BUILD/REVIEW SCT410.3

[Billl DeLong]

This will be a live post that I will update regularly as new information becomes available. Although this thread will be targeted for club racing, I expect a lot of this information may be useful for bashers as well. I am a club racer who has been a basher since 1986 and got into club racing around 2010. I have nearly 8 years of experience racing the SCT410.1 (original release) and will be comparing newer .3 features as well as .4 upgrades and aftermarket upgrades to consider too! I would consider my skill level as an "Expert Driver", probably one of the slowest of the "Fast Guys" in my area who averages between 96%-98% consistency.

RC Tech SCT410.3 Thread
USER MANUAL
Summer Setup for hard pack dirt, low grip
Winter Setup for hard pack dirt, low grip


Hits:

• One of the most durable platforms on the market
• 50% Lifetime Warranty
• Quick access to center diff
• Based on EB48.3 with many .4 options compatible

Misses:

• Dated design, last release was in 2015
• key 2.0 updates are not compatible

Summary:

TEKNO sets the standard for all other race grade brands to follow in this class! They check off all the boxes for being one of the most competitive, durable and high quality products backed with plenty of team driver support as well as one of the best parts support supply chains on the planet! You can't go wrong with this platform for either a basher or a racer, I highly recommend this over any other SCT on the market today ​

Recommended Upgrades:

• Durability
  • TKR5161 - Aluminum A Block
  • TKR5253B - 25T Aluminum Servo Arm
  • TKR8730 - 2.0 Shock Cap Bushings
  • TBR57011 - T Bone Racing Front Bumper
• Convenience
  • TKR1240 – .4 Lower Shock Mount Screws
  • TKR5262 – CNC Split Cntr Diff Mount
  • 7mm Hex Head Aluminum M5 serrated nuts
• Extend Tuning Window
  • TKR5163 - Aluminum C Block
  • TKR5545B – HRC Rear Hubs
  • TKR6163 – Shock Piston Blanks
  • TKR8100B – .4 Ackermann Plate
  • TKR1403 - Screws to use with Ackermann upgrade
  • TKR8104 – .4 Bell Cranks and Top Plates

For Bashers:

• Reduce Performance / Increase Durability
  • TBR57006 - T Bone Racing Rear Bumper
  • M2C 6755 TEKNO Aluminum Rear Chassis Brace
  • M2C 6905 TEKNO Center Chassis Brace

Recommended Tools:

• Tools for the Pit Table

Build Tips:

• Apply Green Grease "skewer" style
• Use a Gel based Thread Lock
• Save time with a multi-tool
• Break in ball links
• Secure ESC and dust proof the radio box
• Shim battery, set mesh and protect screw heads

Here is my "Active Stable" of classes that I am currently running:

PR Racing 401R (1/10 4WD Buggy - 13.5T Stock)
PR Racing 401R-T (1/10 Mini Truggy - 5.5T Mod)

 

[bigslim]

I'll be watching this with great interest. Thank you.

 

[Willyb]

Good info....Thanks....very helpful.

 

[Billl DeLong]

Box Opening:
Note that the kit includes a high quality 27 page color instruction manual as well as a decal sheet, fluids for the shocks/diffs, grease and thread lock. You will need to supply your own tools which I will list in the OP later to help make the build go smoothly for you.

 

[Billl DeLong]

A Bag:

I like to use Green Grease brand with a grease gun to fill a 10cc syringe where a 3oz tube of grease typically last about 5 years of maintenance on 5 classes that I race between 1-2 times a week. When installing the rubber seals, I like to use the out drive as a "skewer" to apply grease on both sides of the seal, then position the seal inside the diff case and use needle nose pliers to press the metal shim in place while removing the "skewer", this maximizes the grease to prevent leaky diffs!

When filling the diffs with fluid, I like to use a Multi-Tool to hold the diff in place, and add fluid in 3 sections:

1. bottom gear --> fill fluid half way
2. planetary gears --> fill fluid behind the gears and walls of the diff
3. top gear --> smooth fluid to the top so diff is completely full

I also place 4 small dabs of grease on the blue gasket to hold it in place and align the cross pin with the top gear, use a straight pick if necessary to help align the holes for the screws. I also like to use the Metabo 21-clutch DB3DL2 driver with EDS Power Tool Tips to drive the screws into the diff

After final assembly, I like to use a silver sharpie to mark the fluid weight installed and use an air compressor to blow out any excess fluid, otherwise you'll fling that excess diff oil all over the chassis and make a big mess the very first use after a rebuild of the center diff.

 

[Billl DeLong]

B Bag:

Pretty much the same process as the A Bag, not sure why they didn't just put all these parts into the same bag... shrug

 

[Billl DeLong]

C Bag:

Instructions are straightforward, however I prefer to use Vibra-TITE Gel Thread Lock which I have found to be far more effective than any liquid based thread lock.

 

[Billl DeLong]

D Bag:

Doesn't matter what kit I build, the "D BAG" is always my favorite step

Anyway, identical process as the C Bag:

 

[Billl DeLong]

E Bag:

This is where I find the multi-tool I referenced in the A Bag to be a necessity for snapping the ball links in place!

You will also need to ream the holes for the suspension arms, I prefer to use a 4mm chain saw file chucked into a drill:

Rest of instructions are straightforward:

 

[Billl DeLong]

F Bag:

You will need to "break in" the threads on all the turnbuckles, I chuck the turnbuckles into a drill and drive the bit "in and out" a total of 3 times, then pack a small dab of grease into the thread opening before hand tightening the ball ends, you should not have to use a wrench to tighten the ball ends.

Sometimes you might get a ball end that is "out of round" and if the ball doesn't move freely without any bind, then you may need to use ball link pliers to pinch the plastic to get it to take proper shape and free up any binding.

Also be very careful not to drive the turnbuckle too deep or you risk creating a dimple inside the ball link, if this happens then I recommend using a dremel to grind out the dimple.

Because I race other 1/10 classes, I prefer to use a 7mm hex bit on my driver to quickly remove my wheels to clean them between rounds without having to swap bits. The stock wheel nuts require an 8mm hex bit which is not practical for me, so I will opt to use these Aluminum M5 serrated nuts from PR Racing which work very well on both my 401R and 401R-T platforms that I currently race.

Everything else was easy to follow.

 

[Billl DeLong]

G -H Bag:

Followed the same process as F bag:

I want to put special attention to the warning in the manual, I see a lot of guys skip this step and often complain about the handling of their truck!

 

[Billl DeLong]

I Bag:

Once again the multi-tool proves very useful for tightening the servo saver!

I have opted to use the aluminum ackermann upgrade for this build, but I will be placing an order to install the .4 steering rack soon!

 

[Billl DeLong]

J Bag:

I have chosen to upgrade to the T-Bone Racing (TBR) front bumper, I have found this to significantly increase the durability, the stock bumper will tend to snap front oval shaped mounting bracket which is not sold separately and while TEKNO offers a 50% warranty, TBR offers a lifetime warranty which they have honored for me personally.

Although I can use the kit provided M3x18 socket cap screws, I chose to add a little bling and went with M3x14 screws backed with red counter sinks so there are no exposed threads behind the shock tower, though you could get the same effect with a 3mm spacer.

I placed the unused kit parts in a separate bag for spares, I plan to order aluminum A and C blocks to upgrade later as well:

 

[LIV3FAST]

Nice write up so far.

 

[RustyUs]

I seen that you had asked about the fitment of the new EB48 2.0 gear boxes. That for sure would have been a great deal if one would have been able to use them. A SCT410.3 with quick access diffs...would have been a dream come true!

 

[Billl DeLong]

K Bag:

I will not be using the center/rear chassis braces in order to get more chassis flex which will improve traction, only drawback is that this will increase the chances of bending the center drive shaft if I take any nasty nose dives, I have also seen a guy shear the rear box completely off the chassis without the rear brace... it's a risk/reward thing, check your lap times to see if it's worth the risk!

 

[Billl DeLong]

L Bag:

Freshly sharpened Side Cutters are a huge time saver in this step with tons of part tree pieces to remove, if you do it right you can remove each piece without having to file/sand any excess plastic at the cut line

These side cutters are roughly 8 years old and have been used to assemble dozens of kits that I have built, they may last a lifetime if you use a dremel with a chainsaw sharpener bit to keep them fresh and sharp!

Another must for the multi-tool is to tightly grip the shock shafts when fastening the lock nut on the piston. I use an alcohol swab to clean the threads on both the nut and the shaft, then apply thread lock and I grip the multi-tool as hard as I can when tightening the nut, I have never lost a piston in the 8+ years I have been using this method to build my kits:

Using the skewer method as demonstrated with the diffs to assemble the shock cartridges, super easy and no mess!

Yes the multi-tool is used again for fastening the shock eyelets:

Multi-tool used to secure the shock when tightening the shock caps where I chose to go with an emulsion setup, I find it a lot easier to consistent rebuilds with emulsion:

I have decided to upgrade to the .4 shock mount screws (TKR1240), the silver screws are counter clockwise threads and need to be mounted on the front passenger side and rear driver side suspension arms, they make it very easy to remove shocks as they use the same 5.5mm hex so you don't need to swap bits

*** VERY IMPORTANT***
Do not over tighten the lower shock mount screws, they will not back out so it's okay to leave a 0.1mm gap between the head and the suspension arm... if you over tighten the screws then you risk pinching the ball end which can warp the plastic and make future rebuilds extremely difficult to re-insert the shocks into the arms

 

[Billl DeLong]

M Bag:

Same process as the L Bag:

 

[Billl DeLong]

N Bag:

I like to use double sided tape to secure my servo wire in the channel between the screw slots as shown in red, this prevents the servo wire from accidentally being pinched (been there done that) during assembly, I also use an alcohol swab to prep both surfaces before applying the tape.

One of my biggest annoyances with the radio tray is that it's not dust proof, there are 3 entry points for dust to get into the tray and here are some things that I like to do in order to protect my Rx from the elements.

First I take a small piece of scrap plastic and shape it to the size of the opening which is intended for an optional brake servo, I use Zip Kicker to help the CA glue dry instantly and double up as a filler:

Then I make sure fill any gaps from the inside of the tray and then use my dremel to trim off any excess plastic so there is no longer any sign of a hole:

When gluing the rubber o-ring's to the bottom of the ESC tray, I use Zip Kicker on the sides as filler so that the rubber won't de-bond when doing future rebuilds. I also feed a zip tie through the slot underneath the fan so not to put any stress on the fan during hard impacts.

Since there is no rubber gasket, I will run a bead of grease along the lip of the cover to make sure no dust can get in there:

Then I pack the entry point of the wiring with grease, you can also use silicone if you want a more permanent solution:

They designed the box for use with AMB transponders but I like to use MRT which has the wiring from the opposite end so it's not practical for me to route the wiring through this slot, so I simply pack it with some grease and we're all set

I decided to go with a new servo, but pulled all the rest of the electronics out of my old SCT410.1

 

[Billl DeLong]

O Bag:

As a preventative, I like to place a 3mm shim (cut from Kydex) fastened with double sided tape along the bottom of my 2S LiPo, the pushes the battery away from the center drive shaft so it will be less likely to get damaged when the shaft warps from a bad nose dive, this is not necessary if you use the center chassis brace, but a risk that I take as discussed earlier.

I prefer to set the mesh with a piece of paper which should look like this after you remove the paper when setting the mesh between the pinion and spur:

In order to speed up rebuild times, I have found it effective to use Gorilla Tape to cover key screw heads securing the front/rear gear boxes, I use an alcohol swab to prep the surface before applying fresh tape between rebuilds.

If you don't like the look of scrappy tape, there are fancy chassis protectors on the market, or you can cut your own like this:
How To Make Custom Chassis Protector

Another option is use a pick to remove any dirt that collects in the screw heads.