HPI Pro-D Clone pre-build

Liara Approves

Pictured above is the HPI Pro-D clone I got from here.  I bought it about a year ago, and since then it has been posted on my wall and collecting dust.  I think it's time to save the poor girl and put it to good use.  It's been a long while since I have had a proper rc-car so I am excited to get into the hobby again.  Hit the jump for a more detailed look at my plans for the project.

 The low down:
      The Pro-D is a awd drift chassis.  It is shaft driven and mostly aluminum and carbon fiber.  Now, there are a few reasons it has seen more time on my wall than it has the asphalt.  Primarily, when I bought it, it shipped with a front bulkhead that had a stripped screwhole.  I contacted the company for a return and they told me to ship the part back and they would ship me a new one and cover the charges.  In an ode to my epic busyness (read:laziness), I flat out just didn't do that and let it sit for a long while.
     The other reason is that, I really wanted to use the chassis for counter-steer (CS) style drifting.  But, CS drifting requires purpose built differential gears that "overdrive" the rear and "underdrive" the front.  Annnnd, they don't make them for the Pro-D.  Which means modifications.  And I love modifications.  (Just didn't have time for them)

The Plan:
     Firstly, I plan on taking the whole thing apart and rebuilding it, including replacing that stripped bulkhead.  I really wish I got a kit in the first place, so rebuilding it will serve the purpose of giving me that experience.  It will also give me the opportunity to fix/mod some things that need attention.  I'll cover some of that stuff during the build.

    I have an old Spektrum DX3 radio and receiver that I will most likely use to save a few dollars.  I will most likely get a much better servo though, rather than use the one that came with it.

    I plan on buying a Novak DriftSpec Sensored Brushless System and a decent Li-Po battery to go into this chassis.  This will be my first time messing with brushless or Li-Po technology.  Both of them were still new and "experimental" when I got out of the hobby a few years ago.

The big part of the plan that will involve research and engineering is what to do about the CS modifications.  Soooo, I plan on either reverse engineering another CS kit for another chassis, or engineering my own CS gears.  Simple right?

Other than that, I already bought a body for it (about a year ago as well....) which I will also be modding to be awesome.  I'm thinking lights and everything.  It's an old school Skyline, and I can't wait to paint it up.

So, hopes and dreams aside, I am getting more excited for this project just typing all this.  I think the first step, is ripping it apart, and throwing it back together.  Look forward to that in the near future.