HPI Bajas
 

Just wondering who else on here has one? I know they don't have the instant power that brushless has, but they are still fun. I own 2 right now, and a third will be in my stable soon. There are so many upgrades that you can do, it is ridiculous. Here are a couple pics of my buggy, I also have a truck. The truck looks similar, only everything that is silver on the buggy, is HPI orange on the truck.

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/3460/img1247x.jpg

http://img693.imageshack.us/img693/994/img1248a.jpg


Upgrades include, and I'm sure I've forgotten some things:

ADA rear hub carriers
ATC Roll cage brace
Bad Horsie shock covers
Baja Skunkworks CVDs
Blur quick release air filter
Craftwerks titanium layshaft
Craftwerks spur gear carrier
DDM Dominator V2
DDM gas cap
DDM billet fan cover
Darksoul extenders
Full force windows
GBE servo mount
GBE engine brace
GH front shock tower support
GH arm brace
GH transmission case
HPI heavy duty transmission gears (all 3)
HPI HD rear shock brace
HPI HD aluminum brake mount
JR 9100HVT steering servo
JR 9100HVS throttle servo
Killer RC kill switch
Modified RC V2 rear bumper
ONB/TS 27.2 engine
Outerwears pullstart prefilter
Outerwears air filter prefilter
PhatDad fan cover saver
PhatDad Engine brace set
PhatDad shock shafts (front and rear)
PhatDad turnbuckles (Front and rear)
RPM front arms
Scorpion chassis brace
TGN spark plug guard
Turtle Racing HD tranny plate
TR enclosed Clutch system
TR modified diff shafts
TR HD top plate
TR HD front shock tower/mount
TR HD rear shock mount
TR clutch housing
Threshold bulkhead
Threshold umbrella seals
Threshold rezzies
WSE front pin brace
WSE rear pin brace set
Yamadude linkage


SOON TO BE ADDED:

IRP steering turnbuckles and standoffs
VRC pipe
CST rear bumper bracket
Roll cage standoffs

After there, I think I'll be done, for a little while. There is not much else I can do, beside aluminum arms, and things that I don't want to do. Believe it or not this does get driven, even though it is shiny in the pics.

im getting one right now in the mail,and honestly after driving one with a ported and stroked zenoah,brushless doesnt have a whole lot over it.sure its faster on the bottom end but it doesnt sound as cool and wont go for 45min straight! plus the bigger 2-strokes share nothing with a nitro so there is almost no tuning involved that even a retarded monkey couldnt figure out.--josh

You hit it on the head, the runtime is awesome, as is the durability, so you can actually use those long runtimes. To get the best power and max RPMs, there is still tuning almost every time I take it out. Due to the weather here mostly. Much less than nitro though, maybe a 1/8-1/16th of a turn on the high needle is all it takes.

I've got a Zenoah 4 bolt 27.2 top end ported by Oneill Brothers, with a Trevor Simpson reed case. Until the new 36mm Zenoah top ends came out, this was as much power as I could get keeping a Zenoah top end. It has plenty of power, everywhere. There is still a delay in power and response, that I can easily feel. You just drive accordingly though, this is easily my favorite RC right now.

I will admit that with this setup has plenty of power, and plenty of power is wasted in wheelspin, so I don't really need more power, but the engine is going back to ONB to get a new 30.5 Zen top end matched and ported in the next couple months. You can never have too much power.

I have one but it's out of action at the moment. Part of the reason I prefer brushless is it is more convenient for a quick bash as I almost never spend a whole day out with rc.

I will have to get running sooner or later. Just got to find a can of enthusiasm.

I use my bajas for a quick 20 minute bash as well as an all day outing at the dunes. It is easy to fill up the tank and run for as long as you can. I usually run til the tank is dry, or siphon the rest out of the tank when I'm done, but as you can see in the first pic, there is still a little left in the tank. I'm usually willing to let is sit in the tank as long as I know I will run it within a week. Just get it running.:yes:

I picked up a baja ss last weekend for cheapie, and already have more than what I paid for it worth of parts on the way hahaha. *flame suit on* this truck is more fun to drive than my savage flux on 6s...The savage is faster but doesn't have the noise and the sheer size. I can't mega-huck the 5b like I can the savage but maybe that is a good thing lol.

Parts on the way:

v2 dominator
kill switch
hostile mx's
kold kutter ice racing screws
tgn air filter

When I got her she was a little dirty, but rtr for $300? Couldn't pass it up, a buddy was hurtin for money.
Diiirrrty
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64...04/5Bss002.jpg

Little bit of grass wedged in there lol. Needed a new bearing and the bearing carrier, no biggie.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64.../5Bss001-1.jpg

After a bit of cleaning. To get this thing perfectly clean I would have to tear it apart, which may happen if I pick up a new motor for it.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64...04/5Bss004.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64...04/5Bss005.jpg

The savage and the 5b before a bash session.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64...04/5Bss003.jpg

Keep in mind the savage is extended and widended, and still looks tiny compared to the 5b lol.

I have one that i am most likely going to go BL with it, not that i don't like gas, but it is something really cool about something that big in BL form.

I just got one last friday. It was a brand new kit a fellow put together but never had it started. But this retarded monkey is having problems starting it. Had it going for a few minutes then spent the next several afternoons trying again. Finally got it started yesterday and took it out for break in today. Was running alright. I was easy on the throttle then some mud puddles later the idle started dropping and I made some adjustment but to much one way and killed it when I hit the brakes. Spend the next hour in the brush trying to get the pig started again. Finally took off my belt and strapped it to the front and pulled it home. Frustrated as hell, I started up the savage x ss and made some noise to relieve the pressure. These things flood too easy and when they do it takes forever to get them started again. I really felt like mega hucking this sucker a few times already. A good thing I was wore out from cranking on it and by the time I caught my breath I had calmed down. I imagine it's just a learing curve but I've been startling weed eaters my whole life and haven't had one this freaking easy to flood. It's a brand new kit but I am thinking my first order may consist of another carb to try out. I haven't even had it full throttle yet.

Nice baja billy. What are some essential upgrades for a kit?

Is that the dominator v2 on the your billy? Do you have a picture showing the ass end and the pipe a little better? How does it sound?

These things have problems with water?


Slowkrawl. I like the flames. Looks cool. Why are you getting a kill switch? Is there something wrong with the one on yours?

Why cant you huck it as far as the flux? My baja has seen just as much air as my 6s erevo. Those that know me, know I have hucked my revo pretty good.:whistle:


Looks like quite a few people have bajas. Seems that they are becoming more and more popular.

they are missing one very important upgrade though...
BRUSHLESS!!!

Gee, there is a difference between a kill switch and a failsafe. The failsafe slams the brakes on, which is hard on the servo and brakes. The kill switch cuts the motor when either it goes out of range or you can shut it off with a 3rd channel.

Billy, the difference between the flux and the baja is that the flux doesn't always have to land perfect or even on it's wheels lol and more often than not it will drive away. I already broke a front a-arm jumping the baja but I am slowly learning how to keep it flatter in the air.

They shouldn't flood too easily. If yours is stock it should come with a Walbro 668 carb. They are actually very easy carbs to work with, make sure your H is at 1.5 turns and your L is at 1.25. (I think those are the stock settings for a 668) Also small changes on the needles makes a big difference. Check and make sure you don't have an airleak, also check your spark plug. If its hard starting, I have found those to be two common problems.

Also if it floods just take out the spark plug, tip the baja back, hold full throttle, and pull it a few times. Replace the plug and you should be able to start it.

Essential upgrade? I don't know I would recommend almost everything on mine.:wink: I think it really depends on where you drive, but outerwears prefilters, and the TR enclosed clutch setup if you drive in dirt and sand are good places to start.

A little water will be no problem, as usual the radio box is probably the most sensitive part. Obviously sucking water in the airfilter is bad, but an outerwears is water resistant.

The dominator line of pipes are built by DDM (Daves Discount Motors), they are all solid pipes.

The kill switch is just a third channel kill switch. It acts as a failsafe, and also so you can kill the engine using the third channel on your radio.

I always thought a BL 5b would be the ultimate rc...But now that I have torn around with even the stock 26cc motor, it just wouldn't be the same. The flux is faster and more responsive to drive, but just doesn't make the noise lol.

That is my 5T, it is brushless. I'll get pics of that one up once I'm home.

I got mine a week or so ago and have cleaned it up and waiting on weather and work to get to try it. Guy bought it, changed the wheels to trenchers, ran less than 3 tanks on it - his neighbors didn't like the noise so he put it up for sale. Then he decided to keep it and then 3wks later decided to sell it again - I got it the 2nd time around.

Its practically brand new. This is one of the FS pics. I see now you can get a kill switch that will kill motor when you turn radio off vs the 3rd channel (KillerRc.com), thats going to be my 1st change. Gotta find a good place to run it too.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z.../Baja_5T_1.jpg

Fun!!!
 

looks like fun guys. I hope to get one of those 5b's one of these days. I still have a few SuperMaxx trucks to finish up, before moving on to something else. Some of us do not have the unlimited funds $$$$$ like you Billy. I have to wait each month to get more stuff to play with and upgrade what I have. Right now I am looking at maybe purchasing two Hyperian chargers and a nice power supply. Then I will begin investing in some Lipos and Lifepos for our toys. So the 5b will just have to wait until next Xmas. We have 6 Maxx trucks to play with right now and the boys are really enjoying them.

Believe me, I don't have unlimited funds, especially after building these two bajas.:lol:

I do work at a LHS part time, so that does help a little. I take them in when I work sometimes and it does help sell bajas and parts, so we are starting to sell a lot more baja stuff. I am too scared to add up the receipts for these, yet I'm looking into two leads on used ones that I might pick up.

ALSO, here are some pics of my BL 5T. It is still a work in progress, but there is some dirt on it, and that is from running it. The upgrades are very similar, though not everything has been installed yet, such as the alloy transmission case, its just waiting for a rainy day.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/4141/img1252u.jpg

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9484/img1253qe.jpg

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/1943/img1254v.jpg

That is a NEU 2230, and a Jeti Spin200. Steering is done with a JR 9100HVT and brakes are a JR9100HVS, just like the gasser. It has been run on 8s and 10s, and I don't know if I'm insane or what, but it needs more power still, I might try 12s or even 14s, if I can figure out how to fit the batteries in. The chassis is just too narrow for my use, HPI wasn't planning on filling the chassis with batteries I guess:lol:

I'm still not happy with my motor mount, but this was just a proof of concept. I am in the process of drawing up a better mount, that is more adjustable for gearing, moves the motor as low in the chassis as possible, and centers it a little better for better weight distribution.

i love brushless as much as nitro or gas but your 5T just looks..so...so...EMPTY! i dont know,something about wrenching on my big RC's next to my actual cars just feels good with a gasser,where most full-scale power adding concepts apply (unlike a nitro).--josh

I thought the same thing you did.... until I tried to put my batteries in. Then I realized I could only fit 10s in without stacking, and part of goal with the T was to keep the weight as low as possible. I really do like wrenching on the gasser though, that is probably half the reason there are as many upgrades on there as there is. That has been torn completely apart at least a dozen times. Each time you take it apart you find a bunch of upgrades you want to do.

I picked up a new 5b 2.0 from a buddy that never ran it. So far I still have not ran it but I have put a Mielke side mount pipe, Hitec 7955 for throttle/brake, Hitec metal gear steering servo, Killer Rc kill switch, suspension limiting straps and rear turnbuckle reinforcements. Other than that it's stock, these things are awesome and the amount of aftermarket parts makes my head spin. I probably won't do much as far as aftermarket aluminum, unless something breaks then I will probably upgrade.

Your Baja's look really good. Here's a few pics of mine. The last pic is of the pipe mount I made because the Meilke comes with a wire like a nitro buggy, it looked weak so I used some angle I had in the garage, it's actually the first thing I've ever fabbed up that turned out as good as it did.

if it were me id try to make side mounted boxes like on a savage flux.either start by using the existing gaurds or fab your own with some nerf bars and heavy plastic or CF covering to hold the batteries.if you want 12s you could evenly space them with one 4s in the middle and 1 4s on each side.just my .02 --josh

Thanks, yours will be fun. You did some good first upgrades, a good pipe will help wake up the stock engine. Keeping the aluminum is also good, mine is a pig, weighing in at over 30# ready to go. Moving a 25# stock baja is a lot easier than moving a 30+# pig.

That was actually my first idea. I actually have a plan to make my own chassis on the back burner. I still have to draw it up and make sure that it will work, but my plan is to bend a new chassis that is wider.

Right out of the box I have never had another RC that was so durable and so much fun to drive! I don't have nearly as much $ in mine as most of you guys but still around $1400 and climbing! They are well worth it though, the whole experience is just something else.

Thanks for the tips and info. I've been surfing the bajaforum looking for answers. Following this guide. http://www.hpibajaforum.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=63157
Started a HELP thread which helped the first time around. I am tearing it apart now going through the carb resealing everything, checking the magneto gap etc. Will grab a couple more new plugs tomorrow and give it another try. Just the little bit I ran it I could tell it was going to be a blast. Soon as I figure out this problem it will be. I've had possessed rcs before that they are just evil. Had a jato like that and sold it and got another jato that was an angel. I'm hoping this isn't one of those cases. A little more cash will be needed to flip it for a different one.

I still have a lst2 that is on the list to convert to brushless before this one. But I want to run it as nitro for a while first. I love the ease and low end power of brushless but before I do a conversion, I've always ran the rc as original as I could first just so I can get a good comparison of how the two different. So far the nitro/gas has had the edge on the bigger scale rcs I've done. On a side note though I've only used 6s max so far.

Here I go again, shopping for items and can't find one place that has them all in stock. So have to order from three different places and three different shipping costs. Damit to all Hell!


Jerry your better off waiting till the kids are out of the house. You'd need to take out a second mortage to get 6 bajas.

You guys got some good deals on your bajas. I can't believe the patience though of not running them yet. Impressive.

Thanks gee.
 

Yea thanks Gee I know exactly what you mean about not getting into the Baja just yet. That would cost more than I ever plan on investing into R/C.

And it isn't that I have patients Gee. I really do want to get things up and running, but Money talks $$$$$. I can only aford to do so much at a time, and when you have 6 vehicles to worry about it adds up quickly. So I am forced to take my time. I made sure that the boys have everything they need to at least run the stock setups, with a few little hopup items. They got Axial beadlocks with Road Rage 11 tires for Xmas, and the last Novak super duty XR ESC's available at T/H's. The wheels are all setup now, taped tires and balanced for maximum staisfaction. Our next score will be batteries.

The 5b will be in the works next year some time. Sorry to hear about your luck with your new toy. We hope it all works out for you.

If you have a standard baja then you basically want to bring it up to ss spec, decent pipe, metal diff cup etc...

I haven't got it for my car but a ceramic clutch is a good idea. They are 4-5 times expensive but last that much longer if not more. If you do run out of clutch pad you get metal on metal which generates lotsa heat on the crankshaft and screws the bearings. A ceramic clutch will just lose performance with out much issue.

I have also heard if you put aluminium arms on the front you havve a greater chance of cracking the chassis. Under the front skid plate is a couple of screws which create the weak point.

Use high octane fuel and synthetic oil, it burns cleaner so the engine will last longer.

There's probably a few other things but that's all I can remember right now. Hope it helps.:smile:

Oh yeah, something else. Use the outer wears not only on the air filter but on the pull cord casing as well. If you run in sand and dirt a lot (as it's the most fun) the stator will get sand blasted.

A Lauterbacher or Alcon clutch is a very nice upgrade, but not necessary. I use the stock Zenoah, not CY, they are very different. Zenoah uses a better pad material that does last longer, plus once you do get to the metal shoe as long as you are paying attention, it will feel different. As long as you ditch the plastic clutch bell carrier, and go with either an enclosed clutch setup or at the minimum an aluminum clutch bell carrier the stock style clutches last quite a while.

Gas is fairly important, make sure the gas you use doesn't have ethanol in it. In some states they use oxygenated gas (I know in Utah they do), that just means that it has ethanol mixed in. While your baja will run on it, the ethanol shortens the life of the seals and diaphrams in the carb. As long as the octane is around 90 you should be fine on all but the highest compression engines. I use Sunoco 260GTX personally and find the baja runs fine on it. Also make sure you use a high quality oil, I personally use Castor 927. Using the cheaper oil designed for lower rpm 2-strokes will not protect the plating on your cylinder. The oil will shear off the wall leaving no protection and the plating will be damaged. As long as you use a high quality synthetic or I use the blend that is designed for high-rpms you will be fine.

I'm impressed at the number of baja owners on this forum. I think the percentage-wise the number of hobbyists that are baja owners is still fairly low though.

huh, you bring up and interesting point about ethanol. I have been running husky 94 octane which I think is 10% ethanol

I don't think I can find any gas here without ethanol in it....are there any brands that don't mix at least 10% ethanol in their gas anymore? Once the EPA killed MTBE, think everyone went ethanol.

When I was racing 2 strokes, Belray MC-1 was the oil to use - it was 50:1 and lubricated better than most premix oils at 20:1. CR480 never had an engine related prob.

Whats a good brand to use with a Baja? Prev owner was using Pro-Mix Premium - any good?

I'm not sure if any companies don't mix ethanol, I think that most if not all do now. You might look around and see if there is an oil/fuel distributor near you, and ask if they have any unoxygenated fuel. I am lucky enough to have an oil distributor down the street from where I work, and they sell Sunoco fuels by the gallon or the 5 gallon drum. I can also get 55 gallon drums, but I only use the fuel in my baja, and that would last me a while. If you can't find any, like I said ethanol is no big deal, just watch your seals, they may go bad faster.

Belray, Amsoil, Klotz, Castor 927, etc. Everyone will tell you their favorite is something different, and give you reasons why its the best. I use Castor 927 personally, I have no issues with it, it is a castor/synthetic blend, and some may complain that it will build up carbon faster than a synthetic, but I have not experience that. My personal feeling is that any high-quality two-stroke oil designed for high performance engines will work fine. I believe that Pro-Mix is designed more for lower rpm lawn equipment and such, I could easily be wrong, but I think I remember seeing it at Lowes/Home Depot, most of those oils are designed for lower rpm engines.

would there be a big problem with running racing fuel in a baja? i've done quite a bit and i was going to bump up compression with a thinner head gasket but i figured id try it the easy way with higher octane fuel.i've got a new engine on the way already so i dont mind experimenting on the stocker.--josh

No issues running race fuel in a Baja, I run Sunoco 260GTX which is an unleaded race fuel. You can run leaded race fuels as well and should not have a problem.

The ethanol blended fuel isn't that big of a deal if you run it out of the carb before letting it sit for too long. Another tip is to use a fuel stabilizer like Stabil. I had a weedeater carb go bad in 2years without it. Now with the Stabil its going on 5 years now, I've never run the fuel out of the carb for winter and it runs like a top.

Yea - you're right, doing a search Pro Mix comes up on lawn mower sites and Lowes. I'll def use something better, I'll look into the others you mentioned. Would be nice to find something local if I can.

As far as gas without ethanol, there seems to be nothing available here except 5gal (or 55gal drums) cans of race fuel and at $11/gal, thats nuts. I've done the Stabil business for years since I do my own yard and it keeps the mower and edger, and blower from having probs during the winter when they're not getting used much.

I've never liked running one out of gas. All my 2 strokes had carb bowl vents so I could dump the fuel when I was thru. Have to look into that.

You want to run some really good 2 stroke oil in these things, Klotz SuperTechniplate is a favorite of many Baja owners. I run Motul 800 full synthetic with 87 Octane pump gas on a Sikk/DS engine with a DDM rear dom and 18/56 gears and it's plenty ballsy and has plenty of compression left after about 4 gallons.

Just sold my Flux and all its stuff and im prepping up to get a 5T this spring after 3 years of thinking about doing it :mdr:

This is how we do it in the frozen north haha.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._6462917_n.jpg

Also just picked up a new job which is apparently going to give me a poop-ton of hours to work. Anyone else go to work thinking "I am here so I can buy RC parts on friday"??

Congrats! Get the issue with your landlord figured out? I'll have to bring my B up there this Spring and show you up :tongue:

What the landlord doesn't know, won't hurt her. Hell, if you bring your ass up here this spring, you can show me up all you want. Just don't expect to leave with all your "stuff" :lol:

I wish I could get my 5T sooner so I could enjoy playing in the snow unlike my Flux. I could if I wasn't going to Vegas next month but priorities are priorities....

Gotta warn you Freezebyte, the HPI Baja forums are not as forgiving as some of these other forums you have been posting in, your little HPI Warranty antics would not go down well, and there is a great deal more maintenance involved than you had with the Savage. I wonder if you're actually capable of running a Baja without having a meltdown emotionally! That said, they are slower but are still a lot of fun, you get better by learning and wrenching so I'd suggest a 5BSS for you over a 5T. I can swap an engine out now in my Baja in around an hour (far quicker than I was!)

Just have a std RTR Baja but with deanodized chassis etc, and a CY26cc in there now (not a hpi CY)

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...2/IMG_2729.jpg

And yes it's had it's share of carnage! (Old 23cc got hammered one day....)

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...2/IMG_2626.jpg