1. Be very careful when installing your steering servo – look out for touch conditions between the ball cup and the servo case and the servo arm and the underside of the front bulkhead. We have experienced a touch condition between the S6070 servo case and the drag link ball cup. To overcome this, I have swapped the standard ball cup for a Losi JRXS-R captured ball end (LOSA6017) but a short neck ball might also do the trick. Just look out for this during the build. Low profile servos tend to have an offset drive output - this can casue a light touch condition with the underside of the front bulkhead which can be relieved with a dremel and a small sanding drum.
2. Please note that our early set ups were developed using 6 hole pistons. The car comes with 4-hole. You will need to make a choice as to whether or not to initially drill out your pistons or experiment to make 4-holes work for you. I imagine a good initial base will be 4 hole 56 or 4 hole 55 in the front with 6 hole 55 or 4 hole 55 + 2 hole 54 (6 hole total) in the rear.
3. Its been said before but the 22 is metric – do you’ll need a 2.0mm and a 2.5mm hex wrench and 5.5mm and 7.0mm nut drivers. A couple of odd ball screws thrown in for good measure. There’s a tiny c’sk screw that holds the rear toe block in place that actually uses a 1.3mm wrench – although a 0.05 imperial wrench will fit and of course the slipper nut uses a 5.0mm driver (see below)
4. Slipper spanner – don’t forget it’s a 5mm nut wrench and chances are, you’ll not have any M2.5 nylocs as spares. So don’t lose the slipper nut. Spares are available – TLR6312 for a pack of 6
5. Front wheel lug nuts – we’ve lost a few of these in testing. They’re not nylocs and the outside front wheel can have a nasty habit of coming loose -especially on high bite surfaces. One fix is to VERY LIGHTLY drip some threadlock onto the screw threads and allow it to dry before fitting the front wheels. This helps to create a bind to slow down the coming loose process. That said, it is too easy to put too much threadlock on and you’ll end up having to bin a complete front hub assembly. Cross filing the back of the lug nut may also help it grip the surface of the wheel and stop it coming loose. Please be careful with threadlock and don’t use the red permanent stuff – I used Losi-Lok but very thinly applied. Tamiya Threadlock could also be good.
6. High Roll Centre Blocks are optional but worth the investment for UK style tracks. If you choose to invest in these, don’t forget that you’ll need the corresponding HRC anti-squat shim kit (TLR2045). This is one area where the design of the car changed during development – the US guys prefer the feel of the LRC block but when we tested, we preferred the feel of the HRC block. The LRC block got the nod ahead of the HRC block for inclusion into the kit but at least the HRC blocks became part of the options list.
7. Springs – Being honest with you, I have no idea if our prototype springs are exactly the same as the production ones. Having said that, on a rating scale (of 1 being the softest and 6 being the hardest), you’ll see from the set up sheets that we were running F4 / F5 on the front and R2 / R3 on the back. That would equate on a rising rate scale of a Green or a Blue on the Front and a Yellow or a Pink on the rear. The kit comes with Red fronts (F2 on my scale) and Yellow Rears (R2) so you may need some optional front springs at least.
8. Weight. The 22 can be built up to run at close to the legal limit at around 1500g but in all of our testing to date here in the UK, we have found that adding some weight has been beneficial to the overall consistency of the car on our high bite tracks. On a flying lap, an unweighted car can feel very fast but often, the consistency seems to suffer (or at least mine does).
During testing, we were using the RudeBits (www.rudebits.co.uk) CR2 under cell 102g weight under our saddle pack lipos - Thank you Tony. For those who don't know the part number, I'm sure Tony will be able to confirm it - along with some other very exciting ideas
TLR have produced an optional mid car brass weight kit (TLR4151) which is to the design of the weight block that we were using during testing. This system enables 50-60g of weight to be added to the rear gearbox / shock tower area of the car which we found was very useful in all conditions. These have also been shipped with the initial batch of kits and spares and are available now through your TLR stockists.
1) Place 1 small drop of CA glue on Diff nut before inserting into plastic T-nut. Use a 1.5mm wrench or .050" as a "Skewer" to hold the nut while inserting into the plastic nut. Place locknut with nylon facing upward and insert 1.5mm wrench onto nylon portion. this allows you to easily place nut into plastic T-nut.
2) Do not overtighten Diff Screw!!!!!!!. Snug screw down until Spring is collapsed, back off 1/16th turn
3) Always put a small amount of Silicone diff grease between diff rings and outdrives.
4) Do not for get the RED spacer the goes on the input shaft before installing the slipper plates. Why Red? a Red spacer means that it is a transmission part not to be confused with the other spacers. I thought it would help identify spacers since there are so many that are close in size.
5) Becarful when tightening down all king pin screws. The kingpin screw has a small radius on the underside of the screw head. do not over tignten and putting a small chamfer (using a hobby knife or other tool) is recommended.
6) Turn Buckles: Use a body reamer to knoch off flashing to help thread engagement.
7) Shocks: The lower cap cap be loosened up to 1.5 turns to adjust friction in the O-rings. A neat adjustment!
8) Placing a very small amount of locktite between rear inner hingepin/hinge pin ball/aluminum pivots is a good way to keep the tolerances like new.
9) Do not forget the M3 screw hidden under the rear shock tower that goes into the rear camber block!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10) Apply blue locktite to the front wheel screw for the first coulple of wheel changes. This will allow the locktite to accumulate and act like a locknut.
11) The small screw that fastens the rear toe plate pivot to the chassis is meant to keep aht rear suspension in place while removing the transmission for diff service. There is no need to remove the motor guard (rear motor config.) when removing the transmission. Remove trans mount screws and simply pull the motor guard back and remove transmission, lealing motor guard inplace.
12) Servo allignment / tie rod / End Point Adjustment is very critical. The 22 has the most steering throw of any buggy. It is not uncommon to end up with very high EPA settings!!!!
Now that some of you have have your 22s for a while, I wanted to suggest some long term maintenance to get the most from your cars. Here are some things to look at:
1) Dogbone pins (inboard side that insert into the diff outdrives) become worn after some time and affect handling massively. Pop your CVAs out and inspect the pin that engages into the diff outdrive. If it has worn flat, the car may not be rounding the corner as well as it should and rear grip could be compromised. It is a very interesting excercise to throw in a new set of bones/outdrives and feel the difference. Most of our team drivers like fresher dogbones, but some prefer "run-in" dogbones as they offer a bit more support in the rear. As I said, some people on this thread may have a ton of hours on their 22 and new bones can bring back the crisp feel.
2) Black low friction O-rings are a good upgrade. Even though they may weep a little shock oil over time, the freeness of the shocks is a huge benefit. A free shock will respond better to small chop and result in noticeably more grip. Also, keeping the o-rings fresh (replace once in a while) keeps the shocks super free. This is a good upgrade for sure!
3) Checking all arms/rod ends for freeness. This is a no brainer, but I have seen alot of new people to the sport running 22s and may not be aware of how even the slightest bind in any 2wd buggy can make it feel like you're driving a gargage scow. With the shocks completely removed, the arms should swing freely when the car is turned on its side. if not, find the culprit and you will be amazed at the difference!
These three tips will ensure that you are feeling the true potential of your cars. I have seen many people tune around a bound up arm(s) or drivetrain components that should be freshened up.
Racer is very proud to have received one of the very first samples of the TLR 22 2WD buggy from Horizon Hobby UK and will be building it up online, updating the website as the process develops.
We have managed to secure top-spec electronic components including a Spektrum DX3R Pro radio with matching 2.4GHz micro receiver, S6070 low profile servo...
...LRP SXX Competition speed controller, Vector X12 6.5T motor and one of the very latest 3/4 length 3800mAh LiPos from Xcelorin, developed especially for use in 22 chassis.
Step A
The first stage is to fit the servo mounts and servo arm. The moulding to hold the servo in place has two fixings each side to increase the rigidity of the mounting
Next up is the alloy chassis and we stuck the three adhesive foam strips in place. These will help prevent the LiPo battery from moving in use
We decided to weigh the chassis to see how heavy it was...
...or not as the case maybe! This is a moulded chassis for comparison. We didn't include the moulded sides on the alloy chassis but for reference, each weighs just over 14g and this includes the alloy body mount at the rear
The moulded sides and servo could then be installed and the attention now moves onto the unique steering set-up and front bulkhead module.
The steering rack on the 22 is simplicity in itself with just two plastic moulded parts. Although the darker moulding looks like its made from metal, it is moulded plastic but clearly a different make up the grey one. The only moving part of the steering rack is the grey piece and this includes grooves that are designed to ensure dirt doesn't bind the mechanism
The steering assembly is then bolted to the front bulkhead along with what TLR call the camber block
The kick-up moulding locates on the pivot block and the 20-degree option is standard although alternatives are supplied in a package with other tuning parts
Although there is kick-up on the chassis, a moulded spacer is used to set the angle at which the hinge pins work from. The two parts, pivot block and spacer are keyed so they lock into each other and then finally into the chassis. The screws then tighten into the front bulkhead
The plastic mouldings sandwich the alloy chassis
Just like previous 2WD buggies from the company, the 22 features a live axle for the front wheels
The caster block is a 10-degree item and with 20-degrees kick-up, gives a final caster angle of 30-degrees. Note the position of the caster block can also be altered within the front wishbone
The completed caster block and steering arm
The caster blocks, like the steering arms could be off a 4WD chassis with this hole for a driveshaft to pass through....
Gull-wing shaped wishbones feature front and rear
Titanium Nitride-coated hinge pins pass through an alloy plate...
...and are retained with a grub screw from the top - no E-clips here
The turnbuckles are next up. The ball joints are new as they are not only bigger but metric. The turnbuckles are steel with a polished finish
The front shock tower wraps around the bulkhead for a really solid mounting
The shock absorber mountings on the tower are of the quick removal-type
The front bumper extends back and is shaped to flow into the chassis. Two screws at the front hold it in position and it locates into the chassis at the back where it meets the angled kick-up section
Step A is now completed and so our next installment will focus on the rear suspension
Step B
Many thanks for joining us today for the second part of our online build. Getting into the office early, the first job was to open the many plastic bags with the parts and fixings in. Step B contains the rear suspension including the wishbones, hubs, driveshafts, etc. There are some separate bags marked up "mid engine" and we found an alternative rear shock tower, rear bumper, camber block, and more. For the record, as this car will be run in the UK, it was only natural that we would build it in mid motor format...
There are lots of bags within bags which we believe help with Quality Control, although these aren't individually marked up. The picture above shows the bags just from Step B!
After opening all the bags, these were the small parts that will be used in this step
The dedicated mid-motor rear shock tower and camber block
Ignoring the order in the manual, here is how the rear and mid-motor rear towers and blocks compare (mid is on the right). Note the camber block for the mid car gets flipped over to fit to the underside of the tower...
...like this. The mouldings are keyed so the parts locate perfectly
Back on track and following the manual, the driveshafts are the first parts to put together and these are of the standard universal joint-type. A grub screw holds the pin in the UJ section. We were very impressed with the weight of these UJs as they feel very light for steel
A Titanium Nitride-coated hinge pin on the inside uses a pivot ball to allow for free movement across the range of anti-squat positions
Rear hub features a bigger outer bearing than inside for greater strength and better durability
Like the front, the rear wishbones feature a kicked-up end
With all the parts in place, the driveshaft can be inserted. The 22 drops the popular pin-drive arrangement for a hex to the wheel that offers greater surface area and more suited to today's high-power brushless and LiPo systems. It is also a system that makes it easier to locate the wheel properly, unlike a pin that can "make" its own as we have found
Here is the hex adapter in place. This was a little tight so we place a little chamfer on the hole to help
With the rear wishbones equipped with hubs and hinge pins, the parts can be fitted to the chassis. A 1-degree anti-squat shim is placed under the front alloy pivot block. The moulded insert that the screws pass through is dedicated for the mid-motor chassis. The long screws are used to hold the pivot block in place during construction, and we used the nuts off the shock tower mounts to clamp it on place as the anti-squat shim has a tendancy to slip out
The rear bumper locates under the rear bracket and a very small counterunk screw in the centre holds these in place for the time being
The kit comes with a low roll centre (LRC) and 4-degree toe-in block although a high version will be available from the option parts list
The wing mounts and camber block are screwed to the rear tower before the assembly can be mounted to the chassis
With the tower in place, the camber links can be snapped into position and this completes Step B
Step C
The third stage of the build is the gearbox and with the option of a rear or mid-motor set-up, TLR include two gearbox cases to suit each application. The four-gear (mid-motor) is on the left and three-gear (rear-motor) is on the right
The diff of course is the same for both an this features flattened plates and hardened balls. The diff features the minimum number of parts so there are no shims or washers to lose. A spring is used to tension the diff bolt and the latter is held by a nyloc nut in a carrier so can easily be replaced
With the diff built, we dragged out some of the other components needed for the next stages of construction. The spur gear is a 76T item and uses the proven double pad slipper clutch arrangement. The layshaft is one-piece alloy and is coated for efficiency and good wear characteristics (as are the idler shafts). The gearbox rotates on a full set of bearings and the same bearings are used on the layshaft and idler for a really neat set-up. The motor plate is machined as standard and the same one is used for both gearbox options
The gears being located in the casing
The gearbox is now complete and all bolts were tightened with no sign of any binding or need to back off any of the fixings
On the opposite side is the dual pad slipper clutch. Not sure why TLR chose red of the alloy spacer (behind slipper back plate) and the shaped washer at the end of the shaft?
We found out the thread on the layshaft uses a 2.5mm thread and therefore a 5mm nyloc nut. Dynamite offer a really nice machined 5mm nut driver that we sourced from Horizon Hobby UK. We would suggest getting a spare nut or two for your pit box as this will not be something you have lying around. It's also worth replacing this nut regularly for a really good hold of the slipper clutch setting
The gearbox can then be fitted into the chassis using six screws. The manual threw us a curve ball here as it suggested using another two screws for the front fixings. As there were two of exactly the same spec holding the pivot block in place already, just use them - something to bear in mind when you find that there are two left over!
Next up is the rear chassis brace moulding that drops into position and is secured from the side and below
The gear cover follows and this features a neat bung retaining system that will prevent that small item ever being lost again!
This now completes Step C and its the shock absorbers up next and Step D which we will do tomorrow (Wednesday). We will also complete the build with the battery tray and straps, wheels and ancillaries
This is how the chassis looks now
Step D
The shock absorbers follow the proven design of the TLR 8ight 1:8 off-road buggy and here are the main components. Threaded bodies, Titanium-Nitride-coated shafts, alloy adjusters, alloy seal retainers and coated springs. Not shown are the four-hole pistons and rubber diaphragms - the former are held in place by an E-clip either side
TLR supply a large bottle of 27.5wt oil for both the front and rear shock absorbers - the big picture above wasn't intentional, but it is ironic!
A moulded tool set helps to build the shock absorbers - the process is incredibly simple and with the bleed hole in the cap, make sit impossible to over fill them with oil
The springs are all black in the kit and will be the same for the ones on the options list. The spring rate is indicated by a splash of colour at one end
Our 22 is very nearly there with all four shocks fitted and ready for the final bag to opened. The final bag for Step E of the build contains the fluoro yellow wheels - you get two complete sets in the box - Velcro battery straps, body clips, wheel nuts and some other small parts. For the record, there is a sixth bag that includes some optional pieces like anti-squat shims, optional kick-up mouldings, alternative pistons and more
Step E
Velcro straps are used to secure the LiPo in place along with the moulding at the front. As we are using the Xcelorin short LiPo, we can position it there and then squeeze in the LRP speed controller and Spektrum receiver between the moulding and Spektrum servo. Of course regular saddle pack LiPos can be fitted in mid-motor format and in rear configuration, there is even more of space
TLR logo features on the outside face of the new design wheels. We fitted Schumacher Mini Spikes to the wheels along with their foam inserts
The front wheels are held on by a bolt with a 7mm head - the same as the rear. Whilst the rear nuts feature a locking insert, the fronts don't so place a drop of threadlock on the thread of the bolt, then let it dry before fitting
And there it is, the completed TLR 22 minus the body that is being painted as we speak by Dave Holmes of Custom Graphics
Summary
To sum up, the 22 is very nice to build and is packed with the flexibility to suit global track demands and the driver's preferences. The chassis re-ignites the passion of old Losi fans and wraps it up under the new TLR banner very neatly. There is so many new ideas and features on the 22 that I am glad it's a TLR product and not a Losi one. The new TLR brand suits the 22 perfectly and the final product is a credit to the team that has designed, tested, developed and manufactured it. Of course the real test will be on the track and in the hands of the paying customer. As I write this, the first batch of retail-bound kits are being processed at Horizon Hobby UK along with the spares and option parts. In our magazine review published in the June 2011 issue of Racer, we will have had a chance to give the thoroughly test the car and will run through some of the best options available from the list.
Racer would like to thank to all that have helped us with this online build including: Horizon Hobby UK (www.horizonhobby.co.uk) TLR 22 chassis/Spektrum DX3R Pro transmitter/Spektrum SR3500 micro receiver/Spektrum S6070 servo
After racing at the Eden Park Raceway round of the UK Short Course Nationals, I really started to get the itch for a 2WD buggy. With all the hype around the TLR 22 and having some good friends also racing this new buggy, I decided that I would jump on the band wagon. I made some phone calls and sent a couple of e-mails and before long, a new kit was sitting on my desk and I could then start to build the buggy. The norm for the UK buggy scene is to have the motor in mid configuration and this is where the 22 comes into its own as it allows you to set the car up with either rear motor or mid motor.
Equipment
Next up it was time to decide on the motive power for the 22 and Logic RC had recently sent me one of their 6.5T combo systems to use in my SC, but as I am unable to make many more of UK SC Nats, I decided to use this system in the 22. Another reason for this was that the speed controller is devoid of a fan and quite a shallow depth which is ideal for the set-up I am running. Akula Racing fixed me up with a set of SMC 5200mAh saddle packs rated at 60C so have lots of power available when I need that extra oomph. They also sorted me out a set of carbon fibre front shock towers too.
The controls are all done through my existing Spektrum DX3S radio and along with a matching micro receiver, more room is saved in the very narrow chassis. Steering is taken care of via a Savox low-profile servo - thanks to Simon at RC Lazy for sorting this out - and it offers a good mix of speed and power. The standard body was then daubed in my own colour scheme that I am running for the 2011 season, which is a mix of my old cow-themed colours. My first race was at Moto Arena and this has a mix of carpet and Tarmac so the tyres of choice are Schumacher Mini Pins on the rear and Schumacher Stagger Ribs on the front. The Stagger Ribs can be fitted to the standard front rims, but can be a little hard to get them to seat correctly, so I removed the outer locating ridge and with a Dremel smoothed cut the inner lip away to make a thinner set of front wheels and this allows the tyres to sit a lot nicer upon the rims.
Race
I used to race 2WD when I was 16 so would the skills still be there? Quite simply no! Since I last raced a buggy, motors and batteries have come on ten fold so it was time to re-educate myself. It took a good few laps before I started setting consistent times, but in the races I had forgotten how hard it is to overtake with open wheels having run touring cars for so long. I did manage to get into a few tangles and only broke the car once on a jump, but a few friends soon had me back up and running. I have now invested in some spares to keep me going and I am actually starting to enjoy my racing once again. I have a few things I need to do to the car to make it more driveable including adding a bit of weight to the buggy to aid traction, and I am also toying with a 'Marmite' cab-forward body shell....
Just the other day I picked up a Losi 22 at R/C Madness in Enfield, CT. I have not been this excited to build a 2wd electric buggy in a VERY long time and from the looks of things this is going to be an outstanding vehicle. To get started I already have myself a Savox servo, Mamba Max Pro esc, MaxAmps LiPo battery and custom made chassis protector from G4 Graphics.
So I began building my nice new Losi 22 last night. The first few steps involve mounting the steering servo and assembly of the servo steering turnbuckle. Since the turnbuckles thread to the ball cups VERY tightly it is a good idea to use a VERY small amount of grease, or even chapstick, on the threads before you try to thread them together. Also, I am using a Savox SC-1257 TG steering servo. Since Losi does not have Savox servos listed in their instructions I had to try all the servo arms to find the right one. To save you some time, it is the 25-spline arm. The Savox SC-1257 TG steering servo does nto require any shims either.
Next, I attached the side rails/stiffeners to the chassis and then attached the servo. I would suggest you begin by attaching the side rails with the rear, shorter screws first then the taller four front screws that hold in the servo.
Last night I decided to assemble the front turnbuckles for the 22. As stated previously, they thread together VERY tightly. I put a small dab of grease at the end of each thread prior to threading the ball cup on. While this helps a great deal it still took some time to get all four completed. One thing to note. If you have an older ball cup/turnbuckle assemble tool it probably won;t help you in assembly as these new ball cups are larger and won't fit into the tool.
I began working on the rear end of the 22 last night. Like the front end, assembly is very easy and straight forward. One thing I really likes is a single small screw that is used to hold in the rear piviot block. This is done so that everything stays in place when removing the transmission for service.
After finishing the rear suspension arms I next went to the rear shock tower and bulkhead. Again, nothing but great instructions and top quality parts here and it all fit together like a glove.
While the next step in the instructions is for assembly and installation of the transmission I will be moving ahead to the shocks. Reason being is that I am waiting for some special diff parts to arrive!
Without question, the shocks ao the 22 are the smoothest I have EVER built. The seals are great and I really like how they load into the bottom of the shock body. During assembly i kept the bottom shaft rather loose so what I inserted the shock shaft through there would be less chance of binding and possibly cutting a seal. Also, I use a generous amount of oil on the shreads of the shock shaft and O put some oil in the shock body and let it flow through.
Once the shaft is through I tightened up the bottom cap, then filled them with the included 27.5wt oil, and installed the bladder and cap. Bleeding these shocls is easy because each cap has a built in bleeder.
Due to some recent tornados that came through the area I have not done much more in theway of building on the 22, but I did finally get the motor I wanted.
The new Trinity Monster Locked motor comes with a fixed 30 degrees of timing and is EXACTLY the type of motor needed to really help revive and even out the field in stock class racing.
I began building the gear box the other night and as I was going along I forgot to take pictures! My bad. Here are a few details about the build.
First, the B-Fast diff kit is OUTSTANDING! The carbide diff balls and ceramic thrust balls are SUPER SMOOTH and are sure to last a LONG TIME! When tightening the diff becareful - the diff nut that sits into a plastic holder mught start spinning. To prevent this from happening put a dab of CA type glue on the outside of the nut BEFORE you press it into the plastic holder.
The slipper clutch is the same as has been found on Losi vehicles for years and assembled as expected.
Nearing completion of the 22 I decided to hand over 2 new bodies to Carl Perkins from Soul Crusher Graphics (www.soulcrushergraphics.com, soulcrushergraphics@yahoo.com) to get some paint work done. I gave him 2 so one could be cut for rear engine racing and the other for mid engine racing. Something Carl noticed about each body is that the edges in some areas are slightly brown. He told me that this is because Losi must have the bodies laser cut-out (HORRAY, NO TRIMMIG) and that can cause this insignificant discoloration.
I also handed the chassis over to the guys at RC Engineering (www.t-rce) to have a custom part made! You will have to check back to see what it is.
While I have not "built" much more on the Losi 22 I did have Justin Glaze of G4 Graphics (http://www.g4-graphics.com/) stop by and he was more than happy to apply the custom made chassis protector he had made for the 22.
Back to the Losi 22 that I am building. I really like the Castle Creations Mamba Max Pro esc. The only issue with using it in a 22 it the size as it is a bit tall with the cooling fan. Since I would not be putting all that much stress on it because I was going to be using a 17.5 Monster Locker motor from Trinity I decided to take the fan off to make it better fit.
In addition to using the Mamba Max Pro from Castle, I also used a BEC from them. I really like it because the voltage output of the BEC is fully adjustable using the free Castle link software.
Time to install the Team Trinity Monster Locked Motor!
The Monster Locked installed very easily and the only part that was semi time consuming was soldering in the 3 motor wired. From left to right the wires are A-B-C. I left the wire a bit long and tucked the extra behind the shock tower. This will make motor changes very easy in the future.
The sensor wire that attatches to the Mamba Max Pro esc threads through the rear shock tower very easily and does not dangle free.
While the gearing chart in the instructions calls for a 30-tooth pinion gear I opted to go a bit higher with a 31-tooth gear.
I really like how the plug that seals the opening to the gear cover is attatched so it can't get lost.
The parts are here! I brought my 22 to Matt at Team RCE (www.t-rce.com) so they could make me a custom battery strap/hold down. Well, I got a call yesterday from Matt and what they made is AWESOME!!!
What Matt designed consists of 2 rails that are mirror images of one another that mount to the chassis. What I LOVE about the system he came up with is that there are NO major changes to convert it to be used with a shorty LiPo, Like the RevTech Double Duce shorty pack.
To use the shorty type packs all you have to do is remove the 2 back screws that hold in the graphite back plate, slide the graphite back plate out, and reposition it to the grooves in the middle. Then, put the screws in the 2 appropriate spots to hold the graphite back plate in. The battery strap it self mounts in the middle of the chassis for long packs, or the back for short packs. Check out the rest of the pics!
Above, Another pic with the RevTech Double Duce
Above, side view 1.
Above, side view 2.
Above, all of the parts before installation
Matt told me that this is their first attempt and that they have a few ideas to improve upon it. Check their site - www.t-rce.com.
The third stage of the build is the gearbox and with the option of a rear or mid-motor set-up, TLR include two gearbox cases to suit each application. The four-gear (mid-motor) is on the left and three-gear (rear-motor) is on the right 
Velcro straps are used to secure the LiPo in place along with the moulding at the front. As we are using the Xcelorin short LiPo, we can position it there and then squeeze in the LRP speed controller and Spektrum receiver between the moulding and Spektrum servo. Of course regular saddle pack LiPos can be fitted in mid-motor format and in rear configuration, there is even more of space 
