For my birthday I got a Team Losi Mini-T 1/18 scale truck.

Front view.

Side view.

Radio.

For my birthday I also got a Wing Tote carrying case. This case has one cutout on the left intended for a stick radio and another cutout on the right for other accessories. The Mini-T fits snuggly where the stick radio is supposed to go and the Mini-T's pistol radio fits in the other cutout (after unscrewing the antenna).

Shown on the right is the stock batter holder for accommodating four AA alkaline batteries producing a total of 6 volts. On the left is a Venom six-cell 1100 NiMH rechargeable pack producing a total of 7.2 volts. If you're buying a Mini-T don't leave the hobby store without at least one 7.2 volt pack. The Mini-T is just plain boring on 6 volts. That extra 1.2 volts makes a world of difference. I bought a Venom brand pack because that's what the hobby store had in stock at the time. I don't know if it's a quality pack or not, but it sure beats the pants off the four AAs. I also bought a wiring adaptor so I can charge my Venom pack with one of my MRC Super Brain 959 chargers. I set the charger to output 1 amp. The six-cell pack is actually smaller than the four AAs. When using a six-cell pack the AA battery holder is replaced with a tray for snuggly holding the six-cell pack in place. The tray has two different orientations for shifting the pack forward or back depending on desired weight distribution. Finally, note the body clip on top of the Venom pack. These things are far too small for my big fingers so I added a zip tie to each one.

Chassis. By far the first most important Mini-T upgrade is the battery pack (see above). After the battery I did some bearing upgrades. The Mini-T comes with balls bearings already installed in the transmission, but with only bushings for the wheels and hubs. You'll need eight ball bearings to replace the bushings. Several companies prepackage the eight ball bearings just for the Mini-T. I bought a set of Teflon sealed bearings from APS Racing. The next most important upgrade would be a set of oil filled shocks to replace the stock friction dampers, but I haven't got that far yet. I don't think I'll bother with a motor upgrade. I've been unimpressed with what I've read about the available modified motors. It's seems to me that the advantage of a mod motor is fairly minor compared to the dramatic improvements from a battery upgrade.

The above picture shows the swapping of the front wheel bushings for ball bearings. Changing out the bushings couldn't be easier. The nut driver (included with the Mini-T) is used to remove the wheel nut and the wheel is pulled off the axle. Two bushings are pressed into each wheel. I used a small screw driver to pop out the bushings and then used the handle end to press the ball bearings back in. The lower left corner of the picture shows the two black bushings and the two silver ball bearings along with the screw driver, the nut driver and wheel nut.

Replacing the bushings on the rear of the Mini-T is considerably more complicated since the bushings are located in the hubs, not the wheels. I started by removing the wheel being careful not the lose the tiny drive pin. Next, using a small Phillips screw driver, I disconnected the shock from the suspension arm and flipped the shock up out of the way. This step may not have been necessary, but it gave me more room to work. Then I popped the camber link off the hub and flipped the link up out of the way. With the camber link off the hub swings down and the dog bone and axle can be removed. With the axle out of the way, the bushings can be popped out of the hub and replaced with ball bearings. The picture above shows the nut driver and wheel nut, two black bushings, two silver ball bearings, the axle and dog bone, the drive pin and the small black Phillips screw for securing the shock to the suspension arm.