Nitro to electric conversion

This is a long reply and far from perfect, but it will give you a good place to start and research further ?

I owned a savage 21 and wanted to convert it, but the parts are all so outdated I didn’t see the point, i stripped it for parts and bought an xl 5.9 and eventually converted that to flux.
My recommendation would to first convert the rig to a newer setup and then convert to flux, or just build straight to the newest flux version.
Basically all you’d be keeping is the a-arms and wheel assembly stuff xD

I’m gonna list some essentials you will definitely need to for the conversion. Might be a good opportunity to do a detailed list, similar to

Parts you will need (not complete):

Battery Box: Gonna have to store them somewhere right?
They have a

Flux Chassis: If you’re gonna convert to flux, may as well convert it to the XL right ?
You’re gonna need a set of flux TVP’s, mainly for the battery box mounts.
I went with

Alternatively, you can go with the newest flux TVPs from alza, and pair it with a centre diff to suit (my version is mentioned below, but I think it would be better to move to the new TVPs and trans setup). I’m not sure what motor mounts you’d need for this chassis though, because its different to the way I had done it on mine.

Flux Transmission: You have to ditch the old 2 (or 3) speed trans. When I did my conversion I bought all the parts needed to convert a 3 speed to a flux trans. Lots of little parts and really annoying to do. I still have this trans as a spare though!
Some things out there will make this process way easier, like the

Another note about trans, if you go down the more expensive route with alza’s centre diff, you won’t need a motor mount, plate, bracket etc as the motor would mount directly to the diff mount. I plan on moving to this setup next year some time. Makes maintenance and such so simple!

Front and Rear Diffs: The savage 21 has awful front and rear diffs. You’ll need to move the the “bulletproof” type diffs that the newer savages uses. They’re more resilient to flux power. Again, rc4me.us to the rescue for this. They have both the

***Check section at the end for other parts

***

Motor Mounts
For all the motor mounts plates, etc, I referred to the standard flux (flux hp) for guidance as I was building that version, just with the XL TVPs.
For the alza TVPs I recommended, the flux HP parts will work.
You can find these anywhere, for example (again)

Motor Mount Plate and Brace
You’ll need the mounting plate and braces for the motor mounts.
The plate is

The plate braces to mount the plate to the TVPs is

Spur and Pinion Gear
Any HPI savage spur gear will work, you’ll just need a smaller tooth version, I recommend
As for pinion, its all a matter of seeing what works for you, I use a 15t pinion, but I need to change mine now that I run 4s and 6s on instead of 3s.

Motor and ESC
There are soooooo many options for these on the market, take what

Transmitter and Receiver
In my opinion, don’t cheap out on a good transmitter and receiver. These can last the lifetime of your hobby and can store over 100 models in memory nowadays. Especially if you’re still running an analogue setup! take a look at

Stuff to make your life easier (move away from savage 21)

I’ve mentioned some parts above about your current rig and it being outdated, flux TVPs from memory will not be able to support the older receiver housing like on the savage 21. I will list some others here that I highly recommend you do, more than likely that you’ll have no choice while doing the conversion. Plus they are not too expensive to do.
Note that these will not fit the savage 21 TVPs, but if you want to convert to flux you really shouldn’t stick with the savage 21 setup anyways.

SKID PLATE/BODY MOUNT/SHOCK TOWER SET

HPI 85234
You’ll need 2 of these, one for the front and one for the back

GEAR BOX/BULKHEAD SET
HPI 85235
You’ll need 2 of these, one for the front and one for the back

RADIO BOX SET
HPI 85236

LOWER ARM BRACE 4x54x3mm
HPI 105893
Comes with 2, you’ll need two sets (total of 4 of the braces)

UPPER ARM BRACE 4x54x3mm
HPI 105891
Comes with two braces, so you only need the one set.

Steering Bell Crank Upgrade
rc4me.us

I converted a much newer savage xl to flux, I’m gonna this now in case you read the whole thing and give up. Its a pricey task to convert the rig, takes some time to do it. But boy is it worth it. I’ve always missed the nitro lifestyle, the sound and the way it drives. But nothing beats the raw power of flux!!I owned a savage 21 and wanted to convert it, but the parts are all so outdated I didn’t see the point, i stripped it for parts and bought an xl 5.9 and eventually converted that to flux.My recommendation would to first convert the rig to a newer setup and then convert to flux, or just build straight to the newest flux version.Basically all you’d be keeping is the a-arms and wheel assembly stuff xDI’m gonna list some essentials you will definitely need to for the conversion. Might be a good opportunity to do a detailed list, similar to @rc4me.US ‘s article about it Gonna have to store them somewhere right? @rc4me.US to rescue with this!They have a battery box kit thats perfect for this.If you’re gonna convert to flux, may as well convert it to the XL right ?You’re gonna need a set of flux TVP’s, mainly for the battery box mounts.I went with alza racing 5mm TVPs for this. They are thicker than the standard ones and look beast. They do have standard TVPs if you’d prefer, going to XL will require extra parts (like the longer driveshaft)You have to ditch the old 2 (or 3) speed trans. When I did my conversion I bought all the parts needed to convert a 3 speed to a flux trans. Lots of little parts and really annoying to do. I still have this trans as a spare though!Some things out there will make this process way easier, like the alza centre diff mount. Optionally, you can get the centre diff from rc4me , I have this and it works great. Just change the grease in the diff to some high weight silicone diff oil ( I did 1M).The savage 21 has awful front and rear diffs. You’ll need to move the the “bulletproof” type diffs that the newer savages uses. They’re more resilient to flux power. Again, rc4me.us to the rescue for this. They have both the diff and the pinion gear , you’ll need two of each.For all the motor mounts plates, etc, I referred to the standard flux (flux hp) for guidance as I was building that version, just with the XL TVPs.For the alza TVPs I recommended, the flux HP parts will work.You can find these anywhere, for example (again) rc4me has them but you’ll need t buy the rest of the parts for this separately unlike the standard kit you can get elsewhere. The part number is HPI 100903 Here’s an example from local hobby store of mine, it comes with all the required hardware ready to go.You’ll need the mounting plate and braces for the motor mounts.The plate is HPI 100906 The plate braces to mount the plate to the TVPs is HPI 100907 Any HPI savage spur gear will work, you’ll just need a smaller tooth version, I recommend starting at 44t and go from there.As for pinion, its all a matter of seeing what works for you, I use a 15t pinion, but I need to change mine now that I run 4s and 6s on instead of 3s.There are soooooo many options for these on the market, take what @SavageXL85 said above as a good place to start.In my opinion, don’t cheap out on a good transmitter and receiver. These can last the lifetime of your hobby and can store over 100 models in memory nowadays. Especially if you’re still running an analogue setup! take a look at Spekrum’s entry level offerings for example I’ve mentioned some parts above about your current rig and it being outdated, flux TVPs from memory will not be able to support the older receiver housing like on the savage 21. I will list some others here that I highly recommend you do, more than likely that you’ll have no choice while doing the conversion. Plus they are not too expensive to do.Note that these will not fit the savage 21 TVPs, but if you want to convert to flux you really shouldn’t stick with the savage 21 setup anyways.You’ll need 2 of these, one for the front and one for the backYou’ll need 2 of these, one for the front and one for the backComes with 2, you’ll need two sets (total of 4 of the braces)Comes with two braces, so you only need the one set.rc4me.us has these at a good price, not needed but well worth the upgrade while you’re there