Jim, I didn't think that you were being contrary. The point being made was that a change to B/L motors is not the cure all that so many seem to believe. It is to the contrary and can be loaded with problems and/or unintended consequences. This is just my opinion, but the route Tamiya chose was probably not the best.

Barring commercial interests, the simplest would have been to just pick one motor. Of course this would have led to protests by everyone who did not have that motor. But that would have soon subsided.

And, yes, I'd agree that a complete system as you guys did and what the Australians did a number of years ago is probably the best solution. Most of the Mini racers locally also race other classes, so they had the correct B/L esc and just needed to buy a motor. I don't believe they understood the sometimes large variation in speed of the different brands of motors when installed in a Mini.

Is anyone aware if the Tamiya Renault 5 Turbo Rally body set will fit on an M03 chassis?

It does, (Tim's had one on) but it looks REALLY crap unless you run big hexes and maximum offset wheels.

Is there a part number to buy just the plain diff outdrives for the m05 ball diff? Pn 54194

Tamiya (#54238) M-05Ra Rein. Ball Diff. Cup Set would these do ?

Are those steel?

Is it difficult to convert a M03 to M05?

If this was Mythbusters I'd be saying -

Plausible, but not practical.

You can covert convert, but sometimes it's best to buy the whole mess. Should you decide to do it anyway, here are the parts that transfer between the two.

Lower control arms (f/r)
upper control arms (rear only)
uprights (f/r)
C hubs, axles (f/r)
internal gears
rear body posts
dampers/spings
stock gear diff, or TA03 ball diff.

You'd need to buy:
Chassis A parts - 51389
D parts - 51392
B parts - 51390
C parts - 51391 (x2)

There would also be a few extra bits and pieces, like the 90mm servo/steering shaft and a couple of stubby little turnbuckles for the steering linkage.

Come to think of it, dig around on eBay for a deal on an M05 Pro. I got one for $130 a few months ago and it came with some decent bits of bling.

Jim

sharing my Go Pro swift with a twist on a M05 S spec chassis

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...psab1020e3.jpg

integy has it , take a look a their site

sir, what type of oil do you use in the diff?

Looks great. I love that shell/decal set.

yeah, that looks sharp.

21.5 brushless system installed and ready for 2014 TCS.