The Build
I have been around large scale a relatively short time, but have been into RC quite a while. For me this is what I would call my first large build with all new parts. The large scale aftermarket manufacturers have been around for a few years now and the transition to a new brand was a quick jump. That said there are far more parts available than I could afford. So being on a budget I stuck to what I felt are the most necessary parts for a more durable car.

Looking at the Losi truck, it is really a solid truck. Out of the box it will take a real beating. Some past experience at some large scale events lead me to some of these products.

The first thing I wanted to address was the stock motor. Driving a short course truck is a different need for power. The all-wheel drive on an oval can use as much power as you can find. Seeing first hand (in my other large scale oval car) the power and durability of the Dogpile Wildchild 29.5 the engine selection was an easy choice. Bob has worked as hard as anyone could to produce an engine nearly bullet proof.

Dogpiles pipe recommendation was the Victory, however I decided to give the Losi pipe a try. It is an easy install and a nice looking pipe. There is plenty of room on this platform for a good pipe.

I replaced the stock clutch carrier with the Hostile open clutch carrier. I liked the solid look of it and how open it was to allow great cooling. It fit perfect.

Moving on to the gearing selection. The higher the better! Changing the pinion gear to the 20 tooth requires you to also change the Losi engine mount inserts to the matching set.

Looking at the chassis braces, I picked up a set of Turtle Racing front and rear. These are a great looking part and will stiffen up the front and back.

Front and rear aluminum hubs are a must. The last thing you want is to take a shot to the corners and break a hub. The Hostile rear hubs are as nice of a part as you can buy. The bearings fit perfect and the install was as easy as it comes. The Losi front hubs are a great way to secure a solid front.

While setting up this build I really wanted it to look like a car. So finding the look I wanted caused me to go with another brand of wheels. I wanted a wider tire with a lower profile. Of course this lead to another problem. The wheel clearance needed to be addressed. The wheels I picked did not clear the hubs. An easy fix, a set of 4 CraftWerksRc axel extenders. I really like these because of the design. The o-ring is an added retainer to safe guard the loss of the setscrews/pins. These gave just enough clearance for the wheels and gave me the stance I wanted.

The tires are always a usage decision, for asphalt or hard packed clay the Hostile slicks are a no-brainer. On the dirt I went with Hostile Mini Mxs. In my opinion these are the most durable tires for the money hands down.

Full force Shock covers and TGN gas cap were both a nice look and fully functional, doing their job keeping it clean.

The body I built from scratch. For the nose I used a mold I had built from a previous project, it had to be split it and added almost 2 inches to the width. The .060 clear polycarbonate made a nice job. The rest of the body is made from .040 polycarbonate which is cut out on a cnc router then bent for the fit. I used the stock body washers and all other hardware which is included in the kit. The bumper for this build was made from .187 aluminum and foam cover. This seemed like overkill and added too much weight. The kit will have a .120 polycarbonate bumper with the foam cover.

The Losi 5ive was a great platform for this conversion. I really enjoyed this build and hope to do another.

Performance
I know with anything you change or modify there will always be some sort of adjusting. With the Losi 5IVE-T and its all-wheel drive center diff set up is a little easier.

The truck, once converted to the late model, would go anywhere I wanted to put it. Though I was not able to run the car/truck on a dedicated oval, handling on a loose ball field was a blast. It drifted some but never seemed out of control.

The Dogpile Wildchild 29.5 had outstanding power from start to finish. Bob builds one of the most reliable engines on the market. While I am not an expert at engine performance, the Losi pipe worked well with the 29.5. To get the most from your Wildchild, check with Dogpile for a recommended pipe.

Even though I geared the Losi to the highest available gearing at the time, with the HPI 5B wheels and tire, the Losi was gear bound. I feel with the 5IVE-T stock wheels and Hostile tires the motor will really turn some great top speed.

Having some other large scale oval dedicated bodies, I could not wait to build a body for the Losi 5IVE-T. When the truck was debuted to the public at Hostilefest, I knew this was a build that I would do. The 5IVE-T platform is the coolest for building off of, all of the fasten points are a dream. The Ronshop late model kit comes with all the hardware, bumper and mounts needed to convert the truck to a car. Using the stock body buttons, the body is mounted solid to the stock cage. The wheel wells are left small for trimming, depending on which tire you select. No modifying of the stock cage is necessary, therefore you can retain the option to change it back, or put it on another cage, allowing you to run in another class with the same truck. If you like oval and want to do some fender to fender racing, this might be the build for you.

Since this was my first major build, it took me a little time to put together. I am sure there are even more aftermarket parts out now for the Losi 5IVE-T.

Losi Late Model Build List
Losi 5IVE-T 1/5 Scale Gas Powered Short Course RTR Truck, www.losi.com – $1599.99
Dogpile Racing Wildchild 29.5, PN: 295dcomp, www.dogpileracing.com – $369.00
Hostile Rear Hubs, PN: L3000R, www.hostileracingproducts.com – $79.99
Hostile Open Clutch Carrier, PN: L2000C, www.hostileracingproducts.com – $57.00
Hostile Slicks (5B), PN: 3345R, www.hostileracingproducts.com – $49.99
Hostile Mini MX’s (5B), PN: 1350V2, www.hostileracingproducts.com – $44.99
Turtle Racing Chassis Brace Set, PN: TUR-L0002, www.turtleracingproducts.com – $65.99
Craftwerks Wheel Extenders (TGN), PN: 11686, www.craftwerks-rc.com – $61.00
Losi Pipe, PN: LOSR8020, www.losi.com – $169.99
Losi 20 Tooth Pinion, PN: LOSB5045, www.losi.com – $19.99
Losi Engine Mount Inserts (20 tooth pinion), PN: LOSB5802, www.losi.com – $15.99
Losi Front Wheel Hubs, PN: LOSB2091, www.losi.com – $94.99
Losi Rear Springs (Gold), PN: LOSB2970, www.losi.com – $16.99
TGN Aluminum Fuel Cap, PN: 1505, www.tgndistributing.com – $19.00
HPI 5B Rear Wheels, PN: 3226, www.hpiracing.com – $24.00
Full Force Shock Covers, PN: L5T018, www.fullforcerc.com – $15.00
Ronshop Racing Losi Late Model Body Kit, PN: RSL85v, www.tgndistributing.com – $199.00

Photos by: Kevin Seminsky

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