Asuga Horatio's Sworkz S35 T2E Pro Build + Random Baja 5B Posts!

[Horatio]

94 degrees I'm either glued to my desk at work or hunkered under some shade. The only way you're gonna get me out is if we're racing.

Anyone else notice the "RC" tan on their hands? The back of my left hand is darker than the back of my right hand. The fingers on my right hand are darker than the fingers on my left.

Oh, and the front of my legs are darker than the back.

I use stick radio, so it's pretty even!

 

[VaporTrail]

Hats off to the stick people, mad motor skills, if ya ask me. Finesse is a hard task to achieve for me.

 

[Horatio]

The Baja 5B, now 306g lighter, this modification should have a significant impact.

Time for a speed run!

 

[CCB-MN]

Pure H!

I imagine it will give you some added agility and quicken everything up a fair bit!

 

[Horatio]

Pure H!

I imagine it will give you some added agility and quicken everything up a fair bit!

Cheers buddy!!

I hope so! If it gives increased responsiveness, I'll be very happy. Fingers crossed it also gives me another 10th of a second off my 0-50 mph time!

I'm assuming that 49 mph isn't going to change, as that's more a limitation of the engine's peak revs on 17/57 gearing. But ya' never know!

I'm using optimal fuel, my favourite 2 stroke oil, induction and lines which have already seen a small gain. Could this see me over 50mph?

Speed run tomorrow hopefully - if it stays dry....

 

[Horatio]

Ok, so speed run will be Sunday now. Front shocks needed some tlc today and so it was more service time than run time. I did fire her up and get fuel through the lines.

The Turtle Racing Quick Diff (silver) is on the way, so new gearbox will get new bearings, diff oil and gears re-lubed. When this gearbox comes out, a new Bonehead carbon fibre pin brace with bronze bushings will be installed.

Finally, the SCZ billet reed engine will be ordered next month, which should increase the power and by all accounts this engine will willingly rev to 20,000 RPMS.

I believe that will conclude the upgrade to the Baja. I think.

 

[Horatio]

Speed run with the lighter Baja was good - but I didn't beat my PB's.

I had

And a

I hadn't brought a tripod or a mount clip for the action cam to clip into my Baja roof mount.

But I did film a good amount of the fun.

The engine may not have been making the full power compared to the last run, but it was far from slow. I think the hot, humid conditions were sub optimal.

As a bonus, a dirt bike rider took interest in my rig and asked: 'how fast is it?' - I said 'I reckon it's good for about 50 mph'.

'Really?' 'How about a race then!'.

So I drag raced him til my Baja was just a dot. Then raced him on the way back, too.

Somewhat flummoxed by being beaten soundly, twice, by what appeared to him as the loudest toy car he'd ever seen, he lined up again. With predictable results. .

Sadly, he didn't stop on the way back to discuss the results, but suffice to say, this is the first time I've drag raced a dirt bike on tarmac.

I'm pretty certain that next time, he's going to be there with a gang of his mates.

It's all on camera, so I'll show the edited highlights soon.

In terms of handling, I noticed a subtle difference. The Baja tracks like an arrow. I reduced the preload and dialled in -2° Camber on the rear, -1° on the front.

When really pushed, the Baja 5B lifts the inside front wheel.

Scandi flicks are still possible, but one really dusty area of tarmac

made it tricky to corner consistently. Low speed cornering on the dusty parts of the track were solid with the 8000rpm clutch. If the momentum was kept high though, it was fine, feathering the throttle.

The Baja has evolved into a fine racing machine. It would be fascinating to race a bunch of these on Tarmac/Mixed surface, Rally Cross style. It's a proper little handful!

 

[Horatio]

 

[Horatio]

 

[Horatio]

This arrived today....

What a piece of work!

Turtle Racing Quick Diff Transmission.

 

[Horatio]

The gearbox is being assembled with new bearings where necessary and ditto for the diff. 2 sneaky little 10x15x4 bushes are being replaced with ballraces of the same size. They have literally been in there forever, but the time has come!

Old gearbox comes out, which frees up space to access the pin brace just behind the engine.

Using the pins as a jig, the carbon pin braces were Dremelled to identical dimensions. They weren't going to fit like this!

Layshaft has got 16 years of 'patina'. Testament to a design that has literally lasted a lifetime.

Beautiful though this Quick Diff is (and it fits so precisely) - burrs still need removing on 4 of the holes. As the Dremel was our, I used the cutting disc.

The nylon insert and new bearings fitted, the diff needs some TLC before the job is complete. Sadly, this requires bearings I thought I had but didn't, and 2 replacement 10mm diff outputs.

The Baja diff is substantial and an excellent example of diff design, limited slip design. The spider gears are supported in cages - they turn washers with holes and shapes that shear more oil. There's all manner of stuff going on that you don't find in typical 1/8th diffs.

Sadly, whilst the booted out drives may hold grease and seal out elements - but dog bones still destroy them in exactly the same way our Corally rigs do. Boots or no boots! You just can't see the carnage as it unfolds.

Ouch. So that ain't got much left to give.

I'm really tempted with the constant velocity Uber Ball Drive system, but it's pricey.

And a billet engine has to be next ......

 

[Horatio]

Insert plug for gearbox, replaces plastic item.

All new bearings

Time for a livery change on the wing.....

Quick diff access will enable easier maintenance on the whole rear axle - most welcome.

The layshaft with new bearings is much more sensitive to the alignment of the gearbox, which can pinch the bearings.

The gearbox is silky smooth and fits really nice.

 

[CCB-MN]

View attachment 6619
Insert plug for gearbox, replaces plastic item.

View attachment 6620

All new bearings

View attachment 6621

View attachment 6622
View attachment 6623
View attachment 6624
View attachment 6625
Time for a livery change on the wing.....
View attachment 6626
View attachment 6627
Quick diff access will enable easier maintenance on the whole rear axle - most welcome.

The layshaft with new bearings is much more sensitive to the alignment of the gearbox, which can pinch the bearings.

The gearbox is silky smooth and fits really nice.

Love that car H!

 

[Horatio]

Love that car H!

Cheers buddy. It's turned into quite a machine over the years. I'm hugely impressed with it and recommend the Baja to anyone thinking about getting into gassers.

 

[VaporTrail]

Tis a thing of beauty! You must definitely film the gaggle of motocrossers when you guys meet again. And maybe bring the Sworkz to rile em up a bit!

 

[Horatio]

Tis a thing of beauty! You must definitely film the gaggle of motocrossers when you guys meet again. And maybe bring the Sworkz to rile em up a bit!

I admit that I have been neglecting the electric side of things whilst I 'rejuvenate' the Baja. It's not like the Baja was in poor shape, but it did need some replacement bearings and diffouts. The TR Quick Diff Transmission was purely to upgrade, but It's been great fun doing it and maintenance has been done at the same time.

The engine is now struggling to produce the same power in the hot, humid weather and I suspect that it doesn't have much left to give. So, the next job will be installing a billet, reed-case engine into the Baja. I don't want a big, heavy, big block. I want something that can rev and have good flexibility.

The SCZ I have in mind is basically a Bartolone clone engine and can rev to over 20,000 rpms, which is exactly the sort of engine a light Baja needs. I want a sensible power delivery - then rev to the moon!

I'm looking enviously at the Taylor billet engines - but they're about £200 more.

In the meantime, I'm sure I'll get back to the exquisite Sworkz T2E.

And lets be honest - if they're not keeping up with the Baja - the Sworkz is going to blow their minds - it does everything faster.......

 

[Shakka Lakka]

What an absolute machine! Crazy work man love it!

 

[VaporTrail]

I admit that I have been neglecting the electric side of things whilst I 'rejuvenate' the Baja. It's not like the Baja was in poor shape, but it did need some replacement bearings and diffouts. The TR Quick Diff Transmission was purely to upgrade, but It's been great fun doing it and maintenance has been done at the same time.

The engine is now struggling to produce the same power in the hot, humid weather and I suspect that it doesn't have much left to give. So, the next job will be installing a billet, reed-case engine into the Baja. I don't want a big, heavy, big block. I want something that can rev and have good flexibility.

The SCZ I have in mind is basically a Bartolone clone engine and can rev to over 20,000 rpms, which is exactly the sort of engine a light Baja needs. I want a sensible power delivery - then rev to the moon!

I'm looking enviously at the Taylor billet engines - but they're about £200 more.

In the meantime, I'm sure I'll get back to the exquisite Sworkz T2E.

And lets be honest - if they're not keeping up with the Baja - the Sworkz is going to blow their minds - it does everything faster.......

Well, no matter which platform we rejuvenate, it's always a sense of fulfillment, yes? Sounds like you're thoroughly enjoying your time with the 5B. It does sound like a grand ol time.

I've been eyeing my V1 Maxx and wondering if I should get it back to bashing status. I have a Max10 and a 2700KV 3670 motor that's just sitting around; maybe I'll get it installed and use that to drain my batteries instead of the regular discharging. There's also a SCT410.3 that's sitting as well; maybe I'll take the XR10 out of there and put it in my 4tec with a 6900KV Castle motor. Just something to fool around with.

And yes, the Sworkz suggestion was for exactly that.

 

[Nelson.81]

View attachment 4976
Let's start by saying that these seal packs are excellent. 16 o-rings, 4 bladders and 12 Delrin guides. Sworkz aren't messing about with these large volume shocks.

View attachment 4977
1.4mm x 6 pistons (rear) and 1.3mm x 6 (front) pistons are held on by a lock nut. The piston is supported by a washer.
View attachment 4978
Working the air out of the shocks took just a few minutes. A bleed hole on the threaded part of the shock cap, as well as a bleed screw at the top of the shock, allows perfect air free shocks.

The cap design also allows for emulsion shock setup for those that prefer it (I personally don't) - the bladders can be replaced with rubber seals instead.
View attachment 4979
The finish is really quite stunning. Credit where it's due, these are 100% on point - the form factor is outstanding.
View attachment 4980
Rubber boots protect the shock shafts and nifty little nylon clip-in bushes support the top. At the bottom, the locking spring supports are keyed such that they are unlikely to be displaced.

My sub optimal lighting makes it very difficult to do these components justice, but suffice to say - these shocks take the crown of best shocks ever. Nice job Sworkz!

Back in the 80's, 1/8th buggies were dominated by Kyosho. Part of the dominance stemmed from a great shock design. So much so, that even team drivers of other manufacturers used the Kyosho shocks to be competitive. They were simply stronger, smoother and more consistent than the other shock designs at that time.

I've built PB, Mugen, Kyosho, Xray, Losi, Associated, HPI shocks over the years. Kyosho, Mugen and Xray shocks stood out as excellent designs.

These Sworkz shocks are the best I've experienced yet - and by quite some margin. The sturdy delrin guides, the clever seal design and the finish of every component is exemplary.

View attachment 4981
I should imagine these shocks are going to be very durable. Might we see these on Arrma and Corally rigs as a luxury upgrade?

Been looking at these recently on my wish list these & a sworkz kit. New bbs shock bodies for them take them to another level again. Would Love to add a set to my Kronos.

 

[Horatio]

Been looking at these recently on my wish list these & a sworkz kit. New bbs shock bodies for them take them to another level again. Would Love to add a set to my Kronos.

The latest shocks are supposed to be super smooth.

These are already the plushest shocks to begin with. Easily as good (dare I say better?!) than Xray shocks.

Sworkz actual finished rig are the absolute best. Manuals and QA are some way behind Xray and Tekno, but this is not a deal breaker for most of us.