TOPIC:

I bought a ReRe Lunchbox a coupe of years ago and have been enjoying it ever since. The one RC I don’t regret buying, lol. I have run it hard and have gone through all the mods thats on the net. I feel I have found the right mix now and would like to document it for future buyers and anyone interested.

Lets start with pictures of how it looks a.t.m:



The body is tough though. It has rolled and bounced off things that it shouldn’t have:



On to the mods:
First of all, the manual is actually a big help to start of. The obvious first upgrade is bearings. I cannot imagine why someone would not just get them when buying the kit.

The first run with the Mabuchi silver can motor will put a smile on anyones face. That wheelie is why this thing is such a hit. I tried a 21t Austar motor in it for maybe three packs and it was fast, but I feel too fast. Its fun down the road in a straight line. Problem is when you go off road, it gets bad with a heavy trigger finger. To much wheel speed to run properly. All you need is a Sport Tuned. Its fast enough but you have control on the rough stuff. It also gives you decent battery life.

You will be seriously irritated with the gearbox slap after a few packs. I did the 3rd shock mod and it worked. Had a CVA mini in there and ran it for a while. Ended up pulling it because of the leakage problems that all CVA’s suffer from. I now run a rod. Its a solid pivot point and I feel its better than the shock version. Heres how it looks:



Chassis flex is also a major problem. Its a very simple fix especially when you upgrade the shocks to CVA’s. I got the Lunchbox CVA kit and set it up as per the manual. Its not perfect, and it wont ever be, but its a lot better. It doesn’t bounce and flip itself over at high off-road speeds anymore. Also, install them upside down. You will have a lot less leakage. Any-case, the chassis flex. This is as per the accepted manner by the general serious Lunchbox owner:
Front shock tower brace:

Rear shock mount brace:


The body mounts are also a needed upgrade. Alu units are readily available on the net:


The pins holding the front steering knuckles also have a lot of play. Its an easy fix though:


On to steering. I run a cheap Bluebird 6kg high speed servo. Yes, with plastic gears. Its all you need as long as you use the stock servo saver. The front wheels are off the ground 90% of the time in any case. I did centre the servo in the chassis though. The similar link lengths are better for sure:





The wheelie bar takes a major beating when you bang on the truck. A simple brace will ensure that the gearbox doesn’t crack when you jump and it hits the protruding wheelie bar, as it often happens.

I replaced the worn out stock wheel on the wheelie bar with some rubber wheels meant for small airplanes. Works a charm.

The rear shock mounts on the gearbox is also a prime suspect for failure. I had the screws strip in the gearbox on both sides, fixed it with a simple strut and CA:


The last thing i did was to replace the supplied TBLE-02s. Its a wonderful esc but its not as good as an old 101. Since I had one lying in the drawer, it got tested. A Hobbywing 3A ubec is supplying the 6v. I do feel that the top speed is better with the TEU-101BK. Seems like the TBLE-02 does have some sort of current limiting.


I have replaced the front wheels too. Cracked them both right around the collar that holds the bearings. Will dissolve some pieces of one of the broken ones in acetone sometime to make some paste to reinforce the current ones.


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A quick video of it running:



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Nice, two items I haven't done yet (and I did a lot )
Looking forward for the rest.

I have fitted a Traxxas wheeliebar to mine.

Mine does wheelies for about 100 meters if the road is flat enough

My mods includes:
Bearings
Traxxas Sledgehammer Satin Chrome wheels.
HPI X Pattern tires in rear, HPI Ground Assult Square Spike tires for the front.
Elastic hairband insted of 5th shock mod.
Traxxas Wheelie Bar
Front Chassis Brace.
Homemade front Swaybar.
55mm CVA shocks, lowered slightly.
Vintage steel body mounts
Homemade steering links.
Technigold motor
Traxxas XL5 ESC
2S 4000mAh Gens Ace battery
Futaba 3003 servo.

I tend to run mine on asphalt roads or hard packed dirt roads.

Also have about 1 hour of run time.

Pretty nice custom.

Thought i'd share mine with you,i went for a '70's west coast surf theme for the paint,fitted Bruiser hubs and wheels with HPI tyres and G-Made shocks,not quite finished yet but almost!

Hey Hugo,
Thanks for all the info based on your experience. Nice to see you are running it the way it was meant to be and beyond perhaps
I am sure some of these can be added to the other cars that share this chassis.

Unfortunately now I want to get a new lunchbox!

A lunchy is the rc life

Stevieg Just wondering what you needed to do to fit these tires and rims. Building a new Lunch Box and want something like that because it will get most used on patio, driveways and street. Plus I just want it to look cool. Had my first Lunch Box over 30 years ago.

Good timing on this topic since I just posted my Lunchie build yesterday. I'll probably try to duplicate some of these mods. I'm already using an Ampro center support so I don't need the 3rd shock mod, but the chassis braces seem like a good idea. Did you make these yourself from aluminum rod or did you buy them somewhere? I should probably upgrade my motor as well. I find that a stock silver can will only pull a wheelie if I back up first. Something with a bit more power would be good although I doubt I will go all the way to a Technigold.