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Dan
Burnham's Hombuilt TC3-0
Words: GREG VOGEL
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Throughout RC
history, we've seen cars that use platforms that are similar
to trucks' and trucks with platforms that are similar to
cars'. There have been 4-wheel drive cars such as the Losi
Double-X4 that was turned into the Street Weapon, and when the
Associated TC3 was released, we all hoped it would evolve into
a 4WD off-road car, too. Unfortunately, that isn't what
Associated had planned for the TC3; it stayed on the pavement,
and an off-road sibling was never born.
Many
people thought the on-road success story could translate well
to off-road, though, and one guy did something about it: Radio
Control Car Action reader Dan Burnham. Dan saw the potential
of the TC3 platform, and he set out to make it an off-road
racer. As you can see, he was completely successful. Check out
the details of Dan's TC3-O ("O" as in off-road)
project.
How does it
handle?
Many of the guys whose homebuilt masterpieces we feature don't
let us drive their custom creations, but Dan urged us to give
his car a whirl. OK, if you insist...!
I
took the TC3 to Xtreme RC in New Milford, CT, and wrung it
out. The car handled amazingly well—as if it was factory
built. It exhibited a slight push through the corners but on
rough terrain, it remained stable and easy to drive. The car
also jumped very well with a level attitude and landed stably.
The acceleration was excellent, just like a...well, you
guessed it; just like a TC3-O.
I was a little
concerned that the loads caused by off-road use might make the
shock towers pull the tops off the gear cases, but everything
held up just fine. The suspension worked very well, and if I
didn't know better, I'd swear I was driving a well-setup 4WD
buggy from Yokomo, Schumacher, or Losi (but mostly Schumacher,
since the TC3 was wearing a CAT 3000 body).
Dan did his
homework and spent a lot of time creating this successful
homebuilt project. It handled the track like a purpose-built
off-road car and made us wish that Associated would take the
TC3 to the dirt. Maybe some aftermarket companies will catch
on and make a conversion, but until then, you'll have to
handcraft your own if you want a hybrid beast like Dan
Burnham's TC3.
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Rear
suspension.
All of the modifications Dan made to the front of the
TC3 were duplicated in the rear. Dan added new, long,
custom nylon suspension arms, lightweight aluminum CVD
bones and shock-tower extensions to accept long,
off-road-type shocks. He bolted a piece of bent music
wire to the shock tower to support the wing.
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Steering.
Some major machine work can be seen here. Because Dan
extended the nose plate, he also needed to extend the
chassis to gearbox supports. If the steering rack
looks a little odd, it's because Dan machined an
intricate extension piece for the steering tie rods.
Last on the extension list is the center drive axle;
it's also machined aluminum.
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Front
suspension.
Dan went to town with a hunk of nylon and a milling
machine. As you can see, he extended the suspension
arms' length to widen the car to off-road standards
for stability. The shock towers were also modified to
fit a longer shock for more suspension travel. A piece
of machined aluminum is bolted to the original tower
to act as the extension and was drilled to reduce the
weight. Since Dan lengthened the arms, he also had to
make new bones. The new axles take on a CVD look and
are machined of aluminum. They are pinned to the stock
TC3 axle and sit in aluminum steering knuckles. At the
end of the axle, you'll see the custom hex wheel
adapter that allows Dan to use Losi Double-X4 wheels. |
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Nose
plate.
To extend the wheelbase, Dan machined a new nose plate
complete with kick-up to improve the car's handling
off-road.
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