Team Losi Micro-T
Replacement Part – Tie Rod
We recently picked up a Micro-T from Team Losi and we’re really enjoying it. Unfortunately, we broke a tie rod shortly after receiving it. Since Micro-T replacement parts are in short supply (particularly the tie rod we understand) we decided to make our own. Here we will show you how we made our Micro T replacement tie rod part in about 15 minutes.
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Broken: Here sits our wounded Micro-T. See the broken tie rod. We will make our own replacement part. |
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On Back Order: A closer look shows the problem. We cannot play with our new toy due to the broken tie rod. We sent a note to the retailer inquiring about replacement parts. Their reply states that a lot of people are breaking these parts and that they are on order. What to do in the mean time? |
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Let’s Make Our Own: Copper bar was the first material that came to mind, but we didn’t have the correct width on hand. Rummaging through the tool box we found this old propeller. The thickness, while it varied, was about right and the plastic is flexible and not likely to break. Other ideas for materials are: Material from plastic cups, heavy packaging materials (that plastic stuff you can never tear open when you buy something new), aluminum strip…all kinds of things could be used to easily manufacture your own part. |
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Step 1: Cut out a rough part. It needs to be longer and wider than the original to allow for shaping. Also, if it’s bigger it’s plain easier to hand on to. We’ll file it down to size in a bit. |
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Rough Part: Here’s our rough part next to the original. |
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Step 2: Round the end of the rough part and then drill a hole on one end. Use the old part as a template. |
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Step 3: Use the original part as a template and mark the 2nd hole for drilling. TIP: It may be helpful to tape the two parts together so that the hole will stay aligned. |
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Step 4: After drilling, file down the sides to proper width and file off and round the long end of the part. You can see here that our part had a bit more material on the end than did the original. This should help make it stronger and there is plenty of room without binding. |
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Step 5: Install the replacement part to the Micro-T. You will need to leave a little play in the screw so the tie rod will not bind. TIP: You may want to use a dab of thread lock. If that screw falls out it will not be easily found. |
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Here’s our Micro-T with it’s new replacement tie rod. It turns out we drill our holes a tiny bit further apart than the original so the toe is not the same. It does drive great, however. We’re back to bashing around the house, pulling wheelies and having a lot of fun. As you can see, we can easily make another if we decide too. |
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Summary
We really like the Micro-T. We expect lots of replacement and after market parts to be available in the near future. Dad’s been a fan of Team Losi products since the early 90’s when he bought the JRx2. We also have a Mini-T in our collection and have had numerous other Losi products through the years.