Project By Chilly
Since its debut in 2007, the B44 has racked up not only three world titles, but also numerous national and regional wins. To help celebrate this latest win, Team Associated released the B44.3 Factory Team kit which included the latest improvements to this winning platform.
Photo credit: Team Associated
When Steven Hartson crossed the finish line in 2013 to capture the 4WD IFMAR World Championship, this was the 27th worlds win for Team Associated, and the 3rd worlds title overall for the B44 platform. In this edition of Garage we’ll take a look at JConcepts products specifically designed for this buggy, along with products designed for earlier renditions that are still compatible. But, before we can talk about the present we first need to talk about the past.
Pictured is a restored original BJ4 kit.
The B44 platform was based around the original design of the JConcepts BJ4 4WD buggy. This buggy was designed in 2003 by Jason Ruona and Brad Reelfs for the upcoming 2003 IFMAR World Championships in their home state of Florida. At the time Team Associated didn’t offer a 4WD buggy so together they took existing parts from the RC10B4 and RC10TC3, plus designed and manufactured their own custom parts to create the BJ4. Jason Ruona piloted the prototype buggy to an impressive 13th place in its debut, thus customer demand increased for it so the BJ4 went to production as a full kit.
For the 2005 IFMAR World Championships in Italy, the BJ4 was updated to a BJ4 Worlds Edition and Ryan Cavalieri piloted it to the first world title for JConcepts. In 2006 and 2007 Jason Ruona and Brad Reelfs worked alongside Team Associated in a collaboration to build the Team Associated B44.
Photo credit: Team Associated
At the 2007 IFMAR World Championships in Japan, the B44 captured its first Worlds win while being driven by Jared Tebo. Ok now that the history lesson is over let’s go back to take a closer look at the B44.3 kit.
Again, this kit is based on the winning ride used by Hartson to capture the 2013 Worlds title so it is already a proven winner. But, if you do want to add some enhancements to it JConcepts has developed many products for the B44.x platform over the years that you can choose from, but not all of them work with this new kit. So to make it less daunting let’s go through a new B44.3 build and talk about the compatible JConcepts products when they are applicable.
The first item that you would run across is the steering bellcrank assembly. The JConcepts system was originally developed for the B44.2, but it also compatible with the B44.3 and earlier versions of the B44 platform. It is anodized in two color options, blue or black, and to help you assemble it detailed instructions are included. The bellcranks themselves are comprised of machined aluminum with a beveled edge and a JC logo is engraved into them. The steering rack itself is comprised of genuine 2.5mm carbon fiber, and all the hardware needed to build this is included.
The first assembly step is to place two of the 2mm blue aluminum spacers over each of the included .400” ballstud. Use a 5/64” (2mm) hex driver to thread them into the middle hole on each side of the rack
Make sure that they face downward and secure them on the backside with the provided 4-40 x 3/16” locknuts.
Now from the bottom side install the provided flanged bearings.
Place the kit’s provided 3/8” button head screw through each bearing, and then add a dab of blue thread lock to both of them.
Then grab the bellcranks and thread the screws into them until they are snug, but make sure they can still swing freely.
Make sure you review the instructions so you install them on the correct sides.
Now place the kit’s steering posts through the top of the bellcranks.
Using a Ľ” driver, lock both steering posts into place with the kit’s 5-40 locknuts.
Now add a small amount of thread lock to the kit’s .200” ballstud, and then thread it into the driving side bellcrank using a 5/64” (2mm) hex driver.
Now that it is fully assembled attach it to the chassis using the kit’s supplied hardware.
Note: The 4-40 x 3/8” FHCS shown above are not included with the JConcepts carbon fiber kit
Continuing with the build steps documented in the manual, the next item that JConcepts offers for the B44.3 is the carbon fiber option kit. This kit made its debut at the 2015 Reedy International Off-Road Race of Champions in late January. It is comprised of 2.5mm genuine carbon fiber material, and it offers drivers some more tuning options. The top decks were with designed with additional cut outs for drivers seeking more flexibility in their buggy. The servo has been moved to the other side and it incorporates a new antenna mount position. The battery brace is also comprised of carbon fiber and instead of using the kit’s battery strap locks you can secure it down with two screws. For now set that battery brace to the side and we’ll refer to it later.
Starting with the front top deck, follow the steps in the manual to add the body mount, ballstuds, washers, locknuts, and shock tower mount.
Normally with the kit’s front top plate you add the antenna mount to it, but with this option kit we need to add it to the servo deck piece using the same kit hardware. Once you complete that set this to the side since we’ll use it again later.
Then attach the front top deck to the chassis as instructed in the manual.
Following the steps in the manual, install the necessary hardware onto the rear top deck and then secure it to the B44.3 chassis.
Staying in the rear of the buggy let’s talk about the next JConcepts option part. The low profile aluminum rear wing mount was developed for the B44.1, but it will also work with the B44, B44.2, and B44.3. It is constructed of heavy-duty 6061 T6 aluminum and anodized blue. You can see in the image above how it sits lower than the stock wing mounts.
This wing mount was lowered a full 7mm to help drivers obtain more consistency in windy race conditions since the jumping characteristics should be more consistent. It is still compatible with the kit’s plastic wedge shims and is a direct fit for the B44.3.
To install it place the mounts on each side of the rear shock tower mount, and then insert the kit’s 4-40 x 7/8” socket head screw through it.
One of the wing mounts is threaded inside the mounting hole for that screw, and this mount goes on the right hand side. To hold the screw in place you can use some blue thread lock, or use the kit’s 4-40 x 3/16 aluminum locknut.
The kit also comes with two 4-40 x 3/8” button head screw that hold the wing mounts to the shock tower, so add a little blue thread to those and then install them through the tower into the mounts.
Resting between the two top decks we installed earlier is a center bulkhead brace which leads us to our next JConcepts option part. Originally designed for the B44.2, the JConcepts bulkhead cap is made of machined aluminum, and uses an exposed gear design that was previously found in the B44 and B44.1. The open air design is intended to help dissipate heat buildup from the center assembly, and this bulkhead is only available in anodized blue. A JC logo is laser etched into each side of the bulkhead, and since you are replacing a plastic piece with aluminum now this will increase the stiffness in this area which is another tuning aid for drivers.
Use the same kit screws to install this cap, but make sure to use some blue thread lock since you will be working with metal on metal now.
The next area we would work on would be the turnbuckles and ball cups. Prior to the release of this kit, JConcepts had developed their own titanium turnbuckle and ball cup system, and they are both compatible with the entire line of B44 buggies. Their Fin titanium turnbuckles are made of high-grade, machine titanium components, and the hex shaped piece in the middle has a unique “finned” cut in the center.
They also use a notch to help you distinguish the left hand turns, and JConcepts even released a separate Fin turnbuckle wrench to help you dial in your adjustments.
Their ball cups are available in both a Rib and Wedge design.
They are packaged together and you have enough ball cups to outfit two buggies. Each style of ball cup uses an open top design so you can access your ball stud without having to “pop” the cup off first.
The Rib style ball cup uses a more traditional design, and it has been reinforced with three ribs that run along the outside of it. The Wedge style ball cup is slightly longer than the Rib, and it is also slightly thicker where it attaches to the ballstud. The longer body of the Wedge adds more strength to it, and an angled version is also included which was intended to be user in the rear to aid in clearance of the rear tires and today’s big bore shocks.
Once I figured out which cups I wanted to use, I grabbed the kit’s clear diff lube and added a small amount to each cup since this would aid me when I threaded in the turnbuckles. I used my Fin turnbuckle wrench in the middle of the turnbuckle and a hex driver in the cup’s hole to hold all the turnbuckles in place as I built them.
Once I had them all built to the manual’s specs I snapped the front turnbuckles into place, and then set the rear ones aside since I wasn’t ready for them yet.
The build step in the manual was to slip my rear CVAs into the rear hubs which brings me to the next JConcepts option part. The rear CVAs are secured with a 12mm aluminum clamping wheel hex which keeps the CVA from working its way back out. A small socket head screw is threaded into the hex to keep it locked in place.
JConcepts first developed their 12mm rear wheel hexes for the B4.1 and B44.1, and they compatible with the B44, B44.2 and B44.3 too. They also come with a laser etched JC logo and are only available in anodized blue.
To install the hexes slip them over the 1/16 roll pin and then add a little amount of blue thread lock to the included small socket head screw. Then use a 1/16” hex driver to tighten everything till it’s snug.
Once the rear hexes were installed I could snap on those rear turnbuckles now.
Now it was time for the battery brace I set aside earlier. The B44.3 kit comes with hardware to let you choose between a saddle pack or shorty LiPo configuration, but the JConcepts B44.3 carbon fiber kit is only intended to be used with a shorty pack setup.
To install the battery brace simply thread two 4-40 x 3/8” FHCS into the holes located on each side of the shorty battery cradles. Now it was time to setup the buggy with electronics.
It is safe to say that Reedy knows a thing or two about RC electronics since they are a 29 IFMAR World Champion. So for this edition of Garage I used their new speed control along with one of their competition LiPos and a Sonic 540 Mach 2 brushless motor.
According to the manual, when you are running a shorty LiPo pack setup with the B44.3 you would mount your ESC behind the motor, or in front of the pack itself. Recently Team Associated has updated the B44.3 chassis so you can mount the servo on either side now. By doing this if you place the servo in front of the LiPo you can move the ESC in front of the motor. The JConcepts carbon fiber option kit also gives you this setup option, plus the antenna is now mounted directly to the servo deck.
And speaking of motor, I equipped the 6.5t power plant with JConcepts’ motor timing cover which you can read about in more detail HERE.
I installed the ESC and motor along with my Hitec Axion 4 channel receiver and MYLAPS transponder.
Now it was time to install that carbon fiber servo deck piece we worked with earlier, and I paired it up with one of ProTek's digital hi-torque metal gear high voltage servos.
The servo deck still uses the kit’s servo mounts, but you need to install them on the opposite sides of what is listed in the manual.
This again is due to the fact that the JConcepts carbon fiber kits moves the servo to the same side as the LiPo now.
Once the servo mounts were installed I attached the servo deck to them with the kit’s 4-40 x Ľ” button head screw.
Once that was complete it was time to build the servo link. Since we need to reach across the front CVA now the kit’s servo link cups are not long enough. So instead I swapped them out for the Rib style ball cups.
The length needed for the servo link can vary depending on how you attached your servo horn, but in my case I needed my link at 38mm (1.50”).
I threaded on the ball cups and then attached it to the servo horn and driving side bellcrank. At this point you really don’t need the manual now since the next few steps involve gluing tires and prepping your body. But before we get to those let’s talk about another product JConcepts offers for the B44.3 that is not in the manual.
The B44.3 uses an anodized aluminum chassis, but it can show wear and tear just like a traditional plastic chassis. Drivers like to keep their chassis looking fresh, plus a slicker surface will cut down on the friction created when your chassis come into contact with dirt. So JConcepts developed a chassis sheet that was first available for the B44.2, and it is also compatible with the B44.3’s chassis too.
Two sheets are included in each package, and they are pre-cut for you. The four step installation process is printed on a decal sheet inserted into the packaging, and since I was working with a new chassis I could skip step #1.
When I built this buggy I left off the front bumper so I didn’t need to remove it at this point. So I peeled off one of the chassis sheets and then carefully applied it to the chassis. The adhesive that is used on the sheet is pretty durable so even if you mess up applying it the first time you should be able to pull it off and reapply it again correctly.
Once that was installed I grabbed the front bumper and two 4-40 x 3/8” button head screw and installed them all into place.
Now that buggy was built with electronics and the chassis was wrapped it was time for fresh treads. I decided to mount some 60mm Dirt Webs onto 60mm Bullet wheels. The 60mm Dirt Webs come standard with JConcepts’ new Dirt-Tech closed cell inserts which are grey in color. For more information about the benefits of 60mm tires, wheels, and the Dirt-Tech foam please read this article HERE.
I grabbed a bottle of Dirt Cleaner with the optional Sprayer top and applied a light mist to a microfiber towel.
Then I used the towel to clean my Bullet wheels and Dirt Webs.
Next, I used a leather punch and applied two vent holes to opposite sides of the tires.
Now that the tires and wheels were prepped it was time to glue them up. I used the Satellite tire gluing rubber bands in conjunction with the Thin Advanced Formulated Tire Glue. The Satellite bands come in either blue or black, and they are very diverse since they work with 1:10 buggy/truck tires, short course tires, and even 1:8 buggy tires. The Thin Advanced Formulated Tire Glue is JConcepts’ quicker drying option for glue which is perfect for racers under a deadline, and the thinner formula spreads out easier along the wheel’s bead.
After the glue had properly dried it was time to attach fresh tires to the buggy. To lock them in place I used JConcepts’ 8/32" locking wheel nuts. Two color options are available, blue or black, and for this build I went with blue.
They are two thickness variations of this wheel nut. The thin-pattern nut is used for the front wheels.
And the thicker nut is designed to be used for rear wheels. Both are flanged and knurled to keep them secure while they are being used, and they are very lightweight.
Now I was ready for the B44.3’s body. The kit comes equipped with a Finnisher B44.3 X-Flow Body which is the same one Hartson used to capture the 2013 IFMAR title. So it is a proven body, but for this build I elected to use their new Silencer body that also made its debut at the 2015 Reedy Race.
The Silencer body was designed with today’s high speed tracks in mind. There is a slightly recessed area behind the cab that helps to maintain rear stability, and two 6.5” hi-clearance wings are also included. The most noticeable feature is the “shark fin” that runs along the rear of this body. This fin aids in high speed traction and helps to increase the stiffness of the roof.
I had JConcepts send it directly to Zegers RC Graffixx to spray it with my paint scheme. Once it arrived I need to trim it out along with one of the 6.5”wings. So I used the Dirt Cut Precision Straight Scissors for most of this work, and the molded cut line made this process go smoothly.
Once the body and wing were completely cut out, I reamed out the holes for the body and wing mounts, plus a hole for the antenna.
I scuffed up the wing, and for the finishing touch I applied some fresh decals from Stickit1Racing.
So as you can see JConcepts has maintained support for the B44 product line over the years even after the BJ4 was retired. They currently still design many products for this buggy, and help to continue the success of this platform that they originally created.
I hope you enjoyed this edition of the Garage, and a complete list of the items featured in this build is listed below:
JConcepts Products:
0287 - Silencer - B44.3 Body - MSRP $28.00
2043T - Advanced Formulated Tire Glue – Thin - MSRP $10.00
2075 - 8/32" Locking Wheel Nut - MSRP $15.00
2091 - 12mm Rear Hex Adaptor for B4.1, B44.1 - MSRP $9.00
2133 - 4' pit mat (textured padded material) – MSRP $20.00
2138 - B44 Low Profile Aluminum Rear Wing Mounts - MSRP $32.00
2167 - 8/32" Thin-pattern Locking Wheel Nut - MSRP $15.00
2181 - Ball-cup assortment - Rib and Wedge - 36pc - MSRP $14.00
2192-1 - Motor Timing Cover - Reedy Sonic - Blue - MSRP $20.00
2212-1 - Satellite tire gluing rubber bands - blue - fits 1/10th, SCT and 1/8th buggy – MSRP $13.00
2212-2 - Satellite tire gluing rubber bands - black - fits 1/10th, SCT and 1/8th buggy – MSRP $13.00
2227 - B44 Fin Titanium Turnbuckle Set - MSRP $40.00
2234 - Fin turnbuckle wrench - .143" open end - MSRP $5.95
2235-2 - JConcepts - B44.2 aluminum steering bellcrank assembly - MSRP $42.00
2242 - JConcepts - B44 Aluminum bulkhead cap – blue - MSRP $18.00
2246 - B44.2 - precut chassis protective sheet - MSRP $15.00
2370M - Finnisher Car Stand - MSRP $20.00
2443 - Carbon Fiber Option For B44.3 - MSRP $70.00
3103-01 - Dirt Webs - Fits 60mm | 2.4” 1/10th Buggy Rear (Blue) - MSRP $21.00
3105-01 - Dirt Webs - Fits 60mm | 2.4” 1/10th 4wd Buggy Front (Blue) - MSRP $20.00
3363W - Bullet - 60mm RC10B5 | RB6 rear wheel - MSRP $14.00
3364W - Bullet - 60mm B44 Front Wheel - MSRP $14.00
Dirt Racing Products:
7999 - Dirt Racing Products - Decal Sheet - MSRP $5.00
8000 - Dirt Racing Products - Cleaner - MSRP $14.00
8005 - Dirt Racing Products - Sprayer - MSRP $4.00
8009 - Dirt Cut - Precision Straight Scissors – MSRP $15.00
Team Associated Products:
1561 - Factory Team Nut Driver Set - MSRP $69.99
1596 - Factory Team Thread Locking Adhesive, blue - MSRP $6.99
1655 - Factory Team 8-Piece 1/4" Hex Driver Set - MSRP $46.99
9063 - RC10B44.3 Factory Team Kit - MAP $379.98
Reedy Products:
240 - Sonic 540 Mach 2 6.5 Modified - MSRP $149.00
602 - Reedy 4100mAh 65C Competition 7.4V Shorty LiPo Battery - MSRP $134.99
27000 - Blackbox 410R 1S-2S Competition ESC - MSRP $309.99
ProTek R/C Products:
PTK-130T - ProTek R/C 130T Standard Digital "High Torque" Metal Gear Servo (High Voltage) - MSRP $89.99
Hitec Products:
27824 - Axion 4 - 2.4GHz 4 Channel Receiver - MSRP $59.95
Sources: http://www.jconcepts.net | http://www.teamassociated.com | http://www.reedypower.com |http://www.amain.com | http://hitecrcd.com
