Originally Posted by bassman2

Don't give up on the DM-1 yet. You are right about the clutchbell being the weakest link for the entire car. There is a great solution for your problem. Many folks in the USA had done this to stay away from DM-1 clutchbell.

Here are the part numbers for the parts you'll need:

KYO96946: 12x18x0.15 mm shims (2 packs)

Kyosho VS058 clutchbell

5x12x4mm bearing

5x10x4mm bearing

Kyosho 1st pinions: KYOFM540-15 (15 tooth first gear); KYOFM540-16 (16 tooth first gear); KYOFM540-17 (17 tooth first gear)

Kyosho 2nd pinions: KYOFM541-19 (19 tooth 2nd gear); KYOFM541-20 (20 tooth 2nd gear); KYOFM541-21 (21 tooth 2nd gear)

All you have to do is to put enough shims between 1st and 2nd pinion gear on the clutchbell to create enough space for the proper mashing against the spur gears.

I hope this helps. Like I said many racers and bashers here in USA had done this easy modification and have zero problems on the race track or bashing.

Good luck and have fun.

Andy Liu, "Flyin Hawaiian"