42172 McLaren P1 MODs and Improvements

[Bulleck]

2 hours ago, jacobcooper488 said:

I'm still working on some mods, I will be back soon.

Thanks for the update! 

[efferman]

iam working on a RC version.

The speed is good for a short time but after 2 or 3 minutes of braking and accelerating the white CaDA battery Box is shutting off.

The actual setup contains 2 CaDA buggies, slow output and a 5.5:1 reduction. I should switch back to 9.25:1 to reduce the strain of the box, or do you think a buggy less would do it better?

[Aurorasaurus]

33 minutes ago, efferman said:

The speed is good for a short time but after 2 or 3 minutes of braking and accelerating the white CaDA battery Box is shutting off.

The actual setup contains 2 CaDA buggies, slow output and a 5.5:1 reduction. I should switch back to 9.25:1 to reduce the strain of the box, or do you think a buggy less would do it better?

I think keep the speed the same for indoor play, slower would be boring IMO. Maybe use an rc lipo instead, or a buwizz with current limits.

[StudWorks]

6 hours ago, efferman said:

iam working on a RC version.

The speed is good for a short time but after 2 or 3 minutes of braking and accelerating the white CaDA battery Box is shutting off.

The actual setup contains 2 CaDA buggies, slow output and a 5.5:1 reduction. I should switch back to 9.25:1 to reduce the strain of the box, or do you think a buggy less would do it better?

Nice, I agree with @Aurorasaurus the speed is perfect for indoor use. Just curious, who is the woman who walks in at the end of the video?

[efferman]

31 minutes ago, StudWorks said:

Just curious, who is the woman who walks in at the end of the video

My Mother.

[StudWorks]

5 hours ago, efferman said:

My Mother.

Oh, that's sweet. If I happened to upset you I'm sorry, I bet she's just as happy having an AFOL son as my mother is.

Edited March 8, 2025 by StudWorks

[msiminski]

Hey, brilliant mods, thanks!
I have a solution for the axles and u-joints fitting together properly under the gearbox, if anyone's interested.

[SNIPE]

On 4/12/2025 at 3:14 PM, msiminski said:

Hey, brilliant mods, thanks!
I have a solution for the axles and u-joints fitting together properly under the gearbox, if anyone's interested.

Sure, go for it!

My solution was to use this, this or this. The minifig utensil ring felt a bit tight when rotating the axle so it may be a hair too wide.

Unfortunately the shock absorbers are not fitting on the real wishnones (damn) but they fitted fone on the replica wishbones, so now I have to do a complete redesign of the ride height aduster, suspens, steering and diff assembly 😡.

But, we got an improved stepper mechanism in a B model moc of this set so maybe we can add that to the P1.

Not sure if the gearbox in the MOC is better too.

Edited April 14, 2025 by SNIPE

[msiminski]

Actually I was referring to the drive axles with the torque limiter that's at an angle.

[msiminski]

On 12/21/2024 at 5:52 AM, SNIPE said:

I was going to suggest using this part as an exaust but i later realized that it only comes in trans clear and is a rare-ish/old part

Maybe there's something else that can be used.

Also, for some crazy unknown reason, the flappy paddle shifter was not shifting but I tested the gearbox before building any further and it shifted fine then, so now I had to take the engine, gearbox, paddle shifter, and a bunch of small structural assemblies out of the chassis :( and I still don't know where I went wrong... nor am I particularly enthusiastic about having to reassemble it all and then continuing with the front axle and dashboard...

Yes, I have the same problem. I got to the point of starting to build the seats, but the paddle shifter doesn't work at all. It doesn't even come close to working. I'm going to have to start disassembling and troubleshooting. I'm pretty sure I've followed the "pimped" instructions correctly.

[msiminski]

46 minutes ago, msiminski said:

Yes, I have the same problem. I got to the point of starting to build the seats, but the paddle shifter doesn't work at all. It doesn't even come close to working. I'm going to have to start disassembling and troubleshooting. I'm pretty sure I've followed the "pimped" instructions correctly.

The paddle shifting assembly works perfectly on its own (disconnected from anything else) and I successfully tested the gearbox on its own before. So the problem must be with the chunky CV joints.

[msiminski]

On 4/14/2025 at 11:51 PM, msiminski said:

The paddle shifting assembly works perfectly on its own (disconnected from anything else) and I successfully tested the gearbox on its own before. So the problem must be with the chunky CV joints.

I made a bunch of mods and it works much better now.

[w0den]

So, I just finished @jb70's awesome Lambo MOC, and I am about to build the Ferrari MOC, but I am already thinking about the McLaren (yes, I'm hooked). 

One of the things I want to do is show my kids how putting the shifter in drive, neutral, and reverse change what the car dose when the engine is turning in the same direction. On top of that, I want to show them what happens as you move through the gears.

Has anyone ever considered something like HOG "drive?" Basically another HOG control, on the side, back, or top, that will turn the drive shaft of the engine. I know the engine isn't built to be powered, but this is just something that can let you demonstrate how gearing works.

[msiminski]

Presenting a sneak peak of one of my pimp my pimped McLaren mods. Headlights, doors cosmetic, doors functional, rear mesh, gearbox and shifting improvements. I'll put some instructions together and put on Rebrickable.

 

[msiminski]

My "Pimp My Pimped McLaren" mods have been published on Rebrickable.

[msiminski]

On 7/1/2025 at 6:57 PM, msiminski said:

My "Pimp My Pimped McLaren" mods have been published on Rebrickable.

 

[SNIPE]

Ok, I got the new adjustable ride height axles working, built (x2) and installed, they are kinda floating in place right now, but they fit in the chassis just fine.

 

 

[jb70]

I have released an update to Pimp up my McLaren with release v1.1.

These are the new improvements:

• removing clutch gear in main drive shaft (steps 31, 91)
• gearing up main drive shaft
  • higher revolution / reduced torque (steps 1, 31, 92, 173)
• reinforced gearbox
  • less friction, better bearings (steps 90, 92, 99, 107)
• DNR gearbox => prevent 4L axle shift out when joining front and back modules (step 170)
• additional gear box blocker at HOG gear box switch for more precise shifting (steps 270-273)
• improved building instructions more easy to use
• higher level of modularity in submodels
  • only 4 main parts (back, front, left, right) for chassis, easy to connect (steps 284-285, 330-331, 373-374)
  • only 2 main parts (right, left) for roof (steps 420, 429)
  • allows quicker disassembly and reassembly of unchanged submodels
• recolouring several parts for a cleaner look

A closer look to the new drive train:

 

The new modular design with only 4 main submodels for the chassis:

 

After mounting these 4 submodels you are able to do a test drive:

 

Have fun pimping up your McLaren!

[jbuccino]

A Christmas present from jb70! What a nice surprise and a great project for the holidays. Thanks so much. Is there a way to identify the extra parts needed if you have already done v1.0?

[jb70]

This link shows the new parts you need to build Pimp up my McLaren compared to v1.0.1 (which is identical to v1.0):

• https://rebrickable.com/sets/compare/slow/?1-set=&1-inv=&1-user_list=412031&2-set=MOC-198397&2-inv=244849&2-user_list=

[jbuccino]

Hmm - getting a "page not found error". I'll see what I can figure out. Thanks!

[jb70]

Seems to be a new problem of rebrickable with comparing public custom lists. I need to check for that.

But, you should be able to view this public custom list and compare by yourself: 42172 - Pimp up my McLaren v1.0.1

[jbuccino]

I can. Thanks jb70. I'll figure it out from that.

[zonoskar]

Auw man, I just finished the pimped build like 3 weeks ago... I hope v1.1 didn't speed up shaft speeds even more from the v1.0 build, it's already too fast in my model, I barely can use first gear.

 

I also did nmy own color swap, but a bit more agrressively than others 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2025 by zonoskar

[jb70]

12 hours ago, zonoskar said:

I hope v1.1 didn't speed up shaft speeds even more from the v1.0 build, it's already too fast in my model, I barely can use first gear.

No worry!
I had the same experience with my v1.0 build after having the car on shelf for a year. The clutch gear was often cracking in 1st gear. That was the motivation for my redesign with v1.1. Now the car runs very smooth in 1st gear. 

I kept the total gear ratio constant from wheel to engine. Only the main drive shaft speeds up a little to reduce torque on the U-Joints.