HL 1/16 Abrams, my first tank, doing upgrades

[Broffermoon]

My Abrams is a basic unit with plastic gears, plastic idler, plastic drive and tracks. I am in process of upgrading the motors to HL sealed steel transmission and motors. I removed the basic drive train and noticed that there were three locations that screwed from the top. The sealed transmission has what appears to be same mounting locations except they mount from the bottom rather than the top. The screws that came with the sealed tranny aren't long enough to mount from the bottom through the base of the tank. Has anyone done this upgrade? What did you do? According to the info, the sealed trannys fit the Abrams, just what kind of modifications? Any help would be appreciated. I have metal idler, drive and tracks to add to the Abrams as soon as I resolve the problem with the HL motors/steel sealed transmission. Thanks in advance.

[Rubicon99]

My Abrams is a basic unit with plastic gears, plastic idler, plastic drive and tracks. I am in process of upgrading the motors to HL sealed steel transmission and motors. I removed the basic drive train and noticed that there were three locations that screwed from the top. The sealed transmission has what appears to be same mounting locations except they mount from the bottom rather than the top. The screws that came with the sealed tranny aren't long enough to mount from the bottom through the base of the tank. Has anyone done this upgrade? What did you do? According to the info, the sealed trannys fit the Abrams, just what kind of modifications? Any help would be appreciated. I have metal idler, drive and tracks to add to the Abrams as soon as I resolve the problem with the HL motors/steel sealed transmission. Thanks in advance.

That transmission is not really designed for the “plastic” hull Abrams. It is for the next generation 6.1 all metal hull Abrams $$$$$ that is not widely sold in the Western world.

You can still mount it but you will have to drill some wholes through your existing hull and buy longer screws/bolts. Overall a lot of work and expensive that improves very little in regards to durability and reliability. A Tagien “black” or HL “red” upgraded open design gearbox are all that is ever really needed and are both super durable and smoother operating then the stock steel gearboxes.

[Broffermoon]

Thank you Rubicon99, you said it right. I have really created a lot of work to mount these gear boxes. Going to build a template to determine the locations of the screw mounts. Must measure out the correct depth for the final drive connecting to the drive wheel. Probably fabricate a metal mount to solidify the gear box. lots of work. Dang, this is a hobby world fraught with variety of sources some not entirely accurate. Research before purchase will be the rule rather than merely accepting the description of the seller. Rubicon 99, thanks again.

[dai phan]

Thank you Rubicon99, you said it right. I have really created a lot of work to mount these gear boxes. Going to build a template to determine the locations of the screw mounts. Must measure out the correct depth for the final drive connecting to the drive wheel. Probably fabricate a metal mount to solidify the gear box. lots of work. Dang, this is a hobby world fraught with variety of sources some not entirely accurate. Research before purchase will be the rule rather than merely accepting the description of the seller. Rubicon 99, thanks again.

Can you buy HL metal gear especially made for the Abrams?

[windmill]

Heng Long gearbox fit chart.

[Broffermoon]

The quest continues....The Heng Long sealed gear box turns out to be a 49mm not 59mm. Screwed up twice. Researching out a steel gear box that will drop in with soldering fit. So the HL Ultimate 2 59mm looks like it will fill the bill. In the meanwhile,I have a sealed HL 49mm. May try it on the PanTiger. It has a 49mm shaft. Gotta do a smoker removal on it anyway, so I can take a look. Going to try a laser mount in the barrel attaching it to the 6.0 board to #1. Fun and games continue. I hate it that I learn the hard way. Ghesh!!

[Broffermoon]

To add to the challenge, some gear boxes require a motor positions of mid and low while others require high and low. I have never seen that dimension listed in the description of various upgrade offerings. How do you know? I am totally bewildered by how one selects the proper motor/gearbox..Any help?

[Broffermoon]

I continue to upgrade the gear boxes on the HL Abrams M1A2. I came with plastic gears and with the upgrades of idler, drive and track, I know steel gears are essential for durability. When I ordered the HL enclosed gear box, the plastic gear box had a 49mm final drive, so I ordered a short 49mm. The fitment chart calls for a 59mm long shaft. Is that my problem with fitting the gear box? Would i better off with a 59mm? Were some HL Abrams fitted with 49mm plastic gear boxes? The mounts match up. Any insight would help me fabricate a proper mount. Thanks in advance.

[Rubicon99]

I continue to upgrade the gear boxes on the HL Abrams M1A2. I came with plastic gears and with the upgrades of idler, drive and track, I know steel gears are essential for durability. When I ordered the HL enclosed gear box, the plastic gear box had a 49mm final drive, so I ordered a short 49mm. The fitment chart calls for a 59mm long shaft. Is that my problem with fitting the gear box? Would i better off with a 59mm? Were some HL Abrams fitted with 49mm plastic gear boxes? The mounts match up. Any insight would help me fabricate a proper mount. Thanks in advance.

All of the Abrams are 59mm. The 49mm output shafts are to short and will not position the sprockets in the correct alignment with the road wheels and tracks.

[Broffermoon]

Oh man, my bad!!!! If I am going to work/upgrade these tanks, I better learn metrics. My measurement was all wrong. Rubicon thank you for your patience and guidance. You are appreciated as a part of this community. In process of mounting the 59mm(oops) closed gear box into my Abrams. Found a source for 3mm pan head screws. Needed 20mm to 25mm length to mount them into established mounts. Me and a drill fit them fine. Now waiting on idler wheels from China to complete the upgrade. Interesting, discovering which pole on the motor is red and which one is black. There was a little red dot on one side, I assume it would be red and two white on the other would be for the black wire. I do learn from my mistakes.

[Broffermoon]

Update: After micrometering the holes on both the floor mounts and the holes in the sealed gear boxes, 25 mm screws mounted the Heng Long sealed gear boxes to the Abrams plastic chassis. After drilling holes through the chassis it all fit together. Mounted metal drive wheels and waiting on the metal idlers to mount the metal tracks. So far so good, thanks for your support.

[Broffermoon]

when i hooked up the Heng Long Sealed Gear boxes to a 6.0 Heng Long MFU, the red dot was the positive hook up, or black, the two white dots were the red wire. Discovered the hard way, hooked one up and ran it with the other standard gear box to see how they ran, it ran properly when hooked up this way.

[Rubicon99]

Update: After micrometering the holes on both the floor mounts and the holes in the sealed gear boxes, 25 mm screws mounted the Heng Long sealed gear boxes to the Abrams plastic chassis. After drilling holes through the chassis it all fit together. Mounted metal drive wheels and waiting on the metal idlers to mount the metal tracks. So far so good, thanks for your support.

No need to wait for the metal/rubber tire idlers wheels. The plastic Abrams idler wheels actually work better, are super tough and are more reliable. The metal ones with their rubber “tires” tend to have issues with the rubber “catching” the track guide teeth and this causes the track to ride up onto and off the idler wheels. The plastic idlers do not have this issue as the guide teeth can’t catch on the plastic easily and stays “in place” thus far fever issues with the track “riding” off the idler wheels.

All my Abrams and M41s and M26 only use plastic idlers and the metal/rubber tire idlers once used on them now sit in the parts bin.

[Broffermoon]

Took your advice. The Abrams went out for a run in the gravel and grass. Performance was stellar. The plastic idlers held up well with the metal tracks. Tried both modes low and high. The high had lots of speed even in grass. The low had plenty of torque for those tough spots. Very happy with the sealed gear box. Got to get a bigger battery. The setup gobbled up the 2000 pretty quick. Rubicon, thanks for your guidance. In process now of putting a red laser into the barrel of my Leopard. Waiting on wire. 24 gauge wire and smaller isn't easy to find in rural Kansas.