With the boom in popularity of the WL Toys 144001 1/14 scale RC buggy, there are a lot of aftermarket parts available now, all of which are currently available at here. For this article I'll be looking at why I chose the metal upgrade parts I did, how to install and my thoughts on the parts I did install. These upgrades are also applicable to the extended wheelbase 124019 which is identical other than the length Don't forget to check out the other guides and reviews I've already written for the 144001: The first thing you probably think of with metal parts is that they will be stronger than the plastic parts they replace. Although this is true, strictly speaking, the stock plastic pieces do have advantages in some situations, specifically -
Recommended parts:
I've specifically avoided these parts below because I think they will reduce net durability for reasons explained underneath the images. If you are just going for looks however they do still look great! Parts I recommend against:
Plus other parts available with my comments Part I don't have a strong opinion on:
Rear hub carrier install As always click on any picture to embiggen (yes it is in the dictionary)
(Front) Steering knuckle install
(Front) Castor block install Steering crank install
Hex drives (12mm) install My final recommendations Install for all parts were very straightforward, as per my notes I definitely recommend loctite any where a screw is going into a tapped metal piece. In order of prioritising metal parts for durability I'd go for the front caster blocks and knuckles first followed by the rear hub carriers and steering cranks. Avoid the 12mm hex drives for sure as they offer no durability benefit, allow the pin to fall out easier and bind up when the wheel nut is tightened too much. Of course feel free to ignore this if you are more about looks, the colour options and range of parts mean you can really dress the car up if you want. You can see some of the upgraded blue parts here on an otherwise stock car that I am keeping this way for general bashing. On the second car I've installed a small, well balanced 2838 brushless motor for off-road racing performance in this article and for the 3rd car I'll be building an on-road only speed run machine. This to follow in a later article. 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. Links are affiliated and help me buy the bits 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
Thanks for checking out my article and please let me know on my facebook page or in the 144001 group if it worked out for you. I've created a reference page below for all of the 144001 articles I've published here: 144001 UPGRADES - EVERY ONE OF MY GUIDES HERE.
22 Comments
Matt Chase
29/3/2022 01:42:10 pm
I appreciate all the time you took to make all information available for the public. Very helpful and much appreciated
Reply
QuadifyRC
14/10/2020 09:19:32 am
Hi Michael
Reply
Michael
14/10/2020 09:23:54 am
No worries, I am greatful when somebody answers the same year.
Chu
14/10/2020 09:08:45 am
I follow you on facebook as well, and see you contribute on the 144001 groups. Thanks for the wonderful, detailed writeups. I've noticed that the stock steering is quite sloppy. When adding the aluminum parts, did the steering get more precise? Thanks
Reply
QuadifyRC
14/10/2020 09:22:57 am
Hey there, thanks for the kind feedback, the writing and sharing is part of the hobby I also enjoy so glad some people find it of use!
Reply
Mike S
31/7/2021 10:23:05 pm
Are stock LC Racing tie rods any better than stock 144001 tie rods? My original 144001 tie rods all have noticeable clearance slop onto the ball pivots even though I never pop the tie rods off the ball pivots (I am wary of it stretching the tie rod ends and making the problem worse), and I am hoping that the LC Racing parts are a better alternative to metal parts.
Mike
16/10/2020 09:11:12 pm
My ball links rub on the front aluminum caster blocks at the ball end near the wheels. Have you seen this happen? I feel like I would have to grind away some metal to get them to not rub. Im not sure what to do.
Reply
Ronald
14/1/2021 09:35:34 pm
Great website with very helpful content for all 144001 owners! Thank you for sharing all your exeriences with this great little car.
Reply
I've been trying to find parts to color-match the purple that the 124019 comes with. I happen to love purple.
Reply
QuadifyRC
2/2/2021 09:27:33 am
Problem is with ebay is that the service is only as good as the seller of which you don't have a lot of controller over. Aliexpress is slightly better. If they are on other sites they will end up on Banggood. How about another colour to complement the purple?
Reply
Miguel
3/4/2021 05:24:17 am
Hi,
Reply
QuadifyRC
5/4/2021 10:42:06 pm
Hi Miguel, unfortunately there can be slop although mine weren't to bad. If you are really worried then you can use m3 shims to take the slack out. Good luck and thanks for the kind words
Reply
Mugyely
6/4/2021 08:26:40 am
Thank you so much for you quick answer and overall for you blog,
Munch
4/4/2021 12:31:13 pm
Had mine for a few weeks now, curious about the metal suspension arms, as I only had maybe 4 minor crashes and right front arm cracked right off the inner mounting point, Ill glue it for now, but ordered metal set to test. At worst ill have to order a plastic set in the future. Here's to hoping, ill report back after receiving and testing the arms.
Reply
QuadifyRC
5/4/2021 10:40:40 pm
To be honest I'd rather replace $3 arms that are relatively painless rather than diff housings and other parts but that's my take on it.
Reply
Marco
31/5/2021 09:25:29 pm
Best,
Reply
QuadifyRC
1/6/2021 10:24:29 am
Hi Marco
Reply
PC
2/6/2021 03:40:56 am
Just FYI - My son was driving the 124019, made a sharp turn, car took a flip (this is just on flat pavement), hit the shock towers and chipped off a huge chunk of the front gearbox. There is a big hole thru the gearbox. And just for that, I am going to get the metal gearbox, and the thicker shock towers. I can't drive the car until the new gearbox arrives. I think it's worth getting the metal gearbox, at least for the front.
Reply
QuadifyRC
1/10/2021 11:58:56 pm
I'm not a big fan of the metal boxes because of the tolerances, I prefer the plastic ones but you may have more success than me
Reply
Idan Harel
29/9/2021 08:44:07 pm
Two suggestions.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
March 2023
Categories
All
|