Inside a Custom Build of the Team Losi Racing 22X RC Buggy

My all-time favorite part about being involved in RC has developed over time from my experiences in RC racing. Over the years, I’ve been very fortunate that my success in racing has led to people trusting me to build cars for them and that is something I truly love: designing custom, one-of-one RC cars.

What started as helping friends has grown into a serious creative outlet for me. Most of the time, someone will come to me and say they want to use a certain brand chassis, specific parts, and then tell me to design the rest of the car around that. They’ll hand me a pile of components and give me creative freedom to make it all come together.

Customizing the Losi 22X RC Buggy

Most recently, I was asked to design an RC sprint car conversion based off a Team Losi Racing 22X buggy. Projects like that are what really get me excited. I start with the buggy and the parts I’m given. The first step is measuring everything — every mounting point, every clearance, every dimension that could impact the final product. From there, I move into CAD software and begin designing.

I usually start with the chassis plate. I’ll position the transmission first, making sure the spur gear will clear the cage and that every mounting hole is exactly where it needs to be. Precision matters. After finishing the rear portion of the chassis, I move on to the shock towers.

On this particular build, I used the sway bar mount holes and designed an aluminum block to bolt down the rear portion of the transmission case. That gave me a second mounting point to tie the rear shock tower into, adding strength and stability. Then I moved to the front of the car. Space inside the cage was tight, which made it challenging. There wasn’t enough room to use the traditional front brace, which left the ball stud and tower mount in a risky position.

To solve that, I spaced the tower slightly out from the original TLR 22X mounting location so it would sit flush with the sway bar mount. I then drilled the front sway bar mount hole all the way through and added a carbon back plate. That provided significantly more stiffness to the entire front-end tower assembly and gave me confidence in its durability.

Once the design work is complete, I 3D print the parts and assemble the car for a full test fit and mock-up. This step is critical. It allows me to see everything in physical form, check clearances, and identify any changes that need to be made. I’ll go back into CAD, refine the design, and repeat the process until I’m fully satisfied. Only then do I send the final files off to be cut from carbon fiber or have parts machined if needed.

For me, designing the car is just as much fun as driving it. There’s something incredibly rewarding about seeing a concept go from measurements and sketches to a fully functional race car on the track. I’m extremely thankful and blessed that people trust me with their projects and put their faith in my ability to bring their ideas to life. It’s my RC passion!