Product Showcase: Usukani Front Bulkhead for Sakura D4

Usukani has released several great upgrade parts for the Sakura D4 in the past several months. One great part that seems to have gone unnoticed by many is the Front Bulkhead. It is a great mod, and provides multiple benefits to the the D4 chassis.

Product Showcase: Usukani Rear Shaft Conversion Kit for Sakura D4

There is no doubt that the 3 Racing Sakura D4 has taken off since it was introduced. The same can be said for Usukani. This young brand has gained interest and momentum worldwide in a short amount of time. They have put a lot of focus on the Sakura D4 and are delivering unique upgrades for this popular chassis. Usukani's latest and most significant upgrade to date is the Rear Shaft Conversion Kit for the Sakura D4. They are producing it in Pink, Black, Silver, Yokomo Blue, and Red. The USA pricing on this little gem is a mere $78.

This kit is very comprehensive, and replaces the entire rear drive section and bulkhead on the D4.

It comes packaged neatly, and protects the finish on all the parts nicely.

Product Showcase: Usukani Tube Style Turnbuckles

One of the interesting products offered by Usukani are these neat tube style turnbuckles. They come in several standard lengths; 23mm, 27mm, 33mm, and 39mm. They also come in the following colors; Pink, Purple, Red, Gold, Tamiya Blue, Yokomo Blue, Silver, and Black. They have internal threads that work with plastic rod ends. Usukani recommends using them with Yokomo rod ends, but I was able to make them work just fine with my 3 Racing parts. I think they will work with other brands as well, but I have not been able to test them personally.

I chose the 39mm Silver version for my Sakura D4 rear upper turnbuckles. As you can see in the comparison with the stock turnbuckle assembly there is plenty of thread engagement, and adjustment range. They should be very strong, too. The turnbuckles can be adjusted with a 5.5mm tool, on the flats, or there are a couple of small holes through the middle that a small hex tool can be used in. There is also an identifying band machined in one end to designate left-handed threads, making it easy to know which way to adjust them.

The Usukani tube style turnbuckles add a nice extra bit of style and functionality to your drift chassis. They should look really good once I have some more aluminum upgrades on my own chassis.

Usukani D4 Carbon Option Set: Completed Chassis Gallery

As promised, here is a gallery of the completed Usukani Sakura D4 Carbon Option chassis set. I really love the look of the black version. It matches great with the de-anodized aluminum parts and I almost don't want to finish adding the electronics.

Before I assembled it though, I took steps to keep it looking good...

Usukani D4 Cabon Option Set: Overview and Detailed Pics

Usukani recently released their carbon option set for the 3 Racing Sakura D4. It's available in either black or silver carbon. Both look great, and I chose black for my build. The set includes the main chassis, upper deck, front and rear shock towers, front bumper support, rear battery mount, and a spur gear holder.

The main chassis looks really nice, with a good carbon pattern. It has nice styling with some relief cuts in various spots on the bottom of the chassis. It is 3mm thick vs. the 2.5mm thickness of the stock chassis. The machining is clean and consistent, and all the countersinks are nicely done.

PiPES Backfire Unit

I recently purchased a PiPES backfire unit, and really love this thing.

They can be purchased in a variety of configurations as single or dual exhaust, and include a pair of red LED functioning brake lights.  I chose a 12mm single exhaust for my soon to be completed S13 project.

The way it works is pretty awesome...