Step by step run through of building the Sakura XI Sport. This DOES NOT replace the instruction manual, it is a companion guide to better building the Sakura XI Sport.

Newly designed box for the Sakura XI Sport

A total of 9 bags with each bag clearly labeled sequentially and packed with only the parts you need for that corresponding assembly step in the manual. We’ve been very meticulous with giving our customer the easiest assembly experience possible.

New XI Sport decals with Team 3 Racing logo.

Assembly begins with the newly designed race grade Gear Differential.

BAG1 – Parts for the complete drivetrain are contained within this bag.

New Gear Diff gears from new mold, notice the mold injection points on the gears which makes the bottom as flat as possible.

Make sure the excess material from the injection points are trimmed off and carefully rounded

Prepare all assembly parts by trimming off unwanted materials and laying them out making each part easily accessible during assembly.

Tip: We found using green slime (sold separately) type lubricants for assembly of the Gear Diff greatly enhances its durability.

Cover the 5mm rubber o rings with green slime (sold separately) as shown on both sides of the diff housing.

Tip: Apply some silicon grease or green slime (both sold separately) onto the shaft part of the Differential Outer Joint before assembly.
Install the Differential Outer Joints onto the housings and install the spacer and 2mm pin.

Apply a moderate amount of silicon grease (sold separately) as shown to minimize wear and helps the gear adhere to the Differential Outer Joint making assembly easier.

Before installing the internal diff gears, apply a small amount of the supplied #2000 diff oil enough to cover the internal diff gear.

Tip: Apply a moderate amount of silicon grease or green slime (both sold separately) on the cross pin before assembling the diff gears.
Assemble the internal diff gears as shown, by doing so, installing it as a unit into the diff housing will become easier.

Cover the diff seal with green slime (sold separately).

After installing the internal diff gears, apply the supplied #2000 diff oil to a level until it just covers the cross pin.

Seal the diff housing with a moderate amount of green slime (sold separately) as shown.

Assemble the diff as shown carefully as shown aligning the screw holes.

Tip: Never fully tighten one diff screw without the other 3 having already been installed into the diff. Always screw in all 4 screws until just before fully tightened, slowly spin the Outer Joints to ensure smooth diff operation, then tighten screws in the order of opposing sides.
When tightening the screws, always tighten screws in the order of opposing sides rather than in a clockwise or counter clockwise sequence.

Install the 2 10x15 bearings and the holders to complete diff assembly.

Assembly of the all new race grade Gear Differential complete.

Spur Gear housing/Layshaft gears assembly.

Tip: Instruction manual does not show the potential difficulty when assembling the cover for the layshaft gears. When using a fast curing CA, the legs of the cover may become stuck halfway when being pushed into the gear. We tend to trim the legs on the cover until approximately 3mm remains, this should make installation easier.

This is what the instruction manual shows

Slowly and carefully apply CA when the cover is partially installed leaving a small gap to apply CA.

Make sure cover is completely pushed in and repeat steps for 2nd layshaft gear.

Assemble gears onto spur gear without over tightening the M2 screws provided.

All new composite front spool with replaceable drive cups.

Install bearings before drive cups.

Assemble the drive cups making sure the notches on the left and right cups are aligned ensuring even power distribution to both wheels at all times.

Assembly of BAG1 complete, no excess parts or screws should remain.

BAG2 assembly begins.

New Fiber Chassis using a stronger more rigid material, newly designed A arms with reinforced structural design vastly enhances rigidity and durability.

New 2 piece A arm pivot pin mounts for added chassis flex, tighten mounts until they lay flat on the chassis, do not over tighten, ensure both mounts are leveled with each other.

For the first time, 3 Racing or any other manufacturer has supplied kit A arms with pre-reamed pivot pin holes ensuring the smoothest of suspension action. The A arms should swing up and down freely without binding.

Front A arm with 2 suspension mount holes, our standard setting uses the outer hole. Install set screw until only 4mm of the screw protrudes from the arm.

Notice the reinforcing rib for the rear hub pivot pins integrated into the design of the arm.

Rear arms are not left and right interchangeable.

L and R clearly labeled on rear arms.

Pivot pin holes are pre-reamed, arms should pivot freely when assembling according to Instruction Manual.

BAG3 steering, drive belt and motor mount assembly begins.

7075 aircraft grade alumimum machined motor mount and center layshaft.

Assemble steering crank according to Instruction Manual ensuring smooth operation without any binding.

Ensure drive belt is under steering crank before tightening screws.

After assembly ensure motor mount is straight and leveled with chassis, incorrect assembly will lead to chassis tweak.

Tip: Apply thread lock (sold separately) to the layshaft screws.

Do not over tighten layshaft screws, check smoothness of drivetrain by spinning spur gear.

BAG4 Front and Rear Bulkhead Assembly begins.

Parts within BAG4.

Start with assembling the front center body support normally exclusively found in high end race kits or expensive after market option part, this is the XI Sport.

The function of this center body support ensures your car body holds shape during high speed corner entries maximizing its aero dynamic properties, the support is height adjustable using spacers.

Aluminum Torsion Strut added for rigidity and structural integrity.
Tip: Do not tighten screws on the Torsion Strut until shock tower has been assembled.

1mm spacers added under upper chamber link ball ends as standard roll center adjustment.
Tip: Always assemble or rebuild this unit on a flat surface such as glass. Tighten screws on Shock Tower and Torsion Strut while pressing both bulkhead covers down ensuring side to side alignment of the bulkhead covers.

When installing the bulkheads, check the bulkheads are straight and not deformed or warped due to over tightening of any of the screws.

Secure the bearing holders with the supplied M1.6 ensuring the belt tension setting is identical on both sides.

Same for installing the Gear Diff

Check whether bulkhead covers have been tightly fitted onto the bulkheads

Same goes for the front bulkhead covers.

BAG5 - Upper deck and belt stabilizer.

Adjustable Front Belt Stabilizer - Standard on the Sakura Ultimate

To avoid chassis tweak, screw in all upper deck screws without tightening them, place chassis on a hard flat surface such as glass or setup board and slowly tighten screws in the order of opposite diagonal ends of the upper deck.

BAG6 - Suspension components.

Tip: Pre-thread the top and bottom holes of the steering knuckles/hub carriers with a M3 screw before assembling with C Hubs to ensure the top ball end and bottom screw are aligned straight during assembly. Check the smoothness of steering knuckles before installing onto arms.

BAG7 Shock Assembly - threaded shock bodies.

Each shock body is partially assembled to ensure smoothness and precise fit.

You will need to fully disassemble all components before assembly starts.

#350 shock oils included.

Apply a small amount of shock oil onto the O Ring and the surrounding area before securing bottom cover.

Install the M11.5 O Ring.

Apply a small amount of shock oil onto the shock body before installing the Spring Preload Adjust Nut.

Repeat for all 4 shock bodies.

Using the 3 hole shock pistons, secure onto shock shaft using the supplied E clips, piston should be able to rotate freely on shock shaft.

Pre-thread ball cap and install using shock shaft calipers.

After applying shock oil, slowly extend and compress shock shaft until all air bubbles have been removed.

Allow shocks to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.

Fully compress shock shaft and till shock body at approx 45 degs and install diaphragm, it is normal for excess oil to bleed.

Press diaphragm all the way in with your little finger.

Check and make sure no air bubbles are trapped under the diaphragm.

While shaft is fully compressed, install top shock cap according to instruction manual.

After top cap has been secured, slowly fully extend shock shaft and release.

It is normal for shock shaft to slightly compress after release.

Clean excess oil off the shocks using any contact or motor cleaner.

BAG8 due to its popularity, the Velcro Battery Strap introduced on the Zero S returns to the XI Sport.

The innovative chassis integrated Battery Positioning System, keeping your side to side chassis balance consistent each time you replace batteries.

Battery Positioning support at the forward part of the chassis.

Spacers for the battery brace allows you precise positioning of your battery while keeping it secured. Note those are M2.6 screws.

We use a 3mm Spacer for our Lipo batteries

Newly introduced kit standard chassis integrated fan mount for 30 and 40mm cooling fans.

We recommend using M2.6 screws to secure your fan onto the mount.

BAG9 Bumper, Wheels and Body Posts

It is highly recommended you shape the foam bumper according to the instruction manual.

Using a marker, mark the parts of the bumper that needs to be removed.

Using a hobby knife, cut approx 8 to 10mm deep then make another cut on the front face leaving 4 to 6mm of material from the bottom as shown in the next pic.

The finished product

The inside 3 sections can be removed but we recommend leaving them intack for maximum impact resistance. Push the sections in approx 1mm and apply a moderate amount of CA to secure them.

The finished product should look something like this.

Assembly body posts according to instruction manual

Be sure to glue the tires using high quality CA and the tire treads are directional.

Completed Chassis Assembly of the all new Sakura XI Sport.

Took a little over 4 hours to assemble without the use of an electric driver, we tried to make our instruction manual as articulate as possible and hopefully it can assist even the intermediate hobbyist into building the XI Sport at a level normally achieved by experienced racers. Leave a comment if you wish to see tips about installing electronics onto your XI Sport.