Hello All,
I am looking at picking up a new buggie for the little man and I to bash. Two years ago I got my old ('84) A Stamp running and it fits the purpose well but it is getting harder and more expensive to keep it running. A few weeks ago I, not the little man ;-), misjudged a curb.....that was expensive and time consuming to get it running again.

I have found a few really clean 4.2's at very reasonable prices but I wonder if I will run into the same problem I have with the "A" Stamp with parts. I did do some digging on a few sites and it seems like parts are still pretty readily available. I will not be running huge power (17.5/13.5) so I imagine the drivetrain will last a long time but wondering about suspension and chassis parts.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Jim

b4.2 is a excellent choice, with plenty parts availability, and a YUGE amount of years of tunable setup sheets and compiled info. The cars can be found used dirt cheap.
You can also find b5m,'s dirt cheap also being a discontinued car also but support is a little less. IMO, others will differ, the b4 is a little easier to tune. The b5 is not hard to tune you just have a ton more tunabilty with the b5

IF you get a B4 you MUST get the DE Racing front bumper/skid plate. It's only $9 at Amain Hobbies.

It basically adds a layer of plastic to the weakest point on the B4..... the nose of the chassis. One good crash and it snaps. The DE Racing piece adds a tremendous amount of durability to the car.

RPM also maks a great front bumper for theB4

True. However it is simply a replacement to the stock piece. It does nothing to ADD strength to chassis at its weakest point.

Get the DE RACING piece. You'll thank me.

The RPM bumper I am thinking of is about 5 inches wide and protects the whole front suspension.

Could not find any DE racing bumpers on Amain only the RPM ones https://www.amainhobbies.com/rpm-ext...pm80042/p35427

I've bashed mine off and on for 7 years in back yard and never broke the front end off. My brother broke the front end off his when he drove full throttle into curb.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/de-racing-b4-t4-chassis-brace-der-cb-a/p266518

Up to you.....

If you are snapping the chassis at the kick-up, you are doing something you shouldn't be doing. If you snapping the front end of the chassis, you are going to be taking out the top plate along with it. No amount of extra bracing is gonna save the front end while going 30 mph straight into immobile object.

The only time I snapped something on my B4 was when I misjudged a pipe...taking out a front arm. That was first week of ownership while racing in 2004. The B4 is tough enough. Just don't go beyond it's limits.

For strictly bashing purposes, and wanted a bumper, I'd have to choose something that would help deflect crap away from front arms.

The B4 has seen the end of it's run (B4.2 discontinued now ). The platform should still see parts for a long time to come.

Can you run gear diffs in the 44.2?

The B44.3 and B44.2 use the same diff cases. You would also need to redo the CVAs/input pinion gears...The AE FActory Team B44.2 Thread

OK, old thread but have to ask anyway. Does anyone have a gear diff for b4.2? I need one and it seems to be discontinued from ae.

Out of stock everywhere. I have not seen any complete gear diff, or rebuild kits in months. With that said, there are two online stores that show gear diffs in stock, but I would not recommend anyone shop at those stores. Parts to build a ball diff are still out there though.

I am running into issues with spares for my B4 too. Unfortunate, it is by favorite car