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QUADIFYRC RC Car Review and Upgrade Guides

Fixing the Weakest Part of the WL Toys 144001 124016 124017 124018 124018 - New metal hubs

1/9/2021

24 Comments

 
The common platform shared by the WL Toys 144001, 144010, 124016, 124017, 124018 and 124019 is a generally robust one but it does tend to have a common weak point - the front hub carrier AKA front wheel seat. I'm happy to say I've found a cheap, strong and well-made metal alternative and in this article I'll show you why they are only now worth getting and of course how to fit them
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When you have been lurking around in Facebook groups, RC Groups, Reddit and other forums dedicated to the WL toys cars as long as I have you tend to pick up on common threads, especially when users share their disappointment over broken parts. Sure, individuals drive in different ways which can put certain components at more or less risk but a very common breakage I see is of the plastic front hub carriers. Standard replacement are not expensive but often have to come from China meaning you can be without a running car for up to several weeks. Previously I've looked a metal replacement parts by WL Toys however early designs were more "agricultural" in style and meant the wheels like my favourite Remo P6973 (reviewed here) couldn't be fitted.
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The original metal hub carrier upgrade part from WL Toys (shown here in blue) had a pretty ugly design and didn't allow you to use the wheels like the Remo P6973 as they fouled badly. I looks at these originally in this article: ​WL TOYS 144001 / 124018 / 124019 UPGRADE: METAL PART UPGRADES AND REVIEW
Our friend and regular contributor Geoffrey Chan fitted the beautifully made LC racing front hub carriers to his Project LC Racing 124018 at Stage 1 but these are quite expensive and even then require additional ball bearings due to different sizing, I was very pleased then when he informed me that there was a new front hub carrier design from WL Toys so I ordered and am very pleased to shared the results here...
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In short they are a like for like replacement for the stock plastic units but in aluminium alloy and so are entirely compatible with all of the wheels available to us including the Remo P6973s. Better yet they come with 4 new ball bearings, 4 new collared spigots and 4 new m3 screws with hex head. They are available in blue, silver, red and gold as below
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The shape on the new metal hub carriers is very much the same as the stock plastic piece
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Remo P6973 wheels and tyres fit without and issue
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All of the above colours are available here: Wltoys 1/14 144001 124018 124019 Front Wheel Seat Upgrade Metal RC Car Parts - Red 
Installation guide
Installation is straightforward - out with the old and in with the new in a direct sway. I'd recommend using the new ball bearing but up to you whether you wish to use old Philips head or new hex head m3 screws. The only screws going into the metal here are the ball ends for the steering tierods and I'd recommend loctite if you have it though it's not especially critical. Click any image to embiggen
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Here are all the parts that come in the pack
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Pop the new bearings in (might as well!)
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Remove the wheels, 12mm hex adapter (which will probably come out in the wheel) and the small drive pin.
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1.5mm hex drive to remove the pillow ball from the steering. 
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Remove the upper and lower Philips screw and the hub carrier will come away with the CVD driveshaft as above
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Pop the drive shaft in the new hub carrier. Left and right are different so make sure you get the right one!
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Install the collared spigots from the inside out and screw in. As you can probably see above I've done it the wrong way here - from the outside in 🤦‍♂️
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The only threadlock you want to consider using is on the steering pillow ball. A bit heavy on the threadlock here from me,
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Installed! Spigots still the wrong way here...
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Install the drive pin in the hex, realise you've put it together wrong, and then...
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Take it all apart and put it back together the correct way - like this. You should find there is no binding in the steering at all; if there is you have probably put it together wrong. This is critical to the proper operation of the car.
Results, Conclusion, Recommendations
The highest praise I can give this upgrade is that day to day I don't notice it, the car runs as normal. In a crash I'd expect it to hold up better and strengthen the weak point of the plastic piece.

All in all a good cheap upgrade with no real downside other than the purchase price which is not high anyway. Nice that it comes with the additional hardware too. I'm happy to recommend this as a good cheap upgrade that addresses probably the most commonly broken piece on these cars.
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​I ordered my metal hub carriers in the new design from Banggood at the link below. They are not an expensive part and are well worthwhile as an upgrade for peace of mind:​

Wltoys 1/14 144001 124018 124019 Front Wheel Seat Upgrade Metal RC Car Parts - Red 
​​Thanks for reading, if you found this article useful please feel free to like or share, the facebook links below directly link/like this article. I don't believe in asking for money by patreon nor by paypal but if you do wish to help me, the affiliated links in these articles help me buy the bits and services I need to produce this type of content. If you are looking for RC ​cars, quads or parts check out my coupons and discounts page which I keep updated with only the RC cars, parts and quads I like at a proper discount
24 Comments
RCFREAK
2/9/2021 11:18:39 pm

These look great and I will purchase some to try out.

One set of these I don't see anyone recommending, but totally should are these ones...

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001633630097.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.27424c4dSWHkGb

They are even cheaper than the ones recommended here (without bearings though) and are made for LC Racing by "AMO" (no idea who they are). I've bought 2 sets of these now and they function brilliantly. Delivery has been sub 10 days to UK. Can't complain at all.

Try them out.

Reply
QuadifyRC
3/9/2021 12:18:22 pm

Yeah they do look pretty good, I might give them a go. TBH though I'd rather have the extra bearings and hardware for the extra dollar or 2.

Reply
RCFREAK
3/9/2021 12:40:26 pm

Yes definately, these come out a bit more expensive i guess without the extras, you also need to larger LC racing bearings, which i actually find change the feel of the car a bit. Anyway, its all fun to experiment eh!

rcfreak
3/9/2021 12:42:41 pm

Yes you are right, these are a great deal with the extras.

The ones i recommended also need to larger LC racing bearings, which i find change the feel of the car a bit, smoother slightly. Maybe due to better bearings. So that's an extra cost too. But its all fun to experiment eh!

ants
26/10/2021 01:57:59 am

So you would recommend getting the banggood option with bearings instead of the aliexpress option that is meant for LC racing? Isnt the second one better as it will use bigger bearings?

Isaac
17/3/2022 10:01:27 am

Yeah, but right now those metal AMO knuckles are $7.45 (USD), and the Wltoys metal knuckles are staying stubbornly at $17. I did find the metal Wltoys knuckles on Amazon and Walmart for less than $14. For me, if I had to choose between the $17 Wltoys knuckles and the $7.45 AMO knuckles, and both were on, say, Amazon for that price, I'd probably go with the AMO knuckles mainly because they are less than half the cost of the Wltoys knuckles. I could buy the AMOs, then buy metal front casters blocks or metal rear hub carriers (on sale) for the price of the Wltoys knuckles.

Anyway, I know someone's gonna ask if I have the links to the knuckles on Amazon and Walmart, here you go:

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/2Pcs-Metal-Steering-Cup-Front-Wheel-Seat-with-Bearing-Upgrade-Parts-for-WLtoys-144001-1-14-RC-Car-Red/761507885

Amazon (two listings): https://www.amazon.com/Tongina-2pcs-Metal-Steering-Cup/dp/B08S229HN4/ref=sr_1_266?keywords=Wltoys%2B144001%2B124019%2Bmetal%2Bparts&qid=1639355082&sr=8-266&th=1

Or: https://www.amazon.com/chiwanji-Steering-144001Remote-Control-Crawler/dp/B0927D6K3H/ref=sr_1_59?keywords=Wltoys+144001+124019+metal+parts&qid=1639354811&sr=8-59

John
5/9/2021 08:33:27 am

I purchased a pair on Amazon and it was only a bit more costly than ordering from China. They are excellent!

Reply
Rcfreak
5/9/2021 09:12:56 am

Hey john, got a link for those on amazon?

Reply
kodak_jack link
11/10/2021 03:33:30 am

I just had a front bushing and screw pop out of my 124018. To begin with, even if you're using stock steering parts, referring to owner's manual on page 10, it shows the bushings mounted so the flange is to the inside. On mine, the flange was to the outside and it popped right out. The drawings show the bushings, but don't call them out. They are in the list in the back and are 1294 and 1295. They are different lengths, so, different numbers. One side of mine had the longer one on the bottom and the other side the longer one on top. I could only find those parts at WLToys RC.com. They were going to be the same price as the aluminum parts shown here - with the bushings, bearings and screws, so, it was a no brainer. By the time they get here, the season will be over, but, that's OK.

Reply
QuadifyRC
19/10/2021 04:24:02 pm

Yeah, I stuffed up the location of the bushings at first and wondered why my steering was binding, I'm glad they are included on this set. Get some of those big soft tyres I reviewed recently, they should go well in the snow ;)

Reply
kodak_jack link
19/10/2021 11:24:53 pm

Yes, that sounds like a good idea.

Isaac
17/3/2022 10:05:26 am

So in the end, you're supposed to put the flange/bushing thing in so that the "flanged" side faces the inside, aka facing toward the CVD joint, so that the screw is on the top of the knuckle, and the flange being on the opposite "side" of the metal knuckle? In other words, opposite of the incorrectly positioned pictures of the bushing that Quad provided (to show the wrong orientation)?

Reply
kodak_jack link
16/10/2021 12:50:04 am

I ordered the set from Banggood, which I don't see the link to here:
Front hub set $13.99 USD https://www.banggood.com/Wltoys-1-or-14-144001-124018-124019-Front-Wheel-Seat-Upgrade-Metal-RC-Car-Parts-p-1743826.html?p=O407199341113201703R&utm_campaign=QuadifyRC&utm_content=10589&cur_warehouse=CN&ID=6287842

I wasn't clear if the LC Racing ones with the larger bearings also required different CVD's to go with them.

Reply
QuadifyRC
19/10/2021 04:25:20 pm

Yep these are the right ones. I think the WL CVDs work with the LC racing hubs and bearing but there is a bit of play side to side.

Reply
Kodak_jack link
19/10/2021 11:28:28 pm

In that case, the thicker bearings (0.5MM wider) will help.
https://www.fullforcerc.com/MR74-2RS

Kodak_jack link
23/10/2021 12:47:18 am

I have recently received my parts from Banggood - much sooner than expected! There was no US warehouse choice, so, I expected a very long wait. For some reason, the plastic bag the parts came in had a New Jersey address. Their US warehouse is in California, so, I don't know what's going on, but am grateful it wasn't the typical looooong shipping.
The bearing bores on one part were much tighter than the other. It's hard to use a drill bit with a V into a shallow hole with a much smaller hole below it. Carefully use a Dremel and grinding bit to loosen things up. I have no idea why they give you 4 screws if they are the wrong size! Use some grease to hold the bushings in place while assembling. The flange of the bushing should be facing in, not out, as previously mentioned. It's a matter of preference, but I don't care for the solid balls and links. I prefer a screw going through the rod end with a swivel bushing. Less chance of the rod end splitting when you're trying to get it off.

Reply
QuadifyRC
27/10/2021 12:26:24 pm

Who know's what kinda 3PL setup they have. Every time I have a delivery to New Zealand it seems to come from somewhere different. Glad yours came quick. Surprised your screws were the wrong size, QA is not their strong suit but at least you can reuse stock ones. Hope they work well for you.

Reply
Tomás
18/6/2022 06:45:13 am

Hi there, thank you very much for all the content you write. Your site is the main reference for WLToy cars.

I'm not sure if all 144001 suspension parts are compatible with the 124018.
I just found this full set in AE and would like to know if they will fot my car.
https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/1005003703485855.html

Thanks for your help.

Reply
QuadifyRC
29/6/2022 05:42:07 pm

Casting doesn't look good I'm afraid. I can only vouch for the ones I used at the link in the article as there are so many variations

Reply
Kodak_jack link
18/6/2022 07:15:10 am

The parts should be fine as long as the QC makes sure the fits work. While you’re on there, consider getting the LC Racing shock and body mounts so you can put their truggy body on yours ( the truggy is slightly longer and fits the 124018 chassis nicely). Imagine taking off two clips instead of 12 screws! Pictures on mine are on RC Group in the Mod thread for the WLToys off road vehicles.

Reply
Art
29/8/2022 05:45:23 am

How does it go with full metal upgrade kit? thx

Reply
QuadifyRC
29/8/2022 11:12:20 am

It makes it weaker and heavier. Really if you just want to sit it on the shelf and look at it.

Reply
Kodak_jack link
29/8/2022 07:27:21 am

You need the LC Racing shock and body mounts to use their body on the 124018/ 124016 because the WLToys version has no body or rear shock mounts to work with. The typical metal upgrade kit uses slightly smaller ( stock) bearings.

Reply
Iris Smith link
28/10/2022 03:44:55 pm

We appreciate you mentioning that we advise using new ball bearings, but it is entirely up to you whether you prefer to use new hex-head M3 screws or old Philips head screws. According to my father, he needs a bolt to connect his machines at the shop. I'll locate a distributor of hex-head bolts that provides a range of bolts for him to use.

Reply



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