theWhiteNoise.net - Web Log

My brother was nice enough to get me a remote controlled car for my birthday back in November.  The first one that was shipped to me had some issues, so we returned it.  I then picked up this one used off E-bay because this make/model (Duratrax Evader ST) has a lot of modding ability and is generally considered a great “bang for the buck.”  Being used, it had a few issues, but I was planning to mod it anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.

Here’s what it looked like originally:

The brushes in the motor were pretty much shot, rear tires were 90% bald, and the batteries were mostly kaput.  The tranny was a little rough & the body had some small cracks in it.  The core components; however, were in excellent shape: frame, shocks, steering servo, radio receiver, control arms, and front tires - all good.

My first upgrade was a new motor.  I went with an Orion Formula 15 turn ball bearing motor.  To support the 15T motor, the electronic speed control had to be upgraded, so I got a Novak XRS w/ reverse.  I swapped out the pinion gear for a 22 tooth.

To support the draw of the new motor, I upgraded the batteries (3300 mAh NiMH) & connectors (to Dean connectors).  The batteries I got used off of E-bay from an R/C nut who only uses sets of batteries like 10 times, then sells them so he always has brand new batteries for racing.  Works for me!  I saved about $30 buying them this way:

I also rebuilt the differential with new bearings & greased it up nicely so the rear wheels turn smoothly:

I read that damage to some of the front-end plastic pieces could occur if you accidentally crashed the car unless you replaced the front hinge pin plate with a metal one.  So I also upgraded that:

A front bumper also seemed like a good upgrade from what I read, but the price they were charging online for them was crazy (Like $12 + shipping) for a piece of plastic!  So I constructed my own out of plexi-glass:

The last issue to attend to was the body.  I’m a big black w/ red color scheme fan (as anyone who has seen my actual car knows), so why not paint this the same?  I ordered a clear lexan body from the hobby store with two spray cans of paint.  I started by masking off the windows, truck bed, and some tribal designs that I cut out by hand from masking tape.  I then laid down the first color coat of paint (red) and removed the masks.  Next came the coats of black to finish it off:

Here’s the final product.  In these pictures you can also see the front bumper attached & the new rear tires:

I’ve run the truck a few times since the completion of all the upgrades.  It runs great & is fast!