to re-center the univeral roll pin. Once seated, insert the 2-56×3/16 screw into the clamping hex and tighten.

Step 14

Step 14 - Insert a black ballend into the caster block and secure with the aluminum locknut. Notice the direction (and orientation) of the caster block. The one shown is the left side. Build 2 of these.

Step 15

Step 15 - Team Associated supplies 2 different length hinge pins for the outer area of the front end of the Factory Team T4.2; a short and a long. The short one is used as the kingpin, the longer one is used as the hinge pin. Grab the 2 shorter ones for the next step.

Step 16

Step 16 - Take the left caster block we built in step 14 as well as the left steering block (marked with the L) and assemble as shown. Use the shorter kingpin and feed it up through the caster and steering block. It should seat with the bottom of the kingpin sitting flush with the bottom of the caster block. Secure in place with the 2-56×1/8 screw. Build both sides…

Step 17

Step 17 - …and match your assemblies up with this picture. Shown is the right side (up top) and the left side (lower right).

Step 18

Step 18 - Grab your left steering assembly, the longer hinge pin, the spacer and the left suspension arm and assemble as shown. Make sure you attach the suspension arm with the ‘kink’ up as shown. Build both sides.

Step 19

Step 19 - Once assembled, the hinge pin should sit flush with the outside of the arm. Secure in place with the 2-56×3/18 screw.

Step 20

Step 20 - Take both front suspension assemblies and attach them to the front bulkhead with the longest hinge pins as shown. Again, makes sure the arms are ‘kinked’ up and the steering ball link is to the rear of the car.

Step 21

Step 21 - Attach the Factory Team aluminum front hinge pin brace and secure with the 2 2-56×5/16 screws. At this time, you’ll want to make sure the front arms swing up and down without binding.

Step 22

Step 22 - Flip the T4.2 over and attach the front bumper as shown. Easy step.

Step 23

Step 23 - Grab the front shock tower and feed the two 4-40×3/4 screws into the upper shock mounting holes (use the center hole per the instructions). Apply a small drop of blue thread-locker and screw on the Factory Team aluminum shock bushings. Notice, where I’m holding the tower, you see the camber link pads. This will help you orientate which side of the tower the screws go through.

Step 24

Step 24 - Slide a 2mm Factory Team aluminum washers onto the silver ballstuds and screw them into the inner hole on the camber link pad as shown. DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN or you will strip out the plastic. Snug is fine.

Step 25

Step 25 - Attach the body mounts to the front tower as shown…

Step 26

Step 26 - …and attach the tower to the front bulkhead of the T4.2 Again, no need to overtighten. A tick past snug is fine.

Step 27

Step 27 - Other than shocks, the turnbuckles are one of my least favorite things to build. Just make sure you use the 2.65in turnbuckles (the shorter ones) for the camber and the 2.8in turnbuckles (the longer ones) for the steering. The lengths that AE has posted in the manual (48.75mm for the camber and 52.75mm for the steering) are a good starting point. Also, keep an eye on the ‘notch’ on the center part of the turnbuckle. You’ll want to build the turnbuckles so that the notch will be ‘pointing’ the same direction. Build 2 of each but keep them separated.

Step 28

Step 28 - Snap the 2 steering turnbuckles (the longers ones) in place as shown. Make sure the ‘notch’ is pointing the same direction.

Step 29

Step 29 - Snap the 2 camber turnbuckles (the shorter ones) in place as shown. Make sure the ‘notch’ is pointing the same direction as the steering turnbuckles.


The Build – Part 3 - Transmission

Part 3 of this build revolves around the transmission of the T4.2. This is one of the best transmissions out there and is extremely easy to build.

Build Notes:
* Take your time building the differential. This is one of the most important parts to build right as it help provide grip for the rear of the T4.2. It’s also an involved process to remove and fix if you don’t do it right the first time.
* You will be working with greases and lubes in this step so it’s a good idea to have some clean towels or rags handy.

Step 30

Step 30 - The first thing we need to do is get the diff rings to stay connected to the outdrives. You can do this by applying a bit of the clear diff lube to the outdrive and then attaching the ring to it.

Step 31

Step 31 - The next step is to build the thrust bearing assembly. Start by sliding one of the diff thrust washers onto the diff thrust bolt. Apply a thin layer of black grease to that washer and carefully place the 6 thrust balls into the grease. Slide the 2nd thrust washer into place. Your assembly should look like this. You might run your finger around the outside to remove any excess grease.

Step 32

Step 32 - Press one of the 5/32 bearings into the ‘female’ diff outdrive as shown. Slowly slide your diff thrust bolt assembly up into the outdrive, making sure all the bearings stay within the diff thrust bolt assembly.

Step 33

Step 33 - Drop the 2nd 5/32 bearing into place and drop the diff gear over it. The bearing should sit flush with the gear as shown. Now fill each diff ball hole with a dab of clear diff fluid. I usually drop the balls into the gear (as shown) and roll them into the holes. The diff grease helps keep them from falling out of the assembly and onto the floor. Make sure each hole gets a diff ball.

Step 34

Step 34 - Your assembly should look like this so far.

Step 35

Step 35 - Pre-compress the diff spring with a pair of pliers. One or two full compressions should be good.

Step 36

Step 36 - Slide the opposite diff out drive into place, making sure the diff thrust assembly does not get pushes out of the ‘female’ diff side. Now drop the diff spring and locking t-nut into place. Note the orientation of the t-nut. Tighten the diff thrust assembly into the t-nut. Every 2-3 turns, ‘work’ the diff but rotating the outdrives in opposite directions. This should help seat all the internal parts. Tighten until the t-nut bottoms out, but DO NOT overtighten. For starters, loosen the diff thrust bolt approximately 1/8 of a turn. ‘Working’ the diff again, it should feel extremely smooth.

Step 37

Step 37 - If all goes well with step 36, slide the diff cover into the diff thrust side as shown.

Step 38

Step 38 - Now we’re moving on to the transmission case. Start but pressing a 10x66mm and 3/16 bearing into both sides of the case as shown. They should be somewhat snug. If they are not going in easily, do not force them. They need to go in perfectly straight for a nice, smooth transmission.

Step 39

Step 39 - Press 2 more 3/16 bearings into the idler gear. Insert the idler gear shaft into the assembly.

Step 40

Step 40 - Slide the top shaft spacer onto the top shaft as shown.

Step 41

Step 41 - Slide the top shaft into the case, followed by the idler gear assembly and finally the differential. Make sure you insert the diff with the diff thrust screw facing out of the case. This will keep the diff from loosening up while driving.

Step 42

Step 42 - Slide the opposite transmission case half into place and secure with the single 4/40×1/2 screw (for now). Do not insert the other screws yet; they’ll be a pain to deal with while we finish up this part of the assembly.

Step 43

Step 43 - Attach the motor guard to the top of the transmission case with the 2 4-40 screws.

Step 44

Step 44 - Attach the wing mounts/body mounts to the transmission with the 4-40×1 1/4 screw. Note that there is a left/right wing mounts/body mount; they are keyed to the transmission. Be sure you have them on correctly.

Step 45

Step 45 - Now you can insert the 3 4-40×1 screws into the transmission. Be sure to slide the washers on first.

Step 46

Step 46 - Place a small drop of blue thread locker onto the 4 screws that are sticking out (the 3 1? and the wing mount/body mount screw). Line up the FT motor plate and secure with the 4 screws. Tighten down until the screws are snug; do not overtighten.

Step 47

Step 47 - Finished assembly. Make sure the wing mounts/body mounts can move slightly. We’ll need to re-position them in a later step.

Step 48

Step 48 - Pre-compress the slipper spring like we did to the diff spring in step 35.

Step 49

Step 49 - Press the octagonal pad into one side of the gear as shown. It might stay or it might not. If it doesn’t, further assembly could be a little trickier.

Step 50

Step 50 - Press one of the VTS slipper pads into the VTS slipper housing followed by the VTS slipper plate, the 2nd VTS slipper pad and then the VTS outer hub.

Step 51

Step 51 - Your assembly should look like this. Make sure the parts are all keyed together (the VTS outer hub and VTS slipper plate).

Step 52

Step 52 - Slide the FT V2 slipper hub onto the top shaft followed by the 84T spur gear (note the orientation of the gear with the slipper pad from step 50). It is extremely important that the slipper pad stays seated in the grooves of the gear during this step. Finally, slide the VTS slipper assembly onto the top shaft.

Step 53

Step 53 - Slide the slipper spring into place followed by the V2 slipper washer and 5-40 locknut. Tighten the locknut down until it holds the assembly in place, then check to make sure the rear slipper pad is still seated in the grooves of the spur gear. If everything looks good, continue tightening the 5-40 locknut down until the end is flush with the top shaft. That’s it…transmission done!


The Build – Part 4 - Rear Suspension

The rear suspension of the Factory Team T4.2 is extremely adjustable, allowing changes from camber, anti-squat, toe and roll centers. I will be building the kit with the stock setup, however some of the steps will be different for ease of the build.

Build Notes:
* You will be using black grease to build the CVA’s so it is suggested that you have some paper towels handy for clean up.
* Pay attention to the rear hub build. While not easy to easy to build backwards, you’ll want to make sure you do assemble them on the right side of the car.

Step 54

Step 54 - To begin the rear suspension, start by screwing in the 2-56 screws into the rear chassis plate as shown.

Step 55

Step 55 - Next, slide the long hinge pins through the arms and then into the rear mounts in the chassis plate. The screws you attached in step 54 will help keep the hinge pins from sliding through the chassis plate.

Step 56

Step 56 - Install the rear arm mount onto the hinge pins. Have the anti-squat shim ready for the next step.

Step 57

Step 57 - The arm/arm mount assembly should stay together pretty well, so slide the anti-squat plate into position and attach with the 5-40×1/2 screws. A Team trick is to cut a notch in the anti-squat shim where the holes are so that, after you insert the screws into the rear arm mount, you can slide the anti-squat shim into position (and remove it). This makes it easy to change anti-squat plates without having to remove the screws.

Step 58

Step 58 - Attach the rear chassis plate assembly to the chassis.

Step 59

Step 59 - Slide a blue FT washer on and carefully install the silver ballstuds into the rear chassis brace. These hole locations have a tendency to strip under heavy use so do not overtighten…just snug down.

Step 60

Step 60 - Attach your rear chassis brace assembly to the chassis. The instructions show to install the rear ballast weight but don’t do that yet. You’ll just piss yourself off since there is nothing there (yet) to keep it in place.

Step 61

Step 61 - Assemble the rear shock tower as shown. Pay attention to the orientation of the tower to the shock screws.

Step 62

Step 62 - Attach the rear tower assembly to the rear chassis plate. Note there are 2 different lengths of screws uses here; 5-40×9/16 and 5-40×7/16. Use the longer, 9/16 screws in the front-most holes.

Step 63

Step 63 - NOW you can set the ballast weight in place and slide the transmission into position.

Step 64

Step 64 - Rotate the wing mounts/body mounts up and out of the way and attach the transmission screws first. Having the wing mounts/body mounts out of the way gives us better access to these screws.

Step 65

Step 65 - Rotate the wing mounts/body mounts into position and attach to the shock tower.

Step 66

Step 66 - Flex the lower part of the rear bumper/motor guard to slide UNDER the chassis (as shown) and attach. Do not overtighten these screws.

Step 67

Step 67 - Build a left and right rear hub. The right rear is shown here. A dab of thread locking material would be a good idea as well.

Step 68

Step 68 - Attach the upper ball link to both hubs. Note the orientation of the ballstud to the hub.

Step 69

Step 69 - Moving on to the CVAs. Goop a good bit of black grease onto the CVA and insert the CVA barrel.

Step 70

Step 70 - Goop some more black grease and slide the CVA into the axle as shown. Align the pin holes and slide the cross pin into place.

Step 71

Step 71 - Snap the CVA pin retainer into place. The instructions state to put a drop of CA on the pin retainer’s ‘opening’, but I’m not sure that necessary. I’ll leave that step up to you. All I can say is that it obviously can’t hurt.

Step 72

Step 72 - Take both CVA assemblies and install them into both rear hubs. Start by placing the 3/16 axle shim onto the CVA axle followed by the 3/16×3/8 bearing. Slide that into the rear hub, making sure to seat the bearing ‘square’ with the hub. Slide the crush tube onto the axle followed by the larger .187x.196 bearing, pressing the bearing all the way into place.

Step 73

Step 73 - Insert the 2-56 screw into the 12mm clamping wheel hex.

Step 74

Step 74 - Press the 1/16 roll pin into the axle. Slide the wheel hex assembly onto the axle, aligning the roll pin and the groove in the hex. Once pressed into place, tighten the 2-56 screw in the hex to keep it in place.

Step 75

Step 75 - Take your assembled hubs and attach them to the rear suspension arms. Insert the hinge pin into the arm, through the blue washer, the hub and then the silver washer. Make sure the hinge pin fits flush with the outside of the arm. Also note the orientation of the rear hub.

Step 76

Step 76 - Insert the 2-56 screw in place to secure the hinge pin.

Step 77

Step 77 - Build a pair of rear turnbuckles. The lengths are good per the instructions.

Step 78

Step 78 - Slide the CVA into the rear diff outdrive and pop the ballcups onto into place. Be sure to ‘align’ the notches on the turnbuckles so that they coincide with the front turnbuckles.


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